1. Real Weddings

Alicia & Scott: A Modern Wedding in Rome, GA

Their engagement was short -- four months and all about business. They didn't need to think for more than a heartbeat about where the wedding would ta

Their engagement was short -- four months and all about business. They didn't need to think for more than a heartbeat about where the wedding would take place: Frost Chapel at Berry College. THE BRIDE Alicia Kirsten Cosnahan, a 23-year-old artist THE GROOM Scott David McIntosh, a 24-year-old graduate student of history THE DATE July 28 College sweethearts Alicia Kirsten Cosnahan and Scott David McIntosh were married on July 28th at the place where they met five years earlier when Scott was a sophomore and Alicia was a freshman. I had seen a piece of artwork Alicia had displayed on campus that I liked very much, says Scott, who worked part-time at the college library. When Alicia came in to check out a book, Scott searched her file for her phone number and called. It was probably illegal, but I did it anyway. I called her and asked her to coffee, and she told me she had a paper to write, but she had time to go on a walk. They went for a romantic stroll up to some gothic-looking buildings that Henry Ford had donated to the college in the 1920s and '30s. We ended up talking for most of the night. I think she ended up failing that paper, says Scott jokingly. Years later, he took Alicia out on that very same walk, having earlier placed a present underneath the bench where they sat and talked that one fateful night. Tucked inside the package was the ring.

Alicia's bridesmaids wore dresses from Veronica Chiffon for the Bill Levkoff Collection.
It was very hot the day of the wedding, at least 90 degrees. The church was not air conditioned, so the couple did everything possible to make their guests comfortable. Each individual was greeted with bottled water and a white folding fan.
The newlyweds navigated through a sea of sparklers while exiting their reception. We went back to the cabins and waited for our friends to come over for an after-party, says Alicia. It was special to spend that time with them, especially since we were moving across the country two weeks after the wedding, and knew we wouldn't see most of them for a long time.
Alicia and Scott married at Berry College's Frost Chapel, which is available to students, alumni, and faculty/staff only.
Alicia carried a hand-tied bouquet of Champagne and Anna roses.
The Flower Girl
As guests were seated, a harpist played and a friend from college sang Ave Maria as the attendants entered the church through large wooden doors. The Catholic ceremony was short, about 25 minutes. The only light that filled the church that night came from candles set before the stained glass windows that enhanced the warm colors of the chapel.
The newlyweds rode in a 1931 maroon Pierce-Arrow to Magretta Hall downtown where the reception was held. When the guests arrived, the band was playing contemporary jazz. Generational pictures of married couples from each family and childhood pictures of the bride and groom added an antique element of decoration. On the tables, a small green and pink geranium was tucked into a pleated napkin at each place setting, and fishbowls filled with black goldfish and iridescent pink marbles served as centerpieces. Near the entrance, Alicia and Scott offered the guests Fish Adoption Kits, and by the end of the night, every fish had found a home.
While there were plenty of toasts to the bride and groom, there was also a special one saved for Alicia's father in honor of his birthday. A cake table displayed not one, but seven different flavored cakes, including a carrot cake for the father of the bride. There was no dancing in the small space, which suited the newlyweds just fine, as they had so many friends and relatives to greet. Around 11:00 p.m., Alicia changed into her getaway outfit-a lavender and ivory dress and a flapper-style vintage hat from the '20s, a gift from her new husband. (Scott received a Sports Illustrated issue from 1965 that featured his father, then-UCLA championship basketball team captain Doug McIntosh, on the cover.)
As a student, I worked in the Handicraft Department as a weaver, says Alicia. My supervisor and mentor, Jennifer LeCroy, helped me with every detail of our wedding. She became something of an informal wedding coordinator. Regarding Alicia's desires for a timeless with a modern edge theme, Jennifer and the couple created retro-style invitations -- small square cards featuring a black-and-white photo of the church and a wedding printed in typewriter-style font at the bottom left-hand corner. In accordance with their wedding style, Alicia chose a very Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis-look: a pillbox hat with peek-a-boo blusher veil to complement her Vera Wang gown.