Family Was Central to This Simple, European-Inspired Wedding at Summerour Studio in Atlanta, Georgia

To celebrate their marriage, Jillian and Kyla wed in a boho wedding at Summerour Studio, a European-inspired venue tucked in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. "A year into our relationship same-sex marriage was legalized and we knew then that if we got married we would make it a big celebration," explain Jillian and Kyla of the path that led to their Atlanta wedding. "Four years later we weren't sure exactly what that meant, but we eventually decided we would pick a location between our families and do our best to make the whole weekend a blast. Neither of us had grown up picturing a wedding for ourselves, so we went into it with very few expectations. We felt like we were in an interesting position during planning. Most traditions in weddings did not necessarily apply to us. We felt a little liberated honestly, we chose to adapt things we liked and leave the rest. We didn't have a specific inspiration, the core of what we envisioned was celebrating the people who had supported our relationship over the years and giving them the best night possible." Though Jillian and Kyla did away with traditions that didn't fit them, they did decide to include a few things that fit within the idea of "something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new. We each carried our bouquets in handkerchiefs from Jillian's grandmother with pretty blue floral patterns. Jillian had a clip-in flower that her Matron of Honor and her sisters had all had in their weddings. Kyla borrowed her sister's ring that belonged to their mother." 

Beyond the old, new, borrowed and blue items from family members, the couple honored their loved ones throughout the ceremony as well. "Kyla chose to have a memorial chair to honor her father and dog of 12 years who had passed. On the chair was a sign with the outline of a hunter and a dog. Kyla's father was a big outdoorsman and we had his cowboy boots and camo hat sitting on and under the chair. Kyla's dog Sammie passed away a few months before the wedding. His collar was hung on the side of the chair with her dad's hat. Kyla had always envisioned him being the 'Pup of Honor' at her wedding, but instead, we gave him a place of honor at the front." 

As for decor, the couple chose to keep simple to allow Summerour Studio's beauty to shine through. "When we walked into Summerour Studio we were blown away by the courtyard. We had taken a trip to Italy that we loved and the space looked straight out of Tuscany. We wanted to keep the already beautiful space simple and natural-looking, so we used mostly florals and greenery as decorations. One of Kyla's best friends and bridesmaids is a very talented Florist who did all of the arrangements. We both love flowers so we each picked some of our favorites and let Aileen go wild from there. Kyla loves succulents so they were featured in her bouquet with calla lilies, scabiosa, blue thistle, and garden roses. Jillian's favorite flower is a snapdragon, Aileen mixed them in with orange roses, lotus pods, pincushion protea, and safari sunsets. One of Jillian's favorite things to eat are olives so olive leaf felt like a fun choice for the garland. The flowers and greens were one of our absolute favorite parts of the day. They were gorgeous and unique, probably one of the most commented-on things at our wedding. After the wedding, we even dried our bridal bouquets and have them in our home."

Looking back on the beautiful wedding day at Summerour Studio, Kyla recalls her favorite moment being the time "right after the ceremony and photos when we had 20 or so minutes to ourselves during the cocktail hour. We had a VIP server who acted as a bouncer and kept everyone else from entering the dressing room. She had set up each of our signature drinks with the cocktail appetizers and we just had a moment for just us. We could really breathe in being married and surrounded by people we loved while reveling in the great food and drink choices we had made. That moment is the one I will vividly remember for the rest of my life." As for Jillian, her favorite wedding moment was the couple's first look. "Our photographer gave me the advice to take a moment before it happened and reflect on the day. I will always remember standing on the landing of the stairs waiting to see Kyla for the first time. I paused for a minute to dwell in the happiness and excitement of that moment. I continued up the stairs and saw Kyla, she looked absolutely stunning. The few minutes we shared together laughing and talking about the day set the rest up perfectly."