1. Real Weddings

Kim & Robert: An Outdoor Wedding in Madison, GA

Kim Jackson didn’t know it at first, but when she met Robert (Rob) Matthews during her residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Kentucky

Kim Jackson didn’t know it at first, but when she met Robert (Rob) Matthews during her residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, they would be reminded of Kentucky at their wedding nearly four and a half years later. The Bride Kim Jackson, 32, pediatric dentist The Groom Robert (Rob) Matthews, 36, U.S. Department of Justice employee The Date October 1 After finishing her degree, Kim moved to Alpharetta, while Rob relocated to Cleveland. The couple dated long distance until Rob decided to pop the question when they were together for Kim’s birthday dinner. When it came time for dessert, Kim looked up to see a waiter bringing an entire carrot cake her way with “Will You Marry Me?” written across the top. “Of course I said yes!” she remembers.

The ceremony was held on an oak tree-lined alley, under a wrought-iron arch that was adorned with greenery and pink and cream roses. Since the couple planned to say “I do” outside, getting Kim to the aisle without Rob or their guests seeing her proved to be tricky, but the bride had a plan: As the bridesmaids -- clad in light pink satin dresses with a chocolate-brown satin sashes -- made their way down the aisle, Kim was behind the house waiting in a 1969 brown Rolls-Royce. “We pulled up the drive and stopped at the end of the aisle, and my dad was there to let me out and escort me,” says the bride.
Kim chose a chocolate-brown and pink color scheme to convey the simple and elegant look she wanted for her wedding day.
Kim wore a strapless gown of ivory French lace with silk charmeuse lining.
Square ecru invitations that were engraved in chocolate-brown ink were complemented by coordinating square programs that doubled as fans, tied off with pink and brown polka-dot ribbon. The fans came in handy for many guests, as both the ceremony and reception took place outdoors on the grounds of the Madison Oaks Inn, a charming bed and breakfast situated in an antebellum house
Roses dominated the floral theme for Kim’s wedding. The bride carried a medium dome-shaped bouquet of several varieties of roses in pale pink and cream, with stems wrapped in ivory satin ribbon with pearl accents, while her bridesmaids carried small dome-shape bouquets of pink roses with stems wrapped with light pink ribbon and a narrow chocolate brown ribbon laced over the pink.
Fudge-dipped Granny Smith apples on a wooden stick were wrapped in clear plastic and tied with pink ribbon.
For their first dance, the happy couple took a spin to “I Could Not Ask for More” by Edwin McCain. “Rob is a big fan of Edwin McCain, and we thought this song expressed our feelings for each other,” Kim explains.
The Rings
The Exit
The four-tiered cake with white buttercream icing had Swiss dots and chocolate brown ribbon at the bottom of each layer.
The tables were draped with chocolate-brown pin-tuck silk linens and topped with square glass vases filled with light pink roses -- the bride’s only request for flowers. “I love the look and smell of roses so I wanted them everywhere,” explains Kim (naturally, her bouquet consisted of several rose varieties in cream and pale pinks).
The Ceremony Decor
The Ceremony Decor
Kim’s six bridesmaids wore strapless light-pink satin tea-length dresses with a chocolate brown satin sash, by BCBG Max Azria.
The Ceremony Decor