Judene and Ferris had the most beautiful tropical July wedding at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Grovetown, Georgia last weekend! The weather was beautiful, the people were beautiful, and everything was just perfect. These two lovebirds remember meeting around the age of 12, but their families have been friends since before they were born. After 3.5 years of dating, they got engaged – gotta love a high school sweetheart story!!
This wedding day was beautiful in many ways, and full of many tearful, emotional moments. I haven’t cried so much at a wedding (hiding behind the camera, of course) in a long time. Judene surrounded herself with her grandmothers, her mother in law, and bridesmaids for the getting ready portion of the day. Judene’s mother passed away a few years ago, so Judene’s grandmother helped her put on her shoes and dress. Judene shared a first look with her bridesmaids, and then a very emotional and sweet first look with her dad. Ferris and Judene also chose to share a first look on their wedding day to minimize the time for portraits after the ceremony Mass (and yes, everyone was crying!!) It’s very rare that Catholic couples share a first look on a wedding day, and it was a great way to beat the summer heat for portrait time. Ferris still cried when he saw Judene come down the aisle too! The florals from Wildflower Florals LLC were absolutely perfect, with pretty ranunculus and tropical hints as a nod to Ferris and Judene’s Guam/Chamorro heritage. St. Teresa of Avila was such pretty church for a wedding Mass, and held their 500 guests with ease. Their wedding Mass included a Mantilla ceremony, the exchange of Las Arras, and the flowers to Mary tradition (learn about those on this other blog post I wrote). We also did a bubble ceremony exit out the church steps, which was so fun! After some family photos (some of the biggest I’ve ever taken lol!), we went to the church columbarium to include Judene’s late mother in the photos.
Their reception took place at the event center at St. Teresa of Avila, which was enormous! Tall, elegant floral arrangements were mixed with tropical bud vases, with hints of light pink throughout the room. Family of the bride and groom provided all of the catering, a home-cooked spread from Guam. The food was absolutely fantastic and included a kalua pig! Tears were abundant through first dances, speeches, and a surprise hula performance from family members. The bride and groom also did a money dance, which was fun way to start their newlywed fund. The dance floor stayed popping all night and we ended the night with a big group photo of all the guests left on the dance floor. Such a beautiful and fun day, congratulations to the Lowerys!
Vendors:
Dress & Veil: Elegant Bridals || Catering: Family || DJ: M&S Mobile Productions || Venue: St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church || Florist: Wildflower Florals LLC || MUA: HS Glam || Photography: Nicole Sandercock Photography || Videography: Kendall with Hootsuite Media || Groom suit shop: Simon’s Formal Wear
