Elyssa and Jake’s Atlanta wedding was a mix of cottagecore softness and dark academia references. Their ceremony venue, The Ramspeck, was the perfect fit for the theme with its wood textures, vintage furniture, plants, books, and glassware. It gave them a beautiful backdrop that didn’t need much dressing up.

The day started with the couple reading their vows in private of the roof of Hotel Clermont, where they got ready and also had their reception. “We skipped a lot of tradition”, Elyssa said, “We hung out the morning of before we went to separate spaces to get ready. We didn’t do public vows, we shared them privately on the Clermont Hotel rooftop, where I was free to ugly cry in peace.” They then did some photos and headed to their ceremony together.

The ceremony was short and sweet. Elyssa walked in to Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie. Instead of exchanging vows in front of guests, they did a tree planting. Together they potted a Japanese maple and invited guests to add soil too.

They focused on what they actually cared about. Both are really into cocktails, so the bar became a central feature. The menu included twists on classics, like a paper plane with rhubarb liqueur and a mezcal negroni.

The reception ran like a house party. They put together the entire playlist themselves, 65 songs in total. They also ignored many traditions like the the bouquet toss and choreographed dances. They wanted it to feel relaxed and informal so they could spend time with everyone there.

They did add some small details to make it feel like their own. The graphic designer bride loved creating all the stationery and they had custom matchbooks, which they designed together, left on the bar as favours. There was also a polaroid station for the guest book.

They loved planning the wedding but there were a lot of lessons along the way. “We knew things were expensive, but we don’t think we realised just how expensive it can be”, Elyssa admitted. “The best thing we did for ourselves was prioritising the things that mattered most to us – our venue had a great vibe already as well as a cocktail and dinner program that we loved so we were able to skip décor that we were never going to use again. We were also able to save a little on hiring out booze and catering and use more of our budget for dreamy flowers, and insanely delicious cake that we still get compliments on. I personally still think about it at least once a week!”

One of the trickiest parts was finding her dress. However when she discovered The Sentamentalist, an Atlanta based boutique that superficially caters to plus size and inclusivity, she was thrilled! “I do feel like, as a whole, the wedding industry has been trying to be a little more inclusive, but there’s still a lot of work to be done”, she explains. “I sought out a dress shop here in Atlanta specifically because they were size inclusive and had lots of options for separates. It was important to me to be able to try on pieces that would let me fully see what it would look like on my body without having to imagine or struggle to get into a sample that was 6 sizes too small.”

“I was lucky to have such an inclusive space in my city though, and know that may not be a reality for everyone – but I feel it should be! There should be more inclusive spaces that people can feel welcome in without being shamed or be made to feel bad for being outside of the ‘norm’. The Sentamentalist, made the dress buying experience so fun. I felt very heard by the stylists and honestly had a hard time deciding between a few of the pieces I tried on. I loved that they worked with designers directly and allowed me to customise/ mix and match separates to really curate the final look fully.”