Kait & Eric’s Jekyll Island Wedding

Classic elegance meets southern charm in Kait & Eric’s Jekyll Island wedding. It was a stunning day filled with love tradition & a European feel to it. Curated & intentional design with cherished heirlooms added in brought this coastal celebration to life in such a special way. Creating memories that the couple & their families will cherish for a lifetime!

“On the coast of Georgia, Kait and Eric threw a European style affair, with twists of modern elements blended in for an experience filled with old and new traditions. Crane Cottage, built in 1919, is a location rich in history with touches of renaissance architecture in the heart of a low country setting. When a New Jersey bride marries her groom from the South, a location that blended their roots felt like a beautiful metaphor to celebrate their new unity. As old souls, the couple wanted their day to be infused with their families’ stories. Kait and her grandfather bonded over Audrey Hepburn movies and fell in love with Breakfast at Tiffany’s. To honor her grandfather’s memory she walked down the aisle to Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River” – which in turn became the bride and groom’s song.

During their ceremony they paid tribute to their Scottish and Celtic heritage by participating in a hand-fasting ceremony – binding their hands together to symbolize the binding of two lives. Their families collected materials & keepsakes – pieces of her mother’s wedding dress, grandfather’s tie, a ballet shoe – and individually tied them together to create the unity chord from their ceremony. After a meaningful ceremony – Kait and Eric celebrated the night away in the renaissance courtyard of Crane Cottage watching the sunset and and cozying up in their furs to keep warm on their January night. The whole event was a classic film worthy experience never to forget. From carefully curated moments to Kait’s special take on the design of the day- it was an event filled with intention.” – Amanda Olivia Photography

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
“Family is very central in our lives, likely even more so because we live far away from our family so time together is that much more special. Kait chose to have her mom be her matron of honor, and Eric his brother as best man. We each wore cherished family heirlooms – Eric wore his grandfather’s cuff links, Kait wore her grandmother’s fur, an old family ring, and carried her grandfather’s handkerchief in her purse. We also chose to incorporate the Celtic handfasting tradition in our ceremony to honor our Irish & Scottish heritage. This was incredibly special as each of our mother’s put together cords made up of special materials and fabrics from our lives… a ribbon from Kait’s first ballet slipper, a guitar string from Eric’s first guitar, etc.. The handfasting ceremony was one of the most sacred moments of our day and we are so glad we incorporated this into our ceremony.”

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
“We met working at a steakhouse in downtown Nashville. We were both in career limbo, trying to figure out our next step. Eric remember’s meeting Kait after leaving a shift and noticing her walking alone to her car. He thought she was graceful and beautiful, but maybe shouldn’t be walking alone & offered to escort her… which she denied! Kait’s first impression of Eric was a little different. We were apart of their training program to open this location. When walking into day one, the first thing Kait saw was Eric volunteering to bombastically sing the National Anthem. Having just moved to town from upstate NY, she definitely felt a little culture-shock & thought Eric was quite the character!”

Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
“When Eric decided to jazz up his first attempt at cooking Kait dinner by adding spinach to Chicken Alfredo, he unfortunately chose the canned variety. Kait, having always cooked with fresh spinach, thought this was odd but disregarded as she enjoyed wine while Eric cooked. Well, the dish turned a pale greenish color… unfortunately with the flavor to match! Kait will attest that it was the one and only missed attempt at cooking Eric has ever made in our five years together! We now laugh remembering when Eric had to squeeze out the spinach and Kait held back gags ha!”

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
“Love is an ever-evolving process. It takes a lot patience, humility, forgiveness and commitment to make a relationship work. The best things we’ve learned is how to practice all of those things, and many more, to work towards a shared vision for our future together. When navigating hard seasons of life, it’s pivotal to lean on each other and find support in your partner rather than trying to take it on by yourself.”

What is your favorite thing about each other?
“We both love how the other makes us feel at home, like we have a place to belong. We’ve moved around a lot and have really had to lean into our relationship being our place to come back down to earth. Our shared friendship and support of one another is both humbling and inspiring.”

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
“Hard one! Two moments stand out most in our minds… 1) the moment after we walked down the aisle together and had a moment alone. It was very emotional, we just laughed and cried together realizing we made it to that moment. 2) our dinner table was just us with our parents, and it overlooked the courtyard. To see all the planning come together, look out & see all our friends and family together under the stars, and just have a quiet moment with our parents, it was truly so special!”

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
“Eric – When we were looking for the perfect venue (pre-covid), we traveled around the low country trying to find the perfect spot. This has always been my favorite part of the country & it definitely solidified our plan to move there one day. We got to explore more of the Georgia coast, which is now where we’ve settled. It’s very special that we’ll always have our wedding memories on Jekyll Island, and now it’s just a quick drive from our house.”

“Kait – I loved being able to apply my creative energy and create a thoughtful experience for our closest family & friends. I own a branding studio in real life, so it was fun to take my vision and design skills & apply that to an event that was so personal and meaningful.”

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
“You have to learn how to communicate with each other. Something we started doing early on in our relationship was a “3-2-1″. Every Sunday, we’d take a walk and each say three things we were grateful for, two things that could’ve gone better, and one affirmation for each other. It’s so simple, but it gives you a productive place to discuss the little frustrations of life that can build up over time. Also, understand your partners love language!”

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
“We both struggled with the idea of investing so much of our hard-earned income into one day of celebration. We had so many big life goals on our horizon at that moment, like buying a house and moving closer to family, so together it all felt unattainable and a bit extravagant. This was elevated to a new dimension when COVID threw every dollar into a questionable abyss! But… by the grace of god, we were still able to have our wedding and it was the most worthy investment of our lives. We truly couldn’t put a price on an experience so sacred & special with our closest family and friends.”

What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
“Love is at the center of all things. Finding love, whether with a partner, with friends & family, or simply within yourself… it all brings a greater meaning and purpose to life. If you keep love at the center of your decisions, living a happy and fulfilling life comes naturally.”