Are you looking for a non-traditional, less fuss, more intentional wedding day? Read on to see how Angel and Barratt did just that. Photography by J. Willis Photography.
"Barratt and I met in July of 2022 through a dating app. Neither one of us expected to find our future spouse online, but we quickly realized we had something special. For our first date we planned to meet at a restaurant for dinner and see a movie afterwards. On the way to the date Barratt got in a car accident and called me explaining he was going to be late. That sounded a little suspicious until I saw the police cars and ambulance passing by the restaurant and heading in his direction. I decided to wait it out and although a little shaken up, Barratt did arrive for our date. He later told me that he was begging the police officer to let him leave so that he could get to a very important first date. Like most first dates, there was a little awkwardness, but I did agree to see him again the next weekend. For that date he took me on a river trip in his canoe and we talked for hours getting to know each other better. From that point on we spent every weekend together hiking, cooking, and going on river trips. After about two months, we had fallen in love and were saying that we would marry each other one day.
Fast forward to November of 2023. We had been dating a little over a year and had been engagement ring shopping for a few months prior. I had always told Barratt I didn’t want to get engaged around a holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Valentine's Day so I had convinced myself he wouldn’t pop the question until after the new year. I had also told him that I wanted to be surprised and not know anything about the proposal, and he definitely honored both of those requests. The first weekend in November we had planned a trip to Cloudland Canyon State Park, about two hours from where we live in North Georgia. We had been hiking for a few hours and were walking around the rim of the canyon when Barratt and I stopped at an overlook. We were both taking in the views, or so I thought anyways. I felt Barratt take my hand and he had this look in his eyes I hadn’t seen before. He then started telling me how much he loved me, how he never wanted our time together to end, and as he got down on one knee asked me if I would make him smile forever and become his wife. I was completely surprised and after what felt like an eternity to him, I said YES! We stayed in that spot for a while feeling utter joy and excitement while soaking in the moment of our engagement."
WEDDING DAY
"When we started talking about what we wanted our wedding to look like we agreed we didn’t want to go the traditional route. Neither of us wanted to spend the money or time to plan a big wedding so we started talking about other options. We both wanted our immediate families present but started to picture our wedding as our biggest adventure yet. Between the spectacular mountains, wildlife, and lakes it didn’t take us long to decide on Glacier National Park. After deciding on the location and booking a fantastic photographer, we asked my brother-in-law if he would be the one to marry us. He and my sister live in Michigan and they started their own church a few years ago that he is the head pastor of. It was really important to us that the person who marries us share our same values and beliefs on what marriage should be. He was flattered and agreed to officiate our wedding, which was actually the first wedding he ever officiated. Leading up to the big day, I had decided to make my own bouquet and Barratt’s boutonnière with silk flowers and ribbon. I think they turned out beautiful and it was one less thing we had to worry about purchasing.
To start our wedding day we decided to go on a hike and have some photos taken in regular clothes. After all, we loved hiking while dating and got engaged on a hiking trip so we thought why should our wedding day be any different. We met up with our photographer Jessica bright and early and started our hike to Virginia Falls. It gave us time to really soak in the feeling that our wedding day was here and just enjoy each other before the ceremony.
Growing up, my sister had always done my hair and makeup for important events, and I had full confidence she would do an amazing job for my wedding day too. I got ready in our Airbnb basement while Barratt stayed upstairs. Once ready, I met Jessica at Belton Bridge to wait for Barratt so we could do a “first look.” We actually both kept our outfits secret from one another – he didn’t know what my dress would look like and I had not seen his suit either. While at the bridge, I gave Barratt a lapel with a picture of his father who had passed away. It was a very special moment for us to remember those that couldn’t be there with us physically, and I loved that he got to have his father close to him while getting married. From there, we took photos along Going-to-the-Sun Road until we arrived at Sun Point where our ceremony would be. Our family and friends were already there waiting for us, except for Barratt’s mom and my dad who we had waiting in the parking lot so we could walk up together. After our ceremony, we shared a first dance overlooking the lake and took some group photos and individual shots until the daylight started to fade. We had also planned to do a small cake cutting, but had sadly forgotten the cake back at the park entrance. But thanks to our amazing photographer, we still got our cake photos. She had the idea to sit in front of the general store with lanterns which turned into super cute photos. Looking back, we couldn’t be more thankful for all of the people that made our wedding day so perfect, but we’re most thankful for one another and our love story that is only just beginning."
–Angel, the bride
VENDORS
Photography | J. Willis Photography (#MBV)
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