Being a Bride: Michelle

Photos by Beacon Photo

Bride Name: Michelle Andrea Hamilton
Groom Name: Amari Alexander Adams
Wedding Date: November 14, 2015
Total number in wedding party: 6 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, 2 flower girls, 1 ring bearer = 19 (including B&G)
Total guests: 425
Venue: Ceremony St John Baptist Church; Savannah, GA Reception Hyatt Harborside Center; Savannah, GA

How you met, and the proposal: We met years ago when we were kids...our dads have been good friends for a while! Ran into each other in 2011 one weekend in City Market and exchanged numbers. Communication was slow, with only a couple of text messages maybe once a month...but finally, we went on our first date in 2012 and we've been together ever since!

The proposal was Labor day 2014. We are known for having the biggest, best cookouts for holidays...this one was even bigger and I was a little confused as to why sooooo many people were there. While my friends kept me distracted inside of the house, Amari put on a tux and drove around the block in his vintage 1963 Buick Wildcat while a red carpet was being rolled out on the driveway. I walked outside and saw the red carpet with Amari pulling up at the opposite end! He asked and I said YES, of course!

What was the best bridal shower and/or pre-wedding event you attended, and why? Our engagement party was so much fun! We had it on Halloween in 2014. We didn't want to do anything big, since the proposal was huge and we were expecting to have a huge wedding guest list, so we invited only our friends that we wanted in our wedding party. We had an Addams Family themed party and asked our friends to dress up in coordinating costumes. I was Morticia Addams and he was Gomez Addams...and get this....Amari is a licensed mortician...PERFECT! We had decorations everywhere and halloween themed refreshments!

Hands down, I had the best bachelorette party. A four day cruise from Miami to Key West, to Cozumel, Mexico; and back. Every night, my girls coordinated their clothes with one of the wedding colors and I wore the opposite...they wore red, I wore white...they wore black, I was in gold..etc. We played games, did a bar crawl, snorkeled, electric biked. It was so much fun! All I had to do was pack my bags and they handled the rest; best group of friends ever.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What was the best wedding gift you received? We received many gifts and are thankful for all of them; we are so loved! The best one, since I have to pick one, is an ornament we got for out first Christmas tree. It had dried flowers from our reception in it. So simple, but sentimental, and I can't wait to put it on our Christmas tree again next year.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What inspired your wedding day (theme/look/feel): We knew that our wedding would be in the fall during the evening, so we wanted to keep it simple and timeless. I didn't want to choose a color that was trendy currently and then look at pictures 20 years from now and question myself so we went with white, black, red, and gold accents. I love the look of satin for an evening affair, and after I found out that I could pull off a satin gown, I was all-in for a dreamy, elegant, evening feel for the wedding!

Photos by Beacon Photo

What is something you couldn’t live without for your wedding day (ex.: a certain band, a specific cake, etc.): Couldn't have DARED lived without our cakes! Beautiful, even lines. no lumps, and DELICIOUS! Tammy Acosta at Low Country Confections is awesome. I can't say enough about her to do her work justice. One of my bridesmaids hassled the hotel staff the next day about the little bit of cake that was left after the reception...that's how good it was! They located it and, needless to say, it was devoured at our farewell gathering the next day. 

If you have any wedding décor DIY tips/tutorials, or money saving suggestions, please share: I purchased a lot of things for the wedding on Etsy and Amazon. I made the table numbers: the frames came from the Dollar Store and I spray painted them gold and printed out the table numbers at home. I also saved a whole lot with our Save-The-Date Magnets by ordering from a printing service called UPrinting.com.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What was something your bridesmaids or family members did for you that made your day or pre-planning experience special? They made the experience special because of the support they showed me throughout the whole process. I had two other bridesmaids get married before me in the same year...I was in their weddings as well! It made the process easier because I had two very close friends to plan with.

At the beginning of 2015, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't share this with anyone until a couple months after we found out. Our wedding party was great with keeping us stress free while we dealt with my Mom's diagnosis. I literally have the best friends ever...I cannot thank them enough!

Photos by Beacon Photo

Connect with the Bride
Instagram: @suki_michelle
Facebook: Michelle Adams​