University of Georgia Red and Black Themed Wedding Ideas

Both of my parents being University of Georgia alumni, you know when football season rolls around we’re proudly clad in bulldog red and black! So when I first saw the photos of this UGA inspired styled shoot, it was love at first sight! One of the creative minds behind the shoot was Molly McKinley. A former employee of Chancey Charm who’s now spread her wings and owns her own planning and design company, Molly’s passion and talent have earned her high praise in the wedding industry. Molly is also a University of Georgia alumnus, so when, during her final days working at Chancey Charm, Drew and Margie of Goodwin Events desired to create a shoot inspired by her alma mater, she and Sarah Chancey were thrilled at the challenge. “I couldn’t wait to get started designing an elegant red and black affair,” says Molly. ” Our theme was ‘Our Saturday in Athens – A Wedding Between the Hedges.’ We wanted to translate the pride and heritage we carry as Dawg fans and alumni into a wedding. It was a fun challenge to try to make college football elegant and beautiful. I think we achieved it!” Continue reading for more of Molly’s thoughts on this gorgeous shoot, photographed by Peacock Photography.

VENUE
Goodwin Events and I chose Herty Field for obvious reasons! Herty Field was the first athletic playing field at the University of Georgia in 1892, now used for weddings and events. You rarely see the field empty. It’s a special place for anyone who attends the University of Georgia. We all have memories here, whether playing frisbee on a Saturday football morning or meeting our friends for lunch in between classes. North Campus at UGA is one of my favorite places in the world, Sarah’s too! UGA has a lot of rules and regulations regarding events on campus, but it is always such an honor to be able to host an event in a place with such history. (Especially when you get to ring the bell after the ceremony! So fun!) We are proud alumni.

FLOWERS & DECOR
Jacki at Stylish Stems always comes through with exactly what I’m envisioning. I love working with her! Since red and black can be very “Valentine’s,” I wanted to do some funky red florals and stay far away from roses. I suggested protea and ranunculus and Jacki filled in my blanks for the other flowers. She did such an amazing job! We had “hedges” for the main estate table surrounded by white hydrangeas. I chose a linen with lots of texture since the flowers on the estate table would be very simple. It came together so well!

CAKE & DESSERT
The cake was made by Leah at Take the Cake. I wanted a very simple, white cake and she was great to work with, as always. (Some of the cake was NOT styrofoam which made my day. I think I ate 4 pieces after the shoot. Yum!) We placed boxwood branches around the tiers to match my idea of a wedding “between the hedges.” I Do Linens provided a gorgeous black velvet linen and Marilisa at Chancey Charm along with Goodwin Events created a stunning red draped backdrop for a pop of color.

STATIONERY & OTHER PAPER PRODUCTS
Plainjane Designs is my go-to for wedding stationery. They are so creative! They provided the signage, menus, place cards, and the invitation suite. Jane and Sallie rolled with our “Saturday in Athens” idea and even made some cute water bottle labels – “Hydrate between the Hedges.” Loved that surprise!

SPECIAL DETAILS
Sarah came up with the idea to do a cigar table which is always such a fun idea for the boys! Tamara at I Do Linens provided the great menswear linen for the table that both Sarah and I died over. It was so perfect! Sarah also designed a cookies and milk station, a treat for wedding or party guests at the end of the night. We all got to enjoy those at the end of the shoot. Debbie with Peacock Photography had another great idea – she suggested getting some baby bulldogs to come to our shoot! ATL Bulldogs came and brought the most precious bulldog puppies that we all wanted to take home. Debbie brought along an old wedding dress she found and convinced me to put it on, so she could get some photos of a “bride” with the bulldogs. Luckily, I graduated a while ago so I didn’t know anyone staring at me on campus. I had to give in and the pictures were adorable – they made the shoot! Those bulldogs were so cute! Great idea, Debbie!

Shoot Sources
Planning, Design, and Coordination: Molly McKinley Designs and Chancey Charm | Rentals: Goodwin Events | Venue: Herty Field | Photography: Peacock Photography | Floral: Stylish Stems | Paper: Plainjane Designs | Linens: I Do Linens | Cake: Take the Cake | Cookies: Mama’s Boy | Cigar Bar: The Cigar Shop | Bulldogs: ATL Bulldogs