[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/thomas-chris-an-atlanta-garden-wedding\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/thomas-chris-an-atlanta-garden-wedding\/","headline":"Thomas + Chris: An Atlanta Garden Wedding","name":"Thomas + Chris: An Atlanta Garden Wedding","description":"An evening wedding at the Atlanta Botanical Garden blooms with love By Kirsten Ott Palladino | Photos by Kira-Marie Photography Thomas and Chris Ryan-Lawrence\u2019s love story...","datePublished":"2013-10-18","dateModified":"2021-06-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/thomas-ryan-gay-wedding-grooms-love.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/thomas-ryan-gay-wedding-grooms-love.jpg","height":"427","width":"640"},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/thomas-chris-an-atlanta-garden-wedding\/","about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings"],"wordCount":760,"articleBody":"An evening wedding at the Atlanta Botanical Garden blooms with loveBy Kirsten Ott Palladino | Photos by Kira-Marie PhotographyThomas and Chris Ryan-Lawrence\u2019s love story began in May 2009, when they met through a mutual friend. \u201cWe love our story because we actually got to know each other as friends before we dated,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cWe didn’t officially start dating until October of 2009.\u201d Chris proposed to Thomas in March 2011, surprising him by getting down on one knee 14,000 feet in the air: on top of Vail Mountain in Colorado. They were engaged for 14 months, \u201cbarely enough time for Thomas to plan the big wedding he’s dreamed about since he was a 14-year-old boy reading Vogue under the covers at night,\u201d says Chris.The lush greenery at Atlanta Botanical Garden provided a verdant backdrop for Chris and Thomas when they wed at the lauded property on May 20, 2012. In an early evening outdoor ceremony, the couple entered from opposite sides of the Rose Garden, escorted by their mothers, then met in the middle and walked down together to symbolize the two families joining. The entire wedding party, parents and grooms included, were outfitted in chocolate and blue, a combination of Chris\u2019 eclectic taste and Thomas\u2019 traditional leanings.The grooms wore chocolate tuxedos with blue vests. \u201cWe didn’t wear ties because Chris originally wanted to get married barefoot on a beach,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cWhen we decided to get married in Atlanta instead, Thomas had to concede the tie in order to get Chris to wear shoes.\u201dChris and Thomas were married in front of 130 guests by Rabbi Michele Coffsky, though neither of them is Jewish. \u201cWhile we do not consider ourselves to be religious,\u201d says Thomas, \u201cwe have both always been extremely spiritual people. We wanted our ceremony to be unique, so we incorporated various aspects from Judaism, Christianity and Native American cultures. We signed a ketubah at the beginning of our ceremony, exchanged palladium bands and did a sand ceremony in place of unity candles.\u201dChocolate and cornflower blue carried into the reception, where Chris and Thomas enjoyed their first dance as husband and husband to Pink\u2019s \u201cPerfect,\u201d which was performed live by Owen Stevenson, a vocalist based out of Chicago. For the rest of the evening, DJ Vicki Powell was spinning. There also was a flag performance by a dear friend, Ricardo Robinson.\u201cWe decided that the majority of our friends would not want to sit through a four- or five-course seated dinner \u2026 they would want to partayyyyyyy!,\u201d says Thomas. Instead, the couple opted for a buffet dinner with three different stations provided by A Divine Event. The first station let guests have fun by decorating their plates graffiti-style with a variety of sauces and oils in squeeze bottles; sauces were also in paint cans with paint brushes. After the guest decorated the plate, the on-site chef would plate the seared tuna filet with and Asian coleslaw salad. At the second chef-attended station, guests were served a maple-mustard-drizzled pork tenderloin accompanied by au gratin potatoes and fresh saut\u00e9ed spinach. The final chef-attended station served a Caribbean-jerked chicken with a boysenberry glaze accompanied by succotash.\u201cOur cake was very simple,\u201d says Chris of the 8-inch red velvet cake with cream cheese icing made by Southern Sweets. Chris\u2019 mother found their cake topper, which featured their initials. \u201cFor the guests, we did red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing that had been colored chocolate and blue to match our colors. The caterers took care of arranging the cupcakes and cake, and did an amazing job.\u201dThe grooms both danced with their mothers, at the same time, to Laura Alani’s \u201cLike My Mother Does.\u201d \u201cOne of the day\u2019s highlights was our dear friend, Marlysa Brooks-Alt, signing \u2018Nella Fantasia\u2019 as the wedding party entered,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cShe is a a stellar opera singer and the song has been one of Chris\u2019 favorites for years, with wonderful lyrics, even though they were in Italian. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day! A celebration of our love filled with the love of everyone around us \u2026 it was truly amazing!\u201dThomas and Chris honeymooned at the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Maui.A version of this article was published in Atlanta Gay Weddings.VENDORS:Photographer Kira-Marie PhotographyVideographer weddingbug.comPhoto Booth Clik SimpleVenue Atlanta Botanical GardenCaterer A Divine EventCake Southern Sweets BakeryPlanner Euphoria AffairsDJ Vicki PowellVocalists Marlysa Brooks-Alt, Owen StevensonAttire Savvi FormalwearHair and Makeup Laura Palmer, Mint SalonOfficiant Rabbi Michele CoffskyJeweler Barron\u2019s Fine JewelersFlowers Florist Atlanta"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Thomas + Chris: An Atlanta Garden Wedding","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/thomas-chris-an-atlanta-garden-wedding\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]