There are weddings you photograph, weddings you help coordinate, and then there are the rare weddings where you end up doing a little bit of everything. For me, Abigail and Re-jean’s December 6th wedding in Newnan, Georgia was all three wrapped into one unforgettable day — and it was personal, too.
This wasn’t just any bride and groom. This was my brother, and his now-wife, who also happens to be my friend. A sister-in-law, yes — but truly, a friend first. And that made this entire experience even more meaningful.
A Venue Not Typically Built for Weddings — But Perfect.
Abigail and Re-jean chose a small venue in Newnan that wasn’t traditionally used for weddings. But from the beginning, we were determined to make it feel like a $10,000 venue on a fraction of a budget. With creativity, teamwork, and a lot of late-night problem-solving, everything came together beautifully.
My Role: Photographer… Planner… Decorator… Coordinator… Problem-Solver
Originally, I wasn’t the photographer for this wedding — but of course, I brought my camera. I planned to step in here and there, but as the weekend unfolded, my role quickly shifted. Between planning, coordinating, decorating, and handling logistics, I barely touched my camera except for a few key moments: Abigail walking in, their first kiss, some groom portraits, and video clips.
And honestly? I wouldn’t trade it. Being part of the behind-the-scenes meant just as much as capturing the photos.
Planning, Timelines, and a Late Decorator
When Abigail asked me to help plan and coordinate, I immediately suggested letting our other sister-in-law, Maddi, take over as day-of coordinator. She’s amazing at that role, and together we created timelines to keep everything smooth.
The day before the wedding, we set up the tables, finalized layout ideas with the groom’s mom and sister, and waited for the decorator to arrive. She arrived late, which shifted our timeline, and most of her setup ended at tablecloths. Luckily, I had already created full mock-ups of the décor layout, so Maddi and I jumped in and decorated far more than I originally expected to.
Learning Audio Editing the Night Before a Wedding
After the rehearsal, we faced an unexpected issue: the ceremony music wouldn’t fade properly. Every song ended abruptly unless you manually lowered the volume, which wasn’t going to work.
So the night before the wedding, I sat down and taught myself how to extract audio and merge tracks using CapCut. I created seamless ceremony and exit playlists so Maddi could simply hit play. That alone kept me up half the night — but it was worth it.
Wedding Morning: Baking, Decorating, and More Running Around
The next morning, before heading to the venue, I finished their wedding cake — a dark red, vintage-style three-tier cake with two faux tiers and a real vanilla top tier covered in real buttercream. I also packed up everything needed to build their tiramisu martini-glass tower on-site.
Once I arrived, my mom, sister, and I created a full assembly line to finish the tiramisu cups before freezing them so they’d thaw perfectly during the reception.
Then came rearranging tables, managing décor, coordinating helpers, and constantly adjusting plans for things that hadn’t been brought to the venue yet. It was a true test of flexibility.
Coordinating With Guests Who… Didn’t Always Want to Be Coordinated
This was my first time being an official coordinator. I’ve stepped into coordinator roles at weddings before, but never in the “you need to sit now,” “please head this way,” “this is the next timeline cue” sense.
And let me tell you — it’s a learning curve when guests don’t know you and don’t quite understand your role. Especially at a DIY wedding where everything needs structure to run smoothly.
But even with the occasional pushback, the ceremony stayed on track… mostly.
The Ceremony Surprise: A Speaker Disconnect & a Missing Ring Exchange
Everything was flowing perfectly until the speaker decided to disconnect right before Abigail’s walk-in. We had timed everything down to the second — and the speaker reset the whole plan.
It was frustrating, but we rolled with it. The ceremony was still emotional and beautiful.
Then came the funniest moment of the day:
Everyone somehow missed adding the ring exchange in the officiant’s script. So Abigail and Re-jean kissed… we all waited… and the officiant just stepped aside. No announcement. No exit cue.
Maddi hit play on the surprise exit song — meant for the groom’s parents — and suddenly the rings reappeared. She had to stop the music instantly, and we all just laughed through the chaos. It’s one of those moments they’ll never forget.
Reception Chaos: Cold Potatoes, Uncooked Broccoli, and a Confused Microphone
While the wedding party took photos, I raced to help set out the food. Some food was still cold, the broccoli wasn’t steamed, and we had to heat everything last minute. We made it work with teamwork and improvising, but it definitely added to the chaos.
Then the microphones stopped cooperating during the reception announcements. Maddi and I found ourselves accidentally yelling over each other from across the room — which, looking back, is hilarious.
Despite Everything… It Was a Beautiful Wedding
There was a lot of running, a lot of “hold on, let me fix this,” a lot of last-minute adjustments — but there was also so much love and joy.
For a wedding with a fraction of the typical budget, this day turned out absolutely stunning. And that’s because our family is genuinely creative, willing to help, and deeply supportive.
A three-tier cake? Free.
A tiramisu tower? Free.
Two coordinators? Free.
Décor design and setup? Free.
Custom playlists? Free.
Photography help? Free.
If we had outsourced everything, this wedding easily would have cost $10,000 more. Instead, it was built with love, talent, and teamwork.
Grateful for the Experience
I’m incredibly grateful that I got to play such a big role in this day — not just as a photographer, but as someone who helped bring Abigail and Re-jean's vision to life.
Even though I didn’t get as many photos as I hoped, I’m so excited to edit their video and share the moments I did capture. This wedding was beautiful, emotional, chaotic in the best way, and full of learning curves!
