Ceremony: The Ruins at Barnsley Gardens Resort, Adairsville, Georgia
Reception: The Pavilion at Barnsley Gardens Resort
Photography: Jana Sobel ” rel=”noopener”>205Photography.com
If you are single, people always tell you love will find you when you least expect it. That certainly proved true for Jamie Flenniken. A weekend at a friend of a friend’s lake house was certainly not where Jamie expected to find the love of her life. However, as the saying goes, when she least expected it, love found Jamie that day. His name was Phillip. Funny enough, there is another Philip in this wedding story: Jamie’s father, Philip Flenniken has been a member of our Bromberg’s family for over 40 years as our master jewelry designer. We are thrilled to feature his sweet daughter’s wedding to Phillip Allen this month.
THE BACK STORY
You know how these summer weekends go. You get a few friends together and your friends invite a few friends to get together and everyone winds up at the same event or lake or beach”¦ and typically a good time is had by all. What does not typically happen is that you arrive at the destination and meet your future husband or wife. But when Jamie Flenniken met Phillip Allen, there was something more than a normal first meeting. There wasn™t a huge flame but there was a spark. In fact, there was enough of a spark for Jamie to orchestrate an invitation for Phillip to join in on a beach trip to Seaside, Florida a few weekends later. During the weekend, the couple realized they had a lot in common and began to get to know each other better. Before long, they were dating. Jamie began to see how sweet and how thoughtful Phillip was. She said Phillip treated her better than anyone ever had and she felt they were on their way to a lifetime commitment. A year and a half later, Phillip asked her to be his wife.
THE PROPOSAL
The couple had made plans to go to Seaside for the weekend in April 2012. Jamie and Phillip had discussed marriage and Jamie felt like a proposal would happen at some point and even suspected it could happen this particular weekend because in their 1 ½ years of dating, Phillip had made dinner reservations only on one other occasion; their first date. Jamie suspected he might pop the question but before they left for dinner, Phillip suddenly got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife, ring in hand. Now since Jamie’s daddy works for Bromberg’s and is one of the world’s leading jewelry designers, a lot of thought went into the ring. Phillip’s mother was in poor health but told him that she wanted him to give her ring to Jamie. Sadly, she passed away before Phillip was able to do that but Phillip made sure to honor her wishes. Phillip proposed with the ring but
wanted Jamie and her father to design it into something unique for her. Dad Philip and groom Phillip worked together on the design for the couple’s wedding bands.
WEDDING PLANS
The wedding plans started immediately; Jamie knew she wanted a small destination wedding. She had seen a story about a beautiful resort in Georgia with ruins and garden some years ago in a magazine and tore out the pages for future reference. When Seaside was not a possibility; the couple decided that the beautiful lush setting of Barnsley Gardens Resort in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains was the perfect setting for their wedding.
Next, Jamie called on her college roommate, Caroline Williams Eades of Carriage House Weddings in Birmingham for help with her wedding gown and found a beautiful strapless gown with crumb-catcher bodice, gathered cummerbund waistband and pleated ball gown skirt. Her sister, Stacey Nelson was her maid of honor and Jamie’s brother Justin was the groom’s best man. Phillip’s children completed the wedding party. As a tribute to Phillip’s mother, Jamie made sure to incorporate her favorite flowers, blue hydrangea, which she had growing in her yard into the floral design. Jamie’s dramatic bridal bouquet was of cascading white phalaenopsis orchids.
The wedding reception included a menu filled with traditional Southern favorites. The bride’s cake was a traditional 3-tiered white cake with buttercream and cream cheese icing. Phillip’s cake was a chocolate lover’s dream; two tiers of peanut butter, chocolate cake and dark chocolate icing decorated with chocolate curls and chocolate dipped strawberries.
In a nod to the T-shirt Phillip was wearing when the couple first met that day at the lake, they booked the band “Rolling in the Hay” to play for the reception. The couple left the party in a cloud of lavender to the best wishes and congratulations of everyone watching.
After a dream honeymoon trip to Belize, the couple is at home in Birmingham, expecting their first son, and enjoying many of their wedding gifts from Bromberg’s!
Jamie & Phillip’s Bromberg’s Wedding Registry includes:Casual China: Simon Pearce Cavendish and Juliska Berry and Thread
Formal Crystal: William Yeoward Cecilia
Casual Crystal: Sterling Cut Heirloom
Congratulations Jamie and Phillip! Your family and friends at Bromberg’s wishes you a lifetime of love and happiness together.