Matt Yung

Ann Dunaway to Simon Teh
27 May 2007
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia

"With a sister in the wedding planning business—and already knowing that I wanted to wear our mother's gown that my sister had redesigned and worn for her wedding in 1998—most of the details of planning my wedding just fell into place," Ann Dunaway Teh told me when we spoke of her wedding memories. "I knew I wanted an outdoor wedding and an indoor reception, and I already knew the vendors that I wanted to use, so I didn't labor over too many decisions."

Ann is just the kind of woman who seems to know what she likes, so for her wedding plans, she trusted herself, stayed grounded—and counted on her sister! Ann and Simon were both 33 at the time of their wedding, so as a "grown-up" couple, they claimed what their wedding really meant in their hearts.

When I asked Ann her favorite things about being a bride, she replied without hesitation: "Spending time with family, friends and just enjoying everybody!"  Which also included opportunities for enjoying great food!

They planned a four-day wedding weekend of events so they could participate in family traditions, including a grand Chinese banquet (with roasted pig and all the trimmings) and an intimate tea ceremony, honoring Simon's heritage. Both events, according to custom, were the day after the wedding. (Ann's American South heritage got into the feasting milieu at the wedding reception with dishes like scrimp grits and various pecan encrusted delicacies to go with Simon's favorite Asian foods!)

Matt Yung

Another sweet remembrance for Ann was having a private dinner with Simon after the ceremony and before they joined everyone at the reception. A practical yet wise decision; not only to be sure they ate before the long evening of socializing and dancing; but most importantly, it was an opportunity to allow the intimacy of their shared rite-of-passage to soak into their bones, connecting them even more deeply. "After that, we wanted to stay together at the reception—and we made sure that we did as we made all the rounds!"

PHOTOGRAPHS BY: Matt Yung Photography
TEXT BY: Cornelia Powell

Elizabeth Best to Crispin Conklin
6 May 2006
North Beach on Tybee Island, Georgia

"We wanted our feet on the ground," Elizabeth Best said about her sunset beach wedding on Tybee Island, "which meant we couldn't have a Catholic ceremony as our families wanted. But this was a special, romantic place for us. Crispin and I walked our dog on the beach here after school to relax and watch the dolphins as the sun went down."

The couple met while students at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and even though they lived in Atlanta at the time of their wedding (Elizabeth and Crispin are both architects there), and their families lived "mostly in the north," they followed their hearts and returned to this place full of love for them.

"My remembrance of the wedding ceremony was just magical," Elizabeth continued. "There was this wonderful orangey glow over the dunes and just as we kissed at the end of the wedding, the sobs from the crowd turned to screams! I opened one eye just in time to see the last of seven or eight dolphins that had jumped out of the water high into the air!"

Throughout history, dolphins have been considered sacred messengers and mythological symbols of openings for new life dimensions and creation. It seems that they delivered—as if right on cue—a divine message of love and happiness to Elizabeth and Crispin.

And the couple didn't miss the "feet on the ground" part either, dancing barefoot in the sand at the end of their wedding ceremony, just at the edge of the ocean while the dolphins continued their celebration.

TEXT BY: Cornelia Powell