We're so excited to celebrate with you!

We, along with several members of the bridal party and families, are Auburn alumni and happily say War Damn Eagle!

In Sept. 2017 hurricane Irma swept through the gulf and shut down businesses and schools in Auburn, AL. Since classes were cancelled at Auburn, Celeste spent all day working from home and finally decided after 13 hours on the computer to go out for tacos - not her favorites sushi or Italian for once. She went to TACORITA in Auburn, sat at the bar, ordered a beer and began to read her book. Meanwhile, Neal went into the office, was sent home because of the storm, and subsequently lost power. After spending the day in search of the tree that took out his power and surfing the internet on his phone, Neal decided to go out for Monday night wings at Moe's and charge his, now dead, phone. When he got to Moe's he found that they didn't prep any wings due to the storm, so he decided to go get tacos. When he got to TACORITA he realized he didn't have his wallet. He ran home, found his wallet in his car of all places, and returned to the restaurant, where he happened to sit down next to Celeste.... At this point, Neal recognized people on the other side of Celeste and started talking over her to them. She grumpily looked up and offered to trade places with the handsome bearded fellow, so that she could continue to read her book in peace. His friends declined and he went back to sitting in silence, charging his phone, and trying to figure out how to talk to the cutie reading beside him. All of a sudden (much to our mutual happiness) the bartender mis-poured a beer and offered it to Celeste. Turned out it was one of her favorites - Cigar City Jai-alai - which happened to be one of Neal's favorites too! Encouraged by their shared love of this beer, they had a great conversation and at the end of the night Neal asked for Celeste's number. Two nights later they went on their first date and the rest, as they say, is history.... you know she never did finish that book.

Neal, Celeste, and friends had plans to go to a Mardi Gras ball. Celeste tried not to get her hopes up for a proposal, but she couldn't help herself. In her mind the this was the perfect opportunity – they would have a blast, be with people they love, and be picture ready. Celeste got all dressed up in her gown. Neal got all spiffed up in his tux and tails. He was so handsome! She was so lovely! It was idyllic! On their way to the ball, Celeste shared a ride with their friend Gerri and confided that she suspected Neal would propose. After two hours of dancing, Celeste's hair was falling and their group wanted to go outside to get some fresh air. She leaned in to hug Neal and discovered some disappointing news. She turned to their friend, Gerri, and told her that she didn't think Neal was going to propose because she noticed his pockets were empty, and left to fix her hair. As she walked away, Neal turned to Gerri and proclaimed, "She knows!" and stormed off to go look for Andrew. While Celeste repinned her hair, Neal corralled Gerri, Andrew, and Thomas so they could all go outside together. As they walked onto the balcony Celeste's breath was taken away, she was sad because she didn't think Neal was going to propose, yet she was happy because they were with their friends. She couldn't help but comment on how beautiful it was on the wharf, the docks were lit up but still and the water was serene. All she wanted to do was be in the moment with the man she loved. Neal wrapped his arms around Celeste, and they started swaying to music only they could hear. Neal started telling Celeste all the things he loved about her and all the ways she's contributed to his life and happiness. Celeste realized that this was it! She started crying as Neal went to one knee to ask her that life changing question, "will you marry me?" of course she said yes, and turned to their friends to see nothing but smiles and cameras,

In Georgia, there are few historic places that aren't connected to the history of slavery. We would like to acknowledge our venue's history and the pain connected to this history. Originally the Gardens at Great Oaks was the residence of Rev. & Mrs. Nathaniel Pratt. The intended lumber for the property was destroyed by fire, so to promote longevity of the building, Pratt chose bricks made entirely of local clay, which were molded by enslaved people. Little else is known about the property. Two enslaved people were brought by Mrs. Pratt when she moved into Great Oaks with her husband in 1842. The Pratts and Great Oaks hosted Union Troops for two weeks during the Civil War and the March on Atlanta, according to a local historical society. Roswell was started in the 1830s by six planter families, Roswell King and his friends. King initially brought at least 85 Black enslaved people and owned one of 6 founding plantations. An 1850 census listed 378 enslaved people. Ten years later, that doubled to to 845 Black people, or 27% of the population of Roswell. This city was founded by slave owners, so discovering and knowing the history of the venues is limited by the gross failure to acknowledge that history and document the lived experience of Black and enslaved people. We believe Black lives matter. We believe Black history matters. We do not want to disregard the years of pain with our celebration, and instead would like to call out the whitewashing of the past that has made venues like ours prevalent across the South. The reception will take place in new construction, not the original manor home. Please see our FAQs for links to articles about Roswell, and the harm of glorifying plantations.