HER FAVORITE PLACES

Alexander City native Katie Lamberth met Atlanta native John McGoogan through mutual friends in Atlanta in 2018. John proposed on July 30, 2020, and Katie said yes. Although she had dreamed of her wedding for years while talking on the dock with her mom and sisters, Katie never realized how beautifully her dream would come true on their wedding day, May 22, 2021.

When the wedding planning began, Lamberth and McGoogan enlisted the spiritual guidance of the Rev. Marshall Carver, a priest who had been at St.

AJames Episcopal Church during the years Lamberth was growing up. Carver facilitated their pre-wedding counseling and officiated at the ceremony. The planning for everything else began with a commitment to a sacred ceremony. The Lamberths hired M. Elizabeth for wedding planning, selected Children’s Harbor for the wedding and the family home on Lake Martin for the reception. All of the flower arrangements, décor and bouquets for the entire weekend were created by Susie Kelly at Grace’s Flowers in Alexander City.

STORY BY LONNA UPTON PHOTOS BY KATIE & ALEC PHOTOGRAPHY

Lamberth shopped for her wedding dress with her mother and two sisters at boutiques in Atlanta.

“Shopping for my dress was just the best girl time. Britt Wood Designs had a classic dress and veil that I loved, and the flowers matched some of the lace in my dress. It was a custom dress made just for me, and no one else had one like it – simple and Southern, with pockets, and little buttons all the way down the back,” she said.

The bridal bouquet was designed to include flowers that matched the lace in Lamberth’s gown.

The sisters began a few traditions when Lamberth’s sister, Jenny, was married. The girls all wear their mother’s wedding dress to some wedding related event or shower. The sisters exchanged gifts that signify the three of them. Jenny gave bands with three little diamonds. Katie gave necklaces with three diamonds. And the music from Jenny’s ceremony was selected for Lamberth’s.

The magical wedding weekend began on Thursday night before the wedding when family friends, Kenneth and Mary Lyman Boone and

Katie and John McGoogan made their getaway in the family's 1930s Chris Craft LAKE 39

Johnny and Pat Blythe, hosted a welcome party for everyone in the wedding and some outof-town guests at the Boones’ garden house. Partygoers enjoyed shrimp and grits with a twist – both the pepper sauce and the salad were created with fresh vegetables and herbs from the Boones’ garden.

The groom, a scratch golfer, treated his groomsmen and men in the family to a round of golf followed by lunch at Willow Point Country Club on Friday, while the bride was honored at a luncheon at the home of Margot Fox with Patty Hamrick and Ginga Gonzales co-hosting. The luncheon was designed with the bride’s favorite color and a favorite food in mind – yellow flowers everywhere and heart-shaped pimento cheese sandwiches.

“I wrote a poem about everyone there that I read to connect them all, and I also wanted to have a Southern tradition called a cake pull. Before the cake was cut, each bridesmaid got to choose a ribbon to pull out a charm hidden under the cake. My sister hand-painted an envelope for each of the bridesmaids explaining the meaning of the charms they pulled. They were funny and sweet, a great, old tradition,” she said.

A New Orleans tradition, the cake pull was an addition to the luncheon that all the girls enjoyed. Most of the charms represented the future – for instance, a horseshoe meant luck, a boot meant traveling soon, a ring went to the one who would get married next.

The bride’s sister put together a box of favorite recipes as a gift from all the ladies. After the luncheon, the girls took a boat ride to The Landing at Parker Creek for more fun before the rehearsal dinner.

The rehearsal dinner was held indoors and outdoors at SpringHouse, where guests were invited to try signature cocktails named for the bride and groom. Jonathan Bloom serenaded the group with live music. Lamberth wore pearls that her father had given to her mother when Lamberth, now the bride, was born.

“We decided to serve the groom’s cake at the rehearsal dinner. John’s niece, Adair, had designed the cake as a golf course, and it included Buddie, our golden retriever, relaxing on the course. My dad handmade a carving knife as a wedding gift presented that night. We used it to cut the groom’s cake on Friday night and the wedding cake on Saturday night,” Lamberth said.

After the rehearsal dinner, the couple traveled to Willow Point for a post-toast and snacks on the patio to welcome out-of-town guests who were not part of the rehearsal dinner.

Getting ready for the wedding is one of Lamberth’s favorite memories. With a party atmosphere surrounding the group, family friends

The ceremony took place beside the lighthouse at Children's Harbor

Her sisters, Rosie and Jenny, acted as Lamberth's (center) maid and matron of honor, respectively

The Lamberths' golden retrievers welcomed John into the family Tables were arranged on the lawn for the reception

Guests awaited the arrival of the bride and groom from the lakeside lawn The dad-and-daughter dance reflected the fun they had during the bride's childhood

May flowers were featured at the bridesmaids' luncheon

Jenny Lamberth Boone collected recipes for her sister's kitchen Each bridesmaid pulled a charm from the king cake The bride's sister, Jenny, painted cards to coordinate with the king cake charms

tended a Bloody Mary bar and served food to the bridal party attendants, who wore matching pajamas. Buddie, the couple’s golden retriever, was the only male allowed to visit while the ladies got ready, and he was allowed to witness the first look between the bride and groom later in the day.

The cermony at Children’s Harbor was held overlooking Lake Martin. For more intimacy at the ceremony, the couple decided to limit the guestlist to 50 family members and friends from the bride’s side and 50 from the groom’s. The couple welcomed 250 guests at the reception.

“The service was super-important to us to share with family and friends who are like family. We wanted it to be very personalized. Everything we did had a reason. We are both big family people, and it was really special to have our siblings as part of the wedding. Taking communion together was a very important part of our wedding. The whole ceremony was personal and intimate,” she said.

The bride wore her mother-in-law’s original engagement ring, a sapphire and two diamonds, as her something blue, along with yellow pearls. McGoogan surprised his bride with a wedding band alternating white diamonds with canary yellow diamonds.

After a rose petal toss on the Children’s Harbor pier, the newlyweds left the ceremony on the family’s 1930s wooden Chris Craft, captained by family friend Doug Hamrick. The couple enjoyed a champagne toast while they cruised to the reception.

“We really enjoyed having those first married moments on the boat. We were cruising along, and other boats were waving and cheering and honking horns. It was so much fun,” she said.

Guests were chauffeured by trolley and bus from a nearby parking lot to the home of the bride’s parents for the reception. AG Lighting and Events utilized different sections of the

The rehearsal dinner took place at SpringHouse

The groom's cake honors John's love of the game of golf

The bride's dad gifted the couple with a custom knife at the rehearsal dinner

hillside lawn, designating special areas for guests to enjoy the lakeside, the gazebo, the tent and the patio.

The Celebrity All-Star Band played jazz as the guests arrived to enjoy the cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres of petite crab cakes, Conecuh sausage pigsin-a-blanket and Ahi tuna tartar wonton tacos. Down by the lake, oysters were chargrilled while guests awaited the boat carrying the new McGoogans.

When the couple arrived, they walked through the cheering crowd to the dance floor for their first dance to “Lovely Day.” The bride and her father danced to “Gettin Jiggy Wit It,” a favorite from her childhood memories of singing and dancing to the song with her father.

“John and I took dancing lessons in Atlanta for our first dance. My Dad and I took lessons from friends locally, Mabry and Marty Allen. It was really hysterical. My dad threw his coat to the audience. The dance is such a fun and special memory,” she said.

Kathy G. and Company catered the reception with three food stations. The bride’s choice was shrimp sautéed with Conecuh sausage served over white cheddar cheese grits in cosmo glasses. The groom chose a Thai noodle bar with sautéed vegetables, rice noodles and ginger chicken served in mini-take out boxes with chopsticks. In addition, guests were offered herb-grilled beef tenderloin, assorted rolls, smashed new potatoes and asparagus. The family canoe was filled with ice to hold the beer, and three bars were set up in different areas for the event.

The wedding cake, from Barb’s Cakes, was simple with a big satin bow. The couple cut the cake and toasted with champagne glasses that were a gift when he proposed. Lamberth’s sisters gifted Sterling goblets for the newlyweds to use while dancing.

As a nod to the groom’s college days at Southern Methodist University in Texas, all the partygoers had cowboy hats. At the end of the evening, everyone danced to “Love Train,” leading the bride and groom through a tunnel of sparklers to a golf cart decorated for their escape to a lake house next door.

“I had dreamed of a wedding like this, and it could not have been any better. No one prepares you for the love and joy you feel when all the people you love are there to support this new chapter and the start of your lives together,” she said.

After everyone left the reception, Mr. and Mrs. McGoogan went back to her family home for a cocktail and a private family dance party on the now empty dance floor – enjoying the night, smiling with joy and sharing what would become another precious wedding memory.