A Dreamy St. Simon's Wedding Steeped In Tradition

Jun 16, 2024

Weddings

This coastal Georgia wedding has all the elements of intrigue: a pair of high school sweethearts, a dreamy marsh locale, jaw-dropping florals, and a nearly rain-drenched ceremony.

August 22, 2023

Maggie Fitzgerald and Michael Addick’s love story is Georgia-born-and-bred. They met in seventh-grade science class and started dating their freshman year at Atlanta’s Marist High School. Then they both became UGA Bulldogs and visited Georgia’s Golden Isles with family and friends throughout the years. Many years after that fated science class, on April 29, 2023, the pair married in a dreamy St. Simons setting — Maggie’s “Heaven on Earth.” Initially, the weather forecasts were dicey … did a longtime Southern wedding tradition save the day?

Two hundred thirty guests congregated under mossy oaks at Christ Church, Frederica, to watch Maggie and Michael tie the knot.

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Michael planned a surprise trip to Puerto Rico to “celebrate Maggie’s graduation from graduate school.” But on a sunset cruise, just the two of them, Michael popped the question. Thus began a 10.5-month engagement that gave Maggie the perfect window to craft the St. Simons wedding of her dreams. “Engagement was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Maggie tells us. “At times, I was so nervous, and at others, I was solely excited with no fears. The time was perfect to be able to feel each of my emotions. But by the end of it, I was just ready to be married.”

The church has been near and dear to Maggie’s family for decades.

“My grandfather was the rector at Christ Church for many years, and I always knew I wanted to get married there,” Maggie says. “It truly is the most special place and feels like Heaven on Earth when I step onto the property. Michael grew up going to the beach at Sea Island, too, so it just worked out perfectly for us to get married at St. Simons.”

“We placed a rose on each of my grandparents’ graves, which was one of the sweetest moments of the day,” Maggie says.

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Since Maggie knew it had to be Christ Church, they then tackled finding a reception venue from a pool of limited options. They found a brand new venue called Forbes Farm and booked a tour. “The space was stunning,” Maggie says. “Michael and I both love the marsh, and it had the best marsh views and was a perfect place for cocktail hour. I also loved how open the space was. We wanted our wedding to be fun and have a great band and dancing space.”

The new venue boasted dramatic views and a perfectly decorated backdrop for a lively soirée.

Maggie is a big fan of baby blue and immediately knew she wanted her bridesmaids in the hue — both before and during the wedding!

During the design process, Maggie leaned into her proclivity toward classic, elegant aesthetics. “I just love the classic, timeless wedding look, so I just went for whites and greens for florals,” she says. “At the reception, the arrangements had a touch of baby blue. Christ Church is so beautiful that I didn’t want the florals or anything to take away from it.”

Invites by Reaves Engraving readied guests for the lush green splendor of the landscape and floral design.

Maggie was “honestly clueless” when it came to dress shopping, but she booked an appointment at Anne Barge as a courtesy to her mom (who got her own wedding dress there!), not thinking she would find the one. “It ended up being the most fantastic experience,” Maggie says. “They let you customize there, which was my favorite part. My dress was a custom gown, and they had one in the store that someone else had customized.”

Maggie knew she wanted a sweetheart neckline and a strapless dress, but the rest was a mystery until she tried on the second dress at Anne Barge and knew immediately.

Maggie followed in her mother’s footsteps and went with the same wedding gown designer decades later.

The uniquely textured jacquard fabric was her favorite part. “I also loved that the A-line cut felt like a wedding dress with the ball-gown-y look, but it was still flattering on my body. The dress just felt so me. I added buttons and removed some beading at the top.”

Maggie returned to Anne Barge later to order her veil sight unseen. “When it came in, it was just perfect for my dress. The flowers worked so perfectly, and I loved it so much.”

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We can’t get over the stunning flower embellishments on Maggie’s flowing veil.

The dress was in, and the vendors booked, but the wedding week forecast was getting progressively worse and worse. After the Friday night rehearsal at Christ Church, a small group of close family and friends moved to the Sea Island Beach Club for a gorgeous cocktail hour overlooking the ocean. The classic Sea Island bagpiper led everyone into dinner, and a “Moose” (their dog) cake topped off the night and nodded to the Saturday shenanigans that would follow.

The outdoor church scene was the stuff of fairytales.

Green and white floral garlands by Edward on Saint Simons added a dash of magic to the historic church architecture.

After seeing Friday’s forecast of a 100% chance of rain during the outdoor ceremony on Saturday, one of Maggie’s bridesmaids asked if they’d buried the bourbon. “I had never heard of the old tradition!” Maggie admits. “So Michael bought bourbon and brought it to our rehearsal, where we buried it.” Thunder applauded the couple as they posed for the pre-ceremony, post-first-look photos outside the church. “We suddenly remembered to unbury the bourbon,” Maggie says. “We drank it, and it didn’t rain!”

“Burying the bourbon was such a fun part of the day and lightened the mood when we were scared it was going to pour!” the bride recalls.

Maggie is so thankful they decided on a first look. “I was so eager to see Michael, and I don’t think I could’ve waited any longer,” she says. “Seeing him calmed my nerves, and I loved the time we got together — just the two of us — from the first look to the reception. We both agreed we would not have spent time together just us if we hadn’t done our first look.”

Maggie and Michael exchanged traditional vows during the ceremony but wrote their own vows to each other and exchanged those during a tender first look.

After almost moving the ceremony inside, they opted to take the chance outdoors. They did unbury the bourbon, after all! And it didn’t rain. In fact, the radar graphic eerily showed a blob of rain with a small hole right where the wedding was. Guests filed under a canopy of old oak trees to watch the high school sweethearts become forever soul mates.

Colorfully clad guests await the couple, with no rain in sight!

The Addicks, everyone!

Beautiful vintage trolleys transported the bridal party and guests to the next stage of the night.

The bride and groom fueled up on Chick-Fil-A for the biggest night of their lives!

Once guests arrived at Forbes Farm, they were met with sweeping marsh views and a lively cocktail hour with passed crostinis, brochettes, and crab cake. Perched all over the venue were signs for “Moose’s Bar” in honor of the couple’s dog, Moose, whom they adore beyond measure. Their signature cocktail was inspired by the famous Greyhound served at their favorite Athens, GA, haunt, Chuck’s Fish.

Moose made many appearances throughout the night.

Maggie and Michael danced to “Stand By Me,” and Maggie and her dad danced to “Isn’t She Lovely.”

Drinks down, dancing shoes on!

Instead of a plated meal, Maggie tapped Enlightened Catering to create a strolling reception with culinary stations. There was a chef’s carving station, a southern shrimp station with shrimp and grits and shrimp scampi, a veggies and mashed potato bar, and a garden salad bar. Late night, trays of bacon cheeseburgers and smoked chicken salad sliders with kettle chips circled the dance floor to soak up the night’s indulgence.

Is it really your wedding if you don’t crowd surf?

After Michael gets some cake to the face, the father of the bride swoops in for a champagne pour.

The multi-instrument and rowdy Papa Sol band kept the tunes going all night.

The newlyweds exited through a sea of sparklers into a sleek vintage getaway car. After a tropical honeymoon in Antigua, they settled back into life in Atlanta, GA, where they’re both from. To brides-to-be, Maggie says, “It is so easy to get caught up in comparison and trying to make many different people happy throughout the process but think about what you and your fiancé want. Prioritize what means the most to you — you’ll remember those things, and they’ll stick out. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“And lastly,” Maggie says, “HAVE FUN. It really is the most special day, so just be yourself, and everything will fall into place just as it’s supposed to.”

Thank you so much, Maggie, for taking us back to this day. And thank you to Kate Gwin of Haint Blue Collective for the photos.

Ceremony: Christ Church FredericaReception: Forbes FarmPlanner: Maggie Hughes EventsPhotographer: Kate Gwin with Haint Blue CollectiveVideography: Ryan Blount with Avalon Film StudioFlowers: Edward on Saint SimonsStationery: Reaves EngravingHair & makeup: Felicia CammonBride’s gown: Anne BargeBridesmaids’ dresses: AmsaleGroom & groomsmen attire: Gentlemen’s OutfittersCatering & glassware: Enlightened CateringBar: Gnat’s LandingCakes: PublixEntertainment: Papa Sol via EastCoast EntertainmentRentals & linens: Beachview Event RentalsTransportation: Lighthouse Trolleys & St. Simons Trolley Tour CompanyGetaway car: Martin’s Vintage Rides

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Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.

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