Laura Hopkins, who works at J.P. Morgan and runs fashion and interior design blog Bloomsbury & Battle, and Jordan Redella met in college at the University of Georgia. “We definitely went on some casual dates back in the day but lost touch after we graduated,” explains Laura. Fast forward six or seven years, and she moved back to their hometown of Atlanta from New York, and they reconnected at a dive bar, when he was home for Thanksgiving. “Jordan and I ended up talking most of the night, and I remember thinking that someone cute needs to date him! But I didn’t think twice about it,” she says. Consistent texts turned into calls, and after a weekend in Asheville, North Carolina for a music festival with his friends, it was confirmed that she needed to be the girl he dated.
After doing long-distance from Atlanta to Dallas for about a year-and-a-half, Laura made the move to Texas, and shortly after, he proposed at home with flowers and champagne. “My engagement ring is a stone we picked together set in Jordan’s grandmother’s setting from 1941. It’s been resized, but I can still see the edges of Jordan’s grandfather’s initials and their wedding date,” she explains.
The couple wanted to get married closer to their Southern roots, and one of Jordan’s family friends owns The Inn at Serenbe, so it was the perfect, convenient escape from the city for their wedding. “A daytime wedding with flowers just blooming and our guests finally feeling sun on their winter selves was our idea of perfect. I wanted it to feel like you stumbled into this fresh, crisp, spring day-party overflowing with rosé and Motown music,” Laura says. The bride drew inspiration for her big day from Furlow Gatewood’s South Georgia home, Oscar and Annette de la Renta’s gardens, and bridal portraits of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn with lily of the valley bouquets. To help bring her vision to life, the couple worked closely with Keith Robinson from Gloriosa Design and Laura’s former boss, Meghan Schilt.
During a dress-shopping trip in NYC with her mom and sister, the bride’s last stop, after visiting countless showrooms, was Mark Ingram Atelier. There, she found Lela Rose’s Desert Rose dress, and when she put it on, it was perfection. She paired the gown with Loeffler Randall nude wedges, which were very practical for walking through mud, grass, and pine straw on the day of. For the more casual rehearsal dinner, she wore a long Stella McCartney skirt and poplin wrap top.
A little after noon on April 1st, 2017, Laura walked down the aisle with her father, while a string quartet played classical music. “The sun was shining, and I just remember the smile on Jordan’s face and feeling so calm and peaceful,” says the bride. Reverend Chamberlain, who baptized Jordan and is a great friend of his family, married the two in an Episcopalian ceremony. After being pronounced as husband and wife, the newlyweds recessed with family and friends, crying and hugging, to the lawn reception.
“We wanted [the reception] to feel like an al fresco, Italian lunch turned day-party with plenty of champagne,” Laura says. Instead of a tent, they opted for a shaded party with white umbrellas. Tables were decorated with blue and white vessels filled with delphiniums and hydrangeas and blue and white block print napkins. Guests sat down for a family-style meal that ended with a delicious olive oil cake, inspired by the bride’s favorite at Maialino in New York.
For entertainment, a Motown band played classics all day, and the guests’ dancing blew away the couple’s expectations. The newlyweds had their first dance to “Days Like This” by Van Morrison—“We’re big fans and listen to his records when we’re cooking dinner,” explains Laura.
In the late afternoon, the couple had a delayed getaway. “We exited under a rain of dried lavender (a.k.a. Jordan’s friends throwing it right in his face) to a golf cart parked nearby,” the bride says. However, the cart didn’t start right away, so guests were left waiting with more lavender to throw. Jordan got it to work after a bit, and then his best man, Pax, drove them back to their suite at the inn, where they relaxed and changed into jeans and sweaters.
For their after-party, they rejoined everyone at a bonfire with street tacos and kegs of beer. “It went WELL into the night! I remember jumping on a trampoline with some of my best friends, definitely after midnight, and just not wanting the night to end. It was a perfect, low-key and laid-back way to cap off the day,” says the bride.
