FEATURED WEDDING: RILEY AND THOMAS…

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August 30, 2017

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FEATURED WEDDING: RILEY AND THOMAS

Posted by A Yoder on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 · Leave a Comment

RILEY PHILLIPS AND THOMAS GRIFFIN

Ceremony & Reception: Parents’ Residence, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

April 22, 2017

Photography by: Sara Beth Turner Photography

Planner: Ray Taylor

A casual date to a college fraternity date party rarely results in a marriage… especially when you didn’t go to the party with the person.

RILEY AND THOMAS…. THEIR STORY

During her junior year at the University of Alabama, Riley Phillips was invited to a fraternity date party. At some point in the evening, she met Thomas Griffin. Thomas was immediately taken with Riley and with the help of Riley’s friend Liza, he organized another meeting. He got Riley’s telephone number and asked her out. They began dating and within a month, were dating each other exclusively.

Riley graduated from Alabama in May of 2012 and that fall, she moved away to attend law school at Wake Forest University. Riley and Thomas dated long distance for a very long three years. Once Riley secured a clerk position at a Birmingham law firm, she knew she would be coming home after graduation and they would finally live in the same city again with their engagement certain to follow.

The couple decided that they would wait to get engaged until after Riley took the bar exam to give her time to settle in. A year later, Riley had taken and passed the bar exam and had settled into her work and life in Birmingham. She and Thomas discussed marriage and decided it was time to finally get engaged. Riley had no idea exactly when or how Thomas would propose but she knew it would not be long before it happened but Thomas went to great lengths to make sure she was completely surprised when he popped the question.

THE PROPOSAL…

Riley and Thomas are both big Alabama football fans; both graduated from Alabama and Riley’s parents live in Tuscaloosa. Knowing Riley would be suspicious of anything out of the normal, Thomas got the family in on his plan. With the Alabama vs Texas A & M game a few weeks away, Thomas told Riley they should make plans to go to the beach that weekend because the family did not have room for them to stay and the Tuscaloosa area hotels were already sold out.

After confirming there was ‘no room in the inn’, they decided to go to the beach for the weekend and Thomas suggested Riley make a reservation at their favorite restaurant. Riley had gotten Thomas a new sport coat that he wanted to wear to dinner that night but she told him he did not need it. What she did not know was that he planned to propose and had the ring hidden in the coat pocket because he was scared to leave the ring in the car during dinner.

When they returned, Thomas coaxed Riley down to the pier on the premise of looking at some new lights that had recently been installed. While they were at dinner, the both families, there waiting to surprise Riley, set up a quilt with candles and a bottle of Champagne on the pier. After Thomas popped the question and Riley said yes, they celebrated with both families.

The next day, Thomas surprised Riley again when they flew to Tuscaloosa for the game and celebrated again in Birmingham the following day with their friends and family attending.

THE WEDDING…

Knowing they did not want a long engagement, the couple got to work immediately on their plans. Riley’s mother and Tuscaloosa planner Ray Taylor handled most of the planning duties. The wedding and reception were at Riley’s parent’s home, overlooking Indian Hills Golf Course, A tent was constructed and dressed with white draping, greenery garlands, and white linen drum chandeliers.

Riley found her perfect gown at The White Room; an unadorned sleeveless A-line Michaela gown by Paloma Blanca with a bateau neckline and low, square back with a Cathedral length train. It was the fifth gown she tried on; her sister was the one who selected it from the rack. She borrowed her sister’s fingertip length veil to wear for the ceremony.

The bridesmaids wore one-shoulder, floor length Amsale chiffon gowns in lilac from Bella Bridesmaid in Homewood.

The men wore their own classic black tuxedoes.

Barb’s Cakes did an incredible replica of a Yeti cooler for the groom’s cake complete with faux ice and fish. The wedding cake was a four-tier white buttercream cake decorated with fresh flowers.

The floral design incorporated fresh white and greenery with purple; Riley’s only request was that deep purple amenomies were used in the arrangements; her bouquet featured them with white garden roses, tulips, and ranunculus.

The band for the reception was 2^nd Groove Showband playing Motown, Top 40, R&B and Oldies. The couple’s first dance was to “Wonderful” by My Morning Jacket played by their friend, Hugh Rowe Thomas.

According to Riley, “on our wedding day, it began to rain just before the ceremony which made the ceremony feel very intimate. Just as the ceremony ended, the rain stopped and a rainbow appeared over the golf course. We selected a personal scripture for the wedding and then when it rained, the rainbow felt like a blessing.”