Before we dive into this fabulous Atlanta wedding, let’s retell the Teleps’ origin story. Laura Beth Ellis and Matthew Telep met in 2016 at the popular Washington, DC bar, Smith Point. Laura Beth’s best friend and roommate, Carly, was dating Matt’s best friend and roommate, Ian. “As one of the single roommates, I was always down to go out and hang out with new friends,” Laura Beth says. “When Carly invited me to go out with Ian and his friends to a bar one night, I was in!”
On Saturday, March 5, 2022, an epic wedding occurred at The Carlyle in Atlanta, GA. Let’s relive how Laura Beth and Matt got here.
Boy, was Laura Beth glad she made that life-changing call. She met Matt on the dancefloor after taking advantage of an all-you-can-drink bar tab for a friend’s birthday. “I never thought this stranger I met at a bar would end up being my husband,” Laura Beth says. “Matt and I didn’t end up dating until about six months after we met. He moved into our neighborhood, so there was no avoiding him after that!” Laura Beth says.
Fun fact: Laura Beth tried to ask Matt out on a date first. But instead of the two of them going to the movies together, Matt invited all his roommates, too. “We still laugh about it,” she says. “He made it up to me by asking me to be his girlfriend at my 26th birthday party.”
Laura Beth and Matt’s engagement story is also one for the books. Christmas Eve is Laura Beth’s favorite day of the year, so Matt set out to plan something special in their home of Atlanta, GA — they’d only been there a few months. “He found out our apartment building was where my parents lived and got engaged!” Laura Beth says. “So he made a plan to propose on a bridge at Bobby Jones golf course where my parents got engaged more than 30 years ago!”
It was snowing that evening, and Laura Beth was peeved when Matt suggested they walk to a mysterious Christmas party. Hair ruined and irritation boiling, they finally made it to the bridge, and Matt was on one knee. Laura Beth’s whole family came out from their hiding spots. “My older brother dressed in all camouflage and hid in a tree to capture pictures!” Laura Beth recalls. “We celebrated that night and continued our Christmas Eve tradition of church and dinner. [2020] was the perfect Christmas Eve and the perfect Christmas.”
“I was ready to marry Matt immediately after he proposed, but I wouldn’t have changed anything,” Laura Beth says of her 14-month engagement. Simply Put started work on this stunning stationery suite.
Once they landed on a hometown wedding in Atlanta, Laura Beth tapped the same wedding planner, Yvonne Spiotta, that her older brother had used just four months earlier. She wanted a venue that she could make their own — something that wasn’t already defined by a particular look or vibe. Yvonne tossed up The Carlyle, a newer venue that opened in March 2020. “It’s a contemporary space we could design, decorate, and make into whatever we wanted,” Laura Beth said.
“[The Carlyle] was the perfect in-town destination!” Laura Beth says. They set up the space into three large rooms, a middle bar, and a small outside courtyard.
“My biggest wish for my wedding was to get married where my parents did: Peachtree Road United Methodist Church,” Laura Beth says. And we can sure see why.
When it came to crafting the look of the evening, Lara Beth leaned on the professionals. “Flowers, decorations, etc. are not my forte,” she admits. “Thank goodness I had the full team of my mom, Yvonne, and florist/decorator Britt Wood to help bring our vision to life.” They went into it without a theme but wanted to ensure the early March wedding favored spring vibes over winter ones.
Purple played a whimsical, elegant role in the floral design.
“My favorite colors are green and blue. That was really the only direction I gave the team,” Laura Beth says. “Britt has such an incredible eye for what looks best in a space. He turned The Carlyle into a magical forest with gorgeous flowers, lanterns, and greenery hanging from the beams. He even created a photo wall made of flowers and ivy.” Matt’s only request was that yellow forsythias show up somewhere in the venue. “Britt put the largest display of forsythias we had ever seen on top of the main bar in the buffet room. It was incredible,” Laura Beth adds.
Checkered tablecloths, a sea of mid-table candles, and hanging lanterns create a scene from an enchanted fairytale.
On Mother’s Day weekend, 2021, Laura Beth asked her mom, aunt, and future mother-in-law to join her on the hunt for a dress. She started the day with just two reservations and an open mind. “I loved my experience at Bridals by Lori because I think I tried on every style just because I could! We laughed so hard at some, and we really liked others. At the end of my appointment, I loved three different pieces of three different dresses,” Laura Beth says.
After lunch and some cocktails, they went to Britt Wood Designs (yes, the same Britt who did her flowers!). “I tried on a lot of different styles with him too, but still wasn’t finding exactly what I was looking for,” Laura Beth says. “Britt asked me, ‘If you could design your own dress, what would you do?’ I described all of my favorite parts of the three different dresses. He wrote it all down and said, ‘I’m going to make your dress for you.’ I looked at my mom pleadingly, and she nodded.”
It looks like Mom was just as pleased with this final product as her daughter!
Britt Wood designed a dream wedding dress, combining all the elements Laura Beth loved.
Looser and more asymmetrical bouquets are of-the-moment, and we are here for it!
Once the dress and the RSVP cards were in, the wedding weekend was upon them. “I was too nervous to write my own vows, so I wrote him a letter on the day of the wedding instead,” Laura Beth says. After exchanging traditional vows, a smiling crowd of more the 300 left the stately church and headed to The Carlyle.
Laura Beth picked a dusty blue color from Birdy Grey and let the bridesmaids choose their own style.
They opted out of a first look, and Laura Beth said, “it was so fun that way!” Since they didn’t have a pre-ceremony photo session, the bride, groom, their families, and best friends posed for photographer Lauren Bowen of Peacock Photo Video while guests enjoyed a cocktail hour to get the party started.
Passed hors d’oeuvres included empanadas, crab cakes, and spring rolls, to name a few.
Matt’s signature cocktail was a standard tequila soda, and Laura Beth’s was a Bramble. “It was my favorite cocktail when I studied abroad in London when I was at Washington & Lee,” she tells us. “[It’s] the perfect spring cocktail that brings together dry gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, crème de mûre, and crushed ice.”
Laura Beth and Matt’s first dance was “Loving you Easy” by Zac Brown Band. She danced to “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire with her dad, and “Night Moves” by Bob Segar closed out the night.
The space took on a magical aura during dinner service.
For dinner, guests enjoyed several delicious buffet options in one big room. There was a beef carving station, a seafood tower, a pasta station, and a taco station. After the first dances and cake cutting, everyone was invited to hit the food room and sit anywhere, creating a communal, lively environment.
Evolution Party Band kept the dance floor vibrating all night, with the new Teleps at the center of the action.
Matt wanted an old-fashioned car to take them away, but their driver got COVID. Instead, a black van filled with leftovers and to-go drinks picked them up. They went on a short jaunt around Atlanta before arriving back at their hotel for the night.
“I was extremely lucky and timed a five-week work sabbatical with our honeymoon,” Laura Beth says. They started at Sugar Beach in St. Lucia for a week, then repacked in Atlanta and headed to Beaver Creek to ski with family. Finally, they explored Yosemite for four days of hiking, fishing, and sightseeing. After more than a month of celebrations, we’re sure Laura Beth and Matt were excited to return home to Atlanta — this time, with a few new rings and a lot of new memories.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Laura Beth and Matt! And thanks to Lauren Bowen of Peacock Photo and Video for the fabulous photos.
RESOURCES
Ceremony: Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
Reception: The Carlyle
Planner: Yvonne Spiotta
Day-of coordinator: Yvonne Spiotta
Photographer: Peacock Photo Video
Flowers: Britt Wood Designs
Stationery: Simply Put
Hair and makeup: Page and Milly
Bride’s gown: Britt Wood Designs
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Birdy Grey
Groom and groomsmen attire: Tuxedo of choice
Catering: The Carlyle
Cakes: Anne Sineath
Entertainment: Evolution Party Band
Rentals: Britt Wood Designs
Glassware: The Carlyle
Linens: Party Tables Linen and Drapery
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