A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to squeeze in a short weekend trip to Atlanta to attend a wedding for Jeremy’s friend. Weddings as an adult are so much more fun than the memories of weddings from my childhood. Not only can you utilize the cash bar benefits to their full potential, but you appreciate the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new.
The wedding was Saturday evening and since Jeremy had to coach a game Friday night, we flew in Saturday afternoon. We were surprised to see a Lyft from the airport was going to take over 40-minutes to our hotel in midtown and was rather expensive due to the U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials being held in the city that day. Jeremy suggested we look at the train schedule and sure enough, the Marta gold line has a stop less than three blocks from our hotel and runs directly from the airport! Best of all, it only cost $3.50 per person and shaved about 15 minutes off our travel time.
We stayed at the AC Marriott Hotel Midtown and when we checked in to the hotel, there was a welcome gift of waters and snacks from the bride and groom. So thoughtful! And much needed since we were, of course, starving. The Marriott was one of two hotels guests could stay at and catch the shuttle from the hotel to the venue. They referred to it as a "shuttle" but it was really a coach bus that was large enough to fit all of the guests.
Here's a cute pic of us the concierge snapped before we rushed out the door to make the shuttle in time!
The ceremony and reception were held at The Trolley Barn in the Inman Park neighborhood. Although it was a pretty chilly day in February for the ceremony to be held outside, the setting was quaint and tranquil with a small crowd underneath tea lights. The ceremony was short and sweet, lasting all of 15-minutes, followed by cocktail hour and southern-style hors d'oeuvres. My favorite were the bacon wrapped dates and pimento cheese sandwiches! By the time I finished my second glass of prosecco I could hardly feel my toes, but I was having so much fun hearing Jeremy and his friends share stories that it went easily ignored.
The wedding was travel themed and the bride and groom had arranged personalized luggage tags for the guests on a table. Once you found your tag, you had to sit at the table in the barn with the corresponding country name. Ours was Argentina! We didn't know anyone at our table but made easy conversation with a few other couples and shared many laughs over stories about the groom.
The rest of the evening was an absolute blast. We ate some super tasty barbecue and drank plenty of wine. We even did a little dancing and took our fair share of photos in the photo booth. Defintiely 10/10 on the wedding scale.
The next morning we walked with one of Jeremy's friends from the wedding party for breakfast at Joy Cafe. Jeremy and I both ordered the avocado toast and it was outstanding! Afterwards we walked through Piedmont Park, which sits on about 180-acres in midtown. Although the Atlanta Botanical Gardens are located inside the park, we decided to just walk the path that loops through the park around the pond. I actually visited the gardens on a separate trip to Atlanta and they are worth it if you have a few hours to spare.
We rented scooters after we saw about all there was to see at the park, and made our way to Ponce City Market. We were expecting it to be your average enclosed public market in the city but found it to be so much more! There were several shops to walk through before going inside to the main food hall which is two stories. I opted for some coconut lentil soup and a falafel wrap from Farm to Ladle. If you know me, you know I am always looking for a good soup and I sure found one!
That was pretty much all we had time for in such a short trip, but it was certainly memorable. We headed back to the airport for our 6pm flight and next thing we knew, we were back home in Tampa again. Until next time! In the meantime, we'll be dreaming of our next trip together, per usual.
February 2020
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