What can I say? I toured 19 wedding venues from Atlanta to Asheville and none of them had what I wanted, which was a space that was as beautiful outside as it was inside with a seamless flow between the two. The Oakley on the Lake was our perfect wedding venue, a place that I dreamed up in my head and had given up looking for until I found the renderings of this magical place that didn't exist yet. I contacted Angela, who owns the venue, and toured the site while it was under construction. Though there were no walls yet, or electricity, or running water, I could tell that my vision was in line with Angela's and I trusted that it would be spectacular. It did not disappoint! From the gorgeous souring ceilings to the huge steel frame windows, it turned out perfectly. We used the pavilion as our ceremony space and it was spacious enough for almost 200 guests to sit comfortably with a view of the woods and the shimmering lake behind us. We used every inch of the outdoor space. We had beer pong, corn hole, a cocktail truck, a raw bar, a portrait lounge, and half of our tables all outside, which stays pristine because it's all turf and no grass or mud. The bridal suite is beautiful, with a wall of mirrors for getting hair and makeup done and a large bench swing outside for the bridesmaids to hang out and take photos. They didn't skimp on groom suite either. It has a beautiful leather couch and a pool table and is a great space for the groomsmen to get ready.
Angela and her family are incredible and took such great care of us from the very beginning. When I mentioned that I was trying to source a canoe to fill with beer and seltzers, Angela told me that she had a canoe at her house that we could use! Her husband fixed it up and painted it and made it exactly like the pictures I had saved. It turned out beautiful! I asked Angela if we could pay to add more string lights to light up more of the space on the day of our wedding, and instead, she took care of it for us and expanded their lighting set up. She was allows attentive and responsive and nothing but lovely, as was her husband, daughter, and son. She even surprised me at the end of our reception by bringing her son's dog Tito in, who my husband and I adore, to say hi at the end of the night! I have nothing but good things to say and I am already trying to think of good excuses to go back to The Oakley just to visit because we already miss it. I cannot say thank you enough to Angela and her whole family, you guys are the best!
I don't have many photos because we haven't gotten our photos back from our photographer yet, but here is one of our favorite pup, Tito and one from our ceremony!
