Dream Wedding Weekend at Barnsley Gardens

Alexandra Megan Morris and David Sean Bull planned an entire weekend of celebration at Adairsville’s Barnsley Gardens Resort beginning Sept. 17, with 210 guests in tow. Mother of the bride, Belinda Morris, said, “It was a whole series of events, all on the Barnsley property. We wanted our friends and family to be with us all weekend long.”

Morris and Bull, who now reside in Thousand Oaks, Calif., met while hiking in Boulder, Colo., before getting tacos together. Morris is the development associate at Santa Barbara Hillel; Bull, who grew up in Scottsdale, is a senior engineer at Amgen. The groom graduated from Colorado University with a PhD in chemical engineering. The bride is a trained zoologist who worked at Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, Denver Zoo and the Santa Barbara Zoo. She earned a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and management.

Both the parents of the bride — Belinda Morris and Michael Morris, publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times — and the groom — Ruth and Larry Bull — were in attendance. The sole attending grandparent was maternal grandmother Barbara Ward. Paternal grandparents Billi and Bernie Marcus, Julie and Howard Erlick, and Lauraine Bull joined the event via livestream. Belinda said, “Relatives from the UK couldn’t get into the U.S. due to COVID restrictions. A bridesmaid from the UK and a groomsman from Spain also had to decline.”

The wedding ambience was described as “magical” as the rain stopped and the mist rose.

The Friday night welcome party started with cocktails in the Meditation Garden, a canopied muscadine arbor and bamboo grove, followed by a Southern-style dinner with a guitarist/singer at Saylor Hall and late-night s’mores at the fire pits along the main lawn. Saturday night “the main event” wedding was at Barnsley’s Manor House ruins, followed by cocktails, dinner, and dancing at Georgian Hall. After appetizers, dinner was served. The menu consisted of:

Coffee chili-rubbed beef tenderloin with cognac sauce

Tucker Farm baby carrots

Potato Beignets

Wedding cake: Lemon poundcake with vanilla bean butter creams and assorted sweet surprises.

Groom David Bull made it official with his glass stomp.

The bride’s dress, an ivory A-line ball gown with a V-neck and back, covered in antler/tree roots and adorned with lace and encased sequins topped with corset crystals, was created by Israeli designer Inbal Dror. She said, “I had known I loved this wedding dress designer. The moment I saw this dress I was captivated. I had never seen any lace like it before. It was so feminine, yet earthy and natural at the same time, I felt like it perfectly encapsulated who I am in a dress.” Bouquet and flowers were white and pink roses. The chuppah was a combination of light blue, bright pink, soft blush, ivory flowers, and draped greenery. The newlyweds had their first dance to the song “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins.

Rabbi Peter Berg, senior rabbi at The Temple, has mentored the couple since their engagement, and continues to be a source of support. During the ceremony, he spoke about the importance of family and friends, and how the weekend brought everyone together. During the ceremony, a kiddush cup from the bride’s bat mitzvah was used for the blessing. Rabbi Berg and the parents wrapped the couple in the groom’s bar mitzvah tallit. Because of COVID, the wedding was rescheduled from 2020, and most of the older guests were still unable to attend. After the ceremony, Rabbi Berg enjoyed a shot of bourbon with the immediate family just prior to the party.

Post-dinner, the horn section of the band led the couple’s departure from the venue as the guests lined the route, waving sparklers. Guests grabbed a late-night snack of Chick-fil-A sandwiches en route to the “after-party” at Woodlands Grill Bar.

Alexandra chose scarlet for her attendants.

The Sunday brunch at Saylor Hall encouraged women to wear hats, which the bride adores. Harkening back to Belinda’s British background, hats and fascinators lent the wedding the elan of a garden party. Wedding planner Helene Popowski was emotional, as she had previously planned all of the Morris girls’ b’not mitzvah. She commented, “Alex and David are so sweet together; and the whole weekend was magical. They chose Barnsley because of the ruins, which we were able to take advantage of photographing between rain drops. Truthfully, the rain enhanced the setting as the chuppah was enveloped in nature as the mist rose. Even the rabbi described it as ‘breathtaking.’ Friday night we also had to grab minutes here and there with no rain to celebrate Shabbat blessings in the bamboo garden.”

The charming backstory involved the bride’s longstanding friendship with Sam Fishman, who got married in Dallas just two weeks later. The two friends started pre-K at Woodward North. Every year in kindergarten, the students would participate in the wedding of “Mr. Q to Ms. U” (in learning to read the two letters always go together). The year that Alexandra and Sam were in kindergarten, Alexandra was chosen as bridesmaid and Sam was to be the groomsman. The bride recalled: “Sam and I have always been best friends. Whether we see each other a lot or only a few times a year, we always make it count. We can talk about our deeper struggles or just laugh and goof around. He is always an honest friend that gives me meaningful advice. On the eve of Sam and Ali’s wedding, David and I spent the last hour of the evening getting one-on-one time with Sam, decompressing and catching up on the craziness of life. Sam will always be like a brother to me no matter what.”

The couple made their way to the after party between a double row of sparklers.

The groom mused, “Alex is a great chef, making home-cooked meals with a pen and notepad to ensure she hits all the right nutrients and doesn’t repeat a flavor profile too often. Not just for me, but for our dog, Jazmine! The two of us got extra lucky with how Alex spoils us. The best part about marrying a trained zookeeper is that she knows how to take care of anything! That’s how I know she will make the best mother.”

The bride weighed in, “One way I can always tell how ‘good’ a person is, is by looking at how they treat my dog. When I introduced David to my Alaskan malamute, he fell in love with her (and me) instantly. He treated her as his own from the start. She even met his parents before I did! This shows just how big and warm his heart is. No matter how much time he spends at the gym working out or playing rough on the soccer field, at the end of the day he is just one big teddy bear that has all the love in the world to give.”

Looking back on the weekend, she reflected, “There is not a single thing I would change, everything was magical. My parents and the staff created the most perfect weekend. I could not be more grateful.”

Never was there a more beautiful golf cart exit!

Belinda Morris echoed the sentiment: “Hats off to Barnsley Gardens’ owner, Julian Saul, who had expert management and staff on hand for all the details.”

Michael Morris, the father of the bride, concluded, “Everyone asked me how I felt giving away my daughter. I was excited for her. I was so happy to see her spread her wings, embrace David, and move into a new stage and adventure in their lives together.”

Event Vendor List

Photography: Jamie Reichman

Party music: Voltage Brothers

Ceremony music: Luna Strings

Florist: Alchemy Events

Videographer: Dewitt Smith Photography

Wedding planner: Helene Popowski

Paper goods: Brighten My Day, Tova Glenn