GA_SUM06_068_069 5/7/06 5:35 PM Page 68

A-PDF MERGER DEMO

Ellijay, Georgia, October 1, 2005

Ashley Galusha
& Loren Hyman
BY ALI MIZE
PHOTOS BY JOHN CONNEELY

It took Loren Hyman and Ashley Galusha a decade or so to start see-

I ing each other as more than friends. Ashley and Loren grew up just
down the street from one another in a neighborhood in Marietta,
Ga. Loren always saw Ashley as his older sister’s friend…that is until
one special summer night. Ashley was approaching her last year of
college and was spending the week at the lake with Loren’s sister.
“We had a lot of fun together that week, and when Loren kissed me
one night on the dock overlooking the lake, I knew that we had
something very special,” Ashley remembers.
Soon after the first kiss, Ashley and Loren were officially a cou-
ple.“Our families were already such good friends that it seemed very
natural,” the couple agrees. After three years together, Loren was
ready to ask Ashley to be his bride, but he knew there was one little
detail he had to take care of first.“Ashley’s dad and I are great friends
and play a lot of golf together, but I wanted to ask his permission to
marry his daughter. It took me an hour and a half to work up the
courage,” Loren laughs.
One evening after inclement weather foiled his original propos-
al, Loren surprised Ashley with the question. He looked his best
friend in the eyes, and with loving sincerity, asked her to be his wife.
“Loren’s proposal was perfect because I didn’t expect it yet. It was
simple, sweet, and happened in our first home that we both loved,”
Ashley says.
When Ashley and Loren started planning their wedding, they
knew they wanted something intimate and easygoing—it was
important that their wedding reflect the qualities of their relation-
ship. With family being such an important part of their lives, the

68 I Do For Brides www.idoforbrides.com

GA_SUM06_068_069 5/7/06 5:35 PM Page 69

Wedding Sources:
Officiant: Judge Joe Murphy
Bridal Gown Designer & Source: MARISA, Bridal by Lori, Atlanta
Bridal Gown Alterations: Shanghai Alterations, Atlanta
Bridal Gown Preservation: Professional Gown Preservation, Atlanta
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Designer & Source: Expressions by Forever Yours,
Renate’s, Lexington, S.C.
Hair: Lynn Galusha, Hair Artists, Atlanta
Makeup: Margie Mullen, McKinney, Texas
Men’s Attire Designer & Source: Meil Allyn, Black Tie by Lori, Atlanta
Rings: Kay Jewelers, Columbia, S.C.
Invitations: Party Stuff, Atlanta
Florist: Linda and Brian Killingsworth, Creekside Dahlia Farm, Ellijay
Transportation: Abundance Luxury Transportation, Atlanta
Caterer: The Orchard Restaurant, Ellijay
Wedding & Groom’s Cake: Pat-A-Cake, Ellijay
Music: Steve Bond, Atlanta
Photographer: John Conneely, John Conneely Photography, Ellijay
Travel Agency: Frew Travel, Atlanta
Wedding Night Accommodations: Renaissance Concourse Hotel, Atlanta
Honeymoon Destination: Couples Swept Away, Negril, Jamaica
couple decided to say “I do” at Ashley’s father and stepmother’s moun-
tain home in Ellijay. With October 1 set as the wedding date, Ashley
planned the wedding using a rich, fall color scheme.
Ashley and Loren were married outside amid the changing leaves
of bright orange and red. For her bridesmaids the bride chose strap-
less burnt orange dresses and earthy dahlia bouquets, both of which
blended perfectly in the mountain setting. Even the gentlemen in the
wedding party fit in well with the fall surroundings with their bright
orange boutonnieres. Wearing her mother’s cathedral length veil and
a strapless silk organza gown with café colored sash and layered train,
Ashley walked down the petal-covered aisle to meet her groom.
While Ashley and Loren held hands, Loren’s sister Rebecca recited
a reading that perfectly conveyed the couple’s feelings. “These are the
hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your
future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and
dreams.” After finishing their unique vows, Ashley and Loren turned,
faced their family and friends, and walked hand in hand up the aisle
leading the way to a stylish and fun reception.
In addition to the pre-ceremony cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a
menu of beef tenderloin, lobster cakes and shrimp and grits. The
white wedding cake covered in colorful fruit decorations was pound
cake with butter cream icing, and the groom’s cake was chocolate and
decorated with the South Carolina state flag. “Everything tasted so
good. We were very pleased with the food,” Ashley says. One of the
most memorable parts of the day though was walking down the aisle
with her dad. “It was a moment I’ll never forget,” she remembers.
“We’re excited about being married; we just fit together perfectly,”
Loren says. “We’re both ambitious and goal oriented, yet we share a
similar sense of humor.” After sharing their special day with family
and friends, Ashley and Loren honeymooned the following week in
Negril, Jamaica.

www.idoforbrides.com I Do For Brides 69