Wedding Section: A Tale of Two Dresses
The Royal Wedding of Daniel
and Whitney Stauffer
Written by JACKIE KENNEDY | Photographed by LESLIE CALLAWAY/CALLAWAY CREATIVE COMPANY
From the beginning, Whitney Stauffer knew she wanted two wedding dresses for her spring 2022 wedding to Daniel Stauffer.
In tune with a recent trend, she searched for a romantic ball gown for the ceremony itself and a more comfortable, yet equally elegant, dress for dancing at the reception.
Whitney is founder and director of Veterans Helping Veterans Foundation (VHVF), a Douglasville-based nonprofit that supports veterans with disabilities and promotes veteran mental health awareness. Daniel works with her in the nonprofit and also serves as a major with the United States Marine Corps Reserves where he’s a company commander for Engineer Support Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, in Baltimore, Md.
The couple met in 2020, during the COVID pandemic, at their favorite bar, Hangar 92 Bar & Grille in Douglasville.
“When we first met, it was like love at first sight,” says Whitney. “We just had so much in common that we could not be separated from one another. We were both in the United States Marine Corps, which is what really brought us close together.”
Originally from Douglasville, Daniel had moved to Newnan in 2019, and in 2020, Whitney moved to Newnan to be with him. When driving from their foundation in Douglasville to Newnan, the couple typically drove past Foxhall Resort in Douglasville.
“We always mentioned to ourselves that we would like to get married there, and we did,” says Whitney.
Their May 21, 2022, wedding and reception featured a live band, a VW bus photo booth, and a three-piece string ensemble.
And those two dresses!
“Searching for my wedding dresses, I wanted to take my venue into consideration,” she says. “We had a very elegant outdoor wedding, and my walk down the aisle was very long. My vision was to have a stunning royal wedding ball dress with a very long train, followed by a sleek, slender dress, which I found at Sure Bride wedding boutique in downtown Newnan.”
Whitney discovered her royal ball gown at Anya’s Bridal in Atlanta. The V neckline ball gown features custom beaded embroidery and tulle horsehair with Swarovski crystals.
“The ball gown dress was very heavy, to say the least,” says Whitney. “It weighed around 13 pounds and was too big and heavy to have fun in at our reception.”
The remedy, according to the bride: “My sleeker and sexy dress from Sure Bride. It was a perfect fit and extremely light. I loved the way the dress hugged the curves on my body perfectly, and it was so easy to dance in while enjoying our reception.”
The reception gown by Justin Alexander is a beaded, off-the-shoulder dress with a whimsical A-line silhouette.
“This dress is the perfect combo of elegant, sexy and traditional,” says Whitney. “The lace is gorgeous and really amplifies the dress without competing with other details. And the dress was so comfortable.”
Whitney says that, much like love at first sight when she met Daniel, finding her dresses was also love at first sight.
“When I tried on each of these wedding dresses, I immediately cried,” she says. “Every bride that was booked at the bridal boutique came out of their changing room with their family over to me to tell me how beautiful I was. I knew then it was love at first sight – and love at first cry.”
On her wedding day, says Whitney, she “felt very regal and royal in both dresses.”
Her groom Daniel had royalty on his mind, too, when he saw her in each dress.
“She truly looked like a princess from a fairy tale, just beautiful,” he recalls. “My heart stopped when I saw her. She looked perfect.”
The couple feel their royal wedding will lead to a lovely life together.
“Whitney is a gift from God that came into my life at the perfect moment,” says Daniel. “I honestly would not know where I would be without her.”
The couple’s wedding photographer, Leslie Callaway of Newnan, says she sensed something special from the moment she met Whitney and Daniel.
“Their positive energy, creativity and loving nature is so contagious, and I knew their day would reflect that,” says Callaway. “Everyone was so excited to see them so genuinely in love. Their wedding was absolutely stunning, and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to capture it.” NCM
Whitney Stauffer’s royal wedding ball gown was just what she wanted to project glamour and regalness at her May 21, 2022 wedding.
Whitney’s second dress, equally elegant but more comfortable for the reception, was purchased at Sure Bride in Newnan.