Southern Elegance:

A Marriage Made in Newnan

Written by JACKIE KENNEDY • Photos courtesy of JESSICA WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY

Lexy and Zack McCurry started dating in 2011 as high school students and married nine and a half years later in June 2021. While their wedding marked the culmination of a decade-long courtship, it celebrated the beginning of a marriage made in Newnan.

The daughter of Joe and Tracy Zelczak, Lexy was born and raised in Newnan. Zack moved here from Toccoa in 2011, and the two were introduced at a high school football game when they were both students at East Coweta High. They graduated in 2013.

After high school, Lexy went to the University of Georgia and completed grad school at the University of Pittsburgh. She now works as an occupational therapist at Piedmont Hospital in Columbus. Zack graduated from University of West Georgia and teaches special education at Arbor Springs Elementary School.

Since Lexy attended St. George Catholic Church, went to preschool and was baptized there, she knew she wanted a church wedding.

“It was important for me to get married in the church,” she says. “It’s a religious sacrament and a part of my faith.”

About 130 guests attended the June 5 ceremony at St. George and then moved on to Murphy Lane for the reception, where a family-style feast of fried chicken and fixings was served and the dancefloor buzzed with fun.

The new couple, their bridal party and wedding guests reported the event was a huge success.

Lexy started planning for the big day about 14 months prior to the wedding. She recommends newly engaged couples take at least a year to plan and coordinate.

She offers another helpful hint: “Don’t sweat the details. Trust your vendors because they’ve done many weddings and know that the details are important, so let them handle all the little stuff.”

With photos courtesy of Jessica Williams, a wedding photographer from Griffin, Lexy and Zack share details on services provided by a few of their Newnan-based wedding vendors.

The Venue

Ceremony, St. George Catholic Church: stgeorgenewnan.org

Reception, The Venue at Murphy Lane: thevenueatmurphylane.com

While exchanging vows in their home church was important to them, Lexy and Zack opted to hold their wedding reception at The Venue at Murphy Lane. “As soon as we went there looking at venues, we knew it would definitely be the place,” Lexy recalls. “We like to say they’re the Chick-fil-A of wedding venues. It’s 88 acres of beautiful pastures full of flowers and beautiful scenery, and Hank and Kara, who own it, make you feel so loved and so important. Their hospitality is true southern hospitality. They made sure we’d be taken care of, and they conveyed that as soon as we walked in the door. The venue is indoor/outdoor with a wraparound covered porch. It’s a reconstructed barn, but inside it’s elegant and beautiful. The chandeliers and warm neutral colors make you feel calm.”

The Wedding Planner

Southern Flair Events: southernflairevents.com

When it comes to staging a wedding, LeaAnn Hurd of Southern Flair Events probably “knows everyone and everything in Newnan and the surrounding areas,” according to Lexy. “Any questions I had about vendors, LeaAnn had their contact information and they called me within hours.” Hurd not only worked to coordinate vendors; she knew which vendors worked well together, Lexy adds. “She knew all the ins and outs of all the vendors in the area, and she built an amazing team. Plus, on the day of the wedding, she made sure I had everything I needed and didn’t have to lift a finger. She was great.”

The Bar Service

The Venue at Murphy Lane: thevenueatmurphylane.com

Lexy and Zack were among the first couples to experience bar services provided by The Venue at Murphy Lane. “It’s something new,” says Lexy. “They just got their alcohol license last year so they could provide bartenders, and their bartenders were amazing. When we danced the polka, the bartenders started dancing with us. They were awesome.” According to Lexy, the couple’s signature drink at the reception was Georgia Mule.

The Catering

Elegant Expressions Catering: elegantexpressionscatering.com

Owner Lori Corley of Elegant Expressions Catering handled catering for the reception, which featured family-style dining with fried chicken as the main dish. “Everybody loved the food,” says Lexy. “It was the most complimented part of the whole wedding.” Homemade biscuits, salad, orzo, veggies and peach sweet tea rounded out the meal. Corley personally served the wedding couple and presented them with a basketful of food and champagne to enjoy at the hotel after the wedding.

The Florist

Southern Stems: southernstems.com

Based in Newnan, Southern Stems serves the surrounding area with owner Leslie Wacker providing floral arrangements for all occasions. “I was very go-with-the-flow and taking advice, but when it came to flowers, I knew magnolia was what I definitely wanted,” says Lexy. “It’s such an elegant, beautiful flower. I’m a Southern girl born and raised in Newnan and feel like the magnolia encompasses Southerness.” Magnolia leaves adorned the chandeliers at Murphy Lane, and a large arrangement used in front of the church altar during the ceremony was transported to the reception venue where it was stationed in front of the couple’s sweetheart table. At tables where the couple’s parents and bridal party sat, large vases of magnolia leaves were gorgeous, notes Lexy.

The Cake

Something Delightful Bakery: facebook.com/SomethingDelightfulBakery/

Mary Jane Hollister’s Something Delightful Bakery made a great impression on Lexy beginning with the cake tasting and carrying all the way through the wedding. “She offered so many options and let us bring home things so we could try them out with our family,” says Lexy. “I bet we had 20 varieties to choose from, and her cake was so moist and good.” Lexy shared more than a dozen photos with Hollister and asked her to incorporate all she could into the cake. “She drew up a design and did that,” says Lexy. “She listened, and she did an amazing job on the cake.” For an added touch, the florist added magnolia leaves around the base of the cake to keep with the magnolia theme.

The Tuxedo

Celebrate Tuxedos

celebrationgeorgia.com

Based in Newnan, Celebrate Tuxedos is a one-stop shop for wardrobe needs of men in the wedding party. “They did everything for the groom, the groomsmen and the dads’ tuxedos,” says Lexy. “They had everything we wanted and were easy to work with. And talk about Southern hospitality; they sent us Christmas cards and birthday cards. They’re just so nice.” Rocking their tuxes are, from left, groomsmen Alex Bollinger, Evan Shirley and Josh McCurry, Groom Zack McCurry, and groomsmen Mike Huggins and Taylor Ferringer.

The DJ

Joe Cebulski: joe.h.cebulski@gmail.com

A family friend, Joe Cebulski served as DJ at the McCurry wedding reception. “He’s deejayed hundreds of weddings and was great,” says the new bride. “He has his own setup and lights that he projects on the floor.” With tunes playing all night long, the dance floor was a popular place to be, especially when Lexy and Zack were dancing. Other Newnan vendors that helped make the McCurry event a success included Oink Joint, which catered the rehearsal dinner held at Below the Neck by Redneck Gourmet, and Sew Julie, which handled alterations for the wedding party. NCM