< Real Weddings in Georgia

Jordan Hood and Ben Joyce

Married

Jun 6, 2026
Jekyll Island , Georgia

Photo Credit

The Springles

Style Guide

Style

Season

Winter

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The Proposal

Jordan and Ben love a good adventure. They have found that to be true about themselves as individuals and, of course, they love the journey of adventure together.

Three years ago, the couple went on a trip that illuminated just how much they love adventures. They were celebrating Ben’s birthday, but they were also visiting a place his father — who had recently passed away — had always wanted to see, so in a way, they were on that journey to honor his dad. Ben planned an incredible itinerary. They flew to Inverness, Scotland, and drove through the Scottish Highlands to the Isle of Skye, taking in some of the most beautiful sights they had ever seen. They stayed on Skye for a few days to hike some of its most iconic trails, then made their way across Scotland to Glasgow, with a few Harry Potter–inspired stops along the way, then to Edinburgh, and finally to St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.

The trip proved to be of great significance, as Jordan and Ben learned a lot about each other — how to navigate being abroad together, and how to handle roads the width of a twin mattress while driving on the opposite side and hoping they weren’t going to die. It marked the beginning of an adventure they had no idea was coming. When they landed back home and were making their way through customs, Jordan got a call from the then-owner of Low’s Bridal. Jordan had occasionally joked about owning Low’s one day, and suddenly, that joke turned into a serious conversation, and then into reality.

Though she never planned to own a bridal shop, Low’s somehow had always been the thread running through Jordan’s life. It began in 1977 with a small collection of gowns tucked above a family pharmacy in Brinkley, Arkansas, and over the decades it grew into a destination bridal boutique housed inside the historic Great Southern Hotel. It was the kind of shop where mothers bring their daughters because their mothers brought them. For nearly fifty years, it had been a rite of passage for brides across the South. The shop’s previous owners happened to be Jordan’s best friend Alecia’s godparents, which made the moment Jordan purchased Low’s — entirely on their own, nearly ten months after that call — feel like it was always meant to be theirs to carry forward. Ben was Jordan’s biggest supporter through every step of that pursuit, the one cheering Jordan on to carry this legacy forward before Jordan had even fully found the courage themselves. It felt less like buying a business and more like being trusted with something sacred, with Ben right there beside Jordan for the adventure.

Around the time the business deal was closing, Ben conspired with Jordan’s best friend, Latham, to fly home from Alaska and surprise Jordan in Memphis so they could go ring shopping together. Jordan actually spoiled their surprise — she could see Latham’s location on her phone and had a small panic attack thinking something was wrong. That panic turned straight into excitement and overwhelm the second Latham revealed they were going to look at engagement rings. Jordan left work early and met her at a local jewelry store known for its beautiful custom designs. They told the consultant Jordan wanted a rose-cut oval diamond, set east-west — a ring inspired by Jordan’s grandmother’s, who had been married to Jordan’s grandfather for more than seventy years, reimagined in a more modern way. That was January.

On the afternoon of May 9th, Ben picked up Jordan from work, and Jordan climbed into the truck without really knowing where they were headed. She knew they had tickets to see Beach House in St. Louis, but was not sure if this was the engagement trip or just a concert weekend. She slept for almost the entire drive, worn out from the sheer exhaustion of new business ownership. When Jordan woke up, she immediately recognized the little sleepy town they had pulled into. Ironton, Missouri, doesn’t have much going on, but it sits close to some beautiful hikes in the Ozarks. One trail in particular, the Mina Sauk Falls Trail, was the one they had hiked the very first New Year’s they spent together, right after an ice storm had come through — Jordan hiked the whole ice-covered trail in boots that weren’t waterproof and fell so hard they knocked the wind out of their lungs. But that’s the kind of thing someone will do for fun when they really like a guy and think he’s incredibly handsome.  Jordan told Ben they hadn’t packed their new waterproof hiking boots, but Ben assured Jordan he did. That’s when Jordan knew.

The next day, the couple was back on that trail, now lush and green, with little trickles of water that grew into a stream and then into a waterfall. Another couple was just ahead of them having a moment, so they hung back to give them space, then made their way to the rocks in the middle of the waterfall’s stream. Jordan sat down and took it all in with Ben, together in nature, doing what they love. Jordan turned to look at him, and he was already holding a ring. It was perfect. It was so them.

A family passed by just moments after he proposed and called out that they looked so cute together, asking to take their picture. They had no idea they had just gotten engaged, but it felt fitting — sweaty, hot-faced, and completely unposed. A photo of their real life.

In Preparation

There’s something almost impossible to put into words about spending your career helping other women find the gown they’ll wear on one of the most important days of their lives—and then, one day, becoming the bride yourself. When word got out that Jordan was planning her wedding, several of the designers she had loved and trusted for years — the ones whose gowns lined their racks and whose names they said to brides every single day — offered to create custom looks for her for the wedding weekend. Jordan said yes to all of them, because how could she not?
For the rehearsal dinner, Jordan wore a custom Martina Liana Luxe gown. For the morning of the wedding, Jordan’s first look was the Jayna gown by Sottero and Midgley, a dress that had always felt like it belonged to Jordan’s inner child. Southern girls start dreaming about their wedding day when they’re still small, and Jayna was exactly the dress Jordan had been picturing her whole life: whimsical, beautiful, a little unexpected, and so much fun to simply frolic in.

The ceremony and main-event dress were, in many ways, a story of who Jordan had worked to become as an adult. It was made by people who were passionate, genuine, and kind, the kind of people whose love and energy for what they do could be felt the moment someone was in their presence. Justin and Terri, the duo behind Jordan’s custom Justin Alexander gown, combined aspects of gowns Jordan loved in ways she couldn’t have imagined to create a custom gown.  They named it “Joyce.” The gown also tugged at the Swiftie in Jordan. Justin and his team had somehow created a dress named Ophelia, with opalite beads, before the songs “Opalite” and “Ophelia” were ever released. Ophelia is made of incredible multi-layered lace, beaded lace, and 3-D lace, with real opalite and iridescent beads. Justin and Terri hand-placed and hand-stitched that same multi-layered lace and beadwork from Ophelia onto Jordan’s custom gown — hand labor, out of love, for her special day.
The meaning behind the song “Opalite” is that the hardships someone faces allow them to find and create their own joy and happiness in life — they can dance around the lightning, then make their own sunshine, and have their own opalite sky. That concept really resonated with Jordan and her journey in life, and she felt the dress represented exactly that as she walked down the aisle to the man she loves. Justin and Terri planned to attend the wedding, with Terri helping Jordan get ready.
The last dress of the night was a midi dress meant for dancing, honoring Low’s relationship with Allure Bridals: a fun custom gown adorned with rows of scattered feathers. Jordan’s best friends’ dresses were from Allure Bridals too — Latham wore a blue gown from their Disney Fairytale collection, and Alecia wore a pink gown from their Bridgerton collection. Jordan was not simply wearing bridal fashion for her wedding; she was, for the first time, living the legacy they spent every day helping to carry forward.

Choosing their venue took months. The couple contacted nearly 50 venues before finally landing on the historic Jekyll Island Club, and the second they stood on that lawn, they knew every mile of the search had led them exactly where they were supposed to be. They chose it for its rich history, its Southern coastal beauty, and the memories already stitched into it — Ben’s family vacationed there when he was a boy, and bringing their closest family and friends back to that same island felt like folding their new story into one that already existed.
More than anything, Jordan and Ben wanted their guests to feel like they were truly on vacation — well taken care of, and there because they intentionally chose to be, not simply because they were invited. Every person on their guest list held a special place in their hearts and was, in some way, a part of their story, so they didn’t want to give them just a single day. They wanted to give them a full wedding weekend, something that felt like both a celebration and an escape.

They opened the weekend with a welcome party that leaned into Ben’s alma mater, the University of Tennessee, with a bold orange and hot pink palette, Southern prep charm, lush florals, statement bar signage, and celebratory cocktails that had everyone in a great mood before the weekend had even really begun. The next evening, they gathered for the rehearsal dinner on the Ocean Club Rooftop Terrace, where exposed wood, muted coastal tones, driftwood, white florals, and candlelight set a quieter, more intimate tone — a deep breath before the day they had been building toward.
There was one more detail Jordan held especially close from that season of preparing. Just a few months before the wedding, Jordan and Ben bought their dream forever home in Collierville, Tennessee, and Ben stepped away from his own career to come work full time alongside Jordan at Low’s. They were not only preparing for a wedding — they were building an entire life, a home, and a shared legacy, all in the very same breath.

The Big Day

Jordan got ready that morning surrounded by the women who had shaped her life, stepping first into Jayna gown by Sottero and Midgley for the quiet, private moments before the thrill of the wedding day. When it was time to walk down the aisle, Terri was there exactly as she’d promised, fastening the last buttons of Jordan’s custom Justin Alexander gown and steadying her hands before she walked out the door. Having Terri dress Jordan, in a gown she made with her own two hands, was one of the most tender moments of the entire weekend.

The ceremony took place beneath the centuries-old weeping oak trees on Riverfront Lawn, at the end of a long, meandering floral aisle designed to symbolize the winding road Jordan and Ben each walked before they found each other. Jordan was thirty-six, and Ben was forty-two, and their story had never been one of rushing — it was one of timing, patience, and a steady, sure kind of love that was worth every year it took to arrive.

Before Jordan took a step, Ben walked that same aisle carrying a quiet tribute of his own. His father had passed away before he could see this day, so Ben lit a candle in his memory as he reached the end of the aisle before taking his place at the altar. One of his father’s suit coats was placed on a chair beside the rest of his family — a way of making sure that, in every way that mattered, his dad was still there with them.

Jordan was escorted by her two dearest friends—Latham, her childhood best friend who planned every detail for the wedding, and Alecia, who is her best friend since the first day of art college, and trusted creative partner. From there, Jordan was passed to her mother, who walked Jordan to her father, who then led her the rest of the way to Ben. Every step of that processional was chosen on purpose, a way of honoring every person who helped carry Jordan to that moment beneath the oaks.

Cocktail hour spread across Riverfront Lawn, where a custom bar wrapped in pink velvet anchored a lounge that felt like someone had brought an entire living room outside — plush seating, bold floral patterns, pinks and greens, velvet textures, and chandeliers hanging straight from the tree branches above them. A live jazz quartet played as custom cocktails were poured beneath hand-lettered bar signage, and for an hour, golden light, saxophone, and laughter were the only things that mattered. When it was time to move inside, guests made their way to the Grand Dining Room and along the way they were greeted by the beautiful escort card display tucked inside lush hydrangea installations alongside handwritten thank-you notes Jordan and Ben had written to every single person who came.

The Grand Dining Room was dressed in green velvet linens and a green floral print that anchored the entire room, with round, rectangular, and serpentine tables set beneath candelabras and lush floral installations. Printed china, ribbed glassware, and custom menus sat at every place setting, and it all felt like walking into a room that had been waiting just for them.

Before the dancing began, Jordan changed one final time into a custom Allure Bridals midi dress, the same house that dressed Latham and Alecia for the night. The Adrian Duke Project carried them through a jazz-soaked dinner before the tempo lifted and the whole room came alive on the dance floor. Jordan and Ben danced until there was nothing left to do but laugh, cry, and hold on to each other — finally, officially, home.

The Retreat

For their honeymoon, Jordan and Ben wanted another adventure reminiscent of their time in Scotland. If they were being honest, they nearly went straight back to the Isle of Skye—so much so that they’ve now made it their retirement dream to live in a little cottage in the countryside there.

Instead, they set their sights on Portugal, choosing the Azores Islands for their mix of hiking, dramatic scenery, and natural beauty before continuing to the mainland for a city adventure in Porto. They explored new trails, took in breathtaking views, and returned home with a special piece of art from Porto to add to their new home—a beautiful reminder of their honeymoon and the adventures still ahead.

Hallmark Wedding Vendors

Planner and Designer: Latham Stevens Events

 

Contributing Vendors

Venue: Jekyll Island Club | Photographer: The Springles | Videographer: Rever Weddings | Florist: FLWR Shop | Bridal Hair and Makeup: Eri Vincent Makeup | Rentals: Curated Events Charleston | Wedding Invitations: Molly Chain Collective | Day-of Signage: Scribbles and Swirls | Welcome Bags: Little Black Barn Co. | Wedding Cake and Favors: Sugar Whisk Co. | Band: The Adrian Duke Project | Custom Ceremony Gown: Justin Alexander | First Look Gown: Sottero and Midgley | Bridal Shop: Low’s Bridal