Katie & Mac: A Wedding at the Hay House in Macon, Georgia
Some venues are beautiful in a way that feels decorative. The Hay House isn't that. It's beautiful in a way that feels structural, like the building itself was designed to hold emotional, visual, and historical weight. It's the kind of place where every room gives you something to work with, and every angle feels considered.
I photographed Katie and Mac's wedding at the Hay House, a National Historic Landmark in the heart of Macon, Georgia, and the whole day had an energy that just clicked. The couple was easy to be around, the venue did most of the heavy lifting visually, and the night ended somewhere I didn't expect, but more on that later.
The Venue
The Hay House was built between 1855 and 1859 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, which is a fancy way of saying it looks nothing like the plantation homes people tend to associate with antebellum Georgia. It spans 18,000 square feet across four levels, topped by a towering cupola that originally functioned as part of the home's ventilation system. Twenty four principal rooms. Carrara marble fireplaces. A music room with a 30-foot clerestory ceiling. Plasterwork detailed with 24-karat gold leafing. Stained glass windows, including a piece in the dining room depicting the "Four Seasons of the Vineyard" that throws colored light into the room in a way that changes completely depending on the time of day.
And that's the best thing about the Hay House as a wedding venue. The light is constantly doing something interesting. The stained glass casts these fragments of color across the walls and floors, shifting as the afternoon moves. The tall windows on the staircases let in clean, directional natural light. For a photographer, especially one shooting hybrid film and digital, it's the kind of environment where you're not fighting with the light. You're just following it and connecting to it which makes for a wonderful experience.
The Peach House
Before the ceremony, we started the day at Katie and Mac's own Peach House which is a retro-styled property they own in Macon with peach wallpaper, sheer orange curtains, and a vibe that felt like stepping into someone's lovingly curated time capsule. It was the perfect backdrop for getting ready photos that felt different from the grandeur of the Hay House. More personal, more playful.
And then there were the bunnies.
Katie and Mac brought their pet bunnies along for photos, and I have to say, I've shot quite a few weddings, and this was a first for me. A bride in a white gown cradling a white rabbit against a wall of peach wallpaper, the groom next to her in his green velvet jacket, grinning, the whole room glowing warm through those sheer orange curtains. It was one of those moments that felt surreal and completely natural at the same time. Shooting with their bunnies was one of the most fun and unique experiences I've had on a wedding day. It's the kind of thing that reminds me why I do this work, because every couple brings something to the table you couldn't have predicted, and the best days are the ones that surprise you.
The Ceremony & Portraits
Back at the Hay House, the ceremony took place surrounded by the kind of architecture that doesn't need much added to it. The ornate archways, the chandeliers, the dark wood. It all reads as intentional without being fussy. Katie made her own bouquet. It was a gorgeous arrangement of pastel dried wildflowers in pinks, oranges, yellows, and soft greens. That kind of hands on care absolutely shows. The flowers felt like an extension of the couple rather than something sourced from a catalog. Against the deep tones of the Hay House interior, those soft pastels popped without competing.
The portrait time at the Hay House was something else entirely. Mac's green velvet jacket looked incredible against the Hay House interiors. The deep emerald played off the warm wood tones and the colored light from the stained glass in a way that felt perfect. The grand staircase alone gave us multiple compositions. A wide shot looking up through the spiral, a low angle kiss on the landing with the oculus window behind them, and a few frames on the main staircase in front of the massive stained glass windows where the colored light was doing its thing. That staircase image with the rainbow prisms bouncing off the walls and chandelier might be the one that stays with me longest. It's the kind of photograph that film handles especially well. The way analog captures that filtered, textured color feels more honest to the space than a clean digital file.
The black and white portraits in the doorways and hallways leaned into the Hay House's darker, moodier corners. The couple framed by those arched double doors with the chandelier centered above them, walking away from the camera has the feel of something timeless. Like it could have been made in 1950 or yesterday.
The Reception
The reception was a blast. And I don't say that lightly because I've shot enough weddings to know the difference between a reception that's happening and one that's alive. This one was alive. The music was the kind you don't just photograph around. I was genuinely dancing to it with the guests while working the dance floor, which honestly makes for better images anyway. You match the energy of the room and the photos reflect that.
The After Party at Reboot Retrocade & Bar
And then, just when you think the night is winding down, the whole crew headed to Reboot Retrocade & Bar on Cherry Street in downtown Macon. It's exactly what it sounds like. It’s a retro arcade bar with vintage games from the '70s through the '90s, pinball machines, nerdy cocktails, and the kind of atmosphere where a wedding party in formalwear playing Pac-Man just makes sense. I grabbed a few photos there, but mostly I put the camera down and just hung out with Katie, Mac, and the guests. That felt right. Some moments are better lived than documented, and closing out the night at an arcade bar with people who are genuinely fun to be around was one of them.
Macon, Georgia as a Wedding Destination
Macon doesn't always come up first in conversations about wedding destinations in Georgia, but it should. Katie actually works at Visit Macon, the city's destination marketing organization, so if anyone knows this city inside and out, it's her. And you can feel that in the choices she and Mac made. From the Hay House to the Peach House to Reboot, every location was distinctly Macon. It wasn’t a generic wedding template dropped into a Southern city, but a day that was shaped by the place they live and love.
The city has a deep bench of historic architecture, a real sense of place, and venues like the Hay House that rival anything in Savannah or Charleston in terms of sheer visual impact. Macon's music history runs deep. It's the hometown of Otis Redding and Little Richard, and the city where the Allman Brothers Band made their name. That soulfulness absolutely carries into the way the city feels when you're there. The fact that you can get married in a National Historic Landmark, take portraits on a 170 year old staircase, and end your night playing arcade games downtown… that range really says a lot about what Macon has to offer.
If you’re planning a wedding in Georgia or the Southeast and are interested in a film-forward, documentary approach, you can view examples of my work and find details about coverage and pricing on my weddings page:
https://kelseysmithphotography.net/weddings
You’re also welcome to reach out directly through the contact form below or email me at business@kelseysmithphotography.net to talk through what you’re planning.
