Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/633204
HIGHLAND PARK'S MOST BELOVED NFL QUARTERBACK SAYS "I DO" TO THE CHEERLEADER OF HIS DREAMS. TOUCHDOWN! "WE WANTED EVERYONE TO BE IN THE MOMENT WITH US — BUT NOT THROUGH THEIR PHONE." You know the story. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy puts a ring on it. Things played out in a similar manner when Matthew Stafford and Kelly Hall met at the University of Georgia. Stafford, a record-breaking football star for Highland Park High School, was Georgia's first true-freshman quarterback, set to break college records all his own. On the sidelines — literally — was Hall, rooting for Stafford and team as a cheerleader for the SEC's famous Bulldogs. It didn't take long for the gridiron great and the chic blonde to meet. Fast-forward, and the bright-eyed Bulldog became a Lion. As the number-one pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford was officially named the quarterback of the Detroit Lions and made the move to Motor City. After several years of professional play, Stafford decided to make things official, with a proposal. Then it was time to come up with a playbook of the kind not so familiar to Stafford — the kind with which to plan a wedding. One thing the couple knew: They wanted to get married where all the magic started — Atlanta. Here's how it went down, with not a fumble to be had. DIVINE DETAILS No cell zone: Wanting everyone to be in the moment and not watching the wed- ding through their phones, the couple had a cellphone check-in station upon arrival. The hat game: Everyone was given a hat, complete with an airbrush artist on site to customize each. The reason? "Matthew has always needed a hat to pull over his face while he's on the dance floor," says Hall. "Whenever I asked him to dance, he would say, 'I really just need my hat.'" Swoosh: With Matthew being a Nike- sponsored athlete, a Nike shoe bar was befitting, where guests received a pair to rock on the dance floor. THE PLAYBOOK Date: Easter weekend 2015, Atlanta. Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Ventanas. Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Foundry at Puritan Mill. Flowers: Jackson Durham, Dallas. Caterer: Bold American Events, Atlanta. After-party: The Varsity food truck serving up burgers, fries and its famous onion rings. Music: Party on the Moon, Atlanta. Bride's Gown: Naeem Khan. Wedding shoe: Jimmy Choo. Groom: Cicchini Custom Clothiers, Birmingham, MI. Photographer: VUE Photography, Atlanta. Party Planner: Jackson Durham, Dallas. Event coordinator: Lindsay Sims, Toast Events, Atlanta. Honeymoon: Fiji and New Zealand. — KELLY HALL STAFFORD The mother of the groom, former PaperCity associate publisher Margaret Stafford, and son-in-law Dawson Clark The wed- ding cake by Lush Cakery Nike shoe bar Custom-airbrushed hats for guests by Button It Up BY JANE ROZELLE. VUE PHOTOGRAPHY. "OUR WEDDING WAS WONDERFUL AND I WAS SO HAPPY TO SHARE IT WITH THE MOST SPECIAL WOMAN IN THE WORLD." — MATTHEW STAFFORD