Page 22 - Winter 2022

Makenzie tosses the bouquet during the reception at Thomas Cotton Gin.
her to be his girlfriend one week before the 2016 Homecoming dance. Six years later, they are happily married. Collin is a full- time deputy, and Makenzie is a volunteer first responder and nursing school student.
“Since Oconee Fire Rescue is an all-volunteer department, it has allowed me to continue working at St. Mary’s Hospital as a secretary and monitor tech,” said Makenzie, who also started nursing school full-time in May.
The busy couple chose May 8, 2021 for their wedding date because it gave Makenzie enough time between her spring and summer semesters to go on a honeymoon.
“I was actually in the process of finishing my spring semester of pre-requisites for nursing school,” said Makenzie. “I had to move my microbiology final exam, because it was on the second day of our honeymoon.”
Despite their busy schedule and the global pandemic, Collin and Makenzie still had a perfect wedding in the field behind the Hales’ house. After the outdoor ceremony, the new couple celebrated at Thomas Cotton Gin, where a lively reception took place with their friends and family.
Makenzie wanted her wedding party to be intimate.
“There was a giant list of people that I had gotten from my mom, my grandma and my other grandma,” she said. “And I just went through, marking people off.”
Between inviting only their closest friends and family and using all local vendors, it felt a lot more personal.
Paul Yarborough of Watkinsville’s Elizabeth Ann Florist and Gift Shop provided the flower arrangements, while Makenzie and her grandfather, Mike Link, built all of the wooden decorations for the ceremony. These personal details made the wedding even more intimate, as each element was made in their home county.
The dessert choices were just as local and personal, as Makenzie’s aunt made her family recipe cake and teenager Jack Leach of Jack’s Cheesecakes supplied homemade cheesecake cupcakes. The cake topper was a figurine of the couple’s beloved black lab, Claire.
The couple loves their dog and wanted her to be a part of the special day, but they feared the energetic pup would have been too distracted by the open fields and ponds.
Even before the ceremony, Makenzie and Collin used local vendors to plan and get ready for their special day. Printz Plus in Watkinsville supplied invitations and La Cabana de Don Juan, the Mexican restaurant on Hog Mountain Road, provided their signature margarita recipe for the reception.
“We accidently made eight gallons of margarita for my wedding,” said Makenzie. This may seem like too much margarita for one wedding, but guests had no problem drinking all of La Cabana’s delicious drink.
PAGE 20 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | WINTER 2022