Talia DeLuca and Adam Rykowski had a few things in common when they were students at Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta: They both had older brothers, and their families were good friends. They had hung out a few times but never dated.

"I don't think we were thinking about [dating] then," DeLuca said. "We just always had a good friendship."

Liana Lehman Photography (ENLARGE)

Talia DeLuca and Adam Rykowski were married Aug. 4, 2007 at Cathedral of Christ the King.

Liana Lehman Photography (ENLARGE)

The couple danced to 'Tupelo Honey' by Van Morrison.

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The friendship evolved in 2003, when Rykowski was a junior at Georgia Tech and DeLuca was a sophomore at the University of Georgia. Rykowski ran into her brother and asked him to tell her hello. Then Rykowski called her.

Their phone conversations led to a first date during the Tech-Clemson University game that fall. The following weekend, they went to see the band The String Cheese Incident at the Fox Theatre.

"We were pretty much exclusive after the first date and saw each other every other weekend after that," DeLuca said.

Two years later, on Dec. 23, Rykowski escorted DeLuca into a room at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Buckhead. The room was filled with six dozen roses, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

"The moment I walked in the room, I knew [a proposal] was coming. I was in shock," DeLuca said.

She said "yes," and the couple spent the next hour calling family and friends to give them the news. Her parents already knew, because Rykowski had asked for their permission before proposing.

For the next year and a half, DeLuca juggled school, work and wedding planning. She wanted to earn her degree before getting married. So they set the date for Aug. 4, 2007, three months after her graduation from UGA.

Two early decisions were easy: the venues. DeLuca already knew that she wanted the ceremony to be at Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead and the reception at The Biltmore Ballrooms in Midtown. She bought her dress in June 2006 and hired a wedding planner to help with other details.

It took a while to find a florist to capture the unique look she wanted for her reception: 20th-century modern, with a lounge feel. Then she met with the Event Design Group of Atlanta and was thrilled.

"They really understood what I wanted and had great ideas to make my dream wedding a reality," DeLuca said. "I wanted to make it feel like a lounge, relaxed. I wanted it dramatic but like a party. They were very open to my ideas and trying new and different things. They brought a lot of creativity to the table."

The nuptials were scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Earlier that day, DeLuca and the women in the wedding party got into a celebratory mood at Stan Milton Salon, where they enjoyed champagne while getting their hair and makeup done.

"It was very nice. It helped take the edge off," she said.

Her bridesmaids wore grayish-taupe Vera Wang dresses. The groomsmen wore black tuxedos with black vests and ties.

DeLuca wore a Melissa Sweet lace strapless gown. It had a drop waist with a silk sash.

"The dress was unbelievably comfortable and easy to move in," she said. "I was trying to go for a classic look that was consistent with the location of the reception, The Biltmore Ballrooms, which were originally constructed in the 1920s."

Once dressed, the wedding party headed to the Fifth Street Bridge near the Biltmore for photographs. Guests had ridden Georgia Tech trolleys from the hotel to the church. Not willing to leave her alma mater out, DeLuca had a few UGA "G's" and bulldog decals added to the Tech trolleys.

Her favorite part of the wedding was taking the pictures.

"The photography was absolutely amazing," she said. "I got lots of compliments on the photography. I was very impressed with [Liana Lehman's] product."

DeLuca, who is an interior designer, also had fun working with Event Design Group to create a unique, mod look for her wedding.

"I really enjoyed designing concepts for the floral arrangements. Some were really modern, others had bleached peacock feathers," she said. I also liked planning for the unique lounge section we had at the reception, where we brought in white leather Barcelona chairs and ottomans."

One of her favorite memories from the day was when the couple danced to "Tupelo Honey" by Van Morrison. "Liana took an amazing picture of Adam dipping me with one hand and a beer in the other. It was very much us," she said.

Aside from the honeymoon, Rykowski's favorite part was the band at the reception and the couple's first dance to Chicago's "Make Me Smile," which the band learned just for them.

The couple went to Capri, Italy, on their honeymoon.

"It was an unbelievable trip — once in a lifetime," DeLuca said. "We took a private boat ride around the island, swam in the Mediterranean, were constantly eating amazing food. We took 700-plus pictures."