This Star NFL Quarterback’s Marriage to a Cheerleader is No Cliche

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 Dallas’ 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 No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford quickly became the entrenched starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions and made the move to Motor City. After several years in the NFL, Stafford decided to make things official, with a proposal to Hall.

Then it was time to come up with a playbook of the kind not so familiar to Matthew 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 wedding 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 Shoes: 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

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