The Hills and Dales Estate

The Hills and Dales Estate in LaGrange, Georgia is a wedding and engagement photographer’s dream. These grounds are such a dream, I wish I could have a session or wedding here every single weekend! In my next blog, I’ll be sharing more about the couple you’ll see in these pictures. But as I’m obsessed with this location, I wanted to take some time to hype it up as well!

Fuller E. Callaway purchased the property in 1912 to be the home of his family estate. Callaway was a prominent businessman in the textile industry, using his entrepreneurial spirit to develop a regional collection of businesses. After his death in 1928, his son inherited the estate and continued on in this legacy. The house, completed in 1916, would go on to be a status symbol of the family’s wealth, influence, and commitment to the community. In 1998, the estate began the transformative project of becoming a museum and garden for public enjoyment. Open since 2004, the estate now hosts thousands of annual visitors and many private events including many weddings.

An Italian Villa in the South

This estate was built on land which had been developed for quite some time. In 1841, the previous owners began developing a garden complex upon old cotton cultivation fields. Over the course of the next seventy years, they developed an extensive terrace nationally recognized as beautiful.

When Callaway hired prominent architect Neel Reid to build there home, he used the garden as a cornerstone of design. The estate boasts a stunning Italian Renaissance-style villa looming over the terraces now. But Reid took care to integrate the landscaping and added fountains to create and maintain a cohesive feature from his construction into the pre-Civil War garden.

A Garden for the Ages

The estate’s gardens, known as the Ferrell Gardens, are renowned for their rare plant collections. Some of the rarest include their special species of azaleas, camellias, and other global plants able to thrive in the Georgia climate. The biodiversity of the plants blew me away as I walked around the grounds. It is the textbook definition of stunning!

I hope you found this quick overview of this magnificent estate as intriguing as I did. Scroll down to check out this absolutely stunning estate. I’ve already spent hours daydreaming of the perfect outdoor wedding, bridal portraits, and couples’ portraits all around these grounds. I think you’ll do the same!

Want to find out more about the couple featured in these photos? Check out this blogpost here. Ready to talk to me about booking your engagement and wedding sessions? Let’s chat!