Y’all, I have the sweetest NC wedding to share with you today. Allie and Robert wanted their September wedding to be a meaningful time of worship, and their photos are radiant with love, joy, and friendship. I teared up as I read their story and browsed through their beautiful photos by Wendy Yang Photography. Enjoy!
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Marriage equality in the Palmetto State has been a long time comin’ ever since a ruling from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year effectively legalized same-sex marriage in Virginia. The Fourth Circuit also has jurisdiction over South Carolina. Under an order by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, gay marriages in SC were to officially being on Thursday, November 20th. However, our friends down South apparently got a little giddy over all the love being spread and started marrying couples a day earlier, some news outlets are reporting. The first wedding was held in Charleston.
Krista & Kayla – via WLTX
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I have a treat for y’all today…my very own wedding photos! Truth be told, I’ve had them back for over a month now, but just hadn’t gotten around to posting them yet. There’s something very personal and intimate about sharing your own wedding day with the whole world, you know? At any rate – Emily March Photography did an amazing job, if I do say so myself, and it was absolutely the most perfect day for me and Wes. I will just go ahead and unabashedly tell you that I am about to share far more photos than I should, but it’s way too hard to cut photos from your very own wedding. Hope you enjoy….
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Y’all, I’ve found another wedding-related deal. I should become a professional deal finder (is that a thing? Because I totally would do it.). LivingSocial is currently running a 33% off deal for tickets to the Southern Winter Bridal Show in Raleigh, NC. The Show will take place November 9th (next weekend!) at the NC State Fairgrounds from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to find and meet local vendors, including caterers, photographers, florists, and jewelers!
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Belles and beaus, I have a stunning real wedding to share with you today courtesy of Realities Photography. Brittney and William knew they wanted to get married in Brittney’s hometown and selected Kenmure Country Club because they loved the antebellum-style clubhouse and beautiful outdoor ceremony location. I am absolutely head over heels for Brittney’s elegant Winnie Couture gown and the varying shades of purple in her bouquet and on the cake. Gorgeousness all around!
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Y’all, I have such a sweet wedding to share with you today. Hope and Shawn’s farm wedding was just the right balance of rustic and romantic. Hope and Shawn love being outdoors together, making their pond-side ceremony oh-so-fitting. Many thanks to photographer Sarah Hoehn for sharing these gorgeous images!
From the bride:
Shawn and I met at Harris Teeter in 2008. It was my first job as a cashier and he was a bagger. We got engaged July 5, 2013 at Amelia Island in Florida. We really like to do anything spontaneous. It doesn’t really suit our personalities, especially mine because I’m such a planner, but these adventures are always fun. We also love doing anything outdoors together.
Our ceremony and reception were at the same location: Morning Glory Farm in Monroe, NC. We chose this because it’s very close to where our families are located, and it was so incredibly beautiful for an outdoor wedding.
Our ceremony was very traditional, as we did not write our own vows or stray from the typical format. However, we did include the unity candle and communion. Pastor Matt Leroy was our officiant which was very special to us because he has seen our relationship almost in its entirety.
That flower-draped wooden cross, y’all…swooning!
What were some ways you worked creatively within your budget?
We had a pretty tight budget. Shawn and I are both very frugal people, so thankfully it’s our specialty. We made our centerpieces, which sounds so easy until you realize that there are so many options, it’s overwhelming. However, with research on where to find inexpensive half gallon mason jars and having family members collect pasta sauce jars, it turned out great! We put lace on the outside of the pasta sauce jars so they all looked the same. One thing that worked in our favor as well was attending a bridal show to find our caterer. Then, our caterer referred us to our linen person, who only takes customers who are referred, and she had the best price on linens I have ever seen. I would encourage every bride and groom to ask their vendors if they have any other vendors they work closely with to get you a bargain. Also, if you have a bridal party who are willing to work a little the day before or earlier on the day of the ceremony, that will save a lot of money if your venue or vendors don’t set up for you. We had such a hardworking bridal party who were willing to do whatever it took to make the day perfect!
Tell us about the food, drinks, and dessert!
We had an open bar for the cocktail hour and throughout the night. Hickory Tavern catered our wedding with foods like Colorado chicken, pulled pork, a baked potato bar, a salad bar, and macaroni and cheese. Beverages included water, tea and lemonade. Instead of serving a wedding cake, we cut our cake and served everyone else butter pecan, triple chocolate, and vanilla strawberry cupcakes.
Wasn’t it such a lovely day? Congratulations, Hope and Shawn!
Photographer: Sarah Hoehn Planner: Hannah Maring
Bride’s dress: Alfred Angelo from Wedding Dress Me
Bride’s shoes: Toms Bride’s hair and makeup: Ashlyn Berry
Bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Venue: Morning Glory Farm
Floral design: Braswell Interiors and Floral
Catering: Hickory Tavern Cake and cupcakes: Simply Splendid Cakes
Rentals: The Linen Lofts
Want to submit a wedding to be featured on the blog? Contact me here.
via Freedom to Marry
Yesterday, October 10, 2014, some very exciting wedding-related stuff was going on in the Old North State. Read More
Hello hello belles and beaus! Happy Saturday. I don’t know if it’s been the same for y’all, but my fall is turning out to be quite busy! Lots of good things, of course…friends visiting, college football, the upcoming state fair…but I do feel like the blog has taken a bit of a back seat lately. We have some fun posts planned for the near future, though, so be on the lookout!
Per usual, I have found several fun wedding-related things on the Interwebs lately that I must share. Without further ado, here’s what I’m loving:
1. This video of a groom surprising his bride with a choreographed dance to our favorite One Direction song.
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If you’re preparing to get married, chances are you’re going to be writing quite a few thank you notes in the near future. Today, we’re going to discuss how to write a sincere, gracious thank you that will leave both you and the recipient feeling warm and fuzzy inside!
VeronicaFoleyDesign on Etsy
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Continuing on with our Signature Cocktail series, I have a truly Southern drink for you today: Mason-Dixons. Here in the Carolinas, we take true pride in living below the Mason-Dixon line…am I right y’all? Everything good in life comes from below this proverbial line….pecan pie, big hair, blessed hearts, sweet tea… Which brings us back to this lovely drink, which would be especially refreshing on a hot day:
via Tumblr
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