There are SO many things about Rachel & Dan’s North Carolina wedding that strike me as particularly special …
Photographed by Little Black Book photographer, Michael Oppenheim, Rachel and Dan’s wedding is the perfect example of how the special touches added throughout the day ARE what makes your wedding celebration uniquely yours!
from Rachel … The Biltmore was originally just a joke ~ even before Dan and I got engaged … “oh wouldn’t it be incredible if we could get married there?” We hadn’t even seen it in person. However, on our tour up the east coast to search for sites, we realized that Asheville was a perfect meeting point for all the guests, as they came from PA, VA, FL, and nearly every state in between. After we actually saw the Biltmore Estate, the decision was final… the estate was too gorgeous to pass up.
We had a memory candle for all who couldn’t be there. My sister and father passed away 8 years ago, so I made sure they were remembered without letting it override the day. They were also remembered in our ceremony program. My Uncle Jan (my dad’s brother) walked me down the aisle, and my best friend Maggie served as my Maid of Honor, standing for my sister. I also wore a bracelet that had gold from my dad’s wedding ring and a ruby from my sister’s favorite ring in it, serving as my something old. And Dan’s mother embroidered a horseshoe for my bouquet for my something blue!
As for decoration, the Biltmore location was beautiful already, so I didn’t want to compete with huge, bright flower arrangements or giant centerpieces. I wanted everything to flow with the natural aesthetic, but still add elegant touches here and there… I think “elegantly earthy” was the term coined to describe the theme. I love brown & baby blue together, which became our wedding colors, and I wanted to add in some green as well, so Audrey came up with the incredible apples & robin’s eggs theme, adding moss and natural elements along the way. The stationery (from The Green Kangaroo in Cary, NC) was one of my favorite parts of the decor, since we used it everywhere and it helped tie everything together.
We greeted everyone with Arnold Palmers as they arrived for the ceremony. The cocktail hour had a few menu additions as well (being Italian, my mom wanted to make sure our family was well-fed). There were two different cake flavors (chocolate with raspberry, and vanilla with cream) to satisfy both cravings, an ice cream sundae bar for a late-night snack, and a candy bar, which served as the favors, when people left.
The day went perfectly for us, and even though we were late and hectic and battling rain during the cocktail hour, Michael kept his cool, rolled with the punches and helped us relax and enjoy the photo shoots.
Our thanks to you ALL … Rachel & Dan and Michael Oppenheim Photography … for sharing this beautiful wedding celebration with us!