Kristin Vining…how do I love thee. I might sound like a full on groupie when I say this but Kristin is loveliness defined. She is so sweet, so thoughtful but even more poignant, she is so crazy talented that my heart always does a little thud thud thud when I see her name come into our inbox. So we’re capping off this wonderful inspiration packed Wednesday with an all out beauty captured flawlessly by Kristin Vining. And there is so much more right here.
Be sure to watch the sweet film from the day from Inkspot Crow Films:
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From the Bride… Our planning process had several stages because we were engaged for over a year. At first, I was just flat-out overwhelmed. I was so happy that Win had asked me to marry him, but I didn’t even know where to begin and was reading wedding blogs and magazines every day and was not organized. I quickly learned that wedding planning is hard. It’s difficult not to get caught up in what other people are doing, or the current wedding trends, or feel that your wedding won’t be good unless you have certain things. We had to remind ourselves to think about what WE wanted for that day, which was challenging because we wanted to please everyone and do what we thought was expected of us. About six months into our engagement, Win and I both felt drawn toward the idea of having a small wedding and ended up cutting our guest list to about a quarter of its original size. We thought about having just family, or maybe going far away to get married just the two of us. We found it was easy to get carried away focusing on the reception because we wanted to throw a huge fantastic party for our friends; however we weren’t even really thinking about the ceremony, and that was the most important part!
We decided to have our wedding on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, about three hours away from where we live in Raleigh. The area is special because it’s where I have always vacationed with my family. The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo were the perfect setting for our small spring ceremony with family and closest friends. The only hard part was hurting the feelings of some family members and dear friends whom we love but did not invite so that we could keep the intimate feel that we desired. The husband of one of my bridesmaids married us. He made the ceremony very personal, yet short and sweet, and it was perfect! Win and I allowed ourselves to plan and worry and stress about details and timelines and arrangements up until our wedding day. But when we woke up that morning, we made the decision to let everything go. We were all smiles and we just took everyone’s advice which was to ENJOY IT because it flies by! Our families and our bridal party were so great — they took such good care of us and helped us and laughed with us. When we reflect back on our wedding, we are so glad that we made the decision to keep it small, where we knew every single person and knew that they were there to support us and wish us well. It was an amazing feeling. In the end, for us, simple was better than extravagant. And traditions and trends were balanced according to us, not anyone else. You learn a lot about your future husband, your family and your friends throughout the wedding process. And I can honestly say that I’ve never loved any of them more than I do now.
We ultimately both decided on a romantic and vintage feel: soft pinks and blushes, gray, ivory and champagne. We used an assortment of mercury vases, bottles, mason jars, and candles that I had collected at yard sales and shops for our centerpieces. I knew I wanted a lot of lace, and I wanted to use family pictures, pink peonies and white hydrangeas to decorate our small reception dinner. Our sweetheart table was set with my great-grandmother’s napkins and place mats from 1930’s bridge club parties and with my grandmother’s china and silverware. I carried a handkerchief with my bouquet that had pieces of the weddings dresses my mother, mother-in-law and grandmother sewn on. Etsy is where I turned to for my earrings, gloves, bolero, ceremony programs and garter. We took our time and carefully picked all our vendors and details — and it was all wonderful!!!
Wedding Photography: Kristin Vining Photography / Ceremony: The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, North Carolina / Reception: Kelly’s Restaurant in Nags Head, North Carolina / Wedding Consulting, Planning + Floral Design: Holiday House Weddings / Officiant: Steve le Roux / Wedding Cinematography: Inkspot Crow Films / Catering: Kelly’s Restaurant / Wedding Cake: Cakes by Harriett / Wedding Invitations: Hello! Lucky / Ceremony Programs: Shine Wedding Invitations / Ceremony Music: Club Violin / Accommodations: White Doe Inn / Wedding Dress: Marisa / Bride’s Veil: Borrowed from a Family Member / Bride’s Shoes: Caparros via DSW / Bride’s Bolero: Alex Bridal / Bolero Alterations: Dottie Valentine of Valentine’s Bridal (919-624-2047) / Hair + Makeup: Lindsey Regan Thorne of Be Pretty / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy (Color: Rose) via Gorgeous Gowns / Groom’s Suit: Jos. A Bank / Groom’s Tie: The Tie Bar / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Rings: Diamonds Direct / Rehearsal Dinner: Pamlico Jack’s
