I’ve seen my fair share of heartwarming moments here on SMP. Every.single.day I am seriously floored by the pure, unadulterated love and devotion flowing from each and every wedding we feature. But, today’s stunning Charlotte soiree? It has me shedding tears of joy like never before. It’s a beyond perfect wedding with a too-cute-for-words Mr. and Mrs. and a First Look that will literally take your breath away. All captured brilliantly by Kristin Vining Photography, you can see every ounce of pretty in the full gallery… and then stay tuned for a wonderful film from Absolute Wedding Films below!
Oh, and we’re not done yet. We have one VERY stunning film from Absolute Wedding Films to share with you… and it’s all kinds of fabulous. Enjoy!
From the Bride… Sean and I had been looking at rings for a while, so I figured a proposal was coming. Plus, Sean is terrible at secrets, so I knew I would figure it out before he asked. This Thanksgiving, all of my family and his mom and stepdad were coming to our condo to celebrate. My parents and his came into town on Monday. Sean planned a day at the Biltmore for all of us to go up and see the lights. I knew he was going to propose, and I even told all of my co-workers I had to leave early because Sean was taking me to the Biltmore to propose. Well, he canceled the Biltmore — called me the morning of and said we wouldn’t be able to go. I was SO mad. I may or may not have cursed him out and was mad the entire day at him. The next day was Thanksgiving, so I had to get over my pouting and cook for everyone. I made a great dinner, and all of my family brought awesome food to join in with us. We had a deep-fried turkey, and I even set up a cookie bar. It was a perfect Thanksgiving. After dinner, Sean’s mom asked if we would put up ornaments on the tree that were Sean’s when he was little. It’s kooky, but once you meet Sean’s mom, you’ll totally understand why I thought this was normal. So I started putting these up on the tree. It was our first tree, so it was a cute idea. Then Sean came out with about ten different ornaments that were all my favorite things or something to do with us. There was a pink high heel, a shopping bag, a giraffe (my favorite animal), a basketball snowman, a blender, a cruise ship (we took one together), a Harry Potter one and a few others. I was amazed at how thoughtful these all were and figured his mom had told him to get them since our tree was naked. Then, he gave me the last ornament which was a heart with the date engraved on it. I thought that was sweet, and then he said “Did you read the front?” I flipped it over, and the front said, “Will You Marry Me?” By the time I had read it, he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. By this time, I was in hysterics, and could barely say yes, so I nodded. He made me the prettiest ring with a pink sapphire! My whole family was there to share it with us, and I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.
The planning process was crazy — having a full-time job makes it difficult to put as much time into planning as you would like. I knew what top three things I wanted though – I wanted beautiful pictures to have forever (we actually booked Kristin before we even started looking at venues), I wanted to make sure we were somewhere that our guests would love and would show off Charlotte, and I really wanted everyone to feel like they were at OUR wedding and not a cookie cutter wedding from a magazine. We chose the Charlotte City Club for two reasons: First, the view was incredible and you could really see how beautiful Charlotte was, and second, Nathan Hoffman really wowed us with his ideas and what we could do with the City Club to personalize it. After putting together every idea in the book, I realized that nothing really made sense, so I reached out to Weddings and the City. I met with Lindsey and threw all of my ideas at her — she turned them into the most beautiful wedding design that made perfect sense. Once I had this, I was really able to plan everything. I painted tables, created fabric frames, met with Lingky to make beautiful flower arrangements — all just as the design book had said. Sean was in charge of all graphics since he is a graphic/web designer. He incorporated seersucker and pink chevrons into everything and made the prettiest invites and then coordinated the programs, table numbers and signage to match. On the day of, we had Tiffany from Weddings and the City put it all together with Nathan and they created the most flawless ceremony and reception ever. I don’t think it could’ve been a more perfect day.
Wedding Photography: Kristin Vining Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Charlotte City Club in Charlotte, North Carolina / Wedding Consulting + Planning: Weddings and the City / Floral Design: Flowers by Lingky / Officiant: Uncle Andy / Wedding Cinematography: Absolute Wedding Films / Song: “Secrets” by One Republic via SONGFREEDOM / Wedding Cake: The Wow Factor Cakes / Wedding Invitations + Stationery: DIY by the Groom / Music: Split Second Sound / Tents, Linens, Tables, Chairs + Rentals: Party Reflections / Charity Donation: Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love / Photo Booth: Mojo Event Management / Accommodations: Omni Charlotte Hotel / Wedding Dress: Mikaella Bridal via The Collection Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Headpiece: Forever 21 / Hair + Makeup: Lindsey Regan Thorne / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Men’s Tuxedos: Jos. A. Bank / Engagement Ring: Designed by the Groom via Diamonds Direct / Wedding Rings: Diamonds Direct