My favorite image from a wedding usually lies in the details. The dress, a bouquet, one killer cake…but this time around my favorite snap from Millie Holloman Photography happens to be the last. The sparkler exit filled with so much joy and emotion, it’s enough to get you welled up in tears. But don’t take my word for it – have a peek at the gallery of these high school sweeties and decide for yourself!
From the Bride… Jerry & I met in our high school chemistry class, and well, our chemistry flourished from there! His interests were soccer & science, mine were show choir & photography, and we both had a huge knack for traveling, none of which has changed as we’ve grown together! He grew up in the small eastern North Carolina town of Goldsboro in southern elegance and I grew up as a hispanic Air Force brat. When we went away to college, he went for science while I went for photography, and I’m pretty sure he concocted some sort of love potion that kept us together! With this said, our cultures, our love for science & photography, and our love for traveling was what we channeled into our wedding.
The inspiration for our wedding was a southern vintage elegance with my Hispanic flair thrown in, something I’m pretty sure none of North Carolina has ever seen. We searched for a venue that fit our personality and ended up traveling to Wilmington, N.C. and falling in love with Brooklyn Arts Center at St. Andrews. This beautiful historic venue with rustic restored architecture had an air about it that we just couldn’t pass up. From this, we combined antique glass jars and apothecary bottles, knick knacks, vintage cameras, and lots of personal touches from our families to create our perfect day.
The ceremony was our most favorite part of the night, with family and beloved friends performing our ceremony music, which was a combination of Fleetwood Mac, Andrea Bocelli, and traditional Mexican wedding folk music. This was serenaded in both Spanish & English in memoriam of my grandfather would, who passed away about a month before the wedding. In his spot, we left his ranching whip, his class ring, and boutonniere. As we choked through our personal vows and our pastor led us through our unity ceremony, literally, “tying the knot”, we were magically married after almost six years of dreaming about it!
I chose not to view the reception space until we entered as a married couple, but I remember standing in awe as the amazing team from Salt Harbor Designs took my little girl dreams and turned them into an unforgettable night. And with photography being as important in my life as it is, we asked the astounding team of Amanda & Brent from Millie Holloman Photography to create our family heirlooms on our wedding night! Mexican glass star lanterns hung from the balcony, as papel picado and Edison lights draped across the reception space. Tables were decorated with cameras, film, and apothecary jars filled with the daintiest of white flowers. Our heirloom table held newspaper clips from our parents, our mothers’ veils, and our most beloved wedding photos of our grandparents. My mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law worked on a ton of DIY details from the invitations, to the escort cards and the frames they hung in, to the rose petal cones, and my jewelry and garter. My amazing aunts made our beautiful bird cake topper to match Jerry and I to a tee and heirloom family bibles were wrapped together to be our little ring bearer’s pillow.
As our guests entered, they filled in mad libs for our guest book, and as they left, they grabbed a midnight snack of our favorite key lime pie ice cream sandwiches and bottled cokes. They danced the night away & wished us good luck as we started our new life together. They ate good ol’ southern cookin’ indulged themselves on the tastiest wedding cake and Mexican pan dulce, or sweet bread, throughout the night, and washed it all down with hand-mixed lemonade, beer, wine, & coffee . They have made us who we are as much as our family and cultures have, so we wanted to treat them right!
Jerry & I wanted our wedding to tell the story of us, our families, and our culture, which has made us who we’ve become as a married couple. We are truly blessed to have been able to treat our guests to an amazing night, forever hold each other’s hand in marriage & be best friends for life!
Wedding Photography: Millie Holloman Photography | Dress: Watters & Watters | Cake: Nicki’s Cakes | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: A Southern Thyme | Lighting: High Performance Lighting | DJ: Shag Daddy | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Ceremony Music: Las Flores del Valle | Ceremony + Reception: Brooklyn Arts Center At St. Andrew's | Event, Floral, Paper Goods + Wedding Coordination: Salt Harbor Designs | Pan Dulce: Church Of Evangelical Faith | Rentals: Party Suppliers | Sash: JLM Couture, Inc | Wedding Rings: Blue Nile