Rustic chic and filled to the brim with DIY details, this is the sort of affair that makes your heart happy. Think two sooo in love high school sweethearts, pretty pastel hues and romantic florals from JL Designs that are all sorts of pretty. Head to THE VAULT for every stunning moment captured by Mary Hannah Harte Photography. It’s a must-see.
From the Bride… Cameron and I met the summer before junior year of high school through a mutual friend (who was actually a groomsman in the wedding). His hilarious and fun personality automatically caught my attention. We are two totally different people, but I believe that is why we have always gotten along so well. He is a go-getter with a loud personality, while I am more reserved and cautious. As we like to say, he helps me be more spontaneous and I help him stay out of trouble! We started dating and continued throughout the end of high school and decided to attend University of North Georgia together. Through college our love grew even more than we could imagine and the summer of our junior year of college, he asked me to marry him in Tampa, Florida right before we boarded a cruise with four of our closest friends. After our engagement, we both finished up college and began to plan for our future, together. We were married in June, one month after I graduated college.
For my 21st birthday in April of 2014, Cameron bought me a cruise ticket and told me we were going to Cozumel with four of our closet friends. Of course I was ecstatic, and I assumed that’s why he had been so secretive the past couple months. Our cruise was at the beginning of June, and Cameron and I and our friends drove down the day before to stay in a hotel in Tampa, Florida. Cameron told me the day we drove down to Florida that he wanted me and him to have dinner alone that night, since we would be with our friends for four days on a cruise. My friends said they were going to another restaurant and that they would meet up with us afterwards. Cameron and I got to this wonderful restaurant right on the water in Tampa and we sat down at a booth. After looking at the menu for a few minutes, Cameron turned to me and said “You want to go look outside? It’s so pretty out, we could eat out there.” Confused, I complied and we walked out of the restaurant. Little did I know, our friends had secretly set up a beautiful scenery outside of the restaurant. Flowers lined the sidewalk to a beautiful gazebo that held a flower vase and champagne. Cameron walked me to the gazebo, hand-in-hand. Once we got to the gazebo, he played my favorite song, “Forever Like That” by Ben Rector. We danced, with his heart beat going crazy and my legs shaking, and then he proceeded to get down on one knee as my friends cheered from the bushes (they were good at hiding!). It was the sweetest and most special moment, and the best part was we got to celebrate with our closest friends on a cruise to Cozumel!
Planning the wedding was such a fun time for me. I tried my best to make it a special and exciting stage in life and not to let the planning process stress me out. We got engaged June of 2014, and by August I had already found my wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, and venue. With most of the major things finished with, I took the next 10 months to do the little things one by one. By January of 2015, I had made a month-to-month list of everything I needed to accomplish before the big day, June 14. My family, friends, and bridesmaids were of course the biggest help to me, and really made the wedding planning process seem pretty easy. With the help of my family and friends, I did most of the decorations, including the centerpieces, myself. I tried to save as much money as possible by being as creative as possible. Of course bumps in the road occurred (especially the week before the wedding), but having a year to plan definitely helped me slow down and appreciate the stage I was in and take in every moment of the craziness of wedding planning.
[dotted]
Photography: Mary Hannah Harte Photography | Floral Design: JL Designs | Wedding Dress: Carrie's Bridal Collection | Cake: Karen’s Sweet Confections | Bridesmaids' Dresses: David's Bridal | Venue: The Engine Room