[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]White with hints of blush and neutrals.[/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Cara and Mason’s vision for their wedding day was to bring their guests to a place that they would remember 30 years from now. A place that was tasteful, elegant and timeless. Cara and Mason wanted their wedding day to represent aspects of both their personalities, and reflected on what makes each of them unique. Cara mentioned, “Ever since I was a young girl, I have been a huge girly girl. As a former dancer, I used to dress up and put makeup on as if I was heading to a performance. This came out when planning our wedding as I wanted our day to be very feminine.”. Mason is an old soul— kind, genuine, athletic, and classy— so wearing a tux and suspenders along with his groomsmen seemed fitting. The ivory, blush, and neutral colors were light and airy which added extra femininity to the day. As Cara walked down the aisle, there were flowers lining the guest chairs and white petals down the center of the aisle that led to a plush arch. Cara described, “walking down the aisle and seeing Mason at the end felt like a fairytale”. The florals in the ceremony and the reception made the day extra magical and fairytale-like. Hints of gold scattered through the reception in candles, votives, and dinnerware gave a special touch. Cara and Mason’s number one priority for the wedding day was that everyone had the best time. Warm smiles and hearty laughs emanating from the dance floor and photo booth indicate that they absolutely achieved their dreams.
From the bride –
A special moment occurred when we had almost made it through the entire ceremony. Mason’s cousin and aunt finished singing “The Blessing” while we lit the unity candle. It was during our vows, while placing the ring on Mason’s finger, that it began to downpour. A typical first response would be to panic but all I could do was smile. It was as if God said “this is going to make your day even more special”. Our Day of Coordinator quickly handed our officiant an umbrella to hold over our heads and we shared a magical first kiss as husband and wife in the pouring rain. Not to mention, our photos turned out breathtaking. Mason and I will cherish this moment for the rest of our lives.[/field]
[field title=”Proposal Story”]”My parents live at the beach in Hampstead, North Carolina. Mason had made the 2 hour drive to the beach one night while I was at work (as a night-shift nurse) to ask my parents for their blessing to marry me. I had no idea he had done all of this that night. Well fast forward a few days, my mom calls me and invites us to come down and spend a few days at the beach. She said my grandparents would be coming to visit too. I never hesitate to spend time with my grandparents as they are so very special to me. Once we arrived at the beach, I began to get ready to go to dinner with my immediate and extended family. After I was ready my sister asked if I would go take pictures with her on our dock. Now this is not just any dock, it is “the dock”. We always spend days out there laying in the sun, playing music, listening to the waves and watching boats go by. It is one of the places where Mason and I’s love grew deeper. So Mason, my sister and I all made our way to the dock and that is when Mason got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! My sister was able to capture the whole thing. It was the most special surprise I have ever encountered. When we hugged and kissed, all I heard was cheering and I turned around and saw Mason and I’s entire family standing on the third level porch jumping up and down cheering. It was so special and intimate. We then made our way back to the house where they had set up a huge surprise celebration for the two of us. Having everyone we love there was even more amazing. We took the boat to our favorite dinner spot that night. It was the most amazing day of my life, after our wedding day of course!” – Cara (the bride)[/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]Coastal Knot – Enzoani Orchid
“Prior to wedding dress shopping, I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a beautiful and elegant ball gown just like the blogger Champagne and Chanel had. I ended up with the complete opposite, but I have no regrets. My dress is a fitted mermaid style dress encompassing lace, a corset, sparkle and tool detail. It is strapless with a sweetheart neckline and has the most beautiful long train with a continuation of the lace detailing. I am only 4’11 so the ball gowns swallowed me and made me appear shorter. It was perfect. It hugged in all the right places and gave me the long feminine body I have always longed for. There are not many times in my life where I feel beautiful (I have always struggled with self-confidence) but in this dress, I felt the most beautiful I ever have in my entire life. It was only fitting to pair the dress with my mother’s veil l. Her wedding dress was stolen from the dry cleaners so her veil held a powerful and special place in our hearts. It was an honor to wear it on my wedding day. Her and my grandmother sewed it onto a comb and I wore it proudly.” – Cara (the bride)[/field]
[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]”For my bridesmaids, I kept it simple, elegant, and effortless. I wanted them to feel beautiful and like themselves. I picked out the fabric and color from Birdy Grey and let them pick out their style. I went with silk rose gold. I love how the rose gold dresses accentuated the hints of blush in our florals and details. They all looked stunning!” – Cara[/field]
[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groomsmen wore black tuxes, black bow ties, suspenders, and shiny black shoes from Men’s Wearhouse. [/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]The dinner was catered by Donovan’s Dish. The entrée included a delicious bistro filet along with Donovan’s Signature Stuffed Chicken GF Marinated chicken breast stuffed with artichokes, spinach and an herb cream cheese blend wrapped in prosciutto. The entrée was paired with their signature truffle whipped potatoes and sautéed haricot vert. The meal was accompanied by wine, beer and a full bar menu.[/field]
[field title=”Florals & Decor”]Meristem Floral designed the most beautiful array of floral pieces. The style was fresh, feminine, intimate and classic with lots of white, cream, ivory, touches of nude and pale blush. The flowers included were: peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, roses, spray roses, snapdragons, delphinium, larkspur, lisianthus, hydrangea, butterfly ranunculus, Italian eucalyptus, lemon leaf, gardenia foliage, carnations, bay laurel, and southern smilax. The layout consisted of white petals down the aisle, lush florals lining guest chairs, plush arch at end of the aisle, a hanging installation in the reception, cake florals, and sweetheart table and guest table florals.[/field]
[field title=”Wedding Cake”]The couple went with a simple white cake from Publix with peonies and roses from Meristem. The three-tiered style was elegant and fitting for such a beautiful day.[/field]
[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]The couple chose to do a private first look with private vows that they read to one another prior to the ceremony.
For the ceremony, the processional was to Canon and D, Wildest Dreams by Duomo, Young and Beautiful by Vitamin String Quartet and Can’t Help Falling In Love by Daniel Jang. The blessing was sung by the groom’s cousin and aunt during the unity candle lighting. The recessional was to This Will Be by Natalie Cole.
The wedding party entered the reception to Forever by Chris Brown. The bride and groom entered to Crazy In Love by Beyonce. The bride and groom first dance song was First Dance by Justin Bieber. The father-daughter dance was to Forever Now by Michael Bublé. The mother-son dance was to Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw. The couple cut their cake to Can’t Help My Self by Four Tops. Bouquet toss was to Let’s Go Girls by Shania Twain and the garter toss was to Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard.
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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]The champagne tower was the bride’s special detail that she incorporated into their reception. [/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #2″]The bride chose to share her bridal portraits in an album on a display table.[/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #3″]The couple had a live painter, Jillian Darville Art, paint a replica of their first look.[/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Tanika Jane Photography | Cinematography: Lucas Pruitt Media | Event Planning: Plume Events | Floral Design: Meristem Floral | Wedding Dress: Coastal Knot | Wedding Dress: Enzoani | Cake: Publix Bakery | Invitations: The Knot Wedding Shop | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Birdy Grey | Catering: Donovan's Dish | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Wedding Venue: Merrimon-Wynne House | Beauty: Mena Garcia Beauty | Live Painter: Jillian Darville Art | Rentals: Curated Events