Rich Fall Tones With a Touch of Glam at Arrowhead Hill

This wedding design was refined & elegant in nature, highlighting rich fall tones against a neutral backdrop. Black and white accents added a formal, slightly glam feel to the day.

From the bride: "Between my husband and I - I am the planner, I’m always making the reservations and thinking ahead. So Preston really wanted to be the one to surprise me for our proposal. At the time, my sister was pregnant and told us she was booking a maternity session with a photographer and wanted us to join them for the last bit for some family photos. I didn’t think much of it. On the same weekend as the photos, Preston claimed he had to go on a work hunting trip with his customers and was going to try to make it back Sunday evening for pictures, but couldn’t promise he would make it. I kept thinking this guy could be my fiancé soon and he couldn’t even make our family photos a priority? When the photos rolled around he 'conveniently' wouldn’t be making it back. I arrived at the photography location, McGovern Centennial Gardens, to meet my sister and her husband with my parents, only to find Preston waiting on me. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes! He had a photographer to capture the whole moment and then we celebrated with our closest friends and family with a surprise party."

From the bride: "Before even getting engaged I had been following Anne Barge and fell in love with her wedding gowns! I couldn’t wait for my time to be a bride and to try them on, and even had a wedding board with print outs of her specific designs. My exact dress, "The Dream Weaver", was one of the ones I printed and was actually the first dress I tried on. I think my my mom, my MIL and my maid of honors, all knew it would be the one but I didn’t want too many opinions so quickly, and to commit after only trying on one dress. But after trying on some other dresses, I quickly came back to the first as being 'the one!' The a-line dress is simple but the beaded floral embossed jacquard fabric adds so much, and it was the silhouette to be timeless with flare and glam. Twirling in a gown like this gives you the bridal feeling like no other, and even sparkled a bit when light hit the beading. I ended up adding five feet of train for a dramatic aisle moment, as well as an asymmetrical bow that I was obsessed with. The bow was a fun touch that made the dress my own.

From the bride: "I am one of those girls who had been dreaming about my wedding for a long time. My mom had black bridesmaids dresses when she got married, and the one thing that never changed about my wedding vision growing up was having black bridesmaids dresses. I have always loved wearing the color black and find it to be sleek and flattering on everybody, and knew it would be the perfect fancy, formal touch. My maid of honors and I tried on multiple Amsale dresses but landed on their crepe material with the strapless neck, knowing it would be similar but not identical to my strapless neck wedding gown."

The food and beverage experience started outside under the sailcloth tent, where a 360 bar was adorned with florals and fabric bar signs, and surrounded by hanging flowers and greenery from the tent poles. This was a favorite detail for the planning team, as it created a gorgeous, central focal point, but was equally functional for guests to grab one of the signature drinks — a French 75 and margarita on the rocks. Guests were also greeted with a glass of champagne as they entered the tent, and many mix and mingled with a glass of wine or beer in hand. The catering experience from Behind the Bash was top-notch, treating guests to passed hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour, and a decadent buffet experience in the reception space. This caterer is known for their crafted flavors and perfectly cooked meats, which Erica & Preston's guests got to experience and enjoy.

From the planner: Everything about Erica & Preston's florals and decor embodied an elegant and refined design, while embracing a fresh take on a fall color palette. The lush florals by Petal & Stem by Jen adorned just about every inch of the venue. The bride especially loved her bridal bouquet (we did too!) which was petite in size but bursting with texture and tones. These same ivory, mauve, blush pink, sand, and plum tones were incorporated into other floral moments, big and small — like the statement floral swag that climbed up the cross and the petite flower frog arrangements that had the most beautiful tulips on display. A favorite focal point was easily the hanging chandelier over the dance floor. From first dances, to toasts, to dancing the night away, these statement florals perfectly centered the room. We also loved the mix of neutral yet textural linens that adorned tables. Everything from velvet to shantung to lace was incorporated, and each of these different textures provided richness and depth that complimented the fall season.

The statement, six-tier, white wedding cake featured a number of special details. While some tiers were smooth, most incorporated subtle texture and interest like the couple's wedding crest on one tier, and the jacquard detailing from the bride's wedding dress on other tiers. The classic white cake was further accentuated by dainty floral arrangements surrounding the cake stand, and placed on neutral lace linen from Nuage Designs.

From the bride: "Planning a wedding is realizing this might be your one and only time to have all your favorite people in one place. We wanted our ceremony to be meaningful and intimate, prioritizing it as a time to worship together as a couple becoming one. We wanted our guest to know Jesus was the center of our relationship and having a room full of people signing Kari Jobe's "The Blessing" over us was a moment I will never forget. It felt like a glimpse of heaven."

For both the bride and groom, the Louisiana State University stadium cake was a favorite detail from their wedding day. While the cake was a nod to the groom's alma mater, the choice had additional significance to the couple as their teams, LSU and Alabama, were playing each other on their wedding day. They will always cherish having all of their college friends in one place singing their school songs while the game was playing!

The invitation suite and paper goods were an all-time favorite detail for the bride. Erica loved developing this suite with Jo's Paper Kitchen, which was very traditional and formal in feel, but added visual interest through gold foil accents and custom details like the venue illustration. This design was further built upon in all of the day of goods, which including everything from ceremony programs and menus, to large items like the seating chart and welcome signage. As a bride who keeps every invitation and place card she has ever received, she wanted her own paper goods to be keepsake-worthy. It was also important to Erica that her family and friends felt the intentionality in all of the paper good choices, and that she and Preston honored their guests with personal touches. This was achieved by listing out the names of those involved in the ceremony in the program, and having assigned seats with gorgeous place cards for each guest. As Erica says, "It’s expensive to host a wedding and be in a wedding, so each name was important to me. I wanted our guests to know they were invited with a purpose."

Get the confetti! As the bride says, "life is truly a party and it is what you make it. Confetti makes everything more fun. I highly recommend singing and dancing to your favorite songs with confetti poppers to end your wedding night!"