Earlier this month, my family celebrated my brother’s marriage to his beautiful wife, Kristen. They live together in San Deigo, where they got engaged. I remember taking a trip out to visit them about this time last year and we hiked up to where he had proposed. The view was breathtaking, and I loved hearing about all of their west coast adventures they had been having. Even though they had made a new home in California, they decided to have their wedding on the east coast, which was closer for both of their families an many friends. They chose a beautiful little venue in the North Carolina mountains. It couldn’t have been more fitting for their adventurous souls. In their house they have a wood painting with one of their favorite John Muir quotes “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”
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PULLING THE FINAL TOUCHES TOGETHER
Early in the day I headed to the venue to help with some of the setup. Kristen asked her friend Heather to act as the wedding planner, and she did a fantastic job! There are just too many things for one person to do, though. So I went to offer my services and see if there was anything I could do. I ended up being in charge of writing out the events for the evening on a giant chalkboard, which was fun for me since I had plenty of practice with chalk when I made the Hand-Scripted Chalkboard Menu for the rehearsal dinner! A group of friends had helped set up the centerpieces for the tables and all of the other decorative touches. Some family members helped get the chairs for the ceremony ready, and having so many hands made the whole thing go quickly! It was the first time I had gone to check out the venue, and the view from the top of the mountain was absolutely beautiful. Once the setup was done, everyone headed back to get ready!
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Getting all fancied up for a wedding is one of the few times I enjoy dressing up! The only aspect of my outfit I was unsure of was my hair. I had just cut about 10 inches off a few days before, and having short hair really limited my options (and ability to do something myself). I’m really not good at styling my hair beyond flat ironing, and I didn’t have the time that day to attempt something new on my own. My cousin Abby is extremely talented when it comes to braiding hair, so I asked her if she would style mine for me. It only took her about 10 minutes to put a gorgeous waterfall braid in my hair! I was so impressed and thankful for the help! Check out the picture of my hair on the right. Follow Abby on Instagram @abbysbraids! You can see some of her most recent work below. Seriously, she’s a rockstar! She has over 15K followers and has even been offered sponsorship deals. Pretty awesome!
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Once everyone was all dressed and ready, we headed up to get to the venue. Before we took our seats for the ceremony, I just had one quick stop to make. Joey and his groomsmen were getting ready in this little cabin, and I headed in to give him a special letter that I wrote for him for the occasion. One of the photographers snuck a picture of us hugging after I gave it to him and wished him luck, I absolutely love that he captured that moment!
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TWO HEARTS BECOME ONE
DINNER, DIALOGUE & DANCING
SWEETS & A SUNSET
The whole day was a busy one, but it was an absolute blast, and very memorable. I was so happy I was able to spend so much time with Joey and Kristen while they were in town, and help out with some of the planning process! It meant so much to me to be a part of it. If you ever have a graphic design project you need help with, don't hesitate to ask! I've made flyers for friends, graduation announcements and plenty more. You know how to find me!
The pictures were absolutely perfect, and there were way too many for me to post! The photographer shared the album on their Facebook page (embedded to the right!), so be sure to flip through some of the different albums. It was the best wedding I’ve been to yet! If you have any stories to share, feel free to comment below, and check out the related posts for more stories from the wedding weekend! |
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