Photo by Leah Flores Designs. Graphic by Becca Morrow.
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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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I was very impressed with how Kristen planned the entire wedding from across the country. I offered to design the save the dates and invitations for them, you can check them out in my portfolio! After all of the months of excited planning and preparation, it seemed as if the day came and went too quickly. After the massive event that was the rehearsal dinner, we hardly caught our breath before Saturday morning came.
PULLING THE FINAL TOUCHES TOGETHER
Photo by Leah Flores Designs.
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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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Photo by Leah Flores Designs.
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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!
Photo by Leah Flores Designs.
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TWO HEARTS BECOME ONE
Shortly after we got there, the ceremony began. It was so heartfelt and touching. Joey and Kristen asked their friend Maddie to officiate the ceremony and she did a spectacular job. She added in personal stories and tied so many beautiful words together. It definitely made me tear up, no matter how hard I tried not to! The bridesmaids were gorgeous, and I loved the different shades of purple for their dresses! Joey was also looking very handsome, and I knew he had put a lot of thought into the details and accessories of his outfit. My Uncle Jim lent him my grandfather’s pocket watch to wear that day, which I know meant so much to him. Aside from the happy tears, there were also more laughs than I’ve ever heard during a wedding ceremony! It was beautiful in every way. I’ll let the stunning photographs speak for themselves in the gallery below.
After the ceremony came the reception! All of the decorations were spectacular. I offered to design the signs that were placed at each table, along with signs for the guestbook and memory table. I loved being able to contribute to the wedding in that way. A part of me always wanted to find a career in wedding planning, but I think helping out the people who are the most special to me is more rewarding. We took family formal pictures and then headed off to cocktail hour. The appetizers were delicious and I had a fun time catching up with so many friends and family who had journeyed out to be with us that day. More photos below!
DINNER, DIALOGUE & DANCING
Once the bride and groom were done with pictures, it came time for dinner, speeches and dancing! Dinner was catered by Mac the Truck, a local Georgia food truck that specializes in macaroni and cheese (mmm!). The road to get up to the venue is sort of steep and windy, so the food truck wasn’t able to make it up the mountain. But they served everyone somehow! The food was delicious. There was a side salad, macaroni and cheese, and peach bourbon glazed brisket. It was so tasty!
Shortly after dinner, the speeches began. Kristen’s dad gave the longest speech of the night, but it was worth every second! So many funny stories, and it was really touching. All of the bridesmaids gave speeches, too. Joey’s groomsmen gave the most heartfelt speech I’ve ever heard, and had everyone laughing along in order to hold back even more tears. My dad then gave his speech and said how lucky he was to watch his son marry the love of his life. And then, it was my turn to grab the microphone and tell everyone how happy I was that Joey and Kristen were going off on a new amazing adventure together.
After all of the sentimental things were said, it was time for their first dance. They danced to a beautiful piano rendition of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” which had everyone tearing up all over again. I remember them going to see the Lion King at the Fox Theater, it was a story that sits so close to their hearts. It was the perfect music choice for them. My mom had been nervous about her dance with Joey, but they had taken a lesson and I gave her a pep talk, too. It ended up being an absolutely beautiful dance, and they chose Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” as their song. Photos of all of this are in the gallery below!
SWEETS & A SUNSET
For dessert, Joey and Kristen picked out cakes and pies from The Grit in Athens. It was where they had their first date, and while I didn’t have any cake that night, I tried some the next day and it was fantastic. I was bummed I missed out on the key lime pie, though. After dessert, it was about sunset time. The venue had the perfect view of the sun setting beneath the mountains, and it made for a gorgeous photo op! Check some of them out in the gallery below!
The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing, and being merry. Vinnie and I became friends with the DJ, so naturally we began requesting songs left and right. We heard just about every song we could have wanted to. One of my favorite moments was getting my sister to dance to “Gangnam Style” with me, a dance that not many people know I can do. Another fun moment was dancing to “Sweet Home Alabama,” especially since we had some (rivaling) Alabamans in the crowd. At one point we had a big dance circle going crazy to some obnoxious pop song that I definitely knew all the words to. And then, near the end of the night, I remember slow-dancing with Vinnie to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” one of my very favorite loves songs. It was an awesome wedding, and everyone had a great time! The photo gallery below has pictures from all of the crazy reception shenanigans!
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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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