As a wedding planner and floral designer, Bride Terri felt her wedding HAD to be and feel different than any other wedding.
“I didn’t want it to feel like ‘work’, she told us. !I wanted it to be colorful, full of personal touches, unexpected surprises, and very intimate.”
“We surprised our guests with a pre-ceremony cocktail hour. It was so much fun greeting our guests and seeing their faces as ‘gasp’ the bride was seen before the ceremony, in a sparkly cocktail dress of course. Guests nibbled on the biggest and yummiest cheese display and enjoyed peach bourbon mules from the custom bar that my dad built. We had an artist do a live painting that was later placed inside our handmade string art frame that served as the guest book. Besides saying “I do”, the cocktail hour was probably my favorite part of the entire day since we were truly able to be in the moment and spend time with our guests.”
“In keeping with our desire to have a wedding full of personal touches I spent the months leading up to our wedding designing and crafting almost every detail of the day with my family, talented friends and wedding planning team.” Terri continued.
“My mother made my dress. My dad, a very talented welder and carpenter handmade all the hanging geometric decor, the cake stand and our custom bar. The daughter of our friend designed the beautiful chalked bar sign as well as crafted a geometric wall hanging to embellish the bar front. I crafted string art table numbers, a string art and hand lettered escort display and a string art frame that served as our guest book. My sister- in-law and friend made homemade gourmet rice krispie treat favors (since my new last name is Rice). And I worked closely with my floral design team to design our stunning florals.”
“My mother made most of my clothing as a child and all of my prom dresses so it was only fitting that she made the most important dress I will ever wear. We couldn’t find a pattern for the dress I had envisioned so we improvised and basically made it with no pattern! Since we were coming up with the dress design from scratch we had a little fun and added a teal crinoline. I wasn’t a super traditional bride so I chose not to wear a veil however, I did follow the tradition of having something old, new, borrowed and blue. As a surprise, my mom added to this tradition by sewing something “imaginary” and “true” into the lining of my dress. The “imaginary” item was a tiny Barbie mirror from my childhood to remind me that I was finally living the fairy tale I had imagined for so long. The “true” item was my mother’s engagement ring to always remind me that true love exists because she and my dad are living proof. Luckily she revealed these things to me the day before the wedding because there most definitely were some tears.”
“To keep things intimate and focused on our union we opted to not have a bridal party. This allowed us to have a unique circular setting for the ceremony in the courtyard. It was so special to have our guests surrounding us and to be able to see their faces and reactions as we became man and wife. Many of the guests commented on how wonderful it was for them to experience our ceremony that way as well.”
“The reception space was filled with colorful floral, candlelight, delicious food, conversation, laughter, and dancing. Being a florist, I love all flowers! When it came time to choose the blooms for my wedding it was difficult so, I pretty much chose them all! The tables were adorned with geometric gold candle holders, brightly colored buds, lots of candles, and pops of teal in the napkins and table numbers. Gold geometric shapes and geometric chandeliers embellished with florals hung above the tables creating a whimsical feel to the room. We created a hanging wire and flower installation over the head table to continue the string art and geometric theme. We now use a lot of the geometric décor throughout our home which reminds us of our wedding day every day!”
Super Suppliers – Planner/florist: Everything and more!// Photographer: Sarah Eubanks Photography// Venue: The Engine Room// Catering: Mama’s Boy// Cake: The Cake Hag// Draping: Event Drapery// Band: The Scott Walker Band// Cocktail and Ceremony musician: Kara Claudy// Cocktail napkins: For Your Party// Cocktail Dress: Adrianna Papell via Nordstrom// Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry via DSW// Grooms suit: Kenneth Cole via Belk// Linens: Linen Tablecloth// Invitations: Minted// Hair: Beth Wehunt at Shear Envy Salon// Make up: Ashton Cowart//