Dusty + Travis {California Wedding}

Oh, hey Friday! I've been waiting for you to get here all week!  With the unseasonably warm winter we've been having, I felt like today would be the perfect day to share a vibrant summer soiree.  Dusty + Travis became man and wife this past June and their photographer, Michelle Johnson, shared a few sweet details...

" Dusty and Travis have the sweetest love. They adore the country and they put the sweetest details into their do it yourself wedding day. From the rustic signs, to the sweet love cake display, this wedding was magical. The bride Dusty entered the private estate on a horse drawn carriage. The vintage dresser at the end of the aisle was filled with family photos and candles. The hand made seating chart was absolutely adorable. This country wedding was just beautiful."

 

Brittani {Venue Selection)

Brittani is friend of A Lowcountry Wedding and we're so excited to have her gues!  Today, she's filling us in on how she selected her perfect Lowcountry Wedding Venue.  Sidenote: Brittani is also an extremely talented photographer.  Currently, she is giving away free wedding photography.  So, for all you newly engaged brides, check out Britt Croft Photography for all the exciting details!

 

Hey ALW! It’s so good to be back and I’m excited to use this second post in my guest blogging
series to talk a lot more about Dustin and I’s actual wedding. In case you missed the first post about
us and our story, you can find it here.

After we got engaged and I moved south, my mom came to visit and I knew it would be the perfect time to start the venue search. To me, the venue and the photographer were two of the most important parts of the wedding (besides saying “I Do” to the man of my dreams of course!).

Boone Hall Plantation - Cotton Dock via The Daniels

In the months between our engagement (March) and when my mom came to visit (August), I’d been scouring wedding blogs and using Pinterest  to put together lots of inspiration boards that gave a good feel for the colors, vibe, and “look” we wanted, and how we could use décor to really make our wedding feel like us. I knew it was really important to have a general theme decided on, and based off of who we are and what we like to do together we knew a “rustic lowcountry” wedding would suit us perfectly.

 

Boone Hall Plantation - Cotton Dock via Wedding Planner at Heart

It was important to nail down a way to describe our wedding before looking at venues because it’s key to make sure that the venue you choose will accommodate that style. For us, a church wedding and ballroom reception just wouldn’t fit. People would show up and say, “I thought we were coming to Dustin and Britt’s wedding?!” because that’s how not “us” that would be. When it really came down to what we couldn’t live without, this was our list: to get married outside, to have a semi-outdoors reception, to have the ceremony and reception at the same location, preferably to marry in the fall, and to have a lot of coastal and rustic South Carolina charm naturally at the venue location.

Pavilion at Pepper Plantation via U Designs Events

After tons of research, two days of my mom and I driving around the lowcountry, and a Twitpic of each stop, the top venues were: Boone Hall Cotton Dock in Charleston, The Pavilion at Pepper Plantation in Charleston, and Honey Horn Plantation on Hilton Head Island. Before long Dustin and I had narrowed it down to Honey Horn and Pepper Plantation and I just knew we couldn’t go wrong either way. They are both such amazing locations that offered exactly what we wanted, but on a whim I decided to take Dustin and his mom to see the Pavilion at Pepper Plantation because I just had a feeling he would love how masculine and rustic the Pavilion is. To see how excited he was about it – that was it! He’d had the “you handle it honey, I’ll love whatever you love” approach to the wedding so far, so to see how much he loved this location, I knew that was the one. We are so excited about how PERFECT this location is for us! We’ll get married on the back side of the pavilion by the small lake, and our reception will be in the Pavilion, but guests will easily be able to spend tons of time outside on the lawn, in the gazebo on the lake, on the amazing deep lowcountry porches, or in front of one of the giant rustic fireplaces! It’s going to be beautiful!

Pavilion at Pepper Plantation via The Schultzes

When it was time to nail down a date, the Pavilion was already mostly booked up for fall 2012, but we had about three openings to choose from – one in late August, one in September, and one in November. When choosing a date, there’s many other important factors to consider, such as what is going on in town that time of the year, what will the weather be like (especially important for us getting married outside!), and if other vendors that you really want will be available for that date. The weather was a big concern for us, but after doing checking out trusty Weather.com, we saw that the average temperature in Charleston in September is 82 degrees…which is perfect! Of course I still fear it will be scorching hot or raining that day, but that’s what tents are for and there’s really only but so much we can control – so it will be what it will be!

Pavilion at Pepper Plantationvia The Schultzes

Pavilion at Pepper Plantation via Chris and Cami Photography

Along with the weather, another concern was the photographer – obviously since photography is what I do, this was one of the most important, if not the most important decision for us, and a great photographer will often book more than a year out! We were pretty sure which date we wanted at Pepper Plantation, but…you’ll have to wait until my next post to find out which date it is and what photographer sealed the deal for us!

Becca + Kalani {California Engagement}

 Bride Becca and her photographer, Brittanee Taylor, decided they just had to put a fun twist on this California couple's engagement session.  Becca went all out with the perfect vintage-inspired hair and makeup by A Glamour Bride, a classic floral print dress, darling props and beautiful pink lips.  From there, Becca and her man-to-be, Kalani, moseyed on over to Frank G. Bonelli Park for a gorgeous Summer afternoon filled with swoon-worthy lighting and some amazing images.  We can't wait to see their wedding!

Ira + Andreas {Hotel Gutshof Wedding}

We couldn't pass up the chance to share Ira + Andreas charming European wedding in Salzgitter, Germany.  Their hometown affair was complete with perfect summer weather, a romantic Modeca gown, beautiful horses and a melodious gospel choir.  After the ceremony, Gasoline Photography was on hand to capture these soft, dreamy images of the newlyweds in the German countryside.  They treated their guests to a gorgeous reception at Hotel Gutshof full of fabulous food, colorful macaroons, a candy bar and a whole lot of dancing thanks to Powerslide Disco!

Vendors

Photographer: Gasoline Photography  /  Dress Designer: Modeca  /  Reception Venue: Hotel Gutshof  /   DJ: Powerslide Disco  /  Shoes: Rainbow  /  Men's Attire: Wilvorst  /  Jewelry: Christ



Kristen + Drake {Dunaway Gardens Wedding}

We're kicking off 2012 with this dreamy Georgia wedding from Kelly Is Nice Photography.  The couple, Kristen + Drake, were wed in a beautiful outdoor ceremony on the grounds of Dunaway Gardens in Newnan, Georgia.   The bride and her father walked down the aisle to a beautiful rendition of  Mark O'Connor's "Appalachia Waltz" from the Candlelight String Quartet.  Kristen is nothing short of stunning...I mean, I'm pretty sure she was a Disney princess in a past life, and she looked amazing in her strapless gown.  Kristen even created all of  the bouquets and boutonnieres herself which is quite a task!  The fabulous cake from Cakes by Dawn perfectly complimented the sweet vintage feel of the entire evening.

Vendors

photographer: kelly is nice photography  /  venue: dunaway gardens  /  caterer: chick fil-a  /  musicians: candlelight string quartet  /  cake designer: cakes by dawn  /  bridesmaids dresses: etain bridal boutique



Jennifer + Sean {Nashville Wedding}

With the help of some of Nashville's most sought-after wedding vendors, Jennifer + Sean tied the knot this past Fall. The couple hosted fifty of their closest friends and family at one of Nashville's premier wedding venues, CJ's Off The Square.  Evin Photography was on hand to capture Jennifer's simple, yet modern wedding with the perfect jewel-toned color palette that was executed by CJ's on-site wedding planner, Amy Parman.   The bride looked stunning in her Casablanca gown from The White Room that was accessorized with a fabulous pair of pink heels.  The maids sported blue, knee-length Alfred Sung dresses from Arzelles that were paired with vibrant bouquets from the Carriage House.  The entire bridal party looked flawless thanks to talents of Amy Lynn Larwig (makeup) and Melissa Taylor (hair).  

Tell us a little bit about how you met your husband.  How long have you known each other? Where did you meet?

I met my husband at Kroger where I began working in 2005 . He was assigned to train me (set up by him and his manager) and we have been together ever since. It was our six and a half anniversary we when got married on October 9th.

How did he propose?  How long were you engaged for? 

In the summer of 2010, he took an internship in California for two months. He drove his car out there and I was flying out there to make to trip back to Tennessee with him. When I arrived in California, we had an entire day planned of sites to see since I had never been there.  We had been talking a lot about getting married and I even picked out my perfect engagement ring before he had left. I was REALLY hoping that he would propose to me at some point during our trip back home. We went to all the places we had planned to see and he said he wanted to take me to Venice beach. We got there and were walking along the beach when he stopped and gave me the longest hug ever. He then got on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the PERFECT place to get engaged!

Jennifer's favorite image of the day...

Your wedding was filled with gorgeous details.  Did any have special meaning? What was your favorite?

I cannot say that there is one specific thing from my wedding that was perfect. I know that everyone says this, but I truly feel that every part of our wedding was perfect!

How did you choose your venue?

We wanted a small wedding with close family and friends. We knew that we wanted a venue that had a very intimate atmosphere and CJ's Off the Square in downtown was perfect! I also liked that at CJ's the ceremony and reception were at the same venue.

Color palette:  We chose a palette of jewel toned colors. There was blue, purple, and pink incorporated throughout the ceremony and reception site. We also used charcoal gray table clothes with white chairs and linens so that the rich colors in the table arrangements would stand out. We wanted a modern and simple atmosphere.

Tell us a little bit about your menu...

We wanted a menu that everyone could enjoy, so we chose to have eight heavy hors d'oeuvres.  I was afraid that if we went with a sit down dinner with only two options that some people would not like the food we had chosen.  Some hors d'oeuvres that we had were: spinach and artichoke dip, twice baked potatoes, meatballs, praline chicken tenders and fruit skewers.  Everyone seemed to love it and I think it was a good choice.

 
Out of the entire day, what was the most memorable moment?

A special moment for me was seeing my grandfather at my wedding.  I honestly thought that his medical diagnosis would take him away before our October 9th nuptials.  It made me EXTREMELY happy to see him sitting there when I came down the stairs.  I was so thankful that he was physically able to be a part of our day!  I experienced a lot of memorable moments throughout our wedding.  I was excited to be marrying my best friend and the person that I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with!!

 

Looking back on your engagement and wedding, is there any advice you would give to brides in the planning process?

I would say ENJOY your engagement!  The wedding day goes by EXTREMELY fast and I feel like I let the stress of planning a wedding interfere with enjoying our engagement time.  I also would suggest to choose a photographer that you want to be around you for your entire wedding day.  Our photographer, Evin Krehbiel, was AMAZING!

Vendors

Photographer: Evin Photography  /  Ceremony and Reception Venue: CJs off the Square  /  Designer/Planner: Amy Parman  /  Caterer: A Catered Affair  /  Lighting:  Nashville Event Lighting  /  Cake: Jessica Dean  /  Flowers: The Carriage House  /  Gown: Casablanca. from The White Room  /  Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Sung. from Arzelles  /   Hair: Melissa Taylor  /  Makeup: Amy Lynn Larwig  /  Entertainment: Jason Middleton  /   Transportation: My dad's 1969 Camaro