There are some wedding color palettes that are just classic. For me, soft pink and light green scream spring/summer wedding! Romantic and still playful, the pair make for gorgeous details, gorgeous flowers and gorgeous pictures! I happy to share one such wedding with you today from The Decisive Moment Photography. Kara and Jeff wed in an intimate ceremony in the beautiful North Carolina mountains — a picture perfect June affair!
Can you give us an overview of the event?: Our wedding was held in Cashiers, NC at Trillium Lake and Links Club. We loved the mountain views and the tranquility it provided. As we both live in New York City, we wanted a place that had natural beauty and was relaxing and fun. Cashiers fit the bill perfectly!
Was there a specific theme or style?: We wanted to let the natural beauty of the area and the mountains to be the focal point and theme. We wanted to focus on this beauty therefore we used the lake as the backdrop for our ceremony and used the mountain views as the backdrop for our reception
Now for the proposal… details!: We went to Aruba for vacation just before Christmas. We had everything all planned out. Jeff said the first night we’d just eat at the hotel’s restaurant because our plane got in around 4pm and we might be tired that night. As we walk down to dinner, they begin to escort us away from the restaurant and into a private cabana. We had a lovely meal right on the beach. Afterwards we went for a moon lit walk along the beach where jeff stopped and got down on one knee. My response to him proposing was “of course!” and then “Wait, I can’t actually see what the ring looks like! We need to find light!”
What were your playful twists that made the event unique?: We were lucky enough to have fire-pits right near the reception, so guests were able to roast s’mores for desserts. We also had flip flops available for guests to relax their feet at the reception. We had a large wine bottle for everyone to sign. The large wine bottle matched the wine on the table from Kara’s Vineyard – my dad had been saving the bottles for our special day for 15 years (vineyard not actually related to Kara, just a coincidence)!
We want to know about all the wedding details. Was it small and intimate or big and traditional?: It was about 135 people. We were shocked that so many people were able to make it! The closest airport is very small (and 75 minutes away) and everywhere. Less than 10 of our guests were from the area, so it meant a lot that everyone made the journey to celebrate with us!
Did you DIY any of the details?: We tried to do as much as we could ourselves. We did all the seating name tags (turned out very cute with moss and popcicle sticks), save the dates, menus and ceremony pamphlets. We dried rose petals and made cones to be launched at us as we exited the ceremony. Jeff’s mom also did the flowers which was a great, personalized touch. We made all the directional signs and my mom made really cute chair signs for mrs. and mr.
Tell us about your wedding gown and what your wedding party wore.: I like to think of it as elegant and classic. I didn’t want the dress to wear me, I wanted to wear the dress. It was light, soft, and easy to move in. I added details to it. I made the belt detail and made it into a sweetheart. My mom also made the vail as a gift to me and sewed in a little message to me. It was amazing. My wedding party wore a cranberry short cocktail dress. Simple, understated but the color really popped on the mountains.
What was the most memorable moment?: That’s a tough question. There were so many things that we enjoyed! One special moment that I remember fondly was after the ceremony when we had a private minute to just sit back and soak everything in. It was so nice seeing our friends all around us, getting to know each other, and seeing friends from different part of our lives coming together to make our new, joint family.
Tell us about the food and desserts.: Jeff was most excited for the cake! He’s a man that loves his sweets and cake is definitely the way to his heart. We went cake testing in cashiers but came away disappointed. Considering if costs a lot of money to fly down to cashiers to do another cake testing we came up with a new plan! We identified cake places in surrounding areas and asked them to fedex us overnight cake samples. Most were a little confused, had never done it, but were willing to give it a shot! We ended up with a fantastic lemon cake with buttercream icing. It was fantastic! We want to go back and buy another one from her!
What was the best wedding advice you received?: Try to slow down and take everything in. It’s the one day in your life where everyone who is the most important to you will be there all at the same time. Also, hire a videographer so you can remember everything and catch details that you didn’t get to see!
If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?: It rained for about an hour! Only thing that we would change. Everything else was what we could have imagined and more.
Tell us about your wedding gown and what your wedding party wore.: I like to think of it as elegant and classic. I didn’t want the dress to wear me, I wanted to wear the dress. It was light, soft, and easy to move in. I added details to it. I made the belt detail and made it into a sweetheart. My mom also made the vail as a gift to me and sewed in a little message to me. It was amazing. My wedding party wore a cranberry short cocktail dress. Simple, understated but the color really popped on the mountains.
What were the honeymoon plans?: Two weeks in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. It was a truly unforgettable vacation. The people were so friendly. We went from Cape Town to safari and saw the most amazing things! Cape Town has such natural beauty and on the safari, it was amazing being so close to wild animals-from lions, leopards and giraffes, to crocodiles and hippos, we saw it all – and so close too! It was just an amazing once in a life time experience.
Style Source
Venue and Food: Trillium North Carolina | Florist: Jean Markley, Mizz Em Designs | Band: Skate Rink Jukebox | Photographer: The Decisive Moment | Cake: Melinda: Cakes Du Jour
Between that beautiful dress and the bouquet that complements it perfectly, this might be one of my favorite bridesmaid shots ever! Watercolor dresses are such a unique statement, and I’m sure your bridesmaids would be thrilled to enjoy your day in this pretty little number. If pastels aren’t your thing, look for a watercolor patterned dress that uses bright, bold hues, like red, yellow, and green. At this wedding, the bouquets picked up the colors of the dress, but I think all-white flowers would really pop! Picture via Ashley Rose Photography.
Watercolor dresses are definitely not just for bridesmaids! Take inspiration from the bride on the left, who wore this peachy, floor-length gown at her rehearsal dinner. I think that these dresses would be just as fun for any party, from a bridal shower, to a fancy birthday party, to a garden tea party. I can kind of picture the dress on the left as a daring wedding gown, can’t you? Pictures via The Observatory and New York Magazine.
The easiest, and definitely one of the most beautiful, ways to incorporate watercolors into your event is through your paper products. These invitations show off two gorgeous ways to do so. The invitation on the left is romantic and modern, thanks to its dramatic colors and abstract shapes. The invitation on the right is rustic and sweet, with the information framed in hand-painted trees. Both would make beautiful first impressions for your special event! Pictures via Nancy Neil and Ulysses Photography.
Invitations are great, but carrying the watercolor theme throughout your event’s paper products will really elevate it to the next level. I am blown away by the detail in that map on the left–can you just imagine getting this little work of art in the mail? In case you couldn’t tell, the escort cards on the right are from the same wedding as the abstract wedding invitations above. I love how they used the same color and design, but since everything was done by hand, every card is a little bit unique and different. Pictures via Lane Dittoe Fine Art Wedding Photography and Nancy Neil.
Alright, this is my favorite idea of the day! The flowers are one of the decorative highlights of an event, and it’s so sad that they’re never quite the same after the big day, even if you dry and preserve your bouquet. I love the idea of getting a watercolor painting made of your starring blooms! This is also such a perfect gift idea for a bride on her anniversary, and I’m sure anyone would treasure such a personalized piece of art. Pictures via Jen Huang Photography.
