If you’re like me, you can devour weddings like this one in about 5 seconds flat. So, to prolong the happiness, we’ve added a TON of additional images to our gallery so that you can see all the goodness, all the gorgeousness one last time. Thank you so much to Missy Cochran and to the adorable bride and groom for sharing this perfect fete with us today. Total inspiration overload.
click here to see the whole pretty affair in the gallery
During the cocktail hour, we displayed wedding photos of our parents and grandparents and even used an antique mirror that has been passed down through the generations as a focal point above the fireplace. This was a favorite among our grandparents.To add an element of fun during the cocktail hour, Kyle and I led everyone into a game of croquet and bocce ball on the lawn. The weather was perfect and it really helped our guests relax and enjoy themselves.
Since we were paying for most of the wedding ourselves, our goal was to find creative ways to save money without sacrificing our vision. Therefore, we chose to keep the décor simple while playing off the location’s natural beauty. To do this, we incorporated the help of family and friends and their respective talents to create the simple yet elegant event that we wanted. For example, my uncle offered his carpentry skills to build us an arbor made from wood that he found. My best friend from college, who is a graphic designer offered to design and create all of our stationery. My grandmother and mom voluntarily made (sewed, trimmed and hemmed) each overlay for the event. Kyle’s family Pastor offered to officiate our wedding ceremony. My makeup and hair were done by friends of a friend after my stylist cancelled last minute. And our wedding party helped set up and tear down at the end of the night. All of their help meant the world to us – it really became a family event.
The idea to use the pears at each placesetting was one of my original ideas after we booked the venue. However, it was the very last thing that was done the night before the wedding after we realized at about 5pm that we didn’t have any pears. It took the help of family and friends to find about 200 pears and rinse them off before the next day. Through all the chaos, the end result was stunning. Guests complimented us on how lovely they looked and how they provided a pop of color and an organic element that they had never seen before. The best part, they were free.
The invitations and all the wedding stationery were designed by my best friend Stacy of Stacy Dutton Design. The vine design was incorporated throughout the wedding on details such as the program, escort cards, dinner menu and even the wedding cakes.
The wedding cakes mimicked the design used on the invitations. The cake was a gift from my grandmother who attended the tasting and helped us pick out all four flavors. The flavors were Boston crème, banana, raspberry crème and chocolate strawberry. Rather than having traditional favors, we hosted a cookie bar with five of our family favorites – chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, Snickerdoodle, sugar cookie and white chocolate macadamia nut. Guests were provided with little baggies that were stamped with the message ‘thank you’ on the front. Guests loved them so much that they ate most of them before the night was even over.While we didn’t have traditional favors, we wanted to make sure our guests felt comfortable. So we provided baskets with flip flops (dancing shoes for the ladies) and blankets for guests to use to keep warm. Guests also loved walking the grounds and relaxing in the hammocks after sunset.
Due to the economy, we made a conscious effort to spend our money only on local vendors and local products. This helped save us money in travel fees while making us feel like we were doing our part to promote the local economy.
Location: Gorge Crest Vineyards / Catering: SouthBank Kitchen / Event Coordinator: Kristi Dibbern of Details of the Day / Wedding Photography: Missy Cochran and Melanie Jade / Flowers: Lucy’s Informal Flowers / Cake: Sweet Cakes by Melissa / Stationery: Stacy Dutton Design / Music: Duo Con Brio (ceremony); Big Adventure Entertainment (reception) / Rentals: The Party Place / Gown: Maggie Sottero / Suit: BCBG / Hair: Elly Stanley / Makeup: Tiffani Patchett of Urbaca Salon