For those of you who are thinking about planning an outdoor ceremony, let this stunning State Park ceremony be the deciding fact to GO. FOR. IT. Because the outcome? It’s simply put, beyond. With the massively talented Graham Terhune Photography behind the lens snapping up wedding day perfection, we’ve got every stunning detail waiting for you in The Vault!
From the Bride… Our wedding was a dream that started with the proposal. Or, as we like to call it, the proPottsal! Michael was working in North Carolina at the time, and I was in graduate school in California. He spent months planning it with my family, and gave me an incredibly romantic surprise proposal. The first place he ever said “I love you” was on a mountain top in California at the end of a long hike together.
And on July 4, 2015, he had my family take me on that same hike… But this time he was waiting for me at the top to propose! I was completely surprised and almost fell over when I saw him. It was incredible. Just after he proposed, Michael and I started looking at venues, and we immediately fell in love with Empire Mine. We wanted a wedding that was intimate and simple but elegant with a vintage influence. With its natural beauty, historic stone buildings, and immaculate gardens, the Mine was the perfect venue for us.
Some of the best decisions we made were in our vendors. Our photographer traveled across the country for the wedding and was flexible enough to come a day early to walk the venue with us and get ready for the wedding day. Which was super helpful! That way, he was already familiar with the setting and knew exactly where he wanted us for each photo on the wedding day. Also, we worked with a caterer, decorator, and DJ who had done weddings at our venue before and knew it well. They all required a lot of setup, and they were already very comfortable with the Mine and could help guide us in how best to use the space.
Finally, we spent a lot of time thinking about details that would give our wedding a personal touch, and some of my favorite pieces were the hand painted wooden signs, the floral heart-shaped wreath displayed as guests entered, and all of the milk glass vases and antique champagne glasses that my mom spent a year painstakingly collecting. Thank you for everything, Mama! Now, we are happily and excitedly reliving it all through the amazing lens of Graham Terhune Photography. They caught so many beautiful, fleeting moments that we will treasure forever! It was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Photography: Anagram Photo | Floral Design: Forever Yours Flowers and Gifts | Wedding Dress: Janet Ventura | Cake: Emily's Catering And Cakes | Bridesmaids' Dresses: White House Black Market | Catering: Emily's Catering And Cakes | Makeup: Emily Holthaus | Hair: Ashley Bentley | DJ: Encore Productions | DJ: Encore Entertainment | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Wedding Venue: Empire Mine State Park