What do you get when you yourself are a fun loving florist and after saying “YES” to that sparkler, decide to plan your wedding in three months? One super colorful, super creative, super cheerful celebration! With The Graceful Host helping orchestrate it all and Lauren Rosenau snapping away, our Vault is bursting with beautiful colors and we couldn’t be any happier – see it all this way!
From The Graceful Host… What do you get when a florist gets married? The answer is a beautiful, intimate, colorful celebration! Melanie and Scott met through Melanie’s brother, a pastor at their church. Melanie’s brother actually set them up after meeting Scott – he knew they would be great for each other. Months passed and then Scott and Melanie finally got a chance to meet. He fell for her creative heart, captivating smile and easy going personality. She fell for his sense of humor, generous spirit, and practical nature. They say opposites attract and that is exactly what happened – a florist married a lawyer.
They were engaged after just over a year of dating, and knew they wanted to get married right away. So in the off-season for weddings and events, Melanie set out to plan her own wedding. She had always dreamed of eloping to Lake Como, since Italy is her favorite place to visit. But it was more important to be surrounded by their family, so they decided to host a small 63 person celebration in her backyard – in under three months! Melanie has a love of color. You can see her setting up weddings in a tea length floral A-line skirt or color blouse, always draped in flowers and always full of color! So it was only natural that Melanie wanted her wedding style to be as vivid as can be. With help from flower friends Deedie with Springvine Design and Pam with Flowers From The Cellar, as well as Melanie’s business partner Kate, the four of them worked together to create the centerpieces, ceremony arbor and beautiful garland that hung from the tent. We used floral linens from La Tavola that look exactly like one of the skirts Melanie loves to wear when she is working on events every Saturday for other brides. The decor was a direct reflection of Melanie and her love of flowers! The cake was made by a family friend, and placed donuts from Krispy Kreme (a North Carolina favorite!) all around because they are the groom’s favorite sweet treat.
The ceremony was intimate, lead by the bride’s brother who introduced the pair. They recited vows under the arbor that Melanie and friends created the day before. Before the ceremony, Melanie and Scott had a moment to themselves. Melanie had pinned on countless boutonnieres for grooms in the past – so she was very excited to be able to pin a boutonniere on her groom! With her sister-in-law singing as she walked down the aisle with her father, Scott had a look of pure joy seeing the girl of his dreams walking towards him. Guests enjoyed heavy hors d’ouerves and dinned under the beautiful tent created with such care. They even had a specialty beer created just for their event by Melanie’s brother-in-law. The wedding guests consisted of family from near and far, all who came out to celebrate this beautiful couple.
Melanie’s dress was one of her favorite details. It was created by a local wedding dress designer, CJ with Erin Grey Couture. It included flower applique detailing, which was a nod to Melanie’s love of flowers. The blue ribbon on her shoes was ribbon she purchased in Paris and was saving for a special occasion. Her bouquet was made with all lilies of the valley – her favorite flower!
Photography: Lauren Rosenau Photography | Event Planning + Design: The Graceful Host | Floral Design: Springvine Design | Floral Design: Flowers From The Cellar | Floral Design: New Creations Flower Company | Wedding Dress: Erin Grey Couture | Catering: Something Classic | Makeup: Erin Ashley - Makeup Artis | Tent Rental: Party Reflections | Bridal Boutique: J. Major's Bridal Boutique | Chair Rentals: Old South Vintage Rentals | Custom Brew: Petty Thieves Brewing Co. | Invitation Suite + Calligraphy: The Graceful Host | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Linens: Party Reflections