Funny story is that when Parker and I were dating, he asked me how long I needed to plan a wedding... I told him at least 3 months... and thankfully he gave me 4!
June 25, 2010 Parker proposed to me on the top of a mountain at Virgin Falls. It was a beautifiul day... and a beautiful ring!
The Fourth month journey began {of planning a wedding}. Oh the days I had longed for were here! I am a planner and loved planning my wedding {with my co-helper that I couldn't have done it without, my mom}.
The rehearsal was stunning and perfect done by Cheryl Manuel and Heather Still, they did a wonderful job of making the rehearsal "us". The dinner was done under a Gazebo right at sunset. It overlooked the Lake Junaluska grounds sitting amidst the Smoky Mountains. Never did I think this weekend would be so perfect! There was laughter, singing, kids playing, families reuniting, and beauty all around!
First and foremost was the location... our dream was to be married on a mountain over looking a lake... in the Fall. Ok, nearly impossible right? Also when you are looking at fourth months out and the most beautiful weekend of the Fall {October 22, 2010}. We thought it was impossible, but the Lord sure did bless us with a beautiful location... at Lake Junaluska, NC. Not only was it beautiful, but it was cost effective and available on the very day we needed! Yay, praise the Lord!
Ok, so after finding the location... most of the weight was lifted! Most say finding the perfect dress is a stresser... but, I had in my head since I was 12 years old that I would wear my mother's gown at my wedding, and that is exactly what I did. Now, it was as easy as pie: we had to delicately wash the dress to try and get the tarnished yellow color out of it {which my brilliant mother did}... and then we had to use a hair dryer to dry the covered buttons so the rust would not die the white {this took a while}... thankfully the dress turned out BEAUTIFUL!On to the Bridal Party's Dress. The one thing we desired was that our best friends did not have to pay a lot to be a part of our special day! Therefore, we started searching high and low... specifically for cheap girls dresses. Therefore, instead of looking at the high dollar bridal places, I searched the local stores. Sure enough, eventually it was found... in the exact color and style I desired, I found my girls dresses at Ann Taylor Loft for $30... and praise the Lord they still had everyone sizes, although some dresses had to be ordered from all over the states, they all had one!
You would think the guys part would be a little easier... but, guys are guys and sometimes things are not ordered in a timely fashion {until you get married- can I hear it from the ladies}! Therefore, the week before the wedding, most the guys had yet to purchase their shirt, pants, and suspenders... I love em' dearly so at that point I was patient! Thankfully my wonderful mother-in-law took a trip to Gatlinburg where she bought all the clothes necessary in store and delivered them to the men on the wedding weekend! Praise the Lord for her that week, or my little self would have been so stressed! Oh but on the wedding day, they all looked so handsome and was proud to have them all standing beside my future husband!
I may be a little bias... but I believe we had the best looking Bridal Party to be found! Not only best looking, but the best friends a husband and wife could ever ask for! We love you all!
The location made it easy for us... it had everything we needed at a reasonable price: the location of the ceremony and ceremony, the caterer, and the sound tech crew. It was amazing and such a blessing!
The reception was a beautiful white house looking building with large columns in front of it... the inside was hard wood floors with plenty of room for seating... and dancing! The food was delicious! We decided not to go with a sit down meal to keep the cost down, but in my opinion the food was still delicious! We had a variety of finger foods from quesadillas, fruit, veggies, chicken on a stick, etc... It was a blast of a reception!
The Decorations were simple, fun, and once again cost effective. Me and my mom made all the center pieces for the tables at the reception hall, the bouquets for the actual ceremony, the layouts, the photo booth, the invitations, the programs, etc... it was a blast having time with her to do all these fun things {although at times, it was stressful}.
I made this sign for Hampton to carry on the way down the isle. He looked so handsome and did a wonderful job- the other side said "Just Married!"
The Bride and Groom slipped away immediately to catch a few minutes alone as well as take a bight to eat. {This was also the photo booth section!}
It was a good day. Beautiful, fun, uniting, and memorable! Having all our family and friends in the same place at the same time at times was overwhelming because we felt such love... but oh how wonderful it was!
