Local Wedding Guide: North Carolina
Words cannot begin to express how excited we are for one of our newest features, the Local Wedding Guides! Bit by bit, we’re selecting various locations to highlight the numerous resources available from our vendor guide members and their tried-and-true recommendations. First up on the list is North Carolina:
Photos above are by Charlotte-based photographer Megan of Lime Green Photography.
Any favorite photo spots for engagement sessions?
Megan: Uptown Charlotte, Downtown NoDA (rustic/urban), The bride + groom’s backyard and home.
Photos below are by Charlotte-based Belle Rempert of Lamb + Lark.
From Belle Rempert: I recommend Max Patch — it’s located on the NC and Tennessee border and has lovely 360 degree views at the top!
From Leigh of Leigh Pearce Weddings: Adaumont Farm is great new venue for e-sessions, bridal portraits, styled shoots, and weddings. The property is so versatile!
Photos by Jenna Red White and Green Photography.
What are some of your favorite wedding venues:
From Photos by Jenna: There are incredible lake front homes for rent that make beautiful backyard weddings!
Elizabeth of Almond Leaf Studios says: There are gorgeous, whimsical, quirky places all around downtown Asheville and the surrounding area. My favorite is to start in Asheville itself, then plan some time to head towards the outskirts for more of a rural feel with the mountains in the background.
Emily of Occasions by Emily recommends the Biltmore Estate!
Photos by Carolyn Scott Photography
From our Blue Label members, their recommendations for places for out-of-town guests to stay:
Raleigh: Downtown Raleigh Sheraton
Bannker Elk: Mast Farm Inn
Charlotte: The Morehead Inn, Charlotte Marriott City Center, Ritz Carlton Uptown
Asheville: Grand Bohemian in Biltmore Village, Inn on Biltmore Estate, Tiffany Hill Bed and Breakfast
Says Elizabeth of Almond Leaf Studios: There are many convenient hotels nearby Asheville with great accommodations. The Biltmore Hotel is gorgeous and wonderful, and there are also many others in that area (including a decent hostel!)
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North Carolina Resource List:
Photography:
Lime Green Photography (view portfolio), Charlotte + will travel worldwide
Almond Leaf Studios (view portfolio), Charlotte + will travel worldwide
Red White and Green Photography (view portfolio), Charlotte + will travel worldwide
Carolyn Scott Photography (view portfolio), Raleigh + will travel worldwide
Nancy Ray Photography (view portfolio), Raleigh + will travel worldwide
Lamb + Lark (view portfolio),
Event Design and Planning:
Erin McLean Events (view portfolio), Raleigh + will travel
Leigh Pearce Weddings (view portfolio), Greensboro + will travel
Rebecca Rose Events (view portfolio), Greensboro + will travel
Occasions by Emily (view portfolio), Asheville + will travel
Beauty:
Cirrus Salon, Charlotte
Elizabeth Tolley, Charlotte
Makeup For Your Day, Raleigh
Carla White
Invitations and Paper Goods:
Erica Anne of the Summer House, Charlotte
See more in Online Resources.
Catering:
Best Impressions Caterers, Charlotte
Colorful Palate, Asheville
Black-Eyed Susan Catering
Iron Hen Cafe, Greensboro
Painted Plate, Greensboro
Bakeries:
Cake Lady Jill, Charlotte
Wow Factor Cakes, Charlotte
Florists:
Bloom Room, Asheville
Elizabeth House Flowers, Charlotte
The Flower Diva, Pineville
New Creations Flower Co., Charlotte
Officiant:
Rev. Barbara Lodge
Venues:
The Palmer Building, Charlotte
Hart Witzen Gallery, Charlotte
The Morehead Inn, Charlotte
Snipes Farm Retreat, Chapel Hill
YMCA Camp Greenville, Greenville
1821 Hitching Post, Turnersberg
The Farm, Asheville
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If you are a vendors and would like be considered in our vendor guide, please click HERE to apply. If you would like to recommend additional local resources to this list, please email us!
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Weekly Wrap Up + A Winner!
What a whirlwind of a week it’s been! So many amazing weddings, and so little time… Not to mention one amazing giveaway from Minted, the winner of which we’re announcing in this post!
This week’s picks from Recycle Your Wedding is…
1. Wooden boxes (and oodles more rustic decor for sale)
2. Vintage wooden toolboxes
3. Watters sash
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In case you missed any of this week’s features, check out…
This Washington foodie wedding
A bride who made her own floral wedding gown
A magical secluded forest wedding
This DIY tutorial for birch hanging lanterns
A woodsy winter wedding inspiration shoot
This breathtaking Colorado mountainside affair
A Florida ranch wedding adorned with bountiful Spanish moss
A California wedding atop a misty mountain
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One of our dear Blue Label vendors, Daughters of Simone, is holding a trunk show this Saturday! Be sure to check out their Facebook event for more information.
We’re throwing our very first Daughters of Simone trunk show and we’d love to see your shining faces there! We know, we know. Why should you go to a bridal event if you aren’t a bride? We’ve got you covered. There’s a little something for everyone:
-Friends, come say hello… FREE champagne, sweet bites and hugs
-Brides, view select Daughters of Simone gowns in person and talk to us about scheduling a fitting!
-Shoppers, RGB is a design-inspired clothing boutique that houses thoughtfully curated clean + functional pieces. If you aren’t in the market for a bridal dress, you’ll be in the right place to score a killer party dress.
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Drumroll, please…the winner of Minted $1000 gift certificate giveaway is comment #110…
Kate! Congrats! We will be in touch shortly!
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Whimsical Mountain Top Wedding
This wedding exhibits perfectly how to let the sheer beauty of your location shine through. Frances and Ben chose to have their wedding on the top of a mountain — need we say any more? Delbarr Moradi was there to capture the day, with Emily Read Bentley of the ever darling event design and planning company Enjoy Events Co. aiding with day-of coordination with invites by Printable Press — and gosh, we are so smitten!
From the bride, Frances: We let our locations do a lot of the work for us. Mt. Tamalpais, where we had the ceremony, is probably the most epic place in the Bay Area. The amphitheater was perfectly suited to a Zen ceremony. Jeffrey rang a bell as we walked in, which was haunting and beautiful in the mist of the forest-quiet. Our guests couldn’t believe how magical it was. The tiny, secret coastal village of Bolinas, where we had the reception, was also pretty memorable.
My very favorite part was the little gold animals we put on each guest’s plate. My awesome new sister-in-law spray painted about ten thousand plastic animals for me. My lovely husband used a laser cutter to carve escort cards out of wood for everyone. We love Lord of the Rings, so we used a hobbity font, and then he stained them all fuchsia. He also designed and made the table number cards, the programs, and the menus.
Some of our other DIY elements were: the ribbon curtain behind our table, which I made myself; all the brass animals and vases on the tables, which we collected from the flea market over the course of many months; and the table runners, which my awesome mom sewed for me. We go to estate sales and flea markets pretty much every weekend anyway, so I started picking up things I thought I could use for the wedding—vases, little objects for the centerpieces, fancy plates for the desserts.
One of my favorite memories of the whole weekend was actually setting up and decorating the hall the night before. All my wonderful Michigan family and some friends did a midwestern barn-raising. I just remember one of my aunts saying, “okay go!” and then within seconds 40 people were everywhere working, uncles were up on ladders hanging Christmas lights, little cousins were assembling foil stars, aunts were ironing tablecloths… it was like an instant beehive of totally focused activity.
View all images from this wedding in the photo gallery
Wedding Vendors (San Francisco Bay Area, CA):
Location: Mt. Tamalpais / Wedding Photographer: Delbarr Moradi Photography / Day-of Coordination: Emily Read Bentley of Enjoy Events Co. / Wedding Dress: Coan Couture / Bride’s Headband: Mignonne / Bride’s Earrings: Renna / Bride’s Velvet Bed Jacket: Lacis / Groom’s Suit: Maxwell’s Clothiers / Groom’s Shirt and Tie: Sean / Makeup: Paige Howie / Hair: Diane Beaver of Solid Gold Salon / Wedding Flowers: Ingrid Shoemaker of Blume Designs / Wedding Caterer: Sage Catering / Wedding Cake: Susie Cakes / Stationery: Printable Press
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Florida Ranch Wedding
Kimberly and Justin’s wedding has one of my all-time favorite natural decorations: Spanish moss. There’s something about it that’s just so undeniably romantic, don’t you think? This wedding, shot by Stacy Paul, took place at Cross Creek Ranch in Florida with some seriously amazing scenery. Get ready to fall in love!
From the bride, Kimberly: I envisioned my wedding to be simple, romantic and one with nature. I love rustic/vintage inspired things so I went with that idea and expressed it through the color and tone of our wedding. Romantic, charming, simple, one with nature describe our wedding day. As far DIY, my in-laws made all the candle light favors. My husband and I made the signs/pendants that said thank you and just married, along with our initials.
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t stress or perfect every little thing. Remember what the day is all about.
View all images from this wedding in the photo gallery
Wedding Music:
Processional: “Where is My Love,” Cat Power
Recessional: “All You Need is Love,” The Beatles
First Dance: “First Day of My Life,” Bright Eyes
Wedding Vendors (Dover, FL):
Wedding Venue: Cross Creek Ranch / Wedding Photographer: Stacy Paul / Wedding Planners: Emilee Rumore of Cross Creek Ranch and Erica Rexroat of One Love Weddings / Wedding Flowers: Alta Fleura / Wedding Dress: Demetrios / Wedding Shoes: Blow Fish / Wedding Hair: Mary Phillips / Wedding Makeup: Sarah Phillips / Groom’s Suit: Zara / DJ: Bil Mitchell – Bil@TravelingSoundandLight.com / Wedding Caterer: Hungry Harry’s Bar-B-Que / Cupcakes: Alessi Bakeries / Wedding Invitations: The Papery / Transportation: The groom’s grandfather’s 1957 Chevy Truck
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