Handcrafted Southern Wedding

This bride’s North Carolina event is everything we love about farm weddings. Full of personal details, handmade charm and cheeky surprises along the way, it’s the kind of vision that makes you want to step out into the countryside for the weekend — or is that just me? The bride and groom planned their wedding date around Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love‘s availability, and I can’t say I blame them. There’s so very much beauty to behold, so run on over to the gallery when you can!

From the bride, Stephanie: We wanted guests to feel as if they were in an outdoor version of our home as they arrived and enjoyed the evening. We hoped they would have little surprises as they walked around. Postcards on a vintage table to write a well wish beside a typewriter with a personal welcome note. A smile booth and tons of props to enjoy and share giggles. A candy table with huge glass jars full of licorice, sweet tarts and nerds to take home and enjoy. As well as little rosemary trees to take, plant and remember the love we all share. Most of all we wanted 28 and 78 year olds to enjoy laughs, tears and dancing together!

We didn’t start out with a rigid color scheme or theme. Looking back I’m not sure we ended with any sort of theme either. Luckily I have some very crafty friends and family that helped make our DIY visions come to life. We had a ball collecting vintage tin cans, apothecary jars, milk glass and thread spools. And spent many crafty nights embroidering table numbers, making tissue paper flowers and fashioning little twisted metal loops to spools to use as escort card holders. It was so much fun to be together every weekend, weeks on end. I think the DIY wedding is the only way to go. Not only do you end up with something personal in the end but you grow in friendships and love the whole way through.

Any advice for future brides? I would recommend picking your top 3 most important aspects of your wedding. This is where most of your budget will go. Ours was photographer, venue and music. We didn’t set a rigid budget which I’ll admit was nice but it can quickly get out of hand. I recommend brides write out a strict budget, broken down into each wedding requirement. It is a daunting task, I know, but you will be so happy to have it. There will be certain things towards the end you’ll want to “throw” your money at just to see go away, so start out smart from the beginning.

See Also

Chic Spring Wedding in Highlands, NC

View all photos from this wedding

Wedding songs:
Bridesmaids’ procession: “All I Want Is You,” Barry Louis Polisar
Procession: “Scenic World,” Beirut
Recessional: “It’s Oh So Quiet,” Betty Hutton
First dance: “First Day of My Life,” Bright Eyes

Wedding Vendors (Charlotte, NC):

Wedding Venue: Carrigan Farms, Mooresville NC / Wedding Photographer: Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love / Wedding Coordinator: Maurisa Beaver of Momentous Events Charlotte / Wedding Flowers: Taylor of The Place for Flowers / Wedding Music: Adam Huffsteler / Officiant: Will Morgan / Wedding Caterer: Doug Carrigan of Carrigan Farms / Wedding Cake: Charlotte Wedding Cake / Wedding Dress and Veil: Justin Alexander / Wedding Shoes: Steve Madden / Wedding Hair: Sasha Taylor of Cirrus Salon / Makeup Artist: Elizabeth Tolley / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Anthropologie and etsy / Wedding Invitations: Kevin Taylor