Finally a North Carolina wedding! Then they flew up to Boston to get legally hitched.
My wife Heather and I were together for six years and engaged for more than two before we were finally married, June 6th in Durham, NC. We both wanted a simple traditional wedding with family and friends. The ceremony took place outdoors in a gazebo and the reception was held across the street at a beautiful inn. With only 75 guests, all close family and friends, we were able to have an intimate ceremony that reflected our personalities. We kept our wedding outfits a secret so it was really exciting to see each other for the first time as we walked up to the gazebo with our immediate families.
We had no bridal party, but our closest friends all participated in the ceremony or gave toasts at the reception. I can’t express enough the amount of love and support that we both felt on that day. It was magical and overwhelming. We both cried like babies! Our budget was small, $5,000 so we opted for an afternoon reception, the whole affair from ceremony to our departure was only three and a half hours. We left immediately from the reception for Boston where we had a civil ceremony the following day. We enjoyed the rest of the week in the city, taking in sites and eating as much seafood as we could! I highly recommend having a honeymoon right after the wedding, even if it’s just for a few days. It gave Heather and me a chance to take it all in and enjoy the high before the inevitable return to reality!
We had a tremendous outpouring of support to make it all happen without a hitch. Our friends and families helped us with the preparations leading up to the wedding and were by our side throughout the day. Heather is an artist, so she was in charge of designing the invitations, programs, and signage. I also asked her to draw a tree for our guest book. People stamped their thumbprints at the reception and now we have a beautiful family tree to hang in our home! I was in charge of the flowers and other decorative details.
To embellish the mantel at the inn, I collected framed wedding photos from members of the family. It was a nice personal touch that gave people at the reception something to talk about. In the weeks before the wedding, I made Jordan almond favors (boring I know, but sweet and simple), a playlist for the reception, ribbon aisle markers, and confetti cones for the send off. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but each task took a lot of time. In the end I was so happy that we took the time to create all of the beautiful details that brought the reception and ceremony to life.
We were also lucky to have great vendors to take care of the major components of the day. Because we live in the South, we expected to have some resistance, but surprisingly we had no problem finding local vendors who were excited to work with us. Our venue was beautiful and provided us with a day-of-coordinator, who alleviated a lot of stress. I highly recomend a DOC for anyone planning a wedding. We were lucky to have ours with no charge, but we would have gladly paid! The food and catering staff were wonderful, we served a buffet of tea sandwiches, mini ham biscuits, crudités, homemade potato chips with crème fraiche, fruit with lemon curd, and of course a fabulous Italian Creme wedding cake. Our guitarist kept things lively at the ceremony and Heather was able to barter with a photographer-friend to take pictures. In the end it was a great balance of DIY and hired help. We kept the day short and sweet which really suited us and our guests. The wedding and Honeymoon were better than we ever imagined and we will always carry those happy days with us!
My favorite moment was walking up to the gazebo, seeing all of our friends and family and then Heather standing there. A huge sense of calm overtook me at that moment and carried me through the ceremony. It was magic!
My favorite design element were the flowers. I ordered roses and sweet peas online and then bought the rest at the farmers market the day before the wedding. That afternoon my aunts and my mother-in-law all helped make arrangements, the bouquet, corsages, and boutonnieres. The key was to be organized and to go to the farmers market with an open mind. I had an idea of the colors that I wanted for the wedding, but that changed once I saw what was available, and it worked out for the best. Everyone who helped was able to take flowers home, and my cousin who is getting married in November can re-purpose all of the vases I collected.
Besides the cake, the ceremony was the one part of the day that Heather was excited about so it became a real joint effort. We asked a close friend to officiate which set a comfortable mood for the ceremony. We each selected readings, W.H. Audens ““Carry Her Over the Water” and a passage from a letter to Clara Spaulding by Mark Twain. Two close friends performed the readings beautifully. Heather’s friend Mary , who is an amazing musician, performed an a cappella version of Bjork’s “I See Who you Are.” There wasn’t a dry eye! All of this took place within a gazebo surrounded by trees. Our vows were traditional, but we said our own words for the exchange of rings. Heather was so emotional she only got out “I will always love you” It was perfect!
The most fun moment of the day was the send off. Running to the car as everyone threw confetti was an exciting rush! We almost didn’t do it because a lot of guests had left, but our friends insisted and I’m glad they did. It was a perfect cap to a wonderful day.
VENDORS:
Venue: The Kings Daughter’s Inn
D.O.C. Samantha Kozub
Caterer: Sage and Swift
Cake: Laura McMillan
Guitar: Ed Stephenson
Dress: Victorian Rose Bridals
Flowers: The Flower Exchange, Fiftyflowers.com, the Raleigh Farmers’ Market
Photographer: Kelly Cross and Fred Llewelyn
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Many blessings to you both!
Your wedding is so beautiful and real, and it is everything I would want for my own! You are really inspiring and I wish you both happiness!
Thanks Lethe and Tami!
It was a wonderful day, so full of love and warmth.
I wish you both the same!