Nothing says “summer wedding in the South” like bold, vibrant colors and natural, earthy accents. Cindy + Josh, with their aqua, marigold, mango and chocolate brown color scheme and all-wood details, get it just right at their North Carolina nuptials, captured on film for your Wednesday morning delight by Kellan Studios. The SW girls give two thumbs up for the groomsmen’s warm weather alternative to classic black-tie (light-colored suits + bright ties = picture perfect) and I’ve personally decided that marigold, as worn by the bride’s lovely attendants, must be the perfect shade for summer bridesmaids everywhere! Considering the couple’s last name is Wood, the “wood theme” evident in everything from the guests’ charity tokens to the simply adorable cake toppers seems particularly appropriate, don’t you think?
How did the two of you meet? We are one of the few blind date success stories! My sister’s husband worked with Josh at FedEx for several years before I ever met Josh, so they got to know him really well. One evening while I was visiting, they invited Josh over for quesadillas while I was there but conveniently neglected to tell Josh (who was wary of being “set up” after several bad experiences) that I was in town. We had a great conversation that night and he made me laugh A LOT! After a very sweet goodbye hug on his way out that night, I knew this was going to be something more than Mexican food on a muggy August night! Josh and I kept in touch over the phone until I officially moved down to North Carolina that September. We’ve been together ever since that fateful blind date!
Describe the proposal: Josh and I are very fortunate to have gotten married at the same place where he originally proposed: the very, very special beach house where I spent summer vacations with my family. After two summer trips there with my family, Josh could easily tell why the beach house was my absolute favorite place. Last February, Josh and I decided to spend a long weekend down at the beach house. He told me he had something for us to do at 8:16 that night (for August 16, the night we first met, as I later found out!), so I immediately thought he was making up for Valentine’s Day, which we didn’t celebrate in any special way that year. He had me sit down in a chair at the end of the dock while he read a beautiful letter he had written for me. At the end of the letter, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Careful not to let the ring slip through the dock boards, we steadied our hands as I very tearfully said YES!
What attracted me to my husband was: His sense of humor, his beautiful blue eyes and, most importantly, his Southern accent!
What attracted me to my wife was: Her smile, her great hugs and the way she laughs at all my corny jokes!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Blessed, joyous and intimate.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Josh’s last name (and my new name!) is Wood, so we wanted to weave it our beach setting. We had a wooden cake topper couple, wooden charity tokens and a wooden centerpiece Josh made out of a coastal oak log to hold all of our bouquets!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My Mom and I went dress shopping one Saturday last fall and, after about 10 dresses, I chose the third dress I tried on: a strapless white gown with a sweetheart neckline, low back, and a dropped, fitted waist. Instead of the usual satiny smooth fabric, the top layer was a light, tulle-like netting that felt very beachy.
Describe your wedding flowers: To coordinate with our aqua, marigold, mango, and chocolate brown color scheme, we chose marigolds, blue hydrangeas, white roses, and high magic roses (yellow with firey orange tips). I had a nosegay bouquet that included all our wedding flowers and my bridesmaids all carried small bouquets of magic roses to complement their marigold dresses. Josh wore a magic rose boutonniere and the groomsmen wore white rose boutonnieres. With the naturally beautiful beach setting under the coastal oaks, we didn’t need many other flowers. W e decorated the ceremony patio with potted asiatic yellow lillies, blue hydrangeas and white perennials and later gave them as gifts to our families.
Describe your wedding cake: My mother and bridesmaid made us a beautiful and very tasty tower of mini-cupcakes with nine different flavor combinations of family-recipe buttercream and raspberry filling!
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Instead of a unity candle, we decided to have our mothers each water a unity tree from two separate jars and say a prayer. It was so special to be able to take the tree and that memory with us and watch it grow long after the ceremony. Of course, it also tied into our “wood” theme!
Scariest moment? Learning after the ceremony from our groomsmen that there was a poisonous snake spotted in the backyard in the very same spot where all the guests would be seated during the ceremony and reception! Yikes! He was one guest we did not care to have in attendance and, thank goodness, he did not show up for the actual day!
Funniest moment? My brother and husband-to-be serenading our rehearsal dinner group with “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye. Such studs!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? We chose lyrics from a Keith Urban song that Josh had written into his proposal letter. “These are the days we will remember / So take me by the hand / They’re yours and mine.”
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Truly, truly stop to think about the things that last far beyond your wedding day and spend your energy there. Josh and I really made a conscious effort to put time and money into the things and moments that would matter the most and last throughout our entire marriage and not just our wedding day. The flowers, for example, were gorgeous, but instead of putting a lot of our budget into those, we used some of the money we saved there and put it into a very special and fun guestbook! We pick it up to read it all the time and relive the day and all the amazing memories.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. All written on our guestbook pages: COMMUNICATE! Put Jesus at the center of your marriage. Kiss good morning and good night. Marriage is a conscious choice and commitment; choose each other every day!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We’re enjoying a more relaxed summer and our new life as a married couple and roommates! We’re house-hunting, planning small trips for the rest of this year and growing in our careers. We cannot wait to start adding little acorns to the Wood household, but we’re planning on enjoying each other right now before we take that next step in a few years!
Congratulations to the Wood family! We look forward to hearing about your new adventures as husband and wife!
What a clever way to "pop the question" to your bridesmaids! This post is so cute and very helpful! Check out the website!
wow. what a collection of incredible charming gifts. great concept. im sure my readers would love it.
that’s just beautiful!
I had a hard time deciding what to give my brides maids as a gift. I ended up getting them each a piece of matching fashion jewelry as a little keepsake. It was a simple necklace and earring set but they seemed to love it and they can wear it with just about anything.