Southern Weddings

Raven + Ben happily admit that it wasn’t love at first sight but it was something. The two became friends and began dating a year later and somewhere with the spark of the friendship became the spark of love. The two happily married at {Blowing Rock Country Club} near Boone, North Carolina. Their photographer, {Jeff Holt} captured this amazing day and we thank him for submitting these images to us. The incredible flowers were designed and created by {Millefleurs}. We love the use of yellow flowers in the arrangement and bouquets. Raven’s dress was from {Pattis Bridal} and the bridesmaids wore dresses from {Forever 21}. (What a chic and cheap idea). To see more from this fantastic NC wedding check it out further on Jeff Holt’s {Blog}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: We met after college through a mutual friend. I had just moved back to Charlotte and was living with a friend that I had known since grade school. He and Ben had met each other after graduation and hung out in the same circle in Charlotte. Ben had come over to our house one day to borrow something and that was our first meeting. Admittedly, it was not exactly love at first sight, but I knew Ben was someone special. We became friends first and then started dating about a year later.
Describe the proposal: We were visiting Napa Valley and enjoying the beautiful wineries. We stopped at Sterling Vineyards and took the Gondola up to the top to enjoy the tasting and views from the area’s only mountaintop winery. On the way down, I was enjoying the view out of the window and turned around just in time to see Ben getting down on one knee! I can’t even remember what he said because I was just knocked down with excitement and surprise; but remember blurting out “well, are you going to put it on my finger?” after he just kept holding the box and shaking. Afterward we shared our news and celebrated with Ben’s family in the Bay area of California.
What attracted me to my husband was: His beautiful blue eyes, his charming sense of humor, the kindness and warmth in the way he treated others.
Why do you love your husband? For so many reasons: his big heart, the way he makes me laugh and because he is my best friend – just to name a few.
What attracted me to my wife was: Everything. From the way her big brown eyes look at me to the way she snorts when she laughs. I was a goner from the moment I met her.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: It doesn’t count as a date per se, because this was before we were official and we were not alone. In fact, Raven and I did not even come together. But, I remember meeting up one night at a local bar and just being captivated with her. We spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, and there was nothing that could take me away from her side. Our first date was also memorable: dinners and lots of talking and getting to know each other!
The weather on our wedding day was: It was a picture perfect fall day in the North Carolina mountains. It was late September and the entire weekend had sunny blue skies and pretty, puffy clouds. The days were warm enough to allow the guys to golf in shorts and the nights were just cool enough to enjoy the big, outdoor, stone fireplace at the reception. It was ideal!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I had always envisioned my wedding being outside, and after some searching we found the perfect venue. The ceremony was at a pretty Catholic Church in Boone, NC that allowed us to quickly move to an outdoor reception at a nearby country club. The Blowing Rock Country Club Lakehouse is a large, open-air, covered pavilion that overlooks a small lake with trees and wild flowers all around. It was a picturesque setting and exactly what I had envisioned with the ease of all the facilities right there. For design inspirations I was thinking of a natural, rustic chic theme that was simple and casual, yet modern, fun, and unique.
Favorite design element of your big day: Our colors were yellow and gray; we loved how fresh, modern and original they were! We enjoyed using those colors in different ways; like the bridesmaids wearing bright yellow satin shoes with their gray dresses and the honorary bridesmaids wearing chunky yellow necklaces with black dresses of their own choice. It added just the right touch of color and casual chic we wanted. Also the way the white and yellow flowers popped off the steely gray table linens-so pretty!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I exhausted every website I could find and looked through endless magazines, tearing out pages of dresses with various elements that I liked. I went to a few boutiques with my mom and grandmother, and one of them had actually just gotten one of the dresses I had found online and printed out. It was so unique, fit perfectly and was so flattering, that I knew at once, it was the one for me. I loved the details of the pleated tulle that was in the bust, kick pleats and train. It had a vintage feel with the lace overlay yet the cut was so modern. And it did not hurt that it was right in line with my budget! I did not want to take it off!
Describe your wedding flowers: I knew I wanted all yellow and white flowers with a lot of natural greenery, but I was not set on any particular flowers. I wanted to use what was in season, which also makes the flowers more affordable. Our florist Carolyn, who did an amazing job, put together a mix of enormous yellow Latina Roses, locally grown garden dahlias, golden cockscomb which provided an amazing fuzzy texture, hanging amaranthus which dripped over the bouquets and vases, bells of Ireland, yellow calla lilies, zinnias, Asiatic Lilies which smelled so lovely, and river oats which gave a delicate sense of dimension. The flowers were arranged in simple, birch bark wrapped vases and staged at various heights. I didn’t want it to be fussy and I didn’t want to compete with the amazing outdoor setting already provided by the Lake house. Mixing in our flower arrangements with the lake and natural blooming wildflowers was more than I expected and it all looked gorgeous.
Describe your wedding cake: It was a very simple square, four tiered cake with a graphic yellow flowering, gray tree branch that switch-backed across the cake. We did alternating layers of white chocolate truffle (which had little pieces of chocolate in the icing and was so delicious!!) and classic lemon (Ben’s favorite). The cake looked amazing and tasted even better, so much so that our guests kept talking about how delicious it was.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The photo booth! We had the idea early in planning to try and have a photo booth at the wedding, and even designed our save-the-dates around the theme. The result was such a hit and everyone enjoyed it throughout the night! We were able to set up a booth at the entry that was both out of the way from the wedding, yet easy to access. It allowed guests to take photos while also providing enough room for the packed dance floor. The photo booth printed double copies; allowing the guests to receive a copy while also saving a copy for our own wedding book. It was so fun to go through them all the next day and see everyone enjoying themselves and we know this will be something we can save and look back on and enjoy. One other fave was the Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade cocktails!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Procrastination. We waited longer than we should have to book our band and many of the good ones in our budget were booked. I ended up getting very lucky and finding an AWESOME band in the end, but it was very stressful for a while.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? I wore my grandmother’s guarder and carried one of her handkerchiefs. Ben wore a pair of my late grandfather’s cuff links, which I gave him as a wedding gift as he was getting dressed before the ceremony. We also had flowers and special notes in the entry of the church that represented our family members that had passed or couldn’t attend.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Walking into our reception after being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Ben Watt and seeding all of our friends and family cheering us on! It was so incredible!
Scariest moment? When our limo van was late to pick us up after our pictures. We arranged for it to take the wedding party from the ceremony to a nearby location for photos before the reception and
they had gotten lost before picking us back up and actually dropped us off at the reception quite later than we had planned. Luckily, the cocktail hour kept the guests entertained, but we were definitely stressed and anxious to get back and start celebrating with everyone.
Funniest moment? When the band started playing “I Like Big Butts!” by Sir MixAlot. It totally caught me off guard, but was hilarious! That immediately brought everyone to the dance floor and had everyone singing along!
Hardest decision you made in planning? Finding the place to have the wedding was hard at first. Narrowing down what city we wanted it all to happen in and then what we hoped to create. We also tweaked the menu several times but in the end we kept it simple and classic with dinner stations with something for everyone.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: When our priest starting singing a prayer right in our face during the ceremony. This was neither planned, nor practiced, and it completely caught us off guard. Afterward, our guests said that the looks on our faces were priceless!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Honestly, words cannot to justice to the day. It was so much more than we could ever imagine. Celebratory, breathtaking, joyous.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Prioritize. You need to figure out what is important to you and try to avoid getting hung up on all the other small details – you can drive yourself crazy. We also took pride in making our wedding our own and not conforming to other’s ideas or influences. The result is an event truly representative of you and something to cherish forever. And lastly, enjoy every moment. It all goes by so incredibly fast.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. Take a moment to yourself and take it all in.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? For me it was definitely my Great Aunt Faye. She is in her eighties and traveled from Phoenix, AZ just to be with us on our special day. It was her first trip back to NC in years and she came for us. We also had our close friend Shepherd travel all the way home from Australia to be with us as well! He was a groomsman and made his first trip back to the states just to help us celebrate. Both of these people came just for the wedding and it really makes it that much more special knowing the difficulty they endured to make it happen.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are hoping to take a big trip for our one year anniversary in September. And, I am sure we will be thinking about starting our own family down the road. Beyond that, I just look forward to having a partner in crime to grown old with.
Any DIY items? We did a lot of things on our own. It allows you to make the wedding that much more unique – and it’s also a great way to save a little money. We are both creative minded and work in design fields, so we looked forward to making things ourselves. Ben is a whiz with the computer, so he was able to make a lot of things after we decided on some of the details. He did our wedding website, save-the-date cards (cute photo-booth style pictures to tease the photo booth at the wedding), our wedding programs (which featured some of the same design details that were used on our invitations), detailed driving and attraction maps to go in the invitations since our wedding was out of town, and even our own wedding favor labels that were affixed to chocolate covered pretzel rods and read “So sweet of you to join us!”

Congratulations to Raven + Ben. We wish you the best!

Written with love by Lara Casey

For those that think nothing good can come from a “set-up/blind date”, then we have a story for you.  Andrea + Mark were set up by friends and although it took two months to get both of them to actually finally met it turned out to be the best decision that either one of them could make.  For the two of them it became a courtship, then an engagement and now marriage.  The two were married at {Second Presbyterian Church} and held a fantastic reception at the {Hyatt Regency Greenville, South Carolina}.  The reception dinner was catered by {Ellen’s Delicatessen}. The flower arrangement and personal flowers by {Expressions Unlimited}.  The bridesmaids wore dresses by {Mori Lee} and Andrea wore a gown from {David’s Bridal}.  This wedding was submitted by {Olivia Griffin Photography} check out all the gorgeous shots on her {Blog}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: Andrea’s friend from {Wofford}, Jenni, was getting ready to leave BMW and return to the Terriers. Mylene (from Mark’s department at BMW) was training with Jenni for her position. The three of them went to lunch one day. They got on the subject of dating, and Jenni asked Mark, “So, why aren’t you dating anyone?” Mark simply replied that he had just not found anyone he was really interested in pursuing. To which Jenni asked, “Well, what are you looking for?” Mark kindly and patiently gave Jenni the list of character traits and characteristics that he was looking for in young lady. “Wow. I am sorry, Mark, but she doesn’t exist. Sounds great though.” So they continued eating and chatting, but then about 15 minutes later, Jenni stood up, put her hands on the table and said, “Mark, I know the perfect girl for you!” By the end of the day, Jenni had left two voicemails, a text message and an email with Andrea. When they finally spoke, it was just to clarify that Andrea was indeed open to being set-up. Flash forward two months. The date, time, and location were set. January 9, 5:30pm, {City Range} in Spartanburg. Mylene, Jenni, Mark and Andrea arrived and conversation ensued. [Although we really appreciate that Mylene and Jenni came as buffers (in case it was a disaster), we owe them a big apology. After the initial hello, we really did not say a word to either one of them all night!] As the group left City Range, Mark walked Andrea to her car, commenting that he truly enjoyed meeting her, and asked if she would be interested in going out again. She agreed quickly (it was very cold, and she only had a light weight
dress coat on), giving him her number, and then the first of countless goodbye hugs.
Describe the proposal: On August 10, Mark surprised me with a fun, exciting all day adventure at the {Biltmore Estate} in Asheville, North Carolina. This was both fun, and out of the ordinary for us, since we have yet to miss a day of church together, and so I decided to trust that what we were up to was important for our future. After we left the estate, we went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the third “scenic
overlook” we found a trail and took a short walk to a secluded bench with a fabulous view. We sat down, and started chatting about the day, and just silly stuff. After awhile, Mark asked me if it had been a good day. I replied yes, then explained how much I appreciated the time, planning and leadership he took to make our adventure happen. Then he asked, what would make the day better, to which I replied, “Not having to drive a half hour home from Greenville tonight.” We both laughed and smiled. “Well, would it make the day better if I told you it was time for us to stop talking hypothetically about our relationship?” At this point, I went speechless, and Mark started talking. He told me wonderful things about me, and why he loved me, and that he did want to live the rest of his life with me. Before I realized it, he was down on the ground, on one knee asking, “Andrea Stehman, will you marry me?” I replied, “Yes! Of course!”
What attracts me to my husband is… his kind, caring and quirky personality. He captivates my heart and mind as he is constantly pursing ways to lead me in the path laid out for us. He believes in consistency. I found a man who lives out what he believes, not just when it is convenient, but every moment, even when no one is looking.
Why do you love your husband? Love is not just emotion. I made a vow, a commitment, a choice. With all that is in me, all that I have, all with which I have been blessed, and all the grace and mercy from God, I will love him, always.
What attracted me to my wife was? (Of course) the fact she is beautiful. However from the get go, I recognized that she is interesting, fun, smart and has a sparkling personality. I loved, and still do, talking to her as well as hearing her opinions on matters and the way she sometimes challenges me with her thoughts, views and perspective. Besides all that, she has a wonderful giving attitude that I recognized as being unique, and especially these days hard to find…put all that together and you have the reasons why I kept going back, and now love waking up to her!
A date we went on that we’ll always remember… is Valentine’s Day 2007. Mark planned this incredible evening that started with sending me shopping (with cash!), continued with a delicious intimate dinner, and finished when I arrived home at my house that night. As I walked in the door, there was a trail of Hershey Hugs and cut-out red hearts which ended in my bedroom with a bouquet of roses and more than 20 cut-out hearts with a reason why he liked me on each one.
The weather on our wedding day? It was cold in South Carolina! My younger sister was married in Indianapolis December 29, 2007 and it was 55 degrees. So we thought that a January wedding in the South would be at least 50. It turned out fabulous, though, as our getaway car was super toasty, and my mom brought one of my grandmothers fur jackets to keep me warm.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Timeless grace, like the movies from the early 20th century. The classic look of Grace Kelly and unfading beauty of the cut of Andrea’s diamond.
Favorite design element of your big day: The diamond and purple motifs, some of which we did not even plan!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: After the first 15 mile run our training group did, my roommate Katie, my sister Eileen and my friend Kristin and I all embarked on a 5 hour shopping trip. Although, I found a few dresses I liked, none said, “buy me, now!” So when I traveled home to Indianapolis in order to shop with my mother, we took my oldest sister’s advice. “Shop at David’s Bridal. Even with all the stigmas attached, you never know, you could find a dress that you love for a lot less. What is the point of spending thousands of dollars on dress, when you LOVE one for less?” So, we walked into the store, and I told the associate what I was looking for, and she immediately opened the catalog to the dress. It screamed, “buy me now.” So, I did, and spent less on my dress so I could spend more on other aspects of the day.
Describe your wedding flowers: Perfect. We wanted whites and purples, that is what Jolene gave us. We asked for “bling” and she found some to add. I mentioned the ground cover that was in full bloom at the Biltmore Estate the day we got engaged, and she found it and added it as the base of my bouquet. Having just a few ideas and a florist with great vision makes it very easy.
Describe your wedding cake: A delicious edible version of my wedding dress! The cake topper was sweet gum paste flowers-that mirrored my bouquet. Each layer had a band at the bottom-like the bands of satin on my dress. Even the sash that flowed down the side of the cake was like the bow on the back of my dress.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: (in unison) The airplane cuff-links, I gave to Mark to wear that day. He loves airplanes, flying, traveling, all of it. I wanted him to have a reminder that our marriage was going to be just like all those, another great adventure.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Bringing our two families together, while respecting the views and values of each side.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? The Sellinger family (my mom’s side) always get a big family picture at the weddings of the cous
ins (there are more than 40 of us). Mark and I added this to the Stehman and Saunders sides: family pictures of everyone who could attend the celebration. Also, it has become tradition for the Stehman daughters (I am one of four) to wear our mother’s headpiece, which is now 37.5 years old. It has now been part of four successful weddings and marriages, with one more to come (fingers crossed).
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Being pronounced man and wife, the exciting and heartwarming reality of that.
Scariest moment? The unity candle was moved, and was hiding behind our pastor. We had no clue where to go or what to do until he moved to the side at the beginning of the song.
Funniest moment? Thanks to my wife, I smiled the whole ceremony. She made funny faces to lighten me up, she got her bouquet caught in her veil, and then she dropped her diamond as she tried to switch it back to her left hand. I love my wife.
Hardest decision you made in planning? Finalizing the date of our wedding. (Mark’s father was terminally ill. Andrea’s oldest sister was deployed to Afghanistan.) We were facing the possibility of one, two or both people physically missing the day. We had to hope for the best, while expecting the worst. We missed both of them deeply, however, they were both there in spirit and joined
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Joyful, sentimental, exhilarating.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? Yes…”divinely appointed helper” and “divinely appointed husband.”
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Keep in mind that your wedding is an event that you will celebrate with many friends and family members, but first and foremost about you and your spouse becoming one. So ultimately it should reflect who and what you are as individuals but even more so as a couple.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration was… the comment that ours was “the sweetest wedding I’d ever been to,” and all the compliments on how honest our vows were.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? All the family that came from far away, as well as friends and mentors from college.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We think we are headed towards some new career possibilities. Through that, we hope to continue to establish a life together in which we can (and do) honor our vows while building a family.
Any DIY items? If you enjoy doing something or have a talent for, go for it, but only if it will decrease the stress in your planning. When I got my Macbook, I was so excited because it meant I could design the programs, the menus, the save the dates. I also borrowed all our vases for centerpieces, finding silver and purple floating candles, which decreased our cost and made continued the timeless and simple aspects of our day (and who we are).

Congratulations to Andrea + Mark. We wish you a lifetime of happiness and love!

Written with love by Lara Casey