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Bride Nena shares her ethereal, outdoor wedding at Seven Springs Farm.

Please meet today’s bride Nena! She and her high school sweetheart Tre worked with their planner, Wood Grain and Lace, to bring their vision of an ethereal, romantic, outdoor celebration to life. And boy did they do a fantastic job! I’m in love with how the muted, neutral colors came to life against the historic backdrop of Seven Springs Farms. I’m also quite inspired with Nena’s simple yet powerful advise for bride’s struggling with narrowing down decisions on design details (and something that can be used across many planning decisions!), she said, “go with what you like…stick to your theme, your personality, and your gut, you can’t go wrong!” Looking for more sage advise from Nena? Be sure to feed why they chose to do a first look. This gal is wise, y’all

Big SW hugs to Meredith Ryncarz for sharing Nena and Tre’s sweet day!

My mom was adamant that buying the dress was of highest priority. To start, just my mom and I went to my initial appointment and I tried on about ten dresses there. I really liked two of my choices, but knew I needed to sleep on it to make the right choice. The next weekend, we went to another bridal shop just to explore other options, but none of them compared. I invited my nana and my maid of honor to the first salon to help me choose between my top two. I ended up choosing a modern, fresh Watters gown. It was perfect for my outdoor venue and went perfectly with the ethereal, romantic vision I was going for – and I felt amazing in it!

Did you decide to do a first look? Yes! We decided to do a first look because we loved the idea of having an intimate, private moment just the two of us. We had heard from other couples that the wedding day would go so fast and we didn’t want to let the day pass us by without just stopping to cherish the moment amidst all the excitement of the day. Not only did we get this special time together, but we got even more amazing photos and it calmed our nerves before the ceremony.

All of the prelude music had a very laid-back vibe and was performed both vocally and with an acoustic guitar. I really wanted my walk down the aisle to be totally different, so I chose “Canon in D.” It sounded so bridal and classic. For our exit song, we chose “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” because it was upbeat and really fit the vibe of our wedding. We chose “Say You Won’t Let Go” for our first dance. We had been going back and forth on different song choices and then one day we were driving down the road listening to the radio when this song came on, and we looked at each other and just knew that it was perfect.

My aunt, college roommate, and close friend officiated our ceremony. Having someone so special to both of us made our ceremony that much more meaningful. The message was not only beautifully written, but incredibly personal. We also wrote notes to one another that we read prior to our first look. During the ceremony, we placed them in a box that we won’t open until our 10th anniversary. It’s killing us not to open it yet, but we know it will be worth it!

What did you serve for your wedding cake? We had a white chocolate raspberry cake along with funfetti macarons, lemon blackberry cupcakes, snickerdoodle cookie sammies, berry hand pies, and funfetti donuts for dessert. We liked the idea of having lots of variety and it looked gorgeous as a display.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. We are high school sweethearts!
Tell us all about the proposal! Tre and I met through mutual friends when we were just 16 years old. We spent our first date hanging out by a neighborhood pond watching the sunset. Six years later, just days after our six year anniversary, Tre asked me if I would pick up his nephew from that very pond. I happily agreed. When I arrived, there Tre was standing at the end of the bridge waiting for me. I was quickly reminded that this was the first place we had ever spent time together, just the two of us. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was absolutely surreal! The whole proposal was so Tre – sweet, thoughtful, and genuine.
When did y’all get married? May 20, 2017
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 125
What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? We decided on Seven Springs because it had everything we wanted: gorgeous grounds, privacy, and no one that we knew had ever been married there before!
What was your favorite detail from your wedding? The monogrammed handkerchief my nana gave me. Her sister gave it to her before her wedding and my nana passed it on to me before mine. I incorporated it into the base of my bouquet for an heirloom touch. I hope to pass it on to my daughter one day.
What was Southern about your wedding? We buried the bourbon a month before our wedding to ward off bad weather and it worked like a charm! It was 75 and sunny on our big day. I mean absolute perfection! Not to mention we got married outside, in May, in rural Virginia – doesn’t get more Southern than that!
What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? I loved designing the details of our wedding. Deciding what the desserts would be displayed on, where the bars would go, what to get my bridesmaids, all of the fun, creative stuff!
What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? The hardest part was not being able to see everything together before the wedding. You spend months choosing the perfect flowers, what color linens to use, and all these other things and you have no idea if it will look good once it’s all pulled together. I was so pleasantly surprised by how great everything looked on the day of. My best advice to other brides who are struggling over the design details is to go with what you like. It’s hard not to stress about what it will look like all together, but if you stick to your theme, your personality, and your gut, you can’t go wrong!
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Hiring a planner! Our coordinator had done hundreds more weddings than we had, so we took her advice on selecting reputable, affordable vendors, and we listened when she told us not to bother with super elaborate wedding favors.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? Reading Tre’s letter to me was the most memorable moment for me. I sat alone in the bridal suite as I read it aloud overcome with emotion. It was so special to read a letter that culminated seven years of feelings, thoughts, and memories. That’s when it really hit me that we were about to become husband and wife. It was such an incredible moment.
What advice would you give to someone currently planning a wedding? Soak in every moment. The day flies by so quickly and with everything that’s going on, it can be hard to really appreciate each second, but try your best to slow down, take a breath, say a prayer with your maid of honor, and soak it all in. This will be the best day of your life and you will look back and want to do it over and over again!

Photographer: Meredith Ryncarz Photography | Videographer: Rachael Curry Films | Planner: Christine Greenberg of Wood Grain and Lace Events | Venue: Seven Springs | Florist: Amanda Burnette | Wedding Cake: Arley Cakes | Caterer: Champagne Taste Catering | Rentals: Rent-e-quip and Paisley and Jade | DJ: Cam DiNunzio | Paper Products: Epoch Design | Bride’s Gown: “Maidera” by Willowby by Watters | Bridal Salon and Accessories: Bridal Elegance | Bride’s Jewelry: Kendra Scott | Hair Stylist: Katia Ocampo of Mango Salon | Bride’s Shoes: Gigi Crystal Pointy Toe Flat by Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids’ Fashion: Show Me Your Mumu | Men’s Attire: BLACK by Vera Wang from Men’s Wearhouse

marissa Written with love by Marissa
1 Comment
  1. avatar Paisley and Jade reply

    Loved being a part of Nena & Tre’s gorgeous day! Bravo to all of our vendor friends for bringing this lovely vision to life and thanks SW for featuring!

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