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UNC Chapel Hill Wedding by Faith Teasley

by Jess Metcalf in Real Southern Weddings on April 3, 2017

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On a recent call, Emily said, “I just assigned a real wedding to you, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to like it!” Patience is not a virtue I possess, so I immediately high-tailed it over to the blog schedule and started pouring through Hanna and Grant’s photos! As a UNC alum myself with a heart that bleeds Carolina Blue, I’ve spent many hours walking through the campus where Hanna and Grant met, fell in love, and celebrated the beginning of their married life! To see how they wove their story and their love of Chapel Hill into their big day in an elegant and understated way made me feel right at home, and I’m certain each guest felt the same way! Hanna and Grant, I hope to run into you tonight on Franklin Street after our big win! *fingers crossed*

Big hugs to Blue Ribbon Vendor Faith Teasley for sharing this day with us!

Searching for my wedding dress was one of my favorite activities! I decided that I wanted to go to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) because I love Georgetown and they have plenty of beautiful bridal salons. I ended up inviting all of my bridesmaids (four were able to come), my mom, and my mother-in-law to join in on the search. Our first appointment was at Hitched Salon. I loved everything about their salon! They were so sweet and really tailored the appointment to my needs. We were given a room in the back and I ended up falling in love with the third dress. I tried on a few more dresses just to make sure, but I kept coming back to the third dress. I teared up every time I put it on! We cancelled our next two appointments and were able to enjoy the rest of the day together. I love that I was able to share this moment with some of my favorite people.

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What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? With both of us being UNC grads, me growing up in Chapel Hill, and many of our best friends being UNC alums, we wanted a historic Chapel Hill feel. The Forest Theater and Horace Williams House provided that while being walking distance from each other.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had a good friend of Grant’s read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. We love this reading because it is short and simple, but sums up what we believe about love and marriage.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. For my walk down the aisle, we went with Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” This was a classic that Grant loved, so I thought that it would be the perfect song to walk down the aisle to.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The slight references to UNC. We used UNC golf carts to transport the wedding party and photographer, UNC stadium cups for beer, and UNC pint glasses for our favors. We love UNC and had many alumni as guests. We loved how we were able to incorporate UNC without being over the top and cheesy.

I love flowers that are light and airy with a lot of greenery. I felt like our florist did a great job giving us exactly that. We stuck to white and pale pink flowers to give that light and airy look, and used all types of flowers and greenery, including rosemary! My favorite thing about our flowers was that our florist cut most of them from her backyard garden.

We served Southern BBQ to our guests. We feel that BBQ is easy and everyone likes it–plus, it gave our Northern guests a chance to experience Southern BBQ. For dessert, we went with chocolate chip cookies, as that is Grant’s favorite dessert. We felt there was enough attention on us for the weekend that we didn’t need to do a cake cutting, so we just went with something simple and easy. We used a variety of silver platters from my family to display the cookies. We loved how all of the platters were the same color, but were still so different.

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Our first dance was to Ray Lamontagne’s “You are the Best Thing.” We love the pace and meaning of this song! For the reception, we wanted to make sure that we played music that was easy to dance to. All of our family members and friends love to dance. We requested that the DJ play a mix with a slight emphasis on 70s Motown. It worked and the dance floor was packed the entire night.

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How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met at a soccer alumni event at the Crunkleton on October 5, 2013. My brother Chipper was a current soccer player, and current families were invited to attend the annual alumni event. We decided that we would go for a little bit. I met Grant and stayed a little longer than expected. (Fun fact: we can almost see the Crunkleton from our new house.)
Tell us all about the proposal! We have a golden retriever named Cooper that we love to take on walks. We used to have a path that we would take daily. On Easter morning of 2015, Grant suggested that we go on a walk in the morning before we went to my parents’ for an Easter celebration. During our walk, Grant suggested that we go into the gazebo that we passed every day. When we got there, there was a vase of flowers and a card waiting. Grant got on one knee and asked me to marry him.
When did y’all get married? May 28, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 185
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We bought a 1938 cottage in Chapel Hill four months prior to our wedding, so in addition to wedding planning, we were remodeling our first home together. While it wasn’t easy at the time, starting our marriage in a home that we had a say in design-wise was special to us.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Well, cookies instead of cake saved some money. We hired some of the UNC soccer players to help us with wedding set-up and breakdown, and they also transported the bridal party from preparations to the wedding site. My dad built the altar used in the Forest Theater, as well as two bars for the serving stations at the Horace Williams House, one of which is in our home today.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We got UNC golf carts to transport the wedding party around campus for pictures after the ceremony. Once the bridal party was done with photos and we finished our alone shots, we had a quiet golf cart ride to ourselves from the Bell Tower on campus to the Horace Williams House. While the ceremony, family, friends, dancing, and everything else were special moments that we will always remember, that moment to ourselves to take a breath and realize we were officially married was something we cherished.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? I think I would tell others to really enjoy the process and trust that it will all work out. I also think it is important to think about what is best for you as a couple and make sure that the day reflects you. It is okay to stray from what is considered “the norm” at a wedding. For example, we cut out the bouquet toss, garter toss, and cake cutting.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? As simple as it sounds, we are excited to just be married. We aren’t really sure what is next, but we can’t wait to find out!

Written with love by Jess Metcalf

1 Comment

Bri A April 3, 2017 reply

Oh my, this was beautiful beyond belief! I LOVE the Forest Theater as a ceremony spot and now, the Horace Williams House is on my dream reception list. ;) What a gorgeous celebration. Thank you for sharing your special day with us, Hanna and Grant!

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Lowndes Grove Wedding by Virgil Bunao

by Marissa in Real Southern Weddings on March 29, 2017

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When Hurricane Matthew caused a mandatory evacuation in Charleston, Hayley and Richard were forced to cancel their original wedding plans and notify all their guests–something made even more challenging by the destination aspect of their celebration. However, with the help of their planner Victoria, their entire wedding was rescheduled within an hour! While this challenge could have left Hayley in tears, thanks to a supportive fiancé, loving family and friends, and a fast-working planner, she felt nothing but loved and supported. Though I’m sure this was not the easiest of planning experiences, I admire Hayley and Richard’s strength through adversity and encouragement for couples to “enjoy the planning together,” even when unexpected challenges arise

We’re sure happy Virgil Bunao was there to capture their sweet (and sunny!) Charleston day!

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Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did, and I was terrified. I had my best friends read my vows the day of the wedding while we were getting our hair and makeup done. They all approved, so I went with them. Rick’s vows were perfect. He managed to make them very sweet, while still poking fun at several of my traits, including my love of kale.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We agreed to let the officiant surprise us with readings of his choice. He knew that I had lost my father and was very emotional about him not being a part of the wedding. The poem he read was written from a father in heaven’s point of view to his daughter.

The dress I wore was my second pick. When I went with several friends and family to pick my dress, I chose a long-sleeved lace Stella York dress. When I went to pick it up, I did not like it on me, so my wedding planner made an appointment and we went together, just the two of us. I chose a completely different dress–it was sleeveless and had no lace or beading.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? I knew I wanted everything to be outside. I was born and raised in Naples, Florida and spent virtually all of my free time at the beach, so a beach wedding was out for me. We traveled to Colorado and looked at the Broadmoor, but decided against it. One night, we were watching a movie set in the South. The oak trees and Spanish moss reminded me of family vacations to Southern towns–Savannah, Charleston, and Louisiana. We ultimately picked Charleston because of all the activities. We thought a destination wedding should be a mini-vacation for not just us, but for our guests. Charleston met all of our requirements.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Have fun with it. It is an important day, but it is just a day, so don’t let yourself become overwhelmed. Rick and I decided on certain details individually and bigger decisions together. For example, he picked the food and I picked the flowers. We chose the band, budget, and weekend activities together. My advice is to enjoy the planning together; it really is a fun and exciting time for a couple.

Rick was in charge of all of the food. We had a three-tiered cake with different flavors for each layer: raspberry cake with a white chocolate and buttercream frosting, carrot cake with a lemon buttercream, and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache.

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What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge we faced was when our wedding was canceled. Our original wedding date was October 7, 2016. We prepared and looked forward to this date for over a year. At the beginning of October, Hurricane Matthew began taking aim at the Carolinas. On October 4, we made the decision to cancel our wedding. An hour later, Charleston issued a mandatory evacuation. We had to contact all guests and notify them to cancel their flights and hotel accommodations. We had to cancel our honeymoon and contact all our vendors. It was very hard, and for some reason, I felt embarrassed–I knew that everyone was going to be put out by this. Fortunately for Rick and I, we have the most amazing friends, family, and wedding planner. Our wedding planner (Victoria) took control–she had the entire wedding, including all vendors, rescheduled within an hour. My friends and family stepped up and helped notify other guests. On a day I thought I would cry all night, I ended up feeling blessed. Rick brought home two bottles of my favorite wine and a ridiculous amount of roses. Between the support of Rick, family, friends, and our planner, it was impossible to be sad.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The guests. Our friends and family booked flights, took off work, and made hotel accommodations not once, but twice. We felt very loved and supported.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We both work in the medical field, and met while working together.
Tell us all about the proposal! We love to run together in our neighborhood. One Saturday, Rick insisted we run at sunset instead of in the morning. He is much faster than me, so he was about a quarter of a mile ahead of me. When I finally caught up to him, he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was in shock at first, since I had waited five years for this. It was not until I realized he was tearing up that it hit me. I loved that he proposed during an activity we enjoy together. It was not the typical romantic story, but it was us. I drive by the proposal spot each day and it reminds me of that day and how lucky I am.
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 55
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. I walked down the aisle to The Beatles’ “In My Life.” My father loved the Beatles and the song reminded me of him. Our first dance was to Michael Buble’s version of “Feeling Good.” We wanted the dance to be fun, not the typical slow dance. We took dance lessons for several weeks and incorporated lots of spins and lifts. We wanted our friends and family to be excited during the dance.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I only had something blue: a piece of my father’s favorite blue shirt cut into the shape of a heart and sewn into my wedding dress.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $75,000-$100,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? We set an overall budget for the wedding and then set budgets for each individual item, from wedding invites to the band. We made sure that the budget we set for each item and vendor was followed and not broken.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are excited to continue to grow as a couple. We plan on traveling a lot over the next few years and really enjoying this time in our lives.

Bellelina is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory and Maggie Sottero is a wonderful Southern Weddings sponsor!

Written with love by Marissa

1 Comment

Tags: charleston, Lowndes Grove, top notch entertainment, Virgil Bunao

Ashlee March 30, 2017 reply

What a great testament to the couple’s resilience through less than ideal circumstances with Hurricane Matthew! And the reception looks dreamy (those chairs!).

ACRE Restaurant Wedding by Cameron Reynolds

by Marissa in Real Southern Weddings on March 20, 2017

With a wedding as lovely as Elizabeth and Patton’s it’s hard not to get lost in the details…especially the magical florals that Oxford Florals created and the fun yellow front door of the ACRE Restaurant. In fact, said front door set the tone for the entire theme of Elizabeth and Patton’s decor, from the bridesmaid dresses to the cake! They wanted their wedding day to embody that same feeling of “home” that they instantly felt when they visited ACRE for the first time. Looking at their photos, I was already smitten, but after reading their interview, there was so much more that I fell in love with about their wedding. My favorite detail was that Elizabeth grew up picturing her grandfather officiating her wedding. He was not only able to do just that, but he did so in the church she grew up in!

Thanks to Cameron Reynolds for being on hand to capture such a sweet day!

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What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? A September wedding was a natural fit for our timeline. Not only was the church available, but my grandfather was also free. My entire life, I had always imagined my grandfather, a retired Presbyterian minister, marrying me in my home church in Memphis, Tennessee. While my ideal reception venue, taste in wedding colors, and dream wedding dress have changed throughout my life, my desire to be married by my grandfather and walk down the aisle of Second Presbyterian Church has always remained a constant. Once the church was set, the rest of the details began to take shape. After exploring many options, we decided to have our wedding reception at ACRE Restaurant. Not only was ACRE conveniently located close to the church, it immediately felt like home. I found the neutral interior colors soothing to my soul. As I walked around to each dining space, I could envision the evening of our wedding reception, and the atmosphere seemed perfect. But my most favorite part of ACRE was the bright yellow front door! The contrast of the yellow door against the dark gray house and lush green landscape set the tone for the entire theme of our wedding. The flowers, wedding paper, bridesmaid dresses, cake, and many other details would soon be created to embody that same touch of home.

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Every girl dreams of her perfect wedding dress, and my dress did not disappoint! I knew I wanted a classic lace dress with cap sleeves, but it was not until I put on this dress that I knew I had found my dream dress. I felt beautiful and classy. Since we decided months earlier not to have a first look, I couldn’t wait to see Patton’s face when he saw me for the first time as I walked down the aisle.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Of all the things that brought Patton and I together, the most important thing that holds us together is our faith. Patton and I wanted our wedding to be a worship service, so each song we selected was specially picked for that purpose. A string quartet welcomed our guests, and Patton actually played the prelude since music is one of Patton’s greatest passions. He has enjoyed playing instruments for most of his life, so I knew I wanted to weave that into our day. The mothers and grandmothers walked in to “Be Thou My Vision,” which is a tradition that goes back for three generations in my family. The bridesmaids walked in to “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” one of my favorite hymns! I also gave each of my bridesmaids a framed calligraphy print of this hymn to thank them for being part of our special day. I walked in to “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” and the entire congregation sang “To God be the Glory.” Once Patton and I were announced husband and wife, the congregation rejoiced by singing “The Doxology.”

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! A special pocket was made on the inside of my dress to hold a four-leaf clover that has been worn by many generations of women in my family when they got married. My grandmother, mother, aunts, and sister have all carried this special heirloom on their wedding days. I was honored to carry this good luck charm as my something old and something borrowed on my special day too! My something new was my wedding dress, and I wore a blue diamond-studded ring as my something blue.

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I absolutely loved the natural look of ACRE and I wanted our wedding flowers to take on this same look. A simple green and yellow watercolor was the backbone of our paper details, and I wanted the flowers to incorporate this theme. The flowers scattered throughout the wedding and the reception took on the loose, natural look of ACRE, and each flower detail incorporated the butter yellow and green colors of the watercolor we used for our paper details. My favorite flower detail was the flower guitar that adorned the mantle above the groom’s cake.

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What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? While the details are important, the most important detail is the marriage that the wedding represents. That is the true gift! As a bride, I wish I had remembered to take a step back and breathe more. If you are planning a wedding, remember that the perfect day pales in comparison to the gift you will receive in marriage. After all, the wedding details are simply memories. Life will go on… you will be married! However, in the meantime, enjoy the process. The real party has just begun!

Music is one of Patton’s greatest passions. He has enjoyed playing instruments for most of his life, so I knew I wanted to weave this into our day. During the prelude at the ceremony, Patton played the piano, but I also wanted to surprise him with something special at the reception. With the help of both the Flour Garden and Oxford Floral, a room at ACRE was designed just for Patton. He was not only surprised by the groom’s cake that looked exactly like his banjo, but the reaction on his face was priceless when he noticed that the stone mantle above the cake was adorned with flowers made to look like his guitar. We also handed out blow-up banjos and tambourines on the dance floor, so that our guests could actively enjoy the music of the evening with us. Our wedding cake was also beautifully designed by the Flour Garden. It was a simple five-tier white cake. Each layer was either buttercream or coconut cake, and the cake tasted as good as it looked! The cake was adorned with beautiful yellow and green sugar flowers that were made to match the flowers scattered throughout the reception. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the sugar flowers were real.

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How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Patton and I met during out freshman year at Ole Miss. We were friends for the first couple of years of school, but things turned to more than friendship during our junior year.
Tell us all about the proposal! It happened on February 4, 2016 in the parking garage of my office in Birmingham, Alabama. I walked out of work to find Patton on one knee with a ring in his hand. Completely surprised, I was overjoyed to say yes!
When did y’all get married? September 10, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 350
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Patton and I decided not to do a first look. We wanted our wedding to be very traditional, so seeing each other for the first time when the doors of the church swung open seemed fitting. I wanted to see Patton’s genuine reaction as I walked down the aisle towards him. His reaction was perfect!
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My dear friend Sarah read Ephesians 3:14-21, and my grandfather gave a homily on a passage that has been very special to Patton and me throughout our relationship: Romans 8:1-11.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Guests traveled from near and far to support us, and I wanted each person to have a token of our gratitude. Gift boxes filled with water bottles, caramel corn, and cookies were waiting at the hotels upon their arrival. The cookies were in the shape of Mississippi and Tennessee, and little red hearts were placed over Patton’s hometown of Jackson and my hometown of Memphis.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The perfect ending to the perfect beginning was driving away from our smiling family and friends in a 1957 FORD Thunderbird… I can’t imagine a better way to start my life as a Ford! From getting ready at my childhood home to the ceremony being performed by my grandfather at my home church, September 10th was an absolute dream. As I reflect back on my wedding day, I feel like I have been given the most amazing gift. So many people worked extremely hard to make every detail perfect, and I will forever be thankful.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? Our next chapter is going to be filled with adventure! After dating long distance for the past couple of years, we are thrilled to begin our lives together in Jackson, Mississippi.

12th Table is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa

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Tags: Acre restaurant, cameron reynolds, lace wedding dress, Maggie Louise Bridal, Memphis wedding, restaurant wedding