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For years, readers and vendors have been asking me whether we’d ever done a “mountain shoot.” For no particular reason, the answer was always no — which is sad, because I and so many of y’all adore the mountains, and because so many of the love stories we feature on Southern Weddings start in the shadow of the Blue Ridge or the Great Smokies, usually in the tents and mess halls of camp. (Just take a gander at a few of our past real weddings for proof!)

Love in a Mist is for all of you who met while spending a summer away, who fell in love around a campfire, or who decided to be together forever while serving as counselors. I hope this beautifully atmospheric day takes you right back to those years of mountain laurel and canoes, and maybe even inspires a mountain wedding of your own.

It’s hard to think of a better team to have brought this vision to life than photographer Graham Terhune and stylist and designer Tailor & Table, so if you adore this color palette or love this region, don’t hesitate to be in touch with these talented folks!

Typo Boutique created a truly stunning invitation suite, complete with hand-torn paper to mimic the misty mountains.

Natalia created the most stunning wildflower bouquets for our ladies, overflowing with Queen Anne’s lace and coreopsis.

To evoke our couple’s summer camp love story, we set up a ceremony-in-the-round at dusk, lit by lanterns — reminiscent of the intimacy of a campfire!

That fishtail braid! Emily Anne Hair did such a beautiful job with our ladies.

Lonesome Valley had no shortage of picture-perfect locations, but my favorite was probably this little boathouse where we set up cocktail hour. From the stones ringing the lake to the color of the clapboards, the only word that seems fitting is idyllic!

Picking up detail from the invitation suite, Handy Dandy Productions crafted this custom bar with strips of textured fabric. It was incredible in person!

For creative cocktail hour fare, we opted for a peanuts and popcorn bar: in-the-shell nuts, cornsticks, local honey, honey butter, and freshly-popped corn!

Dinner with a view, indeed! We couldn’t stop staring at the breathtaking rock face Lonesome Valley is graced with!

Don’t miss our behind-the-scenes film from SW favorite Inkspot Crow — but please try to ignore the fact that we all look like drowned rats! :)

Be sure to pick up your copy of Southern Weddings V9 in stores today, or in our shop!

Photographer: Graham Terhune | Designer, stylist, and florals: Tailor & Table | Film processing: Richard Photo Lab | Videographer: Inkspot Crow | Venue: Lonesome Valley | Hair: Emily Anne Hair | Makeup: Ali Lawless | Catering and desserts: Canyon Kitchen Catering | Paper goods and matchbox printing: Typo Boutique | Rentals: Goodwin Events | Lanterns and props: Tailor & Table | Silk ribbon: Adorn Company | Linens: La Tavola Linens | Jewelry: Jewelry by Blitz | Bluegrass band: Elliot Sperrin | Custom bar: Handy Dandy Productions | Bride’s gown: Truvelle | Bridesmaid tops and groom’s vest: ASOS | Bridesmaid skirts: Anthropologie | Groom’s tie: BudeVintage

Graham Terhune and Inkspot Crow are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

emily Written with love by Emily
5 Comments
  1. avatar Elizabeth | Elizabeth Burns Design reply

    One of my favorite shoots to date! I LOVE the simplicity and rawness of this shoot. That backdrop speaks for itself! :)

  2. avatar Mary Kay reply

    I love the ceremony-in-the-round! You can almost feel the soft coolness of dusk, warmed by the glow of the latterns!

  3. avatar Dana reply

    One of my favorites!

  4. avatar Skylar Caitlin reply

    This was one of my favorites from the issue – and I definitely couldn’t pick just one. My jaw dropped when I turned the page to see the tablescape with those perfect little chairs. And the idea of creating a circular ceremony set up to mimic a campfire – genius! Also, adored watching the behind-the-scenes video. Inkspot Crow Films did a beautiful job capturing the action.

  5. avatar Jani reply

    Beautiful, love the style of the ceremony!

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As soon as Caitlin and Davis’ wedding photos arrived in Lisa‘s inbox, she knew I would fall head over heels. A classic Southern church wedding filled with monograms and magnolias? You can bet your bottom dollar she was right! Magnolias are my very favorite flower–I not only love how gorgeous they are, but also how they seem to honor the South with every bloom. For Caitlin and Davis, the use of magnolia leaves and flowers throughout their wedding weekend had an even deeper meaning that makes my heart so happy: it was their way of honoring Davis’ parents. On Davis’ parents wedding day, Davis’ father and groomsmen had cut down and arranged magnolia leaves and blooms found on a neighbor’s tree to create the decor, so decades later, it was only fitting that Caitlin and Davis included magnolias in their day, too. What an incredibly sweet family tradition in the making!

Thank you so much to Landon Jacob for sharing this beautiful day with us!

On the day Davis and I got engaged, my mother had a “wedding survival kit” prepared for the two of us, complete with various wedding magazines to browse. Too excited to sleep after our family dinner, I snuck into my television room and spent hours looking at the various dresses, hairstyles, bouquets, and wedding colors. I fell in love with a classic, silk dress, complete with an Audrey Hepburn-esque bow on the front, but it ended up not being quite right for me. Back to square one, we went ahead and made a few calls to bridal boutiques in Raleigh. We squeezed in an appointment at one boutique upon the recommendation of a friend, and I described what I was looking for: an a-line dress, free of tulle and beading, with perhaps a bit of lace–very classic and sophisticated lines. After trying on a few dresses, I noticed a dress on the racks that called out to me. It had tulle, beading, a full princess-like skirt–all the things I had said I didn’t want–but I just loved it! I tried it on, and knew instantly that it was the dress for me. It fit me like a glove from the first fitting to the wedding day, proving how perfect it truly was.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did decide to do a first look. When we first began to think about our wedding, I placed a lot of emphasis on Davis seeing me for the first time as I walked down the aisle. The more we got into the planning process, the more we realized how equally important time with our family and friends was to us, and how much we wanted to soak in as many moments with them as possible on our wedding day. Doing a first look allowed us to keep that special moment between the two of us, but also allowed us to spend more time with family and friends at the reception. It was the best of both worlds!

We chose three readings: Proverbs 3:1-6, Corinthians 13:1-13, and Colossians 3:12-17. The first is one of our parents’ favorite Bible passages. The second, though used often, is one of my favorite passages, and the third passage was one we found while looking for readings–it really spoke to how we want to live our lives together in marriage. As much as I loved each of our readings for various reasons, I also loved the Bible passage we used at the end of our program, as I thought it was a wonderful final thought to impart to our guests: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (Thessalonians 3:12). Furthermore, it really speaks to our love not only for each other, but for our family and friends who were celebrating with us.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? St. Paul’s was my personal church after I converted to Episcopalian about two years prior to our wedding. We held our reception at Old Town Club, which is the club I grew up going to in town. It was extra special because I was the swim coach there for many years, and worked alongside Jeana McLean, the special events coordinator at OTC, for various swim team events. It was such fun for me to move from planning a hot dog dinner for the swim team to planning my wedding with her!

My mom and I ADORE flowers, and have admired Reggie’s work for years. We were so excited to find out he was available to help us on our special day. He came and met with us for hours, fine-tuning the look we were going for, and learning all of our favorites. Magnolias, peonies, roses, tulips, hydrangeas, and ranunculus are all favorite blooms, and we knew we wanted to do some type of hanging greenery element to create a one-of-a-kind look in our tent for dinner. We also wanted a clean and classic look with all whites and greens to create an elegant setting for our cocktail hour, dinner and reception.

One of the best parts of wedding planning was the food, wine, and cake tasting! We decided on a play off of the clean and classic look of the flowers and event as a whole, creating a plain white cake with pearled edges, an oversized bow (I have loved bows since I was little), and a gold-edged magnolia blossom. Our flavors were vanilla with strawberry, almond with raspberry, and chocolate with cookies and cream filling. A fun fact about the cake was that it was “fake cake” in the tent! Getting married in June and having a seated dinner in a tent, we were concerned about the hot temperatures and the cake falling. Chloe and Becca helped us develop the genius idea to have one slice of real cake to cut, marked off by ribbon on the cake’s platform, and the rest be a fondant, styrofoam creation. This way, our cake in the tent would look amazing, while our cake coming out of the kitchen would be fresh and delicious.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Take time to soak in the small moments. I still vividly remember gripping my dad’s arm before walking down the aisle; we remember standing in the club’s office, hearing everyone buzzing outside before the confetti throw; and we remember the looks on my grandmothers’ and mother’s faces as they danced on stage with my bridesmaids and me. Pictures can say a thousand words, but we love having our personal memories too.

Don’t miss Caitlin and Davis’ wedding film by our Blue Ribbon Vendor Inkspot Crow below!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. I moved home to Winston-Salem, where Davis was in law school at Wake Forest University. I needed a roommate and, through friends, was set up to room with a childhood friend of Davis’, Ellery. Through Ellery and her boyfriend (now husband), Wes, Davis and I got to know each other. The greatest part about the start of our relationship was that we were friends first, and then began dating about seven months later.
Tell us all about the proposal! Once Davis graduated from law school, we dated long distance for about two years, as he got a job at a law firm in Raleigh. We often alternated travel between our two cities on the weekend, and we had already planned to spend the long Easter weekend together in Winston. I’m a teacher and often get to school early in the morning, but knew Davis was traveling to town, so I decided to take my time picking up the house and doing laundry before getting to school. Finally, I arrived, turned on the lights, set my coat down, and went to pull up my morning message on my white board. To my surprise, there was already a note written that read, “Will You Marry Me?” I stood at the board, pondering this message, wonder what student was playing a trick on me. I turned to head into the hall to find my trickster, when I heard a voice from the reading loft call out my name. Davis came down, flowers and ring in hand, got down on his knee, and asked me to marry him right there in my classroom. It was a special moment between just the two of us, but that special moment was made even sweeter when parents, colleagues, friends, and students celebrated with us in my classroom that day. The icing on the cake of our engagement day was Davis arranging a private dinner for both of our families at one of my favorite Winston restaurants. He spoke with the chef to create a personalized menu, ensured our siblings and grandparents could travel in from various parts of the country, and even had my favorite flowers arranged in the middle of the table. It truly was a perfect day!
When did y’all get married? June 20, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 340
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did not. We thought we would be too nervous to remember them! :)
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our first dance was to “You are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. We loved it while we were dating and it seemed fitting for our first dance as husband and wife. An additional special moment involving music was when our horns section of the band came down into the tent as a second line, playing “When the Saints Go Marching In,” to get people out of their seats and up to the dance floor. This second line moment was a surprise for Emily, Davis’ sister, who lives in New Orleans and loves the tradition of a second line. Tears welled up in her eyes as she mouthed her thanks to us, and joined the crowd processing upstairs. It was so fun for us to create special moments for not only ourselves, but also for our family members on our wedding day.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There were SO many elements of our day that we loved! However, probably most special was our use of magnolia leaves and blooms throughout our weekend. They were included in everything from our invitation suite and flowers to our embroidered cocktail napkins and cake decorations. Davis’ parents planned and executed all aspects of their own wedding, down to gathering and arranging flowers themselves. Days before their wedding, Davis’ father and groomsmen packed into a pick up truck and headed to a nearby neighbor’s farm, where they cut down and arranged many of the magnolia leaves and blooms found on the large trees in the yard. These were the only flowers for their special day, so we loved the idea of highlighting the magnolia in our design for our wedding day, too.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? While planning our wedding, we took part in premarital counseling. While we feel like we communicate well and have discussed many important elements of our future–such as finances and a future family–it was nice to have a third party bring up new ideas for us to consider. I also kept a journal for Davis for the entire year leading up to our wedding day, sharing quotes, Bible passages, funny stories, and things I was looking forward to as a married couple. This was a part of his wedding gift, and I gave it to him days before our wedding so he could read it and share in the excitement I felt before our special day. Davis still claims this as one of his most cherished possessions.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We have jumped into marriage head first! We are currently building a house and love going through the process. We have always heard about the stress it can bring, but we have truly enjoy making decisions and selections together. Beyond that, we look forward to continuing to travel and, someday down the road, having a family. We grew up with such wonderful examples of marriage and parenting in our own families, and can’t wait to hopefully set the same example for our children in the future.

Photographer: Landon Jacob Photography | Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films | Planner: Rebecca Rose Events | Ceremony Venue: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church | Reception Venue and Caterer: Old Town Club | Florist: Reggie’s Flower Shoppe | Cake Baker: Cakes by Chloe | Lighting, Tenting, Chairs, China, Glassware, and Flatware: Party Reflections | Band: Big Swing and the Ballroom Blasters | Cocktail Hour and Dinner Music: Jazz Trio by Allegro Music | Paper Products: Rebecca Rose Creative | Bride’s Gown: “Amour” by Kenneth Pool | Bride’s Veil: Alexia’s Bridal | Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Makeup for Your Day | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Style #740 in Navy by Bill Levkoff | Bridal Salon: J Major’s Bridal Boutique | Menswear: Jean Yves | Linens: La Tavola and Nuage Designs | Envelope Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher Jones

Rebecca Rose Events is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
1 Comment
  1. avatar Sarah Chancey reply

    Everything Landon does is absolute gold, and this wedding is no exception. I love the clean lines and elegant floral installations. The navy bridesmaid gowns also pair well with this elegant affair!

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Hello! This post couldn’t have come during a better week–Dave and I flew up to Syracuse over the weekend for an engagement party with his family and friends in New York. My future in-laws outdid themselves with the sweetest “North meets South” party, complete with mason jars, my favorite Southern delicacies, Dave’s favorite goodies from New York, and even a real wagon wheel, in honor of our song! We were tickled pink, and it made us even more excited for our wedding, less than one year from now!!

Shortly after we chose our beautiful venues and amazing photographer, Dave and I turned to one of our next priority vendors: a videographer. Having read countless stories of brides who regretted not getting any video on their wedding day, or being disappointed when the whole “friend with a video camera” thing yielded less-than-stellar results, skimping on a videographer was not an option for Dave and me. I’m the resident wedding film nerd in the SW office and the term “cry-teria” was even jokingly coined as a standard I review films with–I get teary-eyed over most!

North Carolina is home to an impressive number of wonderful videographers (view them in the Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!), but Dave and I were pretty set on our top choice. When we tell people the story of how we met and fell in love (read it here if you missed it), one thing people say to us often is that it sounds like a movie. To be honest, it has felt like one at times too! Our wedding day is one of the few big moments in our lives that will be on video, so we knew we wanted to hire someone we could trust to capture our relationship and the feeling of everything that led to our wedding day in a thoughtful and cinematic way. Thanks to their incredibly story-driven editing skills and filming expertise, Inkspot Crow was the natural choice!

Dave and I set aside a good portion of our budget for videography, but when we found out that Inkspot Crow’s smallest filming package was a few hundred dollars more than what we had budgeted, we almost backed out. There were some other things we could cut from our budget to make it work, but we took awhile to figure out whether or not it was worth it to us. In the end, we decided that we would rather have a smaller videography package that we were super confident about, rather than a larger package that we perhaps weren’t quite as confident about. (Disclaimer: I’m not saying at ALL that a more expensive vendor is always the best choice, no exceptions, but for us, we decided to splurge more because Inkspot Crow’s style was the perfect fit for us.)

We also made our decision with the sparkling recommendation of SW’s own Emily and John! I’m sure I’m not the only one who absolutely swooned over their wedding highlights film last year (see below!), and Emily spoke so highly of her experience with MacKenzie and Philip. Additionally, now that I know Emily and John personally, I can attest to the fact that their video is so them. When it comes down to it, the most important thing we want from our wedding video is for it to be a true reflection of our story and personalities. Especially considering that E&J’s fits them to a tee, Dave and I have total faith in Inkspot Crow to make our film reflect us beautifully as well.

Will you be hiring a videographer? How did you make your decision?

In case you missed a post…
I’m Engaged!
The Main Characters
Our Venues
Our Photographer

lisa Written with love by Lisa
16 Comments
  1. avatar Emily reply

    So excited for you guys!! I can’t say enough how glad I am that MacKenzie + Phillip were a part of our day. In addition to our love story, to us, it was priceless to have all of our loved ones, who won’t be around forever, captured for posterity laughing, dancing, smiling, and crying in such a beautiful way. And, of course, I am already looking forward to showing it to our future children :)

  2. avatar Molly reply

    LESS THAN A YEAR! Enjoy every second…it will fly by! Emily’s video is the sweetest!!!

    • avatar Lisa reply

      You’re so sweet! I’ll be thinking about you this weekend and can’t wait to see pictures of your big day!! :)

  3. avatar Kat reply

    I’m SO happy you two decided to hire a videographer!!! It is well worth the price tag & you’ll cherish it forever! I LOVE Inkspot Crow films and can’t wait to watch yours :) xo!!

  4. avatar MacKenzie reply

    Lisa, thank you so much for such incredibly kind words. I loved reading about your and Dave’s thought process in hiring us to capture your wedding. Less than 1 year! We can’t wait!

  5. avatar Ashley Relvas reply

    love this and inkspot crow! i only wish i had known about inkspot crow when i got married. such a wonderful decision and looking forward to seeing the video from your big day :)

  6. avatar Wedding Belles Photo reply

    These videos are top notch!

  7. avatar Whitley Gaffney reply

    Ah, I have been in love with this company for some time now (thanks to SW!) – I loved watching Emily’s video and can’t wait to see yours!

    My favorite Inkspot Crow video is a Washington D.C. wedding, I tear up every time – I love a good cry.

    Hoping one day this fabulous duo will shoot my wedding as well :)

    • avatar Lisa reply

      Thanks, Whitley! I joke with Emily that I watch her wedding video once a week :P All of Inkspot Crow’s videos are just so good!!

  8. avatar Dana reply

    I can’t wait for your wedding video!! Is it may 2015 yet!?!?!

  9. avatar Lisa's Southern Wedding: Planning Our Engagement Pictures – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] Source unknown, Jamie Beck After spending so many years admiring other people’s engagement pictures, I suspect it is going to feel very strange being the one in front of the camera! I am 100% confident that Ryan and Tracy can work their magic on Dave and I, but truth be told, I always get pretty nervous before big photo shoots. Any last-minute advice is more than welcome! :) In case you missed a post… I’m Engaged! The Main Characters Our Venues Our Photographer Our Videograper […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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