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For those of you who couldn’t get enough of the dreamy Watercolor wedding we posted on Wednesday (right, that would be all of us!), we’re fixin’ to continue the party with Natalie and Wade’s wedding film! Celia Hilton of Momentus Films sent it our way, and we couldn’t be happier to share it with y’all.

Click here to see the gorgeous fashion and ceremony and here to see the reception details. We also put together a Get the Look board for your planning pleasure!

P.S. Ready for some more clips? Here are a few past favorites:
A Southern winter wedding from Inkspot Crow
A glamorous Charleston wedding from Elysium Productions
A sweet South Florida shoot from Cabana Pictures

emily Written with love by Emily
2 Comments
  1. avatar Amanda Noel reply

    This made me tear up a little! Beautiful.

  2. avatar Lucy Clement reply

    I’m crying and I dont even know this couple. WOW. What a beautiful film and story. Love it!

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Do you ever have those days when you realize you need more words in your vocabulary? I, for instance, get in the habit of saying “awesome” or “perfect” when I could be saying things like “jaw-dropping” and “impeccable.” (Confession: I just used a thesaurus for that last word. That’s how bad it is! They don’t even pop into my head!)

Today, I could have used the word “sweet” to describe Holly + Chase’s wedding, but when I sat back and broke it down, there was much more to the feelings I have about their Alabama wedding. Looking through these photos from Rylee Hitchner makes me feel like I’m home. You know, that feeling you get when you know exactly how long it takes for the water to get hot, where the glasses and spoons are, and the sound of the back door creaking as your friends walk in.

Don’t you feel right at home in these photos? I love that good family friends of Holly + Chase let them use their home to host this wedding. It was also the spot where Chase popped the question, making it one of the couple’s favorite details. “Not only was the home a warm, charming and picturesque piece of art in itself, the family that lives there are the kindest of friends, and their home had truly been a haven to us both at different points apart and then together as we began to fall in love.”

We love how Holly described the Southern elements of her wedding. “I think what makes the South so iconic is it’s preservation of a sense of real community and that was a shining theme in our wedding. More than the beautiful Alabama home, more than the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the background, more than the homemade biscuits and cornbread, the most important Southern element was the way our families, friends and neighbors banded around us, offering their creative talents to make our wedding beautiful.”

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Having known each other for about five years, I don’t know that we would have started dating if we hadn’t bumped into each other several times in the span of a couple days. After those few, fortunate run-ins in the summer of 2010, we ended up spending tons of time together right before Chase left for a summer in Ireland and before I moved to South Carolina for a new job. While Chase was overseas, I made the decision to move to Uganda for six months and, no hard feelings involved, knew we probably wouldn’t date. Somewhere in those fall months before I left, we found ourselves talking all the time anyway. We fell fast, making for a very long six months apart while I was in Uganda! Chase flew to see me for 7 days in March, I got home in May and we were engaged in June. It was the best kind of whirlwind!
Describe the proposal. After I returned from Uganda, I started working at a local shop back in Alabama. Saturdays were usually slow, and one Saturday in particular it was so slow that my boss gave me the afternoon off. When I got off work, my friend suggested that we, along with some other friends, ride out to our friends’, the McMurtrie’s, house to pick blueberries, even though they weren’t quite in season yet. I was glad we were going to our friend’s house because Chase had planned to fish on their pond that afternoon. When we arrived, my friends ran out to the blueberry bushes while Robin McMurtrie and I walked out to the pond where Chase and Robin’s husband Tommy were fishing. When we got there, Tommy excused himself and Robin followed. Chase had slyly captured my Bible and read me a passage of scripture that he and Tommy had been talking about and then told me to read a note he had left me between the pages. It was a little note scribbled on a small piece of notebook paper telling me a few things he loved about me. Then, he told me there was another note in the front page. I flipped to it and saw Chase had crossed out “Holly Hereth” and written “Holly Stephenson?” From there, Chase was on one knee! We walked back to the house where friends and family were waiting to surprise me and to celebrate!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Simple, effortless and joyful!
In what month did you get married? October
How many guests attended your wedding? 200
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Well, it was the first one I tried on! I didn’t have much of an idea of what I wanted besides the fact that I wanted something simple with lace. I didn’t even know what to look for on the hanger. My mom actually found my dress. When I tried it on, it just felt like me. After putting on just two others, I was ready to put the first back on. I loved the simple fit, the low back and the scalloping lace over the shoulders.
Describe your wedding flowers: My wedding flowers were actually one of my favorite surprises of the wedding! A sweet friend of mine, Lindsay Rae, offered to arrange them for me. Being such the creative spirit that she is, I knew I could I send her a few photos of bouquets and let her run with it. She made the most beautiful, spilling bouquet for me and the sweetest little arrangements for my bridesmaids, not to mention the boutonnieres for the fellas and the table arrangements.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Our wedding cakes were made by all kinds of loving hands! My friend Grace made the biggest portion of the cake, a delicious spice cake with cream cheese frosting roughly smeared to hold the layers together. Days before the wedding, I started to get nervous that there wouldn’t be enough, so my friend Cassidy helped me make a chocolate stout cake to add to the mix. The cakes we put on display were small and simply decorated with foliage from the landscape. We served guests slices from sheet cakes that no one ever saw!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? I think the biggest challenge came in remembering that the purpose of our wedding was to marry each other. Of course I wanted the day to be lovely, but letting go of my ideal in a lot of areas shifted my focus and let me enjoy the beauty, charm and sanctity of it all. After all, have you ever enjoyed something you’re micromanaging? Probably not.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? Less than $10,000.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Dancing with my bridesmaids right before we walked down the aisle to Motown in our dressing room, and then dancing with Chase to the same songs at the reception.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Forget every wedding you’ve ever been to, and don’t think about the resources you don’t have. If you have a bride, a groom, a pastor and a few friends or family members who love you, you have everything you need to make the sweetest, most magical and meaningful wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We now live in Nashville where we eat chocolate ice cream every night, listen to all the live music we can afford and love being married! We’re most looking forward to going to seminary in a few years, traveling together and eating big Saturday breakfasts every Saturday for the rest of our lives!

Photographer: Rylee Hitchner Photography // Planner: Lindsay Rae ([email protected]) // Venue: McMurtrie Home // Florist: Lindsay Rae ([email protected]) // Wedding Cake Baker: Grace Henderson, Cassidy Gibson // Caterer: Lyn’s Gracious Goodness // Rentals: Mullins Special Occasions // Linens: Barron’s Rental Center // Lighting: Steve Metz // Bride’s Dress: Jessica by Robert Bullock from The Something Blue Shoppe // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Hairpiece from Out of Hand // Bride’s Shoes: Sundance Catalog // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Modcloth

Out of Hand is a member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Do you love this wedding? You might like these, too:
Ashley + Ross’s simple white + kraft wedding here and here.
Meredith + John’s Alabama farm wedding here and here.
Meghan + Chris’s homemade farm wedding here and here.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
13 Comments
  1. avatar Laura reply

    This wedding makes me happy. I pray God’s blessings on this sweet couple.

  2. avatar Kelly Cummings (Spindle Photography) reply

    I love the bride laughing in the photo with the bridesmaids! Lovely photos Rylee!

  3. avatar Emily reply

    Oh, I love that photo with the girls all in a row under the blanket! Reminds me of my sisters :)

  4. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    This is one of those weddings that is beautiful on its own, but truly enhanced by the story told with it. I LOVE her advice. What a wise lady.

  5. avatar rylee hitchner reply

    thank you for this feature, girls!
    i love the entire post.

  6. avatar holly stephenson reply

    yes, thank you! Rylee captured the day so perfectly. I’m so honored y’all think it was as sweet and homey as we did!

  7. avatar Cory Weber reply

    Totally love the girls all in a row, that’s the kind of true expression a great photographer can evoke in their subjects. Nice work Rylee Hitchner Photography

  8. avatar Tim Duncan reply

    These photos are precious! The bride is so stunning! :)

  9. avatar rylee – Meagan Tidwell Design reply

    […] a year ago, my bestie, holly, was looking for a wedding photographer, so my friend kelsey hooked us up with rylee’s […]

  10. avatar HERE WE GO! – Lindsay Rae Design reply

    […] over a year ago this adventure began… I’ll never forget driving to Huntsville, AL for Holly and Chase’s wedding in a freezing cold 4-runner filled with flowers and thinking to myself, “I despise cold […]

  11. avatar rylee | Seed & Water reply

    […] a year ago, my bestie, holly, was looking for a wedding photographer, so my friend kelsey hooked us up with rylee’s […]

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It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another Emily Plans a Wedding post!

I had a hard time figuring out what to name this post, because we’re not really talking about reception details today – at least, not in the small and pretty sense. No, today I wanted to talk about the big blocks – the big rentals.

As you may recall from one of my first posts, our reception is being held outdoors. The tent will be in the Sunken Garden of The O’Neill, with cocktail hour taking place just outside, on the porch and lawn of what I call the Yellow House (and what I think the O’Neill calls the Hammond Mansion). Here’s the pulled-back view, with my notes:

Let’s walk through this chronologically, shall we? Cocktail hour is up first. As of right now, I think we’re going to do passed and set glasses of Prosecco, white wine, and blackberry lemonade during this time, then open the full bar under the tent. On the porch, then, we’ll have one simple 6- or 8-foot table covered with a linen at each end — one for drinks, and one for the cheese/fruit/bread business. Here’s a closer look at the porch:

Imagine a pretty table instead of a picnic table, and a green and white striped awning instead of metal bars.

On the lawn, we’ll have a few high-top cocktail tables for guests to cluster around. I haven’t decided yet if we’ll do floral arrangements or just candles on these. Guests are at cocktail hour for such a short time, and are so busy during it, that I’m guessing they would hardly notice the difference, and it pains me to pay for something like that when it doesn’t really matter to me, either!

The O’Neill also has this interesting little area off to the side of the porch (outside of the walled garden):

I’m thinking it will be a great space during cocktail hour, but I’m not really sure yet what I’ll do to enhance it, if anything. Maybe just candles on the rock ledges, or custom pillows on the chairs? Any suggestions are most welcome.

After cocktail hour, guests will move into the tent. I am SO excited to say that the tent itself will be a Sperry. This is for sure a splurge, as a normal pole tent would have shielded guests from the elements just as well. However, the price differential was not as much as I had initially expected, and in talking to vendors and other brides, it seems like the “feel” that a Sperry tent as opposed to a regular tent can give an event is more than worth the price difference. Plus, since the sheer loveliness of a Sperry means fewer decorations or add-ons (like a tent liner or pole treatments), perhaps we’re saving money in the long run?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sperry Tents, let me introduce you. You can recognize these beauties by their swooping, dramatic peaks, gorgeous sailcloth and pine pole details, and merrily waving flags – my absolute favorite detail. The flags can even be customized to match your wedding colors! Here are a few of my favorite images:

Credits from top to bottom: Cramer Photo via Snippet & Ink, Eric Barry, Landino Photo, Lisa Rigby, two by Justin & Mary, and Weddings by Two via Snippet & Ink

These tents take on a life of their own after dark.

Credits, top to bottom: Snap! Photography, Iris Photography, courtesy of Sperry, and Justin & Mary

Gorgeous! I have been so pleased with my interactions with my local Sperry office, too. They’ve been polite, courteous, and prompt, which, unfortunately, is not something I can say for every vendor we’ve been in contact with!

Now, what will go under that tent? As you may recall, we’re planning an unusual food service, which means we won’t be doing the typical chairs and tables things. Instead, we’ll be doing a mix. We’ll have several high-top cocktail tables:

Credits, left to right: Mel & Co and Gia Canali

We’ll also have a few smaller round tables to seat 4-5 guests each. I’m thinking 36″ or 48″ rounds, about the size pictured below.

Jen Fariello

For chairs, what I really want is these bamboo beauties:

via Ariella Chezar

They’re less formal than chivaris, but fancier than folding chairs – perfect for an elegant garden evening wedding. Happily, they’re also fairly reasonably priced – usually about $4 per chair, from my research. However, I have not been able to turn up a single rental resource for these in the New England area. If you know of a source, please help!!

If I can’t find my bamboo pretties, then we’ll probably go with something like this, a dark stained folding chair.

A Bryan Photo

Lastly, we’ll have two lounge areas. We haven’t nailed down these rentals yet, but here are a few I like:

Image credits: Lisa Lefkowitz, Michael & Anna Costa, via Matthew Robbins, and personal photo

Last but not least, we will have a dance floor from which to enjoy our awesome music. I have my fingers crossed for a black and white one.

Image by Abby Jiu, via Southern Weddings

Tell me: Are you having a tented reception? What sort of chairs are you having? And do you have a New England source for my bamboo beauties??

Up next: As long as I get my act together and get them out the door, it will be our save the dates!

In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer
I ponder bridesmaid style
Mini food!
The music

emily Written with love by Emily
18 Comments
  1. avatar Kelly Cummings reply

    Gorgeous tents, I love those merrily waving flags too! Your wedding is going to be amazing!

  2. avatar Emily reply

    Lovin those tents!! Our wedding is at a very large house also. With a tent. And I totally underestimated how stressful the rental situation would be. ($8,000 for twinkle lights in the tent?!) Glad your rental process is going smoothly! Wish I could help with those gorgeous chairs!

    • avatar Emily reply

      GOODNESS, Emily!! No one should be charging you $8,000 for twinkle lights!! Hang those babies yourself! Just for reference, we’re getting string lights around the perimeter of the tent from Sperry, and they charge $.85 per foot, so it will be about $150 for our whole tent. Hope that helps!

  3. avatar AmandaR reply

    Your wedding keeps sounding more and more like my own wedding I am planning! Love black and white dance floors – must have. Great plan for the tents! Love them and I am jealous. My mom and I wanted pole tents (I assume the same as “Sperry” tents??), but the dimensions and square footage limitations of the back yard at her house made a pole tent impractical. Her back yard is an English garden with a brick wall and box woods, which limits where tents can be placed. So we went with a frame tent (not as pretty) AND it is more expensive than the pole tent our vendor offers. UGH! I think you will be extremely pleased with your Sperry splurge! Can’t wait to see what else you come up with next!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Great minds think alike, Amanda! :) And while I think Sperry tents would classify as pole tents, not all pole tents are Sperry tents (if that makes sense…). Just wanted to clarify!

  4. avatar Kelly reply

    Love keeping up with your wedding plans! Looks like it’s going to be lovely! While we would’ve loved to have an outdoor reception with a Sperry tent, our hot July date required an indoor facility. We’ll still be hanging swags of Italian string lights and trying to make the most of the barn space. Good luck finding the bamboo chairs!!!

    • avatar Emily reply

      I’m sure your barn space will be just lovely, Kelly! And congratulations on your engagement — I know you were waiting for it! :)

  5. avatar Meredith reply

    I’m so in love with Sperry tents! This post makes me so excited for your wedding, Emily!

  6. avatar Jennifer @EsqEvents reply

    have you tried calling NECR? http://www.newenglandcountryrentals.com/chairs.html

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Jennifer! Someone actually suggested NECR on Twitter yesterday, and I’ve already emailed them! The chairs themselves are very reasonably priced, but the delivery fee is a little much considering we’re based in CT and they’re in MA. However, they’ve been super helpful, and have helped me think of some alternative options! Thanks so much for the suggestion!

  7. avatar Jennifer reply

    Love the plans so far. Have you considered some type of luminaries for that little stone seating area? Maybe some ribbons or lanterns in the trees? Good luck on your chair hunt.

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Jennifer! I most definitely have! I’m kind of strangely enamored with the look of candles on stone walls, so we’ll definitely be doing something like that. Hanging some votives or lights in the trees could be so pretty, too!

  8. avatar Desiree reply

    Hey Emily, great post! :) I wanted you to know that towards the end of December, I successfully pulled off this fun cocktail reception style at my last wedding of 2012. It was a joint effort with the catering BOE, band, & myself. We coordinate flights of food to come out with certain phases of music & the 36in rounds with 4 chairs, plus some high-tops, & 5 lounge areas was more than enough to give ppl a rest…but most of the time they were shakin their groove thangs! It was really awesome to see – not a lull in the whole evening. I’ve used those awesome bamboo chairs at 2 of my weddings down here…too bad New England isnt as into the island-y look as my beach brides…hmm, good luck! OH OH and as far as your cocktail tables, what I suggest to brides is to have lots of your photos printed (engagement, of your first home, from school, from when u were dating, family, as kiddies, pets, etc) & frame them with little tags that have ‘conversation starters’ or ‘fun facts’ on them. Like, “did you know that the newlyweds met at a football game?” next to a pic of you two, ahem, at a football game..”Emily & her beau plan on going to >> for their honeymoon, what do you suggest they see?”. Stuff like that. No flowers, candles or expensive decor needed. And then, you can just reuse the frames for your wedding photos afterward! :)

    • avatar Emily reply

      So glad to hear something similar to what we’re planning worked out for you, Desiree! And I like your cocktail table idea, too!

  9. avatar Allie reply

    Try New England Country Rentals. They’re out of Massachusetts, but they work in all of New England (thank goodness!) and they have those bamboo chairs you like. I am finding them very useful, slightly more pricey, but really great. Hope this helps!

  10. avatar One of Our Brides… Meet Emily Ayer | a jubilee event :: wedding inspiration for the jubilant bride reply

    […] married I go dress shopping We choose a photographer I ponder bridesmaid style Mini food! The music We’re renting a tent! We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres We send out our save the dates I gather hair and makeup […]

  11. avatar Going to the Chapel? Or the Beach? The Countryclub? | Marrily Blog reply

    […] A tented garden: […]

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