Southern Weddings

A good ole farm wedding in the North Carolina mountains was perfect for Whitney + John. Locally-grown flowers were loving assembled by the bride’s friends and placed in jars that topped the tables, while napkins with the familiar check pattern of cook outs below the Mason-Dixon sat waiting for barbecue and biscuits. The rustic details and romantic setting in the mountains is as sweet as can be. Guests partied the night away to a bluegrass band and then gathered to give Whitney + John a proper sparkler exit. Thanks again to Oh, Darling! Photography for sharing this lovely wedding!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? John and I grew up in Pennsylvania and California, but spent the last 5 years in Chapel Hill, NC. We’ve learned to love so many elements of the culture and the natural landscape of the South. We incorporated our favorites into the wedding. We married in Western North Carolina, which we are convinced is one of the most beautiful places on earth, we served pulled pork BBQ for dinner, our ceremony music was provided by a bluegrass trio, and all of our flowers were grown by a local farmer.
Describe your wedding flowers: Our flowers were one of the best parts of the wedding. Meredith McKissick at Sweet Earth Flower Farm was brilliant. She worked from the beginning to offer us beautiful blooms that coordinated with our theme and preferences. She delivered buckets of flowers the day before the wedding, and our friends and family lovingly arranged them in Weck jars. My bouquet – which took my breath away– was designed by Meredith.
Describe your wedding cake: Jodi and her team at Short Street Cakes baked us cupcakes in four amazing flavors. Our cutting cake was strawberry, made with fresh berries. It was delicious, but we only got one bite at the wedding!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? John and I got married at a very busy time. We moved up north (to NYC for John, Philadelphia for me) immediately after the wedding, so the weeks leading up to it involved packing and saying goodbye to our home and friends in NC. It was emotional and physically exhausting, but we were lucky to have lots of support. We couldn’t have done it alone.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Photography!! We’re just so happy and feel so lucky to have had Whitney and Dustin of Oh, Darling! capture our day.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We wrote simple and honest vows. When we started talking about them several months ago, we only knew that we wanted to say the same vow to one another and that we didn’t want anything overwrought. John and I thought it was important to include a line about how our marriage was about our dedication to one another but also our commitment to the other people in our lives, whether it be friends, family, or our communities. Our favorite lines were “I promise to join with you completely, to laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in times of sorrow, to serve others in peace and hope, and grow with you in love.”
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We’re living apart this year for clinical psychology internships, so we just see each other on weekends. We’re making the most of those weekends! Once were in the same place, we are very much looking forward to starting a family, settling into careers, and making a home.

Photographer: Oh, Darling! // Videographer: Brother // Coordinator: Claxton Farm // Venue: Claxton Farm// Florist: Sweet Earth Flower Farm // Wedding Cake Baker: Short Street Cakes // Caterer: M7 Events // Paper Products: Hello! Lucky // Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Emersonmade // Bride’s Shoes: J.Crew // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew // Accessories: earrings by Katrina Lapenne

Written with love by Nicole

Whitney + John’s wedding at Claxton Farm was relaxed and naturally beautiful. The flowers, which were grown by a local farmer, were a fresh and lush accompaniment to Whitney’s bridesmaids in J.Crew and to her own simple and elegant Nicole Miller dress. With a couple of flowers in her hair, she was ready to say “I do” to John in a wide open field where their ceremony took place. Whitney + John are convinced that Western North Carolina is one of the most beautiful places on earth and we have to agree — just look at the view their guests took in as the two recited their vows! Big thanks to Oh, Darling! for sharing!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. John and I met while we were both research assistants in a psychology lab at UC Berkeley. John was my supervisor. For the first year we knew each other, we were very professional and very friendly. I thought he was the greatest person – kind, smart, sensitive, and charming. About a year later, our dear friend (and later our officiant!), Sarah asked both of us to help with a research project. Our job was to code videotaped arguments between couples! After a few months of working together, we went on a date.
Describe the proposal. John and our dear friend Sarah planned the proposal. I was in graduate school and living in North Carolina, and John was still in the Bay Area. I flew back to California for my birthday, and John surprised me with a trip to Sonoma to stay at one of our favorite little inns. One night, we went to a delicious dinner and returned to our room to find it transformed. Sarah had followed us to Sonoma and collaborated with the innkeeper to fill our room with roses, candles, chocolate, and our favorite music while we were away. I remember thinking that this was the best birthday of my life and then I turned and realized that John was on one knee!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Genuine, warm, exuberant
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: A few years ago, our very good and very talented friend, Patrick wrote us a song for our wedding (at this point, we had been engaged for a few years). A few weeks before the wedding, he revised it to reflect the ways our relationship had grown. He sang it for us immediately after the ceremony. It was really amazing. We also loved our invitations. We took a photo of Claxton Farm and sent it to Hello! Lucky in San Francisco and asked her to help us create an invite that incorporated the green hills, the sky and sun, and the barn. The result was beautiful. The sun from the invitation became a decor theme, reflected in the place cards and thank-you cards. We told ourselves that even if it was cloudy on the day of the wedding, we’d have a sunny celebration!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I found my dress at Lovely Bridal Shop, in NYC. My sister and I converged in the city one weekend several months before the wedding, and I tried on several at this sweet boutique. I put on my Nicole Miller dress and fell in love with it. It had the simplicity and the details that I wanted, and it was (thankfully) well within my budget!

Photographer: Oh, Darling! // Videographer: Brother // Coordinator: Claxton Farm // Venue: Claxton Farm// Florist: Sweet Earth Flower Farm // Wedding Cake Baker: Short Street Cakes // Caterer: M7 Events // Paper Products: Hello! Lucky // Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Emersonmade // Bride’s Shoes: J.Crew // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew // Accessories: earrings by Katrina Lapenne

Written with love by Nicole