Carlie & Michael
How did you two meet? Michael and I met while we both worked at the Tennessee Aquarium. We were in different departments, but we saw each other often in passing. I always thought he was cute and wanted to meet him officially, but I didn't know how to initiate the introduction. Finally one day, a mutual friend and coworker was given a going away party. We were finally introduced and we found we had a lot in common. We truly became great friends in the process of falling in love.
How long was your engagement? We got engaged in an adorable one room log cabin we rented in Asheville, NC. He popped the question in front of the fireplace the night of April 10th, 2011. We were married March 24th, 2012.
What inspired your wedding theme? Michael and I both wanted a sort of vintage feel to our wedding, without being too thematic or kitchy. I wanted to keep the details soft but meaningful and reminiscent of our pasts, but also fun! I really loved the beautiful barn setting mixed with the delicate lace and china. We have always loved the outdoors as well, and wanted our wedding to also have a very natural and earthy feel.
What inspired your wedding color palette? I wanted to keep the palette mostly soft with one color that popped a little more, but still keeping to that vintage feel. With the Bridesmaid's light green and creamy lace, I wanted a nice pink to accent and bring out that Spring feeling. Choosing colors definitely proved harder than I expected! I ended up with coral pink, minty sage green, tan, and robin's egg blue.
What was special about where you got married? The location was absolutely perfect for us. It was just far enough out in the country so that we could see the stars, and it was surrounded by our beautiful mountains. I always wanted to get married and celebrate outside, but I wanted the option of shelter. The barn embodied it all and everything was perfectly budding out on our day.
What do-it-yourself projects did you do? Stationery: Michael designed our invitation package as well as our wedding programs, thank you cards and guest book. He used old barn wood for the background and designed a beautiful calico style floral wrap for the invitations and RSVP, incorporating the blue and coral pink. We also transferred his designs onto wooden signs using a chemical process and a lot of elbow grease.
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Photo booth: Michael and his Dad built our 8x8 photo booth, complete with windows to make the photos feel like they were taken in an old house. I covered the wood with fabric and old frames and hung photos of Michael and I on the "wall". We gathered fun props and created some of our own. Two quilts that were part of the booth were made by my late Grandmother, and we had a faux fur coat that belonged to my Great Grandmother. Unfortunately, the placement of our booth did not allow us to fully use our windows in the booth. Oh well, more fun later.
Centerpieces\Candles: I hot glued twine, lace and pearls onto different sized mason jars, and used the jars for LED candles and as vases for my flowers. We filled the jars with chickpeas and lentils to give them a natural feel.
Cake topper: I hand sculpted our owl cake toppers out of oven baked clay and then painted them with non-toxic paint, and attached a little veil on the bride. I gathered pussy willow branches and chose the right one to make our "tree" for our little owls to sit below.
Guest book: Our thumbprint tree was cut from a tree that had fallen on Michael's Dad's land, and then sanded down to make the perfect smooth surface. I painted the (fake) tree on the tree cookie and we got different colored ink pads for people to leave their thumbprint.
Wedding altar: We chose to make our altar from dogwood branches, and Michael and his Dad built the platform where our minister stood out of cedar from their land, and engraved it with our wedding date for us to keep.
What advice do you have for other brides? Make a timeline for yourself, and don't be afraid to ask for help and delegate. Once you find that look you are going for, things will begin to come together easily, as long as you keep it simple. It is easy to keep adding little details and wanting to do more, but if you can nail down the feeling you want to have, you can begin adding the small things. Also, set up a staged table and try different arrangements, it really helps!
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