Our Wedding

Since it’s full blown wedding season I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the details, tips, and tidbits of our big day!

October 26,2013

It seems like only yesterday that Chris and I tied the knot! It was such a fun day and it seemed to whirl by so fast just like everyone said it would. There were ups, downs, emotional and sentimental moments, mix ups, tears, laughter, and I wouldn’t change any single part of it, because those moments made it out to be one of the best days of our lives!

Decorations:

I have to give my mom all the credit for this because she was “the lady” who executed every wish I had on my extensive list! I might have wanted to strangle you at moments, but you know I love you and I thank you for making our day so special!

Our colors were yellow, gray, and you guessed it, a pop of Robin’s Egg Blue. As a child Chris grew up listening to his mom sing “You Are My Sunshine” and we thought it would be the perfect theme to base our wedding around. I think it’s important to have a theme just so everything comes together and looks cohesive in pictures. However, you don’t want to go overboard with the color theme. It can go south really quick! Keep it simple, tasteful and not trendy! You don’t want to look back and say what were we thinking!!!

My last suggestion for those brides and grooms to be, is to be you! Don’t try and do everything that everyone else does at weddings. Pick out your non-negotiables and focus on the main reason for the day! It’s your commitment to each other and not just a party! Don’t try and make everyone else happy. You will end up not pleasing everyone. The most important thing is that you and your other half is happy. It can be stressful no doubt about that, but in the end it doesn’t really matter what dress your wore or what champagne you did or didn’t drink…in the end it’s about your commitment to your partner. Cherish those special moments with each other. That’s what it’s all about! And most importantly don’t forget to thank your husbands for putting up with your crazy ass for the last months or years of planning!!! You know what I mean ladies!!! Lol!!! #bridezilla on the loose! 27 Dresses..love that movie!!

You might want to grab some popcorn or snacks….or a Charleston Chew 🙂 We still have a little bit more to go….

Our ceremony took place on the golf course around where I grew up so in many ways it felt like home. My family still lives there in the neighborhood so it made it very convenient for transporting and decorating. While I planned everything with the vendors my mom took care of all the details right down to the embossed flower petal cones hanging just so on each of the seats. I remember walking into the venue before anyone had arrived and it was like beautiful dream! Sounds cheesy, yes…but it was everything I had hoped for and more! Everything was transformed in the course of hours all thanks to my family and family friends who worked tirelessly to make our vision come true! I cannot thank you enough! And the weather…look at this beautiful golden hour below…

I think my favorite thing about our wedding decorationns were all the different pieces of furniture my mom brought in to the venue to make it feel like home. She definitely had some tricks up her sleeve that one! I especially loved our his and her table below.

Bride and Groom Table

Cake/Cupcake Table

Guest Book Table

Signs to Ceremony and Reception

We wanted a laid back, casual, family friendly wedding, and I think with the combination of the super hero inspired photo booth props, the lawn games, an epic dance off, a little “Ice Ice Baby” courtesy of my sister Beth, and a eclectic rendition of “Nightmare on My Street” by my husband, and the endless dancing..well.. I think my our wishes came true!

Here are some of the things we couldn’t live without!

S’mores  Bar:

Since it was Fall we thought it would be fun for people to make their own s’mores. We had a long planter custom made of wood and filled it up with pebbles and Sterno cans for people to roast their marshmallows.  Chris even came up with a s’mores menu on a mirror turned chalkboard full of recipes that you could create. My sister wrote the menu out with her perfect handwriting and I didn’t erase it until 3 years later. I just couldn’t bare to see it gone! It now reside as a mirror in our bedroom.

Shrimp & Grits:

My all time favorite dish! What can I say…I grew up in the low country so you have to have shrimp and grits! And what better way to serve them, than off of my mom’s old hutch that my grandfather made for her when she graduated from college. Even though it was an outdoor wedding it felt very homey with furniture brought in to give the space some character.

Candy Bar:

I hand picked a few of our favorite candies to go on our candy bar hutch for people as they left the reception.  The hutch was previously where the guests found their table numbers and then later on was turned into the candy bar of sweet treats! I tried to keep most of them color themed, but then it’s not as fun because it becomes candy that your not so crazy about. I think it turned out pretty cute! We also kept our sparklers here for the send off..another must have!

Kids Games/Lawn Games/Photo Booth:

We had friends and family with kids and so we thought it would be fun to include some fun things for them to do while they were there. I love family-friendly parties because kids just fill the air with such joy sometimes! We offered corn hole, flashlight tag, super hero props for the photo booth since it was almost Halloween and well…my husband is a little obsessed with Marvel! It all made for some pretty hilarious photos!

Cupcakes:

My coworker, Alyson, at the time was a professional baker so I asked her to bake the cupcake tower topper and cupcakes for our wedding. I had found this awesome tiered cupcake holder and envisioned a beautiful and fun display of cupcakes. I was blown away by our cake table decor and delicious tasting confections! They were pure bliss!!! Alyson really knocked it out of the park. We had hummingbird cake, red velvet cake, chocolate and vanilla. Yum! For our 1 year anniversary we saved a few cupcakes in the freezer and they were still pretty delish!

Photography: I really lucked out big time with our sweet photographer Alex Thornton. She is the bees knees…that girl! The most kind hearted, talented, and without a doubt the most genuine person I think I’ve ever met! If you are in the Charleston or Nashville area look her up! I will leave her info below. For a husband who hates taking photos she actually made him comfortable in front of that lens. Alex, we love you! You truly made our day so special and we will cherish our photos for a lifetime! We miss you like we miss Charleston girlie…and I think you know what I mean when I say that! Thank you friend!

Place settings:

Even though it was a buffet style service we still wanted to have a place setting for each guest. I decided that each guest would find their mason jar with their table number and then they could use that jar all night as their cup and souvenir.

The table settings where beautifully done with napkins hanging off the table and each table was lit by a lamp, so it made the outdoor pavilion seem more like a restaurant. All about that ambience!

I think my favorite moment was when I got to dance with my husband for the first time as husband and wife. My nervous excitement of walking down the aisle had worn off, and in that moment I realized that we had finally done it! Even though all eyes were on us I completely felt like it was just us two, dancing for the rest of our lives!

I love you Chris, my heart, my partner in crime, my love of my life! Thank you for loving me. I am truly thankful that God chose you to be my forever.

Thank you also to my hard working mom, stepdad, dad, sister, brothers, friends, family and vendors! It wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of y’all!!!

Thank you for flying by my nest little birdies!!!

Robyn

Photo cred: Alex Thornton Photography 

Follow her on instagram: @alexthorntonphoto

Bouquet and Cake Topper: Ok Florist

Decorations/Floral Arrangements: Jody Green (my mom)

Cupcakes: Alyson Swails

DJ and photo Booth: Rick Rush DJ Service 

Venue: Candelite Pavilion Summerville Country Club