One of my goals for White Thread is to bring you tons of inspiring eye candy that you can use when planning your own Carolina weddings. I think seeing how different venues look for different events and how our area’s many talented wedding professionals interpret varying styles is so helpful to making your own planning decisions.
To that end, I’ve been a busy bee lately reviewing some of the most eye-popping real weddings from every corner of North and South Carolina. All I can say is, OMG are we all in for a treat!
So I figured since I’m going to be all up in other people’s wedding business, it’s only fair to share a peak into my own wedding. Yup, that’s me on a perfect May day, four years ago in the Outer Banks! All photos courtesy of the unmatched talent that is Mary Basnight.
While we love the Outer Banks, we picked Corolla specifically for it’s “tucked away” nature. Set way up on Rt. 12, it’s about as far north as you can get without actually crossing into Virginia (and even then you’d need a four-wheel drive vehicle…the paved road literally ends!) If you’ve never been to Corolla, GO! It is magical and quiet and pristine and all the things that the beach should be without any of the things it shouldn’t. No cheesy boardwalks or mini golf anywhere in sight. We loved the idea of taking our most beloved family and friends out to this “edge of the earth” and just enjoying their warmth and love during such an important time in our lives. On a more practical note, we also wanted something that would allow for a reception and Catholic ceremony in close proximity to one another so as to minimize the amount of travel time on the actual wedding day. Built in 1885 and nestled just up the road from the Currituck Lighthouse and the Whalehead Club, the Corolla Chapel was, in a word, perfect. We had a large tent erected on the grounds of the Whalehead Club for the reception. With 39 acres overlooking the Sound, it made for our ideal waterfront reception location.
As a gift to my soon-to-be husband, I had cuff links custom made from his father’s old Navy uniform buttons. Jolly’s Jewelers in Raleigh did a great job on them and he cherishes them as a meaningful memento of the day.
As soon as we started planning, I knew I wanted our colors to be bold and festive. And I REALLY wanted to stay away from seashells and starfish and anything else overly beachy. I set out to design our wedding invitations and discovered a love (some would say obsession) of letterpress printing. Superior Letterpress out of Cornucopia, WI did the honors and executed my vision brilliantly.
I’m am definitely guilty of saying “this one is my favorite” way too many times when looking through our wedding images but seriously…that top image is my favorite! I cherish the fact that Mary was able to capture that moment for us, surrounded by our closest family and friends in a moment of pure joy.
The brilliant Renee Landry of Blooms Design Studio blew me away with the flowers she created. I gave her some direction in the way of colors and blooms I had to have (peonies, peonies, peonies!) and I knew after looking through her portfolio and meeting for our design consultation that she just got it. What she created was more vibrant and beautiful than anything I could have ever described to her. A true testament to what can happen when you find a talented artist and let them have creative freedom to do what they do best.
The festivities continued at the reception with our paper lantern adorned tent and specialty margarita bar. Having met on Cinco de Mayo, this was a no brainer but the real fun was in customizing the various margaritas we’d be serving. The cranberry based Cape Codder margarita in honor of my hometown of Boston, the Belizean Blue curacao margarita for our honeymoon destination and…everyone’s favorite, the HUGE “Cactus Bowl” margarita reminiscent of our favorite Mexican bar. We’d shared many a cactus bowl with our friends in attendance at the wedding so when people saw these, they lost it (in a good way, I swear!)
Cute heels + grass = unhappy bridesmaids. To combat that, I created flip flop filled shoe bags and had them placed on their chairs. They wasted no time in changing into them!
About halfway through the reception, Mary begged us to steal away for a few minutes for some beach shots. I was initially so hesitant to do this for fear we’d miss too much of the party. But Mary promised she knew the perfect spot and that we’d be back before anyone even noticed. She was right on all counts and I can’t tell you how happy I am that we listened to you Mary!!
Thank you so much for sharing this little trip down memory lane with me! What a fantastic treat this was to relive all the joy and love from that day.
…*sigh*…I love weddings!
