We’re celebrating a gorgeous at home wedding today and there was just too much goodness for one post. So I’m back with more!

I am so in love with Genna’s choice of bridesmaid dress from Butter by Nadia.  I’ve been seeing these dresses more and more in weddings recently and with good cause!   They come in some fantastic colors and of course, the DIY custom element is a big winner.

From Genna:
I thought the eggplant color would be “unexpectedly” fall and would allow the girls to stand out against the white background of the Home Place.  I also loved how they could make the dress their own by tying it whatever way they liked best.  Some girls even switched it up at the reception, which was so cute and saucy of them!

The ceremony took place on the front steps of the Home Place on the property.  If I were to close my eyes and imagine the perfect farmhouse, at home setting for a wedding, it would look EXACTLY like this.  A big white house with an inviting front porch full of rockers?  Check.   Nestled among the shade of hundred year old trees?  Check.  A perfect brick pathway for you to use as an aisle?  Yup, check.   It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Genna shares some details about her wedding wardrobe:
I got my dress from my sister-in-law’s store, Vermillion, in Raleigh, NC.  and it was the first dress I tried on! I just fell in love with the pattern, and I knew I did not want something stark white, but I surprised myself by not getting a strapless dress. My shoes were a TJ Maxx steal for $10!  I originally bought some Louboutins but worried I might mess them up, so I wore the Delmans from TJ Maxx instead. My jewelry was a hodge podge of many special items I have collected over the past year. Clark’s mother passed away in February, and we were already engaged when she left us, so luckily I got to spend some great times with her. Clark’s father gave me her earrings to wear with my gown, which was so incredibly special and personal. The hair clip was actually an old brooch that I found at a vintage costume jewelry store in Wilmington, NC called a.muse Gallery. Jan Wutowski, who owns the shop, turned it into a hair clip for me. I wanted minimal hair adornment since the pattern on the dress was so beautiful, and I didn’t want to compete with it.
Back in a bit with reception details, including a hilarious “guest” band appearance.

I have been SO excited to share this real wedding since I laid eyes on it.  Casey Chapel and the team at Poiema Photography are responsible for all of these incredible images and honestly, I’m just giddy about them.  This is going to take several posts so stay with me all day!  It is no coincidence that there are a number of “at home” weddings showing up on White Thread over the last couple of weeks.  I have a soft spot in my heart for these uber-personal affairs and the fall season seems to bring a lot of them.  Today’s wedding falls into both categories (fall & at home) and it is, in a word, PERFECT.

Genna + Clark were married at Jumping Run Farm in Franklin County, NC.  The property has been in Clark’s family for over 200 years.  It was an all day affair, starting with a lovely breakfast that was hosted on the property for guests before the ceremony.  Once a working dairy farm, the couple worked hard to incorporate its heritage into their wedding day decor, working with their stationers to create a “cow monogram” that showed up everywhere from their invitation suite to koozies and napkins.  But perhaps my favorite touch — instead of being showered with birdseed or rose petals when we they left their reception, Genna + Clark’s guests rang hundreds of little cowbells.  TOO CUTE!!!

A bit more from Genna on Jumping Run Farm:
Clark’s great-grandparents and his grandmother lived in the Home Place (the white house on the property), and ever since my first time visiting the Farm, I knew I wanted to get married on the front steps of that house! We wanted to stay true to the farm setting and just embrace it for what my Mom called “Farmhouse Chic.” We played up the rustic elements of the Farm by keeping the barns and the silos exactly as they were but using a lighting company to accent their natural beauty. We were also inspired by North Carolina itself, using many “hometown” vendors for our flowers and food from counties where we frequent.

Because I am a total paper freak, I was particularly taken with this next series of images.  I love that Poiema took the time to capture these on the wedding day!  And how INCREDIBLE is that piece of art that incorporates the invitation?  Please, please, please Genna give us details on what that gorgeous thing is!

{UPDATE FROM GENNA:}
I am happy to tell you about the artwork featuring our invitation! There is a lady out of Greenville, NC named Betty West who does these amazing pieces of art, and I had seen her work at my friend’s house who got married last August; I just loved the idea of turning our invitation into something we could truly use to decorate our house and to commemorate our special day. Mary (my friend) noticed my extreme interest and gave Betty a copy of our invitation to paint around; it was given to us as a wedding gift the weekend before the wedding so that we could display it at the reception! An even neater fact about this whole thing is that Betty asks what flowers you are using in your bouquets as to coordinate the flowers she paints with the flowers from your actual ceremony – so thoughtful!

A bit more from Genna on their stationery:
Our invitations were my favorite part of the whole wedding! A friend of ours had used Giddy Ink out of Ohio for her invitations, and we were so majorly impressed. The girls at Giddy Ink basically interviewed me via telephone and asked me about the feel we were trying to create with the wedding, our personalities, our hobbies, the history of the farm, etc. Somehow in our conversation about the invitations, I brought up the first present Clark ever gave me, which was a hanging star paper lantern. The border of our invitation was inspired by the laser cut detail on the lantern, which was totally Giddy Ink’s idea! Instead of having an enveloped RSVP card, they suggested we do a vintage “postcard” with one of Clark’s photos from the Farm on the front! So unique, and it saved us money as the postcard stamps were only 28 cents!

I’ll be right back with some adorable bridesmaid pictures and the rest of this wedding!

I have another gorgeous wedding to share with you all from KMI Photography today.  While yesterday’s wedding was a down home affair in Rose Hill, NC , today’s is pure beachy goodness on Bald Head Island. Can you even believe this is the same state?  So much varied beauty in the Carolinas, I love it!

Jessica and Rich chose Bald Head because the island held many special memories for them.  Rich’s parents have a home there and the couple has been vacationing there together for years.  The ceremony took place in the Bald Head Island Chapel.  I know I say this all the time on here, but seriously…there are few things I love more than a picture perfect, white Southern chapel.  Take said chapel and nestle it among some equally perfect live oaks and I’m a happy, happy girl. After the ceremony, the couple hosted guests for a reception at the Shoals Club.

From Jessica:
My mom and I did my hair and I found my dress at a thrift store in Maine. It was part of the Brides Against Breast Cancer.  All the centerpieces we used at the Shoals Club were handmade by my dad.  Each one was a different lighthouse that Rich and I chose specifically because we had a personal connection with it.  The flowers were done by Brunswick Town Florist in Southport, the sandcastle cake was made by Crumb De La Crumb and the band was Ban Caribe. We really can not say enough about our amazing vendors!! Each one went way above and  beyond our highest expectations and made the whole process super easy and really fun instead of stressful!!

Stay tuned for the cutest after session with this gorgeous couple, coming right up.

I fell head over heels for this Matthews House wedding the second I laid eyes on it. Captured by the super talented Sarah Seay, it features a fearless, vibrant color palette of hot pinks and turquoise, exotic peacock feathers and killer (I mean KILLER) footwear. It has a distinctively Ed Hardy/tropical vibe no?

LOVE it.  What a fun, fearless couple.  Thanks Sarah!  This has to be one of my fave White Thread couples ever.

I’m back with a simply beautiful real wedding from Martha Manning.  We’ve heard how much Martha loves the Carolina Country Club but of course, because nothing speaks like pictures!

This wedding was all Raleigh through and through.  The St. Mary’s Chapel is just about as charming as they come and the Carolina Country Club played host to Julie + Russell’s reception.  Look at that cake!  If that doesn’t scream spring, I don’t know what does.  To celebrate their Carolina heritage, the couple gave out local peanuts.  And instead of the often seen sparkler send off (which really wouldn’t have worked for their daylight reception) the coupled opted for noisemakers for an equally festive end to their perfect day.

Thanks Martha!  Can’t wait for your next installment of Martha’s Top Six.