Our Top 10 Wedding Moments of 2019:

As 2019 comes to a close, we wanted to reminisce on some of our favorite moments from the past year.

#10 The cornhole boards

K + B were one of our favorite couples to work with, because they not only trusted us with so many decisions about their big day, but they also wanted to integrate personal elements throughout the day that was a true refection of their life.

By far, our favorite element of the day were the hand painted corn hole boards from Junco Pine Arts of their two dogs, which proved to be equally beautiful and a lovely memento of the day.

#9 The sand ceremony

When A + S told us that they would be having a sand ceremony, we didn’t give it a second thought, as that is a rather common choice for a unity ceremony in eastern North Carolina.

What we weren’t expecting, however, was that they would use sand from two different NC beaches that were important to them and their families— which we thought was such an intentional way of taking a rather common practice and making it personal to the couple’s story.

#8 The grooms cake

Being that B is a fireman, MC was very excited for the opportunity to integrate details of his job into a custom groom’s cake. Not only did she design a cake that was a replica of his helmet and a firehose, but the pins and personalized patches from his uniform were replicated as well.

The cake was a complete surprise to B, and it was wonderful to watch his face light up with love and appreciation for his new bride as she pointed out all of the intentional details to him.

#7 The first dance flash mob

K + M are SUCH a fun couple, so it was no shock that their first dance would be a memorable one. Music is incredibly important to them, so selecting their first dance song was an important one.

They chose a remake of a an Indie dance song, and what the guests didn’t know was that several members of their wedding party were prepared to join them on the dance floor during the second verse, when the beat picked up.

It was a fun way to get guests on the dance floor right away, and was so perfectly in sync with how K + M wanted the reception to go.

#6 The band lineup

S + L were by far one of the coolest couples we have ever worked with, and their plans for their wedding reception was no exception. Being that they’re both in bands, music was of the highest importance to them for their wedding day.

In addition to the quartet that performed for the ceremony, they had not one, but two bands who were scheduled to perform for the reception. There was quite literally 2.5 hours designated to sound checks in order to ensure that all of the band members were set and ready to go.

#5 The Italian elopement

While I’m still a little sad about the fact that I didn’t get to plan the actual elopement, H + ____ had an absolutely stunning elopement in Italy, and asked us to plan the reception that would serve as their celebration with their families upon their return.

Being that the wedding itself was already going to be behind them, it was a truly unique opportunity on the design side of things, because H completely trusted us with the design and was more than happy to just show up and enjoy the party as a guest.

#4 The family first dance

C + J were SUCH a fun couple to work with, and were unique in that they had been engaged for about 5 years before they actually got married. During their engagement they got pregnant not once, but twice, and their two little nuggets were going to be the ring bearer and flower girl.

Because the nuggs are obviously such an integral part of their story, C + J integrated several elements into the day to include the kids in the celebration— our favorite of which was the first family dance, where they all danced together. The kids were so excited to see mommy and daddy get married, and we were literally a bundle of emotions all day from cuteness overload.

#3 The Cinderella chair

When one of our brides slipped a disk in her back and was unable to stand for more than 5 minutes at a time, she was understandably upset about the fact that she wouldn’t be able to stand across from her groom on their wedding day.

Fortunately, he has an art background, and opted to surprise her by decorating a wheelchair to look like Cinderella’s carriage, so that she would still feel special and beautiful on their big day.

#2 The First Song

This one is also from S + L’s day, but we loved it so much, it deserves another mention.

Since the music of the day was so important to them, they opted to {write a song together} to perform en lieu of a first dance. How awesome is that?!?!

And last but not least…

#1 The lemon ices

A + T were one of our full service couples this year, and both had a large about of family who would be traveling from up north to attend the wedding. In one of our meetings, I asked T what elements of the day he would like included, and he said “Oh nothing that we can get down here. My family loves Del’s water ices, but you can’t get it down here.”

By some random twist of fate, their caterer actually owns the franchise rights to get Del’s water ice, so I made a few phone calls, had Emily design custom dessert cups, and somehow managed to pull it off as a COMPLETE surprise.

The couple was so excited and our team was like a bunch of kids on Christmas, once we learned that we had actually pulled off the surprise successfully.

This year was filled with countless moments that made me eternally grateful for our couples, team, and the designs we’re allowed to help plan. To ALL of our 2019 couples, thank you for trusting us to bring your visions to life.

And to all of our 2020 couples— let’s plan something fabulous!