Today’s wedding is a romantic affair, brimming with so many inspiring DIY and meaningful details! Sadly, beautiful bride Laura’s father passed away just 7 months before she and Jake walked down the aisle. But whilst their wedding remained nothing but a celebration, the couple ensured that they found heartfelt ways to remember him throughout the day.

All too often the focus of a wedding is largely on the bride, so I was beyond thrilled to get a few words from today’s groom Jake, about why their relationship is so special and what made Laura the one for him….. “Our favorite thing about our relationship is that we are friends first and foremost. Our friendship is the foundation on which every other aspect of our relationship rests. A lot of couples say that they are best friends, but don’t live it. No matter what we’re doing or where we are, she’s the one I want by my side to tell jokes with or be silly with. We have so many dreams and goals for our lives together. So many places we want to go, things to experience, good food to eat, laughs to be had, and family to create. I get excited thinking about every aspect of our life moving forward; the good, the bad, and everything in between! The fact that there will never be a challenge too big for us. We can handle any hurdle thrown at us and I’ve never felt so comfortable and confident in my life.”

After Jake proposed on the 13th of February, because apparently proposing on Valentines Day is a cliché, this cute couple set about planning their perfect day, and as is often the case, it started with finding the perfect venue…. “We wanted our wedding to be uniquely us. That anyone could walk into our wedding and say “this is SO Jake and Laura”. That was what drew us to Chapel In The Woods; that it was a blank slate and we could truly customize our wedding to be exactly what we wanted. Nothing cookie cutter for us! I had a huge focus on the local. From the honey in our wedding favors to the cupcakes, we used local artists and businesses for nearly every aspect. I wanted our look to be vintage rustic without taking away any elegance or sophistication. Soft golds, greens, and corals would allow for a bright spring wedding while also remaining true to our vintage style.”

“I chose to do blue suits because I wanted something different than the common gray suit that I had seen constantly. I felt like it was classy and unique enough to be different, but not completely out of the box. The bow ties added the southern charm I was looking for. Don’t forget the matching American flag socks!”

“For my wedding gown I was looking for something atypical. I knew based on my body type that I didn’t do well with sleeveless, sweetheart neckline, or ball gown style. Unfortunately for me, that is pretty much all the bridal shops are stocked with. However I found a wonderful bridal shop, Carolina Bridal World, in Smithfield North Carolina that catered to all different dress sizes and styles. It was a total game changer for me to be able to try on a wedding gown in my correct size (not 6 sizes too small) and be able to see it as the designer meant it to be. I ended up going with a sleeved Mori Lee gown with an illusion embroidered back and a semi-mermaid fit. It was everything I could have dreamed of and I’ve never felt prettier!”

“For my bridesmaids I wanted something soft and flowy. I chose to go with a soft gold to complement the pink and green tones in my florals. The tulle on the skirts added softness while the embroidered tops brought classiness to the dress. With my venue being completely outdoors in the woods I wanted to make sure that I brought sophistication into the space since it was very natural. It was a perfect blend of southern elegance.”

“Our bouquets included dahlias, roses (garden, standard, and spray), stock, astilbe, tulips, dusty miller, eucalyptus, and succulents. We also incorporated peonies and goldenrod in other places. We chose these flowers because of their classic beauty, but we chose vibrant, summery colors that made them feel modern and fun. We chose shades of peach, coral, and soft pink, with pops of yellow and bright pink added in. The bouquets were a fairly traditional round shape but still felt organic and natural.”

“Nearly everything about our wedding was a DIY project. I live and breathe handmade touches and projects and that was heavily influenced in my wedding. I made nearly everything – the welcome and aisle signs, honey jar tags, table place cards, seating chart, programs, ceremony mantle, photo collages in old vintage frames, etc. You name it, I had a personal handmade touch on it!”

“For me in the planning process I had a few things that I was very much a stickler on. I was adamant about having a quality photographer and videographer and I wanted to have a day of coordinator. Thank goodness that I made that a priority! Yes, things like catering and decorations are important, but at the end of the day once your wedding is over the only thing that you have left are the memories in your head and pictures and video footage! If those two things are not quality, you are going to regret it! I’ll say it again; you will regret not spending the money on quality professionals!”

“Our wedding favors were 4oz Mason jars of local honey from Tart Family Farms. We had been buying and loving their honey for years and knew it was exactly what we wanted to share with our guests. Each hand poured jar (seriously sticky business!) had a hand stamped label with twine that read “Meant To Bee”. It was the perfect tie-in since our wedding hashtag was #meanttobejablonski!”

“For our wedding cake we wanted to go minimalistic. We choose a lightly frosted “naked” cake with buttercream filling. Our florist added a few live flower touches and it was simply perfect. For our guests we had local cupcakes from a farm-to-table bakery in Raleigh. Jake and I had a blast picking out our flavor combinations like banana pudding, key lime pie, and blueberry lemon! They were a huge hit and there wasn’t a crumb left at the end of the night!”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“My best advice looking back at the whole experience would be to just not sweat the small stuff. Which for me, the type-A, check list loving, mega planner- was not easy. I had to keep reminding myself that no matter what, the end result was going to be achieved. Jake and I were going to become husband and wife. That was the reason for this entire celebration and I had to keep coming back to that singular focus. It’s about us and our love. I had a lot of little details that I wanted included our wedding to make it unique and special. But, I had to realize that, if for whatever reason it didn’t get done nobody was going to know but me! I was the only one who would notice. So, sweating the small stuff was only affecting my own happiness (and stress level) in the planning process.

I would also advise couples to be very much in communication with each other. Discuss your budget in detail, what is important to you and what is not. What are deal breakers and details that would be regretful if not included. Also, make sure you have a very very firm understanding of your guest list! Make sure all parties are involved and spend a thorough amount of time making sure this list is all-encompassing. Having surprises, a month before the wedding that your great aunt Susie’s best friend wasn’t invited and that’s going to be a huge deal are NOT fun!

Just remember, people will mean well and have A LOT of opinions (sometimes misguided) about your wedding day. But, it just comes down to what do you and your soon-to-be husband want. This is your day! This is your chance to be the belle of the ball and have your dreams become reality. Stay true to yourself, true to your love story, and the rest is all cake!”

“One of my favorite parts of the day was the dance I had in honor of my father whom I lost seven months before my wedding. I invited all of my uncles and my grandfather to dance with me to one of my daddy’s favorite Delbert McClinton songs. There wasn’t a dry eye in the entire place, myself included! Thank goodness for waterproof mascara! I truly felt my daddy in the arms of every father figure I danced with. I know that he was beaming ear to ear watching these men he loved and trusted take his place in the traditional father daughter dance. Not having my father present on my wedding day to walk me down the aisle was a very difficult concept for me. But I found small ways to honor him throughout my wedding and I felt extremely close to him on that day.”

Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“We found Andrew & Tianna Photography through their work with Chapel in the Woods. With it being a brand new venue there were very little photos of the venue space to go on. They had done a stylized shoot at the venue and we were able to see their work in the space itself. Once we met the duo the decision to work with them was a no-brainer and the BEST decision we made! We were drawn to Andrew and Tianna’s story-telling photography style. Their pictures tell a narrative and you can see that play out in their individual styles. They not only talk the talk but walk the walk when it comes to knowing what makes love between two people so special. As a husband and wife team the benefit of having two photographers who have different strengths is invaluable. We knew we wouldn’t be getting school portrait level photography with these two! Plus the use of film was a huge bonus as we have fallen in love with the richness of that product!

I don’t think there are enough positive words that I could say about Andrew and Tianna photography. They are exceptional beyond measure. The level of attention to detail in their photographs is unmatched by anyone I’ve ever worked with before. You will get a treasure as a finished product. The attention to detail, storytelling, and use of film makes your photos look like something out of a magazine. Worth every penny! Andrew and Tianna are also some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. I truly believe that makes all the difference and what sets them a step above. Being a husband and wife team the chemistry between them allows them to capture love between other people. They have their own set of strengths that you just wouldn’t find going elsewhere. When working with them you are not just a client, you become a friend. They truly care about capturing your happiest moments. Your happiness becomes their happiness and it is absolutely reflected in their work. We will use them as photographers for every life event that requires photography, that’s a promise!”

VIEW THE GALLERY

I am so completely in love with Laura & Jake’s beautiful day, aren’t you? Especially all those sweet DIYed details Laura worked so hard on and the way she honoured her father throughout the day made me reach for the tissues more than once! I have no doubt that her father would have been smiling down on them with tremendous pride.

I can’t thank Laura & Jake enough for allowing me to share every detail with you. And of course thanks must also go to their photographers Andrew & Tianna for capturing it all so perfectly. If you love their light-filled style of photography and would like to see more of their work, head over to their website andrewandtiannaphotography.com – and be sure to follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Or if you love this wedding and are looking for more rustic vintage inspiration for your own big day, then you might want to see this colorful rustic wedding, or this butterfly filled beauty in the Australian outback. And designer Anna Campbells’ glamorous rustic affair is a wedding not to be missed!

Amy

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Contributos & Credits

Photography – Andrew & Tianna Photography // Bridal Shop – Carolina Bridal World // Wedding Dress Designer – Mori Lee // Bridal Headpiece – Powder Blue Bijoux // Bridesmaids Dresses – Mori Lee // Groom & Groomsmen Suits – Men’s Warehouse // Venue – Chapel In The Woods // Wedding Planner, Vintage rentals & Florist – Plume Events // Videographer – Dansby Productions // Hair & Makeup – Perfection by Patricia // Cake & Cupcakes – Common Kin Bakery // Strings Duo – Triangle String Quartet // Vow Books – Paper Bound Love // Burlap Runner & Ceremony Pedestal – Homemade Bride // Stationery – Minted //  Reception Rentals – Classic Party Rentals // Catering – Southern Harvest, Farmers Table // Bar Services – Pour Bar  //  DJ – First Choice DJ