Alex and Amanda planned an intimate wedding filled with meaning; and to say their day was perfect would be an understatement. From the palette of berry pink and charcoal grey, to the succulent filled florals and elegant mismatched bridesmaids, the couple considered every detail, whilst not forgetting what was really important – becoming husband and wife! The weather was crisp but welcoming, and love and laughter surrounded them throughout the day.

Amanda always envisioned a mountain wedding with amazing views and cozy vibes, and Western North Carolina was the perfect place, being somewhere that Amanda visited often growing up. The vision was lush, romantic, dripping in greenery and candles, but finding the perfect venue was key, as Amanda explains… “The location and venue were the number choice. We took a long time and considered many options before discovering Hawkesdene. It was the perfect fit and became an instant yes. “

Amanda looked absolutely beautiful wearing a long sleeve, lace, mermaid style gown with a long train, completing her look with a cathedral length veil adorned with crystals and pearls. Whilst Alex looked suitably dapper in a charcoal tuxedo with a vintage vest and velvet bowtie.

Tell us about your wedding flowers….

“I wanted a whimsical, unique bouquet. I had NO idea how many flowers exist. I remember going back and forth with the florist often. Also, fun fact in November it’s hard to get most flowers–a ton are out of season. The end result was perfect! Succulents for the groom was a no-brainer–they are his favorite and fill our home.”

What were your favorite parts of the day?

“The whole day was so perfect! I loved getting ready with my girls, our first look and walking down the aisle. Seeing the ceremony site set up, just as I had imagined, put a huge smile on  my face. Sharing our intimate vows in front of our family and friends was beyond intimating but as I saw them all in tears and heard their comments afterwards–it was evident that they really got why we loved each other.   BUT, my favorite part of the day was right after the ceremony, as husband and wife we snuck away to the top of the mountain to take in the sunset and just breathe. It was priceless. I get chills just thinking about it. All the worries and anxiety of the day were washed away. The most important moment of becoming husband and wife just happened. The rest of the night was just gravy.”

Tell us about any DIY, handmade, or personal details….

“The best personal detail for me was incorporating my mother’s wedding dress. Her 80’s dress was something I was never going to wear but she did the honors of cutting it up in pieces to use and shipping to my grandmother (the expert seamstress) to get creative. All the bouquets were wrapped in my mother’s lace with pearl pins.  The other incredibly special part was the ring bearers’ pillow. My Nana (father’s mother who I was very close to and passed away many years ago) made my parent’s pillow for their wedding. We used the same pillow. My grandmother jazzed up the lace and changed the look of it with pieces of my Mom’s wedding dress. My Nana sewed her initials into in 1984 and my “G” added her initials in 2017. I plan to pass down the pillow to my future children.  For Alex, his father passed away six years ago. He kept his father’s monogrammed handkerchief in his tuxedo pocket; a piece of his dad was close to his heart.”

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?

“Best thing we did was create a list of all the items/vendors for a wedding, then we prioritized them from most to least important (for us as a couple). What are we willing to splurge on? What is something we have no care in the world on? This REALLY helped put things into perspective.   Another thing Alex constantly reminded me was to focus on what WE wanted, not anyone else. This is our special day that should reflect us and have the people there that mean something to us. Of course, this wasn’t always easy but it helped at many times throughout to focus on important things and put the drama or the guilt aside.”

What did you do for favors?

“My fondest memory in North Carolina is APPLE BUTTER. I loved stopping at farmstands and picking up this delicious spread. This was an easy pick for our favors! We used a local shop near where my grandmother and aunt live.”

Tell us about your wedding cake….

“Our wedding cake was covered in succulents and had a pretty simply exterior. The party was in the inside. Each tier had different flavors. We had Chocolate with White Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate with Peanut Butter Mousse and Lemon with a berry and lemon compote. We couldn’t decide at our cake tasting, so we took our top three. As the bride and groom we didn’t get to eat much at our reception but don’t you worry…back in our cabin at midnight after we changed, I broke out the extra cake our baker made for us. We thoroughly enjoyed it!”

And last, but not least, tell us a little bit about your photographers…

“The Ganeys are phenomenal! They think of every detail, they make everything so easy, are so accommodating and the results are teary-filled perfection. I am the first to say, I have crazy high standards not only of myself but on expensive, important things (like our wedding photos!). Never for a half a second were we disappointed in anything. They delight and continue to delight. We had the best time with them and can’t wait for them to come back to Chicago to visit!  

The day after our wedding (yes the DAY after) we got our preview photos and I posted a statement on Instagram (@hotterincleveland)that I think sums up our experience with them best. “Your wedding day is this great rush, you stay in the moment the best you can and get way behind your perfectly planned schedule …but you don’t really know what you look like, you don’t see every detail of your vision come to life until you’re amazing photographers send you a sneak peek of your photos (less than 24 hours after!). We had just touched down in Chicago last night and I got the email. Emily and Thomas you should have seen Alex and I. We had no care in the world that everyone was listening to us. We were grinning ear to ear—I had goosebumps. Thank you for showing us our day through your lens. I couldn’t be beaming with more happiness! We love you guys and your amazing talent!””

VIEW THE GALLERY

Such a beautiful day, I am completely smitten with every detail – especially their super sweet flower girl and ring bearer! And what a stunning venue. To get a full sense of just how beautiful it, and this whole day was, please do take a few minutes to watch the video below by Maiography, it is well worth it!

Huge congratulations to the happy couple, Amanda & Alex, and a heartfelt thankyou to them and their photographers, the lovely Emily & Thomas of The Ganeys, for not only capturing every detail so perfectly, but also for allowing me to share it with you here. If you love their fine art style of photography and would like to see more of their work, take a peek at this glamorous green and gold woodland wedding inspiration, before popping over to their website theganeys.com – and don’t forget to follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Or if you love this timelessly romantic wedding and are looking for more inspiration for your own big day, then you might want to see Victoria & Jame’s timeless English wedding, Betsy & Joel’s showstopping floral affair, or Elizabeth & Louis’s chandelier filled celebration at Carondolet House, or Mona & Karl’s intimate wedding at an Austrian castle no less!

Amy

x

Credits & Contributors

Photography – The Ganeys || Ceremony Venue – Hawkesdene  Reception Venue – Hawkesdene || Event Planning – Hawkesdene || Floral – Andrew’s Florist || Stationery – Minted || Wedding Cake – Raquel’s Creative Cakes || Hair – Spectre Hair Design Studio || Makeup – Salon El-Khouri || DJ – Sound Extreme || Videography – Maiography || Floral – Wholesale Garland || Engagement Ring – Blakemans Fine Jewelry || Dress Hanger – Dark Horse Engraving || Signage – OAKY Designs || Signage – The Virginia Artisans || Cake Topper – Alphabet Canvas || Film Lab – Richard Photo Lab || Wedding Dress – Jasmine Couture || Groom’s Attire – Black by Vera Wang || Bride’s Shoes – Badgley Mischka || Bridesmaid Dresses – Watters WToo || Veil – Jasmine Couture || Earrings – BHLDN || Groom’s Bow Tie – Mrs. Bow Tie || Submitted via Matchology