Southern Rustic Wedding With Lanterns

You know how some weddings just have that “je ne sais quois?” about them.  Well for me, this southern rustic wedding with lanterns is one of them.  It might be the gold glowing hanging lights, the lanterns, the white hydrangeas or maybe it is that this couple makes such a stunning bride and groom.  Either way, I am loving the style and elegance of this wedding along with the bride’s positive attitude.

For most brides that choose an outdoor wedding, any chance of precipitation would be earth-shattering.  (And I don’t care how lucky rain is supposed to be on your wedding day!) This poor bride and groom planned to have their ceremony take place in the middle of a field, but just before the ceremony, it poured down rain.  They actually decided to postpone the wedding for an hour and hold out until the rain stopped.  Once the clouds opened up and the light shone through, the guests proceeded out to the field, sans chairs, and the bride and groom were able to marry.  Most couples would have panicked, but these two were excited to just get married!

What were some challenges you faced planning your wedding?

(Bride’s Comments) “Balancing a full-time job, while planning a wedding.”

Where did you buy your wedding invitations?

“We bought out invitations from Minted“

What wedding favor did you give your guests?

“Lime soap bars and flip flops for the ladies to wear for the ceremony in the field.”

What types of flowers did you have?

“The bridal bouquet was made of white hydrangeas and the bridesmaids carried white hydrangeas and white roses. For the reception the table centerpieces were a combinations of white roses, aster, twine, and hydrangeas. And for the ceremony we lined the aisle with sun flowers.”

Did you go over or stay under your budget?

“We stayed pretty close to our budget. Where we saved the most money was on flowers. Since our ceremony was outdoors, we were able to leverage the beautiful mountain backdrops of the natural scenery and use a lot of the natural décor to play up the rustic southern feel. We purchased cut stems from a local wholesale florist and put the arrangements together ourselves. I was fortunate to have a couple close family and friends that were great at putting together arrangements and bouquets.”

Describe the bride/bridesmaids’ attire

“The bride wore a gorgeous J.Crew gown and added a belt from anthropology.  To complete the rustic look she wore cowboy boots. The bridesmaids wore the Marlowe dress in Swiss-Dot by J.Crew, the dress color was apricot mist. They also completed the look by wearing cowboy boots.”

Any tips you learned along the way to share with other brides?

“Make a list of your top 5 must-haves. Spend the most money on the things that matter most to you and your groom and what makes the most impact. A lot of the small details can take up so much time, energy, and money and end up sometimes getting overlooked.”

What was the best advice you received while planning your wedding?

“At the end of the day, you will be married. Don’t get too carried away with all the minor details and stress of wedding planning and lose sight of what matters most.”

How many guests were invited and what was the final guest count?

“We invited 140 guests (adults), but our final guest count was approximately 105.”

What were the highlight from the ceremony & reception?

“The rain cleared up allowing us to have the ceremony outdoors as planned (although slightly delayed). The view of the sun setting over the mountains and fog after the rain made for the perfect backdrop. Another highlight was the honor of having the brides’ cousin as the officiant.  This was his first wedding ceremony that he had performed, which made it very special.”

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“We went to the Grove Park Inn in North Carolina.”