best day ever!
10.12.14
Our wedding was absolutely amazing, but I feel like it was a huge whirlwind the entire weekend! I am so thankful we had Brian and Melissa from Project Life Photography capture our special day!! We will cherish our photos for years and years! Jon and I had a ton of DIY decorations that we actually made, so we were busy up until the wedding with all of that. We are both super detail oriented people, so we new exactly what we wanted, and where we wanted it!! Our venue was exactly what I had envisioned my wedding venue to be. When I had walked onto the farm, I was 100% certain that it was the place I would say, “I do!” This place is an absolute dream; it’s so whimsical, rustic and absolutely beautiful. It feels like you’re walking right into a fairy tale! Morning Glory Farm is an incredible venue, and I would recommend it to everyone!
Our wedding was absolutely amazing, but I feel like it was a huge whirlwind the entire weekend! I am so thankful we had Brian and Melissa from Project Life Photography capture our special day!! We will cherish our photos for years and years! Jon and I had a ton of DIY decorations that we actually made, so we were busy up until the wedding with all of that. We are both super detail oriented people, so we new exactly what we wanted, and where we wanted it!! Our venue was exactly what I had envisioned my wedding venue to be. When I had walked onto the farm, I was 100% certain that it was the place I would say, “I do!” This place is an absolute dream; it’s so whimsical, rustic and absolutely beautiful. It feels like you’re walking right into a fairy tale! Morning Glory Farm is an incredible venue, and I would recommend it to everyone!
I think my wedding dress was actually the second gown I had tried on! When you know, you know! I had something totally different in mind! I wanted something antique with lace and long sleeves and a low back and very, very simple. I had my mom, grandmother, cousin, and one of my best friends with me when I went to try on wedding dresses. Luckily, my grandmother owns a bridal store, Ellie’s Bridal Shop, so it made looking around super easy because I’ve always gotten all my dresses from her! My cousin, Brandy had picked out my dress and said she thought it would look good, and I was like, “no, no that’s not what I had in mind.” But, when I put it on and walked out, the look on everyone’s faces said it all. I looked into the huge floor length mirror and said, “yep, this is totally a Brittney dress.” I knew it was the one! It was so glamorous and made me feel like a princess!
One thing in particular I really loved about my dress, was a tiny detail my grandmother added on to the top of the beadwork. I had blogged about our engagement story a while back, but Jonathan actually put a small ruby into the band of my ring, it’s his birthstone. I will explain in more detail about this gemstone later. My mom had the fabulous idea of putting a small ruby in the center of the beadwork of the top of my dress. It was so sweet, because Jonathan actually noticed it at our first look.
I loved my jewelry despite how heavy my necklace was! My necklace, earrings, and the chunky crystal bracelet are all from JCREW. But the bracelets on the hanky are my grandmothers and the hanky is my moms. It was very special having something borrowed from both of them.
I loved all the colors that we chose for the wedding! I had envisioned doing all different colors of blush, mocha, bronze, and gold, and I knew I wanted lots of lace to give it all that dreamy, vintage look. I was so nervous about ordering all different dresses and colors, but I knew that was the look I wanted, so I just went with it. Then, seeing it all together was so amazing! I love how they are all so different, but they all look so perfect together!
I loved our wedding invitations! They were exactly what we wanted! The colors were fantastic, the feathers, gold foiling, everything! We were so pleased with ordering all our Save-the-Dates, invitations, and rehearsal dinner invitations from Minted.
Jon and I wrote letters to each other and had a wedding day gift delivered to one another. This is the card I wrote him, and it is actually from Anthropologie.
My sweet friend and amazing hairdresser, Amber Stewart did everyones hair for the wedding. She was so sweet and easy to work with! She did exactly what I wanted and also changed my hair up for the reception to give me a completely different look! Thanks so much Amber!
Jonathan had pretended to forget a card, and he wrote me a letter on a piece of scrap paper. Along with his letter was what I thought was my wedding gift. Later, I found out he had something else up his sleeve. I loved my shoes he got me! Valentino makes beautiful shoes, and I loved the nude color with the gold rock studs! I was so happy and couldn’t believe these amazing shoes were now apart of my closet! Jonathan definitely treats me like a queen, and I am beyond thankful for him.
I am so blessed to have all of these amazing women in my life! They made the entire day about me. These lovely ladies made me feel encouraged, beautiful, and relaxed! I am so happy that they got to share the day with me! From left to right: my Aunt Jill (Bridesmaid), my cousin Brandy (Bridesmaid), my mom Sonia (Mother of the Bride), me (the Bride!), my sister Tiffany (Matron of Honor), my sister-in-love Sarah (Bridesmaid), my mother-in-love Linda (Mother of the Groom). A huge THANK YOU goes out to them all for helping my wedding planing process, being a listening ear, encouraging me, making me laugh, giving good advice, and all the love you have showed Jonathan and I! You guys are all so awesome!!
Well, this is what Jonathan had up his sleeve. I was just getting ready and all of a sudden someone brings in a Louis Vuitton box. I almost fell to the floor! I was so shocked and couldn’t believe it! First, I read the sweet card that Jonathan had all along! Of course it was the sweetest words I’ve ever read! Jonathan got me a new purse, perfume, some clothes and jewelry for the honeymoon, and my favorite, he actually sketched and drew replicas of our engagement pictures. They are incredible! Jonathan is so talented and creative and these pictures left me speechless!
One of the sweetest moments of the day, was when my bridesmaids and the mothers gathered around me and prayed over me. It was amazing to hear all of the prayers by those I love the most aloud and hear their outpouring of blessings and love. It was just beautiful and such a magical moment.
I loved all of Jon’s accessories on our wedding day, but my favorite was his bow tie! It’s from a little shop in Charleston, SC called Brackish. Their story is the coolest! Each bow tie is handcrafted to perfection, and because they hand select each feather, no two bow ties are exactly the same! Jonathan’s bow tie was made with Pheasant feathers and the center strip is actually snakeskin! It looked perfect on him and made him stand out!
Jonathan, my mom, and myself actually designed all of the boutonnieres. My mom and one of her close friends ordered and assembled all of the flowers. Jonathan and I had some moss, succulents, feathers, twine, and ribbon; so we brainstormed one day with my mom and came up with all of these amazing creations. I wanted my dad’s and my stepdad’s boutonniere to be a little more special. My dad’s boutonniere had a shotgun shell because he loves to hunt and be out in the woods. My stepdad’s boutonniere had a fishing lure, because he loves to be out on the lake with a fishing rod in hand. It made it special to design each one individually with my mom and Jonathan. Plus it was fun to pick out what was going to make each boutonniere unique and different.
Jonathan and I also decided that he should be a little more different and wear this checkered shirt from JCREW. It looked amazing on him!
I got him a new watch for his wedding gift and attached a tag to it that said, “See you at 3:45, don’t be late.” We had our first look at 3:45!
I loved how different each of the guys bow ties and boutonnieres were! Jonathan and I picked each of the bow ties to match the bridesmaid dress of the girl they walked down with. So, like I said before we are both super detail oriented!! We made sure everything was perfect! All of the colors flowed so well and everything looked amazing!
My mom and a friend did our bouquets! They were absolutely beautiful! The streamers hanging from our flowers, my mom and I went and picked out from Hobby Lobby. We wanted to incorporate more of the blush, cream, and gold colors.
My mom was SO much help during the planning process of our wedding. She went above and beyond! She turned the entire upstairs of her house into a craft and storage room for our wedding! She had boxes, fabric, glitter, streamers, paint, tassels, feathers, and so much more all over the place! She was an angel, and we could have never made it without her. She was our prayer warrior, decorator, nerve calmer, supply getter, flower maker, errand runner, and crisis fixer. Like I said, we would not have had a wedding without her! She was out on our wedding day until the last minute decorating and setting up! It rained the morning of our wedding, and I remember her running in soaking wet and trying to rush around to get showered and ready! We could never thank her enough for all that she did for us and to make our day so special!
I handpicked each accessory for each girl! I had their personalities and the dresses in mind when I shopped. During the months of planning I would just pick up something here and there for each one of them. I wanted them all to be special and set apart.
I wanted my sister (Matron of Honor) to have a statement necklace, like me. So, I found this beauty at Anthropologie.
Because, we had lots of feathers included in our wedding decor, I found these super cute diamond feather earrings at a boutique in Charleston. I saw them and instantly thought about our wedding, so my cousin and Bridesmaid, Brandy rocked them!
I got my sweet sis in love this cute headband from Forever 21 and her necklace and earrings are from Anthropologie. She always wears the cutest headbands and I thought of her when I saw this one, so I knew it would be perfect for her!
I got my aunt this bedazzled headband from Anthropologie. I thought the color would look amazing with her dress, and it did!
Her “J” initial bracelet and her earrings are also from Anthropologie and her diamond studded gold link bracelet I got from JCREW Factory.
Our First Look:
I was a little skeptical about doing a first look when Jonathan had mentioned it to me. But, I am so glad that we decided to do it. It was a very special moment between just the two of us. I loved having that time before the wedding with just him. He helped calm my nerves and made me smile and laugh and really just enjoy the moment. It was also nice to get pictures together before the wedding. So, there wasn’t a whole lot of waiting time between the wedding and the reception which I’m sure the guests appreciated as well.
We made and assembled these dreamy, whimsical balloon streamers. We were encouraged by so many after the wedding to start a shop that includes some of the beautiful things that we created. So, we both decided that we would get crafty and open up a little shop. We love being creative and doing crafts, it’s so much fun for us! So please check out The Golden Graham on Etsy!
This beautiful print is from Southern Wedding Shop! I love the gold foil!
Our little ring bearer, our nephew carried my Stepdad’s Bible wrapped in burlap with two rings attached. I loved all of the big and little details that included the Lord in our special day!
My sweet daddy cut wood slabs for us to use on our wedding day! We stained and sealed them and then Jonathan hand painted “Here comes the Bride” on this particular one. He also painted on two other ones, “I’m His Mrs.” and “I’m Her Mr.” which we used to put on the back of our chairs at our sweetheart table, they will be pictured later! But, they are also available in our Etsy shop: The Golden Graham so feel free to check them out!
Jonathan and I wrote our own wedding vows which made the ceremony very special. But, we also wrote the entire ceremony. I wanted a lot of Scripture incorporated, and I also knew I wanted to have a foot washing ceremony. Jonathan was a little hesitate at first when I had mentioned it to him. However, once I explained why I wanted to do it, he completely agreed. I think it’s because not many people have seen it done at a wedding. Foot washing shows a humble heart and service to one another, with each becoming less, so that the other and thus the couple, can become more. Kneeling before your spouse shows that I love you above myself. It shows honor and respect for your spouse. It also places both in an equal position of prayer, which is a great place to start off a marriage. This was a very special time in our ceremony. Our bother in law, the pastor, explained the significance of this symbol of humble love very well. He explained the story of John 13 where Jesus washed His disciples feet, and encourages us to follow His example.
We also wanted our exchanging of rings to include the meaning behind the ruby in my engagement ring. The ruby represents not only Jonathan’s birthstone, but several other important things as well. The ruby is distinguished by its brilliant red color which will be a reminder not only of Jonathan’s love for me but also of Christ’s shed blood that proved His love for all of us. Besides being known for it’s brilliant red color, it is a precious gem due to its hardness, durability, luster, and rarity. Ruby is a tough and durable gem and the hardest natural gemstone besides the diamond. Despite this, careful handling is still necessary to preserve its brilliance and beauty. This gem is much like a marriage, while through prayer, Christ will make it durable and tough; Christ reminds us that we must be diligent and caring in our treatment of each other. Jonathan and I continue to pray that our relationship will endure the tests and trials that life is sure to bring by keeping Christ at the center.
“It’s better to have a partner than to go it alone. Two can share the work, share the wealth, and if one falls down, the other helps the fallen to get up; but, if there’s no one to help, tough! Two in a bed keep each other warm. Alone, you shiver night. By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. A three-stranded rope isn’t easily broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
You may kiss the bride!
After the pastor announced us as husband and wife, our guests threw homemade confetti as we walked past them down the aisle. We had a little pre-packaged envelope with a handful of confetti and it explained on the front what to do with it. It was a lot of fun and really added to the celebration! I am obsessed with glitter; however, glitter was not allowed to be thrown unless it was biodegradable. What’s a girl to do… you guessed it, we made our own! We bought sheets of seed paper and sprayed them with edible gold spray. Wilton edible spray paint is what is used to spray on decedent cakes. Once the seed sheets were completely dried, the frustrations… I mean… hole punching began. I went to town on punching out each individual confetti with fun shapes of hearts and stars! It was very time consuming, but it’s biodegradable and completely safe for the environment.
Our wedding favors were so much fun to make! My Mamaw and Papaw, along with a little help from the groom and I, made homemade jams and jellies! The flavors included: strawberry, peach, fig, scuppernong, and apple butter. We filled little mason jars with the sweet treats, sealed them, and attached a little sticker that said, “Love is sweet!” We also made little s’more packages. They included: graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate and had a little sticker attached that said, “Sending you s’more love!” It was fun making these little gifts and our guests seemed to really enjoy them!
These fun little wands were made by myself, Jonathan, and my sweet momma. We had our guests grab one on the way out, and then as we were making our exit they waved them! Each wand has ribbon, lace, and a bell attached to the top! It was fun and unique and not quite as messy as bird seed or bubbles!
My Papaw and Jonathan made our corn hole boards! Papaw did most of the woodwork with some help from Jonathan. Once completed in form, Jonathan stained and hand painted them. Also, my sweet Mamaw made the “official regulation sized” beanbags.
Our beautiful and delicious cake and cupcakes were made by the amazing Ella Hailey from Ella’s Celestial Cakes! We had 300 mini cupcakes, the flavors included: almond with buttercream; Starbucks with mocha buttercream; salted caramel with caramel filling, buttercream, and caramel drizzle; chocolate mint with chocolate ganache filling, buttercream, and an Andes mint sprinkled on top; red velvet with white chocolate cream cheese frosting; vanilla chocolate chip with buttercream frosting, and chocolate chips sprinkled on top; and cinnamon spice with a maple buttercream frosting. They were all delicious and looked super cute too!
These are the super cute and rustic wooden slabs that I had mentioned earlier. Wood skills credit to my dad, and the outstanding penmanship of that of my husband!
My ever so talented husband also did our 20 table numbers! He sketched and drew each one individually and watercolored them in. We couldn’t have just a plain table number… cue the glitter gods! We glued each number onto gold glitter paper and mounted them on slabs of wood my dad cut. Each wooden block was stained and sealed. They are absolutely beautiful and so special since Jonathan spent so much time and energy into making them! Keep an eye out because they may be in our Etsy shop eventually!
We ordered a ton of Guinea hen feathers and hand painted them with metallic gold paint and then dusted them with extra fine gold glitter. These feathers made our tables look stunning! We also have some of these for sale in our Etsy shop, The Golden Graham.
Jonathan and I wanted to incorporate a fun and engaging entertainment segment for our guests. If you have not heard of “the shoe game,” be on the look out for it at a wedding near you! The “shoe game” was a HUGE success and so much fun for everyone! Here is the break down of the game. The bride and groom sit back to back and swap one shoe. So, you have one of the bride’s shoes and one of the groom’s shoes. Then someone asks a question such as, “who has the craziest family,” or “who will be in charge of the check book,” and then you hold up the bride’s shoe or the groom’s shoe! My aunt and uncle were in charge of coming up with the questions. It was an absolute blast and everyone enjoyed it! You can catch a glimpse of the game by watching our wedding video.
Our reception flew by! But, we did squeeze in some time to dance and so did our guests!
Do these rings make us look married?!
I LOVE our rings! When Jonathan and I went to look at bands, we had an open mind. Once again, we are very detail oriented and typically we want to make a statement and do things not so traditional. So, when Jon tried on a rose gold band, I immediately thought about mixed metals with my engagement ring! I loved how the rose gold looked with his skin tone, and I loved the rose gold with my ring and how it stood out. So, we decided once again to think outside the box and go with rose gold bands!
Our rings are from Diamonds Direct.
Our wedding was a story right out of a fairy tale!! God totally showed off that day! It rained so hard the morning of our wedding and then drizzled on and off until the ceremony and then stopped completely. Our photographers and videographers kept telling us that this was the perfect weather for shooting though! We felt so encouraged to hear this and knew that this was what God intended for this day. So, we just saw it as He was raining His blessings down on us! I am so blessed that the Lord brought such an amazing man into my life. He is my best friend and I couldn’t be happier. I love being Jonathan’s help meet, back scratcher, encourager, biggest fan, meal preparer, clothes washer, house cleaner, and other half. He is my angel and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for our future together as husband and wife!
After our amazing wedding, we honeymooned in Negril, Jamaica! We stayed at the Sandals resort, and it was an absolute dream. All inclusive is definitely the way to go!! We even had a butler which was super awesome! If we were out at the beach we could call our Butler and he would bring us lunch and drinks. He would also reserve chairs for us by the pool or at the beach and he would make dinner reservations for us! It was fantastic! Jon and I had so much fun! We ate the best lobster, danced, sun bathed, laughed, met some amazing friends, and spent much needed quality time together! Here are some pictures from our trip!
Thank ya’ll so much for reading along!
Check out our amazing wedding video by Reel Weddings!:
benilhalk says
Wonderful shots and all of you are looking great. The best thing I like about your wedding is that you chose to get married at a very simple yet elegant wedding location venue. I just love such weddings.
Brittney says
Aw! thank you!