Just Married + Featured: Keely + Hill

This couple just puts a huge smile on my face! And to see their gorgeous wedding and beautiful story featured on Southern Weddings, which is one of my absolute favorite blogs, makes me SO happy!! Working with these two was such a blast, and it was a very rewarding experience because I gained a wonderful friend throughout planning for this wonderful day.

I know I say it all the time but getting to know my brides and grooms in order to give them the wedding of their dreams is so important to me. Keely and Hill were every bit a dream couple - and it really starts with their absolute 110% love and devotion for each other. Y'all, these two are smitten! And, their love story is probably one of my favorites. We worked hand-in-hand to plan for each detail of their wedding... and there were a lot of details, which is just the way I like it! Starting with the stunning wedding location - which was the ultimate Southern venue called Boxwood Estate in Mocksville, North Carolina - we planned each detail of the wedding day with the inspiration of "southern charm" in a gorgeous color palette of blush, ivory, gold and a hint of black.

An amazing team of vendors came together to bring this bride's dream wedding to life. These photos by the incredibly talented Lauren Friday Photography are beyond amazing! I could seriously stare at them all day - and narrowing down which photos to post was so difficult! Melanie with New Creations Flower Company took my designs to a whole new level with her creativity and endless talents. I am so obsessed with all of the gorgeous bouquets and amazing centerpieces! Deb Hall with Olive Paper designed some gorgeous paper goods and created two lovely custom monograms for this sweet couple, which we added to pillows, cocktail napkins, signs, and even late night snacks! And to each of the other vendors that bent over backwards to give our bride and groom best day ever - thank you so much! Catherine with Something Classic Catering & Cafe, Shamus Coney Films, Loose Chains via East Coast Entertainment, Wow Factor Cakes, Lynsey Party Reflections, Party Tables, Bellissima of Salisbury, & Salisbury Trolley Tours.

I am seriously over the moon with excitement to see Keely and Hill's big day featured on Southern Weddings! Thank you so much for featuring this amazing couple! Be sure to hop on over to see the full feature and read about all the special touches these two planned. Here are a few of my favorite images that I've been so anxious to share with you!

Aren't these bouquets amazing?! They were so fragrant and absolutely perfect.

Isn't this bride stunning?! I am in love with each of these portraits... Keely looks so incredible!

This was one of the most fun weddings we've ever planned, as I'm sure you can see from some of the reception photos! With a fun loving couple like this, I could expect nothing less. The bride and groom partied with guests all night until their big sparkler send off... It was an unforgettable night for these two! I'm so excited to be able to share it with y'all and the readers of SW Magazine!

I cannot even begin to say enough about this couple, y'all. Keely, you are without a doubt one of the most selfless, sweet, genuine, and amazing people I've ever met! Not to mention so beautiful, both inside and out. I am so honored to have been a part of your wedding day, and to have had the chance to get to know you and Hill (and your families!) like I did. Thank you for letting me into your lives and hearts, and for allowing me to design and plan your special day. I'll hold you both close to my heart always! I am SO happy for you  - Cheers to a lifetime of wedded bliss, Mr. & Mrs. Hudson!

Wedding Planning and Design: The Graceful Host
Photography: Lauren Friday Photography
Floral Design: New Creations Flower Company
Ceremony and Reception: Boxwood Estate
Catering: Something Classic Catering & Cafe
Cake: Wow Factor Cakes
Entertainment: Loose Chains via East Coast Entertainment
Ceremony Musicians: Elegant Ensembles
Tent and Lighting: Party Reflections
Linens: Party Tables
Hair and Makeup: Lisa Freeze
Wedding Dress: Bellissima of Salisbury
Bride's Shoes: Valentino
Videography: Shamus Coney Films
Transportation: Salisbury Trolley Tours
Paper Goods: Olive Paper
Pillow, Koozie and Napkin Printing: Mom N Pop's Print Shop

XO,
A.

Featured: Glamour Magazine Weddings

I am simply over the moon to see this image from Whitley and Darian's gorgeous wedding featured on Glamour Magazine's "Old Hollywood" wedding inspiration for style icon Scarlett Johansson!! This wedding will always be one of my favorites - mainly because this couple is so absolutely amazing - but I'm honored to see this design featured for Glamour readers to enjoy! Many thanks to New Creations Flower Company for this gorgeous centerpiece and Lauren Rosenau Photography for being so amazing at capturing all the beauty. Be sure to check out the full feature, here.

Happy Friday, y'all! Cheers to the weekend!

XO,
A.

Anniversary: Danielle + Sam

One of the most adorable couples are celebrating one year of marriage today! Working with Danielle and Sam was so much fun - what a couple of sweethearts! Their love for each other is really beautiful.  I fell head over heels in love with the results of our garden-inspired Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden wedding design! Everything came together even more beautifully than I could have ever imagined.  Danielle & Sam actually lived in Chicago while we were working to plan for their big day.... Which means an extra layer of stress for most couples.  I am grateful to Danielle for putting her faith and trust in me to ensure that everything would be okay and to bring her vision to life.  And it is still one of my favorite weddings to date! Happy first year of wedded bliss, Danielle & Sam! PS. If you haven't seen their wedding featured on Southern Weddings and Loverly, be sure to check it out!

Cheers you two!

XO,
A.

Featured: Mardi Gras Wedding Inspiration

I'm so ecstatic to share our big, big, big news! Our Mardi Gras Wedding Inspiration shoot is featured on Southern Weddings - and on Mardi Gras Day, Fat Tuesday!  Oh, be still my heart.  It is an absolute dream come true to see my work featured by a publication that I admire and love so dearly! I'm humbled to think that brides from the Carolinas to the great state of Louisiana will be inspired by the unique and fabulous culture of New Orleans.  Really, I feel like someone should just pinch me! You never know why certain people are placed in your life.  And, I do truly believe that God does place people in our paths.  Julie Staley of Old South Studios and I met at a wedding earlier this year - and it was our first time working together, too.  At the end of the night Julie says, hey do you want to design a Mardi Gras wedding for an inspiration shoot? The rest is history, of course, and I just can't help but believe that we were meant to work on this project together. In that moment, I was thinking YES!, YES!, YES!, and later told Julie that I was actually born and raised in New Orleans.  I had a million ideas to share for the shoot!

First and foremost, the most important aspect of the design was to infuse the energy of Mardi Gras and unique characteristics of traditional New Orleans weddings.  I wanted this wedding inspiration to be as authentic as possible, so we incorporated real New Orleans wedding traditions - a second line complete with boa-lined umbrellas and a jazz band, and cake pulls to name a few.  To me, New Orleans is full of life in every way. It's people full of personality and passion; It's architecture full of character and poise; It's landscapes expressing charm and a rich history; It's food full of flavor; It's creativity expressing the unique voice of its' artist; and it's celebrations full of energy - Each element is beautiful in it's own way.  So with that inspiration in mind, I started to pull together a design plan. With the idea of Southern elegance, we choose to have the shoot at the stunning Separk Mansion - a renovated venue full of natural light, gorgeous chandeliers, and rich wood floors.  Chelish Moore of Chelish Moore Flowers took my vision and ran with it, incorporating gold candelabras, vibrant flowers and candles upon candles.  I love the sophistication and luxury of the floral design! Best Impressions Caterers provided a delicious menu, influenced by the incredible food and unique flavor palette of New Orleans.  The chef had all of starving by the end!  And, of course they provided us with a creative signature drink that was naturally N'awlins.  Elisabeth Connolly of Elisabeth Rose created all of the amazing paper goods, and incorporated the grace of New Orleans weddings.  The incredible cake was crafted by Mandie Miller of Got What It Cakes.  I love how she captured the grandeur of Mardi Gras through her design.  I just had to include a welcome box designed to greet guests upon arrival full of Louisiana goodies - Abita Root Beer, Tabasco chocolates, and Mardi Gras-inspired chocolate doubloons - tucked within a glittery gold box from Paper Source.  Stephanie and John, our bride and groom for the day, are actually a real married couple - which I just thought was so perfect!  The gorgeous bridal gowns were both by Modern Trousseau from their Fall 2014 collection ("Tate" and "Teacup") and came from Hayden Olivia Bridal. I am absolutely obsessed with these ultra glam dresses!  They couldn't have been more perfect for the shoot.  And our bride and groom looked picture perfect thanks to Erin Ashley Makeup and Adrian D. Howe Esthetics & Beauty.  All of the rentals came from Party Reflections of Charlotte - Sara Shelor you are amazing!  It is always a team effort to pull together a shoot like this, and I'm so grateful to each of the talented vendors that helped make my dream a reality.  Especially Julie Staley of Old South Studios who allowed me to design every detail.  Julie is so insanely talented, and her eye for capturing emotion and storytelling is incredible!  I can feel her passion for the art of photography and the love of her job with each photo - I am so lucky she asked me to work with her on this project!

I hope you grab a big slice of King Cake and stay a while - come celebrate New Orleans on the Southern Weddings blog! Happy Mardi Gras, y'all and laissez les bon temps rouler!

Here are some of my favorite shots from this fun shoot!

XO,
A.