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Real Hindsight Advice: Sweet North Carolina Barn Wedding

I am just so tickled to share this wonderful outdoor, western North Carolina wedding with you today. Elise and Nick married in Black Mountain at the gorgeous Lake Eden Events. There are so many little details in this wedding that I love. I love the barn nestled in the mountains. The mountains of western North Carolina are amazing. The best part about having a wedding in this area is you can get just about anything you need in nearby Asheville. I love, love, love the rice crispy treat cake. Um, brilliant! And I adore M&M favors wrapped in twine with a paper butterfly and a delightful story about the couple. This wedding is beautiful, sweet, and full of meaning. But the best part is Elise is here to share some of her own Hindsight Advice.

From Elise:

My fiancé and I got married in the mountains of North Carolina, in a small ceremony attended by only family and close friends.  Our attendants were all brothers and sisters (aside from the best man), and my brother served as my “man” of honor.  I chose a rich red and pale gray blue to be our colors, even though it meant running every blue detail by my fiancé to make sure it wasn’t Carolina blue (we’re State and Wake fans)!  Also, I love to craft and create, so I tried to make sure that I included as many DIY things as I could.

I was one of those crazy girls who kept a wedding inspiration binder of magazine tear sheets from Martha and all of the other glossies before engagement was even a twinkle in our eyes, so I thought planning would be the easy part.  The problem ended up being whittling down my tons of tear sheets and actually picking one idea to run with.  So I suggest picking something more than a color scheme to make all of those decisions easier!  Planning was the most stressful part of the entire process for me because I couldn’t reign in my ideas and get anything done.

Three things I’m glad I did:

  • Hired a day of wedding planner so I could relax, let go, and enjoy our wedding.
  • Spent money in areas that mattered to us.  Photography was super important to me because I’m an amateur photographer, and I knew photos were the only thing we’d have to remember this special day.  So I was willing to sacrifice in areas that weren’t as important (our “cake,” invitations, a dress I’d wear once – $300, by the way!) to get superb results where I cared.
  • Made decisions that bucked tradition because tradition didn’t suit either of us.  For example, neither Nick or I like cake but we love rice crispy treats, so we made our own “cake” out of rice crispy treats and had our caterer serve a desert buffet for those who didn’t share our tastes.

Three things I wish I had done:

• Eaten more.  People told me to eat, and I tried to, but I just couldn’t sit still and worry about food!  Take those 15-30 minutes to sit down and fuel up, and don’t forget to munch beforehand!
• Been more specific with the DJ.  I had wanted the DJ to play oldies while we ate, and when the dancing began (before we played louder, more modern music), but somehow that got lost in translation and I think the older guests were left out of the dancing because of it.
• Made sure more people visited our photo booth and signed our guest log.

Three things I wish I hadn’t done:

  • Taken on so many DIY projects.  In the last weeks and days before the wedding, I was still trying to finish things.  If my mom hadn’t been there the week before to help, most of it wouldn’t have gotten done!
  • Worn a dress I couldn’t bustle.  I had picked a dress I thought would be easy to deal with all day, because it barely had a train, but that tiny train got in the way in my dancing!
  • Forgotten about the ceremony sound.  If you’re getting married outside, people need to be able to hear your vows!  That was the only complaint we heard from our guests.

Three things I wish I hadn’t worried about:

  • A groomsman left his shirt at home (four hours away).  In the end, someone’s shirt color didn’t change the fact that we got married and enjoyed every second of it.
  • Whether or not people would be offended if we asked them to attend sans children.  Most guests thanked us for the kids-free night!
  • Memorizing our vows.  Our officiant let us read them off of his iPad, which was so geeky and us anyway!

My best hindsight advice

Make sure the decisions you make are reflective of you and your fiancé, and that you’re not choosing things because you ‘should,’ or because other people are pushing you to.  I got a ton of funny looks when I told people my brother was my man of honor, but it was one of the most meaningful parts of my day.  It’s your wedding!

Thanks a million Elise, and a very happy marriage to you and Nick!

Nick + Elise’s Amazing Vendors:

Photographer Monica Reid Photography | Event Lake Eden Events | Wedding Planner Cortney Jackson of Simply Weddings | Florist Flora | Caterer Colorful Palate | Make up Artist Elizabeth Tolley of Elizabeth Tolley Makeup Artist of NC