Dominique and Javier's Stunning Coral and Navy Wedding

Here are some great pictures from Dominique and Javier's  May wedding taken by the very talented A.J., of A.J. Photography.
I love how she captured the simple and elegant details from the cozy ambiance of Caffe Luna to the finishing touches on Javier's boutonniere...

Of course, I love seeing the beautiful pictures of the bride and bridesmaids' bouquets, but I really enjoyed how A.J. wove in the

story of Dominique and Javier's special day.

This was such a sweet, sweet couple to work with, and I am so happy for them!
Be sure to check out A.J.'s blog post to see all the wonderful pictures that capture the essence of Dominique and Javier's wedding day at A.J. Dunlap Photography- Dominique & Javier

Weddings- Kirsten and Daniel, The Real Pictures

Meet Kirsten and Daniel... hard to believe their wedding was almost nine months ago.It's always great to share the real wedding pictures of my couples, (and these are by the talented Katherine Fallis of Furnished Photography ).
But today I get to share a little more- I get to share some of their story....

The how "how we met" parts and "what was really important in preparing for our wedding" parts.
A mutual friend introduced Kirsten and Daniel when they were freshmen at NC State. The very next weekend they attended at State football game together.  And that shared love for NC State football led to four years of getting together for sporting events, then going together to church, and helping each other get through college. Daniel created a slideshow that captured all those special "together" moments, and as the slide show ended, he dropped to one knee and proposed!
Kirsten and Daniel wanted to focus on the important things, and one of those was where to get married...
Because of his mentor, friend and youth pastor, (whom Daniel first met at University United Methodist Church), this "Wolfpack" couple chose to get married in the very same church in Chapel Hill.
And how wonderful to have this friend, Justin, perform their wedding ceremony. What a beautiful setting, and it now has special meaning to both Daniel and Kirsten.
Bridesmaids and Maid of Honor were easy choices for Kirsten, her best friends who also happen to be her sisters, Cori and Camden, and her new sister (in-law), Carolina, who over the years has become another dear friend.
Daniel's best man was his Dad, and his groomsmen were his cousins, TJ and Sawyer.You see, the most important aspect for this couple for their wedding day was the opportunity to be together with their family and loved ones. There just wasn't a lot of stress about little details.
The joy was in joining their lives together as husband and wife with mothers and grandmothers and
fathers and grandfathers and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends there with them-
The people that matter most in your life coming together from all over the place to celebrate with you on your wedding day!

It's a family reunion...  only better.

Here are some words of advice from Kirsten- "Don't stress about it. The day is about spending time with your friends and families. No one is going to judge you on what table settings you had, or where you had the reception... Also you will look beautiful no matter put on- the most important thing to wear on your wedding day is happiness!"

Weddings- Meredith & Casey, the Real Pictures

Each season offers rewards and challenges for weddings, and this is so true for summer. And though Casey and Meredith had the challenge of some very "WARM" (102 degrees) weather, you would never know it from the stunning photographs captured by Robyn of Robyn Van Dyke Photography.
She was able to capture the joyful emotions of a young man and young woman who were so very happy to be getting married!
One of the beauties of summer weddings is the vibrant color palette. Meredith chose rich royal blue for her bridesmaids and a gorgeous royal blue floral print for her maids-of-honor.
The saturated yellows of the Gerber daisies and roses that were nestled in sky blue hydrangeas were a great complement for the color of the dresses.
Meredith chose the timeless look of an all white bridal bouquet. Her flowers included Akito roses, freesia, lisianthus and Majolica spray roses wrapped with her grandmother's handkerchief.

Casey's boutonniere was a single yellow rose.

Centerpiece designs featured blue dephinium, blue and white hydrangeas, white and yellow roses, mums, lots of fresh summery greenery and...

some cute little Love-In-A-Puff pods from my summer vines.

The centerpiece for the head table was embellished with a label designed with the "heart" seeds from Love-in-a-Puff... so appropriate for weddings, don't you think.

I am so happy for Casey and Meredith as they begin this New Year as Newlyweds- their 1/2 year anniversary is right around the corner! May God continue to bless your lives together.
And Thank You again to Robyn Van Dyke Photography for sharing these wonderful pictures!

Weddings- Mikki & Hector... The Real Pictures

I call them the Real Pictures, because 1) they are taken by truly gifted photographers and 2) they show the Real People who have just gotten married!
And I am so excited to show off these two! Mikki and Hector make the sweetest couple and they had the most wonderful wedding in September.
And Jamie Blow of J&J Photography did an outstanding job of capturing all the wonderful details of their special day.

The color palette that Mikki and Hector chose was absolutely gorgeous- rich plum and purple, lavender, antique green and ivory.
And I loved combining beautiful flowers from my garden with the beautiful flowers from the market.
Cinda of Cinda's Creative Cakes created a fantastic wedding cake with cool leaves and branches embellished with fresh flowers and a cute bird nest!
The round oak slabs are Mikki's Dad's handiwork. They were perfect for the woodsy garden theme.

It is music to my ears when I hear from my couples how perfect their wedding day was, and I am so excited for them as they begin their lives together as husband and wife.


Mikki and Hector, I wish you all the BEST as these newly wedded days slip into weeks....then months... then years..... many, many years!!!

Weddings- CeCe and Lee- The Real Pictures

I met CeCe at the Southern Bridal Show & Expo last August. And I was so excited to hear how much she liked the garden style that I bring to my floral designs. When she and her mom, Cile, and sister, Lori, came for the floral consultation it was like visiting with old friends. Pinks and yellows and fresh picked greens that would be found in a springtime garden were the colors that she chose for her late March wedding. And flowers such as anemones and ranunculus and tulips which just shout SPRING were perfect for the different designs. So when I was deciding what tulips to plant for my spring garden beds- I made sure there were yellows and pinks in the mix.
And then there was this one little flower that I didn't think I would be able to get in early spring, but it was very important to CeCe- Billy Buttons. These are summer flowers around here, but my vendor said "No Problem". So a matching Billy Button found its way into Lee's boutonniere as well, (love the tie!).
And because they were so MUCH fun to work with- they found their way into my garden too!!!
CeCe's bouquet was filled with soft white ranunculus, pale pink lisianthus, dark pink anemones, fragrant rosemary, glossy camellia leaves, and of course Billy Buttons.
Her bridesmaids carried bright yellow tulips and mums, hot pink stock and pale pink tulips, waxflowers, rosemary and camellia leaves.

The posies for the pews were a gathering of pink larkspur and stock, yellow kerria japonica and rosemary wrapped with ivory ribbons.
These flowers as well as bridal wreath spirea were included in the gorgeous wreaths that CeCe's Mom created. Kerria japonica is a sweet puff of yellow that almost glows along the lime green stems.
Angelique tulips, cherry blossoms and Kerria blooms were used in the reception decor.
Such a sweet couple... and now they are busy making a new life for themselves at the BEACH!!! How fun! CeCe and Lee- I wish you all the best as you move into your fourth month of marriage.
PS: Aren't these pictures awesome! Be sure to check out the wonderful work of this talented photographer- Nancy of   Nancy Ray Photography

Weddings- Emma and Bobby- the Real Pictures

March... Spring... Saucer Magnolia Blooms... A Wedding Gown... How cool is that!!! Amanda of Amanda Olson Photography showed great creativity in capturing this picture of Emma's wedding gown. And because of this image, I bet Emma's heart will always skip a beat when she sees a Saucer Magnolia tree in bloom, (and I bet that she and Bobby will have one of their own some day!)

And I love this playful shot of Emma's wedding bouquet.... So Sweet!

When I first met Emma and her Mom, Kathy, it was steamy summer, but Emma was thinking spring thoughts with this delicate palette of whites, creams and greens.

White ranunculus with sunny yellow faces, fragrant creamy freesia, pale green lisianthus, and baby green hydrangeas were some of the flowers in the bridal bouquet.

Here's the beautiful bride with her lovely bridesmaids. Their bouquets were designed with green hydrangea, white Majolica roses, green lisianthus and green button mums which complimented the rich sangria color of the dresses.
Table centerpieces included narrow rectangular vases filled with pussy willow stems.
I loved the playful venue for the wedding reception! It was the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh.

And what a beautiful setting to kiss the Bride!!! Emma's so cute in her purple sneakers. Wishing you newlyweds all the best