Josh and Olivia 's Wedding in Morganton, North Carolina

The year before Josh proposed, I started dreaming on Pinterest and found the perfect dress (I was ready to get married). It was a tulle ballgown with illusion lace, embellished with crystals and pearls (the "Olivia" dress by Rebecca Ingram). When we finally got engaged, I went back to that dress—and I was shocked to learn that the style and I have the same name! It was meant to be. I wore a fingertip-length scalloped veil with crystal and pearl embellishments. The pearls connected me to our mothers and grandmothers who all wore pearls on their wedding days. Josh and I met and live at the beach, so it also symbolized our home together. And the beautiful floral lace tied in with the vineyard where we said "I do." Josh loved the dress and I had a fantastic time dancing the night away with its twirly tulle skirt.

One of my favorite moments was our first look in the vineyard. Our photographer had us stand back-to-back and hold hands, which really amped up our excitement (and made for great pictures). Having that time to take in each other and share a private moment was so special to us. He was still wowed when I walked down the aisle because I saved the veil for that moment. Despite the hurricane and the other normal wedding setbacks that happen, it was truly the best day of my life!

We were married during the last golden hour of summer, so we used a summery palette to separate the two seasons in our wedding. Our ceremony was held outside with the South Mountains as our backdrop with the vineyard sprawling to our right. We said “I do” in front of an archway full of our favorite flowers and greenery to create a romantic, natural setting. We incorporated wine barrels with floral arrangements at the start of the aisle.

The reception was held inside the Pavilion and was transformed by romantic drapery and café lights throughout. As the season transitioned to fall, we used a moodier color palette with warm, cozy touches. A gobo with our names was displayed over the double-sided fireplace. Guests enjoyed dinner at natural-grain farm tables with eucalyptus and fresh flowers spanning the length of the tables. Tables were decorated with silver candle votives and lanterns, which gave everything a twinkly, enchanting vibe.

Guests signed a framed picture of the night sky on our wedding night, keeping in theme with the equinox. Instead of programs, we displayed a welcome sign with the order of events and listed our wedding party. My favorite DIY décor pieces were our photo displays. At the entrance, we displayed a rustic reclaimed window with photos from mine and Josh’s 5 years of dating, including engagement pictures. We displayed framed photos from each of our parents’ weddings on the cake table. Our parents have been together 30-40 years, so we wanted to honor their legacies on our special day. My own mom made the cake, as well as all the other desserts, including pies with intricate designs! Many other little touches were my own DIY projects—I enjoyed creating things from calligraphy display cards to assembling a kids table with activities for our littlest guests!

Flowers were an important part of creating the romantic, natural style we wanted. We chose florals that harmonized both our summer and autumn palettes. My cascading bridal bouquet included seeded and silver dollar eucalyptus, creamy dahlias, peach roses, white ranunculus, anemone, thistle, lisianthus, and violet waxflower. Bridesmaid bouquets were smaller versions of my own. Josh, his groomsmen, and our fathers wore cream rose boutonnieres with blue thistle to match their suits. The same palette was used in the ceremony archway and the reception farm tables. Our mothers both honored their mothers at their own weddings by presenting them with fresh roses during their ceremonies. To mirror this tradition, I gave our mothers vintage silver rose brooch pins from the 1980s—the decade when our parents were married.

The bar menu included our favorite cocktails! The bride’s drink was “Olivia’s Mojito” and the groom’s choice was “Josh and Coke,” made with his signature Maker’s Mark. Guests also took home souvenir drink coozies that were personalized with our names and the phrase “I love you to the mountains and back.”

We upped the ante with my bouquet toss. Instead of just inviting the single ladies, we asked all ladies, married or otherwise, to gather around. The person who caught the bouquet would take home a bottle of Silver Fork wine as a prize! My cousin caught the bouquet, much to her dad and boyfriend’s surprise—unfortunately she’s only 18, so her parents enjoyed the wine for her!