If you haven't read Our Wedding - Part I yet, read it HERE. It covers prep, rehearsal, and day-of getting ready, while this post features the details of our ceremony & reception.
We left off with my dad & I walking down the stairway to the ceremony. But before we jump into that, I want to take a moment to talk about how beautiful this ceremony space was! As I said earlier, Sweet Stems Flower Bar of Franklin, NC did all our floral design. They knocked it out of the park, taking my vision & making it a reality. The arch, pews, and wine barrels were rentals from the venue. And with the help of our florist they were transformed into beautiful works of art! Our "Unplugged Ceremony" sign was an Etsy creation. I purchased the template from the designer then was able to re-word the PDF & print at home. The frame & easel stand came from Hobby Lobby, to complete the project. This was a very important aspect to us during the ceremony. I always despised seeing guests whip out their cell phones or tablets and attempt to capture photos & videos of the bride walking down the isle. Not only is it distracting to everyone else, but it's like a slap in the face to your photographers. They're there to capture your day for you. Plus we wanted our guests fully engaged during this sacred & personal event. So we politely asked them to please not use any technology during our ceremony.
Our DJ was was also set up in the ceremony space. We used a company called Pros Only to book our wedding DJ. After giving them a little info about your day, they match you with one of their DJ's. We were matched up with DJ Ray, who was an absolute delight to work with! We met him once before our wedding to go over details & song preferences. We selected our processional song, which was a piano cover of Sting's Fields of Gold & Beethoven's Ode to Joy combined by musical artist Paul Hankinson. I found him on YouTube, he creates such beautiful music! (I'll link him at the end) My song to walk out to was actually selected by Nich. Before we were even engaged, he told me he always imagined his future bride coming down the isle to the piano cover of My Heart Will Go On by James Horner. So of course we had to use that, but honestly, I did love it too!
Guests began arriving at 5pm. We had valet parking, which was required by the venue. Our DJ played a variety of soft, slow ballads during the prelude. My brother was designated to greet guests upon their arrival & hand out the programs. Our ceremony began promptly at 5:30pm. The mother of the groom & mother of the bride started us off Once they were escorted to their seats, our officiant, Rev. Don, came down. We met Don just shortly before our big day. We had yet to choose an officiant or someone to marry us. So, as a last resort I started researching officiants online. I came across Don on WeddingWire, and just had this gut feeling he was the one for us! I reached out to him in hopes he'd be available on such short notice. Luckily, our date was the only free weekend he still had available (I'm telling you it was meant to be!). We set up a time to meet, which went so well! We worked together crafting the perfect ceremony notes. We met once more before the wedding to finalize everything & hand over our vows. I was so relieved to have found him, because he was truly an answered prayer! His sweet wife Donna accompanied him to our wedding, and I'm so glad they got to be apart of our special day.
Following Rev. Don down the isle was the groom, Nich. And after taking his place, our groomsmen & bridesmaids entered. We had them enter as a pair down the stairway, then walk individually down the isle.
Nich & I chose not see each other before the ceremony. So when my entrance song came on & I was about to enter, Rev. Don had Nich turn around to face away as my dad & I descended down the long stairway. Once we had reached the isle, my dress was fluffed by our coordinator & Nich was advised to turn back around as I made my way down the isle. Our eyes met and I thought my heart was going to burst... sweetest moment ever.
Once we reached the archway, Rev. Don began the ceremony with a welcome to our guests & an opening prayer.
"Welcome. Today we have gathered together to celebrate the marriage of Sarah & Nich. Together we’re a group of the most important people in their lives and they’ve brought us here to recognize that we’ve all played a special part in the love they share today. Because you are their biggest champions, supporters and friends, it is only fitting that you are here today to share in this incredible memory with them. Let us give thanks for this marriage...."
We then proceeded with the traditional "giving away" of the bride.
"Loving is the ultimate commitment which challenges humans to become all that we are meant to be. And as they join in marriage today, Sarah & Nich are announcing to the world that they are welcoming that challenge.Who supports Sarah in her decision to be married to Nich?"
Rev. Don then took a moment to speak to us on the topic of love, which led into the introduction of our vows.
“To love is to remember and keep alive forever all those unique qualities that drew you to one another in the beginning. To love is to constantly search for new ways to bring each other happiness. To love is to greet each day with anticipation and gather up new memories together! To love is to be able to laugh at yourself and be willing to say...."I was wrong, I'm sorry"...To forgive, and more importantly, to forget. To always believe and trust in one another. Love isn’t perfect. It isn’t a fairy tale, or a storybook. It doesn’t always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on, and never letting go. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. Love is work but most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it is worth it…because you did it together.”
Nich & I chose to write our own vows to each other. This was something we knew we wanted to do from the very beginning of wedding planning. It was an important part in keeping with the personal & intimate feel of our day. I'm so glad we decided to write our on, as it was an incredibly emotional moment I will never forget.
"Sarah, I love you. September 5th, 2015 is a day that I will never forget. It isn't the day when we first started dating, but it was the first time we told each other 'I love you'."
"Nich, today, I stand here making the best & easiest decision of my life, becoming your wife. I never would have imagined that our blunder of a first date would have led me to this moment, standing here with you on our wedding day. But I feel so honored and blessed to have spent the past 4 years calling you mine, which have undoubtedly been the best years of my life."
(Hear our full vows in our wedding video linked at the end of this post)
After our vows we exchanged rings. Then we moved into my favorite part, the blessing of the hands. This was a beautiful message that provided a unique element to our ceremony.
"These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. Tenderly, they will also hold your children together as one family. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch. May you see your hands to heal, protect, shelter, and guide. Now, may your hands be blessed, and may they always be held by one another.”
We said our official "I do's" and closed with a word of prayer before being pronounced husband & wife.
"Sarah & Nich, as you have expressed your love and commitment to each other today, your lives are forever changed. May you be blessed by God. May your hearts stay full, your spirits stay connected, and may your love be long and happy in one another’s arms. With great honor and by the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
We exited to Stevie Wonder's Sign, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), which was a fun way to celebrate right after! (To read our full ceremony notes clink on the link at the end of this post)
We had made it through the ceremony and now it was time to party! We gathered for hugs, kisses, and congratulations before posing for pictures. I had requested that we have all of our guests gather for a big group photo before sending them up to the pavilion for social hour. Our photographer snapped a couple fun photos of the group then we proceeded to take family portraits. Our guests were led to the pavilion terrace for social hour while we continued photos in the vineyard.
Our social hour consisted of passed hors d'oeuvres and wine. Nich & I hand selected our favorite wines to serve at the wedding. There was a choice of Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Moscato. The venue had a "supply your own alcohol" policy, so we purchased in bulk from Total Wine & More. Any unopened bottles you can return to the store for a refund! Our caterer provided a bartender to serve all the wine. We had a variety of hors d'oeuvres like mac + cheese shooters, bacon wrapped potato bites, and goat cheese pear crostinis.
The event pavilion had been transformed into an elegant mountaintop dream. My vision had become reality thanks to the help of our vendors & family. Our florist did amazing work, from the little flower stems in the napkins to the huge hanging display above the table. Our head table was assigned seating for our wedding party. We used custom laser cut names to designate places. We rented the "X" back cafe chairs from Professional Party Rentals, along with all the serving ware, utensils, and glassware. The wagon cart & all the tables were rented from the venue. The table linens, napkins, and curtains were purchased by me from an online vendor. They were all in a satin finish in the color ivory. Our "Order of Events" sign was another Etsy creation I purchased & printed at home. Our guest book was a custom photo book from Shutterfly using pictures from our engagement session. We opted for a honeymoon fund instead of registering for gifts. Guests could make a contribution via our wedding website or bring a card to place in our "card box". We had a variety of wooden table top games placed on the terrace coffee tables, as well as cornhole boards to keep guests entertained. I also purchased the cutest advice cards off Etsy, which made for fun little notes our guests could leave us. Our cake table had beautiful apothecary jars filled with cream puffs & macarons. Our wedding cake was vanilla with cream cheese icing. And let me tell you, it was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted! We used Cream + Flutter Bakery in Cashiers, NC to make our cake & macarons. I wanted our wedding to be simple & elegant in design. We opted for a tall single tier cake with floral decoration. The macarons were tiramisu and salted caramel flavored, dyed ivory & navy blue with gold fleks. They were so beautiful! The adorable little bride + groom champagne glasses were a gift made by Nich's mom {SO CUTE}. Our cake stand and welcome sign were custom made at a DIY workshop. I made the cake stand & my mom made the welcome sign. All the candles, votives, lanterns, and vases on the tables were mine, as well as the "Mr. & Mrs." chair signs. I also designed a photo collage using pictures of Nich & I from birth to highschool. I bought the wooden frame from Hobby Lobby & attached twine to it. I used a website to have the pictures printed as Polaroids then arranged them on the frame using clips.
It truly amazes me how everything pulled together to look so beautiful & cohesive!
An hour of photos flew by and we ended up at the farmhouse to bustle my dress & catch our breath. Our coordinator brought some hors'devours and water to us before making our grand entrance at the pavilion to kick off the reception. Our first dance was to Russel Dickerson's Yours. When we had finished our dance we took our seats for the blessing of the meal. There was bread & butter already on the tables, as well as infused water pitchers. We chose to do a plated three course meal with the {AMAZING} Chef360 catering company. I so loved working with them. From the very beginning their customer service was impeccable. We had our first taste testing with them back in 2018. We decided on a seasonal salad filled with dried cranberries, pink lady apple slices, candied pecans, and Parmesan cheese for the first course. With a choice of raspberry vinaigrette and herbed ranch dressing on the tables. The main course was a duel entree (two meats) featuring a 4 oz. filet with guinness demi-glace and chicken roulade with white wine asparagus & smoked gouda mashed potatoes. The final course was a chocolate mousse shooter with whip cream and chocolate shavings on top. The food was delicious and the wait staff were amazing! I felt waited on hand & foot. It was important to us that everyone be served at our wedding, and with a small guest list it made it possible to do a plated style dinner.
Towards the end of our meal, we began the toasts. First up was my maid of honor. Taylor was actually the reason Nich & I had even met in the first place. So it was fun to hear her story of watching our relationship progress over the years. After her beautiful words, the father of the groom was up, and then finally the father of the bride. This was such a sweet moment and I'm forever grateful for the kind words they each shared with us that evening. Next were the father/daughter & mother/son dances, which then led into an open dance floor. I honestly can't say enough good things about our DJ! His song selections were perfection. We had requested genres like Motown, disco, blues, country, and soul music. Basically anything from the 90's and down LOL He MADE our wedding reception by the songs he played. And much to my surprise, he had everyone up & moving along by the end of the night. I will never be able to thank him enough for pulling that off!
After dancing off some of our food, we cut the cake, thanked our guests, and had one last champagne toast. The night continued on with more dancing, eating, corn hole, and roasting marshmallows by the fire pit. We concluded our night with a final dance to I've Had the Time of My Life. We exited to a tunnel of sparklers, surrounded by our favorite people ever! After our departure, cleanup & tear down began. Thanks to our friends & family it went quite quickly, and I got all my personal belongings back! We all stayed on site for one last night in the mountains. We had reservations the next day to go zip lining at the aerial park across the street. A small group of us met at 10am to go do that while the rest of our family stayed back to pack up our things for checkout of the venue at noon. Zip lining through the mountains was a blast, and when we returned it was time to say goodbye to the vineyard. Nich & I took a moment to ourselves to walk the grounds & reminisce on the magical weekend we had just experienced there. We would soon be on a plane headed to Antigua for our honeymoon (if you haven't seen our honeymoon post yet, read it HERE) leaving the fresh, crisp air of the mountains behind us.
Like I said in Part 1, our wedding was a dream I never even knew I had, until it was over. Wedding planning flies by in a flash, so to any brides out there, enjoy it! Enjoy every moment & decision you get to make. And if I could offer one small piece of advice, go ahead and splurge on your photographer and/or videographer. It'll be the best money you ever spent & worth every penny. Because you won't get to see everything from that day and you won't remember every little detail. The day will be like a blur but the photos you have after will be how you remember that special time.
View our full wedding gallery HERE! Use password nichandsarah to open.
Not only did we just get our full gallery back but we also got the full feature video of our wedding! Once again, Anna & Rebekah of the The Family Films created pure magic! And I'm SO excited to share with you guys! Take a peak into our day with the link below👇🏼
And if you missed our 1min. highlight video a few months back, you can view it HERE
Special thanks to all our vendors, friends, and family for making it a day (and weekend) to remember! So much love for you all!
Credits -
Photographer & Videographer: The Family Films
Hair: Melanie Sorrow Hair
Officiant: Don Morphis
Day-of Coordinator: I Do Events
Caterer: Chef360
Florist: Sweet Stems Flower Bar
Rentals (chairs & serving ware/glassware): Professional Party Rentals
Bakery: Cream + Flutter
Dress: Pronovias / Bellissima Bridal Boutique
Bride Hair Accessory: The Magnolia Bride
Veil: The Magnolia Bride
Groom + Groomsmen Suites: Joseph A. Banks
Stationary: Basic Invite
Advice Cards: Etsy
Unplugged Ceremony Sign: Etsy
Order of Events Sign: Etsy
Easels & Frames: Hobby Lobby
Guest Book: Shutterfly
Cardbox: Hobby Lobby
Apothocary Jars: Hobby Lobby
Candle Lantern Center Pieces: Amazon
Candle Stick Holders: Kirklands
Votive Candle Holders: Amazon
Linens (table cloths, curtains, & napkins): CV Linens
Wood cut name cards: Etsy
Bar menu sign: Etsy
Cake Cutting Set: Amazon
Processional Song: Paul Hankinson
Bride's Entrance Song: James Horner
See also -
Our Full Wedding Gallery (password: nichandsarah)
xoxo