Both Tim and I spent the morning of our wedding with our respective family and friends up in cabins in the mountains, and we loved the relaxing time we had with them. My sisters and wedding party did each others hair and makeup as we had breakfast and mimosas, which made my wedding day feel so relaxed.
One of the best parts about our wedding was how it made us realize the overwhelming love and generosity of our friends and family. Besides our wedding ceremony and actually getting married, what we will always remember is how much we were surrounded by love shown by all who traveled across the country, helped with wedding details, and got down on the dance floor.
When planning, I ended up incorporating a lot of metallic gold accents, which contrasted nicely with the rustic wood barn, the whites of the bridesmaids’ dresses and the natural greenery of the bouquets and landscape. Tim has a reputation for creating a playlist for every party and occasion, so he edited, timed and cut each song perfectly using software and made an awesome playlist. Not using a DJ was probably the riskiest thing we did, but because he thought it out so well ahead of time, it worked out for us. I’ll never forget the few evenings we spent “test dancing” the wedding playlist. Tim and I also experimented at home with our favorite cocktail recipes that we then served our guests: I picked a St. Germain French 75, and since I love to cook, I made the lemon-rosemary simple syrup for it. Tim’s cocktail was his favorite classic Manhattan with orange bitters.
The wedding was amazing. After dinner, dessert and speeches, the dance floor was literally swarmed from the very first song and wasn’t empty until the music stopped. In fact, the party was still going when the reception was scheduled to end, so Tim and I made the decision to extend the entire thing by an extra hour, and we don’t regret that for a minute…although it did take a few days for the feeling to return to my feet completely!
My best advice when planning a wedding is to book the best photographer you possibly can. Tara of Dixie Pixel was literally the first person we contacted after we chose a date because I had been following her work for the past year or two (yes, I was That Girl) and knew she was unparalleled. Tim was sold the minute she asked us if we were “willing to trespass or climb fences” in order to get a good shot, and while we did neither of those on our wedding day, Tara jumped into the river with no regard for her clothes so she could get our picture.”
Photographer: Dixie Pixel Photography
Kathleen & Tim | May 25, 2013
Florist: Flowers by Tammy
Invitations & Calligraphy: Julie Ruffin DeWalt & Lindsay Sholota Ware
Bridal Shop: BHLDN
Bridal Party Attire: JCrew, French Connection, ModCloth, Madewell, ASOS, David’s Bridal
Ceremony Location: St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Reception Location & Caterer: The Barn Event Center of the Smokies
Favors and Guest Bag: Rainwater Farm
Day-of Coordinator: Delightfully Designed
Guest Cabins: Dogwood Cabins
Custom Veil: Agnes Hart on Etsy
Headpiece: SIBO Designs
More Photos of The Bride and Groom’s Happy Day Below
