Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A: My husband and I got married in April, 2019 at the Ramsey Golf & Country Club. Graham and I met in Charlotte, NC at college in 2012. He is originally from NC, and I am from NJ so throughout our relationship we always loved traveling up north, and with a lot of my family still living in the area we knew that we wanted to get married there. After looking at quite a few venues, we knew that the cozy and charming feel of RGC was perfect for our special day. The most important thing to us was having all of our loved ones join us for the best day of our lives, and to throw a big party!
Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A: I always envisioned a very simple wedding - lots of greenery, candles, and a very neutral color palette. RGC offered an amazing outdoor ceremony space, which unfortunately we were not able to use due to weather - but the indoor ceremony space in the atrium was even more beautiful than I could have imagined. The venue itself made the simple decor even more stunning. Being a graphic designer, I designed all of the signage (welcome sign, name cards, table numbers, etc.) and my maid of honor helped me put together a DIY photo booth for the reception. Everything came together perfectly.
Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
A: With a very simple and neutral color scheme, the florals were very important. A lot of greenery, pops of light pink with a lot of white and ivory. The bridal bouquets turned out AMAZING, I was so so happy with them. As well as the centerpieces which featured candles and loose greenery, very simple yet elegant. Our florist nailed it. Our ceremony took place in the atrium which had beautiful lighting and a great view of the greens around the club house, but not too distracting. Our reception was held in the grand ballroom, which features an amazing staircase and opens up to the atrium - a lot of beautiful lighting with a very warm feel to the entire space.
Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A: All of our vendors played a very important role in making our day special - they could not have done a better job and made the event so enjoyable for us and our family & friends. From our amazing hair & makeup stylists, to our minister who shared an awesome message during our ceremony. From our incredible DJ, to the Maitre D at RGC that made sure everything ran smoothly the entire day. Each and every one of our vendors had a part in how perfectly the day went, which Lauren was able to capture quite incredibly.
Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
A: For me, finding my dress was actually quite simple. Growing up and living right outside of NYC, I knew I would never have an issue finding my dream dress. It just so happened to be at the very well-known Kleinfeld, which was an amazing experience from beginning to end. Each dress I tried on, I loved more and more until I finally put on "the one", the Vicenta by Pronovias. It was everything I wanted! For my shoes, I went with non other than the Manolo Blahnik Hangisi's, and to go with my engagement ring and band, I wore David Yurman jewelry. Graham decided early on that he wanted to wear a tux - dark blue with black lapels, with Hugo Boss accessories. His shoes were definitely the highlight and turned more heads than mine did... he wore the most amazing black suede Ferragamo loafers. We both take an interest in fashion quite a bit, so we enjoyed dressing up and looking our best!
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: Graham and I both attended UNC Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was a few years older than me, but we had a bunch of mutual friends. We actually did not meet until we went to Florida for spring break with all of our friends. We met on the beach the first day there, and have been inseparable ever since! 6 years later, Graham surprised me with a trip to the Bahamas for Christmas. Graham and I have always loved to travel together and it was something we did quite a lot, so I did not really think anything of this "special" trip. Sure enough, one night he arranged a candlelit dinner where he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! There was never any rush to get married or any pressure, but the timing was perfect and I couldn't have been more excited to become his wife.
Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A: The most amazing thing about our wedding day and entire weekend was having all of our loved ones there to celebrate with us. I look back today and still remember just how incredible it felt to walk into a room full of our favorite people. We were so happy to have everyone with us - it was an amazing feeling that neither of us will ever forget.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: Enjoy it while you can and try not to stress! Everything will work itself out, and it comes and goes before you know it. The best part about our wedding was being surrounded by our loved ones, so at the end of the day as long as you have that, your wedding will be more than perfect.