Source: http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2009/9/15/real-north-carolina-wedding-sarah-kevin-part-i.html

Sometimes the bride really does know her own wedding best, and Sarah’s description of her North Carolina wedding as a truly “enchanted” affair is spot on the money!   Special thanks to Dixie Pixel Photo for sharing this magical wedding with us.  Indeed, the couple’s twilight nuptials in a secluded forest at The Garden Retreat (complete with flickering lanterns, hanging dragonflies and a vintage Claire Pettibone gown) were fairytale perfect.  The hopeless romantic in all of us here at SW loves how the bridesmaids, in flowy moss green dresses from Melissa Sweet, and the flower girls in hair wreathes from Blooms at Biltmore Park call to mind the wood nymphs and fairy princesses from our favorite childhood stories.  Want to hear more about this international couple’s happily-ever-after ending?  Check back to see how Sarah, a North Carolina native, and Kevin, a New Zealand national, who met while living abroad in London, celebrated wedded bliss with their closest friends and family!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. I had just moved to London from Tennessee and Kevin had just moved to London from New Zealand. Coincidentally, we both were planning trips to Spain. We found each other and decided to go to Barcelona together and had a great time exploring Spain. Once back in London, we bonded over conversations about missing our dogs, adjusting to British life and loving hot chocolate.  After four years of falling more and more in love, we got engaged!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Enchanted, emotional and fun.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation? To give our guests a taste of our vintage forest wedding, the invitation was shaped like an antique locket. On the front of the gold locket was a cardinal and a kiwi to represent where Kevin and I are from. The locket opened to reveal an evening forest scene along with all the wedding details our guests needed.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew I wanted a dress that would have a vintage style to fit in with our forest destination wedding.  I came across Claire Pettibone’s dresses and fell in love with the designer.  I had a hard time making up my mind because all of her designs were gorgeous . In the end, I decided “Helena” was perfect and I was even lucky enough to find it at a sample sale at Kelly’s Closet in Atlanta.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable moment was standing with Kevin at the ceremony in the beautiful forest surrounded by the people who love us best.

RSS Source: http://with–this–ring.blogspot.com/2009/09/real-wedding-houston-texas.html

Besides the beautiful couple and the amazing scenery, this wedding includes an appearance by peacocks! Chelsea and Jason were married at Vargos in Houston, and were photographed by Kelly Niemann Photography. You can see more photos on Kelly’s blog. Congratulations Chelsea and Jason!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WhatJunebugLovesWeddingBlog/~3/5xclJWpEVx0/real-wedding-rachel-and-patrick.aspx

Rachel and Patrick are recent transplants to West Texas, and had been homesick for their Pacific Northwest roots, so when it came time to plan their wedding, a destination weekend up in the San Juan Islands was the perfect way to celebrate their new life together!  Their friends and family all joined them at the Roche Harbor Resort and spent the whole weekend soaking up the relaxed surroundings during perfect Indian summer weather.

With a color palette of Pacific blue, cream and khaki they created a casual beach inspired wedding that matched the sea and sky around them. Rachel wore a dress from Cicada that Patrick’s sister had actually had custom made for her own wedding 3 years before, the bridesmaids wore dresses from Ann Taylor and Patrick and his groomsmen all wore suits and ties from Banana Republic. As they all got ready on the morning of the wedding, Rachel realized that her veil had been left back in Seattle- a 2 1/2 hour drive and 1 hour ferry ride away! Patrick somehow worked his magic and arranged for a friend in Seattle pick up the veil and deliver it to a sea plane on nearby Lake Union that was heading up to Roche Harbor. The veil made it’s way up to the island in no time flat, and Rachel was able to wear it for their photos. Incredible!

Rachel and Patrick had lots of time before the wedding to explore the island and all its stunning locations for photos with their dear friend and photographer Shannon from Riso Studio. The wedding ceremony itself was simple and sweet. Rachel was walked down the aisle by her grandfather, Patrick’s Uncle played the acoustic guitar, and a family friend acted as their officiant. “It was wonderful to have the family involved in that way. We could not have asked for a better ceremony.”

Thank you so much for sharing your wedding day with us Rachel and Patrick!

To learn more about the professionals who contributed to this wedding, be sure to visit our Real Weddings library, and for recommendations on planning a stress-free Seattle or Southern California wedding check out our Plan Your Wedding Top-Ten Hostlist!