“I loved how Amy and Andrew centered their wedding around their family and friends. The intimate celebration was filled with special touches. In fact, the handcrafted stage created for their ceremony was one of the most unique elements I saw last year and set the stage for an amazing evening of revelry!” – Stephanie Yonce Photography

What is your favorite wedding day memory?

We loved it when our Pastor paused at the beginning of the ceremony and had us turn to face the crowd and just take it in. He gave us around 20 seconds to just look around and see all of the most important people in our lives who had traveled in from all around the country to be there with us.

Another favorite memory was our first dance. It was a choreographed foxtrot to “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by Dean Martin. We took dance lessons for three months to learn it. The reason it is so memorable is because that whole time Andrew had no clue what type of dress Amy had until the day of the wedding. Once we finished taking pictures with our family, we were going inside to be announced into the reception and that’s when we finally were able to sneak a few seconds to practice a couple of steps with the dress. He was so nervous that we wouldn’t make it through the dance, but we were able to with only a few minor hiccups. We loved every second of it!

What did you DIY for your wedding?

We DIY’d lots for our wedding day!

Our Ceremony Stage – The ceremony took place in an old timber frame church from the 1800s. We were able to find some old lumber from a historic building {Pre-American Civil War era} that was built in North Carolina. We knew this wood would match perfectly for what we wanted our “altar” to look like so we bought some 4x4s. However, the 4x4s weren’t long enough to reach the ceiling so Andrew and a co-worker spent an afternoon one day joining the timbers together using similar techniques to what the rest of the timber frame was built with. They were placed at the edges of the stage to frame us during the ceremony. They made the altar look so dramatic and amazing.

Bouquets + Flower Arrangements – Assembled using silk flowers, live ivy and boxwood and other greenery from around the venue.

Candelabras, Draping + Centerpieces – Candelabras purchased at thrift stores which were spray painted gold with crystal beads hung on them. Flame less candles were used due to restrictions by the venue.

Anniversary Wine Bottles – They were painted and decorated wine bottles with a year for people to leave advice for us to open when we reach each anniversary.

Our Seating Chart – It was chalkboard painted plywood mounted in a frame purchased at Michael’s. The words were all written using paint markers.

All Wedding Signage – Using scrapbook paper and old frames from friends and family, we printed at home and put together all of the signage and table numbers.

Invitations – Andrew and I created every part of the invitations, RSVP cards and detail cards. We created the design and printed them on champagne colored card stock at home. Using rubber cement, we glued them onto scrapbook paper and then tied a ribbon around them. We had some friends over one night and they stuffed, addressed and stamped all of the invitations. Each invitation was on a slightly different style of scrapbook paper with the same color theme.

Our Wedding Favors – Homemade lavender soaps wrapped with either twine, ribbon, or lace and displayed in a suitcase by the door. Three different scents of homemade beard oils for all of the bearded men to take as a favor. The scents were named and each had a unique label for the bottles.

Our Wedding Cake Topper – Using a cameo silhouette machine with black card stock we printed at home.

Something old, new, borrowed and blue?

My something old was my Grandfather’s bible that the ring bearer carried. My something new was my wedding dress, of course! My something borrowed was my Maid of Honor’s perfume. Lastly, my something blue was a bow on my underwear!

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

Connect personally with each and every single one of your vendors. We had a negative experience with some vendors, but luckily we had such a strong connection with our wedding entertainment director, we were able to simply vent to him at one of our meetings and he calmed us down and immediately knew what we were looking for and made a recommendation. His recommendation was absolutely perfect since he knew us so well! This change in vendors totally changed the experience we had planning our wedding. We also had an AMAZING honeymoon road trip all over Iceland for 2.5 weeks. We can’t recommend Iceland as a honeymoon destination enough. It was the most amazing place we’ve ever been and can’t wait to go back! -Amy, the bride

Event Credits

Photographer: Stephanie Yonce Photography // Videographer: Stephen Phillipi // Venue: Stevenson Ridge Lodge // Officiant: Pastor Jim Stone // Wedding Planner: Jeri Hetrick // Catering: Beach Fries // Cake: Basilico New York Deli // DJ: Eric Herold Entertainment // Engagement Ring: Jared // Brides Attire: Ava Laurenne Bride // Brides Shoes: DSW // Brides Jewelry: Macy's // Grooms Attire: JC Penny // Grooms Shoes: DSW // Bridesmaid Attire: Ava Laurenne Bride // Groomsmen Attire: JC Penny