WEDDING WEDNESDAY: ALL THINGS BRIDE.

Well Gilties, WE’RE MARRIED!! Just like that, I can’t even really fully wrap my head around it yet. I just feel this overwhelming sense of happiness, but also just feel so comforted and content knowing I have found the person that I get to spend my life with. There is also something very sexy about seeing your man in a ring! I love being a wife, and today marks one full week!! If you guys need any marriage advice, I’m pretty much an expert at this point, and I won’t even charge you. #k

If you have been following along on Instagram (SORRY FOR THE OVERLOAD!), you know we got married last Wednesday, October 18th, in the middle of wine country in Healdsburg, California. I have to give all credit to my husband (omg!! HUSBAND!) here because he found Runaway With Me, which is the planning service we eventually chose. I’ll never forget him saying, “I’m not sure if I should even show you this, because I already know we will be going, but look.” haha! He knows me well, what can I say? I am so thankful he did. Britt, Kalika and Stephanie instantly became like family to us.

We knew from the beginning that we wanted something small and intimate, but still beautiful, and we had no idea where to even start. We looked around Atlanta and were kind of horrified at the pricing we were getting for honestly not that much in return. $18k minimum for an empty space? No thanks. Runaway With Me promised to deliver it all…the ceremony, the beautiful backdrop, the floral, the food, the WINE…we just had to show up! Not even kidding. We could not sign fast enough. That’s part of the reason we had such a short engagement! We didn’t need a year to plan, it was so easy. Why wait!? Now that it’s over, I can’t imagine having to wait any longer! It made our engagement even more special in my mind.

The day itself was absolutely surreal. I cannot even explain the feeling of opening my WeddingWire app to see our daily countdown read ‘0 days until your wedding!’ [Fun fact: after you ARE married, the app keeps track of how many days you have been married, too!] We stayed in a private home, but we also got married there, so we didn’t have to rush off anywhere or prep anything. We hung out in pajamas and had coffee that morning, we sat outside and some people hot-tubbed, and then when it was time to get ready, I kissed Will goodbye and went to my room! It was so unbelievably easy and stress-free, I could not have been happier with our choice to do such a small destination wedding. It made the entire day more about us and our relationship, and less about entertaining other people. I really felt like I got to soak it all in.

If you’re thinking of going the destination route, I cannot recommend Runaway With Me highly enough…and wine country isn’t their only location option, so definitely check them out if you are even considering it!

HERE COMES THE BRIDE:

LACE BRIDAL ROBE / CHANEL BRONZER / GLOW BUTTER

PERSONALIZED BRIDAL CLUTCH / VEIL (9FT)

Spoiler alert: I did my own hair & make-up for our wedding! I just really wanted to look like myself. That was super important to me. See my post on my current make-up routine here!
LACE BRIDAL ROBE / CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIPSTICK IN ‘KIM KW’ / SILK BRIDAL ROMPER

PERSONALIZED SILK BRIDAL ROMPER in color ‘CHAMPAGNE’ (These would make a great Bridesmaid’s gift!)

SNS NAILS IN PURE WHITE by HAMMOND NAILS in Buckhead

Reading Will’s sweet card.

I am still so in love with these gorgeous heels. They are so well made and so lightweight, they were just bridal enough.

My garter has a super special story. My sweet friend, Sarah, owner & creator of La Gartier Custom Garters, created this beauty to match the ankle strap of my wedding shoes. I could not believe how exact it was! She is extremely talented. The back band was made with one of my dad’s old t-shirts, and his little red car was sewn onto the back. I lost my dad to lung cancer in 2011, but creating this garter to wear allowed me to still feel as though a piece of him was able to ‘walk me’ down the aisle. 

MY WEDDING SHOES (They also come in black!) / CUSTOM GARTER

THE DRESS:

STELLA YORK GOWN  [BEL FIORE BRIDAL]

OKAY – So, I really wish I had gotten a cuter hanger like this one. Major destination Bride fail, BUT I digress. I found my gown at Bel Fiore Bridal in Atlanta and absolutely fell in love with it. It was actually the very first one I tried on! I literally walked into the boutique and said to my stylist Julia, ‘I am open to trying anything, but I know I do NOT want a strapless gown.’ And hereeee we are. haha Famous last words, I guess. It was so beautiful and I felt like it fit our venue so perfectly.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY IN ‘KIM KW’ MY NEW FAVORITE NUDE LIP

My sweet momma helping me get dressed.

My mom had the idea to put my Grandmother’s vintage pin on my bouquet. I thought it was such a sweet little detail.

TAN BY SPRAY STUDIO ATLANTA / LASHES BY AMAZING LASH STUDIO

HAPPILY EVER AFTER:

Wine country has the very best weather ever this time of year. It is cool and crisp in the mornings and at night as the sun goes down, but gets up into the mid-seventies during the day. I, for one, LOVE this aspect of visiting there because I can wear my entire wardrobe! You know my affinity for jackets, I couldn’t pass this feathered beauty up.

PELLO BELLO FEATHER JACKET

It wouldn’t be right to discuss our wedding without touching on the devastating fires that have been ravaging Northern California. In the days leading up to our wedding, we weren’t sure if it would get to happen at all, or if our venue would even still be standing. Of course, when there are much bigger things at hand like people losing their lives and their homes, you can’t feel too sorry for yourself.

We decided we would get married no matter where we ended up, were more than prepared to reschedule, and more than anything, we wanted to help. Little did we know then, both of our planners, Britt and Kalika, lost their homes to the fire. Once we heard the news, we couldn’t believe that they had the energy to even get out of bed, much less help us with our little wedding. They reassured us that work was keeping them sane and that weddings like ours going on would only help wine country make the comeback they knew that it needed. It honestly brought me to tears.

You can read more about how amazingly selfless they are and how they truly saved our wedding here. We could not be more grateful for the entire RAWM family.

I hope you guys are okay with a few more wedding-related posts!? This is only the beginning! I can’t wait to walk you through our wedding favors, the ceremony, reception and the honeymoon. My apologies for the lengthy post, it’s just ya know, the biggest day of our lives and all. Geez, how CUTE is my groom!? I feel like the luckiest bride ever. #WillGotHarried