It doesn’t get much better than a summer wedding in the South. You will fall in love with this yellow and green wedding from Chesley Summar Photography! Filled with charming handmade details, this wedding was a true family affair. My favorite part? The bridesmaid look! Both prints and separates are going to be huge for next year and this maid of honor is the perfect example.
From the first to last detail of our wedding, Frankie and I put the emphasis on bringing our families together. Five Star Retreat, in Nunnelly, Tennessee, was the perfect venue for turning Memorial Day weekend into a destination wedding.
Of all our memorable wedding moments, Frankie and I were most excited about the ceremony. We chose not to see each other beforehand, and that made seeing each other for the first time at the altar very emotional. Another great memory involves our dog, Rex, who after the ceremony, arrived for photographs.
Our families truly made our wedding possible for us. My sister is an artist, and she designed almost every aspect of the wedding, from wedding paper to all decorative elements of the event. She customized our invitation, reply card, map insert, and stamp. She did the calligraphy on mailings, place cards, and escort cards. She made the gift bags for hotel guests, created program fans for the creek-side ceremony, and designed the labels for our favors. She also drew, painted, and framed 22 pieces of art, one for each themed reception table, each representing a memory from Frankie’s and my relationship, like our favorite restaurant or park. We wanted our wedding to reflect “us,” and Ashley made that happen.
Also, another thing that was really important to us was the food! Frankie and I both love to cook and eat, so we decided to serve our favorite southern meal and five different kinds of pie instead of wedding cake. Also, Frankie and I made strawberry preserves as a favor for each guest. The weekend before the wedding, we picked 24 gallons of strawberries with our family and friends. And then Frankie and I capped the strawberries and cooked the preserves ourselves.
During the wedding weekend and in the months leading up to it, our families and closest friends worked together to get ready for the big day. On the day of our wedding, over 40 members of our family and friends helped to turn what had been a fantastic barbecue and barn dance rehearsal dinner the night before into a formal setting for the wedding reception. Our families had a true bonding experience. All in all, our wedding turned out exactly as we had hoped!
Photography | Chesley Summar Photography | Venue | Five Star Retreat | Caterer | Dessie’s Catering Service | Florist | Geny’s Wholesale Florist | DJ | Jason Middleton Entertainment
