With a backyard wedding it’s easy to think of BBQ and lawn games, but today’s wedding from Traci & Troy is full of effortless elegance that will have you in love with the idea! The bride wore an heirloom wedding dress that was custom made for her grandmother and inspired by Grace Kelly’s dress. The look is nothing short of magical!
Planning a wedding was entirely outside of my realm of expertise. I don’t like spending money and I tend to want to please everyone…two things that are difficult to avoid when planning a wedding. That being said, I knew that I wanted my wedding to be a meaningful event, and for me, that meant focusing on the big picture. I envisioned marrying Avery in front of the people who mean the world to us. Of course, I wanted the event to be aesthetically beautiful, but such concerns came after the more important focus of honoring Avery, our family, and our friends.
My favorite wedding in the whole world is that of my grandmother, Carol Causey Meadors. I had grown up seeing pictures and newspaper clippings of her wedding; she was the most gorgeous bride that I had ever seen. Her magnificent smile and sparkling eyes told of her generous spirit and overflowing love for others. She has always been the champion heroine in my life. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when my mother surprised me by presenting Nana’s wedding dress for me to try on only two days after my engagement. I nervously unbuttoned all of the tiny satin buttons that marched up the front of the dress and gingerly stepped inside. It fit perfectly. I had always hoped to wear Nana’s wedding dress, but I had not expected that I would get to try it on so soon or that it would need no alterations. My grandmother’s dress is a unique piece of history. My Aunt shared that when my grandmother was preparing for her wedding, her mother (my great-grandmother) hired a French seamstress to design and construct a completely unique dress for her that was modeled loosely off of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. The seamstress, named Corrienne, purchased gorgeous lace and materials from France that she used to make my grandmother’s wedding dress. When the materials came, the seamstress measured my grandmother and started cutting right into the French lace without so much as a pattern to go off of, which made my great-grandmother nervous because she was afraid that the expensive lace would be useless if the seamstress made a mistake. However, the seamstress was so skillful that the dress turned out beautifully and fit my grandmother perfectly. It was very exciting and memorable for me to be able to wear such a unique and meaningful dress.
I also had the privilege of using a cake topper that has been used for generations on Avery’s mother’s side of the family. It fit in perfectly with our theme of tradition and heritage. Lastly, the necklace that I wore was a gift from Avery that he had had made with the engagement diamond from my grandmother on my mother’s side.
In planning our wedding, it was most important to Avery and I to honor the people who are meaningful to us. We tried not to worry about little details like numbers of attendants matching perfectly or about having a bridal party that was too big or too small. For our wedding day, we wanted to find ways to keep those we loved nearby. We knew that on the day of our wedding, we were going to want to spend those precious moments with the people that we cherish.
Our colors were light blush, off-white, shades of green and jewel-tone teal (for the bridesmaids’ dresses). My style vision was a little more defined: I wanted a soft, classic look that was simple, yet elegant. We knew that we wanted to get married in a small church near to my home. After looking at a number of churches, we visited the Fairmount Friends Church and were enamored with its wooden pews, balcony, and simplicity. We held the reception outside at my family’s home. We had built the home ourselves and it was very meaningful to me to have the wedding reception where guests could admire the home that my family had worked so hard to create. I have many memories of working on parts of the house with my family, and it was awesome to have the home be part of the celebration.
Without a doubt, the wedding ceremony was the most meaningful part of the day for both Avery and I. We chose to sing a number of congregational hymns during the ceremony, which was an incredibly beautiful time. We could hear all of our friends and families voices filling in all around us, praising the Lord for his blessings and our marriage. Another entirely different favorite moment came when my brother, Davis, played our song (“Don’t Bring Me Down” by ELO) during the dancing at the reception. We both let loose, but neither of us are dancers. No one joined in and we ended up dancing hard for the full song – it was hilarious…and exhausting! Finally, at the end of our reception, my brothers had planned to set off fireworks as a surprise for Avery. It was so much fun to see Avery’s face light up as he took in the fireworks while we made our exit from the reception.
Photography | Traci & Troy | Florals | Kathy Thornburgh with Creative Dining Services | Catering | Taylor University Creative Dining Services | Rentals | H&D Superent | Invitations | Emily Theis | Dress | Vintage Heirloom | Headpiece | RosAnna Treasures | Bridesmaid Dresses | Alfred Sung | Jewelry | DeVries Jewelers | Shoes | Nordstrom | Hair & Makeup | Grace Boxell | Groomswear | Jf J. Ferrar
