Andrea + Sam describe their wedding style as classic, timeless, sophisticated and cozy. And with family, friends and a team of wedding professionals surrounding them, the scene was created with help from the Details by Margaret team. After a historical chapel proposal, the couple decided to tie the knot at Historic Travellers Rest. Ryan Tolbert Photography showcases the emotion, detail and love surrounding their day through his lens. The great news is that we have bride, Andrea here to fill us in on all the events of the day – keep reading to learn more!
Andrea + Sam
Travellers Rest
Andrea: Our engagement took place over a weekend away at Whitestone Country Inn. It was just the two of us – private, and beautiful. Shortly after our arrival, we checked in, got settled, and decided to go for a walk to explore the grounds. It was early evening at this point, and we were about to head back to our room when we saw the chapel, I think I said – “Ohhh it’s so pretty! Let’s go inside.” It was shortly thereafter, that I’ll never forget Sam asking me to marry him inside the chapel at Whitestone. It was breathtaking, and my heart absolutely melted when I saw him reach into his jacket pocket. Sam later told me he wasn’t sure when he was actually planning to propose that weekend, but I love now that that impromptu moment inside the chapel is a little part of our forever story.
Andrea: Most of our inspiration came simply from who we are as a couple. We knew we wanted a lot of little personal touches incorporated throughout, so elements that were timeless, and classic; sophisticated, yet a little stripped down; and just southern enough to feel cozy, while still lending to an elegant, fun evening with family & friends really drove our theme. Our venue was a historic plantation and museum that we visited and happened to fall in love with before we were even engaged! So, when it came time to choose a venue, we had no doubt we wanted Travellers Rest to be the backdrop for our wedding. It was really the framework for everything else, and it all just came together beautifully.
Andrea: Our first dance! It was something we had been practicing in our kitchen for months! We really wanted to incorporate a little fun into the evening right off the bat and surprised guests with a mashup that we edited together. We entered the reception and started our first dance to Brad Paisley’s, “Today”. About 90 seconds in, we transitioned to Keith Urban’s “The Fighter” and played off of the fun duet moments in that song. It really set the tone for the evening and kicked it all off perfectly! Halfway through the song, we even signaled to our wedding party to have them join us on the dance floor!
Andrea: There are so many things that can quickly make planning a wedding very overwhelming, and an afternoon of scouring flawless Pinterest pins, and staged-to-perfection Instagram posts can make any bride’s head spin with sensory overload. My biggest tip – take a step back and stay realistic (both for the sake of sanity and budget!). Give yourself time to explore your options and enjoy the planning process so that you don’t feel pressured to commit to something that doesn’t make sense for you. We created an A, B, & C list to help us categorize what was important…and maybe what we thought was important but realized we could live without. We’re a busy couple and this really helped us see things in a concrete way to take every decision in stride. We were able to see where we could (or would be willing to!) splurge, or where we could easily scale back and get creative… A = non-negotiable, must have // B = ideal, would be nice to have // C = bonus items, only if time & budget allow. This also really helped us clearly communicate our vision to our coordinating team so that they could bring our ceremony & reception to life.
More from Andrea: Most of our guests were from out of town and it was very important to us that we would be able to spend time with everyone. Wedding day goes by fast, so having a smaller guest count allowed us to be present, less overwhelmed, and spend a little more time with our family & friends. We made the decision very early on to hire a coordinator for this reason as well. It was the best investment we could have made! We were really able to enjoy the process so much more. I can’t imagine what we would have done without the Details by Margaret team and you just can’t put a price on that!
I’m so happy Andrea was able to share all the amazing details of her wedding day with us! And thanks to Details by Margaret, Ryan Tolbert Photography and Travellers Rest for sharing their photos and story with us today! Be sure to check them out when you’re looking to create your vendor team!
Sources
Details by Margaret/Historic Travellers Rest Plantation/Ryan Tolbert Photography/Geny’s Flowers/Black and Tan Media/TechWorks/Liberty Party Rental/The Blowout Co./Only One Tailoring/Bay Hill Jewelers
