A little bit of this, a little bit of that! Ella and Connor combined the most beautifully unique elements to create a theme of their own for their whimsy wedding at The Estate at Cherokee Dock. And judging by the gallery and sweet video we received from John Myers Photography and Videography it. was. STUNNING. Having been a #covidcouple, Ella and Connor were already husband and wife, but that didn’t stop them from having the most amazing day with friends and family almost a full year later. The grand allure of the venue was complete with a soft color palette, bohemian florals, modern fonts, and a plethora of textures, and one heck of a celebration! This one’s a fun one, y’all so go ahead and get your Pinterest boards ready.
Ella + Connor
4.17.21
The Estate at Cherokee Dock
Guests ~ 220
What was the vision for your wedding?
Ella: Hmm, the overall vision is definitely a mix of a lot of different elements! A few words I kept going back to while planning were ethereal and romantic, but a little bohemian and whimsical. I wanted a lot of the larger items to be blush and neutral tones – like the table linens or the draping, but still wanted richer and warmer colors throughout. I love art deco, but less of the glitz and glam, and more of the shapes that are associated with the 1920s. The florals were some of my absolute favorite details of the wedding! I loved the use of the pampas grass, which feels dramatic and nods to the flair of the 20’s, but yet also feels organic and timeless.
What was your theme and what inspired it?
Ella: Can it be a combination haha? There were so many different themes I pulled from it’s hard to pick just one! I loved unique prints and bold colors, but still wanted the day to feel romantic and timeless. I guess a few of the themes I pulled from would be: bohemian, romantic, vintage, natural, and whimsical. Truly, I was very inspired by the property itself, I mean Cherokee Docks is beautiful. The garden where we did our first look, the views of the lake, I could go on and on haha. I tried to pick themes that felt true to our personalities, but also complimented the property as well.
Can you share any special moments or highlights from your wedding day?
Ella: Connor and I were technically already married by the time April 17th rolled around #covidbride. We had a small ceremony in Naples, Florida with our parents and siblings on what was supposed to be our original wedding date, May 16, 2020. Fast forward to April of 2021 and we still felt like we wanted to have a wedding ceremony even though we had already gotten married. So we decided to do the ceremony exactly how it would have been and we would repeat /renew our vows for all of our guests. We had written vows last year in May, so it was really special to share those again in front of friends and family, (nerve racking yes, but 10/10 would recommend). Anyways, we got to the end of our ceremony and instead of “Connor you can now kiss your bride,” our pastor decided that “Connor, you can kiss your wife” was a little more appropriate haha. We laughed and of course kissed, but it was just one of the few moments that always makes me smile and remember how lucky we were to celebrate our wedding not once, but twice!
What are some tips you can share with other brides planning their weddings?
Ella: There is no shortage of people giving do’s and don’ts for wedding planning or things they wish they would have done differently. So many of these mention the insignificance of programs, menus, signs, monogrammed napkins etc. – really any sort paper goods. The argument is that your guests won’t even notice and they just get thrown away at the end of the night so why waste your money! I’m a graphic designer, so one of my favorite parts of the whole wedding planning process was all of the small details I was able to create. I swooned the whole time I met with the designer who printed our invitations. The entire process of picking out ink, the paper, the letterpress, etc. was so much fun. Of course I spent more on wedding invitations, and yes I know people throw them away, but it was such an enjoyable experience to me that it was worth it! The bar signs, the seating chart and even all of the smaller items like the matches, menus, and programs were such a personal way to help make the day unique to us. So, moral of the story, it’s so easy to listen to all of this advice and sort of let it dictate the things you must or mustn’t do. When in reality you really just have to pick things and spend money on the things that are important to you, who cares if someone else thought it was a waste of money. You loved it and that’s what matters!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Ella: So many things but a few of the highlights of the wedding weekend would be: 1. The entire wedding party staying on site (loved this and all the extra time it gave us to spend together instead of traveling back and forth) 2. Bridesmaid luncheon out by the pool (the weather was incredible and gave us even more time to hang out at the property) 3. Jumping in the pool after the reception (luckily, the dress made it out okay with a little bit of dry cleaning haha) 4. Farewell brunch with friends and family on Sunday morning (this was perfect for guests who weren’t able to stay on site to stop by, see the venue, and gave us more time to relive all the fun memories from the night before)
Gorgeous couple, gorgeous day!! Huge thank you to Ella, Connor, and John Myers Photography and Videography for letting us share their whimsy wedding at The Estate at Cherokee Dock.
