Wedding Wednesday: Our Dream Venue

Well, I have made you wait long enough but I am finally excited to announce the dream venue that Josh and I have booked for our wedding! A few weeks ago you all read my post "The Hunt for our Dream Venue" and learned that we visited a total of 9 venues across the state of North Carolina. Well here it is.....drum roll.......  We are getting married in Benson, North Carolina at the beautiful Preston Woodall House!!! Seriously y'all, this place is beautiful and my little heart knew it was the place as soon as we stepped foot in the front door. I tried to take so many pictures while I was there but none of the one's I gathered can truly do it justice so I've also pulled off some from their website for you all to enjoy!

Main Entrance of the Preston Woodall

 Overflow seating outside on the patio

Our ceremony will be held outside in the wedding pavilion

Example of the pavilion decorated for a wedding

The Cora Lily Ballroom were our reception will be held

Cora Lily Ballroom decorated 

We are so excited with the fact that our entire wedding party plus parents will be able to stay on site the entire weekend with breakfast served to everyone on Saturday and Sunday morning! Me and my bridesmaids will stay in the actual house in beautiful rooms. Here is an example of one of the rooms:

 The following room is actually the bridal suite where I will stay and get ready the day of!

The other thing we really loved is that there are actually 3 cottages on site and each have 3 bedroom plus 2 baths. We will use these cottages to house our parents, groomsman, and other important out of town guest! It is going to be so wonderful to have our entire bridal party on site the weekend of and not having any of them worry about driving to and from a hotel! 

Well I hope that you have enjoyed the first look at what has quickly come to be our dream venue! 

Wedding Wednesday: The Hunt for our Dream Venue

Hello dolls! Oh, I could just squeeze all of y'all in the biggest hug ever because I've missed you so much! Life has been go go go since I got off the road from traveling as Josh and I were trying to make up for a "missed" 2 months of wedding planning when I was away and could not really plan. But I am back for good and cannot wait to kick this summer off with each of you! 
Today's Wedding Wednesday post is all about the hunt for our dream venue. I'm not sure if I have said this before but, up until the moment we got engaged I thought I had my dream wedding all planned out. It's funny though how once you get a ring on your finger and wedding planning becomes real, everything you ever thought you wanted completely changed. Josh and I decided that since neither one of us were dead set on a certain location or venue, we would have tons of fun traveling across the state in search for our perfect one. So with that being said, we have taken the past week and toured from High Point, North Carolina down to Wilmington, North Carolina and in between visiting 9 wonderful venues. Each had their own unique style but we loved a little bit of them all! Without further ado here is a little preview of the 9 we visited in no particular order: 
KRESS TERRACE // GREENSBORO, NC

 The Kress Terrace sits upon the roof top of the Kress Building in downtown Greensboro. It offers a beautiful outdoor space that overlooks the city and then you have a mini ballroom inside where the food is served. Many couples rent a tent outside and decorate with lights.

SAINT THOMAS PRESERVATION HALL // WILMINGTON, NC 

 Saint Thomas Preservation Hall is located in Historic downtown Wilmington about two blocks back from the river front. Originally a Catholic church, it has been renovated in the past few years and used now as an event venue.

REVOLUTION MILL STUDIOS // GREENSBORO, NC

 Revolution Mills is an old textile mill that has been renovated into commercial and event use. Couples typically get married in the gardens outside (pictured above) and then travel inside for their reception.

BELMONT HOUSE // REIDSVILLE, NC

 The Belmont House has been on my mind for several years now as I would drive past weddings held here every spring. Couples get married on the front steps with their guest sitting under the oak trees and the reception is then held on the side under a tent.

BALCONY ON DOCK STREET // WILMINGTON, NC

 The Balcony on Dock Street is a very long and open room that provides a fun but sophisticated atmosphere. We loved the mixed look of exposed brick and the wood.

BELLAMY MANSION // WILMINGTON, NC

 Growing up as a young girl in Wilmington, I can remember going to a wedding here and dreaming one day I too would be a princess bride. Located right in the center of historic downtown, the Bellamy Mansion offers so many choices for your big day!

BURKE MANOR // GIBSONVILLE, NC

 Burke Manor is located near Elon University and is a beautiful home for several acres of land. Couples typically get married in the side gardens with their reception in the beautiful 4200 square foot tent out back.

LOFTS AT UNION SQUARE // HIGH POINT, NC

 The Lofts at Union Square offer so many spaces for a couple to hold their special day. We loved the feel of open space that the windowed walls created and it is truly a room that you can make it your own!

PRESTON WOODALL HOUSE // BENSON, NC

My mother actually found this venue through a Google search and we just knew we had to go visit. The Preston Woodall was the only venue we visited close to Joshua's hometown and everything it comes with just blew us away! Couples typically get married out back and then have their reception in the ballroom. 

If you follow me on Instagram you will see that we decided on a venue last night, paid our deposit this morning, and officially have our date set! I'll leave you hanging on which one we picked so make sure you stop back by next Wednesday to see where we will be having the wedding of our dreams...

Wedding Wednesday: Bride-to-be Basket

Wedding Wednesday....hmm, I love the ring to that! I promise not to turn this blog into a wedding crazy party but I can't help the fact that I have been looking forward to participating in "Wedding Wednesday" posts since forever ;-)

The credit for this first Wedding Wednesday post goes 110% to my sweet Emily Sue and her wonderful husband Derek! Last week when I was home on break, Josh and I were able to meet up with the two of them for frozen yogurt and they gave me the most thoughtful bride-to-be basket. I seriously could not stop gushing over all the items contained in this basket and it made my heart smile to know that Emily had put this together just for me. I knew right away that I had to post it on here for others to gain inspiration from. No doubt that anyone whom I know from here on out that gets engaged will be getting these same goodies from me! I loved how Em labeled practically everything in here with a sweet note and that she used my favorite color of pink to inspire her. And in case you didn't already know, my new last name will begin with a "G" so that is why you'll see all the "G" items. Let's dig in!

Isn't Emily just amazing?? What other things would y'all stick in a bride-to-be basket?

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! We made it through the week and in just a few short hours it will be the weekend, wahoo! I'm linking up again with some of my favorite women for my usual Five on Friday post. Thank you April, Darci, Christina, and Natasha for hosting this every week! one// Sarah Jessica Parker cards at Hallmark I think it might be the southern soul in me but I sure do love me a good handwritten note. Pair that note with some beautiful stationary and my heart just smiles! I travel with lots of stationary on me as every college I visit, I normally leave behind 3-5 thank you notes (so you can imagine I'm going through cards like wild fire). Last night I popped on over in to Hallmark mainly to find Josh a Valentine's card and the worker persuaded me to buy Sarah Jessica Parker's new stationary box set. I'm not too crazy about the price of $12.95 for only 10 cards but I do love the high quality that they are. 

Hallmark
two// 2014 Winter Olympics The Winter Olympics start tonight, need I say more? I'll admit that I get more into the summer games than I do winter, but nothing will ever beat the opening ceremony of either. I think the main reason I love the opening ceremony so much, is for one night the entire world seems to be unified. 

via

three// Birthday

Y'all, this past week my little sister turned 19! Where has the time gone? It did not hit me until her actual birthday how quickly life goes by. She will be 20 in less than a year now and my mind still cannot comprehend that. To me, I feel like we should still be those little girls with cow licks in the top right of this picture. This was the first birthday that I've been away from her for and it was a lot harder than I originally imagined but I sent her lots of love and goodies throughout the day!

four// Godly Friendships

Four years ago this summer, God sent the most amazing lady into my life that has now become one of my very best friend. Emily Sue and I worked at mission camp together for 8 weeks in 2010 and were not that close to begin with but after that summer a beautiful friendship began to develop. My friendship with Em is one of my most prized relationships on this earth and I was more than honored to stand beside her this past August as she married the love of her life in what was truly the most unique wedding ceremony I've ever seen. Over the past few weeks all of her wedding pictures have finally been seen and it's without a doubt that I am so thankful her photographer captured the shot below. I knew there was nothing more I wanted to do than pray for Em and Derek right before their marriage started and it was such a highlight of the day for me. Thank you God for such a beautiful friendship that is truly centered on you!

 Tara Mauldin Photography 

 Tara Mauldin Photography 

five// $75 Sephora Gift Card Giveaway

Lastly, don't forget you have until 11:59PM on Sunday night to enter for your chance to win a $75 gift card to Sephora! I know you don't want to miss out :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Southern Wedding

There is something about a wedding that just makes my heart smile! I love the way a groom looks at his bride and I love the way that two families become one. Two weeks ago Josh and I were blessed to be part of the wedding party for our dear friends Shelby and Kellan. Josh went to high school with Shelby but I did not get the chance to meet these two wonderful people until December 2010 when we traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a UNC bowl game. It was an instant friendship and one that I will forever cherish and hold close to my heart. 

Kellan proposed to Shelby in May of 2012 in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. When they asked Josh and I to be part of their special day we could not have been more excited! Not only are Shelby and Kellan very grounded in their faith but they have spent their entire time of dating and engagement long distance...just like Josh and I. To see the two of them become one and celebrate the day with them was something I will never forget. I loved all the little details of this Southern wedding that was held in North Augusta, South Carolina and hope you will enjoy them as well! 

Josh and I at the rehearsal dinner. The beautiful pennants were individually cut out from fabric by Shelby's mom and sewn together by another bridesmaid, Larkin! Mixed with lights, they made for the perfect ceiling decor. 

All the bridesmaids wrote Shelby a letter to let her know how much she meant to each of us. We had her read the letters right before she put on her makeup and of course we all cried together!

One of my favorite details in every wedding is the dress. Isn't Shelby's beautiful? I had the honor of being in the fitting room when Shelby tried this dress on for the first time and realized it was "the one"! She could not have looked more beautiful! 

Not only were the bouquets beautiful, but I loved that Shelby randomly had Dogwood flowers placed among the pink roses. A wonderful reminder of her home in North Carolina. 

Shelby's something blue and something old. The pearl necklaces belongs to Kellan's sweet grandmother. 

Waiting for the right time to go out for her first look!

I have never seen a first look in person until I saw Shelby and Kellan have one. Three of us bridesmaid's could not stand to miss the moment so of course we found the closest window and crammed in! I started crying the moment I saw Kellan wipe tears from his eyes when he saw his beautiful bride! 

We took bridal party pictures at the beautiful Rosemary Inn in North Augusta. 

Seriously this moment made me bawl like a baby. After Kellan's grandmother saw Shelby at the church she asked me if I would take her to find Kellan. The minute she saw her grandson all dressed in his suit this beautiful moment happened and I just had to document it! 

With Shelby moments before she walked down the aisle. I am seriously in love with our bridesmaid dresses. Not only were there ruffles around the full collar but the dress had pockets!  

Now this was original! For their cocktail hour, Shelby and Kellan had a sno-cone truck come and make sno-cones for all the wedding guest on their way to the reception!  

Don't y'all just love the way a groom looks at his bride during their first dance?

Of course I had to sneak in a picture with my handsome boy! The groomsman wore gray suits with navy blue ties! 

Kellan performing a beautiful song that he wrote for Shelby!

To the bride and groom: thank you for allowing Josh and I to be part of your special day! We are so blessed for the friendship we share with you both and look forward to seeing Christ work through your marriage in all the years to come! We love you both!

What aspects of a wedding do y'all just love to pieces? Oh, and Happy Saturday!