Two team members at Exclusively Weddings had weddings in 2012. Taylor, who is on the merchandising team, got married in June and her wedding is featured in an earlier blog post: Taylor and Andrew’s Rustic Wedding. Andrea is head of the merchandising team at Exclusively Weddings and her December wedding is featured below:

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On a warm and sunny winter’s afternoon on December 1, Andrea married Chris in the wedding of her dreams! It was simple and elegant but it had a  bit of opulence, too!

The couple knew how they wanted their wedding to be. She says, “My husband and I wanted to be able to share this special day with the closest and dearest family and friends. We wanted a smaller wedding (around 150) so we would be able to speak and visit with all, as well as enjoy the party. I cannot describe how wonderful our wedding day and entire weekend turned out. It was truly so surreal and very magical. I knew, that my wedding day would be special, but never knew HOW special it was going to be. Everything … every detail … was worth the time and the effort to make perfect. There is not one thing that my husband and I can think of, that we would have wanted to change. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful family to help make it be the wedding of our dreams come true. We will never be able to express how appreciative or say thank you enough to our parents.” 

Andrea and Chris were introduced to each other by mutual friends who hold an annual Fall Fest, which Chris and Andrea both attended and they spent time there getting to know each other. And it turned out that he lived 10 houses down the street from her. And as they say, “the rest is history”!

Andrea’s wore a “statement” necklace that was custom made by Yamamori in Greensboro, NC. She says, “My mom and I found a bracelet that I loved and had envisioned for a necklace (I knew I wanted something pearl and chunky). So we brought it to the jeweler and he made the bracelet into a necklace.”

The bridesmaids’ dresses were an unexpected find. Andrea explains, “Mom came home with this dress FOR ME and says that it would be perfect for me to wear to  a friend’s upcoming wedding. I told her I loved it and that it is exactly what I would love my bridesmaids to wear, even though it was not sold as a bridesmaid’s dress. So we went back to the department store and scrambled to find the dress in everyone’s sizes. We found one for each of my bridesmaids and got one extra. My mom took the extra dress and made the flower girls matching sashes for their dresses and made my nephew a matching bow tie.”

Andrea’s bouquet and Chris’s bountonnière coordinated and fit their neutral palette.

Andrea made sure she and her bridesmaids could enjoy pain-free dancing at the reception: “I bought each of my bridesmaids a pair of shiny gold TOMS that coordinated with their dresses and that they could wear at the reception. When I got them, I realized, that I wanted a pair, too! So I ordered myself a pair in silver as well as a pair for my mom. After the ceremony, I quickly changed out of my heels and into my TOMS and wore them the whole night. THE BEST DECISION I made, was to purchase some for myself. My feet did not hurt once and I could dance all night in comfort. Plus they were super cute!”

The doors to the reception at Greensboro Country Club were decorated with Chris’s and Andrea’s initials that were covered in greenery.

A special table held photos of Andrea’s and Chris’s parents and grandparents on their wedding days.

Floral centerpiece … simple and elegant …

Andrea explained the cute and delicious carrot-cake cupcakes, “My husband is an extreme, dedicated UNC-Chapel Hill Tarheel fan. He went to Carolina and lives and breathes for their sports. I have never seen anything like it but absolutely love his enthusiasm and dedication to his team. My mom surprised him with the cupcakes at the wedding.”

Andrea’s luscious cake … accented in gold.

Andrea’s mother handmade several accent pillows in the wedding colors, which were placed on sofas and chairs at the reception venue. Some were personalized with their monogram.

Because the country club would not allow sparklers or anything tossed, Andrea’s mother made festive bells for the guests to ring when the couple left the reception.

Andrea’s mother handmade 50 stockings … one for each out-of-town guest. Each stocking was filled with local specialties and home-made
goodies.

Andrea and Chris left the reception in a luxurious Rolls Royce, rented for the occasion and in Carolina Blue, of course!

Andrea shares her wedding planning tips:“One thing that I was not happy about when we booked our ceremony and reception was the break between the two. Because we got married in a Catholic church, they only do 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM weddings and we chose the 2:00 PM option with our cocktail hour starting at 5:00 PM. Therefore, our guests had a break between the two. Throughout the planning process, I got more comfortable with the idea. NOW, after all is said and done, I would recommend this to everyone! It was so nice, for Chris and me and our wedding party to not rush around trying to take pictures and then rush to get to the reception. We were able to enjoy and let loose a bit while taking pictures. Afterwards, we all hung out in the Country Club’s boardroom. It was nice to spend this quality time with our wedding party. Also, when the cocktail hour started, our wedding party went to join everyone else and Chris and I had some “alone time” in the boardroom. This was a really nice opportunity to sit and enjoy the special day and relax. Also, we were able to eat at this time. Luckily we did that, because from the moment we walked into the reception, I didn’t notice the food or even think about it. So I was really glad I had eaten during the break.

During our ceremony/mass, Chris and I surprised our moms with a single white rose. I wanted to do something special for them and have them part of the ceremony. I know both moms loved that.

Also, we got everything out of the way all at once at the reception. We were introduced as we entered the reception, did all the first dances and cut the cake … all right after each other. It was nice not to worry where I had to be and at what time. Once the traditions were taken care of, I was able to catch up, dance and have fun with nowhere to be.

Sunday morning after the wedding, my parents hosted a brunch at their house. That was nice time to recap the wedding with friends and family. Since all of our family was from out of town, it was nice to spend a little extra time with them. We were married on a Saturday but waited until Monday to leave for our honeymoon. It was great not to have to rush to get ready, pack and leave for our honeymoon.”

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Photography:  Andrea and Chris’ wedding was photographed by
Abigail Seymour Photography.

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