“This wedding reminded me of the Secret Garden, tucked away in a beautiful garden at NC State’s own arboretum. The bride and groom valued their family over anything, desiring it to be as simple and beautiful as possible. This is why they didn’t have a wedding party. They put a lot of time and care into preparing everything themselves including the food, flowers, programs, invitation suite, decorations, favors {the hand-caligraphied cards with notable quotes on them}. The whole affair was two families literally pulling together as one. It may seem simple, but the details were thoughtfully and intricately planned and prepared.” – Joanna Sue Photography
What is your favorite wedding day memory?
After we took communion, I remember finally having the chance to look at everyone and I was so overwhelmed with love and joy to be in that moment with our loved ones. There was morning sunlight, lush trees and ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ playing in the background. It was just a beautiful, peaceful and joyful time.
What did you DIY for your wedding?
As the saying goes, many hands make light work! Ross’s family is simply amazing! They baked and brought country ham biscuits, sausage balls and other pastries, as well as helping create decor and set-up. I hand lettered small sayings, such as “I choose joy” or favorite lyrics that resonated with Ross and I as wedding favors to our guests. Completing the envelopes and invitation suites was one of my favorite things, as I am obsessed with all things stationery. One thing I always knew I wanted, was to buy flowers from the amazing Raleigh Farmers Market to create the floral arrangements, which we made with a small group of family. We DIY’d our hand lettered invitation suite, our floral arrangements, the ribbon wands, vows canvases, hand lettered notes/favors to guests on vintage frames, paper tassels, programs, food labels and our thumbprint guestbook! My Father-in-Law spent the day before making 100 ham biscuits, relatives made cake, sausage balls and my Grandmother made mints.
Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?
On our teacher and scientist salaries, we planned and paid for most of the wedding expenses as early as possible. We booked the venue first, which was affordable due to it being owned by a public university. We knew our minister, which made the ceremony so personal and special. His Aunt, was our wedding planner, has great connections and was able to find us the best options for our budget and for the occasion. If you don’t have a wedding planner and plan on doing a lot DIY, it is a must. We could not have done it without her. It helps to have a vision – we knew we wanted to center it on family and faith and to keep it as simple as possible. Our wedding was beautiful and everything we could have wanted. -Linda, the bride
Event Credits
Photographer: Joanna Sue Photography // Venue: JC Raulston Arboretum // Ceremony Music: Triangle String Quartet // Invitations + Decor + Favors: Linda Creative (The Bride)
