{Real Wedding} Chris & Megan's Rustic Mountain Celebration

Growing up on a Tennessee mountaintop, autumn was my favorite time of year. The changing of the leaves, a slight nip in the air, the abundant flowers – a perfect time for a wedding. As the summer wedding season starts to wind down, Megan and Chris’s personality filled wedding is just the celebration to usher in the ever popular fall wedding season. Submitted to us by Luxe House Photographic, off we go to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina for a fabulous, down home, handmade, locally sourced weekend hitchin’!

Megan and Chris were connected from the get go. Says the blushing bride: Chris and I met in college and formed a tight connection very quickly. I knew he was the one for me and so when he asked my to marry him in July of 2008, it was a confident “yes”!  Megan and Chris were in no real hurry to make it official, wanting it to be convenient for the 450 plus guests they would be inviting!

Megan: I began planning our hitchin’ about 6 months before the big day and it was a lot of work to throw a party for all our invitees!! I researched potential wedding sites and then local dressmakers, cake bakers, party suppliers and more. It was very important for us to source as many local folks as possible – we met here and our lives together have flourished in these mountains. We wanted folks to get a little taste of Asheville when they came for the wedding weekend. We chose the Swannanoa 4H Center and were able to provide rustic lodging for the majority of our out-of-town guests.
 

 

Megan: To decorate, we bought buckets of flowers from local farmer’s markets, cut huge bouquets of herbs and sunflowers from friend’s gardens and gathered wild grapevine and bittersweet. A good friend constructed the grapevine arch and made the batik the was behind us at the alter. To make the boutonnieres, I used herbs and flowers from our garden and tail feathers from the roosters we harvested in the spring.
 

Megan: Our friends and families put in lots of hard work at the camp and transformed the grounds and buildings into a welcoming, rustic-elegant setting for the ceremony and celebration. We saved money on rentals and linens because tables, chairs and benches came with the rental of the 4H Center, with tablecloths from my husband’s work. 

What I most adore about Megan and Chris's weekend wedding is that they didn't bow to convention and instead created exactly what they wanted for their big day. From feathers and fascinators, to a rustic, outdoor venue, handmade decorations, and cowboy boots, this celebration was true reflection for their commitment to their mountain community, their friend and family, and especially each other. Congratulations to Megan and Chris - we with you happiness, health, and an abundance of love.

Thanks also to Luxe House Photographic for submitted this wonderful wedding through Two Bright Lights. For more of LHP's beautiful images, check out their Facebook Fanpage! 

What is your favorite thing about autumn weddings? The colors, the leaves, the flowers? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think! Check out our top fall picks on PINTEREST - come pin with us!

Happy Weekend,

Top 10 Must Have Flowers for Your Fall Wedding - Part 2

Autumn wedding season will soon be upon us but fear not; I think fall brides have the best floral choices when it comes to Mother Nature's bounties, as you saw in Part 1 of our Top 10 Fall Flowers! The foliage, the colors, the natural accents abound as she saves the very best for last. With such an abundance of choices for create gorgeous wedding florals, from the bouquets to the centerpieces and reception decor, remember this: Choosing flowers naturally in season is the best way to reduce your price tag and carbon footprint, i.e. not shipping in exotic spring flowers for a fall wedding. The Earth gives us a vast array of colors, styles, textures...so get creative, have fun and enjoy the spread.

Here are five more additions of our Top 10 Must Have Flowers for Your Fall Wedding. 

6.  Chocolate Cosomos 7. Zinnias 8. Gerbera Daisies 9. Autumn Roses 10. Natural Elements

6. Darker flowers such as the Chocolate Cosmo can add a real touch of the unique. A rich, burgundy-brown, they can be complimented by either flame or neutral colors. The best part, though, is the scent. Subtle but evocative these stunning flowers hint of dark, seductive chocolate at their hearts. A perfect companion for these would be the readily-available hydrangea. Like the orchid, one stems is host to many blooms, and they can provide the ideal backdrop to a more colorful plant.

7. Zinnias with their incredibly rich and impressive blooms make a beautiful addition to any fall bouquet, however they are not very common. Think one of a kind and unique! The heavily petaled flowers are alluring with a full range of rich, vibrant colors from pale green to deep purple. Zinnia blooms, which indicate affection, also come variegated in shades of red, orange, yellow or white and work well when paired with chrysanthemums, gerberas, asters or garden roses.

8. Gerbera Daisies add brilliant splashes of color to any bouquet or table arrangement. Their colors range dramatically and come in a wide variety, bright white, hot pink, magenta, fuchsia, light pink, dark red, bold orange, rust, light yellow, sunny yellow, peach, the list goes on. Daisies can also contain multiple hues within a single flower, giving them a distinctive and original look. A cousin of the sunflower, the Gerbera offers a wholesome, natural feel, making it an obvious choice for outdoor, garden, DIY, backyard or country weddings.  

9. Autumn roses from the deepest burgundy to the palest white or vibrant gold bring fall colors and summer scents into the celebration. The petals of some types of roses mimic the color range and tone of the changing of the trees. Roses are always a good choice for their air of romance and simple beauty, no matter what season. Whether you want traditional, rustic, or modern, the rose can make it happen.

10. Autumn offers non-traditional choices of fiddleheads, seed pods, ornamental grasses, leaves, moss, rose hips and other nuts and berries. Fall fruits can also play an integral role in your wedding day, be it in other decorations, or for dramatic effect in your bouquets. Additionally foliage of all colors, from lush emerald ferns to golden leaves is literally falling like a gift from above. Perfect for a Woodland Chic celebration!

What flowers are you planning to use for your fall wedding? What else should be on this list?  Join the flower conversation on our Facebook Fanpage and Twitter. Hope to see you there soon!

Enjoy Mother Nature's Bounty!