Real Weddings:
Bridgett and Dylan’s wedding at The Bradford
featuring Ally and Bobby Fine Art Photography
Amanda Blair by Design filled Bridgett and Dylan’s wedding at The Bradford with all the prevailing wedding trends we love so dearly. A soft, romantic and voluminous bridal bouquet by Plume Events is so dreamy. Cafe lights hang over an outdoor reception filled to the brim with casual elegance while gold calligraphy signage and a custom invitation suite add timeless appeal. Dusty blue accents like simple velvet napkin ties, raw silk floral ribbons and tiered cake add color and textural interest. It’s all gorgeous and lucky for us Ally and Bobby Fine Art Photography were on hand capturing it all in these lovely images.
What made the wedding special and unique?
I knew our wedding day would be the most special moment in my life whether we were married under an apple tree beside my parent’s home or if it was in a dreamy venue. Either way I was marrying my best friend of 6 years. Leading up to our wedding day when we were planning each and every detail, we knew we wanted to do what we felt was best for us instead of doing things just because they were traditional so a lot of our wedding consisted of personal and non-traditional touches that best represented us as a couple.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
When I first imagined my wedding dress, I imagined it having intricate lace detail, a long train, and an off white or champagne color with either an open or illusion back and long sleeves. I scheduled appointments at four different wedding dress boutiques and never made it past the second one. When we entered into Maggi’s Bridal, I fell in love with so many dresses and had over 10 in my dressing room. I did realize that I was no longer set on the long sleeves but really wanted a dress with all of the other details. About halfway through, I put on a sheath gown with beautiful, delicate lace, an illusion back, and a train that I instantly fell in love with. I walked out of the dressing room and my bridesmaids all let out a gasp at how much they loved it, I stepped up onto the pedestal and looked in the mirror and fell head over heels in love with my wedding dress. It was everything I had dreamed of.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
We added personal touches to every part of our wedding day. From the guests being greeted with champagne, to our first dance, to our dinner, we wanted it to be personal and feel like us. To go into further detail on some of the touches we added: It started by our vows being written in a little leather book that we gave one another to read while we were getting ready on our wedding day. I laughed, cried, and imagined our future while I read those sweet words written by my soon to be husband. We had guests greeted with mini muffins, pastries and champagne. Our families aren’t very big into dancing or drinking so we knew we wanted to add other details to make sure they enjoyed their time with us and ways to thank them for being a part of the most special day of our lives.
After guests had time to mingle, snack and sip on champagne, they were escorted to their seats for the ceremony. One of my songs to Dylan is “Thinking Out Loud”, the cover by Boyce Avenue. I absolutely melt at that song. We played it as I walked down the aisle and I cried every step of the way as I locked eyes with Dylan. He tried to fight the tears and looked up to the sky but quickly found that there was no way to hold back the tears of joy. I held my dad tight as I walked down the aisle to Dylan and then my mom stood up with my dad to give me away. Normally dad’s give their daughters away, but my mom has been by my side every step of my life and has been the biggest influence in my life so it only felt right that she be part of that moment. When they stepped away, I quickly grasped Dylan’s hands and we just looked into each other’s eyes the entire ceremony. We whispered to each other under our breath and talked about our life together, how much we loved one another; it was perfect. The scripture that our officiant shared were ones that we wrote. A good portion of the scripture was part of the traditional scripture but we added personal touches throughout that told our story, beginning with our first date 6 years ago from that very month. When he said “you may kiss the bride”, “Kiss Me” by Sixpence, None the Richer started playing, Dylan dipped me down and kissed me.
As we walked down the aisle as husband and wife, our family and friends tossed confetti over us. We went around to the front of the house while guests were departing and all of our guests immediately came to where we were instead of into the house for cocktail hour. Although it wasn’t planned and it isn’t generally part of tradition, it was one of my favorite parts of our wedding day. All of our family and friends celebrated us and we were able to hug every single one of them. Our amazing caterer realized what was happening and brought champagne to our guests on the front lawn while we mingled. Shortly after, everyone was escorted inside while we took our portraits. After that, we had our first dance on the balcony with just Dylan and I while our photographer and videographer got peeks through the doorway. Our guests were then escorted to their assigned seats during the reception. Instead of the traditional sweetheart table or small family table for immediate family, we did farm tables placed together that allowed us to laugh over dinner with our closest family. With our moms, dads, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews surrounding us, it felt like home. It felt like a big thanksgiving dinner where we shared stories and laughed over delicious food. There were so many personal details that it was so hard to choose which one to share with you but those were some of our favorites!
What was the most memorable part of the day?
One of our absolute favorite moments was our first dance as husband and wife. We went against tradition and decided to do a private dance on the balcony of our venue, off of the groom’s suite and it was the best decision for us! We, of course, had most people respond as “you have to do your first dance in front of everyone,” and we get that is part of tradition but we knew we wouldn’t feel 100% in the moment and wanted to make it a moment we would remember forever and so we did. We whisked away after our ceremony and pictures to the balcony and danced to “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. I still relive that moment every time I hear that song played on the radio. I felt like those 4 minutes and 56 seconds lasted a lifetime; like time froze and it was just Dylan and I dancing under that crisp, cool fall night.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Dylan and I were introduced through a mutual friend my sophomore year of college. We went on our very first date to see the movie “Footloose” in theaters and we started spending a lot of time together. He was about to head off to boot camp so we decided to stay friends but a few months later, we found our way back to one another and realized it was just meant to be. We started dating, quickly fell in love, and he’s been my best friend ever since then. Four years later, we went on a cruise and when we were anchored a few miles off the coast of Haiti, after a perfect dinner, we were walking through central park on the ship, his parents were with us and wanted to get a picture of us under this gorgeous arbor and while we were posing for the picture, Dylan whispered to me – “you know that I love you more than anything in the world”… he turned around, got down on one knee, told me how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him. I was so happy that all I could do is just cry, say I love you and kiss him over and over again. I was so happy that I hadn’t even looked at the ring or let him put it on me at this point. I cried SO many happy tears. I knew long before that moment that I wanted to spend my life with him. He was my best friend. The one that I want to share every moment with, the one I want to dream with, the one I want to have holding my hand when we’re 80. He’s my everything.
Bridgett & Dylan from Point200 on Vimeo.
Photography: Ally and Bobby Fine Art Photography // Florals: Plume Events // Styling and Coordination: Amanda Blair by Design // Calligraphy & Stationery: Bridgett Lynette Designs // Venue: The Bradford // Dress and Veil: Maggi Bridal // Cake: Sugar Euphoria // Hair and Makeup: Mary Davis Hair and Makeup // Catering: Rocky Top Catering // Vintage Rentals: Cottage Luxe // Vintage Lounge Sets: Greenhouse Picker Sisters // DJ: Raleigh Event DJ // Robes: The Knot // Videography: Point200