A Carolina Blue Elegant Wedding at Bella Oaks at North Lake | Shelby, NC
Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
Blair: “The ‘theme’ of our wedding was just classic and traditional. When we were looking at reception venues, we wanted somewhere with chandeliers and large molding to add to that classic feel. We had a church wedding and it was the church where my parents were married and the church I have been a member of my entire life. I am a huge UNC Tar Heels fan so of course, we had to use accents of Carolina blue! We did end up adding in some pale peach and a few gold touches to add to the classic look and give our venue and pictures a pop of color.
“We used a unity candle for our ceremony to symbolize the joining of our two families. The music during the ceremony reflected our Christian faith and we both loved Page CXVI’s version of ‘Come Thou Fount,’ which we played during the unity candle. Tripp also loves Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ and this was incorporated into the bridal procession song with a combination of Pachelbel’s Canon and Perfect. Picking the music was one of our favorite parts of the planning the wedding.”
How did you choose your wedding day look?
Blair: “For my dress, I was looking for something that was comfortable and had some sort of strap as I did not want to be tugging at my dress all night long! I’ve never been into poofy dresses so I knew I also wanted something that fit closer to the body and an all lace dress had always been the picture in my head. I had a harder time finding the perfect dress than I thought I would… Who knew that an all lace dress with an illusion neck and absolutely no beading would be so hard to find! Since the neckline was such a detailed part of the dress, I knew my hair would be up in some form. I usually go for the messy bun so I wanted something a little more formal than my typical go-to hairstyle but that still represented myself. And of course, I had to have Carolina blue heels!
“For Tripp, he was adamant that he wanted a more fitting tux. We wanted that classic look that when we looked at pictures 30 years from now we wouldn’t think, ‘why did we pick that?’ so we went with the classic black. He also wanted a bow tie since it was something that he doesn’t usually wear. And of course, it had to be Carolina blue!”
Blair : “I have to say, at 18 months old, we were so impressed with our ring bearer, Tripp’s cousin. Obviously, I couldn’t see him, but Tripp said he did so well! He would walk a couple of feet down the aisle, stop and look at someone, and then continue for a little bit more before stopping and looking at someone else. He did that the entire way down the aisle! He was so small his legs weren’t even tall enough to step up the stairs to the stage so he had to get on all fours (while carrying a ring box.. that was empty haha) but he did perfect and handed the ring box right to Tripp!”
Blair: “For Tripp, he says that the most memorable moment of the day was the moment the church doors opened and his bride was standing there with her dad. He says he was so nervous and was trying so hard not to cry.”
Funniest moment of the day?
Blair : “The funniest moment of the day had to be our first kiss as husband and wife. The preacher said, ‘Tripp, you may kiss your bride’ so of course I lean in for the kiss, puckered up and everything. However, Tripp had another idea in mind. He tilted his head and kissed me on the cheek instead! After we all laughed, we had our real first kiss as man and wife.”
You guys don’t know how happy it made me to see Blair and Tripp use their engagement portraits as decor for their reception! – Megan
“… all we remember is the two of us and us being in our own little world, simply looking at each other…”
One moment you’d like to live over and over?
Blair: “We would say that the part of the day we’d like to live over and over again is our first dance. Even though we were surrounded by all of our family and friends, for the first half of the song, all we remember is the two of us and us being in our own little world, simply looking at each other and talking. As the song went on, we started to look around at all of those people that love us and were there to support us and the official start of our future together.”
Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
Blair: “I would have to say that the best thing we did with the process had almost everything set up and done on the Thursday before the wedding (we got married on a Saturday). This left Friday for us to have a bridal luncheon, get our nails done, and relax before the rehearsal dinner. Our wedding planner did do some last-minute things on the day of but having that extra day to just relax and not worry about details was awesome. Also, having that day of planner helped with all those small details so I didn’t have to worry about those small things or plan out how to allocate all of those things to someone else.”
Most embarrassing moment?
Blair: “The most embarrassing moment was probably during our cake cutting. Even though we had practiced how to properly cut the cake, we had some difficulty. We made the two slices to get a piece and tried to pull the slice out, but the flowers right next to the slice kept getting caught. Our wedding planner jumped in and helped us free the slice so we could at least get it on our plate. Well, since we kind of mutilated our slice in the process, there wasn’t really a piece for us to pick up! So I grabbed a fork to smush some of the cake back together. Well, of course, no one could see our crumbs of a cake so they all thought we were going to use the fork to feed each other the cake! We did smash it together enough to hold a piece to feed each other.”
“It was just me and Tripp on the dance floor and everything was quiet.”
Blair: “For me as the bride, the most memorable moment was after everyone had left the reception area to make their way to the sparkler exit. It was just me and Tripp on the dance floor and everything was quiet. It was just me and him and Tripp looked at me and said, ‘we’re married!'”
Thanks to all of the amazing vendors who made this day possible!
Bride’s Dress: The Formal Showcase // Photography: Megan Sheppard Photography // Bridesmaid Dresses: Carolina Bridal and Alterations // Groomsmen Attire: Bedazzled // Floral: The Veranda Florist // Makeup: Summer Whitfield // Hair: Cuttin Up On Mane Street // Invitations: The American Wedding // Rings: Butler’s Jewelry // Ceremony Venue: Elizabeth Baptist Church // Reception Venue: Bella Oaks at North Lake // DJ: Dj Floww, Ty Oliver // Cake: Cindy Estridge // Officiant: Dr. Rit Varriale // Rentals: Got You Covered // Planner/Coordinator: Julie Humphries // Second Shooter: Heather Fink
