Caroline & David's Rehearsal Dinner at Old Edwards Club | Highlands, North Carolina

If I could go back in time to pick which event would be the first wedding I would work as part of the team here at RRE, I would easily pick Caroline and David’s Highlands destination wedding weekend all over again. Starting off with a week full of preparations, then moving into the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony, and finishing it up with the biggest celebration at the reception made for an absolutely perfect week. Today, I want to tell you all about their rehearsal dinner and it's many fun details.

Set at the beautiful Old Edwards Club in Highlands, North Carolina, this rehearsal dinner kicked off a picture-perfect weekend for Caroline and David. When I think back to this weekend, I remember looking out of the car window as we made our way through the mountains in the team's cargo van and feeling an overwhelming amount of joy. Joy from being in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, joy from being at my first RRE wedding weekend, and joy from the rush of fresh mountain air on my face. I remember having the goofiest smile all weekend; you know… the kind that makes your cheeks hurt afterwards!

During the week, Becca and Betsy told me all about our amazing couple and how they met at Wake Forest University, and I was just so excited to finally meet them and get to know them over the course of the weekend. When Betsy and I arrived at OEC, we went straight into production mode and set up the tables, ironed the linens, tied the napkins, and laid each place setting. Then it was time to add the finishing touches to the tables – the flowers! Becca created some amazing arrangements for this evening, full of garden roses, seeded eucalyptus, amaranthus, and snapdragons. They really complimented the setting of the room, as well as the fall foliage outside. This wedding weekend fell on a date near the end of September, right as the trees covering the mountains were starting to turn colors. The event space at Old Edwards Club is surrounded by windows, which allows for the most incredible views of the mountains and foliage.

After the flowers were set and candles were lit, Perry Vaile did her magic and photographed the room – isn’t she amazing?

So what's with the fish artwork on all of these paper goods? Since the groom's last name is Trautmann, it was only fitting that the design elements included some trout as well. We included some beautiful watercolor style trout artwork on the invitation, dinner menu, and seating chart. The invitation also included their hashtag… #HOOKEDONTRAUT, which was used throughout the wedding weekend to capture guest photos and memories through social media. Such fun!

As guests arrived, everyone made their way to the back of club, where there was a large patio of tables set and a warm fire burning. They enjoyed beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and time for casual social gathering before transitioning upstairs for dinner. When everyone arrived upstairs, they were able to quickly find their table number on a large seating chart. At each table setting, a laser-cut wood place card awaited each person! These place cards were so fun, and everyone loved them (and got to take them home!). The wooden name cards were placed on top of a softly tied coral linen napkin, which were all paired with individual menu cards.

Dinner was full of laughter ad heartfelt speeches as guests toasted the couple. It was a lovely and intimate evening and the perfect way to start things off before the much larger wedding the following day (more on that later)! I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do!

~Nicole

Special thanks to our creative partners: