Caroline & David's Destination Wedding at Lonesome Valley | Featured on Style Me Pretty

We are delighted to finally share Perry Vaile's gorgeous images and the story of Caroline and David’s destination wedding from last September at Lonesome Valley. This past week, Style Me Pretty featured this stunning wedding titled, A Million Reasons Why You Should Have a Wedding In the Mountains. We couldn’t agree more and if you’ve never been to the Highlands/ Cashiers area of North Carolina, it’s worth the trip and so much more!

Earlier this year, we shared a sneak peek at this sweet couple’s rehearsal dinner set against the gorgeous fall foliage at Old Edward’s Club. That party was just the beginning of an amazing wedding weekend in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and definitely worth a re-read!

From the moment we met Caroline and David, we knew this couple was special. These two have a love for each other that is noticeably fierce, yet they display a level of comfort with each other that is as genuine as two friends that have known each other their whole lives. What made our planning process even better is that their two families meld together so beautifully. Their entire wedding weekend was infused with so much laughter, togetherness and love. As we began planning their wedding almost 2 years ago, there were three things that we couldn’t ignore: the genuine love between their families, the incredible backdrop of their ceremony + reception, and the fun possibilities with their new married name, Trautmann (hello, trout must be on the menu!). So the planning began…

We decided to first tease guests with a Save the Date that featured a water-color style rendering of the Lonesome Valley canyon. The “Save the Weekend” card shared the couple’s hashtag #hookedontraut and the promise of fun times to be had. The wedding invitations further offered guests a preview of wedding details (whether they realized it or not) including the flowers and greenery that were to be used throughout the party.

On the wedding day, guests arrived to Lonesome Valley on vintage trolley buses. They were greeted by the sounds of a string quartet, the most stunning views of the canyon and perfect September weather! Wooden benches framed the front rows of the ceremony and fresh greenery and flowers lined the arbor, aisle and back row. The groom’s father officiated the ceremony and the couple shared vows they wrote for each other that brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour in the farmhouse and meadow with refreshing signature cocktails and butler passed hors d’ oeuvres. Caroline’s favorite cucumber infused vodka gimlet and David’s favorite Old Fashioned were served in stemless glasses with the couple’s trout monogram. Lobster corn chowder shooters, later summer vegetable crostini and crab crabs delighted all! The hors d’oeuvres were just the beginning of the culinary delights, as guests made their way to the tent for dinner.

Guests were seated at a mix of tables under a clear top tent, adorned with wild greenery and organically styled floral centerpieces and candles. Dinner service consisted of three equally amazing courses. The first course was a salad of Boston Bibb lettuce with heirloom tomatoes and truffle corn ranch. In keeping with the couple’s new name, the second course featured a pan-seared sunburst trout with sweet potato puree, season vegetable ragout, pea shoots and roasted lemon vinaigrette. Zinfandel braised beef short ribs, grits and haricot verts were served as the final entrée course. As the guests enjoyed the beautiful sunset under the clear top tent, as toasts were shared and the cake was cut.

The party really kicked into high gear when the A-Town, A-List band played “Sweet Caroline” for Caroline and David’s first dance and the couple surprised everyone with their choreographed moves. Since both Caroline and David went to Wake Forest, there were quite a few alumni friends in attendance that night, and everyone had a blast as they danced the night away! The night ended with a sparkler exit as the newlyweds were whisked away in a beautiful vintage car.

We're thrilled to share this lovely film of the wedding day by Life in Rewind. Enjoy!

We know that this wedding was just the beginning of a beautiful, lifelong marriage. We love you Caroline + David! Cheers to many, many, many years to come!

Cheers!

Betsy

A special thanks to Style me Pretty for sharing this wedding, and thanks to our incredible team of creative partners: