Sarah & Drew's Destination Wedding at Old Edwards Inn | Featured in Southern Bride Magazine
Friends, we have been waiting so long to share this exquisite destination wedding with you! Now that Sarah and Drew's Highlands, NC wedding has been published in the summer/fall issue of Southern Bride Magazine, we can finally tell you all about it!
I'll never forget the day that Sarah first reached out to us. I was on maternity leave, but Betsy sent me a text and said, "I think you're really going to want to talk to this bride!" so we set up a phone call for me to chat with Sarah. I was absolutely floored to hear that she had been following our work closely for years and had known for a long time that she knew two things for certain even before she ever got engaged. She knew that when the time came, she wanted to hire (1) Rebecca Rose Events and (2) Nancy Ray Photography. Sarah's friend Mika was one of our earliest interns many years ago and as classmates and close friends together at Wake Forest University (also my alma mater! Go Deacs!!), Sarah knew all about us from Mika's time in our internship program. It was such an incredibly humbling honor to hear her share that with me over the phone. We quickly set things in motion to start working on Sarah and Drew's beautiful destination wedding at Old Edwards Inn and scheduled a visit to Highlands for early in the summer of 2015 after my maternity leave ended. And yes - we booked our incredibly talented friend Nancy Ray to photograph the wedding, per Sarah's wishes!
Sarah and Drew's relationship is so special. I think Nancy did a wonderful job of describing what makes it so wonderful in her blog post here and I highly encourage you to read it if you haven't already.
Working with the two of them, and Sarah's mother Mary, so closely was a dream come true from start to finish. They were genuinely excited about every single part of the process and shared openly with us about their biggest priorities and wishes for their guests' experience. They were kind, trusting, supportive, and joyful through and through. We loved this project so much and it was an incredible privilege to be a part of something so special with these two people and their families!
We had so much fun designing these welcome gifts for their guests! In addition to bottled water, koozies, a packet of info with a custom watercolor map of Highlands, and a weekend essentials kit, we included three really special items:
1.) Spiced pecans to provide a little taste of Georgia (where Sarah and Drew met in law school).
2.) The most delicious flavored tuscan herb olive oil and white peach balsamic vinegar from Joe and Son's Olive Oils (from Tampa, where Sarah grew up and her family lives) paired with some baguette and a little dipping dish. Sarah and Mary - thank you for introducing all of us to this special treat! Everyone needs to taste that peach balsamic... EVERYONE!
3.) Famously enormous and delicious chocolate chip cookies from Jacques Torres in New York City (where Sarah and Drew live). Yum! Yes, we pre-ordered some of these for our team to taste test in our design studio!
Fun fact: Sarah's bridal bouquet has quite the story of it's own. If you missed it, this post that Betsy wrote last summer is worth a quick read!
This sweet first look took place in the peach and apple orchard at The Farm at Old Edwards. I'll just let these images do all the talking, but you can see it was absolutely perfect.
After Sarah and Drew said their vows in front of all their loved ones, it was time for all the guests to head over to The Farm at Old Edwards for cocktails, dinner, and dancing!
First up: cocktail hour in the peach and apple orchard. Guests were served two signature cocktails, "The Georgia Peach" and "The Big Apple", along with some incredibly tasty tray-passed hors d'oeuvres while enjoying the tunes of a live bluegrass band. It had rained so hard all day long, but the rain held off during cocktail hour beautifully!
I feel like I could go on and on for days about how much we loved the way this dinner reception came together. We added magnolia foliage and fresh ivy to the ceiling rafters and fresh greenery with white blooms everywhere we possibly could! Though we played with hints of navy and peach during the cocktail hour and in some of the other details (such as the bridesmaids dresses/bouquets, and welcome boxes, etc.) once guests entered the dinner area, they encountered a soft, neutral color palette composed entirely of white/ivory, fresh greenery, and champagne/gold tones. Set against the The Farm's all wood interior, this intentionally limited wedding color palette hit all the right notes.
Guests dined on the most delicious plated dinner. If you've never enjoyed the cuisine at Old Edwards, make it a priority to do so. Chef prepared a wonderful meal and it did not disappoint!
After dinner, and some of the most heartfelt toasts we've ever heard, everyone danced until the wee hours, snacked on late night pizza and boozy milkshakes, and had such a great time! This was one FUN party!
Sending these two off after this sparkler exit felt so bittersweet for us. We're still hoping the day will come (soon!) when we get to see them again!
Sarah and Drew, we are so happy for you. Even more than a year later, we know your marriage is something so special and we still feel honored to know you and have been a part of this! What an incredible testament your relationship is... a testament to commitment, faith, and love. We love you and wish you a lifetime of joy together!
We're so grateful to all of the creative partners who worked incredibly hard to deliver such an exceptional experience!
Photography: Nancy Ray | Cinematography: Heart Stone Films | Planning, Floral Design, and Production: Rebecca Rose Events | Reception Venue & Catering: The Farm at Old Edwards Inn | Ceremony Venue: Highlands United Methodist Church | Reception Band: The Ruperts Orchestra | Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Music: Allegro Music | Wedding Cake: Sugar Cloud Baking Company | Tabletop Rentals, Lounge Furniture & Dance Floor: Professional Party Rentals | Dining Chairs & Table Linens: Nuage Designs | Stationery, Gift Boxes & Laser Cut Place Cards: Rebecca Rose Events | Calligraphy: Jill Velez | Getaway Car: Air Haven Limo | Transportation: Elite | Audio Visual & Lighting: Sound Illusions | Hair and Makeup: Makeup For Your Day