W H I T N E Y + Z A C H A R Y
Whitney and Zachary's romance is the classic tale of two people looking for love, only to realise that it has been right under their nose the whole time. The couple's meaningful wedding had a Snow White fairytale theme with a bohemian twist. It was decorated with woodland creatures, garden roses, greenery and gold accents.
F R O M T H E B R I D E
We first met...
Zack and I grew up in the same town and knew each other from school. It wasn’t until college that we became friends. We both found ourselves in the unique situation of needing roommates and fate brought us together. Zack lived with my best friend and I for two years and we became good friends. When we all moved out of our shared house, Zack and I continued to be friends and began dating shortly after.
We knew it was love...
About a year into our relationship, Zack and I began to talk about our future life together and where we wanted to be as a couple.
The proposal...
Zack rented a cabin in Asheville, NC for my birthday getaway. He proposed to me there, it was a beautiful surprise.
T H E W E D D I N G
Our dream wedding...
My vision for my wedding was a bohemian fairy tale. I knew I wanted it to feel both natural and glamourous. We combined lots of greenery with gold accents and woodland creatures. We used fairy lights and candles to create a truly romantic setting. The colour scheme was wine and navy with accents of blush and gold.
Our wedding photographer...
Our photographer was Trevor Mercer. We chose Trevor purely off of his work and reviews online for him. He was clearly talented and when we met with him he seemed genuinely excited to work with us.
The thing I love most about my wedding photos is that I can see parts of the wedding I wasn’t around for and it helps you remember every detail. The wedding day went to fast and was so busy that it’s easy to forget the little moments.
The ceremony...
The ceremony was held outside in the garden of the River Road and Jasmine House in Columbia, SC. The venue is made up of two homes that have been converted into a wedding venue. One house is for the ceremony and the other is for the reception. The River Road House is for the ceremony.
The reception...
After our wedding, our guests walked down this beautiful pathway that is completely adorned with all sorts of foliage, to the other house (The Jasmine House) for the reception. The venue is really convenient, because your guests don’t have to travel to the reception. There our guest could have a cocktail and some of the best food ever and be entertained by 'Snackbar Jones' while we were finishing our ceremonial things and pictures.
The pre-wedding celebrations...
The first celebration that we had was so very special. Mom and I travelled to Charleston, SC and met up with our photographer, Trevor Mercer at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. We shot my bridal portraits there and it was absolutely magical. That time I will never forget being there with my mom and having this entire garden all to ourselves to document a most special time.
I had a girl’s day with some of my best friends the weekend before the wedding. We drove down to Charleston, SC and were tourists for the day. We had brunch, took a carriage ride, and went shopping on Kings Street.
Zack and his best friends continued the tradition of a mountain weekend bachelor party. His guy friends rented a cabin in Tennessee and they went white-water rafting.
I was also blessed with two bridal showers from our families and our friends.
The bridal party...
We had five bridesmaids and five groomsmen. My bridesmaids were made up of friends, my college roommate and Zack's cousin. The groomsmen were Zack's included friends and my brother.
The bridesmaids wore...
The bridesmaids wore the Jenny Yoo “Annabelle” gown in Black Cherry. This colour is exclusive to BHLDN. I liked the gowns because each girl could have a unique neckline.
The groomsmen wore...
The groomsmen wore navy tweed suits from Men’s Warehouse. They were accessorised with burgundy ties and pocket squares. They had blush garden rose boutonnières.
The groom wore..
The groom wore the same suits as his groomsmen. His boutonniere was a deep wine.
The bride wore...
I ordered my wedding gown from BHLDN. It was the Watters Willowby “Penelope” gown. I loved it because it was delicate and ethereal. I saw this gown a few years ago when it had just come out and I knew it was my dress.
I also wore a hair adornment from Twigs and Honey and a sash from BHLDN.
The pearls I wore are my mother’s and were my “something borrowed.”
My shoes were Betsy Johnson and a pair of glittery Kate Spade Keds for dancing.
Wedding flowers...
The main flowers in my bouquet were burgundy garden roses. The bridesmaids had blush garden roses. The bouquets had lots of greenery and eucalyptus to add movement. In addition I had my florist to insert an antique brooch that belongs to my grandmother and a blue lapis ring that had belonged to my nana. That made it so personal and incorporated “something old and something blue”.
Reception décor...
The reception was made up of garden roses in blush and lots of greenery arrangements in various places. The tables had a navy overlay on them with hurricane globes and crème candles in them. Surrounding those were magnolia leaves and smaller votive candles made of gold mercury glass. I also incorporated some gold apples on each of the tables to enhance my “Snow White” feel that I had going on in my wedding. We had moss pots full of garden roses and greenery that were used down the aisle in the wedding service and then moved to the reception, along with that we had moss covered animals to again add to our fairy-tale theme. I really wanted to embrace the bohemian theme with the added enchantment.
Our cake was made by Sarah Christmus Pollard our wedding director and owner of The River Road House & Jasmine House Gardens.
Our flowers and decorations were done by Scott Jones with American Floral.
On the menu...
We had a cocktail reception with heavy "hors d'oeuvres” with an addition of a sandwich station, gourmet mac-n-cheese bar and a chicken pasta. I wanted everyone to enjoy themselves in a cocktail atmosphere and not to be hungry either.
My “Bride’s drink” was a delightful apple spiced sangria and Zack opted for a Scotch variety for this “Groom’s drink”
Bomboniere...
The favours for our wedding were a reflection of the town we both grew up in. Zack and I were both raised in Batesburg-Leesville, SC. We gave our guests BBQ sauces from Shealy’s BBQ which is a landmark in our hometown. In addition I wanted to enhance my “Snow White” theme a bit by giving our guest homemade soaps from a local artisan Chinaberry Dreams. The owner and I got together and selected a fragrance reflective of the outdoors that had a pine scent that one we named “Enchanted Forest”. The second soap was more feminine with an apple-spiced scent, that one we named “Happily Ever After”. Those soaps were a huge success and many guest asked me where they could find them after the wedding. It was fun picking out the fragrance and the wrappings that they would be embellished in for giving.
Memorable moments...
I'll never forget how my father as soon as he saw me began to cry and then I began to cry. I love my parents so much and this was so emotional for us all. Then when Pastor Philip ask who gives this woman’s hand in marriage it was my dad, mom and brother who responded. It was so lovely. Zack and I had traditional vows and we also had our own “words from the heart” that we exchanged, we also read scripture to one another. There wasn’t a dry eye in the garden. I was told later that we had the most beautiful and meaningful wedding that some had ever attended. That meant so much to us and to each other. It was so magical.
Wedding soundtrack...
We hired a violinist and cellist for the ceremony they were the “Sister Strings” from Columbia.
Processional music: The wedding party entered to “Someday My Prince Will Come”
The bride entered to “Something” by The Beatles
Recessional: A gift from me to Zack. He loves the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit so I had the girls learn the music to a song “Concerning Hobbits” for which I knew that Zack and his groomsmen would probably be the only ones who knew that song. I loved that.
We had a band “Snackbar Jones” from Virginia Beach for the reception. They were phenomenal and kept the party going.
First Dance: “What a Wonderful World”
Father- Daughter: “Forever Young”
Mother- Son: “Easy Like Sunday Morning”
M A R R I E D L I F E
The honeymoon...
We spent five days in Barbados and five days in Antiqua.
Future plans...
We plan on becoming parents in the next 5 years and continuing to live in Columbia unless life takes us somewhere else.
In 40 years you hope to…
In 40 years we would like to be retired and spending as much time with our family as possible. We also hope to be able to do some more travelling. We have only just begun to visit the places that we hope to someday experience.
W E D D I N G W I S D O M
The engagement...
Just have as much fun as possible together. Your fiancé will be your spouse before you know it!
Planning...
Include each other in the plans and go with what feels right for your relationship. Everyone will have an opinion on what you should do for your wedding, but just go with your gut.
On the day...
The wedding day goes very quickly, so try to soak every moment in. Don’t stress about small details. Try to lean on your family and friends to help solve any problems that may come up that day.
Photographer: Trevor Mercer / Venue, cake and catering: The River Road House & Jasmine House Garden / Wedding attire: BHLDN / Reception band: Snackbar Jones / Ceremony music: Sister Strings / Decoration and flowers: American Floral / Soap favours: Chinaberry Dreams / Sauce favours: Shealy’s BBQ