Intimate Southern Wedding with Romantic & Rustic Style

We’re kicking off the first week of Spring with a beautiful Fall wedding in Georgia, filled with Southern charm, romantic style and unusual details.

Morgan & Krystina wanted a modern, yet intimate celebration for their wedding at Grant Hill Farms, and that’s exactly what they created. With loose florals and foliage garlands, traditional fixin’s for dinner, heirloom accessories, and a relaxed barn setting, fine art photographer, Casto Photography was on had to capture it all so beautifully.

The bride and groom, are two romantics who had met serendipitously at work on a golf course, and after a sweet courtship, have been inseparable ever since (wait until you read their proposal story!).

So it was fitting that their day, while gorgeous and painstakingly planned (Krystina shares our Pinterest obsession!) was focused on the most important thing of all, their marriage.

Be inspired by their modern take on a rustic Southern wedding…

The Proposal Story

I like to say, Kansas City threw us the biggest engagement party ever.

On November 3rd, 2015, we had scheduled our annual fall picture session, with our friend, and photographer, Mika Jade.

This same day, the Kansas City Royals were hosting their World Series Championship parade downtown, with over 800,000 locals filling the streets in support; essentially shutting down the entire city for the largest party that KCMO had ever seen!

Just 30 minutes north, in Weston, Missouri, the love of my life had planned to surprise me by proposing to me during our picture session, and having the entire moment photographed!

As I was being asked by Mika to pose for individual shots, I turned around…my heart began to race, my palms began to shake, and the happy tears flowed, as I saw my best friend down on one knee holding up a ring box.

I said YES! to spending the rest of my life with my other half!

The Style

I’d probably call go as far as calling myself the “anti-bride”. I honestly cringed at the thought of the cookie-cutter wedding; shopping in stuffy and overpriced bridal salons, just to end up settling for another big ol’ poof of a dress. I wanted something different.

Eight bridal stores later…and if you can believe it, lucky number nine was my perfect match. Bride and it’s ‘girl boss’ owner, Laura Ross, located in the heart of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, stole my heart.

There was that gut feeling again, telling me that I had found the one… dancing around her cozy indie-styled hideaway, wearing a uniquely effortless Truvelle stunner; I was sold.

I took care in deciding on a few handmade items from Etsy, choosing my one-of-a-kind hairpiece from Twigs and Honey, and ordering my personalized The Mrs. Box for my ring.

I wanted to be sure and show off our personal style, which is why I opted for my grey ankle booties, and Morgan showcased his hometown pride with his Made In KC socks.I craved personal heirloom-type pieces that we could pass on for generations.

The Inspiration

Our wedding was an intimate, Sunday wedding celebration, set to be shared on a beautiful, fall-weathered evening, and filled with the company of our closest family, and friends.

We had somehow stumbled upon the most perfect barn venue, Grant Hill Farms, in our new home state of Georgia. It was our dream of being wed on a beautiful farm during our favorite season, Fall. The search for the perfect balance between southern charm and rustic elegance was no easy feat.

I had scoured the internet high and low for weeks from our tiny corner apartment in Kansas City, Missouri, before finally finding my own little piece of heaven, or as I like to call it the “Pippin Hill of the South”.

I pulled a lot of my inspiration from my own personal style, tied together with my embarrassing number of hours spent on my “fantasy wedding” Pinterest board. I had a love for all things “nontraditional” while researching wedding artistry.

When I say nontraditional, I mean the use of a color palette, rather than choosing an old-fashioned combo of pink and green. I wanted shades of greys, whites, and touches of navy, together with organic wooden textures to create depth on a backdrop of natural greenery and softened by the warmth of candlelight. Setting the scene with modern, yet minimalistic décor.

Advice for Other Couples

The best day of wedding advice I can give is to stop and soak it all in. Take the time to see all of your hard work and planning come to life because it will be over before you know it.

I loved sharing those intimate, quiet moments with my hubby even if it was just for a moment to whisper some sweet words or to simply steal a kiss.

The Photography & Videography

I chose Casto Photography as our wedding photographer, because from the start everything just felt ‘right’. The style of their photos and how they captured weddings was exactly what I wanted.

After instantly hitting it off with Becky on our very first phone call, (I honestly felt as if I was talking to an old friend) I knew in my heart this was who I wanted to work with. Becky and her husband Tommy were an absolute dream!

Now to be honest, a wedding film was not a part of my original budget, but my friend, Mika McGinnis, Mika Jade Photography, asked to continue being a part of our story on film as our videographer.

Mika had previously captured Morgan and I during a fall mini session while we were dating, and now most recently, our surprise engagement, so how perfect to have a gem like herself create something as special as our wedding film to cherish for years to come!

The Flowers & The Food

Our florist and event designer, Mary McLeod of Amy Osaba Design, was simply put… my florist crush. They are well known throughout the wedding industry, and to my luck, based out of Atlanta.

Let’s just say, the wedding gods looked down on me the day their fully booked calendar had an unexpected cancellation on the date of my wedding… I couldn’t hire them fast enough. Mary truly worked her magic and turned my Pinterest board dreams into a reality.

The choice of food was simple; our mutual love for good old southern comfort and all the fixin’s. Our coordinator at Grant Hill Farms recommended a small local catering company, Crumbs and Yums, which served some of our favorites: pulled pork, fried chicken, and all the sides your heart desired.

Favourite Moments

The number of guests who claimed that they could literally feel Morgan and I’s love for each other made my heart SO full.

I had prayed for our wedding, amidst all of the excitement and (let’s be real… sometimes chaos) to be centered around what was truly important that day, our marriage.

I wanted to have an intimate wedding where everyone knew eachother through family or friendship; I craved laughter and good vibes, in between the sharing in meaningful conversation. Ultimately, I wanted guests to feel comfortable enough to pull us aside for a drink and a dance!

I had attended too many weddings that simply felt impersonal. Did I even get to talk to the bride or groom? Did they know I was there? We’ve probably all been there.

I wanted our wedding to make everyone feel as if they each had an opportunity to spend time with Morgan and I at some point throughtout the day. Just knowing we made sure to take the time to thank every one of them individually for celebrating the best day of our lives with us, was special.