This rustic mountain lodge wedding is not where you would expect

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Who knew North Carolina has such magical mountain weddings?! Okay, probably everyone but me, but really – it is so exciting to see a rustic, lodge wedding East of the Mississippi! Today’s real wedding is simple, personal and full of love.

Meagan and Andy filled their wedding with personal details. The magical, smoky, Blue Ridge Mountain venue is actually the home of Meagan’s mother and step-dad and well equipped for a rustic wedding. Having a space they were so familiar and close to, they were able to DIY so much of the florals and decor. Colorful zinnias filled the venue, giving the wedding a real mountain meadow feel.

Our favorite details come from the sweets – a unique bundt wedding cake, and little bundtinis (the new cupcakes?!), and personal jars of custom made jams for their guests to take home. The whole wedding scene seemed just as sweet as all their personal touches.

Our Love Story

We met at Whole Foods in the produce section. Just kidding! We met on a dating app, but that doesn’t sound as romantic. We texted for about a week and then had dinner on a rainy April evening. The rest is history.

Andy proposed on my birthday. We were grilling out and enjoying the spring weather. It was perfect. Private and very special moment. I’ll never forget it!

The Attire & Florals

Andy wore a blue suit with a little texture. Not super formal. His socks had Boston Terriers on them to have a piece of our dog “Knuckles” there. Meagan wore an ivory gown that made her feel beautiful. Classic and not too trendy. A simple veil.

We had a florist make the bouquets and boutonnieres with white roses. Meagan’s Mom went to the farmers market in Hickory, NC the morning of the wedding and picked up seasonal fresh cut flowers.

With the help of Meg’s sister, Whitney, and her friend, Heather, they made all of the table and cake arrangements. They were fresh and gorgeous. Huge ferns and potted plants were a natural look at the altar.

The Venue

We both love the North Carolina mountains. Meagan’s Mom and Step-Dad live at The Coves and we immediately knew that would be our dream venue.

We wanted it to be simple and classic. The view is breathtaking, so we let the mountains be the backdrop instead of doing lots of flowers and decor.

Favorite Moments

We did a “first look” before the ceremony and it was perfect. Just us seeing each other for the first time. I’m so glad we chose to do that moment privately. We had a chance to take in the day together and have a few moments to calm each other’s nerves.

To have so many people we love in the same place, was absolutely our favorite part of the day. We have never felt more loved. It was pure happiness.

I loved that my Mom did my makeup, too! We practiced before the wedding and I enjoyed that time with her. She did a great job!

Andy’s Mom gifted me with a very fancy, sparkly, champagne glass that I will use for special occasions always! Andy and I exchanged gifts after our first look and I will always remember those moments.

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The Details

Andy’s Mom (Eydie) and Step-Mom (Elizabeth) used beautiful gardenia plants for our rehearsal dinner decor and we used them at the wedding as well. They were potted and wrapped in burlap. So natural and beautiful. They are now planted in our backyard and anytime I smell those, I know I will think of our wedding day!

We did as much as we could ourselves. Centerpieces, wreaths at the door, setting up the cake. We made signs for the bar. Our guest book was a photo book for people to sign. It was so fun making everything in the months leading up to our wedding.

We had the most beautiful little jam jars made. They were made by Blue Ridge Jams and were printed with our wedding date and names. We had two different kinds, FROG (fig, raspberry, orange, and ginger) and BEAR ( blueberry, elderberry, apple, raspberry). They were delicious!

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The Cake

We used Nothing Bundt Cakes for our cake. We had the two-tier bundt cakes to stack and display and the little bundtinis around.

I found a vintage milk glass cake stand that I loved and will keep forever. They were a hit! So many compliments on the cake! We will definitely get to-go bundtinis from the store for our anniversaries.