This woodland waterfall wedding is straight from a fairytale

Woodland Waterfall Fairy-Tale Wedding – T and K Photography 11

Hello, woodland wedding fairytale! It’s hard to describe this enchanting wedding in any other way. A rushing waterfall framing the bohemian bride and groom, wildflower crowns, lavender bouquets, a rustic barn space – this wedding is pure magic.

The truth is, the flowers that we are so entranced by, didn’t totally go as planned (anyone else fear of floral disappointment?) Thanks to some flower arranging besties & incredible sense of style, our bride managed to turn the wedding mistake into wedding magic thanks to chic all-lavender bridesmaid bouquets and some careful bridal rearranging.

We truly admire the chic sense of style from cute bridal booties to a relaxed off-the-shoulders Watters gown (you know we love Watters!) You’ll see from these stunning & whimsical photos by T & K Photography that the results of this woodsy wildflower wedding are truly flawless.

Our Love Story

Several years ago, I was working at a tea shop that no longer exists. Ryan passed by our door, and then again and again, for the majority of the day. Finally, he worked up the nerve to come in, but we were both far too nervous to manage a natural conversation. A few months later, I walked into the shop, and he was behind the counter, brewing tea as if he’d always been there. Rumors began to circulate around the shop that he had declared he was going to marry me one day, and now, years later, his proclamations came true!

On our first trip abroad together, we flew to Japan to explore the old shrines and gardens. In Kyoto, we stayed at a traditional ryokan inn in the beautiful hills of Maruyama Park. We were surrounded by miles of forest, shrines, and temples, and we walked everywhere we went. One night evening after dinner, we were wandering back to our inn and came across a lantern-lit path outside of an old temple. I started down the path and when I turned around, he was on one knee with the ring in hand.

The Dress & Attire

We wanted elements of vintage style and dreamy, soft silhouettes. My dress was a Watters Love Marley design, and the lace was so soft, delicate, and unique, with such sweet eyelash trim. The draped off-shoulder sleeves were an add-on, since I don’t believe that totally sleeveless suits me well. My shoes, which were Chase & Chloe, were the perfect grey to complement the groom’s colors, and had such a perfect vintage style to them. They reminded me a bit of Marie Antoinette, as well.

The bridesmaid dresses were also all by Watters, but since I had such a beautifully unique group of girls, I wanted them to pick their own designs & styles. Watters has a line of gorgeous tulle, full-length bridesmaid dresses each in unique shapes and styles, and it was wonderful to let them take advantage of this. Using the same designer from bridal gown to bridesmaid dresses kept things cohesive while still allowing for individuality. We actually even had a few of the girls customize their look even further, which I thought was wonderful to see!

Each of the guys wore wool tweed pants with some fabulous leather suspenders and a charcoal wool skinny tie. Ryan wore the same pants with a matching jacket, which had unique leather accents and a leather vest. It looked classic yet with a unique twist that was completely “him,” and we loved the results.

The Flowers

Oh dear! This was one of the things that could have gone better on our big day. I had sent many images and descriptions to our florist of what I wanted (wildflowers, herbs, lots of greenery and neutral tones), but when we arrived, the flowers were painfully bright, and oddly assembled. Also, our flower crowns were made as if to fit a small child. Luckily, one of my bridesmaids was a florist and was able to work with the florist to fix the bouquet. The flower crowns had to be cut open and worn more like headbands.

The flowers themselves did not have any particular symbolism. I wanted the wildflower look, and I love the fragrance and look of herbs. We had eucalyptus and lavender in them as well. I personally made all of the bridesmaid bouquets with bundles of dried lavender.

Woodland Waterfall Fairy-Tale Wedding – T and K Photography 3

Woodland Waterfall Fairy-Tale Wedding – T and K Photography 2

The Wedding Style & Venue

I knew more than anything that I wanted a wedding surrounded by trees. This turned out, due to our large guest list and spread out families, to be far more difficult than I expected, and we spent a long time searching before finding Hightower Falls. Of course, as soon as we saw the falls, the forest, and the old ruin, we knew it was the one for us.

We wanted the feeling of an enchanted forest fairy tale. The dreamy, earthy colors fell naturally into place – from the invitations to the bridesmaid dresses, everything looked like soft watercolors.

Woodland Waterfall Fairy-Tale Wedding – T and K Photography 8

Woodland Waterfall Fairy-Tale Wedding – T and K Photography 12

Favorite Moments

My favorite moments were probably the ceremony and dancing with my new husband during the reception. The ceremony went so smoothly and we were both just so excited to be doing this. And our dancing at the reception was so much fun – we decided not to worry about looking silly and just had fun together.

The Favors & Details

We did a lot of things ourselves where we could. We designed unique centerpieces for each table. I don’t think they mostly ended up where they were supposed to go, but each one was designed with books that complemented the other items, and bits of nature mixed in. Our wonderful friends Becca and Mark made the placards and stands.

For favors, we visited Eden Brothers and selected a blend of flower seeds that was suitable for the Southeastern US region, and which were majorly bee-friendly. We spent a day filling glass bottles with these seeds for our guests to take home. We wanted something people could use, and that was earth-friendly!

Advice to Other Couples

Elope! No, kidding. But seriously. You can’t make everyone happy, and nothing will go the way you plan it. Keep things simple when you can, try to have backup plans, keep some champagne in the dressing room and always remember the real reason you’re there – to marry your best friend.