Every couple, every love, every story and every wedding are all different and that is one fact that I absolutely love about my job. There is an enormous amount of true love in this world and my job allows me to experience multiple loves first-hand. Wedding design is so much more than planning timelines, choosing colors, tasting food and spending all day pinning on Pinterest. Yes, we do all of that BUT what we are essentially doing through out the entire process and every detail is actually telling their story of love and portraying who both are as individuals and as a couple.

At all of my consultations I always start by asking about 5 personal items before any discussion about wedding planning; How did you two meet?How long have you been together?How did he propose? Did you have any idea it was coming? and, Can I see your ring? This is one of my absolute favorite parts of the entire planning process [and its in the very beginning!]. At this point, I do not know either individuals from Eden, so their story and their journey together to that point is so very interesting to me and truly lets me get an idea of who they are. The location they met, the age they met, how long they've been together, where he proposed, how he proposed, if she had any clue, if they went ring shopping together, if they live together, if he wants to tell the story, if she wants to tell the story, what the ring looks like, what the band looks like, if he asked the parents permission, if any friends knew he was going to propose, if he did it in private, if he did it in public; these are all small insights into they couple's personality and help me when bringing design and details to them throughout the process.

One factor that is so interesting to me is the couples wedding color selection. There are so many colors of love. Although the media and advertising portrays love as red and pink, all colors can represent love. There are so many color and design options for weddings [especially now with Pinterest] and although some may say, "I just picked it because I saw it in a photo and fell involve with it" - there is reason they fell in love with those specific colors! Perhaps they are blues and light pinks and remind them of the beach where they first met. Perhaps they are bright and bold colors that remind them of the tropical location that he proposed. Perhaps it is neutral colors but very modern and makes them think of the city where they moved to and have lived and grown together as a couple. Perhaps it is the same color of a stone in her engagement ring and she didn't realize. Perhaps it is burlap and makes them think of the town they grew up together in. I bet there is some meaning behind the colors they have selected for their wedding, whether they know it or not.

For example, I met with Maryann and Vijay last year to hear their story and learn more about their special day. They had told me the story about how they met through mutual friends, how he shyly asked her out and then dated 6 years before Vijay proposed in the Outer Banks. My first impression of the two was that they truly just seemed happy in every moment of every day and just content with life together in general. They were so grateful for anything and everything.

Further into the conversation and details about the planning they had already completed, I started to see their story and personalities woven into their special day. They had selected a venue named Deerpond Plantation. If you do not know of this venue, it is beautiful and very unique to Charlotte. It has a very "beach" feel with lots of palm trees, a large pond with a fountain in the back, an open gazebo and stunning reception hall with a huge chandelier and draped ceilings. A beach feel wedding to go with their beach proposal. They also chose to keep most of their decor as white and added touches of blue and yellow for a very clean and crips look. I don't know about you but when I think of blue and yellow, I think of the beach and happiness. Blue like the ocean water and clear sky and yellow like the shining sun and like a smiley face. I also think of spring when I think of those colors and they had chosen a date in that season of the year. They also incorporated their lifestyle into the day. Maryann and Vijay are both vegan and they had a delicious looking spread of food from their favorite local restaurant, vegan cookies from their favorite shop back home as wedding favors and even their wedding cake was vegan!

Their wedding was gorgeous and created an atmosphere for their family and friends that highlighted their journey together. We were so grateful to assist with and experience that personalized atmosphere and their colors of love!