Highlights from our wedding reception, start to finish.

From cocktail hour to the reception. Walking into our reception I could not wait to be announced as Mr. & Mrs. Elliott! Having all our friends and family cheering as we made our way into the room made that moment even more special than I had imagined it being. The reception venue was full of dahlias, anemone, garden roses, and candles. We wanted to create a very romantic scene to continue our rustic romance theme from the ceremony. Lily Greenthumbs made our vision come to fruition perfectly! Each table was full of fresh blooms, eucalyptus, and candles. Behind our sweet heart table was a fireplace full of candles in varying sizes. Additionally, the mantel was lined eucalyptus and photos from our engagement session. Having lots of photos is really important to me! My friend had some photos taken by olgatopchii.com and displayed them at her wedding, they looked amazing!

To touch on the rustic part of our theme we had several wooden signs. Including  wooden guest “book” for guests to sign as they entered into the ceremony. This was made by one of my best friends and bridesmaids. She is incredibly talented and created all of our signage for the wedding. We loved all of the items so much we now have them hanging in our home. She’s opening an etsy shop soon so stay tuned!  

Following our first dance and dances with our parents,  Joshua and I sat at our sweetheart table set right in front of the candle filled fireplace. Sitting there allowed us time together as well as time to soak in everything going on around us. I loved having this little space for the two of us. I truly didn’t want my groom more than a couple inches away from me! 

This photo is one of my favorite ones from our reception. Tell me it doesn’t look like Joshua is using magic to throw my skirt up?! haha. Our photographer did such a great job capturing this moment and the fun we were having! A little oops from the evening….I forgot to put my garter on before the ceremony. So when it came time for Joshua to go “hunting” for it, I had to run into the bridal suite to slip it on. Whoops! 

Past the guest book was our cake table which was flanked with two cakes. Joshua wanted a traditional tiered cake covered in icing while I wanted a naked cake, we compromised and had both! Our cakes and the table may have been one of my favorites at the reception! Brandi from Honey Butter Bakery did an amazing job. She is also the sweetest human being you will ever meet. If you live in the Charlotte {or surrounding} area I highly recommend her. You’re experience will be wonderful and you’ll be left dreaming about her cakes. 

The below photo may look all sweet but after this was taken we went a little crazy! I ended up with icing + cake everywhere and Joshua’s nose was completely covered. So much fun! I definitely recommend having fun in this moment. Cutting your cake and feeding it to one another is one of those moments you will look back on and become all giddy. 

After cake, it was time to hit the dance floor. Getting the two of us off a dance floor is no easy task. Therefore we knew all the necessities needed to be done beforehand. I am so glad we did it that way. We were able to really enjoy the dancing and not worry about what was next. 

While people were inside dancing, others were outside roasting marshmallows. Outside of our reception was a stone fire pit. We set up a s’mores bar {one of our favorite desserts} with lots of options and a menu! The menu was another item my best friend/bridesmaid made. This included our favorite s’more combination plus a couple extras. 

The evening was filled with all of the traditional wedding activities and lots of dancing! Joshua and I exited the wedding with friends and family flanking both sides of the sidewalk as we made our way to our limo. Having the opportunity to hug our loved ones as we left was one of my favorite moments of the evening. Our wedding was filled with so much love and I know our marriage will be the same!

I have absolutely loved sharing our wedding with y’all. Reading your sweet comments has been the best part of it! I cannot thank y’all enough for your love and support around our marriage and wedding day. Y’all make it that much sweeter! 

As I stated in yesterday’s post, please let me know any wedding features you’d like to see here on the blog. Whether it’s tips, how I picked my vendors, what to look for in a dress, or whatever else you’re curious about or in need of, I am happy to write about it! So please email me at [email protected] or comment below. 

Photography: Faith Teasley

Venue: The Arbors

Flowers: Lily Greenthumbs 

Dress: Modern Trousseau

Hair & Make up: Sweet Magnolia Beauties

Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS

Suits: Belk 

Ties & Bow-ties: The Knotty Ties 

Cake: Honey Butter Bakery 

Catering: Queen City Catering