Wedding Wednesday: Jonathon & Maria

Today’s post is very near and dear to our hearts. Maria is a veterinarian here in town and just so happens to be the one who cares for our favorite bakery pup, Maxine! You might also remember her wonderful sister-in-law (and former Maxie B’s gal!), Katie, from our first Wedding Wednesday post ever.  To top it off, if you happen to drop in the bakery for a slice of cake there’s a good chance her sister, Krystyna, might be the one behind the counter helping you. Basically, they’re a Maxie B’s family to the bone, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

Maria and Jonathon met in November of 2009 on eHarmony. She was living in Charlotte at the time and Jonathon in Greensboro. The couple hit it off and exchanged many emails and phone calls before their first date in January 2010. What was originally supposed to be just lunch turned into dinner and live music as well!

Two years later Jonathon surprised Maria by proposing while the couple was visiting Grand Cayman for a veterinary conference she was attending. Maria jokes that if she had thought through their plans for the night she most likely would have been tipped off. She said she was completely clueless to the whole situation. On Jonathon’s insistence, the couple enjoyed a wonderful candlelit dinner celebrating their first night on the island at a beautiful private table by the water. During dinner Jonathon was determined to capture their photo together and asked the waitress if she would do the honors. Maria was completely preoccupied and confused at Jonathon’s insistence that she stand a specific way that when she finally asked, “Is this good?” and he responded with, “The only thing that would be more perfect is if you’ll marry me.” she was speechless.

The couple married on May 25^th, 2013 at the Lee Chapel at Maria’s alma mater, Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. Instead of a traditional theme for their wedding the couple focused more on creating a fun environment for friends and family to acknowledge how much they appreciated them celebrating in their marriage. Maria’s favorite flower, Calla lilies, definitely made appearances throughout the event.  To honor her Ukrainian heritage the couple stood on a rushnyk during the ceremony that symbolizes prosperity and hope that the newlywed couple will never stand on barren ground and will always have a floor under their feet.

For their wedding cake the couple chose wonderful southern favorites of Fresh Strawberry Buttercream and Caramel Pecan. The cake itself was finished with a beautiful whipped texture, cascading hydrangeas, and surrounded by gorgeous fresh roses!

Photography - Kirbi Whitaker of White Wall Photography 

Wedding Wednesday: Stephen & Stephanie

Today’s wedding is quite a beauty! An Alice in Wonderland themed event with exquisite DIY touches all planned and created by the bride herself.

Stephen and Stephanie met during the summer of 2006 in Asheville, where he was working as a firefighter and she was working as a professional ballroom dancer. Stephanie was out with a girlfriend enjoy the nice weather on a café patio when she caught Stephen’s eye. With a little encouragement from his friends he worked up the nerve to ask her out! She originally turned him down due to prior plans, but finally agreed to a date a few days later.

Stephanie jokes that Stephen’s proposal on Christmas Eve 2007 completely caught her off guard. She was convinced she was getting a new cell phone. Man was she wrong!

Their celebration took place at the Lofts at Union Square in High Point on May 12^th, 2012. The overall theme for their wedding was Alice in Wonderland with beautiful handmade whimsical touches all throughout. Stephanie, along with her family and friends, coordinated and styled the entire event. 

Inspiration for the day was collected from various Lewis Carroll versions of Alice in Wonderland as well as all the different movie versions. Stephanie said she must have visited every Goodwill from here to Virginia collecting wine glasses, vintage china, and antique silverware! A lot of the items from the day were on loan from family members.  One of her sisters created the archway above the alter, another sister made all of the place cards, Stephen’s mom created the bouquets, her cousins arranged flowers purchased the morning of, and her stepfather created the cute sign for their wedding and reception. It really could not have created a more beautiful day filled with all of the personal touches, love, and support from their friends and family. All of which was exactly what Stephen and Stephanie hoped for their special day. Many of the items became so cherished to the couple that they used them to decorate their new home.

For their wedding cake the couple went with our all time favorite: Fresh Strawberry Buttercream! Tinted fondant ruffles created the effect of birch bark along with tiny hand made roses to add the finishing touch. Stephanie said she knew getting her wedding cake from us was meant to be when she dropped by the shop with her mom and we had almost the exact cake she envisioned on display.

We’re so glad that we were able to be a part of such a wonderful day for such a great couple. Oh yeah, and I hope that Stephanie eventually got that new cell phone!

Caterer - The Iron Hen

Photography - Rabiah Khwaja Gohar
Venue - The Lofts at Union Square

Wedding Wednesday: Jen & David

David and Jen met in 2009 while attending East Carolina University. During a group assignment for class, a friend of David’s was in a small group with Jen. Since she knew David was interested in Jen, she invited her to lunch one day knowing David would be there as well. The couple hit it off at lunch and David asked Jen on a date for the upcoming weekend, which happened to be Valentine’s Day! The couple has been together ever since.

During a long weekend in Savannah, GA, David surprised Jen with a new Nikon camera. While the couple was out admiring the town and taking photographs, David hid an engagement ring in Jen’s camera bag. David insisted that Jen switch lenses while they were in Forsyth Park knowing that Jen would find the ring underneath!

Their reception took place in the Verellen showroom in High Point, NC. Jen is a designer for the company and knew the showroom would fit perfectly with the theme for their wedding. She’s crazy about anything vintage and antique. Burlap, galvanized lanterns, mason jars, and old springs created a wonderful laid back, southern, vintage feel. Their galvanized metal cake stand was out of this world beautiful! When Jen’s mom dropped it off in the shop prior to the wedding, mass amounts of swooning took place! Their wonderful vintage feel transferred beautifully to their three tier cake. Simple whipped frosting adorned with soft purple and white flowers and finished off with wooden bird toppers created the perfect touch.

Beautiful images by Stephen Thrift of Stephen Thrift Photography. Be sure to drop in the shop sometime soon for your Spring 2014 issue of Triad Weddings and check out his featured work. 

Florist - Botanica

Caterer - Visions Catering 

Wedding Wednesday: Andy & Courtney

Andy and Courtney met in the summer of 2004 while they were both working as interns on Capitol Hill. When the summer ended, the two went their separate ways and lost touch for about five years. As fate would have it the couple later reconnected at a North Carolina State Society Christmas party. The rest is history! 

Three years later, during a beautiful vacation in Jackson Hole, WY, Andy decided it would be the perfect place to propose with the magnificent backdrop of mountains, snow, gondolas, and amazing restaurants all adding to the wonderful event.  His original plan was to propose at the top of the mountain, just before enjoying a wonderful dinner. However, the trek up took longer than expected and he ran out of time. Thinking fast, he decided to move on to a new plan and propose as they were leaving the restaurant. Well, that didn’t quite work out either. Frigid weather, heavy snow falling, and strong winds quickly nixed that plan as well. Despite all this, Andy was determined to propose that night. As the couple finally reached the village, while it was snowing buckets and there wasn’t another sole in sight, he got down on one knee and asked Courtney to marry him! 

Andy and Courtney were married on October 26^th, 2013 at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. Their celebration was very classic and traditional with deep purple accents and stunning white bouquets. Since it was a slightly chilly day, guests were offered pashminas along with hot cocoa and apple cider to help stay warm! 

For their special day the couple decided on a more whimsical route for their beautiful four-tier wedding cake. Hand sculpted figurines of their college mascots added a perfect personal touch. Ivory decorations of scrollwork, paisley, rosettes, and pearls created a breathtaking cake. Courtney said having to narrow down their four favorite flavors just might have been the most difficult wedding planning decision they made!  However their all time favorite, Fresh Strawberry Buttercream, definitely made the cut.

Andy and Courtney's lovely images were captured by Elizabeth Glessner of Glessner Photography.