Real Wedding: Lauren & Brian

Today’s beautiful wedding comes to us from Morgan Trinker Photography via Two Bright Lights. I fell in love with this wedding because it felt personal and intimate.

Morgan felt the exact same way. Here’s what she had to say about Lauren and Brian’s wedding:

The most perfect time to be in East Tennessee is October. The leaves are just beginning to change, the air is cool and crisp, the excitement surrounding Vols football is buzzing around, and the Great Smoky Mountains are absolutely breathtaking. Lauren and Brian made the perfect decision to get married during this time of year under an outdoor pavilion tucked away in the seclusion of the mountains.

From the buffet of fried chicken and homemade desserts to the stunning array of fall flowers in purple, red, and yellow to Lauren’s sweet and simple lace dress to the Southern swing-era jazz band, everything about this wedding reflected the couple’s roots and their love for the outdoors, personal touches, and celebrating local talent.

One of my favorite moments of the day was when the pastor read excerpts from both Lauren and Brian’s journals from the time period when they began dating. It was followed by their handwritten vows to each other… There wasn’t a dry eye under the pavilion.

Lauren, how did Brian propose? Brian took me to the mountains to hike the Chimney Tops, which is where we went on our first big “date.” On the drive we were reminiscing about our first trip there and how we had changed as a couple since then.

We climbed out onto the rocks at the top and he pulled out a bottle of wine to drink out of mason jars with our Indian food. After we ate he pulled me close to him so I could sit facing away from him, and we looked out over the mountains.

He pulled out a walnut-sized ball of yarn and his voice and hands started to shake. He unraveled the multi-colored yarn, and he told me how each color symbolized something about the relationship. The ring was in the middle, and I could hardly see it because I was already crying. He got on one knee and asked “Lauren Trotter, will you marry me?” And I finally got out a small yes, half laughing and half crying.

What was your favorite design element of the day? The flowers. Stacey with Blooming Earth Flowers did such an incredible job; the bouquets were perfect and she chose just the right elements, like the dried okra and the sweet gum balls to combine earth tones with the bright colors. The beans in mason jars looked perfect. The candles in the fireplace worked out very well, too.

I told Stacey at our first meeting to picture a cabin in a field in October at twilight with the fireplace going and a colorful, braided rug on the hardwood floor. It was amazing to me – she knew exactly what I meant, and the flowers conveyed that feeling so perfectly.

We had dahlias, goldenrod, soloecia, grapevine, sweet gum balls, thistles, and jars full of different-colored beans to stick the flowers in.

How did you personalize the ceremony? During the ceremony we had our bridesmaids, groomsmen and family stack flat stones to make a pillar like you find all over hiking trails and in the mountains. It symbolized how the foundation of our relationship is our amazing family and friends. We also wrote our own vows and had our pastors (my dad and Brian’s friend) tell various stories so the guests could share in our narrative.

We also used “What I Like About You” by the Romantics as the recessional, and the bridal party did the claps and the “heys” at the beginning.