Clare + Bradley

Hi to my lovely people! I know I say I’m blown away by every wedding I do – which is true, I love all of my couples – but this one certainly gave me a run for my money, and ended up one of my favorite days of all time.

Clare reached out to me about her April wedding with Bradley, saying she wanted someone to make sure everything went well the day of so she didn’t have to worry about it. She ended up choosing the full service package, which included planning, design, coordinating, and florals.

When I met with both Clare and Bradley a few weeks later, I knew I already adored this couple and their unique style. They chose Habersham Mills as their wedding venue, which was an old mill that was still basically just as bare as it was back in the day – no heat, no air, but it did have electricity and a GORGEOUS open space. When it comes to venues, the main room at Habersham Mills was truly our oyster.

Their scheme was very muted, yet rich, reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. Clare loved the look of dried flowers paired with fresh blooms, and Bradley was great with whatever in his boutonnieres as long as I tied in sage and dogwood in any form (more on this later, but it’s pretty cool). Then came the kicker – they wanted a very unique install for their ceremony – an arch, that didn’t connect like an arch, that was asymmetrical, that was full of dried flowers, and sort of floated. Every florist and designer reading this just felt how I felt when I heard this – scared to death but confident that you will find a way!! And find a way we did.

But before we get into the fun stuff, let me tell you what happened the day before the wedding: I get a phone call from Melissa, who manages the venue, saying because of the horrid storms we had that week and earlier that day, there were trees down blocking the entrance to the venue and there were power lines down, leaving the venue with no power. I called Clare to see how she was doing, and she said she was a little stressed, considering, but I assured her that one way or the other, they were going to be married by the end of the next day, no matter what we had to do. By the time we got down to the venue for the rehearsal, the incredible venue team had taken care of everything, and power came back on right when we pulled up.

Clare and her ladies got ready in the upstairs space of an old post office on the property, which there couldn’t have been a more perfect place for her.

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Clare’s dress was one of a kind – literally, she had it custom made by Anomalie in San Fran. Yes, you heard me. And just look at it:

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The custom gold/amber beading caught the light just perfectly and screamed Clare.

The ladies had a quiet, easy morning. They made breakfast, Clare wrote a letter to Bradley, and they got ready at their pace.

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Our groom, Bradley, got ready at an adorable little cabin around the corner. His whole outfit was literal hipster groom goals in the absolute best way. I mean, look.

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And then, let’s talk mom moments – besides the groom’s reaction to seeing his bride, nothing swells my heart up more than mom moments. I’m also the biggest fan of Bradley’s mom.

I’m crying again. And here is Clare, getting swooned over by her ladies and mom.

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I’m telling you – surround yourself with people who adore you like Clare’s ladies adore her (and let’s be real – Brad’s merry men adore him, too). We whisked Clare off to Brad for their first look. I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves, but I’ll leave this here – my eyes certainly weren’t dry.

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You guys. I’m majorly reliving this day while writing and I’m feeling all the feels all over again. I love these two and I love their love. I ran off at this point to continue running around and left them in the VERY capable hands of Love Stories Co. Here is the result:

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Instead of bridesmaid’s bouquets, Clare decided on gold hoops with a mixture of dried flowers and fresh greens. Her bouquet (one of my all time favs. I squealed when I got pictures of it.) was a wild combination of roses, eucalyptus, tulips, anemones, jasmine vine, and dried flowers.

Brad and his groomsmen sported some stunning boutonnieres that aren’t just your everyday bout. In our meeting to decide on all the flowers, Brad asked if I could include sage and some part of a dogwood tree in the boutonnieres. He said, “I’ve moved around what feels like a lot in my adult life, and each place I’ve lived in has influenced my personal growth in unique ways. As such, it seemed appropriate to commemorate each geographic period with my wedding florals. Dogwood is the official flower of my home state Virginia. Not only do some of my dearest friends live there, but dogwood’s christological symbolism and yearly emergence at Easter speak to me of the joy of old things passing away into new life. Sage is ubiquitous in the deserts of Utah, my home after Virginia before moving to Georgia. The desert is an austere and solitary place, much like my time there. The fragrant and hardy shrub is a reminder that beautiful and simple things can be found in the most desolate places.” And you best believe he got exactly what he wanted.

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And her bouquet goes down as one of my all time favorites.

Okay. Remember when I brought up their ceremony arch? Well now is the time, people. Here’s my pride and joy. I knew I did it right when the groom came in and told me I was a freaking wizard. Biggest groom compliment ever.

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Did I loose sleep over this? A little. Was it so worth it? Oh, absolutely.

The ceremony was beautiful. Again, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves because WOW.

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THEY’RE MARRIED!!!

Okay. Here you go. More stunning pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Knudsen.

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I seriously could look at these all day. I’ve been through this gallery many times at this point and I still find new pictures that make me swoon!
For cocktail hour, Habersham Mills has a gorgeous back patio that directly overlooks the falls.

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For the reception, we decided on two long rows of tables (very Hogwarts) with a variety of antique candlesticks filled with hand-dipped ivory and gold tapers, paired with garland and gold votive accents. We had to flip the space from ceremony ready to reception ready, and my crew was ON IT.

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Another crazy awesome detail – Bradley built the bar. And it was so perfect for the space.

The special dances always get me – it’s a sweet, meaningful moment where things slow down after the ceremony, right before the big party starts.

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They chose a simple white three-tiered cake and then I garnished it with some gorgeous toffee roses and greens. I’m all about a simple white cake with flowers!

And then came the dance party. Enjoy some great pictures of folks breaking it down.

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They were sent off with fresh lavender, and it was the best smelling send off ever, and I will forever recommend it.

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And their reactions to getting pelted with lavender made it even better.

Wow. I’ve been reliving the whole day while writing this, and it was one of the most unique, special days. Clare’s color choices made a cold early spring day feel warm, and their clan made the day even more full of excitement. They also picked a fantastic group of vendors.

To Clare and Bradley – Thank you for *unknowingly* pushing me to design something so one-of-a-kind, and for trusting me to bring your vision to life. You two are my adventurous couple, making everything so so much fun, and it was an unbelievable honor to be a part of your day. I wish you both so much happiness and the best of luck on your new adventure! Thank you.

VENUE // Habersham Mills
DRESS // Anomalie
FLORIST, PLANNER, + COORDINATOR // Oakwood Lace + Co.
PHOTOGRAPHER // Love Stories Co. (Y’all. They are amazing to work with.)
CATERING // Honeybrook Catering
DJ // DJ Sam from Judah Press Entertainment
CAKE // Cecelia’s Cakes