by: Wedding Date: September 17, 2011
Ceremony & Reception: Fan-Ta-Sea beach house via Carolina Designs Realty Outer Banks, Corolla, NC
Photographer: Neil GT Photography
Wedding Invitations & Thank Yous: MagnetStreet Weddings
Wedding Planner: Marie Russell from Bordeaux Events
Floral Designer: Renee Landry from Renee Landry Style
Wedding Style: Shabby Chic
Colors: Hot Pink & White
Bird Theme: Matt & Dawn met on Twitter.
This wedding is sooo sweet--the hot pink, the relaxed style, the bird theme, and the sincere symbolism behind the details. We hope you enjoy Dawn & Matt's romantic & intimate wedding as much as we do ... a beachy, shabby-chic affair--made complete with the most darling details and of course, their beloved family & friends! Here's our beautiful bride, Dawn, to tell us about their magical moments--even if they include a wicked storm that kept them inside.
Plan B: a wicked storm
The house was ocean-front and had 10 bedrooms, so most of our guests stayed with us at the house. The wedding was supposed to be on the beach and the reception pool-side, but a very wicked storm came in the day before the wedding and wouldn't leave. So everything was moved indoors instead. Our wedding planner Marie Russell, and our florist/designer Renee Landry, did an AMAZING job of creating a "plan B." It was so romantic, intimate and cozy!
Our phrase is "So Much"...another theme in our wedding. We would always say, "I love you so much," "I miss you so much," etc., so we would sometimes shorten it to just "So Much." It soon became our catch-phrase and we even had it hand-painted on a sign that hangs in our home.
Best part of the day
Really, every single moment was so special, but if I had to pick one moment, it would be the sand ceremony we had with our children. We each had a different color sand that we individually poured into one large jar, symbolizing the blending of our families. Once all of the grains of sand are blended together, they can never be separated.
Wedding Stationery: on personalizing their wedding invitations & thank yous to coordinate with their wedding look
I absolutely loved the fact that we could upload a photo of ourselves on the invitations and put our catch-phrase "so much" below the photo. So, being able to incorporate that into our invitations and meant a lot to us.
Wedding Invitation- Flip Flops on the Beach & coordinating Thank You Card- Flip Flops on the Beach
Advice you’d like to share
I am SO happy I hired a wedding planner. Marie took so much of the weight of planning off of my shoulders. She was there the day of the wedding as well to oversee everything and make sure all went smoothly. If there was anything I was worried about, she made sure it was handled right away. Our day would not have been the same without her!
Best advice you got during wedding planning
To relax and enjoy it, because it goes by so quickly! I soaked in every moment because the memories of the planning and the big day itself will be with us for a lifetime!
LOVE your reception dress and that gorgeous headband Dawn! Congratulations to you & Matt. Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us. We wish you and your family the very best of everything that life has to offer. Want more? Visit the blog of Neil GT Photography to see the rest of the images from Matt & Dawn's shabby-chic beach house wedding!
