What a beautiful day for a fall wedding! Today we celebrate love as we bear witness to Andi as she weds her long-time beau, Ellis. The lovely Meredith Valley Farm in Elizabethton was the perfect backdrop for this fairly tale wedding. Guests were greeted with colorful, hand-lettered chalkboard signs and a wagon filled with bottles of bubbles as party favors. Atop a whitewashed, wooden spool amidst colorful vases full of hydrangeas, zinnias and wildflowers sat a beautifully bound copy of “Alice in Wonderland” which served as a whimsical guest book for family and friends to sign.
The bridal procession was led by nine winsome bridesmaids escorted by nine groomsmen including Andi and Ellis’ adorable dog, Luna. The groom and groomsmen were clad in light grey suits accented with ties and pocket squares in a royal purple while the bridesmaids, including sisters Molly and maid of honor Olivia, were adorned in a fetching assortment of gowns in confectionary colors. A dapper young ring bearer also made his way down the aisle followed by a sweet lass in a pastel, pink dress and comfy cowboy boots leaving a trail of pink rose petals in her wake. Surrounded by picturesque rolling hills and a boundless sky, D.J. escorted Andi down the aisle where Ellis awaited his bride. Andi was a vision in a romantic, Renaissance inspired off-the-shoulder lace dress with corset bodice, puff sleeves and long-flowing train. Her golden locks trailed down her back in wispy tendrils and were crowned with a sweet, pearl and silver vine tiara. And her waterfall bouquet was a dreamy cascade of silk roses, peonies and other flora in soft peaches, pale pinks and creams.
Standing beneath a rustic wooden arbor adorned with gauzy white tulle and a flourish of silk flowers, the officiant spoke eloquently about love, devotion and commitment. It was a beautiful refresher course on the covenant of marriage.
Before their “I dos”, Andi and Ellis planted Forget-Me-Nots as a symbol of their everlasting love as Lindsay’s daughter, Mary Kate passed out custom packets of flower seeds for all the guests to take home and plant in their gardens. The lovebirds spoke their vows, placed rings on their fingers, sweetly kissed and walked down the aisle as Mr. & Mrs..
A beautiful bound copy of “Alice in Wonderland” becomes a whimisical guest book.
Waiting for the ceremony to begin..
Cute kiddos, ring bearer and flower girl.
Here comes the bride. Proud dad D.J. escorts Andi down the aisle.
Andi and Ellis planting their flower seeds as Mary Kate hands out individual packets of seeds to the wedding guests.
Lovely bridesmaids Olivia and Molly.
While we waited for the bride and groom, we enjoyed a refreshing Mimosa bar with a variety of mixers including peach, orange, cranberry and grapefruit juices with toppers of blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. There were also carafes of sweet iced tea and chilled water to quench our thirst.
Welcome sign and mimosa bar.
Andi and Ellis kicked off the reception with their first dance as husband and wife followed by the daddy/daughter dance which was terribly sweet.
We all cheered as Andi and Ellis cut their lovely, wedding cake and toasted each other with a glass of champagne. Their gorgeous bridal cake was created by Lindsay which was elegantly rustic with a modern aesthetic flair. While they enjoyed their very special cake, we all indulged in an overflowing abundance of Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and a chocolate grooms cake.
It was time for the prerequisite wedding toasts and Molly and Olivia made the most touching tributes to their big sister. Their Machiavellian goal was to make her cry as they shared their indelible memories and lauded her with joy, love and sweet affection the sentimentality of which touched my heart and made me quite weepy. Well done girls, well done.
Molly toasting Andi and afterwards sharing a dance with big sis, Olivia.
We couldn’t wait to experience the breakfast for dinner buffet. It was a gorgeous spread: tiny flaky biscuits, maple pecan coffee cake, cheddar sausage scones, fresh fruit, iron skillet mushroom frittata’s topped with mixed greens and cherry tomatoes tossed in a light vinaigrette, golden waffles with maple syrup, and crispy bacon. Everything was artfully displayed and out of this world delicious.
It was now time to kick the reception into high gear and get our boogie on. The bridesmaids cued up a quirky mix of new tunes mixed with classics from the 1940’s thru the 1980’s as guests sashayed their way onto the dance floor. Elijah surprised us all as he dropped to the floor and proceeded to execute a series of hip hop moves alternately scissor kicking his hands and feet which left us with our mouths agape. All the girls cheered, “Wooo!”.
One of the wedding guests just also happened to be a dance instructor and she gave both Elijah and Lily some one-on-one instruction. A great skill set to have for the future.
At one point, a series of toe-tapping beats was let loose that required my immediate attention. I could no longer sit still watching from the sidelines so I dragged Lily to the dance where we joined the melee enticing Roy to join us and we all shook our groove thing to Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk” with a gaggle of bridesmaids, groomsmen and guests. So much fun!!!
Grandmother Ginny’s dear friend, Vera, family owner of Meredith Farms and our hostess, made sure that Grandmother was comfortable throughout the entire wedding. As the evening waned, she came and sat down and visited for spell. She stopped in her tracks when she heard Darius Rucker’s song,”Wagon Wheel” beginning to play. As the dance floor erupted with excitement, she jumped up and grabbed my hand and Grandmother’s hand and we swung our arms together to the beat waiting for the verse…
But he’s a-headin’ west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
…which of course, requires everyone to shout in unison, “Johnson City, TN!”
Elijah cutting a rug and showing everyone how it’s done.
As the stars began to emerge in a darkening autumn sky, we said our goodbyes to the bride and groom with hugs and love all around. What a beautiful day and a memory everlasting.
