Dreamy Neverland Farms Wedding

Last weekend, I made the trek back to Georgia for Alex’s & Brad’s absolutely gorgeous wedding at Neverland Farms in Cleveland. You’ll remember these two from their Engagement Session in Western North Carolina - it was pretty unforgettable, and so are they!

This was one of those weddings that you leave with such a full heart, so happy for your couple and so excited to share their photos. They took a little honeymoon to Asheville right after the wedding, and I sent their sneak peek over just in time for them to see them before heading back to reality.

I think this message from Alex sums up how they felt about the sneak peek:

I love Alex & Brad so much. I’m so grateful to them for trusting us to document their engagement and wedding - it’s been such an honor getting to know them and being a small part of their story!!

Ashleigh & I worked with an incredible vendor team on this one, which I’ll link to at the end.

Thanks again to such an incredible team! Ashleigh and I had a blast with all of you. Hope to do it again soon!

Venue: Neverland Farms
Photos: Lauren Rae Photography
Video: Martin Film Productions
Florist: Downtown Flowers
DJ: Mike Jones Entertainment & Events
Dress Designer: Lillian West
Bridal Boutique: Camellia Savannah
Hair & Makeup: Amberly at Structures Hair Studio
Cake: L&B’s Baking Company

xoxo
Lauren

Intimate Mountain Cabin Wedding in North Georgia

As promised, here’s part two of Tara’s & Cj’s wedding weekend in the North Georgia mountains (Part one is here if you need to catch up)!

Tara and I brainstormed back and forth for months, throwing around ideas for elopement and microwedding locations and scenarios. It can be really tough to try and nail down your wedding vision, especially in the middle of a damn pandemic. However, Tara & CJ took it like champs and wound up putting together the best little wedding in the mountains of Jasper, GA. October in North Georgia is always really beautiful, but I feel like the sunset reeeeally showed off for this one.

One of the perks of having a tiny wedding is that you can make last minute adjustments. For example, when we got up to the cabin the day beforehand, we scoped out the incredible view and decided to move the ceremony back a bit to take advantage of that sunset backlighting. It wound up being such a good call, because we were able to do their first look and portraits washed in the glowiest warm light. Because the guests were already there, we moved the first look to the balcony off the master bedroom, which gave Tara & CJ a private few minutes (totally recommend this, it calms the nerves and is very grounding).

Tara handled all the decor and sweet little design elements herself, and it was all perfectly them. She has flawless style. Also, can I take a moment to brag on my husband, the officiant?! Because he did an amazing job! The ceremony was heartfelt and personal, and he just cleans up so nicely (obviously, I’m biased. I don’t care) 😍

Tara & CJ - we love y’all so much. I’m so honored we were a part of your wedding day!

Rustic Modern Amelia Island Destination Wedding at Walker's Landing

Katelyn and Chris planned the most beautiful destination wedding in Amelia Island, and we were so honored to capture every sweet moment. 

Amelia Island is the perfect backdrop for a modern coastal wedding - the Spanish moss, the vast marshes, and the sleepy waterways create a relaxed and romantic vibe for portraits. There’s so much ground to cover for such a small island! Aubrey and I have visited several times in the past with our family, and we always find something new to love about it (this time around, it was a bottomless mimosa brunch at Leddy’s Porch).

Katelyn & Chris chose Walker’s Landing at Amelia Island Plantation to host their ceremony and reception, and it was the perfect blend of everything Amelia Island has to offer. We planned for the first look and portraits all around Drummond Point Park, which worked out absolutely beautifully and gave us some really great variety in their photos.

Side note - this wedding makes a really great case in support of a first look. I never try to sway my couples one way or the other (it’s a really personal choice - Aubrey, for one, did NOT want a first look on our wedding day). But when you’ve got so many cool places to work with for portraits, the bottom line is that we likely won’t get to hit all of them without doing a first look. There are so many logistics involved with keeping the couple separated until the ceremony, and it’s usually much more time consuming. So if you’re looking for a way to maximize your portrait time and cover the most ground you can, I’d suggest considering a first look.

Katelyn & Chris chose to work with an incredible team of vendors for their wedding, and I can’t say enough what an honor it was to be a part of the squad! Simply Grace Events handled every gorgeous detail, with Shea Hopely behind all the blooms. I can’t even deal with those GIANT coral peonies. They were so perfect paired with all the muted green tones in the palms and moss at the ceremony site, AND with the natural wood tones in the reception space. One of my other favorite details was that Katelyn and Chris chose to display both of their mothers’ wedding dresses at their reception. So sweet, and both dresses were gorgeous, of course!

Throughout the night, the guests played giant board games on the boardwalk outside while I took Katelyn & Chris for more portraits down by the water (can’t beat that coastal sunset). Then, everyone danced for the rest of the evening until a super fun golf cart sendoff. It was so much fun, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

Photography: Lauren Rae Photography
Venue: Walker's Landing at Amelia Island Plantation
Event Design: Simply Grace Events
Floral Design: Shea Hopely
DJ: Island Sound
Catering: Catering By Liz
Dress Boutique: Bridals By Lori
Dress Designer: Eve of Milady
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jasmine Belsoie
Groomsman Attire: Men's Warehouse
Jewelry Designer: Chaplin's Jewelry
Calligrapher: Love, Louise Designs
Invitations: Paper Source
Cake Designer: Nana Teresa's Bake Shop
Rentals: Luxe Party Rentals; Jax Chair Boutique
Photobooth: Shutterbooth
Musicians: Music by Pegge, LLC