Our reception was filled with so many laughs, great food and even better dancing by our guests. When I originally envisioned our reception, it was under bistro lights in a grassy area beside the ruins. But, as we were planning, practicality won out and I am SO glad it did. Hosting our reception back in downtown at Marker 614 made our venue walking distance for most of our guests and also made sure everyone was comfortable all evening long from the cool temps and any bugs.
Since Marker 614 included white chairs with the venue rental, I chose to stay with a more neutral palette with gold and wood accents rather than add too much contrast with dark linens. We had a mixture of pillar candle tables and tables with centerpieces to help cut down on some for the flower costs. Our flowers were beautiful and exactly as whimsical as I had envisioned by the talented Eco Chic Blossoms.
My sister painted a beautiful abstract painting that I added the lyrics to Come Thou Fount on as a focal piece when guests arrived. Guests were able to grab their names off of our escort card table with a wax seal indicating their table number by Stampitude.
Tyler and I chose to dance our first dance to Something in the Way She Moves by James Taylor. This song was the perfect mix of slow and upbeat and is also a classic that we will always love. Tyler was the most nervous for all of the dances so he and I practiced a few times so that he would feel comfortable up there with me. He even threw in a few spins and a dip at the end! I love how music has the power to transport you to another time and place. So now anytime we hear this song we will remember our favorite day and the start of us.
My dad and I danced to a song he always loved to sing, Wildflowers by Tom Petty. In the past working and photographing weddings, the father-daughter dance has always been my favorite part of receptions. It was such a special time dancing with my daddy while he hummed and sang along and my mom looked on. Tyler and his mom danced to the always mother-son dance classic, My Wish by Rascal Flatts.
After dinner and dancing, we had three memorable toasts from my dad, sister & maid of honor, and Tyler’s brother & best man. Each of them were so unique to their personalities. My dad brought all of the memories and feeling as he talked about the meaning of Southport to our family and about his parents. Taylor spoke about how Tyler and I met and our future together. (Hear most of her speech in our wedding video, here.) Austin, the extrovert used his time to roast but also admire his brother in his comical speech. He apparently had many, many more pages but decided to cut down to a roughly 5 minute speech.
Anyone who knows Tyler knows that his sweet tooth is like no other, ironic since he is in dental school… We ended up choosing FIVE cakes from our favorite place in Raleigh, Hayes Barton Cafe. We cut into the Lemon Blueberry but also had a Coconut, a Boston Cream, a White Chocolate Raspberry, and a Peanut Butter Brownie. While we had hoped to save a few pieces for later, our guests enjoyed them so much there were only crumbs left!
We chose to do a “fake” exit at 9:30 pm even though our reception went till 10:15. This way our photography and videography coverage ended and saved us money and saved them time from taking endless dancing pictures just to capture the exit. We gathered our bridal party, parents and dear friends to kiss under the sparkler light before heading back in for another hour of dancing.
A UNC Swim team (Tyler swam for 4 years) tradition was to always end a party with Closing Time by Semisonic before heading uptown to the bars on Franklin Street. We could not pass up the opportunity to end our reception with the same song and it is one of my favorite memories from our reception. Singing in a circle with a dozen of his teammates like we did so often on Saturday nights in college was the best way to end the night.
“Closing time – Time for you to go out go out into the world. -Closing time – Turn the lights up over every boy and every girl. – Closing time – One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer. – Closing time – You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here. – I know who I want to take me home. – Take me home.”
We ended the night by walking with our bridal party to the local waterfront bar, Old American, with a majority of our guests and closing the bar down at 11:00 PM… Can we do it all again please?
Sources | Photographer – Ally and Bobby Fine Art Photography | Planner – Becca Taylor of C & D Events | Design + Details – Morgan Alexandra, Fresh Cut Prints, Sidney Hunter Design, The Mrs Box, Quinn Luu Creative Studio | Videographer – Muddy Trails Film | Florals – Eco Chic Blossoms | Venue – Marker 614 | Catering – Coastal Catering | Cakes – Hayes Barton Cafe | Rentals – Party Suppliers and 3 Cheers Party Rentals | Reception Music – DJ Brian Hood | Bridal Details – Leanne Marshall, Tono + Co, Gilded Bridal | Hair & Makeup – Teighla Norris of Tease + Blush | Groom & Groomsmen – The Black Tux, The Tie Bar | Bridesmaids – Azazie
