Ashley & Bobby tied the knot Labor Day weekend in the Outer Banks at Pine Island Lodge. Their wedding was surrounded by hints of mauve, pops of gold and lush greenery.

I met Ashley in 2013 when we both joined Zeta Tau Alpha and have loved having her as a friend ever since. I was honored when she asked me to help with her wedding day. What started as Event Management quickly turned to Full Service.

Ceremony

Their ceremony took place on the top balcony of the venue overlooking the ocean. Ashley wanted to keep the tradition of no first look so Bobby’s first time seeing her was her walking down the aisle. Because of how the balcony is laid out, we had him turn around so he wouldn’t see her until she was at the start of the aisle. Once there, his best man gave him a cue so he could turn around to see his bride. His raw emotion and reaction to Ashley coming down the aisle is what it is all about. It is why we do what we do. Pure love!

Their ceremony was romantic and spoke to volumes to the people they are. They wanted to incorporate their loved ones into the ceremony. To give it an extra special touch, Ashley’s younger brother walked her down the aisle and one of their close friends who is also Ashley’s co-worker was their officiant. They even did their own vows! Which both of them had the entire audience in tears with their love for one another while reading them. Yes, I cried too and so did my staff…

Design

I got to work with Ashley and Bobby on the design and vibe of their wedding day. Ashley had ideas in mind so we narrowed in on them and we worked with some wonderful vendors to pull it off. We selected the colors of the design based off of the variety of shades of mauve and gold in her bridesmaid dresses.

For their reception they did long family style tables with greenery, hurricane vases in a variety of sizes and gold votives. We added a dusty mauve runner through the center of the table and a majestic khaki linen to add some neutral with a hint of texture topped with a gold reef charger and satin knotted napkin.

For the floral, we went with lush greenery and small pops of color. The head table had a 24 foot greenery garland that had mauve and white florals mixed in. While the guest tables were dressed in simple yet elegant greenery.

The Evening

Their wedding night was filled with magical moments. My personal favorite was their wedding gifts to each other, which I sworn to secrecy on by both of them. Neither one of them knew the other got them a gift.

Ashley mentioned during wedding planning how cool she thought it would be to have a live painter at their wedding but didn’t think it was within their budget. Bobby messaged me and asked my thoughts and I immediately said yes, let me do some research and get back to you. We luckily found Brittany Branson, a live wedding painter who would travel to the Outer Banks and still had their date open. Since Brittany needed to set up in the reception area and would be seen by Ashley prior to the wedding, we asked her to record a video of herself telling Ashley she was Bobby’s gift. Ashley was shocked and so excited. Their painting is something they will keep hung in their house forever as a memory from their wedding day.

Bobby’s gift was something he has always wanted, a 4-Runner! Ashley was even able to get his dream color too. If there is one thing we know about Bobby it’s that he loves cars. For his gift we told him that him and Ashley were going to go out front to get some more picture of the two of them. When he stepped out those doors and saw the car, he was shocked!

After the gifts, they danced the night away with their guests. I think every single person was up on that dance floor! Their wedding night ended with a private last dance and sparkler exit down the front stairs of the house.