Picture Credit goes to Ciprian Photography We were floored by his skill to capture the beauty in every detail of the wedding.
My husband and I are coming up on our 2 year anniversary and this post is a long time coming but putting it together was quite a bit of work, so here it finally is!!! (I’ve also attached some just favorites/extras pictures at the end!)
When I think of my wedding day I have only fond memories of it. It was beyond my expectations and everything I had dreamed of and more. When you plan a wedding you are often told about all the things that go wrong, or could. But God blessed and it was beautiful and everything Nathan and I had hoped it to be. So I am sharing all the fun details today in this blog post! If you have yet to be married, maybe this will give you some inspiration and ideas, and if you’re already married I would love so to hear all about your big day in the comments below!
The Venue and Color Pallete
To begin with, I had always dreamed of getting married in a big barn. Well, we were so blessed and found the perfect barn to host our reception in and the ceremony right in front of the barn doors. And that’s where all the fun started. We had our wedding on October 20th and it was beautiful with all the autumn colors and trees. The other special thing that we were able to incorporate into our wedding were old cars that have been in our family for decades and been apart of many of my growing up years!
So for the color palette I chose sage/greenery and dusty blue. I adored those colors together and was able to incorporate it into so much of the wedding. I loved it so much I transitioned much of the decor into my own house now and it brings back so many wonderful memories-(I have pictures on Instagram)
Bridal Party
As for the bridal party, we chose the guys to wear charcoal grey suits from JCPenny with sage green bow ties and white dress shirts. The girls wore slate/dusty blue maxi dresses from Kennedy Blue with creme shawls, faux pearl necklaces, and floral hairpieces. It was absolutely stunning and the colors turned out going together so well. It was the perfect blend of rustic with elegance.
The Wedding Dress
My wedding dress. Honestly, it was my most favorite detail of our wedding. It was a beautiful vintage off white. But most special of all was that my mother sewed the entire dress herself! It was a labor of love that turned out to be everything I wanted. The tradition behind it was my Mammy sewed each of her daughter’s dresses, so my mom sewed mine! It was satin as the foundation of the base layer of the dress. Then overlaid with intricate floral lace on the bodice and full-length lace sleeves. I had a “V” semi-plunge backline with white buttons that followed all the way down the back to the top of my thighs, and ribbon weaved up at the top then tied.
One thing I always dreamed of having with my wedding dress, was a long train. To me, its what made the dress elegant and majestic. SO, I had a 12-foot long train and the trimmed with Alencon lace, my favorite. It was everything I wanted in my dream dress. I’m still so in awe of the time, work, and energy my mom put into it. I will forever treasure it and what it means to me. For accessories, I wore my Mammy’s pearl necklace, a silver bracelet, my great grandma’s engagement ring, and my earrings were from Stella and Dot! My shoes were creme lace flats from Amazon. I added ribbon around the ankle to tie like a ballet shoe.
“My wedding dress. Honestly, it was my most favorite detail of our wedding.“
The Ceremony
Our ceremony was beautiful. The love between us, the reverence for God in our lives, it was majestic! My sweet Aunt Lanetta played the piano and captured the perfect aura for this moment.
To begin, we had our mothers and grandmothers driven to the beginning of the aisle in the old cars, and they were escorted down by Nathan and my brother Gatlon. Next, we’re the bridesmaids and groomsmen, followed by the flower girl and ring bearer. Then for my entrance, my Pappa drove me and my father up in a black v16 Cadillac where he escorted me down the aisle and gave me away. My father in law gave a beautiful introduction to the ceremony and prayed over us. Then my father got up and finished. He prayed over us as well and for our sign of unity, we chose a board that had Ecclesiastes 4:12 and a rope of three strands that we braided together. We did our vows. And just like that I was Mrs. Racine.
The Reception
For the reception inside the barn, we had beautiful wood tables and white chairs- some long, some rectangle, some circular. For the place setting, we had dusty blue napkins that sat right over the edge of the table with crisp white scalloped edge plates. On top of them we had a “thank you” for joining our special first dinner as a married couple. On the runner of the long tables was a beautiful garland of eucalyptus and like-colored greenery mixed in. We also scattered blue hydrangeas throughout it.
As for the circular tables, we had square dark wood boxes with a glass centered in the middle and white candles inside. We also had greenery circumferencing it! The entertainment for our reception was so fun. We had a playlist mix of Country and Easy Listening Jazz playing in the background. Our bridal party sang a song as well as my parents, and it was so wonderful!
The Food
After the ceremony, while the bridal party took pictures we had hors d’oeuvre for the guests on another part of the property in the grass. There were hay bales for them to sit on as well. There they would also grab their key to their table that was hanging on a wood door so they would know where to sit for the reception. For the main meal, we had tri-tip, brown sugar glazed blue cheese green beans, strawberry and pecan spinach salad, baked potatoes, and assorted artisan bread.
The sweets table was so cute! We had a wood bar set on 2 wood barrels with and assortment of sweets on it. That included a few different cheesecakes, cake pops, macaroons, and a small 2 tiered cake for my husband and I.
Hot Chocolate! 
Caramel Apple Bar outside! 
We had blankets for guests as the weather got chilly.
For our going away our guests lined up along the driveway on each side of an old Pierce Arrow and we drove out in it to our awaiting vehicle to go. They all had white glow sticks with bells. It was the most beautiful ending to the most beautiful day ever!!
I hope you enjoyed reading this as I reminisced on our special day! Marriage is an adventure and so worth it when you find your right person, and always keep God the center of it!
I’d love to hear about your special day, leave me a comment below. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post!
xoxo, Shantel
