Falling in Love with Fall Wedding Trends

The weather is cooling off, the air is crisp, the leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, and the rich fragrances of apple cider and pumpkin pie are filling kitchens and homes across the south... and the boys and girls are saying "I do." 

And who wouldn't want to say "I do" in (or just outside of) a barn, in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains, with the leaves changing all around you?

(Hillary Leah Photography)

Fall weddings are on the rise, and why wouldn't they be? The weather in Georgia during the months of September, October, and November is just about perfect for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception, or even vice versa. You never know! A Saturday in mid-October could be 60 degrees and windy, or it could be 80 degrees and sunny. Very rarely is the weather in Georgia predictable. It's always a toss-up, but that adds some fun to it! 

Being a fall bride opens the doors to so many fun wedding ideas... using apples or mini pumpkins as table number holders or place cards, having hay bales as seating arrangements, and the list goes on... 

(Check out some of these ideas from Rustic Wedding Chic)  

One plus to living in the south is that there are farmers markets just about everywhere. Here in North Georgia, you can drive down a single country road and pass about 3 produce stands on your way. Living in the south is a wonderful thing. So, if you are having a fall wedding-- stop at that produce stand on the side of the four-lane and pick up some apples, pumpkins, and sunflowers to use as centerpieces or decorations and support your local farmers and producers! (My family actually has produce stands as well as a sunflower field in a nearby town, just down the road from The Wheeler House... in case you need to be pointed in the right direction).

There is also a local farmers market in the Ball Ground city park on Fridays, so that provides Wheeler House brides with the perfect opportunity for fresh, fall produce! 

  

(Color palette taken from Katelyn James Blog)

 

The trending fall color schemes for this year are nothing short of breathtaking. With colors like plum, autumn peach, and sangria, the orange and red hues that usually go along with the season are brought to life with pops of different colors to offset them.

Check out this slideshow on The Knot for more wedding color scheme ideas:

Having a fall wedding means having fall florals... but don't feel limited to the typical autumn colors (as mentioned above). Of course you can always go with simple sunflowers (my personal favorite) or baby's breath, or you can branch out and go for a pop of color in your bouquet! One of our florist favorites, Holland Daze, can give you the bouquet of your dreams that will flow perfectly with your colors (and budget)...and she. is. amazing.

Holland Daze designed bouquets and centerpieces like this one for The Not Wedding in Atlanta:

  

& Also for The 3rd Not Wedding in Athens that I was so grateful that I was able to attend.

Watch the video here.

Fall also gives way for s'mores, caramel apples, and pumpkin pies...  

At The Wheeler House, our firepit is the perfect setting for hay bales, a s'mores bar, and hot apple cider. Set up a cider, coffee, or hot chocolate bar inside the barn and the guests can mingle outside and cozy up by the fire...(if you feel like taking it easy at your reception). 

It makes for a perfect way to end the night. 

(Nina Parker Photography)

 

You can also give your guests favors that they can actually enjoy and indulge in, such as these "sweetie pies" from Wedding Star.

 

For more Fall wedding favor ideas, take a look at their blog here.

 

Make sure your photographer gets a shot of you and your groom with the foilage, have a caramel apple station set up AND EAT ONE, and sip on some (hard) apple cider, or whatever you prefer. It is YOUR fall wedding, so make it how you want it, but don't be afraid to try something new!

Follow our Wheeler House Pinterest page for more Fall Wedding inspiration... 

Happy Fall, y'all! 
~Kaleigh, The Wheeler House  

Wedding Wednesday: Carley + Cameron Allen // July 12th, 2014

Recap from our first Wedding Wednesday post on this sweet couple (which has been converted into one full-length post):
From high school, to different colleges, to the same university, to nursing school, to careers... Carley Harrison and Cameron Allen have made it through it all, and they are two of the most genuine and sweetest people I have (personally) ever known. So, before they were married at The Wheeler House on July 12th, 2014 under the Arbor...

"Cam and I met at Woodstock High School when I was 16 and coaching middle school cheerleading and his dad was coaching the football team. He was 15 and was with a few of my friends and they came up and introduced him to me. This was a few years before we started dating..."

"Our first date was at Chili's after school one day. I remember the exact table that we sat at. I remember thinking on that day that I knew this would be my husband one day. I just had a feeling. Our personalities just matched so well and we have always been very comfortable around each other from day one. Chili's has become one of our go-to places. We love the chips and salsa!"

"The most fun date was when Cam had to go to the Coca Cola Factory for work one evening. It was a work function but he really wanted me to go with him since I have never been, so I posed as his co-worker. He even had a name tag made for me. The entire night we had to act like co-workers, which was so funny. I had to let Cam do most of the talking because people would ask about the product and I would have absolutely no idea how to answer. A lot of people came up and ask if we were married or together and we had to pretend that it was crazy that they even asked. Also, the best part of the night was that I had no idea that earlier that day, Cam had picked up my engagement ring and had it in his briefcase. The entire night I kept telling him that I wish he would have just left his briefcase in the car because I knew it was heavy to be carrying around all night when we were supposed to be meeting people and making contacts. He refused to put the briefcase in the car, and now I know why!" 

Carley and Cameron dated for 6 years before they were engaged. They starting seeing each other in high school, but did not really start dating until they were both students at UGA...

"We are so glad that we waited to get married, even though we had to have a long distance relationship for a while. It allowed us to both grow a lot personally before we made the big decision. We were both able to finish school and start careers before we got married, and that was so important to both of us, even though I was a little impatient for a little while..."

Carley and Cameron love the city of Savannah, GA , which is why Cameron chose it as the place to ask Carley to marry him!

"I have been going to Savannah with my dad every year for a business trip he takes yearly. I fell in love with the city and introduced Cam to it while we were in college. He loves it just as much as I do. Last May, we decided to take an anniversary trip to Savannah. On the second day of the trip it was extremely hot outside and we had been sightseeing all day. Cam had been mentioning to me that he wanted to take a walk to see the Mercer House (a famous house from a book that we both like). So after complaining about the heat for a little while, I gave in and we started the hike to the particular square where the house is. We walked right up to the house and he turned me around to face him and got down on one knee! It was such a sweet moment that I will never forget." 

"After I said yes, he turned me around and I see a group of people walking towards us, and also a random lady taking pictures of us. The group of people turned out to be both of our entire families! Grandparents and all. That was the best day of my life before the day that I said, “I do.” My mom had also hired a photographer to catch the whole thing. We celebrated all night long with our families. It was such a wonderful day!"

After two long years of nursing school, Carley graduated in May from Mercer University as an RN and Cameron graduated with a Bachelors degree from the University of Georgia and is now a project engineer.

"We knew that we wanted to be married in the summer time after I finished nursing school and got a job. The date is not significant, but summer was significant to both of us."

"We love our anniversary date now, though, because it is near the 4th of July, which means that most years Cam will have a day off from work and maybe we can take a vacation around that time!"

So, why did Carley and Cameron choose The Wheeler House as their wedding venue?

"The Wheeler House had always been in the back of my mind... Debbie and Kristen Ley are long time friends of our family and Kristen had written to my sister when she found out that I was engaged. I went to see the house and fell in love with everything, so we chose it as the venue. The wedding planning process was easy. We met with Karen a few times to go over details, like seating plan, and the timeline of the wedding....

Everything was very easy and well coordinated during the planning process. I am so thankful to Debbie and Kristen for recommending The Wheeler House to us and also for putting together our Rehearsal Dinner at The Corner District."

(Vendors for Rehearsal Dinner:

Center Cut Catering, Winey Blonde Events Co., and The Corner District)

"I love so many things about The Wheeler House. The rustic feel mixed with the elegant draperies and plantation home make you feel like you are back in the 1800s...

I always envisioned an outdoor wedding with food served on elegant china, guests being served hors d’oeuvres, while the white draperies flowed in the breeze in the background. My goal was southern elegance, and I think the The Wheeler House lives up to that theme. I love the barn at The Wheeler House. It works perfectly with the elegant plantation home.

Walking down the aisle and seeing Cameron standing there looking at her is a memory Carley will never forget...

"(It) was the most wonderful moment of my life. I did not see anyone else as I walked. It was almost like it was just the two of us..."

The Wheeler House prides itself in being a naturally decorative wedding venue with its chandeliers, drapes, and string lights that light up your wedding day and night. It does not require a lot of additional decoration due to all of the features and amenities it has to offer. However, Carley wanted to do something unique that matched her vision of Southern Elegance. Green Gables Events matched everything she had envisioned and more...

 "I looked all over Pinterest when I first got engaged. I knew that I wanted southern elegance... I printed out so many pictures to bring to Green Gables events, who did the catering, cakes, florals, and even rented items to us. My colors were a muted pistacio, gold, and a light pink. We rented a few things from GG Events like chandeliers, a seating area to go near the arbor, candelabras, a vintage sideboard for the ceremony….etc. We rented SO many things from them. They have a huge warehouse full of all kinds of fun wedding décor. I couldn’t have asked for a better catering company. They do it all!"

"GG Events did a wonderful job of taking my vision and making it real.... They were amazing throughout the entire process. Tim is so easy to work with and Deena is great, too! They answered all of our questions and were always coming up with new ideas. I told Tim that I wanted a cross at the altar, but he did not have one in his warehouse. He ended up making one for me prior to the wedding! He and his wife Harriet helped with every detail. Deena, who was the one we corresponded with mostly, was so wonderful as well. "

"Cam loves to turkey hunt, so Tim and Harriet were able to make the grooms cake turkey themed with real turkey feathers! I think everyone at the wedding came to take a picture of it. I cannot say enough about how beautiful they made everything that day, and how they captured my vision perfectly!"

"Our DJs were so wonderful and the dance floor was packed the entire night. Cam and I always said that we wanted everyone to enjoy and have a great time once the ceremony was over, and I think that we definitely accomplished that goal!"

 

"Jack Collins Music is the company we used for our DJ and live entertainment. The company is composed of Jack Collins and Beverly. Jack sings and DJs and Beverly takes care of all of the music. Jack is such a wonderful person and great live performer! When we first met Jack, we went to see him at Chicago’s restaurant. We knew when he had the whole crowd up dancing that this was the company that we should choose. At the wedding, people could not believe that he was singing many of the songs during dinner. They were so amazed at his live performance during dinner and also the fact that he could DJ as well. Beverly did such a wonderful job with the music. We had a meeting with them prior to the wedding, and we went through every detail, which I appreciate as a bride. By the end of the night, everyone was on the dance floor including my grandmother! We could not help but dance!" 

"We used Bob’s Eye View for our wedding videography. I also cannot say enough about how wonderful they were! They asked me how intrusive I wanted them to be before they began filming, which I thought was so respectful. They were so professional and easy to work with. We had two videographers the day of the wedding. Steffan Bekker was the main videographer, and he was so relaxed and kept me calm through most of the day. They stayed all night and were there to capture any shot that I wanted. Amy Halliday is who I corresponded with prior to the wedding, and she answered all of my emails so quickly! I am so glad we chose them to do our wedding video!"

"For our engagement pictures, we chose Letters and Light Design and Photo which is a company out of Athens owned by Lindsay Cox. Lindsay and Couper Cox are a married couple who also happen to be good friends of ours. Our engagement pictures were absolutely gorgeous! Lindsay and Couper were so much fun to work with and spent so much time making sure that we were comfortable and catching the perfect shot. I had so many compliments on our engagement pictures. Lindsay has such an eye for catching the best moments, and we were so impressed at how she really made our relationship come to life through her photography. Lindsay is so passionate about what she does, and it is easy to see in her work."

 They also had King of Pops for the reception and had them brought out right after the bouquet and garter toss... "Everyone loved the popsicles at the end of the night! They were a hit."

Carley and Cameron went to St. Lucia on their honeymoon and stayed at the  Sandals Regency La Toc. 

"We could not have been more pampered and relaxed for an entire week than we were there! The cool thing about St. Lucia is that it has a rainforest. The Sandals we stayed in was in the heart of the St. Lucian rainforest. I have never seen so many beautiful plants in my entire life. We took a sea tour where we were able to take a boat to different parts of the island. We snorkeled and ate Caribbean cuisine. We also took a mud bath and visited a waterfall. I don’t think I have ever seen anything as beautiful."

 "Another day we went zip lining through the rainforest. I was definitely afraid at first, but by the end I built up the confidence to take a running jump off one of the tree stands! We had a blast seeing all of the vegetation and hanging out with the local St. Lucians. The resort we stayed at was all-inclusive. I am so glad that we made the decision to go to a Sandals. We did not have a care in the world for an entire week....

...We could not have asked for a more wonderful honeymoon. We already decided to go back on our 5^th anniversary and stay in the same room!" 

Carley and Cameron had a long-distance relationship for a while before they tied the knot on July 12th, so one can imagine that they are happy to finally be together in the same home...

 

"We love being married! Our favorite part is just being able to see each other every day. Cam and I never lived together before being married, and were in a long distance relationship for the last two years before we were married, so we could not wait to be able to be together all of the time. Married life comes easy to us, and it is so much fun! He takes care of me and I take care of him. We are best friends, and I feel like that is what it is all about. I also think our dog is happy about getting to be with both of us all of the time too!"

They purchased their first house and are now living just outside of The Classic City (Athens)...

 

"We are just getting adjusted to being married and both of us working. We are looking for a church near us and hope to get involved in a newly married/young married group. We both love to travel and are starting to save up for a trip we have planned to Costa Rica with friends next year. One of the things we talked about before getting married was taking the time and money to travel. We might not be able to go every single year, but having the same desire to travel works so well for our relationship! It helps us to manage money better and get to enjoy different places with each other."

We are SO happy that this wonderful couple chose to say "I do" at The Wheeler House. It was such a sweet ceremony followed by a unique reception with dancing, popsicles, and good company! Thank you to Carley & Cameron for letting us be a part of their wedding day! We wish you both all the happiness in the world as you begin your amazing journey together!

Photo Credits:

Wedding Photography: Simply Sarah Photography

Engagement Photography: Letters + Light Designs and Photo

Vendors:

Venue: The Wheeler House

Wedding Videography: Bob's Eye View

DJ/Entertainment: Jack Collins Music

Catering/Cake/Florals/Decor: Green Gables Events