Liza and Ryan wed in a beautiful, wintery ceremony in Charlotte, NC. Keep reading for more on how Ryan proposed and the moment she knew her Wedding Angels dress was the one!
Ryan and I met at the University of South Carolina, where I was finishing my undergrad degree and he was getting his Masters in Healthcare Administration. Ryan went to Wofford College for undergrad, with my high school best friend, whom also happened to be getting her masters at USC. She introduced the two of us, knowing we would make a good match, and the rest was history! We started dating shortly after that, in fall of 2012. After graduating from USC, I moved back to my hometown, Charlotte, and Ryan followed when he graduated from his masters program.
Ryan proposed the last weekend in October in 2016, at the most picturesque mountain lodge in Robbinsville, NC, during peak fall colors. Ryan is a planner, and loves to surprise me, and pulled off the biggest surprise to date. He lured me to the mountains for the weekend to go hiking with his parents and see the fall leaves. After a morning of hiking, we had planned to meet his parents at Snowbird Lodge for lunch, and upon arriving, Ryan took me out back to the scenic overlook and proposed.
He had everything planned to a tee - a professional photographer to capture the moment, the perfect spot to provide the best pictures, and had even surprised me by planning for my parents and aunts to come up that morning to be there for the moment. After he proposed, they all rushed out, and safe to say I was completely in awe (evidenced by the many ugly tear photos). We spent the rest of the weekend at his family's lake home together soaking in the moment and enjoying quality family time!
Ryan and I got married on January 13, 2018, so we wanted a winter wedding with clean, neutral colors, lots and lots of candlelight, and greenery. My bridesmaids wore charcoal grey dresses, and our colors for the reception were white, champagne, and gold. Our reception was at the Mint Museum Uptown Charlotte, which has floor to ceiling glass windows on two walls, and the candlelight flickering off the glass created a warm glow throughout the evening.
The tables surrounding the dance floor had high, tree-like greenery arrangements, and the chairs were rustic white farmhouse style. When i walked into the reception, I was totally blown away. I had no vision, but my wedding planner and amazing vendors completely pulled off everything I wanted!
I absolutely loved our first look. Our first look took place at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, which was right around the corner from our church. We had debated doing a first look, not wanting to take away from the moment of me walking down the aisle, but looking back, we would choose to do a first look over and over again. Our first look took place outside in the garden, right after we separately read our letters to each other, and was such a special moment for the two of us to take some time alone together to appreciate the gravity of the day.
Having this special moment together let us get rid of all our nerves and jitters, leaving us focused on the importance of our ceremony. It was one of the only moments all day we truly had just for ourselves, so I would recommend to anyone to have a first look!
Because we were getting married in January, I knew I wanted a gown with 3/4 to full length sleeves, preferably off the shoulders with lace. Ryan is from the Atlanta area, so my mom, sister, and I went to down Atlanta to wedding dress shop with his mom and sisters. Our very first appointment was at Wedding Angels, and Shelby was our consultant, and as I explained to her what I thought I wanted, she said she knew exactly the dress. She was spot on - my dress was the very first dress I tried on, and I loved it instantly. I continued to try on other dresses throughout the day, but nothing topped the Ellis of London dress.
We had the best time at Wedding Angels. Having our own room to try on dresses, with plenty of space for all my guests made all the difference. We felt relaxed and were well attended to.
Church: Little Church on the Lane
Reception: Mint Museum Uptown Charlotte
Wedding Planner - Sarah Beth Thie of Sarah Elizabeth Events
Flowers: Flowers from the Cellar
Band: Mighty Kicks
Hair/Makeup: Be Pretty
Rentals: Party Reflections
Food: Something Classic
Photographer: Jenna Marie Weddings
Pictures Location: Duke Mansion