Saryn + Edward's Winter Wedding Day, Hickory, NC
“Edward and I became best friends—for life—at the ripe old age of 13. Later, at about the age of 18, it became somewhat of a foregone conclusion that we would marry someday. Over the years, we have truly grown together, encouraging each other to become our best selves and to pursue our goals. I feel blessed to have found Edward so early in life, and it is a privilege to marry my high-school sweetheart.”
“Just a few short days after our five-year anniversary, Edward proposed at the beautiful Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. It was a gorgeous, crisp lazy Sunday in November without a cloud in the sky, and everything was perfect! We had a delicious breakfast (my favorite meal) before heading over to the Gardens that morning, and we were joined by our best friends afterwards to celebrate. Since we had been together for so long, it was difficult for Edward to pull off a surprise proposal for me. For years, we had already been talking about getting engaged, picking rings, etc. So, instead, I planned a surprise for him! Edward had been wanting an Xbox One for months, but had been saving up for my ring. So, after we left the Gardens, I surprised him with his gift! I think the proposal can sometimes be a little bit too centered on the bride, and I wanted him to feel special, too.”
“We didn’t plan our wedding with a specific theme in mind. However, we wanted our wedding to be classic while still incorporating the meaning and excitement of the season. We wanted our wedding to not only be a celebration of our love, but to also be a celebration of the love we have for our friends and family. It was truly magical seeing all of our loved ones at Christmas! ”
“I also made sure to incorporate my late grandfather, Papa, into my day. When he served overseas in Japan in the 1950s, he sent my grandmother a pair of beautiful saltwater pearls that she has cherished ever since. My grandmother presented me with the pearls to wear as I was getting ready in the morning, and it was great having my Papa so close to my heart on my wedding day.”
“I also just want to say how much I LOVED our bouquets! I couldn’t stop gazing at them all day long. From the winter berries and foliage, to the gorgeous red roses, to the glittery pinecones and trailing ribbons, they were absolute perfection.”
We did Saryn's bridal portraits at The Duke Mansion in Charlotte, NC...
“We also exchanged a few gifts on our wedding day, which was extremely exciting and special to us. My parents completely surprised me with a ring I have always adored—the first ring my father ever gave my mother when they were still dating. She had it made into a pinky ring later in life, and I used to “borrow it” all the time before I moved away for college! I have loved wearing it everyday since. I surprised Edward with a Mont Blanc pen, which I hope he can use for many years in his future career! Edward also took my breath away with a pair of tanzanite earrings—a wonderful “something blue” that is my favorite stone!”
“Our first look, of course, was extremely memorable! Edward and I have been best friends for nearly a decade, and it felt like we’d been waiting almost that long for that special moment to arrive! We had a long running bet about whether Edward would get misty-eyed on our wedding day, and I won! He definitely might have shed a tear in that moment. :) Our first look was so filled with love, and I will cherish the memory forever.”
“It took my breath away when I first saw the church and how magnificently it was decorated, and I had a very similar moment when I first saw our reception venue! The decorations for our entire wedding were absolutely gorgeous, and we are so thankful for our vendors for taking our vision and making it into something even more amazing. I was especially thrilled with how gorgeous our bouquets and boutonnieres were, and our two cakes were more perfect than we could have imagined!”
“One special detail about our day that we will truly cherish for years was our unique wedding guest book (a wonderful idea by my Mom!). Our guest book was a copy of “The First Christmas Night,” which is a lyrical retelling of Christ’s birth. Our guests wrote so many wonderful well wishes for us throughout its pages, and we plan on reading it every Christmas Eve to our future children.”
“Edward and I are both extremely family-oriented people, so we wanted each person in our immediate families to play a special role in our wedding. Fortunately, we have small families, so this wasn’t too difficult to pull off—but it made our wedding much more special to us! Our grandmothers and the mother of the groom greeted our guests as they arrived at the ceremony, and my mother was my Matron of Honor. Edward’s father was his Best Man, and my father walked me down the aisle. My brother, also a groomsman, was our amazing “wedding singer” and sang twice during our ceremony.”
“During our ceremony, our first act as a married couple was partaking in Holy Communion with each other and our pastor. This was extremely meaningful for us, as we value our relationship with God and are thankful that He is the basis of our marriage. We also loved receiving our charge to marriage from Pastor Bob, which he entitled ‘Permanence at Christmas.’”
“We had some amazing speeches delivered at our wedding reception! Both my Dad and Edward’s Dad told hilarious, heartwarming stories about the two of us growing up, and they also had such kind words to say about our marriage. My two bridesmaids also gave an amazing speech that showcased our friendships perfectly and gave our guests plenty of good laughs.”
“At our reception, our guests also signed and wrote sweet messages on ornament balls with metallic Sharpies. We will have our first Christmas tree together next year, and we can’t wait to adorn it with such special decorations!”
“Next to our wedding cake at the reception, we had a table decorated with something very special to us. We framed 8”x10” photos of both of our parents at their wedding receptions with their wedding cakes, next to a sign that said, “First comes love… then comes cake!” We are both very blessed to have parents who have been married for about 30 years, and we are thankful for the amazing examples of love and marriage they have always provided to us.”
“Edward and I are both Tar Heels, so his groom’s cake was very fitting for us! Our strawberry-flavored, UNC inspired cake was both delicious and beautiful, and a huge hit among many of our guests!”
“Having a surprise visit from Santa at our reception was so much fun! He came prepared with a hilarious Christmas wedding poem and gifts to keep us entertained on our honeymoon, such as crossword puzzles, movies, yummy snacks, a puzzle, and a coloring book!”
Any advice for future brides and grooms?
“Don’t be afraid of having a winter wedding! The time of year is already so special and joyful, and plus, your venues will probably have lots of beautiful decorations in place that you can take advantage of! The weekend before Christmas was definitely cold, but you can fight the chill with some beautiful wraps. (The guys will already be pretty warm in tuxes!)”
“Also, although I’m sure this has been said many times, don’t be afraid to make your wedding “yours” and do the things that make you most happy! My mother was my Matron of Honor, which was certainly a bit different, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way! ”
“We definitely suggest having a first look and taking photos before the wedding! To get the perfect photos takes some time, especially when you incorporate your families and wedding parties. If you take photos before your ceremony, your guests don’t have to wait for an hour (or longer!) for you to arrive at your reception.”
Wedding Pros -
Wedding Venue: Corinth Reformed Church, Hickory, NC
Reception Venue: Market on Main, Hickory, NC
Coordinator: Tara H. Bland, Tara B’s Eventful Planning, Hickory, NC
Bridal Session Location: The Duke Mansion, Charlotte, NC
Catering: John Duke, Market on Main
Floral Designer: Darleen Haun, Wildflowers Florist, Taylorsville, NC
Rentals: It’s My Party Rentals, Hickory NC
Hair: Lisa Hayes, N Salon
Make Up: Robin Davidson, Premiere Studio
Cake: Flavia Bulza, LetThemEatCake
Dress Designer: Justin Alexander
Shoes: Antonio Melani
Groom Attire: Vera Wang for Men’s Wearhouse
Officiant: Reverend Dr. Robert M. Thompson
Musicians: Pianist/Organist--Dr. Peter B. Corneliussen, Soloist--Russell Hooks, Violinist--Luke Benton
DJ: Joshua Presnell
Cinematographer: Reel Weddings
Transportation: Platinum Limo
Honeymoon Destination: Sandals Negril, Jamaica
Photography: Revival Photography, Jason + Heather Barr
“First things first—Heather and Jason are truly AMAZING photographers and people, and if you’re here reading reviews while trying to decide whether to have them capture your wedding, you should stop right now and book them already! :) I truly don’t have anything but the HIGHEST praise for their work, and I feel so incredibly fortunate that they were there with my husband and me to capture our special day last month. To me, hiring the right photographers was one of the most important aspects of planning our wedding, as I wanted photos that our family could treasure for years. Heather and Jason truly delivered on my expectations and then exceeded them greatly, and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone! There are “good” photos, and then there are amazing photos that tell a story. The pictures that Heather and Jason took of us, our friends, and our family tell the story of the way our wedding unfolded in the most BEAUTIFUL way—it’s like they took my vision, the details of our wedding, and the happiness and love from our day and were able to portray all of those things in their photos. My wedding was in December, and Heather and Jason had my photos back to me extremely fast—I had well over 1000 stunning photos in my hands within a few short weeks! I still look through them daily, and it is almost impossible to even narrow them down to my top 50 favorites. They are all just that amazing! Heather and Jason have such an awesome eye for detail, and they can genuinely put anyone at ease in photos. It was FREEZING on our wedding day, but we don’t look cold or uncomfortable in a single picture! They also have amazing ideas for poses that don’t look unnatural whatsoever, and everyone in our wedding looks relaxed and joyful in each of our photos. We have received numerous compliments on both our wedding photos and my bridal portraits from others, and I always love telling people about how we are so appreciative of Heather and Jason!
During my year-long wedding planning process, it was a joy to work with Heather and Jason along every step of the way. They were the first wedding vendor we booked, and they checked in with us often to make sure that everything was going well. They even stepped in as semi-wedding planners for us a few times, such as by providing me with a personalized wedding day photo timeline that saved me a HUGE headache with planning and logistics! I had no clue when our “getting ready” photos should start, when we should all migrate to the church for photos, etc… but these two are true professionals who know exactly what they’re doing, and they were such a huge help! Plus, on top of their fantastic work, Heather and Jason are just fun, kind, and generous people who are a blast to hang out with on your wedding day! We really couldn’t have asked for anything more from our photographers, and they exceeded our expectations in every way. We are so thankful for Heather and Jason!”