Kristine & Kyle

May 31

Ipswich, Massachusetts

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Q&A with the Bride

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

I grew up in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and I knew that I wanted to have my wedding in my hometown. There was no better place than the Crane Estate, simply because of its aesthetics and breathtaking views. We wanted to bring our family and friends to one of the most beautiful locations in the Northeast to celebrate our big day!

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. Wedding Favors: My dad is a professional candy maker and he made saltwater taffy especially for our wedding day. It meant a lot to me to be able to share a part of my family with our guests.
2. Outside Ceremony/Reception: We were lucky to have beautiful weather and held both our ceremony and reception outside on the Grand Allee and back patio of the Estate. It was an amazing backdrop to exchange our vows and to celebrate with family and friends.
3. Floral Arrangements/Reception Decor: Since the Crane Estate had so much to offer when it came to natural beauty, we decided on simple, clean, elegant decor and floral arrangements. I couldn’t have been happier with how everything from my bouquet to the wedding favors, menu cards, floral arrangements, and even the table settings looked. The decor did not distract from the Crane Estate’s elegance, rather, it enhanced it.

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

There are so many to choose from, but if I were to pick just one it would be our last dance of the evening.  Everything leading up to that moment was perfect; our ceremony, the vows, first dance, toasts, dinner, dancing, cake cutting…everything! We had pre-selected the song “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake as our last dance of the night but never imaged the reaction we would receive from our guests. We were still outside dancing under the stars and instinctively all of our family and friends formed a perfect circle around us and within a few seconds everyone started singing and clapping to the song as just the two of us danced in the middle. You could feel the excitement and love that everyone had for us and it was a great confirmation that all of our guests enjoyed their time at our wedding!

Keri & Casey

April 27

Clayton, Georgia

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

Chota Falls is so unique and picturesque. I loved that we had the venue to ourselves, and the waterfall setting really sold my family and I. It was actually the only venue I toured.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. Flowers 

2. Pictures taken by the waterfall

3. Props 

3. If you could offer one piece of advice for other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

I would tell couples that they don’t need a yearlong (or longer) engagement to have the wedding of their dreams. Thanks to my mom, who is a wedding coordinator herself, we were able to plan our wedding in slightly less than six months. I loved having that amount of time because it was short enough that we didn’t second-guess our decisions and long enough that our guests had sufficient time to make travel arrangements. 

4. Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

Having all of my closest friends and family in the same room was my favorite part of the day. I loved introducing people from all walks of my life to my husband’s friends and family, and it was wonderful to see family and friends that I hadn’t seen in years.  I’ll also never forget the moment that they pronounced us husband and wife. Everything was perfect, and I wish I could relive my wedding day every day.

Katie & Joe

April 27

Dardanelle, Arkansas

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

Let me start off with I’m from Arkansas, the “Natural State.” We have abundant trees and wildlife everywhere you look. The barn for me really encompassed the love I have for my state and natural surroundings. To get to the barn you take the “backroads” through beautiful wildflower pastures that have scattered trees that have stood the passage of time. You then travel down a dirt road with almost a perfect tunnel of blooming and green trees. You are greeted with a rustic and large barn, even though they constructed this barn about a year ago, it holds such an aged grandeur, it really makes you feel something special.  A connection to something you saw a long time ago, a place you always wanted to visit.  The area it is surrounded by has skillfully constructed stone garden beds with all colors and shapes of flowers. It also has a bonfire area and huge flatbed swing.  All of these things made me feel comfortable and at home. They made me feel proud that I could live in such a place full of beauty. The Barn at Twin Oaks Ranch is a place where I believe many couples could find a serene but lively venue to create their perfect wedding memories.

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. Altar

2. Cake

3. Koozies

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding that you can’t stop thinking about.

All day long it was supposed to rain on my wedding. The sky was gray and the sun was hidden. I was terrified that this would be the death of my dream outdoor wedding.  Of course, the barn had planned an inside move if needed, but I was still nervous. The rain held off and when it finally started to drizzle, while Joe and I were exchanging our vows under the arbor, the rain sprinkled in a perfect circle around us. It was the trees shaking off the collected drops in such a manner it looked planned. After the trees cleared their branches, the sun jumped out from a cloud and shined through these trees right on to us. It was seriously like something out of a movie.  Although we dated for six years prior to our wedding, this made me feel like this was proof that rain or shine we were meant to be together. 

Leslie & Matt

April 27

Cleveland, Ohio

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Q & A with the Couple:

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

It is truly a hidden gem in downtown Cleveland.  Not many people know about it and when you walk in, you are truly enamored by the grandeur and history of it.  It was beautifully charming and expressed both of our personalities.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. I wore the same train that my mom wore on her wedding day and my sister wore it on her wedding day as well.
2. Matt and I met sailing and my Dad actually introduced us.  My Dad passed away about a year before our wedding and Matt took one of the sails from my Dad’s boat to make the ring bearer’s pillow.  He even sewed it himself.
3. We bought two sailboats (actually, Christmas ornaments) for our wedding cake to represent the way we met.  We painted them in our wedding colors and now we can hang them on our Christmas tree every year.

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

Matt:  The first look. The first time I saw Leslie in her wedding dress, I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful she looked. 

Leslie:  Walking outside of my mom’s house and seeing Matt waiting for me for our first look.  He looked so excited and so emotional. I couldn’t wait to see him, kiss him, and marry him! It was the perfect day and I don’t think I ever stopped smiling.

Allie & Matt

May 18

Tallahassee, Florida

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Q & A with the Bride:

What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

We knew about this place first, and loved it but wanted to find something more wild. After searching all over Tallahassee we were just drawn back to Lichgate and its sweet cabin and huge live oak. It just looked like a fairytale.

Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

We loved the handmade bananagrams tiles laser cut by Matt’s brother and my best friend, Michael Taylor; the individually bought tea sets that we turned into candles (which were our favors), and the white lights strung over the reception, particularly over the dance floor and under the big tree.

If you could offer one piece of advice for other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

People say it all of the time, but seriously, get someone to run the wedding the day of. My best friend/MOH planned the entire wedding, but her and her boyfriend tag-teamed running the actual wedding that night. She had a schedule for everyone and everything. If she wasn’t there that day nothing would have run nearly as smoothly as it did. 

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

We keep randomly bursting out with, “It was so perfect, It was so beautiful!.” But the funniest part is, after all of the planning, we forgot to rent cups! So everyone drank out of champagne flutes!