Lauren and Jim

St. Mark Church Wedding Day and Kadee Fit Reception
Charlotte, NC

 
For months, they spent their ‘free’ time working on the lakehouse property which had been her family’s place of respite for many decades.
Light were stung, the grounds were even more closely cared for and refreshed with pretty landscaping.
 
–She had dreamt since she was girl of marrying her husband here…a place so tightly woven into her family’s history her eyes would mist just speaking about it.
 
…and then ‘he’ came for a visit.
 
With cold. And harsh.  And wet and drear..hurricane Joaquin made his presence known just 48-hous prior to the big day and her plans of dining ‘family style’ with a view of the lake she had gazed upon since childhood and dancing under the stars– were dashed.
Calls were made: (over 50 to be exact.)  Seeking a new place for their nearest and dearest to gather.
‘Call 51’ finally yielded an available space to accommodate:   it was a ‘gym.’  (with lockers, and weights and all the amenities standard of such a place.)
 
With her heart strings tied so tightly to the family lake house they would not loosen enough to for her to accept ‘defeat’; she politely refused seeing the new potential  ‘home’ of her wedding day celebration holding out hope this would pass.   (As her groom and mother quietly made an “executive decision” to move on to Plan B as Joaquin would not pass and instead had plans: rain, rain and more rain…all. day. long.
Yet–this is precisely where the magic starts to happen.
Just as she had wanted,  friends and family began to gather.  And,  in the best way!  They began to step in not only as guests– but to assist in carrying the weight of moving an entire celebration from out-to-in, across town. (Quite literally in some cases.   The groomsmen rented a U-haul to transport the many hand-crafted/special details for the day from the lake house to the ‘gym.’  …whilst a tiny wedding planner,  whose convictions for Lauren and Jim to have the  ‘perfect day’ ran deep and transformed the gym from a blank canvas to the most amazingly glittering space.
After the most gorgeous ‘first look’ (which took place in the rain on the edge of the lake where they were to marry)  this sweet bride was slowly lead into the room as  her groom and immediate family held their collective breath as her eyes adjusted to the darkened room that was ‘Plan B’
….her face said it all. (see below) she was elated!   And, immediately knew Plan B…was. perfect.
 
A few of my favorite wedding day highlights:

• Clearly, the look on Lauren’s faec when seeing how Kadee Fit was transformed (and the look on her father’s face as he soaked in her happiness)
• The emotional “First Look’ with both Jim and her father
• The sweet gift Lauren gave me as I arrived. (I mean seriously, a gift for me on her wedding day?)
• Lauren and her maids praying just before the ceremony
• The dessert bar created with all family recipes! (and mom baked the cake!!)
• The amazing efforts put in by family, friends and fellow wedding professionals to make certain Lauren and Jim did in fact have ‘the best day of their lives.’

 
Lauren and Jim–its been such an amazing year. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for you in the upcoming months. (and years..)
Thank you for the honor.
 











Lauren and Jim’s A-list Charlotte Wedding Professionals:
Wedding Planner:  A Simple Affair (Tina Staz) 
Ceremony Location:  St. Mark Church
Reception Venue:  Kadee Fit
Photography:  BlueSky by Cass Bradley
Floral Design:  Cherish Moore
Wedding Gown:  Classic Bride (Maggie Soterro)
Officiant:  Deacon Louis
Catering:  Creative Catering 
Entertainment/DJ:  Split Second Sound (Dennis) 
Hear and Makeup: Makeup Your Face by Katie
Cake:  Lauren’s Mama:-)
Dessert Bar: Family Member Recipes