D
Dresden and Matt desired a small, intimate wedding that felt casual
while still showcasing their personalities. “Ever since high school, I had
wanted a Lord of the Rings themed wedding and knew the perfect guy
would love that idea. We didn’t go as far with the theme as I had originally
dreamed of, but we did have our ring bearer dressed up as Frodo! Matt’s
an archery enthusiast, so we wanted to incorporate arrows into our theme
somehow. We ended up going for a woodland theme and incorporated old
books, dream catchers, and birdcages. Matt is also a big comic book fan,
so we had a special cake topper made of his favorite comic book character, Green Arrow, along with his wife, Black Canary, from the cover of their
special wedding issue.” For their save-the-dates and invitations, Dresden
used her own talented creative design skills.
For the location, they selected Winona Place. “Mrs. Marshall Yarborough had so many great ideas for decorating and creating a good flow
for the layout of the ceremony and reception space. Matt and I knew we
wanted to have our ceremony under a tree and she had several vignettes
to choose from. It was so convenient having the house open for our brid-
al party and being able to use the property. Mrs. Marshall acted as our
After months of planning, the day these two beautiful souls would become one arrived on October
wedding planner and our wedding director for the big day. We couldn’t
17, 2015. “I was excited, rushed, and nervous!” As a bridesmaid, I witnessed the hectic events of
have done it without her!” Dresden and Matt handmade dream catchers
the day and was a bit nervous for Dresden myself! The best part of all, however? Seeing her in her
to hang in the trees they got married under in honor of his dad who passed
wedding gown and floral crown. She was the epitome of a blushing, beautiful bride. An antique gold
away when he was a child. “His dad had a passion for Native American
and Bakelite bracelet purchased years ago from her church’s yard sale served as something old. An
culture, so we decided dream catchers would be a good way to honor him
ivory lace dress with champagne satin underneath and a silk flower belt was something new. She
and many of our other relatives and friends who had passed away.” Matt
borrowed a vintage handkerchief from Matt’s mom, and her favorite turquoise and pewter cuff given
also made boutonnières for his groomsmen and himself. “Since we began
to her by her father added a beautiful blue pop to her bouquet. Walking down the aisle to an acoustic
dating, he discovered that he could be crafty, too. He wanted to create
“Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, each guest had a huge smile on their face as they watched
something special for his friends as a keepsake. He incorporated metal
the two lovebirds recite their personal vows to each other. There wasn’t a dry eye at Winona Place,
charms of woodland animals along with some arrow charms and fresh
as they promised to love each other unconditionally in front of God and 175 family members and
herbs to make the scent last along with the memories.”
friends.
SHEMAGAZINE.COM
CONTINUED
FEBRUARY 2016
77