Colleen & Lee | May Outdoor Wedding

On May 26th, 2018 Colleen and Lee got married at the Elon Lodge in Elon, NC. The morning of, the girls got ready at Lauren Taylor Salon in Gibsonville, NC. I met the bride, Colleen there to pick up some final items. The weather forecast said rain all afternoon and we needed to make a final decision so my team and I could finish setting up the ceremony site. She was adamant on still having the ceremony outside. We decided we could move the ceremony time later if needed.

My exceptional team finished setting up the decorations at the ceremony and reception sites. Guests and vendors started to arrive. We had small short rain showers all day and the ceremony time was approaching. The rain stopped about ten minutes before the ceremony start time so we quickly wiped down the chairs with dry towels and the guests took their seats. I lined the bridal party up for the processional. The groom was very nervous, as he hated being the center of attention. The officiant, Seth Robertson, held a very quick ceremony and they were on to pictures! Everyone did great!  Just look at their faces after walking back up the isle! Pure bliss!

Lauren Croniser did an awesome job of quickly knocking out the family pictures so Colleen and Lee could join their friends and family for the party. Another rain storm appeared right as dinner began. It was a perfect slice of time for us to get everyone inside and stay on schedule. Sometimes, things just work out and it is awesome. Other times, we have to make arrangements that are not the couple’s first choice but it is totally worth hiring a planner to coordinate the alternative plan and act on it in a timely manner.

Hursey’s Catering provided the yummy BBQ, grilled chicken, sides, salads, and southern sweet tea. I saw several guests go back up to the buffet for more! After dinner and toasts, Colleen and Lee cut their cake made by Harris Teeter and the guests enjoyed cupcakes for their dessert. The DJ, Ryan Greene of Dow Oak Events, did an amazing job switching between three locations throughout the night. After dinner, he had the whole crowd dancing the rainy night away. My good friend Bryan Jones kept everyone’s drinks full at our custom pallet bar. Everyone was having so much fun it was hard to tell them their transportation had arrived. Empire Limousine provided the transportation back to the hotel for the guests. They arrived on time and quickly came back for more guests.

Colleen and Lee found me through several mutual friends and I am so happy they did! They are such a fun couple. I love all of my couples and wish them all the best, however sometimes I do not get to keep in touch with them all. I am excited to say I have earned some new friends that have a lot of the same interests! I cannot wait to see more of Colleen and Lee in the near future!

After we finished cleaning up and the bride and groom were able to head home, a huge storm came through Elon. My husband and I finished closing up the lodge and just sat, talked, and listened to the storm. We were exhausted. My whole team worked their butts off at this wedding between the set-up and clean-up and I am so proud to have them on my side! We were able to set up 100 chairs for the ceremony and 25 tables with chairs for the reception, as well as decorate with our rentals and clean it all up before midnight. I definitely could not have done it without them.  Thank you so much to David, Lauren, Sam, Jeremy, and Rachel for all your help during the weekend!