Carly and Nick’s wedding at White Barn is the ultimate combination of rustic glam and vintage romance. With a little help from Em and E Events, the pair sought out to enhance – but not overwhelm – their chosen venue. After a pond-side ceremony complete with an apple cider drink station and a horse drawn carriage entrance by the bride, the party continued in the gorgeous wooden barn. Inside, colors came to life! Navy blue napkins popped against gold chargers, which looked striking atop bare wooden tables from Vintage Alley Rentals. Other antique pieces, including a bar cart cake table, tufted settees, and sweet decor pieces added just the right amount of throwback. The day wasn’t without a few homespun accents too, including wooden signs made by family members and a cookie table with TWELVE THOUSAND treats! Take a look at the memories captured by Jenna Hidinger Photography and Just Hitched Films to see if you don’t love this colorful celebration with touches of the season as much as we do!
About the Couple
Nick and I met in the most 2011 way possible – Facebook! We still debate who added who first, but we know Nick messaged me. After a few weeks of constantly texting, we finally went on our first date to see a movie. I didn’t know where the theater was (I was 17 and rarely ventured outside of the North Hills), so I may or may not have asked my parents to take me and they may or may not have gone on their own date. Still to this day, Nick cannot believe I dropped them off and took their car to the theater to meet him!
After high school, I went away to college. Through hundreds of FaceTimes, phone calls, and road trips, we finally made it to my senior year. Every year around the first week of December, Nick and his family visit Overly’s Country Christmas, a walk-around Christmas Village that’s filled with an array of old-fashioned traditions and LOTS of fun Christmas lights. It has turned into one of my favorite holiday traditions; I was so excited when my family said they wanted to join us for our 2015 trip. Little did I know there was a surprise waiting for me at the end of the night! We all joke that this was the shortest Overly’s trip because everyone knew (except for me, of course) and Nick’s mom, April, RUSHED through all of our usual stops. I just thought everyone was hungry and wanted to get to dinner! In order to exit the village, you go through a tunnel of Christmas lights that leads you to the parking lot. We always get our yearly pictures in the tunnel and this year gave us a few “extra special” pictures because Nick popped the question! It was perfect!
About the Wedding
For our wedding, I originally wanted rustic, but that quickly turned into a more vintage/romantic feel. The White Barn is such a gorgeous space, and I loved that the wooden interior really spoke for itself and you didn’t have to decorate it from head to toe to get that rustic/romantic feel. We rented several pieces from Vintage Alley Rentals that were gorgeous and really complemented the barn, like our cake cart, farm tables, displays, and a vintage lounge area. And we cannot forget our INSANE cookie table! We had over 12,000 cookies and they were beautifully displayed thanks to Trish and her team!
During the planning process, I read “enhance your space; don’t change it” and I really stuck to that advice. We had a navy, burgundy, green, and gold color scheme that worked so well with the barn and helped us incorporate a little bit of fall into our day. To keep with the romantic feel, we used dozens of lanterns and candles throughout the barn. Emily and the team from Em and E Events knew exactly what I was looking for and hit it out of the park. Our wedding was just the right amount of rustic, vintage, and romantic sprinkled with some personal touches all wrapped into one day. Our families also helped with the decorating aspect; my dad and aunt made the wooden arrow sign that directed guests to the ceremony and showcased a few of our favorite places, and Nick’s parents made a huge wooden H that was perfect for the gift table. There was a little bit of personalization in every corner of the barn, which was very important to us!
Favorite Moment
It is so hard to pick just one! My first favorite moment was seeing Nick during our first look. He looked so handsome and being with him just reminded me that all of the stresses of planning were worth it. At that moment, I really felt like we were husband and wife, and it was such a great feeling.
My second favorite moment (which really lasted the whole night) was being in the same place with all of our favorite people. It is such a surreal moment when you see all of the people you love gathered around to celebrate your love. Every time we watch the video from the day, we are in awe that at no point can you tell who was from the bride’s side and who was from the groom’s side. Everyone was dancing and hanging out together and just having fun. There is nothing better than seeing the most important people in your life enjoying themselves with each other!
