Katie and David’s Duke Mansion wedding and reception turned out exactly how they planned. It was beautiful and filled with so many great moments and stunning details.
Here are Katie’s own words about their wedding day…
Describe what made your wedding unique.
When throwing any type of party I believe the most important part is making sure your guests have an amazing time. I wanted people to be wowed by everything from the romantic ambiance to the food and all of the little details. I didn’t want my wedding to seem ordinary or expected so I made sure to create some excitement by adding some extras like a photo booth, desert bar, awesome signature drinks, and a confetti toss exit.
It all turned out just the way I had imagined and I feel that everything screamed ‘vintage romance’, from the beautiful venue – Duke Mansion, to the flowers, lighting, and color scheme.
What was the best thing about your wedding day?
Seeing my vision come to life was amazing! I absolutely loved walking around and looking at how perfectly every little detail turned out. Planning a wedding is hard work, and it takes a ton of attention to detail, so it’s really rewarding to see it all come together in the end! Of course, the best part of the day was getting to marry my soul mate. We had a vintage Rolls Royce take us on a stroll around Charlotte after the wedding and then we went to the Ritz Carlton where we spent our first night as a married couple. Driving around in the car just the two of us, both on cloud 9, was one of my favorite parts of the night.
The photo booth was also a lot of fun! We had a life-size cardboard cut out of me and David, courtesy of my sister in law Beth, and I really think people had a lot of fun with that!
Any special compliments to any of your vendors?
We had a five star vendor team that played a huge role in making our wedding day so successful.
We fell in love with the beauty and ambiance of The Duke Mansion the first time we visited it, but our wedding would not have been as successful as it was without the support and dedication of the staff at the Mansion.
Our photographer Critsey Rowe, and her husband were so much fun to work with and their work is top notch. We are so excited to have such amazing wedding photos to treasure for years to come.
If I can give a word of advice to soon-to-be brides, it’s to hire a wedding coordinator, at the very least for the “Day Of” execution. My coordinator, Erica Stawick was a life saver and really helped execute all of the details that I did not have time to (nor would I want to) focus on during my wedding day!
Cake: Got What It Cakes
Flowers: Lily Greenthumb
Gown: Wedding Salon of Manhasset (Long Island, NY)
Gown Alterations: J Majors
Gown designer: Vera Wang
Shoes (purchased from): J Majors
Bridesmaid dresses (purchased from): J Crew
Groom’s Tuxedos/Suit: Men’s Warehouse
Headpiece: Hair Pin purchased from J Majors
Veil designer: Vera Wang
Wedding rings: Skatell’s
Hair and Makeup: Kymm McLean, Who’s The Fairest
Invitations/Stationary: Pink Toast Ink
Music/entertainment: Split Second Sound
Photography: Critsey Rowe
Clergy: Mike Boulware
Wedding Ceremony location: The Duke Mansion
Ceremony music: Charlotte Strings
Caterer: The Duke Mansion
Reception location: The Duke Mansion
Rentals (tents,linens,chairs,tables, etc): Party Reflections
Photo Booth rental: Critsey Rowe
Transportation: Vintage Rolls Royce Royal Rides
Day of Wedding consultant: Erica Stawick, Ashley Baber Weddings
Travel agent: Donna O’Malley (The Honeymoon Planner)
Custom signage, napkins, menu’s, programs, etc created by Pink Toast Ink.
Etsy store purchases: Desert table ‘sweets’ sign, ring bearer sign, confetti, straws, cocktail swizzle sticks, cake topper, desert table garland
Hope you enjoyed viewing this beautiful Duke Mansion Wedding! Want to learn more about my photography – contact me!