A Dazzling New Year’s Eve Wedding
Natalie and Wade Longmire tied the knot on New Year's Eve in Birmingham, AL. See how they celebrated this magnificent winter wedding!
Itβs not often that we have the opportunity to write about a wedding that we actually attended for our wedding series at StyleBlueprint. Today is the exception and this gorgeous wedding I attended last New Yearβs Eve was an event to be cherished forever β¦ and, not to mention, the party of the year.
Natalie Henninger and Wade Longmire, two of Vanderbiltβs impressive graduates, tied the knot on December 31, 2014, in Birmingham, AL. Surrounded by family and their closest friends, the couple harkened the New Year by saying βI Doβ at First United Methodist Church and celebrated their vows with an epic bash at the historic Florentine Building in downtown Birmingham.
NatalieΒ andΒ WadeΒ metΒ through mutual friends while at Vanderbilt. Both hadΒ an interest in outdoor sportsΒ and had crossed paths several times at Vanderbiltβs outdoor rec facilities. Wade, an avid sports fan, took Natalie on one of their first dates during one of Vandyβs home football games β which meant leaving the game early. Β Thatβs when his friends knew that he was serious about this girl. If Wade was leaving a game early, he must be smitten!
Natalie and Wade continued to date once they both had graduated. Wade had taken a job with the Tennessee Titans and Natalie, a psychology major, was about to pursue a Ph.D. at UT Austin in management. In February of 2014, shortly after Valentineβs Day, Wade popped the question. And it wasnβt your basic proposal. Wade had a friend call while the two were at dinner claiming he had left somethingΒ at the Titansβ stadium that Wade must retrieve immediately. Natalie was skeptical, but played along. When they arrived at the stadium, she was led down a path to center field, where Wade got down on one knee. Their close friend, Barrett Jacques, and his band played music over the loud speakers, while friends and family celebrated in the box seats. And the fans agreed, Wade had scored big with Natalieβs βYes!β
Natalie knew she wanted to get married in her hometown of Birmingham, AL, and she and Wade both thought a New Yearβs Eve wedding would be the ideal way to celebrate with their friends and embark on a new chapter in their lives. Natalie wanted to create anΒ elegant vibe with pops of glamour, so she chose to incorporate reds and golds into the design scheme. Her gown was picked from B. Hughes Bridal in Nashville, TN, but she added sleeves with a delicate lace overlay. Her double-paneled Vera Wang veil, along with heirloom accessories, completed anΒ undeniably ravishing look.
After a beautiful and intimate ceremony, Wade and Natalie invited friends to gather at the Florentine Building, which had undergone a recent renovation. Guests gathered in the foyer while deliciousΒ hor dβoeuvres were passed around. The coupleβs signature drinkΒ was a classic New Yearβs Eve cocktail called a French 75. Guests sipped it pleasurablyΒ along with generous amounts of bubbly. After the cocktail hour, partygoers were invited into the main hall which was dressed in pristineΒ fabrics, gold accents and gorgeous bouquets of red and white blooms. A lavish buffet flanked the back wall, while round tables surrounded the dance floor and stage, where the band played todayβs tunes and the must-have hits of the Motown era.
After hours of feasting, drinking, dancing, singing and laughing, friends and family gave the couple a final sendoff. With streamers overhead and noisemakers filling the room, Natalie and Wade shimmied their way to her fatherβs 1959 Lincoln parked outside the building. Natalie wrapped herself in a vintage fur and beamed with the beauty of 1940s Hollywood film icons. Wade looking dapper, ultimately thrilled with the success of the evening, waved goodbye to friends and slid into the car next to his beautiful bride. AsΒ sparklers glowed against the frigid night sky, Natalie and Wade drove into the distance, leaving their guests with a night they will never forget.
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A special thanks to Natalie and Wade for sharing this momentous occasion with us.Β Todayβs beautiful photography was provided by Leslee Mitchell at lesleemitchell.com.
Resources:
Event Planning: I Do I Do Wedding Planning
Invitations: Huck And Pippa
Floral Design: Cloth Of Gold Floral Artistry
Wedding Dress: Rivini
Bridesmaidsβ Dresses: WToo
Makeup: Makeup By Melissa
Cake: Barbβs Cakes
Catering: Corretti Catering
Band: Music Garden Bands
