Meeting the love of your life is something that happens in an instant, but the memory will stay with you forever. For Amanda and Stefan that moment was the summer of 2009 when Stefan’s twin sister introduced her brother to Amanda while they were working together as lifeguards at the YMCA. After a summer of hanging out with friends and eventually going on dates to the movies and dinner, Stefan asked Amanda a very important question … he asked her to be his girlfriend, and the rest is history!
Down the road Stefan asked Amanda another important question … he asked her to marry him. Amanda was in PA school in Charleston, SC, and Stefan went for a visit. He took her to Peninsula Grill for their famous coconut cake, and after dinner he asked her to go on a walk with him on the beach at Sullivan’s Island. He proposed at station 12 at sunset, and obviously Amanda said “Yes!”
On May 14, 2016, at the Johnson Carriage House in Mooresville, NC, Stefan and Amanda said “I Do” in front of 100 of their closest friends and family. With a three-year engagement, Stefan and Amanda had ample time to plan their perfect wedding. The venue was chosen for several reasons. First, they wanted an outdoor affair, and the Johnson Carriage House had just built its outdoor pavilion, which would allow them to have a covered reception. Second, the Johnson Carriage House offers the bride “The Hen House,” which gave Amanda and her girls a place to stay and get ready for the big day! Lastly, Amanda swears by Lillian, the owner of the Johnson Carriage House, saying, “She goes above and beyond to make your day as stress-free as possible.” Not to mention it’s super pretty!
For the theme of the wedding, Amanda knew that she wanted different textures and colors, and she has nothing short of a glowing review for Deedie of Springvine Design. With the help of Deedie, Amanda got exactly what she wanted — organic, flowing, non-structured and very colorful flowers! Deedie assisted her in telling her what was in season and what would fit her budget, and she also gave her some great ideas for her décor. Amanda’s dress, found at Hayden Olivia, was a full dress with a lace overlay bodice and tiered bottom, and it was absolutely stunning.
Prior to the ceremony Stefan and Amanda decided to exchange their own written vows to each other, and they did the traditional vows in front of their loved ones. Although they did exchange notes before the ceremony, they did not do a first look, which makes it all the more special because one of Amanda’s favorite memories of their wedding day is when she saw Stefan for the first time as she was walking down the aisle.
Queen City Catering took care of all of their catering needs. For their cocktail hour, they had passed appetizers — sage and oregano petite meatballs and sweet potato latkes with apple butter. For dinner they had stations with all sorts of yummy Southern favorites, like sea-salted baked rolls with honey butter, summer strawberry salad, bourbon and brown sugar-glazed chicken, pulled pork, roasted vegetables and, of course, Southern pimento macaroni and cheese.
Amanda and Stefan used Ella’s Celestial Cakes for their wedding cake, which had three different flavors. The first was red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Next was strawberry with cream cheese frosting. And last, but certainly not least, chocolate with Starbucks liqueur and peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
After a fun night of dinner and dancing, Amanda and Stefan made their way through sparklers to the getaway car. For their honeymoon, they vacationed in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where they stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres and soaked up the sun.
Their advice for couples planning their wedding? “Go with the type of wedding that you really want. Whether that be a big wedding, destination wedding or eloping.” And Amanda adds, “If you’re doing a lot of the planning yourself, I suggest making a spreadsheet with all the vendors and the payment due dates. A lot of vendors have multiple payment dates so this was really helpful for me to have.”
Congratulations to Amanda and Stefan! We wish you many years of happiness and wonderful memories to come!
RESOURCES:
Venue: Johnson Carriage House — Mooresville, NC
Photographer: Crystal Stokes
Bride’s gown: Bliss by Monique Lhullier from Hayden Olivia Bridal
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Jenny Yoo
Hair + makeup: Be Pretty, Lindsey Regan Thorne
Groom’s & groomsmen’s formalwear: Joseph A Bank
Invitations, programs & menu cards: Deb Hall, Olive Paper
Flowers: Springvine Design, Deedie Springer
Catering: Queen City Catering
Music: Brandon Alley — Bunn DJ Company
Cake: Ella’s Celestial Cakes
Linens:Â Connie Duglin Linens
Favors: Local honey from Renfrow Farms
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