A North Carolina Wedding Dressed in Blues, Bows, and Bojangles
Late-night martinis and Bojangles biscuits. Vivid florals and delicate bows. Moody weather. See all of the details that made up this dreamy outdoor wedding in Linville, North Carolina.
Before we revisit their enchanting North Carolina wedding, let’s rewind to Dallas, 2015. Caroline Sheridan and Larkin Dobson met the day they moved into the same dorm building at Southern Methodist University. Their respective roommates were both from Austin, so a friend group naturally began to form, welcoming the non-Texans into the fold. “We developed a great friendship first and started dating by the following spring. The rest is history!” Caroline says.
PinCaroline and Larkin met during their first year at SMU. Caroline is originally from Nashville, and Larkin is from Charleston.
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In May 2022, Caroline and Larkin flew from Dallas to meet Caroline’s family in Exuma, Bahamas. Larkin surprised Caroline and popped the question on a secluded beach the day after they arrived. “It was perfect, quiet, and private,” Caroline recalls. After a lazy poolside afternoon, excitedly calling friends and family, Caroline was in for one more surprise. “Larkin’s parents showed up at the house for a celebratory dinner! I had no idea they were on the island, and to this day don’t know how they pulled it off.”
PinOne hundred seventy-five guests joined the Sheridans and the Dobsons in the North Carolina mountains for a celebratory weekend.
Their engagement lasted about a year and a half. “I can see the benefits of a shorter engagement (less time to stress over the details can be appealing!),” Caroline says. “But for the stage of life we were in, it was great. I started a new job, and we closed on our house the same month as the engagement, so you could say we were a little busy. It was nice to not have the pressure to start planning immediately.”
PinLarkin’s family has had a home in Linville since the year he was born, and he grew up spending summers there.
Larkin has been going to Linville his whole life, and the couple has visited together many times since they started dating. “I grew up going to Cashiers and always loved the North Carolina mountains,” Caroline adds. “With Larkin’s connection to Linville and The Eseeola Lodge and our appreciation for that beautiful part of the country, it was a no-brainer. Plus, it pretty much splits the difference between my native Nashville and Larkin’s hometown of Charleston.”
PinThere is so much to love about a Linville destination wedding.
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PinNashville’s You’re Invited designed the stationery, and Caroline designed additional goods like menus, programs, matchbooks, pens, koozies, cocktail napkins, and even custom hats for the bridal party.
Though they didn’t hire a full-time planner, they did have some key team members help along the way. They brought Paige Ulmer of The Laurel Collective on board to bring the design to life and to act as the 30-day coordinator. At the Eseeola, event coordinator Barbara Pollygus assisted with many details like rentals and catering, and their in-house florist, Scottie Gilbert of Linville Farm & Flowers, “is so incredibly talented,” Caroline gushes.
PinCaroline knew she wanted a classic but colorful aesthetic throughout the weekend.
“My mom and I both have pretty strong opinions on flowers, so that was pretty easy,” Caroline says. “I’ve been obsessed with dahlias since I was a kid, and luckily, they were beautifully in season for us in Linville in September — another reason we chose to get married in late summer in North Carolina!”
PinA ceiling of twinkling light and bright bushes of wildflowers set a picture-perfect stage at the lodge.
Caroline, her family, and Paige got to work curating the perfect aesthetic and color scheme reflective of and inspired by the natural surroundings. “The peachy pinks of a sunset, the greens of the trees, the muted blues of the mountains,” Caroline enumerates. “The rest of the design was very much in line with my personal taste. Blue and white pottery, lots and lots of flowers, pretty tablescapes.”
PinCaroline’s dress is Lela Rose’s Waverly style, customized to a straight strapless neckline. “It’s a gorgeous daisy jacquard with such beautiful texture,” she adds. Her mother’s stunning dress is a nod to the running theme of babies blues and florals.
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“Luckily, Dallas has some pretty fabulous wedding dress shopping,” Caroline says of picking her custom Lela Rose gown. “So I didn’t have to go too far. I went to Lela first with one of my bridesmaids and had a strong hunch that it would be my dress.” Wanting to at least see a few more options, Caroline shopped around with her mom and grandmother when they flew in from Nashville for the weekend. But she ended up back at Lela Rose. “Although there were a few close seconds, my dress just felt totally like me, and I knew it would be perfect in the setting of our venue,” Caroline adds.
PinCaroline wore her grandmother’s Tiffany pearl bracelet, a borrowed veil, and blue shoes from Margaux NYC.
On the wedding day, September 16, 2023, a magical mist rolled over the mountains. Caroline and her bridesmaids and Larkin and his groomsmen spent separate quality time together, toasting to the weekend, walking down memory lane, and praying the weather would hold.
PinCaroline and her besties frolic away any pre-wedding jitters. They wore flowy floral dresses in lieu of traditional matching pajamas in the hours leading up to the wedding!PinThe groomsmen wore bowties by Brackish.PinThe rain (mostly) held, but it made for some dramatic shots by the talented Michelle Lyerly.
Once the 175 guests had descended the verdant lawn to their seats overlooking a serene pond, the ceremony began. The couple opted for a traditional Episcopalian service with traditional vows. However, they wrote personal vows and read them to each other during a private first look.
PinAs she makes her way through the garden for the pair’s first look, Caroline flashes a glimpse of the statement-making bow on the back of her dress.Pin“I’d totally do it again. It was completely the right call for us,” Caroline says of their tender, rain-misted first look.PinThe bridesmaids wore pale blue Dessy Group dresses adorned with bows hand-sewn onto the straps by Caroline’s mother.PinCaroline walked down the aisle to “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, played on strings. And how dreamy are the whimsical aisle flower arrangements?
Once the beaming Mr. and Mrs. Dobson floated back up the lawn as husband and wife, the celebration continued with an al fresco cocktail hour. They served two signature cocktails: the “Sweet Caroline” — a Tito’s-spiked tea punch — and the “Larkin Stormy” — a classic dark ‘n’ stormy quite fitting with the temperamental forecast.
PinTime for the bride and groom to enjoy a “Larkin Stormy” and a “Sweet Caroline.”
There were also oysters, passed appetizers, and a grazing board. Appetites whetted and cocktails in hand, guests meandered from lawn to dance floor to witness the first dances and kick off a raucous night of big-band tunes led by The Company Band from Charlotte.
PinAfter this stunning entrance, Caroline and Larkin first danced to Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life.” The bride and her father danced to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra, and the groom and his mother danced to “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra.
Dinner was seated and family-style — a lovely combination meant to connect guests and encourage lively conversation. “We love hosting friends and family at our house and wanted to mimic the feeling of having friends over for dinner,” Caroline says of the uncommon reception meal.
PinMore blues and bows! Guests were invited to find their table assignment tied to this sweet lattice display.Pin“We wanted the meal to feel like a big dinner party,” Caroline adds.
The packed dance floor and its congregants were only briefly diverted for the cutting of an epic towering cake. “It was heavily inspired by my favorite cake of all time, Dessert Designs by Leland’s Firefly Cake, which we sadly couldn’t get to North Carolina,” Carolina says. “Choice Cakes did it justice, and it was a hit!”
PinThe cake was made of alternating chocolate and vanilla pound cake layers with salted caramel icing in between, frosted with vanilla buttercream.PinOk, now back to the dance floor!PinLate-night highlights included a martini bar and Bojangles spicy Cajun filet biscuits, a favorite of the groom.
The newlyweds exited through a sea of sparklers after the groom’s parents surprised everyone with an incredible fireworks display. “Our getaway golf cart was decorated with flowers,” Caroline recalls, “and we made our exit right as the rain started!” Caroline and Larkin honeymooned in France and now live in Dallas.
PinThe night ended with a spectacular fireworks display over Grandfather Mountain.Thanks for walking us back through your delightful wedding, Caroline and Larkin. And thanks to Michelle Lyerly for the photography.
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint freelance writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant since 2012. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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