[Editor's note: Happy Monday friends! You know me, I've just got to pop in to say hello! :) This wedding today is awesome not only because it's purple and gray (yes I do love everything with gray) but because this couple was all about just getting MARRIED! You know, the reason we're all here... but I'll let you find out the whole story from Kristine...]

You know what everyone says: Expect at least one thing to go wrong on your wedding day. For Faith and Greg, that one thing was the weather. They planned a beautiful outdoor wedding–ceremony under the trees on the patio, reception in a tent on the farm’s grounds. Then their wedding arrived along with the hottest day of the year and temperatures above 100 degrees. But, as a testament to the true meaning behind any wedding, Faith and Greg didn’t let the heat ruin their momentous day. They moved their reception inside to a converted barn, made some last minute additions to the flowers, and continued on with their hearts full of love. Now that’s a beautiful wedding. Take a look at the photos captured by Rich and Meg Photography and hear all about the day through Faith’s own words.

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Our families were amazing and helped in so many ways. Having three older sisters, already married, my family has been down this wedding road a few times. They are experts at taking a large event and breaking it down to manageable pieces and accomplishing so much more than I could have on my own.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

We wanted to use vendors that we could afford but they turned out to be so much more than simply the budget-conscious option. It was important to support the people that own these businesses, not just to use them for their services. When we met and spoke to each of our vendors leading up to the wedding, we knew that we found true, solid people who give their full effort to the couples they serve and love what they do.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

Our vendors were all special to us in their own way. My brother-in-law performed our ceremony. There is something sweet about having a close family member with you and blessing your marriage at the very start. Our photographers are dear friends who spent the hottest day of the year outside using their talents to give us lasting and beautiful memories. The family that owns the venue we used for both our ceremony and reception, The Inn at Whitewing Farm, are like a second family to us now. They treated us like they would their own. Two stylists came from a nearby salon to make all the women in our family and myself beautiful in the very early hours of our wedding day. I had met the two girls only once before and it only took that one meeting for me to know that they were the two that would make all of us look our best on such a memorable day. In 100-plus degree heat, each one of us looked just as good at the end of the day as we did at the start. They gave me that confidence that I was looking my best that day and cared for the little things, such as giving me a few precious paper flowers for my hair the morning of the wedding.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

I have this memory that I continue to return to on an almost daily basis: Walking to the edge of the patio and looking down the steps that served as our aisle, and immediately finding Greg’s face. He smiled when he saw me, gave a small wave and I waved in return. I remember the reality of us becoming a family truly settled into my heart at that point and I was overjoyed to see him there, waiting for me. Our entire ceremony we crafted to be a personal reflection of our hearts and our desire for our marriage. What was so wonderful, and completely unexpected, was that our guests were blessed by what we did and said in our ceremony. There is an overwhelming sense of love and belonging on a wedding day. We were wrapped in that feeling the entire day and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

As I’m sure most brides have been told, something will not quite go according to the original plan. And that’s completely okay. Just know that it will happen, to breathe, and know that the two of you will be married at the end of the day, regardless of whatever seemingly disastrous misshap occurs that day. Remember that it is, after all, only one day. It is a fantastic, emotional, fun, joyful, trancendent, love-filled day, but every day after just gets better and better. 

I gotta say, the wedding party looks pretty darn good for 100 degree temperatures. Don’t you think? And don’t you love the indoor setting for the reception? Maybe the unexpected heat was actually a blessing in disguise…

Thanks to Rich and Meg Photography for sharing their photos with us {and braving the heat themselves to take such gorgeous shots!} and to Faith for letting us in on her fantastic, emotional, fun, joyful, transcendent, love-filled day {couldn’t have said it any better, Faith}. :)

xo-Kristine

Vendors who made it all happen…