May 30, 2020 was a HIGHLY anticipated day for me. Anyone alive on that day will remember this was right when COVID-19 caused most of the US to shut down, including wedding venues. Our wedding was planned to be held on March, 28, 2020, however we had to cancel our wedding about a week before we were to say “I do”. You can read here where the Greenville News interviewed me to discuss the new epidemic: distraught brides. So, yeah. May 30 was the new date and couldn’t come soon enough!

Now, enough background story. Let’s talk design.

Moody, Earthy, Unique

I wouldn’t say I am moody. I’m certainly unique. As far as moody, I love rich jewel tones, romantic mood lighting, and velvety textures. My main colors were emerald green and black and I used ruby and gold as accents. Thankfully, May’s birthstone is emerald, so this was the last month I could wear my phenomenal emerald bridal gown (it was really hunter green but looks close enough). The gown was textured with lace, velvet leaves, sequins; I felt like Poison Ivy. To make it a little more “bridal,” I added a thin, diamond belt. My gorgeous fiance (now gorgeous husband) and groomsmen were donned in all black. A green pocket square differentiated my groom from the rest of the fellas.

Following the earthy vibe, I wanted spontaneity and various textures. I had my bridesmaids choose the textures they wanted in their bridesmaid dresses. I wanted them to wear what they felt beautiful in and what fit their personalities. They could use champagne or blush or both, and floor-length. The rest was up to them. They loved, I loved it, everyone else did too. Highly recommend.

Again, I am unique – I yearn for different, avant-garde, unexpected, wow…. you get the point. This characteristic, in all likelihood, came from my mother. She told me she would be wearing black to my wedding and I completely agreed. She had to look bomb, and who doesn’t look good in black?

Decor

Flowers are very expensive. Flowers are earthy. But, ya know what else is earthy? Sola wood flowers. I ordered a bunch of Sola wood flowers, painted a few with some watered-down acrylic paints, and arranged them with some dried eucalyptus, pampas grass, and twiggy floral pieces I picked out of the Christmas florals at Hobby Lobby. See my blog here on how I preserved the pampas grass. These were arranged in an organic, yet balanced manner, as you would with any floral arrangement. The table decor were what really pulled the Moody, Earthy, Unique vibe. We (mom and I) thrifted lots of green glass vases in varying shades and solid brass candle sticks. You can’t have moody without a brass candle stick holder and a black candle. The tablecloth was black satin and table runners were emerald green crushed velvet.

There were sooo many things that I thrifted, dyed, created. If there is something you want to know more about, let me know in the comments below!

Venue

Lots of factors go into choosing a venue, so I won’t go into all of those, but what set our venue apart was the Industrial style of the building, high ceilings, tall windows, and the old age of the building. It was in Downtown Greenville which has some remaining historic buildings. This may have been one and the worn texture on the white painted walls made me feel as if the building was old and wise, full of memories, and deserved your respect.

Lastly, what you can’t tell from the photos is the last detail. I walked down the aisle to Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” Because, well, that’s me. It’s a beautiful song, it’s moody, his deep voice is earthy, and it’s certainly unique.

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps to inspire another bride or groom to get scrappy where they can and create a beautiful and unique wedding day that no one will forget!