McKenna and Tyler married on 4th July 2014. They designed and pulled together the entire day themselves, wanting it to be a true reflection of their everyday style. The wedding was held at Raleigh Wine and Design and the groom’s father officiated the ceremony.
“The inspiration and theme for our wedding was the idea of a garden party cook out”, said the bride. “We were drawn to this because it allowed us to incorporate tons of colour and flowers. The venue that we chose, despite the great view, was a total blank canvas which is why we loved it. We knew we could transform our it into an unforgettable scene that truly reflected our unique style.”
“In keeping with our theme we went for cook out style food provided by Durham’s finest food truck ‘Only Burger‘ and Raleigh’s best ‘The Flying Biscuit’. Only Burger provided guests with delicious burgers and veggie burgers as well as the tastiest fries and onion rings while our dear friends at The Flying Biscuit whipped up some of our personal side dish recipes. There was SO MUCH FOOD! All of the leftovers where donated to our local Rescue Mission.”
“99% of our wedding was DIY”, she continued. “Everything from the decorations to the groomsmen’s bow ties and bridesmaid’s bouquets. All of the flowers in our centrepieces were leftover from the strand lights I made. This was the most time consuming project, each strand took around 6 hours from start to finish and we had 15 strands!! However I have a hard time buying things I know I can make myself!”
McKenna even made her own incredible wedding dress. “I knew I wanted to have a hand in making my dress”, she explained. “Knowing how many projects I already had on my plate, everyone begged me not to but this just added fuel to my fire. I couldn’t wait to come out in a dress of my own, I couldn’t wait to blow their minds! I started with a mermaid style prom dress that I bought online. I cut off the bottom leaving just the beautifully beaded,scalloped lace pink dress. I then looked to my pile of coordinating scarves and scrap fabrics. After finishing the edges of each piece, I sewed the pieces onto a mermaid style petticoat that I wore under my knee length dress which I was able to remove for the reception! I found my shoes on eBay! I just typed in gold bow wedges and there they were, IN GLITTER!”
“Tyler had no idea that my dress was pink so when he suggested a white suit, I was thrilled! He found an incredible floral shirt that we bought two of. I used the second one as fabric for the groomsmen bowties.”
“My advice to fellow brides and grooms would be plan together! This day is for both of you, not just her! Also, invest in your memories! If a photographer’s prices seem too good to be true, chances are that THEY ARE! Do your research. Finally, don’t get drunk! This day flies by so fast as it is, you’ll want to rember everything. Keep a clear head and take it all in.”
“We would like to give a special thanks to our parents for being so supportive as well as our groomsmen, bridesmaids and dog, Grimace”, she concluded. “Our day could not have been the same without their help. Also, to our photographers. The Hartman’s are an incredibly inspiring couple and team. We thank them for all of the beautiful photos and memories they captured.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Hartman Outdoor Photography
- Venue: Raleigh Wine and Design
- Bride's Dress: DIY
- Catering: Only Burger
- Catering: The Flying Biscuit
- Cakes: Kaked by Kim