Alexandra + Tyler | Christos Wedding from Bay Photography

Today’s featured wedding comes to us from Greenville, South Carolina, complete with a Christos gown and a traditional + festive ceremony and church reception. In love with the land and the mountains of western North Carolina, Alexandra + Tyler live in a little wood cabin in the forest.  So it was only natural that their big day would reflect their woodsy lifestyle with pine boughs, candles, magnolia leaves, handmade hemlock cone and burlap boutonnieres, pine green bridesmaid dress and Alexandra’s rich and textured pine cone and rose bouquet.  So sweet and romantic.  Enjoy!

Alexandra + Tyler | January 5, 2013 | Greenville, South Carolina | Dress Listing: Christos

The Ceremony
The ceremony was in the church’s beautiful sanctuary; built in the early 1900s, with mesmerizing stain glass windows.  We took advantage of the church’s remaining Christmas decorations and used only pine boughs, candles, magnolia leaves, and a bit of brown and gold ribbon to decorate the sanctuary.  The maroon carpet contrasted with the pine green of the bridesmaid’s dress and the groom and best man’s ties, and matched perfectly with my rust colored rose and pine cone bouquet.  Everything was rustic and elegant, down to the handmade hemlock cone and burlap boutonnieres.  

The Reception
The reception was held in the church’s big reception hall, and it was lovely.  Tyler and I are in love with the land we live in, the mountains of western North Carolina, and we are currently living in a little wood cabin in the middle of the forest, so we decided to incorporate our love of our home and our lifestyle into our wedding decor.  The hall was lit entirely with candles and white twinkle lights.  The tables were decorated with tea lights in mini jam jars tied with green burlap ribbon and twine.  The centerpieces were large vases wrapped in burlap, filled with pine branches that were strung with amber colored twinkle lights (battery operated from Restoration Hardware).  The food was heavy hors d’oeuvres served buffet style, including cocktail meatballs, baked brie, and a make your own hot chocolate bar.  The cake was a sponge cake with a raspberry filling and was simply iced with plain white butter cream. We surrounded it with pine and the jam jar candles and served it on a large round slab Tyler cut from an oak tree.

Alexandra’s Dress Search
I really did not know anything about wedding designers when I began looking for my gown, but all the words I was searching for, romantic, nostalgic, feminine, antique…turned out to be the exact words that describe the majority of the gowns in the Christos collection.  I knew I wanted an A-line with the pearl button back, some train, a touch of lace, and definitely no tulle, and that was exactly what I found.  While I did not originally want strapless, the gown was so perfect for me I completely forgot that original aversion.  I had always pictured a 100% silk gown and was thrilled to find one.

How Alexandra Felt in Her Wedding Dress
In my wedding dress I felt like I was radiant, cherished, and most of all, I felt like ME.

Why Alexandra Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I decided to sell my wedding dress because I want my dress to be passed on to work its magic on another bride like it did me.  I want another woman to stand there in that gown, looking at the love of her life, feeling more beautiful than she has ever felt before…and she had better send me pictures!

Wedding Dress: Christos | Photographer: Bay Photography | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC | Floral Design: The Village Florist, Hendersonville, NC | Cake: Underground Baking Company