Highgrove: Maid of Honor

Being Maid of Honor for one of your best friends can be such a joy but also challenging with all of the responsibilities.  As the MOH you are the bride's right hand gal in helping her with wedding planning, organizing bridals showers and throwing her her bachelorette party with all of her girlfriends.  Project Wedding has a great article on tips for the day of the wedding.  An important tip is to always make sure to keep the bride calm and stress-free.  Below is a great Maid of Honor checklist from Wedding Wire and finally check out our Pinterest  page for more tips!

Highgrove Favorites: Flowers on Broad Street

We love highlighting our favorite vendors… those who we know do amazing work and are professional and a pleasure to work with, and those who leave you with a great lasting impression of your event.  One of the most beautiful aspects of your wedding is the flowers and one of the vendors we work with the most is Flowers On Broad St. in Fuquay Varina. The flowers are always fresh and vibrant, the staff is helpful and pays attention to detail, and their creativity and vision is inspiring. Flowers on Broad has an amazing range of props and specialty pieces in addition to gorgeous flowers if you are looking for an alternative to just having flowers at your wedding. We love working with this wonderful vendor and know that our clients enjoy them just as much.

Check out Flowers on Broad Street for your event at Highgrove!

Gorgeous florals and draping at the ceremony

Gorgeous spring flowers

Flowers on the mantle

Centerpieces in our ballroom

Highgrove: The Honeymoon!

At last... after all the planning, saving, and emotions leading up to the ceremony and reception of your wedding day, it is time for the honeymoon!  After months of planning and focusing on the wedding, the honeymoon is a welcome vacation for just the two of you and can be the trip of a lifetime. Whether your ideal is an exotic luxury trip to Fiji or a quaint romantic get-away to Charleston, there are options and possibilities to fit everyone's dreams. With so many options out there, how do you know where to start? 

Wedding Wire has a helpful article to get you started in thinking about just the type of get-away the two of you may be looking for. There is more than just budget to consider, but also what you want to do when you get there, how far away you want to go, etc. 

After you may have narrowed down the search a little, The Knot has a great article entitled 24 Honeymoon Destinations You've Never Thought Of. Many of the locations listed in this article may be familiar, but possibly never a consideration for a honeymoon. I like the wide variety of locations shared, from right here in the US to far away exotic places as well.

Finally, when you are really ready to get some details nailed down, Honeymoons.com is an excellent site for researching and booking your honeymoon. You can filter your results by: Experience, Scenery, Travel Profile, Romantic Getaways, and Budget. The site is easy to navigate and makes planing your once-in-a-lifetime trip exciting and fun! 

The most important tip to remember is that this trip is all about you two. While the wedding may have been about considering family and friends along with your wishes, this trip is the time where you and your new spouse can focus just on each other and whatever makes the two of you happy. Whether it's relaxing on a beach all day or zip lining down a mountain, your honeymoon is your chance to do whatever you like. Bon voyage!

Highgrove: Groomsmen Attire

Your wedding day is not only about the bride but about the groom as well.  At Highgrove we have seen some very creative ways the groom and his groomsmen show off their sense of style. The traditional black tux is not as common as it used to be.   Below are some of springs favorite looks for guys this year.  Also check out The Knot's 5 best looks for guys article which shares some great tips and inspiration.

Highgrove: Wedding Gowns

Most women will say the most important dress you will wear is your wedding gown and choosing this gown can be intimidating, yet so exhilarating because it's one of the first glimpses you actually get to see yourself as a bride!  There are so many great resources to help you find the perfect dress based on your shape, what type of silhouette works best, to style.  The Knot has a great article on shopping tips so make sure you check that out before you start your search for the perfect dress.  Also below is a great visual to help you see what style of dress might work the best for you.

Once you find the perfect dress, you will share so many great moments with your groom to him seeing you for the first time to you both enjoying your first dance together as the happy couple.  So enjoy the process of finding the one dress that makes you feel the most beautiful on your wedding day!

Highgrove March Wedding

We were so excited to be a part of the marriage celebration of our lovely couple this past weekend. Their sweet story is one that will encourage anyone that it is never too late to find true love. Our bride, Mimi, actually grew up in our main Highgrove house (before it was the wedding venue that it is today) and was so thrilled to be able to celebrate her happy day at such a familiar place once again. She met the groom, Dennis, while cleaning his house and the two formed a friendship that would eventually turn into something much more. The couple, both in their 80s, tied the knot at their local church before welcoming their guests to the reception at Highgrove. The ballroom was decorated in Spring white and yellow tulips with tons of candles for ambiance. Dinner was served Family Style and featured our Pecan Crusted Bourbon Chicken and Prime Rib of Beef. It was such a sweet night that we hope will just be the beginning for a long and happy new life together! It is certainly a story that we will not soon forget!

You can view more sweet pictures here.

Our bride Mimi in her gorgeous gown

The happy newlyweds

The ballroom was decorated in white and yellow-- it was simple and elegant

The lovely wedding cake

The happy couple with their Highgrove coordinator Abby

Highgrove: Wedding Cakes

Wedding cake... it is one of the most celebrated and anticipated traditions of a wedding. Who doesn't adore a delicious slice (or two) of a decadent sweet after dinner? In addition to being a focal point at the reception throughout the night,  guests like to take pictures of the cake, and it is always a special moment when the newlyweds work together to cut that first slice together, symbolizing their first task together as husband and wife. It's always an anticipated moment to watch whether the couple handles the feeding of the first bite sweetly or in more of a smashing scene on one another's faces. Either way, guests are always excited to taste!

One of the trends coming back this year is the traditional frosted cake (versus the unfrosted version that was so popular last season). Texture and pattern are also popular, showcasing design elements on the cake simply with the frosting instead of only adding additional decor. Fresh flowers are always in style, but sugar flowers are incredibly elegant as well and can add that wow factor to any cake design.

You can check out The Knot's Spring Wedding Cake ideas page for more thoughts on how to incorporate the Spring theme into your cake.