Tuesday, May 21, 9:51 pm

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Budget, Meet Bliss

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One Tar Heel couple shows how good sense and romance can go happily hand in hand

Photographs by:

Diana Deaver Weddings

WHAT A DAY: Weekends at the venue were booked throughout the spring, so the pair held their celebration on a Monday, which inadvertently cut expenses.

FLORAL DESIGN: Charlotte, North Carolina, stationer Three Little Birds incorporated a peony motif on the ceremony program to mimic the wedding flowers.

ORGANIC COMPOUND: Branch Design Studio fashioned a bridal bouquet of crimson ranunculus, cream and coral peonies, mini green hydrangeas, pink tulips, and fuchsia sweet peas.

TEAM SPIRIT: As a tribute to the Mets, Scott sported orange and blue socks.

NATURAL GRACE: Since the lush setting needed little embellishment, a simple canopy of Japanese lanterns hung from the live oak under which Amy and Scott wed.

DOUBLE BLOOM: Mason jars with flowers marked the aisle during the ceremony then later adorned the clubhouse mantel.

ALL TIED UP: For an understated preface to the event’s coral color scheme, Branch Design Studio tied dainty posies of red ranunculus and mokara orchids to each of the aisle-side chairs.

FAMILY MATTERS: The bride’s younger sister, who acted as her matron of honor, and her mother each contributed to the wedding preparation and execution. “If you have people that you trust, let them help—it takes a lot of the stress out of planning,” notes Amy.

SPECIAL TOUCHES: Since her grandmother couldn’t travel to attend the wedding, the bride pinned her favorite brooch to the bridal bouquet. Amy ordered her garter and clutch, monogrammed inside with her and Scott’s names and the wedding date, from Etsy vendors. And the matron of honor, Amy’s sister, helped her pick out the drop pearl and crystal earring and necklace set that echoed the crystal cluster on the her heels.

SOUTHERN COMFORT: The mother of the bride sewed throw pillows to accent the porch rockers, adding an inexpensive hint of color and touch of comfort.

MIXED BUNCH: In lieu of pricey arrangements, Branch Design Studio submerged simple stems of orchids in clear vases of varying heights and topped each with a floating candle.

SIGNS OF SPRING: By comparing the maid of honor’s dress swatch to fabric samples from rental company BBJ Linen, wedding designer Pam Paciaroni and Amy selected bright tablecloths and napkins to complement the ceremony’s color scheme.

DOUBLE AGENT: Pew markers were repurposed as highboy table centerpieces for cocktail hour.

THE PERFECT DAY: Since weekends at the Creek Club were booked for the upcoming year, Amy and Scott chose to hold their wedding on a Monday. “Although a bit unorthodox, it allowed our guests to enjoy Charleston before the festivities,” explains Amy. “Plus, we didn’t have to worry about availability constraints with our preferred vendors.”

BRIGHT BEAUTY: Amy and Scott worked with the florist to include an array of large and small arrangements to stay within their budget.

RIBBON WORKS: Once the couple agreed on the coral and green palette, Amy visited Michaels and purchased satin ribbon in the appropriate colors to share with vendors who needed trimmings, such as this wrap around the aisle posies.

SURF OR TURF: For a fun and functional touch, the stationer added fish and foul stamps on the backs of the place cards, making it easy for the wait staff to determine which dish each guest had ordered.

IN GOOD TASTE: The raspberry-filled almond crème cake from Publix was dressed up with a bright peony topper and a shower of tulip and orchids.

SWEET TALK: “Every time we visited Charleston during the planning process, we would stop by Christophe Pâtissier and buy chocolates,” says Amy. So she and Scott worked with the artisan chocolatier to create individual boxes of hand-painted truffles as favors for their guests.

GET THE SCOOP: Paolo’s gelato set up a cool cart inside the reception hall so guests could indulge in a chilly treat on the warm spring day. Flavor choices included chocolate, cappuccino, and tiramisu.

EXIT STRATEGY: Amy changed into a festive frock before leaving the reception amid bubbles.

SIGN OFF: The matron of honor adorned the couple’s black cab with a hand-painted “Just Married” sign. “We got lots of honks on the way out,” remembers Amy.