Lauren & Adam: Independence Golf Club

Wedding Recaps

As our brides and grooms envision the days leading up to their wedding they never imagine things going wrong. As the wedding planner, TSE plans for the worst and hopes for the best because our goal is that each of our sweet couples begin their happily ever after with the dream they have envisioned. But for our bride Lauren and groom Adam they would be faced with two things that never entered their minds.

The wedding planning was going perfectly and their chosen venue, a beach house in Duck, North Carolina fulfilled their vision of a beach wedding. All the details were in place, everything was going so well and then word of the most devastating hurricane in recent memory was expected to make landfall on the Virginia, North Carolina coast. Hurricane Dorian was a category 5 with 185 mph winds. We watched as it literally flattened every structure on the Bahamas and wreaked panic and damage along the east coast.

As it moved closer and closer to North Carolina, we stayed in contact with our couple to see what they wanted to do. We strategized, discussed options, touched base with vendors etc. Hurricane season in this area is unpredictable but we were seeing just how powerful and deadly Dorian could be.

Hearing that the hurricane was predicted to stay off the coast our couple made the decision to move the wedding closer to their hometown. Everyone was super excited when the last minute venue was available and willing to accommodate such an abrupt change of plans. The Independence Golf Club in Richmond, Virginia was their choice and TSE went to work making phone calls, determining what vendors could potentially move/deliver their services to Richmond, cancelling those who couldn’t and finding new vendors to fulfill our last minute requests praying they could work them into their already loaded wedding season.

One of the benefits that TSE has is that we work with a set of hand-picked vendors. If they had any flexibility they accommodated us even though we were moving outside their service area. For the vendors who were not able to go to Richmond we used another form of networking and found trusted vendors in the local area near the Independence Golf Club.

Once the wedding day arrived and everything was in place we’re confident no one would have known there had been any other plan. The venue was beautiful, the vendors were in place and the only small glitch was with the florist but TSE handled that and all was as it should be.

Lauren and Adam were fun loving high school sweethearts and their upbeat attitudes continued through the ups and downs. With the hurricane avoided and the wedding still on schedule everyone felt relieved and excited for all that the day was expected to bring. Yet there would be one more emotionally impacting event that was completely out of their hands.

As Lauren and her bridesmaids were getting ready and enjoying their mimosas the next unexpected incident was happening downstairs. Adam’s mother had arrived for pre-ceremony family photos and as she came inside the venue, she collapsed with what appeared to be a heart attack. There was a nurse in the wedding party and knew to look for an AED. Having found it they used this life saving piece of equipment, sustaining her and she was rushed to the hospital. We can’t help but wonder if there was a providential covering because the beach house did not have and AED.

Lauren and Adam were faced with the heart heavy decision whether to continue with the wedding or to change it yet again. Part of the groom’s family had gone with his mother to the hospital and they relayed encouraging reports of all that was happening. Knowing that she was in the care of medical professionals and that family was by her side they decided to continue on with the ceremony.

Fighting angst and deep concern they gave their focus to the purpose of the day.

The bridal party went back upstairs to continue getting ready and Lauren’s sisters did her hair and makeup. The girls wore long black formal dresses with slits and they would be the perfect match to the groomsmen who wore black suits.

This venue, while not their original dream, was absolutely beautiful. The contrast of the greenery and white accents gave an elegant backdrop to the black suits and dresses along with all the other elegant details. Eucalyptus plants were hung down the aisle along with black lanterns. There were also floating candles as centerpieces surrounded by greenery and garland. And at the end of the aisle there was an arch outlining the couple as they say their vows, which was provided by the venue.

One of the most special parts for a bride is the first look. With her bridesmaids close by Lauren had a first look with her father. It revealed a very tender moment for them both.

Lauren and Adam love to dance and they got to enjoy a lot of that during the reception. Seeing them arm in arm for their first dance as a married couple gave us such joy because we knew what they had been through to get to that dance. They held each other close and I feel sure their hearts reverberated the lyrics of the song they chose, Oceans by Martin Garrix. “You could put an ocean between our love…it won’t keep us apart…You could build a wall I would run it up…Just to get to your heart…If we’re caught in a wave…Baby, we’ll make a way…”

It was so nice to hear that once Adam’s mother made a full recovery they were able to have an intimate backyard wedding with close family.

As wedding planners, we are expected to be ready for anything to go wrong. As a matter-of-fact we plan for things to go wrong but we must say, this couple went through a lot in a short amount of time. The changes came fast and furious but as we watched them leave their venue as Mr and Mrs. we celebrated with them because love and endurance always wins.

Congratulations Lauren and Adam! We are so grateful to be a part of your special day!

Xoxo,

TSE Team