1. Real Weddings

A Classic Wedding in White Sulphur Springs, WV

Stephanie and Austin actually met on a blind date! His realtor worked in her office and set the two up. The two decided to have a drink before dinner,

Stephanie and Austin actually met on a blind date! His realtor worked in her office and set the two up. The two decided to have a drink before dinner, started talking, and before they knew it, three hours had passed and they had completely missed their dinner reservation. The Bride Stephanie Anne Thomas, 30, works in real estate The Groom Austin Stephens, 35, works in private wealth management The Date May 30 Austin proposed just over a year later during homecoming weekend at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (where he went to college). When it came to finding a spot for their wedding, the two agreed that they wanted a destination wedding. (Having both grown up in Atlanta, a hometown wedding would have been too big for the intimate vibe they were after.) When Stephanie recalled The Greenbrier in West Virginia, a place she had stayed on family vacations, she knew it was just right. “I loved the old-world formality combined with a casual southern charm,” she says.

Stephanie surprised Austin with an elaborate University of North Carolina-themed cake at the rehearsal dinner. The pastry chef from The Greenbrier designed the cake and covered it with North Carolina blue-colored fondant. Cake slices were served up with vanilla ice cream on the side and a frosted Tarheel sugar cookie.
The soft pink ribbon-tied ceremony programs were printed by the same company that created the invitations. A black-and-white illustration of the church marked the front.
Stephanie had her dress made by Anne Barge Atelier in Atlanta, Georgia. The mermaid-style gown was ivory lace with a peach satin underlay accented with freshwater pearls on the bodice.
Stephanie’s bouquet came out exactly the way she wanted -- very simple pastel pink, white, and cream-colored peonies clustered together and tied off with an ivory satin ribbon.
The bridesmaid bouquets were made up of bright pink peonies, accented with bupleurum and foliage. The couple’s florist tied off each bouquet with a pale pink ribbon for a soft, elegant look.
Stephanie and Austin’s 5 p.m. ceremony took place at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Two urn arrangements were placed on either side of the altar, composed of clustered white hydrangea, peonies, lemon leaf, and greenery.
They ordered their pink and white letterpressed wedding invitations and reception cards from an Atlanta, Georgia-based paper company. The invites featured a pink image of the Spring House (which sits on the resort property), a design that became a recurring motif throughout the weekend wedding details.
The reception tables were topped with elegant centerpieces set into a variety of silver containers. Martha Gillespie, the florist, used coral and white peonies, white and green hydrangeas, and soft pink roses. White votive candles, which surrounded the centerpieces, were lit at sunset to cast a warm glow over the room.
The Greenbrier is famous for their mint juleps, so it was only fitting that Stephanie and Austin put them on the menu for croquet tournament the morning of the wedding day.
The simple church railings were decorated with simple white hydrangea clusters tied off with white satin ribbon bows.
Stephanie and Austin kicked aside the idea of not seeing each other the day of the wedding and hosted an “all-white” croquet tournament the morning of the wedding day. The tournament started at 11 a.m. on the lawn in the middle of the hotel and mint juleps, mimosas, and ham and biscuits were served. The resort even provided two pros to explain the rules.
The morning of the wedding, the couple threw an “All White” croquet tournament. A friend of the couple’s surprised them with personalized croquet mallets for the occasion.
The Greenbrier pastry chefs frosted the four-tiered white almond wedding cake with buttercream and decorated it with a small pearl design around each tier. Fresh pink peonies topped it off.
Stephanie and Austin ordered hundreds of green koozies, printed with their Spring House motif, online at CustomInk.com. They used them all over the place throughout the weekend, from their guests’ welcome bags, to the prewedding events, and in the hospitality suite. “You can never have too many koozies!” Stephanie says.