A Rustic Wedding at Old River Farms in Burgaw, North Carolina

Laid-back couple Ashley Kesler (30 and a statistical programmer) and Brad Mitchell (30 and a home builder) hosted a rustic farm wedding featuring vintage grain silos and an weathered barn as the ceremony and reception sites. Guests sat on quilt-covered hay bales during the ceremony and were greeted in the nearby barn by lantern lit tables covered in lace and fresh flowers. Family and friends stayed overnight at cozy campsite accommodations and spent the evening dancing and playing  games like corn hole, checkers and even Jenga with a gianat set that Brad made himself. “The whole wedding truly reflected us: outdoorsy, laid-back and fun-loving people,” Ashley says. The couple worked together with their families to make most of the decor and flower arrangements. Ashley and Brad used pallets to create custom flower boxes and crafted a lighted backdrop for the bar and cake table. Brad's mother gathered roses, hydrangeas and gerbera daisies from a local nursery, and the wedding party came together to make all the bouquets the morning of. Brad and his groomsman even collected and decorated the arbor with fresh wisteria vines for a simple ceremony backdrop. The pair offered their guests five of their favorite local brews served from kegs to create a casual atmosphere. “We made our own favors by adding chalkboard stickers to mason jars, which doubled as drinking glasses for the event,” Ashley says. —Juliette Cheatham