A Simple, Organic Wedding at the Cotton Room in Durham, North Carolina

"From the beginning, it was so important that our wedding day be reflective of us," Erin Ryan (31 and a photographer) says of her Durham, North Carolina, wedding to Michael Stelling (33 and regional sales manager for Wine Trees). "We moved to Durham about a year ago and fell in love with its charm and character. We thought, Durham is awesome. Let's get married here, our family and friends will understand why we love it so much," Erin says. "The Cotton Room embodied all the charm we love about Durham, so it was an immediate fit." The theme for Erin and Michael's nuptials was organic simplicity. "We wanted things to feel like they were freely moving and simple," Erin says. The couple landed on their airy color scheme by pairing "handsome" masculine colors with feminine shades. A self-described "skinny jeans, comfy sweater and Converse kind of girl," Erin made sure their wedding day look didn't feel out of place, and that she looked like a glammed-up version of her everyday self. "Michael has seen me wear a dress maybe three times since we met," she says. When Erin saw her strapless organza Watters dress, she knew she had found the one.  She finished her look with a "glamhawk" (an edgy, braided mohawk hairstyle) and a pair of Jimmy Choos. —Meghan Overdeep