This Couple Filled Their Wedding at The Hotel Concord in North Carolina With Vibrant Pops of Purple

Shelvasha (Shel) and David wanted their wedding at The Hotel Concord in Concord, North Carolina, to be "elegant, natural, but also a little chic. There wasn't a specific era that we drew inspiration from, we just knew that we wanted diversity in the aesthetic. We wanted the space to look natural but not overdone and having handmade arrangements give it a sense of coziness," says Shel. To help bring that very aesthetic to life, Shel and David leaned into DIYing the big day. "Our wedding had a large number of handmade floral arrangements made by the mother of the groom and bridesmaids," says Shel. "The design elements were fairly traditional—we had a large number of roses, hydrangeas, and peonies, all of which were artificial but beautiful. The different shades of purple were important, as they helped tie together the overall palette of the wedding. All of the other decor elements were also DIYed with the only exception being the picture frames and candles." 

As Shel and David were planning their wedding it was important to them that the day be filled with personalized, meaningful details. "We personalized the wedding by offering traditional food of the Carolinas — BBQ. We wanted our guests to experience the things we love most, and that happened to be delicious food. There were so many moments that were our favorites, from the actual ceremony to eating and dancing, so it's difficult to pinpoint. The moment that the photographer gifted us with some candid Polaroid photos was probably the top moment. Our photographer captured the best moments of that day and surprised us as everything began to die down. Absolutely the best surprise. Meanwhile, for cultural traditions, we incorporated an exchange of Germanic vows and at the end of the ceremony, 'jumped the broom,' which is something that was commonly done in African-American communities," shares Shel. 

Looking back on the purple-filled wedding day at The Concord Hotel in North Carolina, Shel encourages current to-be-weds to remember not "sweat the small stuff, you may worry about it at the moment but the big events that happened throughout the day will matter most to you."