Josh + Mary tied the knot on the good ol' 4th of July in 2014 and Knot Too Shabby Events was so excited to be a part of this "something blue" wedding day! Mary + Josh are super sweet and every vendors' dream. They knew what they wanted for their special day and understood the value of working with only the best vendors. 

We teamed up with one of our favorite photographers, indigosilver studio, and they definitely gave us some of their best work! Jeff and Lori of indigosilver captured an absolutely amazing shot of the newlyweds during the firework presentation in downtown Wilmington along the Cape Fear Riverwalk that could be in a magazine. They also did a "first look" with them before the ceremony where Josh may or may not have shed a tear or two when seeing his beautiful bride for the first time! Khalilah with A Boxed Event designed the floral centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres and a lounge from their sister company, AbeL. Mary + Josh wanted to have a fun and festive reception using blues, silver and pops of red! She loved orchids so we used lots of blue orchids! Everything turned out just the way Mary + Josh wanted so we couldn't be more pleased. 

The ceremony took place on The RiverRoom's waterfront deck with 80 invited guests and tons of bystanders taking a peek at our gorgeous bride. After the short ceremony, guests moved inside to cool off inside The RiverRoom. Thyme Savor Catering provided a scrumptious meal, as always, while Hot Pink Cake Stand made the wedding cake and groom's cake. Afterwards, we danced the night away with DJ Professionals. To top it off, all of the guests headed outside around 9pm for fireworks along the Cape Fear River. We had access to The RiverRoom's private deck with one of the best viewings in all of downtown Wilmington! Thank you Mary + Josh for allowing Knot Too Shabby Events to be a special part of your holiday wedding! We wouldn't want it any other way and we're excited to have made some life long friends!

Happy belated 1 year anniversary to the two of you! To many, many more years of love and happiness! 
ps. I still drink out of your festive wine glass party favor and think of you both when doing so! :)


Mary's WeddingWire Review:
"Melissa of Knot Too Shabby Events was absolutely amazing! She has defined balance. The balance between guiding and directing to listening and envisioning. End result an absolutely breath taking day! Our planning took place from four hours away, which was far more challenging logistically than I'd thought, though I think that's a great way to describe how the entire wedding planning process was to me...challenging. There were far more details than I'd ever imagined. Melissa kept me sane and grounded through out the process. She was always quick with emails when I needed opinions or had thoughts. She was a tremendous help with reviewing and finalizing our rental and libation order. She was flexible each time we planned our monthly wedding planning trips to line up vendors etc... She was able to be candid and professional with her thoughts, and she really knows her business. The other thing I noticed was she has a lot of respect through out the Wilmington vendors. Ultimately Melissa set up every detail with amazing attention and thoroughness. I tell you, I think for Melissa setting up and carrying out events is a true labor of love! I'm truly touched when I remember the feeling when I saw how beautiful the venue was on my wedding day....that day that seemed so far away! It was a dream. Melissa does her job so well that I actually miss her! Talk about meeting as strangers and becoming friends somewhere along the process! Beyond my imagination!"

Favorite Wedding Moment:
The fireworks! Nothing is more American than fireworks on the 4th of July and we got to enjoy them at one of the prettiest spots on the River. 

Vendors
Venue: The RiverRoom
Music: DJ Professionals & Video
Catering: Thyme Savor Catering
Photography: indigosilver studio
Lighting: The Audio Visual People
Rentals: Etc. Party Rentals
Event + Floral Design: A Boxed Event
Lounge: AbeL - Custom Lounge & Specialty Rentals
Hair + Makeup: silverceiling
Cake: Hot Pink Cake Stand
Officiant: Family friend
Month-of Coordination:  Knot Too Shabby Events
Attendees:  80 people

Melissa + Ryan celebrated their one year wedding anniversary last week and it made me so happy to see their post on Facebook remembering the big day. I must say, this was one of my favorite weddings that I've ever been a part of. Not only was the bride totally kick ass and could have been one of my childhood girlfriends, but they were and are sooo in love! Seeing how in love and happy these two were on their wedding day was absolutely amazing. They wrote their own wedding vows during the ceremony at the enchanting Airlie Gardens. Ryan's vows put tears in everyone's eyes. Another amazing moment of the ceremony was when each mother was presented with a special rose from the bride and groom. The rain barely held off for the "I Do's" but this made for a fun dash to the parking lot so guests could travel downtown to The RiverRoom for the reception. 

The theme of this wedding was awesome - vintage travel. It was so well put together that we were even featured in Glamour & Grace! Check out their post about it here to see what Melissa had to say about the big day! Melissa's dad is an antique dealer so he was constantly on the hunt for old cameras, National Geographics from the past, globes, vintage suitcases and more. How it all came together was perfect! 

Guests entered the reception where they found a large map stating "Where in the world are you seating?" This lead them to a table and each table was a different country or city that the couple has traveled to together. And they've traveled all over the world! The tables were adorned with a vintage camera, flowers from Leaf + Petal Design with either a mismatched china plate or old magazines as the base. Guests could write their name on their mason jar as their glass for the night. The guestbook was non-traditional - old post cards for guests to sign. We created a DIY photo booth and there were definitely some goofy photos by the end of the night.

I can't say enough good things about this couple and their perfect wedding day. All of the guests were so nice and the dancing never stopped. I am so so happy that Knot Too Shabby Events was a special part of their day! Keep traveling and loving each other! Congrats on your first year Melissa + Ryan!

Here is the wedding video edited by Half Jar Productions and shot by Anna Mann! You don't want to skip over this!

Below are some photos captured by Meet the Burks (with an exception of a few I took). Take a look at their engagement session blog in downtown Wilmington too!


Melissa's Review:
"BY FAR the best wedding coordinator in all of Wilmington. We are so glad she was there to make our day absolutely flawless. She had everything under control so that we could relax and enjoy our special day. She saw our vision and just simply MADE IT A REALITY. We feel so grateful for all she did and know that she will go above and beyond for all her clients because she truly loves what she does. Choose Melissa. It's the best decision you will make for your wedding! :)"

Favorite Wedding Moment: Melissa & Ryan did the Jewish traditional dance of The Hora where they were both put in chairs and tossed in the air. It was so awesome to watch! I was a little nervous they might drop one of them but they got down safe and then continued to dance!