A Sentimental Wedding Weekend at the Omni Homestead

This mountain wedding weekend at The Omni Homestead Resort was truly so magical it’s hard for me not to gush about this gorgeous weekend! Bailey and Jake first met in college at Bridgewater College, a small college in Virginia, through mutual friends while celebrating the end of finals. Both division 3 athletes, it was love at first sight! Fast forward to three years later and the couple moved to the Charlotte area for Bailey’s job and settled into their Huntersville home with their rescue dog, Miller!

The Engagement

Jake proposed at Ballyhack Golf Course in Roanoke, VA on Easter weekend so the whole family was in town. While they were taking “casual family pictures” he got down on one knee and popped the question right there on the golf course! And this is where our paths cross… Bailey found me on Instagram and hired me for their official engagement photos. During the planning process, I discovered that her family is from Roanoke, Virginia and I grew up in Lynchburg – which is only about 45 minutes apart from each other! We bonded over our Virginia childhoods and had SO much fun at their engagement session that they decided to book me for their wedding as well! Side note – go browse their Uptown Charlotte session here because it was STUNNING (and you’ll get to meet their pup, Miller!)

The Team

I was so excited to be on board for their wedding day because they had a STELLAR vendor team! Headed up by planners Lindsey and Stephanie of LK Events & Design,  the whole vendor team really meshed well together. It was a really great fit for Bailey and Jake overall. Of course, you can’t talk about their beautiful day without mentioning the venue – The Omni Homestead.

It’s truly one of my favorite locations for weddings, because it’s so elegant with plenty of mini venue options to choose from. One of the most important things during planning for Bailey was to be surrounded by friends and family in a single location where they could all relax and have fun for the weekend. So that’s part of the reason they picked The Homestead. They loved being in the mountains and the historic, classic feel of the hotel that allowed them to add special touches to make it feel like their own.

Omni Homestead Resort Wedding with Sentimental Touches

Bailey and Jake did an INCREDIBLE job weaving sweet, sentimental details into their design and overall weekend experience. Hear directly from the bride on how and why they chose certain touches on their day:

Surprise Flowers: My sister-in-law (my brother’s wife) grew flowers in her own garden and supplied them to our florist to be integrated with the rest of our flowers on our wedding day. She did this all without us knowing and she told me about it during my bridal luncheon the day before the wedding. It definitely made me cry! She coordinated with our florist to make sure she planted flowers that went with our plan/vision. It was truly so special to have know she had been planning this for over 6 months prior to our wedding. I was so lucky that we had such amazing vendors that helped her pull off this amazing surprise!

The Tulip in my Bouquet: I asked for at least 1 tulip to be included in my bouquet because when Jake and I first started dating in college he would always bring me one tulip that he would pick from around campus when he came over to my apartment. He really shouldn’t have been doing this BUT he did actually plant them all when he worked for the campus groundskeeping over the summer so he felt like it was “okay” haha. I have always loved tulips. But ever since then they have had an extra special place in my heart. So there was one white tulip in my bouquet in honor of this!

Other Special Details

My “Hers” drink was a Blueberry Margarita in honor of Jake being from Maine (and my favorite drink being a margarita). Blueberries are something Maine is known for and I wanted to make sure we included Maine in our big day since we were getting married in Virginia.

The “Family” Bracelets I had made for me and our moms: I had bracelets made that had the birthstones of family members on each side of our family that could not be there on our wedding day (whether because they are no longer living or because of medical reasons). I gifted it to our moms during my bridal shower and it was such a special moment. My mom, Jake’s mom, and I all wore them on the wedding day in honor of these important people that we wish could have been there but we knew were there in spirit with us.

Jake’s tux and cufflinks: Jake’s tux was custom from OMJ Clothing in Charlotte and he had a lot of cool elements added to it like our wedding date on the collar! He also wore “Miller High Life” cufflinks in honor of our dog, Miller! He gave the same cufflinks to all of his groomsmen because they are all big fans of the beer too.

Unique Design Details

And if all those beautiful details didn’t make you tear up, the overall design of the day was equally well thought out and unique to this couple. Starting with the show-stopping serpentine flower isle!! Steelcut Flower Co. definitely went above and beyond on this one and it turned out SO GOOD! Bailey also asked for bows and patterns to be scattered throughout – from her dress to the napkin rings, and all the mixed patterns in their table linens.

The live band was another bragging point for this wedding day. They kept the party going all night! Bailey’s brother is a musician so she actually tasked him with selecting from the list her planners provided. He did not disappoint!! They really brought the energy and party to the reception and the couple says they still get comments about how great 76 Degrees West was to this day!

This glorious celebration ended with one last twist. Instead of the standard sparklers, Bailey opted for a bubble exit! It was such a fun element to photograph and are some of my favorite images of the night!

Obviously it’s not just me that loves this wedding – a local publication South Park Magazine also did an incredible feature on these two! Check them out in print here!

Vendors

Photographer: Demi Mabry || Planner: LK Events & Design || Floral Design: Steelcut Flower Co. || Hair + Makeup: Anna Breeding || Videographer: Yeattes Productions || Stationary: Chez La Mariee || Cake: The Omni Homestead || Live Band: 76 Degrees West || Rentals: Paisley and Jade + Emerson James Rental + Rent-E-Quip VA || Linens: BBJ La Tavola || Bridal Shop: Anjolique Bridal || Bridal Gown: Eva Lendel || Bridesmaids Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu || Groom Attire: OMJ Clothing || Venue: The Omni Homestead