Melissa + James // A Built-by-Hand Wedding in the Woods

Melissa and James describe themselves as old souls, and like to joke about how they already acted like an old married couple long before their wedding day. They’d rather curl up on the couch with a good movie than go out (which I can most definitely relate to!), and since they’ve known each other since Melissa was in fifth grade and James was in sixth, it makes sense that they’ve already achieved the level of comfort and ease together that many couples don’t experience until well into their marriage. I also love that they purchased their first home together (where they now live) in the same small town of Remlap where many of their family members live. They even decided to have their wedding at Melissa’s grandparents’ home there, and the whole event had an it-takes-a-village vibe to it, which was so neat. Melissa’s family worked so hard on that land to prep it for the big day, and even constructed all of the ceremony seating, the altar, and the decor from scratch. (When you see the photos below, you’ll understand just how amazing this is.)

Unfortunately, the night before the wedding, Alabama experienced severe storms and heavy rain throughout the night and into the early morning on Saturday. Since everything was planned to take place out in the open, in the middle of the woods, they had to make the last-minute decision to construct tents over the ceremony and reception sites. Although this wasn’t part of Melissa’s vision, she handled it all so graciously, insisting that it was much better to prepare for the worst. So she put on her cowboy boots, traipsed through deep mud for the sake of great photos (like the one above!), and didn’t bat an eyelash because she knew what was most important… she was FINALLY getting to marry the love of her life, and no amount of rain was going to prevent it. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my clients?

A huge thanks to Elle Danielle who assisted me on this one… you’ll see a few of her photos sprinkled throughout!

Melissa and I share a love for aqua… love the socks she had her bridesmaids wear under their cowboy boots. :)

See what I mean about how amazing all the built-from-scratch decor was?!

Loooooved all the seersucker and boots. A southern wedding through and through!

So sweet.

Cutest flower girl and ring bearer EVER. :)

So I’m convinced that Melissa is a younger and even cuter version of Amy Poehler, who is one of my favorite people. LOVE.

Congratulations Melissa and James! I wish you the best of luck and all the happiness in your “old soul” marriage! :)