Elizabeth & Robert's Summer Mountain Wedding in Linville, NC

Robert and Elizabeth’s late summer wedding was absolutely breathtaking. Every detail was thoughtfully designed with a clear vision in mind.

Earlier this year, we spoke with Elizabeth to hear her thoughts on wedding planning and all about her and Robert’s love story. Let’s dive in.

How They Met & She Said Yes

At a Christmas Eve Eve party in Charleston, South Carolina, Elizabeth and Robert, both high school seniors at different high schools, met playing beer pong together. Ten games in a row later, they were on a winning streak.

To them, Charleston is a small town, so she was surprised they didn’t know each other yet and even more surprised to learn that their last names were just one letter different from each other. Cochran and Cochrane.

After that night, they started talking and soon began dating. They were long-distance through college, which can bring some challenges, but “they did it!”, she remarked.

Flash forward to March 2023, the two are on a trip to Arizona. On the second-to-last night of their trip, they had dinner planned, but Robert wanted to go on a walk before their dinner reservation. At this point, Elizabeth had started to think that maybe he was going to propose! 30 Minutes later, on a walk that turned into a hike, Elizabeth’s suede boots covered in red clay, they made it to the gorgeous Cathedral Rock just as the sun was setting. Robert told Elizabeth to turn around so she could snap a photo of her at the Rock, and instead of a photo, he proposed!

They celebrated together that night in Sedona, and then on the night they returned to Charlotte, Robert had planned a close friend and family get-together to welcome them back. To Elizabeth’s surprise, the very next night, he planned a big surprise party with their closest friends and family to celebrate their engagement!

Reflecting on Their Wedding Weekend:

Friday:

It’s always so special when our team gets to plan an entire wedding weekend of events. It allows us to weave similar styles and visions together, while also keeping the integrity of each event’s design unique. We jumped into planning Elizabeth and Robert’s wedding day first, which made planning their Rehearsal Dinner and Welcome Party a fun addition to their vision. For their Rehearsal Dinner and Welcome Party, we worked with Robert’s mother, Margaret.

For Friday, Margaret envisioned a green and white color scheme with blush pinks and peach fuzz orange mixed in. She picked out the two main linens that were used: Benton Jade from Stradley Davidson for the cocktail tables, and Circle Snow from BBJ La Tavola for guest seating tables. A nod to the cocktail table linens was incorporated into the menus created by Sterling Stripes through mimicking the geometric design of the Benton Jade linen.

Margaret had a clear and impeccable vision for the place settings on each table: a light rattan charger, white plates, and green velvet bows flanked by light green goblet glasses. The vision brought to life was impeccable.

On Friday night, guests were welcomed into the living room-like space at Grandfather Golf and Country Club. A large wooden bar, with rattan lamp accents surrounded by classic Grandfather Golf and Country Club decor, leaned into the natural feel of the location and created a cozy atmosphere for guests to grab a drink and mingle before finding their seats for dinner.

As guests entered the space for dinner, they were greeted by a lovely bookshelf seating chart display. On the shelves, nestled inside glass cloches, guests could find their table assignment surrounded by moss and pops of blush and peach fuzz, providing a glimpse into what they would see when they arrived at their seat for the evening.

April Ellsworth, with April Flowers Studio, brought Margaret’s color story and vision to life, adorning tables with white, cream, blush, and peach fuzz blooms that played perfectly with the tablescape.

As the rehearsal dinner was going on, Linville experienced a downpour thunderstorm. Elizabeth loved this, as it reminded her of being at summer camp, as they were surrounded by family and friends.

The rehearsal dinner wrapped up with toasts by so many of their family and friends. Elizabeth loves to hear toasts at other people’s weddings, and said it was so fun to be the bride and groom this time!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention her absolutely stunning rehearsal dinner dress; she managed to snag it, despite it being sold out! She saw the dress on Instagram a few months before their wedding date and called 50+ bridal shops that carried the sample. She lucked out when she happened to call a bridal shop in Nashville. While they didn’t have the dress, they recommended another store to her on the phone, and luckily enough, the recommended store had the sample in her size! She carried a thrifted jeweled evening bag to go with this look.

After the rehearsal dinner, guests transitioned to a lively welcome party at the Grandfather Golf & Country Club Beach Pavilion. Pizza and soft serve, classics at Grandfather Golf & Country Club, were enjoyed along with a fun and classic photo booth from Mohr Fun Events. Brooks Forsyth played for the Welcome Party. Both events set the tone for the weekend, leading guests into the big day of celebrating Elizabeth and Robert.

Saturday:

When asked her favorite part of the planning process, Elizabeth chose the design process. She has always had a love of home design, given that her mom is an interior designer, and loves colors and flowers. She especially enjoyed picking linens that were fun but still allowed the venue to speak for itself, a subtle but fitting pop in the mountain setting.

With gardening as a strong family connection, talking about and selecting her flower design was another favorite part of the planning process.

For Hair and Makeup, Megan Oliveri Artistry, a Charlotte-based artistry group, started the day. Elizabeth described this morning spent with her bridesmaids “like a sleepover”. She felt like they were young again and had so much fun.

As Elizabeth and Robert were getting ready, our team arrived on site, ready to jump in with logistics management and bring the vision to life. McCoys Event Professionals arrived earlier in the week to build the tent, stage, and dance floor. Here are a few photos of the concept board that we created with Elizabeth throughout the design process.

One piece of advice Elizabeth shared during the planning process is to go with your gut on your design plan, especially if you have a longer engagement. You have more time to go back and forth and doubt your design, but Meris gave her the advice to go with her gut, which proved true, as she kept going back to her original vision: “Don’t feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing”, she shared.

Selecting her gown was a little difficult, as it can be hard not to worry about other options after you decide, but when Elizabeth put on the bespoke wrap that was made for her dress, she knew it was the one!

Talk about kismet: one week after her engagement, Elizabeth popped into Ladies of Lineage in Charlotte, just to peek around, and while she was there, she snapped a few photos of dresses she liked. Later on, as she looked back at the photos from that day’s casual pop-in, she saw her dress, and it felt like a sign that she made the right decision.

She was set on including a floral element because of her love and connection to flowers, so the jacquard floral details of her dress were especially important to Elizabeth.

Her bouquet included lace from her Mom’s wedding dress, which was the dress that her grandmother and aunt all wore. A true family heirloom. A sapphire ring from Robert’s grandmother served as her something blue.

Robert’s selected a new tux for the wedding with a fun print on the inside that included his name and their wedding date.

As photos began, I was lucky enough to be a fly on the wall during Elizabeth’s bridesmaids reveal, and the squeals and joy I heard continued throughout the entire evening. Megan Sheppard captured the moment so beautifully and took a few moments to capture some stunning portraits of Elizabeth in her dress.

One of their favorite moments of the day included butterflies softly fluttering about during their first look and private vows, even flying between the two of them as they spoke.

Butterflies, Elizabeth shared, mean someone special who has passed on is visiting, which made this moment even extra special.

Their ceremony space included many of Elizabeth’s favorite flowers. Lining the aisle and adorning the arch, dahlias were on full display, an in-season bloom in the High Country in August. The butterflies also loved the blooms.

The flowers also brought a little bumblebee that Elizabeth’s sister said sat on Elizabeth’s shoulder for most of the ceremony. With a quick Google search, they learned that it meant a passed loved one was coming to wish you good luck in the future.

An otherworldly moment that made their ceremony even more memorable. Their ceremony included a beloved poem read by Elizabeth’s sister and instrumental versions played live by Deans’ Duets of Wildest Dreams and Invisible String by Taylor Swift. Both brought tears to her eyes to hear!

For her grand entrance, Elizabeth opted to walk solo across the famous bridge at Grandfather Golf and Country Club before meeting her father on the other side to be escorted down the aisle. She loved that she had this moment by herself to take it all in.

After the ceremony, guests were welcomed into a lively cocktail hour. They were able to sign their guest book and get a sneak peek into the design of the evening.

From custom-lined drink trays for their specialty cocktails, prickly pear margaritas – a nod to their trip to Arizona, to playing cards – a favorite pastime of theirs, a favored wallpaper motif, drawn upon by Sterling Stripes, carried through. Pre-wedding, the motif was incorporated into their invitations, giving guests a taste of the celebration to come.

Elizabeth and Robert danced their first dance to Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe, by Barry White. After the dances were complete, guests made their way to their seats, and Elizabeth and Robert joined their wedding party at their head table. A highlight for Elizabeth was sitting together with all of her friends!

Dinner started with a delightful summer salad, served in blue pottery-style bowls, that led into a delicious dinner.

Their band, Infinite Soul, was one of their favorite parts of the night! Elizabeth and Robert picked out the band together. They had heard Infinite Soul at a friend’s wedding, and she really loved them, so she jotted their name down in her notes to remember for when she was planning her own wedding. Flash forward, and that’s who they booked – the full-circle moment was that those friends were also in attendance! It made it such a fun night.

And a party it was! Elizabeth danced so much that her bustle broke, but she had an amazing second dress to change into, which she highly advises any bride to do! She absolutely loved her wedding gown, but it was heavy to dance in, so changing into her second dress not only gave her a second look, but it was also very practical

She found her second dress at a dress shop in Romania. She “WhatsApp’d” with the girl who designed it and FaceTimed her to get her measurements. It arrived 2 weeks before the wedding, and it was so comfortable to dance in!

As the energy rose throughout the evening, our team made an appearance carrying specially selected dance props for the night. Retro sunglasses, pearl strands, and feather boas added a fun flair to the evening. Elizabeth used to dance around with feather boas when she was a little girl. She loved looking back at the empty tent as they were preparing for their exit and seeing feathers everywhere.

A core memory for Elizabeth and Robert was dancing on stage with the bridesmaids. Robert said to Elizabeth: “This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you!” Their dance floor was never empty.

Throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour, the rain stayed away, which she likes to think was her grandmother who passed, bringing them sunny skies! They only had 30 minutes of rain during the reception, and everyone was dancing so much under the tent that no one noticed!

They rounded out the night with a sparkler exit and added flair with sets of cold sparks from Mohr Fun Events. They made their way through the sparkling tunnel of all of their friends and family and hopped in a classic Excalibur driven by Air Haven Limo to make their getaway to a local Airbnb we always recommend to couples, The Glass Treehouse.

Advice for Couples Planning their Wedding

Before we wrapped up our call, Elizabeth shared her pieces of advice for couples that are planning their wedding, and we wanted to make sure we shared it below:

On your wedding weekend, do not separate! Stick together the entire night. Robert was with her all night, from their private dinner to changing into her second dress; they were together. The night goes by so fast, and being intentional about sticking together ensured they could experience it all with each other.
On your wedding night, take a second to look around and take mental screenshots of the night. It allows you to appreciate the moment, and you can play those back in your head for years to come. This is her giving you a gentle reminder to look around and remember.
Lastly, have fun with it! It is supposed to be fun and stress-free. One note she mentioned was how much she loved that Megan Sheppard, her photographer, sent out email reminders with notes like “Remember to have a date night and don’t talk about the wedding” or “Have a conversation about your marriage and time beyond the wedding”. These reminders, Elizabeth mentioned, reminded them to have fun with planning!