Willstella Farm Wedding Kernersville Wedding Photographer

Etta Grace and Chad are Married!

September 6, 2018

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Etta Grace & Chad were married last Sunday at the stunning Willstella Farm in Kernersville, NC. Their wedding was filled with whimsy, romance and laughter. I love this venue and this couple!

Etta Grace and Chad are both medical students at the same college in Virginia. They met at a bible study at their school a little over a year ago. These two had an instant connection.

For their first date they went to a drive in movie and saw the Glass Castle. Etta Grace brought her dog. Sounds like a pretty perfect date to me!

Etta Grace and Chad celebrated their one year anniversary the day after their wedding. Etta Grace said when you know, you know. When you see these two together you will have no doubts either!

I swoon over their engagement story. Etta Grace grew up attending church at Main Street UMC in Kernersville. Most people there have known her since she was young.

Etta Grace & Chad were visiting her family over the holidays. They went to attend a church service on New Year’s Eve. At the end of the service a video started playing. Chad had filmed himself talking about the reasons he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Etta Grace. She said yes, of course, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the chapel.

During their engagement session we actually took some pictures in front of the chapel where they were engaged. You can see those pictures by clicking here. Etta Grace and Chad are an endearing couple and such genuine people.

They have both chosen professions devoting to caring for people. They independently chose to attend a small college that focuses on prioritizing rural medicine. Etta Grace said the school’s mission is to produce doctors that want to serve people in rural, under-served areas.

That will tell you a little bit about how good these two are. Etta Grace and Chad are kind, loving and they balance each other perfectly. They also love to laugh and have a lot of fun together. They are building a wonderful life.

These two are also both rooted strongly in their faith. They made space to include worship throughout their day. They choose to prioritize what they love the most and let the rest fall into place. Which it did amazingly!

We started the day in the farmhouse with Etta Grace and all her ladies. Etta was finishing getting her hair done and was calm and beautiful as usual! Once she was done we went outside for a champagne toast and some fun robe pictures. The robes the girls had were gorgeous and fit the theme of day well.

When the girls went to get changed we got to hang out with Chad and his groomsmen for a little while. Chad was excited and ready to walk down the aisle! Later all the guys ended up singing songs at the top of their lungs waiting for the real party to begin.

Etta Grace donned her dress with the help of her three sisters and her Mom. Her Grandfather arrived and both her mother and Grandfather helped her put on a treasured piece of jewelry in her family. It is a diamond necklace and the diamond came from her grandmother’s engagement ring after she passed away.

Etta Grace also had a locket attached to her bouquet. The locket had a picture of her Grandma on one side. On the other side it said “love you more” which were the last words her Grandma ever said to her.

Etta Grace and Chad wanted to pray together before the wedding. We led them to the porch and they held hands back to back with their eyes closed. There were so many special moments from this day!

Right before the ceremony Etta Grace took a moment to pray with her bridesmaids and her Mom. They sat around each other, held hands and had a moment of fellowship. Love filled the room.

Can we just talk about this bridal party for a moment? Etta Grace and Chad had 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen for a bridal party of 20! They have so many people who love and support their marriage and they were such a fun and easy going group. You can see why they picked each person that they did.

As Etta Grace walked down the aisle Chad was beaming. He was one of the smiliest grooms I’ve ever seen! His love for Etta Grace was evident.

Etta Grace and Chad chose to take part in communion and they invited all their guests to do so as well. One uninvited guest arrived during communion. A dog ran up to Etta Grace and Chad and decided to say hello and get some love from them as well.

Sunshine filled most of their wedding day but in true southern fashion the humidity led to rain. During the ceremony clouds began to move in. As we took their “just married” bride and groom photos we were blessed with good weather and even got some gorgeous pictures of these two with the clouds.

Their reception space was filled with details. I know the thought and planning that was put into this was immense. Pictures of Etta Grace, Chad, their families, their friends and their bridal party were everywhere. They were on the tables, wrapped around the poles and on rental pieces from Twice Loved Vintage. There was also a gorgeous dresser for gifts and my favorite was a polaroid station where guests could hang their pictures.

After Etta Grace and Chad were announced at their reception, Etta Grace’s Dad prayed and blessed the food. Etta Grace is one of four girls and I love the picture of her sisters holding hands during the prayer. They were so happy for their sister and you can tell they are four best friends!

The rain came during dinner and our “sunset” pictures became rain and romance pictures. These two with the twinkling white lights behind them was whimsical. They looked like they were straight out of a movie. I love my light and colorful pictures but these are some of my favorite moody and romantic pictures I have ever taken! I cannot wait to share these.

After their last set of pictures Etta Grace and Chad had a romantic first dance under the chandelier and cut their pie instead of cake! They began to dance and party with their friends and family and so many people came out to the dance floor.

I took one last exit shot of these two being perfect again and sadly said goodbye. Etta Grace and Chad I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and I know God has such amazing plans for you both. I can’t wait to follow your journey as a family.

Thank you again for trusting me to capture your memories. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!