Bristol Harbour Wedding | Shri + Terry

Bristol Harbour Wedding

Shri + Terry

Shri and Terry’s Bristol Harbour Wedding was truly what wedding day dreams are made of! I have been looking forward to their wedding weekend for a year now! We took foggy engagement portraits up in Shenendoah National Park last year, and I knew right away these two were something special. They are the loveliest of high school sweethearts, and honestly just the best together.

Their day started off with getting ready at Bristol Harbour. The sun shone bright and warm, and the trees were just beginning to change colors.

 

A surprise delivery

One of my favorite moments of the whole weekend happened just before Shri was ready for the first look. Her florist, I Do Wedding Flowers, stepped into the room and delivered a bouquet of lilies from Terry. Immediately Shri started to tear up. She then told us that when her and Terry were first dating, he had given her lilies. Her room smelled like lilies for days, and she now associates the smell of lilies with their relationship. She said she had wanted her whole wedding to smell like lilies, so she even had lily-scented candles for their reception. But this was a total surprise!

The First Look

Shri and Terry decided to have a First Look together, which I am ALWAYS a fan of. It frees up their time, gives them more portraits, and still allowed them to go to their cocktail hour for a bit! Plus, I personally feel it a more intimate and special moment when the groom gets to see his bride all by himself, and without the eyes of all his friends and family on him!

 

The Wedding Party

Shri and Terry had a big wedding party with 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. However, I have to say that they were probably one of the kindest groups I’ve ever photographed on a wedding day! Not one of them complained about photos, or the heat, or anything! They were truly happy to be a part of Shri and Terry’s special day and were helpful and joyful the entire weekend! As a photographer, I have to say this not only makes a huge difference for everyone, but it also says a lot about the kind of people Shri and Terry are to have such a lovely group of friends!

 

The Ceremony

The ceremony site was just stunning. The florals and the view were both just unbeatable. However, it was the fact that Terry still got emotional seeing Shri walking down the aisle – regardless of already seeing her earlier, it was Terry’s and Shri’s sisters crying as soon as they saw her, and it was the look on their faces after they kissed for the first time as husband and wife that truly made this ceremony one of the most beautiful I’ve photographed!

 

The Reception

A simple and casual reception followed their ceremony. A slow first dance as husband and wife. Time spent mingling with friends and family who had traveled from far away to be with them. Her signature apple cider mimosa. Cutting the cake made my Terry’s sister. Not to mention, all guests were treated to a mehendi (henna) artist. My favorite, however, was the flower petal exit and the trolley as their getaway car!

 

The day could not have been any more beautiful or perfect. It was exactly the kind of wedding day I would have imagined for two people as wonderful as these guys! However, little did I know, that I was about to get blown out of the water by their Indian ceremony the next day! Stay tuned for their Day 2 of Wedding Weekend!

 

Bridal Mehendi

That night, I was invited to attend some of Shri’s bridal Mehendi application. This is a tradition for Indian brides to have these beautiful, intricate henna designs on their hands, arms, and feet. It was incredible to watch her artist move so fast and yet be so delicate and precise! She uses a homemade stain that smelled like wintergreen and other unknown herbs. I loved watching this part of the evening, and it made me that much more excited for their Indian celebration!!

 

The wonderful vendors who made this day possible:

Photography | Meghan Rose Photography

Hair and Makeup | Bombshell Beauty by Juli Antonucci

Dress | Elegance by Roya

Designer | Enzoani

Florist | I Do Wedding Flowers

Venue | Bristol Harbour

DJ | Marquee Events

Transportation | Diamond Trolley

Invitations | Minted

Videographer | Fruit Tree Studios

Cake | Brenna O’Neill

 

Check back in a few days for Part Two of this two-day wedding celebration: their Indian wedding ceremony!

 

Meghan Rose Photography is a hybrid film and digital photographer based in Western North Carolina.

She travels all over the eastern US to capture the happiest of clients and loves barefoot brides, wildflower bouquets, and sparkler exits. But mostly she loves capturing couples ready to start the rest of their lives together – because the wedding is just one day, and true love stories last forever. You can follow Meghan on Instagram here or on Facebook here.