An October Wedding At Emerson Fields Full Of Boho Blush-Glam
This is a full blog post on a stunning, outdoor Fall wedding. You’ll have to forgive me for the abundance of perfect images. Sheara Jennings Photography provided almost 1,700 images, so the selection process was tough. Every single image is remarkable. Before we jump into the story I want to give a huge shout out to the vendor team that the Wests put together. Ronni remarked that her vendors became like family to them.
This October wedding was a “little boho, a little chic and a whole lotta GLAM” in the words of Ronni West, the bride. Ronni and Nate West tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony at Emerson Fields that was written in the heavens. Ronni is a PE teacher and coach. Nate is a city police officer. They are genuinely sweet and adorable people that booked with us in June of 2018. We were honored to be their favorite venue and eager to see their dreams come to fruition. From the beginning stages of planning, Ronni was grateful to have the venue rented for the entire weekend of their wedding and she prayed for good weather. She said as the day approached she feared how it would all come together even having access to Emerson Fields Friday through Sunday. When I chatted with Ronni after her wedding she said it all came together seamlessly with the help of their wedding coordinator, Tyena with D-Zines Weddings.
“Every bride needs a Tyena! ”
The West wedding party met here on Friday to set up and rehearse. They were directed by the wedding coordinator and all of their family pitched in to help. They had a casual, pizza dinner here that was catered by Ugo’s Pizzaland of Bevier. As they finalized plans for the next day with D-Zines, everyone left feeling confident and ready to go. Saturday morning the bride tribe arrived for hair and makeup at 8:00am and the fun [and rain] began.
Nate and his crew got dressed in the groom’s dressing suite late Saturday morning. He opened a love note from Ronni and she gifted him some very nice cologne [smell you later] and a watch so he wouldn’t be late meeting her at the altar [don’t be late. see you at 4pm].
You can just tell from the images below that Ronni soaked up every second of her morning in the bridal suite with her mom. Penny helped her daughter into her gown and I think some happy tears were shed. Ronni told us afterward that having the bridal suite to hang out with her gal pals and mom was one of her favorite parts of her wedding day. She had seven bridesmaids, a flower girl and her mom in the suite most of the morning along with her hair and makeup team. They laughed, listened to their favorite tunes and perfected their glam looks together.
The first official First Look was given to Ronni’s gal pals. The ladies that had been by her side through it all. Some of them, the glitter sisters gang from high school. They were all overjoyed for Ronni’s big day and enamored with her dressed all in white!
First Looks with Ronni’s dad and stepdad were planned shortly after lunch. The skies were gray and the rain still sprinkled down but Ronni made it work and met with her dad and stepdad in the outdoor pavilion where they were under shelter. The setting was actually perfect and allowed them some time to take it all in. After the First Looks, Sheara, the photographer segued into bridal portraits and they are all show-stoppers!
The bridesmaids and groomsmen then took turns with group portraits under the pavilion and in the fields. The sprinkles of rain were intermittent allowing for some shots in the open fields. More smiles emerged as the rain tapered off. Ronni and Nate didn’t want to do a First Look so it was important to have space that allowed privacy for each group to do separate photographs. Nate was adamant in keeping with tradition and wanted to see his bride come down the aisle for his first look of her. Ronni also wanted that moment but was growing more concerned about the weather and how it would all work out.
As fate would have it, the rain subsided as guests made their way to their seats in the open field and the ceremony began at 4:00pm as scheduled. Guests were offered blankets and throws to snuggle with as temperatures were in the mid-50’s. The Wests were smart and let all of their guests know ahead of time that they had planned for an outdoor ceremony if at all possible. Ronni had dreamt of an outdoor, field wedding since she was a young girl and she was so prayerful and hopeful that it could happen. After friends, family and wedding party were all seated and in place, Ronni made her way through vintage sliding doors arm and arm with her step dad. Her bonus dad took her to meet her father who then escorted her to her very excited and teary-eyed groom. We loved the way Ronni incorporated both fathers in the ceremony because they both had a profound impact on her life.
Ronni had rented verse boards from D-Zines Weddings that reflected a familiar Bible verse in a unique and modern way. Those crisp, white verses flanked their ceremony altar and perfectly framed them in front of our grove of trees. The vintage sliding doors and other decor was rented from D-Zines as well. Ronni chose to use the wood cross that we provide to be the centerpiece for their ceremony because they were planning to put Christ in the center of their marriage. During the ceremony, the couple spent a few moments braiding a unity knot during a special song. After repeated vows and “I do”s came THE kiss and the celebration as the new Mr. & Mrs. West! Those smiles and dancing down the aisle say it all. Everyone was rejoicing for the union of Nate and Ronni.
Family photos began as soon as guests retreated to social hour and the warmth of the main venue.
The entire wedding party took a few moments to explore the outdoors before sunset and captured amazing photos. These SUPER SWEET portraits also allowed for Ronni and Nate to have a moment alone and the rain held off the entire time! Hallelujah!
As the couple entered the reception in the main venue they went straight to cutting the cake! Their fabulous first dance was made extra special by Nate’s uncle, Matt Snook, serenading them. Noland’s Catering of Macon offered up a delicious, hot buffet for dinner that was followed by the best toasts by the best friends a couple could have. After toasts, their DJ, Shannon Smith, cranked it up. There was dancing. dancing. dancing. donuts (a little nod to Nate’s profession as a police offer). bouquet toss. garter toss. fun boxwood greenery photo booth. and more dancing! Just the way any storybook reception should be.
Ronni and Nate were blessed with a gorgeous Fall wedding amidst our fields and alongside their closest family and friends. Here are a few takeaways they’ve shared with us since their big day on October 26, 2019:
We asked the Wests…
What is one thing that surprised you about working with us?
That you all were so involved with our wedding planning and wedding day! It was nice to know you guys cared and wanted us to truly have the best day possible!
What did you love about having your wedding at Emerson Fields?
What is there not to love!!? The owners are top notch. Every other venue we toured did not compare to the quality of Emerson Fields. I mean that in the venue itself and in the owners. Amelia & Steve are the most kindest, honest, and hardworking venue owners in Mid-MO and it would be a mistake if you didn't get married at Emerson Fields!
Imagine you're chatting with a couple you know who are thinking about booking at Emerson Fields, what would you say to them that you remember needing to hear?
The venue has 4 options to hold your ceremony, which is many more options than most venues in the Mid-MO area. The owners are SO HELPFUL and SO INVOLVED. This helps with the flow of your wedding day! Lastly the Venue holds up to 300 people. We knew we wanted a large wedding so this stuck out to us!
Last, but certainly not least, their day was graced with a double rainbow as their reception was beginning and a PERFECT sparkler exit at the end perfect boho glam evening.
Get vendors like these that care enough to make your bohemian glam wedding day an actual dream come true.
Wedding Coordinating, Decor Rental and Floral Designer || D-Zines Weddings
Photography Team || Sheara Jennings Photography
Catering Team || Nolands Catering of Macon
Wedding Cake || Na Na’s Homemade Sweet Cakes
Bride’s Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses || Belle Mariee Bridal Boutique
Menswear || Savvi Formalwear
Bar Service || Vertigo
Videography || MOVE Weddings
Hair || Sun kissed Hair Salon
Makeup || Once Upon A Bride
Custom Macrame Bouquet Wrap || Thou Shalt Knot
Donuts || Humble Donuts
Linen Rentals || A.B. Helton Fine Linen Rental
DJ || S & S DJ Service
02/26/2020 - Amelia Holder