A magical, lush outdoor Jewish wedding at Claxton Farm, Weaverville, North Carolina, USA

Hello and a very happy Easter Monday to our non-Jewish and Jewish readers alike. It’s a holiday here in the UK, and hopefully you’ve all got some fabulous plans to enjoy. If, for some reason, you can’t get out today, never fear – you can experience the great outdoors vicariously through Hannah and Harrison’s earthy and sublime real wedding.

There’s an extraordinary amount to feast your eyes, and heart, on. We were blown away by all of the rustic little touches, the phenomenal attention to detail, the lush green hues and foliage accented with pops of rich burgundy and woody tones. The venue was lit with bulb lights in the evening – positively magical!

The outdoor wedding symbolised everything that Hannah and Harrison hold dear as a couple, including the way that they met (spoiler alert: SO romantic) and a heartfelt Jewish ceremony conducted by a rabbi who had known Hannah since she was a child. 

Hannah looked positively radiant in her stunning gown, with flowers in her hair – a perfect picture of a bride on the happiest day of her life. Photographer Jill Schwarzkopf of Realities Photography expertly captured all of the emotionally charged, important moments of the day.

We also love Hannah and Harrison’s beautifully steal-able idea of taking the wedding morning to do your favourite, most relaxing thing. Why not start such an important occasion in a way that will make you the most happy? 

Well we’ve done just about all the gushing, time to pass you over to beautiful bride, Hannah, for a full recap of the big day.

How we met

Hannah, the bride: Harrison and I met at summer camp and started dating a few years later when we went back to work as staff. We stayed together through four years of long, and very very long, distance and now live together in Athens, Georgia. I’m a graduate student at the University of Georgia and he works for his parents’ software company for wine and spirits wholesalers. 

An outdoorsy venue

We got married at Claxton Farm. We wanted to get married in/near Asheville because that is where we met, spend as much free time as we can, and generally feel at home so we wanted to share that with our loved ones. We wanted to get married outside because that is where we are happiest.

Family first

We were so happy to be surrounded by our best friends and family who made the day a huge celebration for everyone. My mother and mother in law worked tirelessly to make this all happen, so I definitely have to thank them for everything.

An elegant up ‘do and natural makeup

When I told my husband I wanted an up ‘do, he asked what that was. We both liked the first search result on Google so that’s what I went with. I never wear makeup, so my husband and I decided I shouldn’t wear makeup at the wedding, either. I put on just enough lipstick and mascara to show up in pictures but otherwise, I just went as me.

Finding the perfect dress

Dress shopping was my favourite part of the planning process. I went to a lot of shops with my mother, mother in law, and sister thinking I wanted a form-fitting lacy dress with sleeves, and ended up falling in love with huge, dramatic dresses.

I was about to buy a dress, and was doing one last look through with my great aunt, when she convinced me to go to a store I hadn’t thought to go to. Once I put on this dress we both knew it was the one and tried to FaceTime my mum, who was skiing on the top of a mountain, so that she could approve.

It looked like my favourite parts of the other dresses all rolled into one: I loved the layers on the skirt, subtle glitter, and back. I was really opposed to strapless but once they told me I could add straps, I was in.

Wedding bands crafted as a couple

We made each other’s wedding bands with Danielle Miller Jewelry and enjoyed sharing that experience.

Fun, floral shoes

I decided I wanted really fun, floral shoes to go with the floral bridesmaids’ dresses and outdoor venue. I also made Converse sneakers for my bridesmaids, because sneakers with fancy dresses are a family tradition so I switched into those for the party.

Bridesmaids in floral patterns

My sisters and one female cousin from each side were my bridesmaids, but one of my cousins couldn’t make it. I was so happy to be surrounded by family.

I wanted my bridesmaids to choose dresses that made them feel pretty and we all agreed that floral dresses would be a fun, fitting look. It was surprisingly hard to find a pretty floral bridesmaid dress but we finally found this one!

A 21st-century Tisch

I rick-rolled my husband when the wedding party walked down the aisle, because that is a recurring joke in our relationship. I wanted to make sure the wedding was fun and fitting for us. We also both loved doing the Tisch together, which is a Jewish tradition in which the groom (but I joined too) gives a speech and everyone celebrates with drinking and singing. 

Singing siblings

I’ve been wanting to walk down the aisle to Sufjan Steven’s That Dress Looks Nice You for a while, so that’s what we went with. I was also really happy that my sister sang a lot of the processional and ceremony.

Our fabulous photographer…

Jill Schwarzkopf of Realities Photography made our day. She made sure to capture us in our natural habitat, which usually involves doing yoga or goofing around.

…and videographers

The videographers, Hart to Heart, also did an awesome job. The drone was a particularly nice touch.

Our first dance

My husband and I had our first dance choreographed and had fun taking private dance lessons for that. I used to dance, so that was a nice thing to share with him.

Advice to brides and grooms currently planning their wedding

My husband and  took the morning of the wedding to do our favourite, most relaxing thing: he kayaked his favourite river with one of his best friends while I biked around the river on my favourite route with my dad. It was the perfect way to start the day.

It was also really helpful to have everyone from the wedding at the rehearsal dinner. That gave us a chance to really talk to everyone before the wedding so that we could just have fun and dance on the actual day.

I also had a bridal attendant, which was amazing. She anticipated my every need and made sure I was always well hydrated, fed, and happy.

Hannah & Harrison’s little white book

Wedding planner – Becca Knuth of Asheville Event Co.
Photographer – Realities Photography
Videographer – Hart to Heart Media
Venue – Claxton Farm
Bridesmaids’ shoes – Converse
Hair + Make-up – Hair & Makeup by Heather
Wedding rings – Danielle Miller Jewelry
Cellist – Ron Clearfield 
Band – A Town A List
Catering and Dessert – Carmel Caterers
Rentals – Classic Event Rental 
Transportation – Emma Bus Line
Rabbi – Joel Tessler