Taylor Gentry and Johnathon Bumgarner were married at The Barn at Blueberry Hill in Elkin, NC on April 6 of this year. Theirs is a sweet story, that was born in middle school when they met and became best friends. By the time they were in high school, they realized they were probably more than best friends. They started dating and when Taylor left to attend college at Western Carolina University, they took the plunge and became a "long-distance relationship." Anyone can tell you (and will if you ask, we've found) that these types of relationships are not only not easy, they test your faith and trust. But these two learned to be great communicators and when Johnathon surprised Taylor 6 years after they started dating with a marriage proposal, she said absolutely.

The bridesmaids wore mulberry wine colored dresses that they chose themselves and the fellas wore matching ties and grey 3-piece suits on that spring day in a barn decorated with baby's breath, burgundy carnations and tons of twinkly white lights. The day, the crew and the place were bright and fresh and exactly what you'd expect of a spring wedding.

These two are both in medical professions. Taylor is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and works at Wilkes Medical Center and Johnathon is a Radiologic Technologist and is also certified in Computed Tomography. He works for Alleghany Memorial Hospital. As serious and important as those jobs are, the couple knows how to tease. On their wedding day, Taylor and Johnathon exchanged letters and after sending her long and heart-felt letter to him, Taylor opened the one from Johnathon. It contained a single sentence about how he hoped they would have a nice wedding day. Only later did he send her the actual letter he'd written her. Pranked on her big day! She said she went from disappointment to tears in a matter of minutes.

Taylor knew that she wanted an A-line dress with some bling and some lace, and that she wanted to stay within her budget of around $1,000. She found a gown she loved at BT and we helped her remove some of the "poofiness" and layers, transforming it from more of a ball gown to an A-line dress. The lace and beading at the straps and hemline give it an extra bit of style and sparkle. We also added a belt. 

"Kelly was absolutely wonderful and knew to console me and give me advice when I became overwhelmed with choices and opinions. She asked what was holding me back from saying yes to the dress that I was wearing - and that I wanted - and I told her it was way too “puffy” for me. She immediately called the factory to see if they could take out some of the layers, and they did! She then added a sparkly belt to give it right amount of bling that it was missing and topped it with a beautiful veil that perfectly matched my gown. I had the bride moment I had been waiting for and said ‘yes.’ There is no other store that would have taken the time to be that personal with me and ensure what I was picking was exactly what I wanted."

Comments like these are music to our ears!

Congratulations Taylor and Johnathon! Cheers to you and here's to many years of laughter, pranking and love.

This spring, Bridal Traditions took part in a coordinated wedding photo shoot with creatives and other wedding vendors. Some of the goals were to showcase the venue, but also to collaborate, create and capture images promoting some new trends for summer weddings with Bohemian vibes. BT loved contributing to this shoot by providing dresses and suits from our boutique.

​Let's start with location where all of these shot were taken by Beasley's Rustic Photography. The Emerald Hill is a lovely wedding venue in Hiddenite, North Carolina where multiple scenic outdoor spots make weddings and receptions even more special. 

The floral arrangements were provided by Edenhouse and all the props and catering were coordinated by Embellished Events for You. We love how the setups came together and matched perfectly with the style chosen for this shoot. It had elements of earthy and boho, while retaining classic elegance.

Finally, our contribution - the bride's gown and accessories and the groom's attire. For model Bailey Goforth, this spring/summer shoot required something slightly bohemian, slightly frothy and extremely youthful. The layers in the gown's skirt are airy and angelic and allow for other details to shine as well - like her head piece and wreath/bouquet.

For the groom, a navy 3-piece worked for the outdoor wedding scheme and model Matthew Williams looks dapper, crisp and comfortable as well. Comfort is key for the guys, and this was the perfect solution. 

If you're interested in learning more about all of the collaborators, they are listed below. And if you are scheduling a photo shoot and would like to include our expertise and input and/or the attire we sell, please contact us.

Attire - Bridal Traditions Wedding & Prom Attire
Florals - Edenhouse
Photography - Beasley's Rustic Photography
Coordinating - Embellished Events for You
Beauty - Beauty by Andrea Mesimer
Models - Matthew Williams + Bailey Goforth
Venue - The Emerald Hill

Amber and Brandon were married in November of 2018 in front of nearly 200 of their nearest and dearest. It was a celebration, for sure.​ Theirs was a traditional wedding at the Deep Creek Friends Meeting, where bride Amber has been an going since childhood and where her parents were also married. The only thing that wasn't traditional about the ceremony was that they had "a first look", and spent time before the ceremony with friends and family who'd come a long way for the big day. 

Note to brides-to-be: This decision to see people before the ceremony was, for them, a perfect choice. It relaxed everyone; no one felt rushed, and Amber shared that once she and Brandon saw each other, they were certain that it was going to be a great day. 

"I think the most memorable part of the day was our "first look." It was such an incredible moment that just the two of use shared. At the end of the day, we were really glad we decided to do our day this way, because we were able to enjoy time with our guests and they didn’t have to wait forever on us to do our pictures."

These two met at a fundraiser where they flirted with each other when they got bored. That sort of silly fun appears to have followed them into their marriage. During the exchanging of rings, Brandon kept curling his finger so that Amber couldn't get it completely on, cracking her and everyone else up for a full minute.

"Brandon and I decided to do the pouring of the sand instead of the unity candle. So when it came time to pour the sand, we walked over to the vase and started pouring. However, the vase we used had a TINY opening, so I poured more sand out of the vase than inside it. It was the funniest thing, neither of us could stop laughing, and the preacher was laughing right along with us."

"When I found out that Bridal Traditions had dresses that were around $1000 - more or less - I just knew I had to go there and look, and I am SO glad I did. My parents knew that I wasn't going to want an outrageously expensive dress. When looking for my dress I wasn’t sure what I wanted exactly, I just thought I wanted something with lace and sleeves. At the end of that first
day, though, I realized that I hated the way sleeves looked on me and I hated how they felt. I just wanted to try on different styles to see what I liked." 

As many brides will tell you, finding the right gown is usually not a one shopping trip situation. This was certainly true for Amber. Once she realized that what she thought she wanted was in fact NOT what she wanted, she got a little discouraged. 

"Kelly suggested to call it a day and come back. A few days later Kelly sent me a picture of a dress she thought I might like. I thought, 'Man oh man it's beautiful,' and I couldn’t wait for it to arrive at Bridal Traditions so that I could try it on. When I finally did try it on, it was beyond perfect. It honestly looked like it was made for me. Once I stepped into that dress and it was zipped up, I looked at my mom and she was already crying. We then opened the curtain
and I saw myself in the mirror, and I knew right then I had found the one. I finally
had the bridal moment. Everyone in the store was in tears."

"Bridal Traditions was beyond amazing. From the moment I walked in, Kelly treated me like family, and that’s something I’ll never forget. Kelly made me feel beautiful and confident and she was so reassuring when I was doubtful about something. Kelly went above and beyond to help me find my gown. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her. I’m telling y’all, she was a Godsend. She was so kind and beyond helpful, she bent over backwards helping me find my perfect dress. There really aren’t enough “thank yous” and words to describe how phenomenal Kelly and Bridal Traditions are."

Photo Cred: Kathy Casstevens, Terry Vestal, and Hunter Welborn