Brigitte & Blake are the sort of couple every planner dreams of; they are the sweetest of souls, they knew exactly what they wanted while simultaneously always being open to fresh ideas and concepts, and above all they were incredibly fun to work with.
These two found me from the recommended vendor list of their venue, the Beaufort Hotel, and saying that we were a perfect couple-planner match is genuinely an understatement.
Brigitte was my main planning companion and it was like we were in sync from the very first call. At the start of every planning meeting, I always ask my couples if they have anything on their mind or any questions, and like clockwork Brigitte would bring up the exact items that were on my agenda to cover that day. We would send each other emails at practically the exact same time about the exact same, very specific subject. And through all of this, I couldn’t be happier to have created a beautiful friendship with her along the way.
Brigitte & Blake live in a very small town in Virginia and grew up vacationing to the outer banks, this being their inspiration to get married in Beaufort, North Carolina. The Just Us team handled everything for them, from complete design, planning, and production of their wedding day; to additionally planning and producing both their rehearsal dinner and welcome party.
Brigitte & Blake arrived in Beaufort the Tuesday leading up to their wedding. We had a few final vendor meetings in addition to adding the finishing touches to their guests welcome bags. After this, they had the next several days to relax and fully soak up every morsel of time with friends and family before the official festivities began. They had drinks at the rooftop bar at Moonrakers, Brigitte’s bridal luncheon at Beaufort Grocery Co, Blake and some of the guys played golf at the Crystal Coast Country Club, and they even went on a sunset catamaran cruise with Lookout Cruises in celebration of their officiant’s own wedding anniversary.
With the most wonderful and stunning designs we had planned, setup also started on Tuesday with the help of Sperry Tents Southeast, who supplied a brand new sailcloth tent, the jaw-droppingly beautiful wood flooring, the band’s stage, and the white dance floor with their monogram hand painted on it.
On Thursday, High Performance Lighting & Party Tables joined in on the fun! High Performance Lighting took care of all of our power needs in addition to the rigging of our hanging mechanical structures, rattan shades, beaded chandeliers, perimeter and spot lights around the tent. All of this and more, including one of my favorite pieces of Brigitte & Blake’s design – the building and rigging of a 34ft truss that would soon be covered in flowers and dripping in gold and opal honeycomb chandeliers. Party Tables draped each and every tent leg, the area behind the bar and band, as well as the openings of the Wedding Pavilion onsite for their ceremony.
On Friday the festivities really kicked off! We started with their ceremony rehearsal by the Wedding Pavilion at the Beaufort Hotel. Once this wrapped up, Diamond Bus Co. was in place and ready to transport the wedding party and immediate family to the Crystal Coast Country Club for their rehearsal dinner. Cynthia Rose Photography & Serrano Film Co also joined in on the fun to capture every moment for these two.
As the rehearsal dinner was coming to an end, Diamond Bus Co. made their way back to the Beaufort Hotel with their fleet of a whopping 8 vehicles to now transport the remaining guests to the Crystal Coast Country Club for Brigitte & Blake’s Welcome Party. Joining Friday night’s vendor lineup- Alpha Lit RDU, Bryan Meyer Music, High Performance Lighting, BBJ LaTavola, and Designs by Dillon, who all brought this low-key coastal party to life.
After a wonderful first official night of celebrating these two (and 4 days worth of setup & installations), wedding day was FINALLY here.
Ash & Co. kicked the morning off for Brigitte as they handled all things beauty, while the Just Us Team (and about 100 other wonderful humans) got right to work on the setup of their ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception tent. The Carolina Refinery (reception bars, couch-back table, and ceremony chairs) along with Martha My Dear Rentals (white farm tables, reception & cocktail hour chairs, cocktail hour bars, custom escort display & arches, tent-side cocktail lounge furniture), BBJ LaTavola (all table linens and napkins), and Curated Events Raleigh (bar glassware, black flatware, tables, black rimmed chargers, additional cocktail tables) brought in the mother load. Designs by Dillon was back to work, either on a scaffold or a ladder, building one of the many installations and ‘wow’ moments between all three event spaces, in addition to placing all of the table centerpieces and accessories.
As we made our way through the day, Cynthia Rose Photography (photographer) & Serrano Film Co (videography) returned for their second day of fun, and started by capturing all of the couples stunning details, including the custom designed invitation suite and the many day-of items, all by Shop Surcie. Before long, arrived and began their unload, then held their sound check soon after.
Not shortly after, guests began to arrive for the ceremony and were greeted with champagne passed by the Beaufort Hotel’s banquet team. The time then came to line up Brigitte & Blake’s family and wedding party. Trent River Chamber Players trio set the tone for this secret garden-inspired ceremony as the lawn of the wedding pavilion was decked in all-white florals and lush greens. During their ceremony, the couple planted a tree to honor their unity, and to pay homage to both family’s farming roots. Following the exchange of rings and their vows, the two were pronounced as husband & wife!
Following the ceremony, guests made their way to the hotel’s second-floor ballroom and veranda overlooking Taylor’s Creek for cocktail hour. The bar was open, hors d’oeuvres were passed, and guests enjoyed the coastal breeze and stunning views of the Rachel Carson Reserve.
While guests were wined and dined at cocktail hour, Brigitte & Blake were busy having their formal family portraits and wedding party pictures taken, in addition to having their first look at the reception tent – and y’all, this took my breath away! One of my absolute favorite parts of a wedding is seeing the joy a couple has as they FINALLY get to see all of their months of planning pay off.
At the end of cocktail hour guests made their way to the hotel’s front lawn and found their seats for dinner. The After Party Experience kicked off the reception with our parent and wedding party entrances, followed by none other than our newlyweds who went right into their first dance! Brigitte’s parents welcomed guests, Aunt Pam delivered the blessing, then dinner was served buffet-style. While guests feasted on some of the couple’s favorites (beef tenderloin, shrimp scampi, mac & cheese, and potato soufflé – just to name a few) Brigitte & Blake quickly cut their cake (made by the always lovely Famous Baking Co.) then snuck away for a few final pictures on the hotel’s docks during sunset.
As dinner came to an end, our best man & maid of honor toasted Brigitte & Blake, we watched their father-daughter and mother-son dances, and then The After Party Experience did what they do best and that’s bring the house down with one high-energy party (real talk though – how many bands do you know that play an unbroken 3 hour set?!).
The party was truly hopping up until the very end when Brigitte & Blake exited the reception tent showered in florals (stems repurposed from their ceremony) as they made their way to the bar at 34’ North for their after party.
To say that it was an honor getting to work with these two would be the understatement of the year, as a wonderful friendship was created throughout their wedding planning journey. And as their now friend, I am so beyond excited to witness the beautiful future in store for Mr. & Mrs. Sumner!
Much love, friends!
WEDDING DAY VENDORS:
Full Service Planning, Production, & Design – Just Us Weddings
Photography – Cynthia Rose Photography
Videography – Serrano Film Co.
Ceremony & Reception, Getting Ready & Guest Accommodations, Catering & Bar – Beaufort Hotel NC
Florist – Designs by Dillon
Tent, Flooring, Stage & Dance Floor – Sperry Tents Southeast
Lighting, Power, Rigging & Installation – High Performance Lighting & Power
Ceremony & Reception Tent Draping – Party Tables
Rentals (plates, flatware, chargers, glassware, tables) – Curated Events Raleigh
Rentals (reception bar, ceremony chairs, couch table) – The Carolina Refinery
Rentals (cocktail hour lounge & chairs, escort display, reception chairs, white farm tables, lounge furniture – Martha My Dear
Table Linens & Napkins (wedding & welcome party) – BBJ LaTavola
Ceremony Musicians – Trent River Chamber Players
Ceremony Audio – The Audio Visual People
Reception Entertainment – The After Party Experience (Sam Hill Entertainment)
Wedding Cake Baker – Famous Baking Co.
Hair & Makeup- Ash & Co.
Restroom Tailer – Mobile Thrones
REHEARSAL DINNER WELCOME PARTY VENDORS:
Venue, Catering, & Bar – Crystal Coast Country Club
Groom’s Cake Baker – Sumner Family Friend
Transportation – Diamond Bus Co.
Entertainment – Bryan Meyer Music
Marquee Lights – Alpha Lit Carolina Coast
Same Photographer, Videographer, Lighting, Linen Rental Company, and Florist as Wedding Day.