Shonna’s Rustic Farm Wedding

Growing up on a farm in the mountains of North Carolina, I wanted a rustic themed wedding with the reception in a barn. We wanted our friends and family surrounding us, good food, good music, and a beautiful setting. We knew when we found Khimaira Farm that we had found the perfect place. Khimaira was the perfect outdoor setting – with the Shenandoah Mountains as a breathtaking backdrop for the ceremony and a converted goat barn for the reception.

Another important aspect of our wedding was involvement of our friends. We have a very talented group of friends and wanted to include them as much as possible. The musicians for the ceremony, caterer, floral design, photography, and wedding planning/caligraphy were all done by close friends. It made the day even more special because we felt so much love from everyone involved.

Nick wanted to wear Converse shoes with his outfit. I decided if he got to have comfy shoes, it is only fair that the girls get comfy shoes as well. We wore our “fancy” shoes for the ceremony, but as soon as it was over, we switched into these customized shoes. Everyone had their names on the back with the exception of the “bride” and “groom”.

We had a really hard time choosing colors for the wedding. I wanted blush and neutrals and Nick wanted bright, vibrant colors. We both compromised and settled on yellow and grey. They grey is neutral and the yellow is bright and vibrant.

Yes, that is a dinosaur in the background….

Nick and I designed all of the paper goods ourselves and printed everything at home. We especially loved our programs that we made into fans with a crossword puzzle on the back and a secret message on the front!

Nick’s Dad made custom cornhole boards with our new last name. We also had custom cornhole bags made using our wedding colors with our names and wedding date embroidered on them.

As favors, my parents made homemade jelly using raspberries from their garden. We also had homemade goat milk soap as a nod to having our wedding on a goat farm. Our sign in book was quilt squares that my Mom will make into a quilt so we will always have everyone’s good wishes with us as a memorable keepsake.

One of the great things about Khimaira Farm is that the price includes use of a wide variety of decorations. We chose to use etched glasses in wire containers and twine wrapped mason jars on wood slices with burlap table runners to keep it very simple and to show off the beauty of the wooden tables.

For our music, we were so happy to have dear friends play the violin for our ceremony. Our first dance was from my favorite group which is local to where I grew up.

OUR MUSICAL CHOICES

Processional: Canon in D

Recessional: Marry You – Bruno Mars

First Dance: Swept Away (Sentimental Version) – Avett Brothers

Our dinner was served buffet style. As each table was called up to the buffet, we asked that they stop with us and pose for a picture. This ensured we have pictures of all of our guests and as you can see by the picture of Nick in his big brother’s lap, it was quite entertaining!

We, along with our guests, LOVED our photo booth. It was so much fun and we loved that the guests got a strip for themselves and one to put in a keepsake book with a note to us. Looking back through all of the pictures makes us laugh every time!

Dessert was homemade pies from family and the bridesmaids, as well as our wedding cake.

We decided we wanted to incorporate rock climbing into our wedding since that is how we met and something we still enjoy doing on a regular basis. We found these awesome wire rock climbing cake toppers and knew that this would be the perfect way to incorporate our favorite activity. We thought it looked great!