North Carolina Wedding Weekend

On Friday morning, J and I packed our bags and sleepily made our way down to the airport for a wedding weekend in North Carolina! Though we didn't get to sleep in, we did (or I guess, *I* did) pick up a salted caramel latte (which comes in 2nd place to the reigning favorite, Pumpkin Spice) and entertained ourselves with giant checkers, until I realized I was going to lose and waved the white flag.

We had a quick layover in Charlotte before bumping over to Raleigh. When we landed, the first thing I noticed were how tall the trees were. I know that sounds a little ridiculous but Texas is all about those big, open spaces. I'd almost forgotten that trees could grow so tall and that they could be colored yellow, orange and red. In Texas, trees are either green and blooming or dead. There really is no in between.

His aunt's house (where we were staying), is this gorgeous wooden house with rustic details hiding around every corner. Since we landed kind of late, we only had time to eat dinner and then curl up with wine and fleece blankets on the living room sofas before his cousin put on American Horror Story: Hotel. (I'd never seen any AHS before so I didn't really know what to expect. Even then, I was floored by some scenes. Like. What.)

The next morning, I had these grand plans of taking pictures of the trees for you guys but it ended up raining all day long. The sky was a gray overcast and the rain hitting the roof was enough to about lull me back to sleep. So it was back to the sofas and the fleece blanks for Saturday morning football until it was time to get ready.


























The wedding was about an hour's drive away on an island in the middle of a lake. By the time we arrived, the temperature had been steadily dropping all day but there was a break in the rain. I was able to snap some photos of the tiny details before the ceremony began.

When you need a ferry to get to your ceremony, you know you've made it

It was a beautiful wedding but the wind coming off the lake kept reminding me of the fact that I was absolutely freezing. J lent me his suit jacket but even then, I swear all of the tiny little hairs on my legs were standing straight up.

They had an open bar (blessedly) and with the insider knowledge that wine can make a person feel warmer (though not actually be warmer), I grabbed a glass and made my way to the reception (not blessedly, still outside).

Cutest table marker in the history of weddings

We ate, drank and eventually, danced the night away. There was a fire pit a little ways away that J and I roasted marshmallows over and warmed ourselves by before hitting up the dance floor again. (Disclaimer: we are both awful dancers). Then Sunday morning, it was another early flight followed by a long day of travel before I got back to Austin.

All in all, this weekend was a blast and I'm so glad I got to spend some time with J's family. I'd forgotten how tiring traveling can be, though, so tonight, you'll find me tucked into bed at an early hour.

I hope you all had a great weekend, too!