Love in Bloom

Spring 2025

Love in Bloom: This floral-soaked soirée showcases organic modern romance at its finest

WRITER:

Emily Storrow

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Megan Sheppard Photography

The open seating outside the tent created a perfect cocktail hour locale.

The country club’s open view of the Blue Ridge Mountains created a stellar ceremony backdrop.

The wedding papers use a watercolor effect, a nod to the wedding theme.

Bridesmaids don shades of seafoam.

The grand tent’s open sides afforded unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains.

Refreshing cocktails help ring in the evening.

Rather than a traditional couple’s table, Robert and Elizabeth sat at an elongated table with the wedding party.

Mixing patterns for the table linens kept the coastal blue color scheme feel fresh and fun, not overthought.

Butterflies and accents of greenery are placed throughout the wedding supplies.

Pastel pink florals complement the baby blue seating.

The couple’s playing card party favors were inspired by frequent games with friends.

Elizabeth and Robert share a private moment in front of the bridge that the wedding party took to the altar.

The red velvet wedding cake—the groom’s favorite—is delicately adorned with butterfly accents.

Prickly pear margaritas were a nod to their Sedona proposal.

Funky sunglasses and light-up foam sticks liven up the reception.

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Megan Sheppard Photography

Elizabeth Cochran & Robert Cochrane
August 17, 2024 • Grandfather Golf & Country Club, Linville

Charleson, South Carolina, natives Elizabeth Cochran and Robert Cochrane met at a party their senior year of high school, bonding in part over their last names being nearly identical. Despite plans to attend separate colleges, they decided to give their relationship a shot. “I’ll never forget the night we decided to date long-distance at the end of the summer,” Elizabeth says. “We were in my mom’s driveway late, and Robert said to me, ‘I’m in it for the long run.’”

They made it work for the next four years and then some. After eight together, on a trip to Sedona, Arizona, Robert knew it was time to take the next step. On a sunset hike to Baby Bell Rock, surrounded by red clay and sweeping canyon views, he dropped to one knee and took Elizabeth’s breath away.

The couple shares a love of travel, and has a particular affinity for Western North Carolina: Robert’s family has long vacationed in Grandfather Mountain, while Elizabeth grew up attending Camp Ton-a-Wandah every summer. And so they looked to the mountains for their August nuptials, quickly falling for the idyllic Grandfather Golf & Country Club. Venue secured, they enlisted the expertise of Meris Gantt and her team at The Whole Shebang Events and began collaborating on their dream day: a fresh, fun, heart-centered celebration of love.

Elizabeth has a natural eye for design, and provided a botanical wallpaper pattern that would inspire the wedding’s elegant and ethereal aesthetic, and was also replicated and used in envelope liners and acrylic drink trays. Subtle pops of whimsy like a recurring butterfly motif, abundant and effortlessly arranged blooms in pastel hues, and organic elements like woven baskets and bamboo chairs rounded out the natural yet elevated affair.

On that bright summer day, surrounded by friends and family, the couple exchanged vows and rings—Robert’s engraved with the phrase that started it all: “In it for the long run.” For the duo that has dated since high school, it was a simply perfect setting to relish their first hours as a married couple.

Details
Wedding planner The Whole
Shebang Events
Venue, Catering, Cake Grandfather
Golf & Country Club
Photography Megan Sheppard Photography
Floral Design April Flowers
Hair + Makeup Megan Oliveri Artistry
Dress Ladies of Lineage
Ceremony Music Deans Duets
Entertainment Infinite Soul Music
Tent Sperry Tents
Stationery Sterling Stripes
Getaway Car Air Haven Limo

KEYWORD TAGS:

design