Vintage Charm Meets Rustic Elegance: Leslie & Ryan's Wedding

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From Kathy with Romance & Rust Weddings and Events

Leslie and Ryan’s wedding at The Wedding Woods was a beautiful celebration filled with carefully chosen details that created a truly romantic and inviting atmosphere. From the moment guests arrived, they were greeted by a charming lantern-lit pathway lined with vintage gold mirrors and green velvet bows, setting the tone for the day ahead. The ceremony space was nothing short of magical, featuring a rustic wooden arbor draped with cascading white wisteria and soft candlelight that intertwined with the natural surroundings. Absolutely breathtaking!

Emerald green velvet continued as a luxurious design thread, draping the sweetheart and cake tables. Centerpieces of brass candlesticks, glass cylinders with glowing candles, and amber vases filled with fresh white blooms completed the refined and romantic atmosphere.

Leslie shared that one of her favorite moments from her wedding was the first look, where they had a private moment to read their vows. She took a unique approach by having both of her parents walk her down the aisle, saying it was special to have them lead her to the love of her life. When we asked Leslie to describe her wedding day, she said, “Our wedding was elegant and enchanting, with hints of vintage style. We incorporated vintage elements into the décor, using antique mirrors and furniture. Romance & Rust created a beautiful atmosphere for us and our guests. We were pleasantly surprised by many unexpected details that made a significant impact.”

From the bride, Leslie

How Did You Meet?

We matched on Tinder! We went to a park for our first date, and eventually he took me to the Old Hickory Steakhouse in the Opryland Hotel and asked me to be his girlfriend.

Tell Us About Your Engagement.

This is a funny story. So, initially, Ryan had planned to propose to me on a beach vacation with his family. However, I’m pretty good at figuring things out, so I knew it was going to happen then. He wasn’t exactly making it subtle…he took me to go ring shopping about a month or so before…suspicious? I think more like obvious. We go on the trip, but unfortunately, the entire time we’re down there, I’m sick as a dog. He, his sister, & brother hired a photographer to surprise their mom with family photos. I’m dreading it because I felt awful, I looked pale as ever, and I didn’t want the memory of our engagement to be me sick. I was supposed to be excited and happy! Thankfully, he decided not to propose because he knew I felt awful. On the last day, he ended up getting sick too, and we left early to go to the doctor. Turns out we both had a dynamic duo of strep throat AND covid. Yuck.

Two months later, October rolls around. He’s trying to come up with something, but Ryan is just not great at being inconspicuous…or I’m just really observant, haha. He knows October is my favorite time of the year, and I know he probably accounted for that. He decided to take me out on a nice date to Jimmy Kelly’s. We hadn’t been in a while, so I didn’t think too much about it. I did wonder a couple of times if he was going to do it in the restaurant. It wasn’t until we were driving home that we ended up going a different way home, and I started getting suspicious. We pulled into the park where we had our first date and took me to the middle of the bridge, which already had little lights on it. He got down on one knee and asked me. I thought it was just him and me until I heard cheering from the end of the bridge. My best friend was there with a camera, and then I heard cheering from the pond. That’s right…the pond. I’m like, “Surely this is not a duck yelling like that.” I lean over the rail, and it’s Ryan’s twin brother. He was still setting the lights out when we were walking up, so he JUMPED in.

Afterward, we went back to our apartment and celebrated with our friends. Ryan had decided that day he was going to propose because he knew if he planned it out, I’d figure it out. The next day, we told our family & closest friends. It was definitely a night to remember, lol.

Lessons Learned While Wedding Planning.

If there’s a gut feeling you have that something feels off during the planning process, listen to that!

There are things you will have to spend money on for sure, but there are also many ways to save money if you take the time & effort to do so (e.g., making my own cards through Canva saved a lot of money).

During the planning process, people will often tell you, “I’ll be happy to help with anything you need.” However, when you need help, it sometimes feels like everyone is “too busy” or have gone quiet since your engagement. Some of that is due to them not wanting to stress you out or not being sure how to help.

For me, it was hard asking for help because I didn’t want to be a burden on anyone else. I think people do mean it when they say they want to help; they need some guidance on where and what to do. Sometimes you have to designate people to do things. Assign tasks early to give people clarity and increase the likelihood they’ll be available when you need them. And you don’t realize until the time comes, it is nice to have the help when you need it.

Tell Us About Your Vision

I knew I wanted a classy, elegant vibe. But. I also wanted to incorporate things Ryan liked too. He likes rustic and a more relaxed vibe. We toured the Wedding Woods, and as soon as we walked down the riverbed in its outdoor ceremony site, I immediately thought of the Twilight wedding scene. Say what you want about the movies, yes, they are pretty cheesy, but the wedding scene was gorgeous. And that’s what I took inspiration from to combine our styles.

I love green & thought the different shades for my bridesmaids would be pretty since our wedding was in November. It also goes perfectly with gold & we had LOTS of gold/ brass elements. I knew I wanted the men to wear tuxes; they all looked very dapper. I added some pearl details to my sleeves, which I wore down the aisle & they matched the flower girl dresses.

The best part about it was that I met with Kathy at her barn, where she keeps all her decor, and we just went down aisle by aisle, choosing things we liked that fit with the vision, and I was able to sit back and not worry about any of that on the day of the wedding. She set everything up perfectly and created exactly what I wanted.

Tell Us About Your Day.

The first look was special because I knew once I saw Ryan, all the nerves would melt away, and they did! It was a moment for both of us to take together alone and read our personal vows to one another. We also had a memory table of all of our loved ones who couldn’t be there with us that day; it was very special.

One funny thing, looking back, was that I had ordered this jewelry to go with my dress, and the day of, I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE. That was probably the only thing I stressed over that day. And I didn’t stress much because I was smart and had a backup pearl necklace Ryan’s Aunt gifted me for Christmas the previous year. I didn’t have earrings, however, so I called my mom asking her to bring some I could borrow. It ended up being God’s will that it happened, because they were the “something borrowed” for my day.

Something else that was special was that my best friend, who was the MOH, also did my hair and makeup. That was so special and took a lot of stress off the getting-ready process because we had fun! We did glam waves for my hair for the ceremony and then switched to an updo for the reception. I’ll always cherish that she was able to be a part of my day in multiple ways.

Finally, my love of vintage definitely came to play with my reception dress. My mom told me to try her dress on when I first got engaged, and it fit perfectly. I knew I wanted to incorporate it in my wedding somehow and had seen other brides use their mother’s dress in different ways, too. My mom found a friend who was funny enough, also her sorority sister in college, to repurpose the dress for us. It came out so much better than I imagined, and it’s even better to think that my mom also consigned the dress before me. So, three brides wore the dress! Maybe I’ll have a daughter one day to pass it down to.

Tell Us About the Reception.

The vibe was pretty chill. I didn’t want the basic introduction of the bridal party; it just wasn’t my vibe! Ryan and I were introduced, and we went into our first dances. Then we dismissed for food & went into speeches after. After that, we had something fun planned. I wanted to do a photo dash, which is basically where the bride and groom sit in one spot, and they take photos with each table as they are called up. It was so much fun, everyone loved it, AND we got to take photos with everyone. So, no one can say, “I just hate I didn’t get a photo with you.” After the dash, we went straight into dancing for a while, and then I changed into the reception dress & we did a “fake sendoff” for timeline purposes. We had our guests light sparklers, and we ran through them. Then we had a family friend let us take photos with their red Mustang and “drive” off for extra photos! We danced and visited for a few more hours, and then the night was over! Ryan and I were so tired, but so happy at the same time.