It’s no secret that the wedding industry has historically been one plagued with waste and single-use luxuries. But, having the wedding of your dreams while staying eco-conscious doesn’t have to be challenging. In honor of Earth Day this year, we’re highlighting an absolutely stunning sustainably-focused styled shoot that’s filled with small, simple, and beautiful ways to make your wedding more sustainable.
This Sweet and Citrus Eco-Chic styled shoot was designed and planned by Joelle Parks of Joelle Parks Events Co. Joelle shares that “in every detail, I want to make sure that intentional decisions are being made to eliminate unnecessary waste.” There are so many ways this was achieved for this styled shoot, which can be easily replicated for your own beautiful wedding!
Tori, owner of Felicity Floral Design , provided many sustainable elements to the shoot. She foraged the ceremony greenery from her own backyard, preserved the citrus garland to be used for future events, and she opted to use chicken wire and moss as an alternative to floral foam in her designs (floral foam is a single-use product that can take hundreds of years to break down in a landfill). For your big day, another great way to minimize both your eco-impact and your budget is to repurpose florals used. For example, moving ceremony arrangements to the sweetheart or head table, or putting bridesmaids bouquets in vases as additional décor.
Another way you could consider making your wedding more eco-friendly: handmade or recycled paper for your invitations. Some of the paper used in this stationary suite by Morgan Harris Design was handmade, adding both a beautiful high-end texture as well as a sustainable element.
One big way that you can both ease your stress and make your day more sustainable is rentals. It can be tempting to purchase what often end up being single-use items such as plastic cups, paper napkins, candlesticks, signs, linens, etc. But consider that you now become the inventory manager for all those things on your wedding day, having to worry about transport and packing everything back up when it comes time. Using a rental company takes that responsibility off of you, in addition to being more sustainable as the rented items can be used again and again. In this case, beautiful dishware and décor was provided by Miss Match Rentals , who purchases all their inventory secondhand!
You may be wondering why Overlook Barn was the ideal location for this styled shoot. On top of our breathtaking mountain views and gorgeous interiors, we have an inherent element of sustainability as a venue. If you weren’t already aware, the Overlook Barn property was originally an operational horse barn for trail rides in the 1960s. When the owners Katie and David bought the property in 2015, they renovated it for their own wedding, breathing life into a space already filled with so much history. By repurposing the property to now serve as a beautiful and elegant celebration space for so many couples, the original structures were saved and the environmental impact of construction to build a venue from the ground up was eliminated—so simply by getting married at Overlook Barn, you’re continuing to give new life to the historical space!
A’ja and Lake’s Romantic Spring Wedding Will Make You Want to Escape to the Mountains
There’s nothing quite like spring in the mountains, and the romance of A’ja and Lake’s wedding has us dreaming of the season to come. Just wait until you see the personal touches they incorporated! EdenHouse’s arrangements featured classic white blooms mixed with fresh greenery and dried pampas grass, giving the day a luxe feel with a touch of boho, and paired perfectly with the rustic elegance of Overlook Barn. One of the stalls featured two wonderfully unique cakes by Hallmark Cakes that looked just as good as they tasted. Bee Grace Photography and Flightless Bird were there to capture it all beautifully in photo and video. Take a look at the amazing details and personal touches in the photos below!
The details of the day were stunning, but A’ja and Lake also wanted the guest experience to be prioritized. Just a few of the fun elements they added for their guests were cornhole, customized coloring pages for the kids, and an outdoor tap trailer from Happy Trailers for the adults to enjoy!
A’ja and Lake’s wedding was all about personal touches that reflected their relationship. One of these thoughtful touches was setting up a Christmas tree in one of our stalls, and giving away ornaments (hand-made by A’ja, Lake, and A’ja’s parents!) as favors for their guests. A’ja and Lake have a tradition of always getting an ornament everywhere they travel, so they have a collection to hang on their own tree and reflect on the memories they’ve made– what better way to make their wedding even more special for their guests than to bring them into that tradition.
These fun and unique cakes by Hallmark Cakes incorporated A’ja and Lake’s classic white, dusty blue, and navy color scheme while adding a modern flair. They were put on display in one of our stalls so guests could enjoy seeing these amazing creations before digging in!
The couple opted to use our sweetheart table, because they knew they wanted to have some moments together to just take in the sweetness and magic of the day. Another way they took some time to themselves was having a private last dance beneath the string lights in Overlook at the end of the night, while their guests lined up for a sparkler exit.
Long-range mountain views in the spring, and this sweet couple– the perfect match for the perfect day!
Are you thinking you may want a spring wedding, but aren’t sure what to expect from a spring wedding in the NC mountains? We’re here to guide you! Here is a glimpse into Overlook Barn weddings in beautiful springtime:
Fresh Foliage
The Overlook Barn property is stunning in all different seasons, but one thing is for certain: it is full of life and natural beauty in the springtime. You’ve got trees waking up from the winter, daisies blooming, birds chirping, and the gorgeous long-range mountain view as the backdrop framing your special day. There’s a reason one of the most common adjectives used to describe it is ‘magical’!
In-Season Blooms
With spring comes some beautiful in-season blooms and a wide variety of colors, with endless possibilities to execute on your vision for your day. Ranunculus, tulips, the ever-sought after peony– spring gives you the opportunity to have a beautiful variety of flowers for your wedding. We have seen so many gorgeous bouquets from our spring-wedding couples, here are just a couple to give you a taste of the beautiful possibilities:
Limitless Color Schemes
With the natural beauty of the mountains, you can also make any color scheme or theme work. Want dark and moody? Boho? Soft romance? All can be done beautifully in the spring! Our property is a beautiful blank slate that looks amazing in any decor, so rest assured your wedding will be stunning no matter what you do.
Guest Attendance
Guests love weddings on our property because it gives them the opportunity to not only celebrate your love but to take a mini-vacation themselves. Spring is a wonderful time for guests to visit the mountains. With a cold winter behind them, they get to wake up to crisp mountain air, enjoy a hike or area activities, and celebrate with YOU. With so much to do in our area, they are sure to have a great time the whole trip!
Each couple and wedding day is unique, and no matter what the day brings you, it’s sure to be beautiful. Just take a look at these stunning photos from some of our past spring weddings and begin dreaming of the magic you could create with your own!
Microwedding, Elopement, or Larger Celebration: Which is Right for You?
While we are known in the area as a location that can comfortably host a large wedding of 250 people seated, over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the introduction of a new wedding trend that we believe is here to stay– intimate celebrations in place of a traditional wedding. So what exactly is an intimate celebration, and how do you know if that’s what is right for you and your partner? Let’s dive in and see what intimate celebrations are all about!
WHAT IS AN INTIMATE CELEBRATION?
An intimate celebration is generally defined as intentionally smaller, more simplified celebrations of marriage. They usually last between 4 and 5 hours total including set up/decorating/getting ready time, whereas larger celebrations are an all day affair.
At Overlook Barn, we have two types of intimate celebrations: microweddings and elopements . Microweddings are characterized by being 25 people or less, and are a great way to simplify your celebration while still having a great time at a ceremony and reception with guests. Alternatively, elopements are between 2 and 10 people, and are a great way to have a celebration that is done in style without the ‘traditional reception’.
WHAT INTIMATE WEDDING PACKAGES DO YOU OFFER?
While there are some differences between microweddings and elopements, what they both have in common in addition to a smaller guest list is their all-inclusive nature. You may be wondering, what does ‘all-inclusive’ actually mean? In this case, we really mean everything– with our microweddings and elopements you get modern getting-ready suites, a wedding planner to coordinate the celebration and take care of details for you, a ceremony musician, an officiant, beautiful wedding florals, a champagne toast, cake cutting, and charcuterie. In addition to those inclusions, we have the option to add stellar professional photography at a special rate to either package, and the option to add an amazing meal accompanied with a curated music playlist to our microwedding package .
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Ultimately any celebration you have will be special, because you’ll be married to your loved one at the end of the day. But when it comes to making a decision between an elopement, microwedding, or larger celebration, there are some important things to consider.
A microwedding may be right for you if you want all the luxuries of a larger-scale celebration, but without the same amount of planning, decision-making, and guests that come along with it. Elopements are perfect for when you want to celebrate with just your loved one, but with a little bit of flair– saying ‘I do’ with just the two of you, those closest to you, and the beauty of the mountains.
If you or your partner have a specific vision for your day that you want to bring to life through planning, or if you have a long list of family and friends that you absolutely want to include, a larger celebration might be right for you. These weddings are great fits for couples who want to be more involved in planning, celebrate all day long surrounded by lots of family and friends, and customize the day with their dream team of vendors. At Overlook Barn, we can host anywhere from 30 to 250 seated or even up to 300 for a standing cocktail-style full reception! If hearing those numbers excites you and gets you thinking about all the friends and family you’d like to have surrounding you on your big day, a larger celebration should be a perfect fit.
With the breathtaking mountain views at all of our ceremony sites and throughout the Overlook Barn property, one thing is certain: whichever wedding you choose, it would certainly be a day full of beauty that you will never forget.
If you’d like to get more information about the large and intimate celebration packages we offer, please email us at info@overlookbarn.com. We would love to hear from you and learn more about your wedding vision!
Stay at Overlook Barn
Introducing our On-Property Accommodations
We are excited to share that we’ve added another great reason to get married at Overlook Barn—on-site accommodations available to our couples and their guests during our wedding season!
One of the most frequently asked questions we get as a destination wedding venue is “where can we stay that is close to your property?” Being in the wedding industry, we know how important it is to stay somewhere during your event that is not only convenient, but a great experience in itself—somewhere you want to go back to. We’ve always been pleased to have very closeby accommodations because we’re located in the beautiful town of Beech Mountain, but we also wanted to offer a calm, relaxing place for our couples and their families to stay on property after a full and exciting wedding day. With the introduction of our 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house and the private one bedroom honeymoon suite, now our couples have a great accommodation option on our property that checks all those boxes!
Our on-site accommodations mean no travel time, and a beautiful place to stay with the same breathtaking mountain views our venue offers. Thoughtfully curated by local wedding planner and interior designer Paige Ulmer, creator and founder of The Laurel Collective, these accommodations have been designed for relaxation and enjoyment during your special day.
THE HOUSE
Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, the fully renovated house on our property has wonderful amenities and views that won’t disappoint. With a large wrap-around deck, wood-burning fireplace, and luxurious spa-inspired primary bathroom, you and your guests will be cozy and comfortable in this mountain escape.
THE HONEYMOON SUITE
Designed with couples in mind, this beautiful studio-style getaway has a private entrance and features an open floor plan. With contemporary amenities and a bed that overlooks a stunning mountain view, the Honeymoon Suite is the perfect blend of modern comfort in the natural beauty of the mountains.
Want to take a closer look? Fall in love with our Honeymoon Suite and Overlook Barn Home on Airbnb!
Questions about which option may be available for you to stay? We’d love to help. Send us an email at stay@overlookbarn.com and one of our venue managers will be in touch soon!
Lowe’s tells our story, just in time for Father’s Day
If you’ve been reading the blog, then you know our back story- that owners Katie and David wanted to renovate Katie’s grandfather’s barn for their own wedding and Katie’s dad, Cliff, took a lead in the actual renovations. That’s it in a nutshell, but here’s the story in a beautifully-done video by Lowe’s ! They heard about the barns’ amazing transformations and knew that we relied heavily on Lowe’s for our materials so they came up and interviewed dad (Cliff) and took some beautiful video of the property. If it wasn’t already apparent how much love went into this property, I think you’ll see it now. Thank you Lowe’s for giving us this gift. And Happy Father’s Day Dad (Cliff)! Thank you for all that you did to make Overlook Barn everything it is today.
Published Weddings!
Want some inspiration for your own wedding décor? Check out these real and styled weddings from Overlook Barn published in various wedding blogs:
Overlook Barn Weddings Featured in regional magazines!
We are thrilled to have multiple of our 2016 weddings published in some wonderful magazines in the high country! If you are planning a High Country wedding, these are great magazines to explore for all your vendor needs.
Tyson + Molly’s September 23, 2016 wedding is featured in the WNC Magazine Feb/March 2017 issue. By the way, if you are interested in having your wedding announced in the WNC Magazine, submit it at http://wncmagazine.com/wedding-announcements.
Sam + Haley’s June 11th, 2016 wedding is featured in the High Country Wedding Guide Contact the High Country Wedding Guide to receive your complimentary copy today!
Amber + Ethan’s September 9th, 2016 wedding is featured in the High South Weddings Magazine 2017 issue This couple’s wedding was a true community affair with friends and family pitching in to make a beautiful day for these two sweethearts!
Last, but not least, did you happen to notice where that High South Weddings cover photo was taken? Yep, that’s right! That’s Valerie and Josh at Overlook Barn on their big day.
“Small Barn” Grand Opening and Surprise 70th birthday!
Surprise! Katie’s father, aka our general contractor, aka the birthday boy, aka Cliff had no idea he was putting some of the final touches on the small barn for… his own surprise 70th birthday party! With a little trickery and coordination, we threw a surprise party for Cliff with friends and family from all over. We had BBQ from Pedlin’ Pig, music from the High Country Boomers, and most importantly to the birthday boy, a table full of his favorite desserts from Sweet Tooth Bakery. The best part of the evening was when we revealed the name of the previously-known-as ‘Small Barn’… Cliffside Barn it is!!
