We swear this isn’t a celeb couple, although Real NK Bride, Shannon, and her husband, Dan, sure look like one! Their neutral-toned, aesthetic wedding could be featured in any magazine. See how Nathalie helped save Shannon’s dress and put the finishing touches on her perfect look.
The NK Experience
Finding NK Bride
You can make meaningful connections anywhere, anytime. Take it from Shannon’s mom who met our tailor, Arthur, on a night out. They got to talking, and he was able to offer his and Nathalie’s services for all Shannon’s bridal attire needs. She desperately sought help fixing a wedding dress disaster and came to the right place!
The Alterations
When Shannon received her dress, it came with a bustier that wasn’t there when she originally tried it on. She took it to a tailor in hopes of getting it back to its original form, only for it to come back even worse! But not to worry. It wasn’t a problem Nathalie couldn’t fix. She removed the bustier entirely, giving the dress the soft, less rigid look Shannon was looking for. After adding removable straps and adjusting the neckline, it was as good as new!
“The process was super easy.” Shannon was admittedly nervous at first, and who could blame her after the mishaps she encountered? But she trusted the NK process and breathed a sigh of relief when everything turned out perfectly! “She put a pin somewhere, and all of a sudden it [the dress] appeared out of nowhere,” she laughed. Leave it to Nathalie to work her magic!
Working With Nathalie
“I wouldn’t change anything. She got everything done in time, and she was always available to meet me, so I was very happy!” Shannon also commended our designer on her flexible communication methods. “As a generational thing, a lot of us just operate or respond better via text or social media, so when she’d ask me things through that, it was great.” Nathalie is always in tune with her clients and strives to make their experience as comfortable as can be!
The Veil
Shannon had a veil made by the previous tailor, but it didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped. Thankfully, Nathalie’s new collection of custom veils came to the rescue! Our Giselle veil is similar to the one Shannon had, with the addition of a blusher, which Shannon wasn’t originally planning on. After Nathalie encouraged her to give it a try, she fell in love with it. “I started crying when I put it on. It completely changed the look of the dress and made it for me.” A spur-of-the-moment decision turned into one of her favorite parts of the wedding!
A timeless veil can make a great family heirloom, which is why we couldn’t help but ask Shannon about her plans for the piece. “I’m definitely saving it,” she confirmed. It was her goal to find something that would hold its style forever. “I could see my future daughter wearing it.” Here’s to multiple generations of NK brides!
The Dress
Shannon said yes to an RK Bridal dress. She always knew she wanted a form-fitting silhouette and was captivated by the ever-growing 3D-floral trend. The bride-to-be looked on Pinterest for inspo beforehand but needed to shop around to see what “jumped out at [her].” Although she never pictured herself in one, it was a strapless gown that captured her heart. “I guess it all just kinda fell into place!”
How They Met
Ah, young love! Shannon and Dan are high school sweethearts who had a friends-to-lovers trope. She always secretly liked him, and after two years, he finally told her that he had a crush on her. Shannon’s response? “Make a move then, let’s go!” she joked. They officially started dating when Shannon graduated, and Dan was finishing his junior year. Now, look at them over ten years later!
“I think I knew [he was the one] pretty immediately. When you're with somebody that much and you're not getting sick of them, that's how you know.”
The Proposal
Who wouldn’t want to be proposed to on an island getaway? Shannon had a feeling it might happen during their trip to Punta Cana, but given the chaotic series of events, it seemed to have slipped her mind. Dan wanted everyone to assemble for drinks on the beach before dinner (*wink wink*), but thanks to the humid weather, Shannon was not feeling it. Nobody wants a bad hair day on vacation! It took some convincing, but he eventually got her on board.
If that wasn’t enough, while the couple was getting ready for the evening, their hotel butler accidentally started spilling the beans, prompting Dan to jump out of the shower and rectify the situation. “At that point, I was like, ‘Omg is it happening tonight?’” But it still didn’t fully sink in, since she was late getting ready and had to be forced out by her sister. As they finally approached the beach, there was a heart set up, and the moment Shannon had been waiting for began to unfold. “He [Dan] didn't say much because he was nervous, so he kinda just blurted out, ‘Do you want to marry me?’” she laughed. Then, all of their high school friends, who’ve watched their relationship evolve, ran out to celebrate this new milestone with them. Whew, collective sigh of relief, everyone!
As for the ring, Shannon had mentioned that she’d love an oval diamond but left it up to Dan from there. “I always wanted it to be something he chose. For me, that's more special. He did what I would've done.” Dan knows his girl well!
Wedding Inspo
When Shannon found Wrightsville Manor on Instagram, she didn’t even need to see it in person before booking it. Located in North Carolina, it had the warm climate that the couple was looking for and enjoyed during stays at Dan’s summer home. It also had the modern atmosphere that she wasn’t going to get from a traditional wedding hall. There was no specific theme Shannon had in mind, just “something super green and somewhere that if it rained, [she’d] be happy with getting married inside.” Looks like it aced the test!
The Bridesmaids
“The color was perfect for the background and venue.” Gradients of green shone throughout the day with these sage dresses adding to the natural surroundings. Shannon chose a uniform hue but was adamant about her friends choosing their own style. “I didn’t want to force anyone to wear anything they weren’t going to like. You want everyone to feel pretty, not just you on that day.” The key to a wedding worthy of a Vogue cover!
And can we take a moment for the adorable pajamas? These little details make getting ready all the more fun (a bit of champagne doesn't hurt either)!
Fabulous Florals
Who else is obsessed with these flowers? Shannon envisioned a classic look with a sprinkle of wildflowers, and that’s exactly what she got. “Flowers were my big thing. I felt like splurging on them because they really help get the design across.” You can’t go wrong with white, which is why she kept it simple. No chance of regretting her color choices in the future. The funny thing about all this? Shannon wasn’t even into flowers! “I always told Dan, ‘Don’t buy me flowers because they just die,’” she laughed. If anything has the power to convert you into a flower gal, it’s a wedding!
The Ceremony
Declaring your love in front of the people who matter most is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s why the ceremony was Shannon’s favorite part of the day. “We wrote our own vows and had one of our best friends officiate the wedding, so I felt like it was the most personal part.” Writing vows is no easy task, “but it made it so worth it. I love love, so I was like, ‘We gotta show it!’” We have no doubt that everyone felt it too.
The Reception
The reception decor looks so effortless, you almost wouldn’t believe how much work went into it. Aside from the empty building itself, the couple had a blank canvas to transform from scratch, down to the tables and silverware. “I'm a planner at heart, so I like to design things. It was like a second job,” Shannon told us. “I wanted that wild, raw look to it but also pulled together.” Rustic chic, as we like to call it. And, boy, did she nail it! The wood furniture, muted gold tones, and warm lighting gave the room a classy but cozy aura. “I was making changes up until a week before [the wedding], but I'm happy with how it came together.” An interior designer in the making, perhaps?
Don’t think for one second that classy means stuffy because these newlyweds know how to keep it cool. It’s not often you see a bride working a fog gun! And is it just us, or was this duo floating on a cloud for their first dance? “When you're not a pro dancer, it [the fog] kind of blurs your feet, so you can just do what you're doing,” Shannon laughed. No matter the reason, it was a majestic moment!
Fur Babies & A Fiery Finale
Two tiny guests certainly had a big impact! “We’re obsessed with them, so obviously, they needed to be there in some way,” Shannon shared. Tessy, the Shih Tzu, and Manuka, the poodle, sauntered down the aisle accompanied by Shannon’s sister and her fiancé. That was supposed to be the extent of their participation, but the distinguished dogs were so well-behaved that they were able to stay the whole night. And we’re glad they did because they made this outro even more epic! Ending the night with a sparkler sendoff was an exciting way to involve the guests and light the torch of the couple's new life together.
Congratulations to the beautiful couple! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together.
<3 NK Bride
Inspired by Shannon and Dan’s wedding? Visit our Pinterest to save the photos!
The Dream Team
Photographer: Eric von Bargen Photography | Custom Veil & Wedding Dress Alterations: NK Bride | Venue: Wrightsville Manor | Planner: Design A Dream Events | Dress: Morilee | Catering: SpoonFed Kitchen | Cake: Snack Time Sweets | Rentals: Party Suppliers & Rentals | Specialty Rentals: White Birch Rentals & Martha My Dear Rentals | Videographer: ERICMUSTFILM | Ceremony Music: Jenny Lynn & Will Maxwell | DJ: Active Entertainment | Florals: Designs by Amber Lanier | Hair: Jessica Horsley Hair | Makeup: Danielle Forte Makeup Artist | Spray Tan: Wrightsville Glow | Couple: Shannon & Dan