We may be partial being full time residents in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, but there is no better place to host an outdoor event. Not only because our venue is beautiful, but for these three practical reasons as well!
#1 Outside is Better in the Mountains.
I know you may say, “But there’s bugs and humidity and the sun!” But that is exactly the reason to head to the mountains for an outdoor event. In NC, we have very few bugs, low humidity even in the middle of summer and reasonable temperatures! The fall is even better for all three things, less bugs, no humidity and cool temps. It’s all around a haven for hosting outdoor events with nothing in your way but stunning scenery and vibrant colors.
No bride wants her hair or makeup ruined by high humidity, so consider a mountain venue in your planning so you aren’t limited by city venues with air conditioning to keep your look glamorous.
#2 Stunning Photos
There’s just nothing like the photos you get from natural light and landscaping! What I love the most is the contrast of a regal bridal gown against the bright greens of summer grass and tress or the fall vibrant leaves. Both seasons are wonderful settings for photographs and I can never encourage couples enough that your wedding photos are something you will look back on for the rest of your life! Choose the setting and the photographer that will capture your special moment well.
#3 A Fun Travel Spot
If you and your guests don’t live in the mountains, then your wedding can be a mini vacay for everyone! Surrounding our property, we have connections with rental cabins that all have beautiful views and big porches to sit outside and soak in the mountain mornings with a cup of coffee. You and your guests can fully enjoy the mountain before and after the ceremony. If you have an adventurous crew, the bridal party can go down the New River in kayaks or tubes, go hiking to the top of Mount Jefferson or visit a local brewery with a rooftop bar. You can plan a weekend of fun activities and get the most of the Blue Ridge Mountains along with your wedding celebration!
For lists of our rental cabins, fun local activities, our favorite hiking trails and details about the wedding venue, shoot us an email or fill out the contact us form on our website. Wishing you the best in your wedding planning!
-The Timber River Team
We recently hosted a gorgeous western themed wedding at Timber Rivers Venue and the couple had the most unique personalization we’ve ever seen! They hired a metal working company to create a cattle brand with their initials. After the ceremony, all the guests gathered around the fire pit while they branded a framed piece of fabric to become a keepsake in their new home!
Linked HERE is a company that create these custom cattle brands if you feel like this is the perfect touch for your wedding! There are some small companies on Etsy as well that create cattle brands, so you have that as another option.
I’ve also seen couples use the brand on a large wood slice as a unique piece of home decor. Or purchase a small brand and use it on little circle wood slices with precut holes so you and all your guests can take home an ornament! It’s a fun smaller keepsake for the couple but also makes a unique guest gift as well.
If a western wedding isn’t your thing, stay tuned as we share other fun ideas and wedding details throughout the year! Follow us on Instagram to stay updated on our newest blog posts.
Until next time! – The Timber Rivers Family
Choosing a color scheme can be one of the most overwhelming parts of a wedding, but it is also a detail frequently overlooked for smaller events. From baby shower to wedding day, having a tight-knit color scheme will help your event look put together, elevated and unique.
For a wedding, we always suggest choosing colors that feel comfortable to both parties, coordinate with seasonal flowers and are colors that YOU like! Any event’s host is the most important opinion on the colors chosen for the event. But, colors also go in and out of style, so here are 5 of our favorite trending colors schemes for the spring and summer of 2024.
#1 “Summer Sherbet”
Blends of pink and orange are coming back into the wedding scene but this addition of green and silver grounds the bright colors a bit while still keeping bold florals in the mix!
#2 “No Blues Around Here”
Monochromatic color schemes are a trending bold choice. Blues and purple tones against a white wedding dress and black suits create a dramatic contrast that is truly breathtaking!
#3 “Unabashedly Bold”
Another growing trend is bold and rich color tones! These colors again contrast against white and pop with a loud statement. They are perfect for any event that wants to stand out.
#4 Vintage Elegance
The vintage wedding style is still a strong trend. These colors have a timeless beauty that can be made new by the way the flowers are arranged and the decor with them.
#5 “Spring is Here”
The natural floral tones of pink, purple and orange give any event a natural, fresh-cut garden look. This color scheme is perfect for the bride or soon-to-be mother that loves being outside or working in her flowerbeds!
Your color choices say so much about your personality and the things you love in life. No choice is wrong, so explore your options and choose something that feels personal for your next event and watch everything come together beautifully!
-The Timber Rivers Family
One of the most fun elements of design for any bridal look is her bouquet. Faux or fresh, any bridal bouquet adds color, style and says a lot about the bride. If you’re finding yourself knee-deep in wedding planning and know nothing of bouquet styles, we’re here to help! At the venue, our team does all kinds of floral creations for weddings and bouquets are one of our personal favorites to create.
The first thing you need to know is the different shapes of bouquets: Round, Nosegay (round with more greenery), Pageant, Freeform, Cascading, and Posey. We’ll talk about some of the building elements and the style each shape adds to the bride’s wedding look.
Let’s dive in to some of our favorites!!
- Nosegay or Round Shape
These more traditional shaped bouquets are perfect for the bride who likes symmetry. While they can be a rounded, 360 bouquet of roses – more classic style – they can also be funky and eye-catching. The florals can be spaced further apart to create a breezy, spring arrangement or with a variety of unique florals and add-ins, each bouquet can become a work of art. The key to any arrangement shape is the flower ingredients that make up the bouquet!
2. Freeform
Freeform is the A-symmetrical bride’s dream! Typically these bouquets are a unique shape with a sloping movement to them. However, like their name they can be made into any form. Some flow out and down on either side of the stems and have an overall more symmetrical appearance. So, if you love the oversized look but aren’t a fan of the A-symmetrical shape, you can tell your florist to shape the bouquet to flow evenly on both sides of the stems. On the flip side, if you are a more artsy/funky bride, we would highly suggest the typical Freeform bouquet! It makes such an impact and wows the guests every time. Of course the boldness of the flowers you choose makes the finished look as bold as you want it to be.
3. Cascading
From traditional bride to young and trendy, the cascading bouquet also makes quite the statement. Lighter florals make a dreamy drape in front of the bride as you walk down the aisle and bold colors pop against your white gown and will leave viewers breathless. It’s the most dramatic bouquet shape, depending on the length, but a statement that is well worth it! Our only hesitancy with this bouquet is if your dress has a detail that is only seen on the front, then you probably don’t want to cover that up with the florals. This arrangement is probably best against a satin, silk, or lace dress.
Trending Bouquet Ideas:
For the color-loving bride, the monochromatic bouquet trend is phenomenal! There’s no better way to make a floral statement on your wedding that than choosing all one color tone. This trend makes the tabletop decor, bouquets, boutonnieres really pop against the venue background and your wedding attire.
Florals are a stunning part of any decor, so make sure not to leave them to the end of all your wedding planning! They deserve thoughtful choices and talented florists. For every bride who books at Timber Rivers Venue, our team creates all the florals to each bride’s specification. It becomes one of the most fun things we talk about and design together.
We wish you the best in all your wedding plans and floral designs! – The Timber Rivers Team
A new year comes with so many wonderful and fresh things! Our favorite, is the new style trends emerging that bleed into our world of wedding and event decor. I have to say, I’m super excited about the trends that 2024 are bringing into the event space, because they are some that I’ve always liked and appreciate that they are now “On trend”. You know what goes around, comes around and then comes around again, lol, so I’m sure some of these will phase out and then reappear in another few years. But I’m hoping for some brides that are ready to embrace these trends while they’re hot this year!
Definitely my favorite of the year, are the feminine details like pearls, bows and satin. Can I say YES, PLEASE, any louder!? The combo of all three give such an Audrey Hepburn class to an event. And for bridal outfits: pearls, bows and satin are so incredibly stunning, I just can’t get enough. The pearls on tulle for either a veil or table runner is a nice little touch of the trend without going all out with bows. I know with the new hair-bow trend that some girls are all on board (Me) and others feel like they’re 5 years old again with a bow in their hair. Whichever way that trend makes you feel, pearls are a classy go-to in bridal decor that have that elevated maturity you may not feel about the bows.
With that being said about bows… those gloves covered in pearls with the satin bows are to die for! Haha, personal opinion.
If though, you’re a plain Jane girl that doesn’t want to bedeck yourself in pearls, bows or tulle, there are so many ways to incorporate these trends into your wedding decor. A cake with icing that looks like pearls is both classy and breathtaking. Draping strings of pearls on your centerpieces, in the floral arrangements, hanging from the chandeliers, pearlized ballon arches, bows on the chairs… there’s just so many ways to bring in the feminine trend without having to wear them.
I’ve collected so many more ideas on our Pinterest page, Click HERE, if these photos are sending you into your happy place and you’ve just discovered the theme of your wedding! Happy Planning!
- Timber Rivers Team
Pantone has released next year’s color of the year and we’re so excited because it’s a beautiful color for wedding color schemes! Tilted, “Peach Fuzz” it’s a gorgeous tone that embodies warmth, happiness and light. The best part on the wedding venue front is that there are many flowers that bloom in this color! Here’s some of our favorite ways to incorporate peach in weddings and some common flowers that work perfectly with this year’s color!
Peach Linens
This wedding used a combination of china plates and glass colors to go with her vintage look, but all the napkins were a gorgeous peach. They added a sense of unity to all the place settings and a touch of femininity. We think the gold silverware is also a stunning combo with the peach trend!
Peach Fresh Flowers
There are a variety of flowers that naturally bloom in a peach tone, but three of the most common and therefore the most cost efficient are ranunculus, carnations and roses. The first has lush, layered blooms that make for incredibly luxurious bouquets and arrangements! Carnations make a great accent flower, since their blooms are smaller than your focal point blooms, but bunched together they can also make a lush bouquet.
Even if you’re not a classic red rose person, roses aren’t to be discounted! The other colors can be striking in their beauty, and the abnormal roses are truly something to behold! The peach Campanella Rose is one of my personal favorites and you won’t even know its a rose at first glance.
Peach Floral Ideas
From the accent color to the main event, peach brings a delicate femininity and fresh atmosphere to any event! If you like the white and green simple florals for a wedding, the addition of some peach flowers really warms up the overall style.
Peach is also a great accent color with blue, neutrals/pampas grass, red or yellow (for a spring wedding).
No matter what color scheme fits your event or wedding day, we’re here to help you order just the right flowers, make the arrangements and centerpieces you’ve been dreaming of. Our team loves dreaming with each client to make their special day come to life!
You can read more about the Pantone color of the year HERE!
What could be more magical that planning your big day during the most beautiful and sparkling season of the year!? I can’t think of anything better than Christmas (maybe Disney world…). We’ve had a few December weddings at the venue and they’re some of the team’s favorite to put together. We’ve curated a list of the most beautiful trends and ideas for a magical Christmas wedding!
Trend #1 Decorate with Christmas Trees
Now, its easy for us to say, since we live in the Christmas tree capital of the country, but I think everything is more magical with a tree (or two or seven!). This wedding had three behind the ceremony, two more coupled in the back and a few down each side of the barn. Altogether, we had nine trees in the barn, all only decorated with white lights and it was simply stunning!
Ornaments can add a more elegant effect, but after all the other decor was put into place, I think the simple lights made for the perfect touch. And the smell of the fresh frasier fir trees… there’s nothing else like it!
Trend #2 – Have the bridesmaids wear emerald green
The photos of this wedding with the trees and the bridesmaids all dark green made the bride pop! And truly what else could you want in your wedding photos than being the center of attention?! Also, there’s the fact that emerald looks good on so many skin tones, that it’s a choice you won’t have to hear complaints from anyone feeling washed out.
Trend #3 – Include evergreen in your floral arrangements
Having access to fresh frasier fir, it was a no brainer for our venue. But even if you have to order some, there is no better choice of greenery for a Christmas wedding. I love the way it tied in the Christmas trees and brought a cohesive and festive style throughout the venue.
Trend #4 Have sparklers at your exit
There are so many creative ways to get fun photos of your exit from the reception, but at Christmas time, sparklers are the win! They add to the Christmas lights effect and create such phenomenal photo opts, you just can’t turn them down! Such a magical way to end a magical day. The guests froze at this exit, but it was worth it for these shots!
No matter how you choose to style your Christmas wedding, I encourage you not to deny the cozy warmth of the Christmas season. There is something to the gold, red and green combination that should be embraced to make your wedding day just that much more special! And if you decide Christmas is your vibe and the heart of Christmas tree farms is where you need to tie the knot, Timber Rivers may be just the venue for you. Message us for open dates and let’s get this party started!
Love those weddings where the bride and groom’s personality is everywhere you go?! We do too, and as a venue we’ve seen so many creative ways to add personal details! From our experience, here’s 5 ways to add those sweet details that really make your wedding feel special to the two of you.
1. Include all the people that matter to the two of you!
We all get to our wedding day and some people that we love can’t be there. If they’ve already passed away, are in the hospital, live too far to fly or have some life complication, it happens! Framed photos are a wonderful way to have them present when life has kept them away. We loved this couple’s idea to set them all on a table behind the ceremony, making their loves ones close to the heart of there commitment. But some couples opt to put the photos on chairs and leave spaces for the people missing or set up a whole memorial at the wedding reception! All these ideas are a way to cherish those lost, but also to still include the people who have made you who you are today. If they matter to you, they should be at your ceremony.
2. Choose a fun guest book or memorial of guests!
We have seen so many creative guest books through the years, but this one took the cake! Signing a record was so true to this couple’s antique styled wedding. They love old things, their record player and so this guest book was true to their personalities and relationship.
The phone booths where guests can leave a message are super fun and unique, as well as the blank canvases that each guest can add a bit of paint! No matter what you choose, the more unique and personal to your story, the better. It can become a keepsake that you’ll love looking back on for years, and how you choose to go about it will add a lot of personal touches to your reception.
3. Be True to You!
If you’re the fairytale girl, get a horse and buggy! If you love shopping for antiques together, surround your wedding decor with fun finds! If you two met in NYC, make your decor and reception city skyline themed. IF you’re laidback and love playing music together, have your reception be around a campfire with musical instruments ready to grab and smore’s for the guests. Don’t be afraid of what your guests think, instead fully embrace your personalities and your story and let it show during your wedding and reception. It’s more fun for the guests in the end, even if you present them with the unexpected.
4. Choose a menu of your favorite foods!
If you two love pizza, turn your reception into a pizza bar! This charcuterie snack bar was beautiful and a blast for guests. But honestly, there are no rules for food, you get to choose! Ice cream bar?! Coffee bar for a winter wedding?! Thanksgiving food, or make-your-own sliders cook-out type dinner. The possibilities are endless, but choose something fun and something that you two love to eat. It is your day after all!
5. Add lots of photos of the two of you!
Whether you just met or have been dating since you were kids, include photos of you two falling in love, going on trips, trying new things, gigging and all the little moments where you fell in love. People love seeing your story and knowing that these two people they’re witnessing commit to life together are truly in love!
No matter what details you decide to include and leave out of your special day, enjoy the process! Have fun choosing, planning and decorating and keep your love for each other the center of everything in the process.
Happy Planning!
Timber Rivers Team
One of the most beautiful times of year in the mountains of North Carolina, is when the fall makes our hills come alive with color. The warm hues of the leaves inspire us decorating the venue. We love fall-timed weddings, so that we can create those cozy, warm yet elegant environments we crave this time of year!
So, here are some of our favorite wedding and event looks during the fall season, that will really set you apart!
Make it bold.
One of the most classic decor ideas is using mums to accent the tree leaf colors. They so naturally compliment the colors of autumn that they are a lovely floral choice.
Sunflowers are another choice that naturally come in beautiful fall tones. Their size and impact is one of my personal favorite reasons for incorporating them into the venue decor!
Another fun aspect of both mums and sunflowers is the boldness of their color! If you want fall decor that isn’t muted, sunflowers can capture that bright red, orange or yellow and make that bold statement inside while the maple trees outside set the tone for the event.
Make it Western.
Fall colors along with the brisk wind just makes for a beautiful setting for a western styled event! From pink-tinged roses and pampas grass to neutral colored hydrangeas… throw in some cow hides, leather, and boots for a great decor style! Personally, I love some lace and a little glitz thrown in for an elevated western look. Here in the mountains, we can’t get enough classy, western events and love a classy party that takes place in a barn (thats heated and has running water of course!) Throw in some horses and its a real party!
Make it rosey.
If bright colors aren’t your thing, a lovely new trend this year is the color rose. It’s truly a beautiful addition to your closet, floral arrangements or event decor! It softens its environment, and when it comes to fall decor, it adds a feminine touch in an extremely elegant way. For a fall wedding, I love the look of neutral colors with a little rose thrown in! And an added bonus, It blends beautifully with the western look if you’re looking to combine the two trends.
For more tips on having a fall wedding in the mountains of NC, timing the peak leaf colors and other things we think you might want to know before planning an event, click HERE!
Until next time,
Happy Fall!!
The soothing hues of fall have lured many brides to plan their wedding during the seasonal leaf change. From reds and oranges to neutral tones, there are only breathtaking options for autumn wedding themes! So, let’s talk details, what fun yet seasonal elements can you add to a fall wedding to make it truly capture the season’s best?!
Flowers
Roses are some of the most versatile flowers to use any time of year because they come in such a variety of colors. Their shape and soft appearance make roses one of the most traditional flowers, perfect for making any wedding feel classy and timeless.
Mums are a seasonal favorite that come in a spectrum of classic fall colors that will bring that authentic autumn feel.
For a funky look, pampas grass, dried flowers, feathers and even Indian corn added into a wedding’s floral elements can have a stunning effect!
Food
The flavors of fall are probably one of my favorites of the whole year and there are so many ways to incorporate them into a wedding. A pie bar is a great dessert idea to get your cinnamon, apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan pie all at the reception! Or you could go with a doughnut wall with apple cider and maple flavored doughnuts. You could have a maple flavored cake with caramel icing and hot apple cider served with it. There is truly no way to go wrong with the dessert creativity in autumn, and the dinner selections can be just as delicious.
Pecan encrusted brussel sprouts, sweet potato casserole, roasted butternut squash, shaved turkey, glazed chicken breasts or roast beef. The rich flavors of fall veggies, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are a win no matter the combination! Think thanksgiving feast but wedding reception style.
Clothes and Decor
The addition of feathers, pampas grass, pumpkins/gourds and dried flowers can create a unique and fun style for the rest of a wedding’s decor. A ceremony backdrop can have giant dried leaves added to its florals, pumpkins flowing up and down the aisle or feathers added to the men’s boutonnières. The bridesmaids can wear fur shawls or knitted wraps for colder weather but also to add a cozy element to the overall style of the wedding. Going vintage with the men’s style clothes is always a fun element in the fall, something about a brown coat or full suit just works with the fall colors.
Colors
Fall weddings are stunning with a mixture of only greenery and white flowers or with giant yellow and red sunflowers for a bright color pop. But they are also beautiful with a mixture of the neutral tones of cream, brown, tan and a dusty rose for warmth. Each color combination has a different personality and warmth factor.
Peak Leaf Season
Depending on which autumn style you’re aiming for, the tree change is crucially important. If you mostly greenery for your decor so that the bright leaf colors around you can truly show off, then checking for peak leaf season is extremely important in your date selection. However, if you’d rather still have green leaves on the trees so that your colorful decor is highlighted, planning the ceremony right before leaf color change is better.
Here in the mountains of NC, our peak leaf weekend is typically the last two weeks in October. If you want to check the yearly predictions of the peak leaf color from Appalachian State’s Biology department, click HERE.
We wish you the best in your wedding planning, until next time!
The Timber Rivers Team
