Ever since receiving our wedding photos a couple months ago, I find myself looking through the album every so often, reliving what had been a preciously happy day. Then it occurred to me that we had incorporated the products and services of several small businesses in the wedding, and we were so pleased with each and every one of them. So whether you’re planning a wedding or party yourself, or just like discovering what’s local, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to some top-notch small businesses in the area that we used for our wedding.
I would be remiss if I didn’t start off singing the praises of our photographer, Ginia Worrell. Ginia is such a warm person, and she did a great job capturing not just the physical details but the happiness of everyone that day. She did an excellent job putting everyone at ease, and knew just how to both provide direction while also letting us be ourselves. She was both speedy and thorough–the ideal combination in a photographer! We have been so pleased with her photos and how she captured all the little details and sweet moments of our day.

I love this detail shot, and Ginia really helped us to feel natural and relaxed while she worked.
This was our venue for both our wedding and our reception. With portions of the original inn over 100 years old, the Bleckley had beautiful charm and character that won us over immediately. The staff were all very accommodating and helpful, and their wedding package was wonderful, including rentals, 4 suites, and multiple spaces throughout the inn. We were nothing but pleased and delighted with our choice of venue!

We used the walled-in courtyard for our ceremony. The area is beautifully landscaped (and check out those amazing old doors!)

The carriage house served our reception needs perfectly. It was spacious, bright, and had plenty of that old-age charm with the exposed brick, wood beams, and original stucco.
Planted literally across the road from the Bleckley Inn, Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill has a reputation in Anderson as THE restaurant in town. Because of this, I was initially intimidated by taking them on as our caterer, but we found out early on that Sullivan’s was amazing to work with and worked easily within our budget. The food was outstanding, and people still come up to me and talk about it, particularly their bacon-wrapped quail and the exquisite desserts. You can’t do better than Sullivan’s if you’re looking for a top-notch caterer in the Upstate!

Sullivan’s knocked our socks off with their food. Shown here is their blackberry-lemon cheesecake–and it’s every bit as good as it looks!
I bought Benjamin’s wedding band here, and he also used Solid Gold to resize my rings (both my band and diamond first belonged to my grandmother). We were really pleased with the prices they offered and their service was quick and very satisfactory.

Even though my diamond and band are over 60 years old, Solid Gold was able to offer us a men’s band that matched my set beautifully.
I love Celtic music, so we brought in Emerald Road, a local Celtic band, to play for our wedding and reception. They brought new life to the music we selected, and made the reception lively and fun. Each of the musicians have a lot of talent and play so well together.

We had a cellist, violinist, and guitarist at our wedding, but different members of Emerald Road play multiple instruments.
Bridesmaids Gifts
For my bridesmaids, I ordered them each a cuff from A Gilded Line with a line from their favorite hymn stamped onto it. I chose this because, more than being a drift from the current trends in bridesmaids gifts, it was personalized and meaningful. Alongside the cuffs I also gave them a bunch of pampering goodies, among them a bath bomb from Tiny House, Big Farm. I got texts from the girls a week or two later saying how fun and luxurious the bombs were–always a nice component to a girly gift.

Check out the blog post I wrote on A Gilded Line here.
Floral Bouquets
I’ve had several people ask me who did our bouquets–well, I did! I follow SO many talented florists on Instagram and would have loved to use any number of them…but as a bride you have to choose how you portion your budget. We ordered blooms (primarily roses) from Ingles and picked the majority of the greenery from blueberry bushes and ivy in our backyard.
So, while this isn’t a small business promotion, I hope it’s a tip that can help another thrifty bride. However, if fresh flowers are one of the most important things to you for your wedding, there are lots of highly talented florists in the area (message me for references!)

I really enjoyed assembling our bouquets (floral arranging is one of the few crafty things I can actually do).
There are a TON of amazing venues, caterers, shops and products in the area that you can incorporate into a wedding to make it special, but these were the ones that we chose, and we were so pleased. Everyone worked graciously with our budget and provided excellent service and quality. Our wedding could have been bare-bones and I still would have been on cloud 9, but all the details and special touches made it absolutely beautiful. I hope you’ll take advantage of the talent in this area and use them, too!

A happy, happy day!