Well...after much discussion and reflecting together, we've decided that a large "traditional" wedding just isn't for us. We spent several months exploring options for having a wedding in North Carolina. We toured close to a dozen venues, talked to tons of vendors, but something just didn't feel right to us. It didn't feel like the way we wanted to celebrate the beginning of our life together. We realized that the color of the napkins, or the table centerpieces weren't important to us. We hated the idea that most couples barely have any time together during their entire wedding day. We realized that what is most important to us is having our wedding day be a true reflection of our love and relationship. Instead, we will be heading to the Oregon coast for a small, intimate ceremony with a few close friends and our immediate families. Even as we attempted to plan a "traditional" wedding, we kept coming back to the idea of a small ceremony in the Pacific Northwest. Blake proposed during our trip through the National Parks of Utah and Colorado, and while we were still on that trip, we kept talking about where we wanted to go next- the Pacific Northwest. Just as getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we want our wedding day to feel that way too! We want to look back in 20 years and be so happy with how we chose to get married. We are planning an amazing day in the Pacific Northwest where we will be able to relax, spend the entire day together, spend time with our families, and (the most important part)- soak in every single moment of the day we become husband and wife. We are so excited to spend our day celebrating our love in a beautiful spot along Oregon's coast. Although we understand that our decision to forgoe a "traditional" wedding might be disappointing to some, we hope that you'll understand that our motivation is simply because we value celebrating our love in a way that feels most reflective of us.