Get ready to fall in love with this waterfall wedding that blends rustic, foliage inspiration with serene views. If you’re the outdoorsy type, heads up! Rebecca + Charlie love nature and adventure, so when they found Toccoa Falls in North Georgia, they knew they had found the perfect location to say “I Do”. With the help of event planners, Smooth as Butter Weddings, they whisked their guests away to their own private mountain retreat.
R shared this with us about their inspiration for the day and how they brought it all together:
We love being outdoors so we knew our wedding would be outside as well. I wanted a more laid back party in the woods vibe that was whimsical, bohemian, and a little rustic. Once we found the falls, we were in love, and we built everything else around that. The ceremony venue and our reception location were both pretty much blank slates, so we had the freedom to bring in any vendor we wanted when designing our wedding. It was more work that way, but everything we chose was unique to us and that made it really special.
Get ready to soak it all up through the lens of Authentic Collective! Let’s go!
Inspiration From Nature
R told us that once they found Toccoa Falls, everything else fell into place as far at the wedding theme was concerned. These Paper Culture invitations have the prettiest foliage and leaf illustrations to give a nod to Nature right from the beginning. Shop some more natural wedding invitations below:
First Look in the Forest
First look moments ALWAYS get us!
Wedding Pup
There is nothing sweeter than seeing a dog included on wedding day. R + C’s dog Brownie wasn’t afraid of a little adventure! He rolled around in his mom’s wedding dress to show his approval and rocked a floral DAZI tie to match his dad! For more creative ways to include your dog in your wedding, check out our tips here!
Classic Wedding Flowers
You can’t get more classic or timeless than white and green wedding flowers. Darby Blanche Florist designed the most beautiful bouquet of hydrangea, roses, fern and eucalyptus that tied in perfectly with the green surroundings at the Falls.
Waterfall Wedding Ceremony
If we could describe the perfect waterfall wedding setup, this would be it! Minimal greenery and candles with a little bit of boho thrown in with some vintage rugs! Love!
Rebecca: The first few steps as I was walking down the aisle, I was in awe that it had all come together and that it was so gorgeous! I’m not a very emotional person, but I was definitely overwhelmed taking it all in. I got to the front, saw Charlie, and could feel the tears welling up. I look over just past him, and his best man, Cary, sticks his tongue out at me to make me laugh!
Charlie: Rebecca had planned a mother-daughter dance. I thought it would be a cute moment for them but that’s really all I thought when she told me beforehand. It was such a fun moment they had, that I got to witness. I saw her glow and crazy dance with my mother-in-law. It was at that moment I saw my bride and realized that my family was growing into something special.
Yay! It’s official!
Processional: First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes
Recessional: You are the Best Thing, Ray LaMontagne
First Dance: January Wedding, The Avett Brothers
Waterfall Wedding Portraits
You can’t get married in front of a waterfall and not get some rad shots like this!! R’s Lillian West gown from Bridal House of Charleston is actually giving us major waterfall vibes with that long and flowing train! Also loving C’s rustic blue suit from Indochino!
Stacy Moser did R’s makeup look and Salon B13 styled her soft waves! Bridal beauty perfection! (Especially with that adorable greenery crown!)
Didn’t TLC tell us NOT to go chasing waterfalls?? After seeing this beautiful wedding, we have to disagree. In fact, if you’re thinking of having your own waterfall wedding, consider this list of tips we put together to make sure the day goes smoothly!
If there’s something different that you want to do at your wedding, do it! If there’s something you don’t want to do, skip it! Have your dog in the wedding, wear a flower crown, get married at a waterfall. Some of my favorite memories growing up are listing to music with my mom. I wanted to include a tribute to that with a Mother-Daughter dance, but I was worried people would think it was weird. Jamming out to Paul Simon with mom is one of my favorite things, and I almost didn’t do it.
Next would be hiring a planner from the get-go – especially if it’s a destination wedding. I’m pretty organized and detail-oriented, but it was much more work than I was expecting. My month of coordinator was so great that I wish I had started working with them in the beginning.
Lastly, there will be things that change at the last minute, and you just have to go with the flow. On the bright side though, there will be lots of things that turn out better than you could have imagined.
Love the look of this simple and rustic cake by Sugartopia! With the delicate olive branches and succulents, it really captures the natural vibes of the entire day!
Thank you for taking us to paradise Rebecca + Charlie! Your waterfall wedding is what dreams are made of! Congratulations from the GWS team!
photography: Authentic Collective // venue name: Toccoa Falls, Toccoa, Georgia, USA // planning: Smooth as Butter Weddings // florals: Darby Blanche Florist // wedding dress: Lillian West // wedding dress boutique: Bridal House of Charleston // bride’s shoes: Kate Spade // bride’s ring: Diamonds Direct // hair stylist: Salon B13 // makeup artist: Stacy Moser // groom attire: Indochino and DAZI // paper goods: Paper Culture // catering: ThoroughFare Foodtruck // cake: Sugartopia // desserts: Sugartopia // music: DJ Troy // yard games: Rustic Charm Event Co