Woodland Nymphs

February 13, 2010 in Wedding by Kat | 43 comments

How do I even begin to describe a wedding like this? Eco? Hippy Chic? Organic? Ourdoorsy? Woodland nymph-like? Musical? Midsummer Night’s Dream-esque? None of these words seem to do any kinda of justice to this beautiful wedding.

Samuel & Jessica were married in Moravian falls at Pennel Horse farm. They wanted they day to have a raw and natural feel with a bit of mystical charm and simplicity. “They defined their wedding by what they love and not what tradition says to do”, photographer Shelley told me “so they combined some common elements of the wedding ceremony, seasoned with of a little bit of hippie, funk, vintage and organic charm. Every little thing was a reflection of who they are as individuals and as a couple.”

Their bridal/groomal parties were huge and the woods were filled with light and music from the lanterns they all carried and the drums they played as the bride arrived on a horse. The ceremony was a really emotional one (as you can see from the video below the ‘jump’) the pair washed each other’s feet and Sam even sang and played guitar to his new wife. The reception looks like a blast! The guests ate great organic food and they danced into the night around a giant bonfire.

142_gatlyn

Jessica’s dress was by Amalia Cararra. She bought her dress at “Stardust Celebrations” in Dallas, Texas, where she she was spotted by the creators of a new reality show on WEtv called “Girl Meets Dress.” The couple’s love story will be aired March 9th as the premier episode! Be sure to check out a snippet of their wedding video below as a little sneaky peak!

Thanks to Shelley, Jess & Sam for sharing their a.m.a.z.i.n.g ceremony and wedding with us (and yes, there are over 100 photographs in this post but I had to include them all!)

Credit: Shelley Paulson Photography

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  1. Mark Tierney’s avatar

    Mark Tierney on February 13, 2010 at 17:46

    I would love to shoot a Wedding like this! Great photos!

    Mark

  2. Tattybojangles’s avatar

    Tattybojangles on February 13, 2010 at 17:47

    This is possibly the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen.

  3. daphne’s avatar

    daphne on February 13, 2010 at 18:32

    This wedding must have been amazing. Everything looks just…. natrually Perfect – Loved it!

  4. Jade Didriksen’s avatar

    Jade Didriksen on February 13, 2010 at 21:26

    Wow, amazing! I totally started crying during the video, a good reminder of how much love there is in this world! Now I want to dance!!

  5. Julian Beattie’s avatar

    Julian Beattie on February 14, 2010 at 01:58

    Wow! Absolutely amazing setting and great shots! Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful.

  6. Karolina’s avatar

    Karolina on February 14, 2010 at 09:50

    Woow!! that`s the most beautiful wedding Ive seen!!

  7. Emma’s avatar

    Emma on February 14, 2010 at 17:00

    I love the brides hair and how the veil is attached. This couple has serious style, everything just works!

  8. Tonia’s avatar

    Tonia on February 14, 2010 at 18:10

    This is my favorite wedding I have ever seen, I am SO glad you featured it! Shelley Paulson’s photography is breathtaking, and this couple so obviously loves each other so completely……I just fell in love with MY fiance more when I saw these photos! :)

  9. Jessica Gatlyn’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn on February 14, 2010 at 18:18

    Hey! This is an amazing article! Thanks!!! :) The tv show is called
    “Girl Meets Gown” and airs on March 9th! :)

  10. Lisa’s avatar

    Lisa on February 14, 2010 at 19:06

    I know this bride and to know her is to love her even more! This woman is the most sincere loving person you will ever meet. Her story is a fairy tale of Gods love. Her beauty on the outside is a testament to her inner beauty… Her mom did a great job!

  11. Amy’s avatar

    Amy on February 15, 2010 at 04:46

    Wow! I want to know these people. Thank you for sharing/posting. Your work is amazing and this wedding was the best I’ve ever seen. Where was this? Some of the music sounds like the worship music from…I can’t remember the name of the church in Charlotte, NC but I have their worship music. Beautiful!

  12. Nila’s avatar

    Nila on February 15, 2010 at 06:55

    so I just checked this site out because I have a feeling a certain someone might pop the question to me soon and I kinda hate the norm fru-fru weddings and found your blog and OMG this wedding looks soooo incredible! I LOVE this wedding! Congratz to the both of them…looks like they had a lot of fun!

  13. Charlotte’s avatar

    Charlotte on February 16, 2010 at 00:28

    I had the honor of being one of the bridesmaids and I loved it!!!!!!! AmAAAAzing wedding! AmAAAAAAzing couple:)

  14. Christina’s avatar

    Christina on February 16, 2010 at 02:43

    An amazing wedding! An amazing couple! To very sweet people joining there lives together. I love these two lots and lots!!!!!

  15. soon.will.be.ok’s avatar

    soon.will.be.ok on February 16, 2010 at 03:41

    jashtëzakonshme…

  16. Lindsey’s avatar

    Lindsey on February 16, 2010 at 18:33

    oh my GOD. just bawled like a baby throughout the entire ten minute video. THAT is a wedding.

  17. Jessica’s avatar

    Jessica on February 17, 2010 at 03:02

    I would do pretty much anything to know who made those bridesmaid dresses!! PLEASE share! Beautiful wedding, congrats.

  18. LeeLee’s avatar

    LeeLee on February 17, 2010 at 18:53

    There just aren’t even words to describe this wedding. Talk about having the holy spirit move! If my wedding in July is half as wonderful as this one, I will be pleased. :) What I really want to know is where she got that beautiful head piece and veil! That is gorgeous! And is there any way to contact the bride? I would love to know a little more about how she planned her day. My fiance and I are also washing each others feet and having our attendants pray with us, but I’m unsure as where to put these things so everything flows cohesively.

    BEAUTIFUL wedding!!

  19. Kat’s avatar

    Kat on February 17, 2010 at 19:02

    LeeLee,
    I would suggest contacting the photographer who should be able to pass your questions on to the bride

  21. Jessica Gatlyn (bride)’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn (bride) on February 18, 2010 at 16:54

    Hey LeeLee, This is Jessica, I would love to talk to you about anything you want to know girl. :) Yay on you getting married in July! How exciting!

    The veil: I made the head piece (flowers)- the fabric was extra I ordered with my dress and I just tied into a scarf-the tulle veil part were two different length combs that I bought from a gal in KC. :)

    The bridesmaids dresses I bought from a store called “Metro Park.” (I called all around the country to get the sizes I needed.) ha! They were pretty cheap too. Super comfy.

  22. Sharona’s avatar

    Sharona on February 21, 2010 at 23:09

    This was so emotional,
    the vid made me cry and the pictures are absolutely STUNNING.
    I just love the couple. But they did cried alot, that was so cute.

    And the ceremony’s are really interresting, I would like to learn more about that – cause I’m not formiliar with those kind of ceremony’s…
    Does it have a name?

  23. Jessica Gatlyn (bride)’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn (bride) on February 22, 2010 at 06:57

    thank you girl! yeah, we did cry a lot! ha!

    the ceremony-we laid out ourselves. we just did our own thing and had fun. washed each others’ feet as a sign of love and that we put each other before the other. we wanted it simple, not drawn out and wordy, that’s just not us. :)

  24. Jessica Gatlyn (bride)’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn (bride) on February 23, 2010 at 17:32

    UPDATE: The date has changed for the airing of the TV show “Girl Meets Gown”

    APRIL 25TH on WEtv instead of the previous date March 9th.

    The producer of the show just sent me an email. :)

  25. Chloe P’s avatar

    Chloe P on March 8, 2010 at 20:13

    Jessica you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen!! This wedding has inspired me so much thank you for sharing it x

  26. Karen’s avatar

    Karen on March 9, 2010 at 03:33

    Glad I read the entire comments. I was about to FB everyone and tell them to watch the show tomorrow night! I have shared this site with so many people because it is the best wedding I have ever watched. One friend commented that she wanted a re-do of hers and she’s been married 22 years!

  27. Sarah’s avatar

    Sarah on March 25, 2010 at 06:45

    Yeah…I cried. This was so beautiful! 20 seconds in and I was bawling!

  28. Susan Blick’s avatar

    Susan Blick on April 26, 2010 at 08:58

    It is wonderful that they are so much in love and so happy, but it is unfortunate that Sammuel is so homophobic he would pray for the passage of prop 8.

    They claim to be free spirits, bohemians and hippy (just saw her on the wedding dress show) but those are just words and as it turns out hugely artificial personas. Because is they were any of those thing they would honor people loving who they want to love, Gay or straight

  29. Brooke’s avatar

    Brooke on April 26, 2010 at 15:30

    Hey Jessica, your wedding
    Looked amazing! I’ve been looking for a place like that! Is it open to the public and if so where in the world did you find the info? I got engaged in October and this is the exact kind of place I’ve been looking for!

  30. Jessica Gatlyn’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn on April 26, 2010 at 18:14

    Hey Brooke!

    If you want, drop me an email and I’ll give you some more details about it! It’s a friend of ours property out in the mountians! :) I’m sooo excited for you!

  31. Karen’s avatar

    Karen on April 27, 2010 at 00:51

    Jessica – Had to DVR the show last night because I was working. Just finished watching it. I wanted to cry all over again. I am going to save it so I can show it to others. God bless you and Samuel. BTW I am Kirk Bennett’s sister and Ben and Andy Hailstone’s mom.

  32. Amanda’s avatar

    Amanda on April 27, 2010 at 06:00

    Jessica- LOVED your pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw the show and fell in LOVE with your headpiece… I am getting married this September and would like to know if you could either make me one like yours or if I could buy yours! Please let me know!!!

  33. Jessica Gatlyn’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn on April 27, 2010 at 14:23

    Awwww! Karen thanks!!!

    Amanda-Sure, I can totally make you one… why don’t you email me @ colorofworship@gmail.com and lets talk details…how big-same color…etc. ! yay! i’m soooo excited for you!

  34. Karen’s avatar

    Karen on April 28, 2010 at 01:08

    Jessica ~ you should sell your fabric flowers on Etsy…just sayin’ . They are beautiful and unique and I’m sure brides-to-be would buy them.

  35. Andrea’s avatar

    Andrea on May 5, 2010 at 00:24

    Hey Jessica,
    Would you be willing to share more about your dress? I LOVE it but am having a hard time finding anything. Does it have a name or item number?

  36. Jessica Gatlyn’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn on May 5, 2010 at 01:30

    Hey Andrea! Totally, it’s an Eve of Milady 2009 Amalia Cararra. here is a link http://fashionbride.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/eve-of-milady-and-amalia-carrara-2009-collection/ 2nd row on the right is my dress-it’s not on their web site anymore…but you can still get it. :)

  37. Leah’s avatar

    Leah on May 28, 2010 at 15:16

    Jessica, your wedding was so beautiful! I would love to know more information on the place you got married at! It’s beautiful and exactly what I’ve been trying to find!

  38. Jessica Gatlyn’s avatar

    Jessica Gatlyn on May 29, 2010 at 23:19

    Hey Leah! It’s a horse farm out in Moravian Falls, NC. It’s actually in the process of being sold right now. :( which makes me sad. But it’s clear out in the boonies-we had to TOOOOTALLY transform it in 3 days with about 20 of our friends from the bridal party. :)

    It belongs to a friend of ours.

  40. Bonnie’s avatar

    Bonnie on March 5, 2011 at 22:44

    Hi Jessica,

    What music did Samuel play at the wedding on his guitar? Did he write it or is it someone elses? If it’s available, I’d love to know the words and chords!
    (bonnie.hall@hotmail.co.uk).

    Fantastic wedding- makes we want to get married all over again!

    Bonnie

  41. Brooke L.M.S.’s avatar

    Brooke L.M.S. on March 7, 2011 at 18:22

    This is exactly what I want my wedding next month to be like! The setting will be different — Mustang Island, off the Texas gulf coast — but creating a celebration filled with raw spirituality, intimacy, and unpretentious expressions of love is definitely our goal. We too plan to bathe each other’s feet; there will be tables overflowing with in-season fruits and humanely-raised meat; and we and our families will dance barefoot on the beach long into the night, around bonfires dug into the sand.

    Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your commitment celebration with us, and helping me bring my own visions to life!

  42. Rob Bamford’s avatar

    Rob Bamford on November 20, 2011 at 23:37

    Looked like a fantastic wedding. Really great set of photo’s capture the atmosphere perfectly.

  43. Bev’s avatar

    Bev on March 11, 2012 at 09:53

    Hi Jessica. Firstly, you were such a beautiful, radiant, bride and I want to thank you for allowing your special day to be aired on T.V. Everything about your wedding, including your gorgeous dress, captured your positive outlook and free spirit to a T. I absolutely loved the natural outdoorsy feeling and how your father officiated the ceremony….it was so beautiful and it brought tears to my eyes. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and love.

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