Leah & Leland Wedding

Leah & Leland’s Wedding - May 24, 2025

Venue: On the Windfall - Lansing, NC

Photography: Sadie Lynn Film

Coordinator: Wooded Wilds Events

Catering: Beyond Catering SWVA

Rentals: The Festive Elk / Miss Match Rentals

Dessert: Blue Deer Cookies Food Truck

Beauty: Miss May’s Chair

Entertainment: Dean’s Duets / Royal Entertainment (DJ J Hawk)

Transportation: Golf Cars of Hickory

This one was a doozy…

My biggest rule is to hide ALL emotions from the bride and groom on their wedding day. I don’t want them to ever sense any stress, frustration, or anxiety from their wedding planner on their big day. I want all the emotions to be happy, stress-free, and relaxed no matter what’s going on behind the scenes.

Well this wedding was a challenge FOR SURE. I started off the morning by getting rear-ended on my way to the venue which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. I found out the day before that we no longer had a bartender (I would NOT recommend using “Barmasters” to anyone by the way haha). The roads leading up to the venue were in ROUGH shape, there was no cell phone service anywhere which meant all of us were completely in the dark when it came to communication with each other.

Because the road conditions were so poor, the catering van got completely stuck and we had to call park rangers in order to haul them out. We were 20 minutes into cocktail hour before we had food onsite. And then we were frantically throwing sliders, meatballs, and goat cheese on the appetizer table, it was hilarious, and awful, and comical, and stressful. I can’t give enough credit to our incredible caterer (Beyond Catering) for handling the entire situation with a level of calmness and ease. Megan also went above and beyond the call of duty and helped out with setting up the tables while we waited for food to get to the venue. She was the BOMB.

The ceremony location was a true adventure to get to. It required over 500ft of elevation gain and our golf carts we rented barely made it up there when it came to shuttling all 120+ guests. But we made it! And then it was time to shuttle all the people and chairs back down to the reception area. I am SO thankful for my Toyota Tundra, I couldn’t have done it without that beast of a truck.

Leah’s maid of honor / sister (Sam - you’re the BEST) was an absolute CHAMP at handling all the obstacles and helping keep me sane while I navigated all these challenges. The entire time, we kept Leah & Leland away from all the stress. I ended up spilling the beans about the day after send-off when the day ended. They had NO clue we were dealing with all of these bumps in the road which is always my goal.

I have to give credit to Leah & Leland for their incredible vision and design. This wedding came out of an absolute fairytale. It was so true to their relationship and represented them so well. It truly turned out absolutely beautiful and we couldn’t have been happier with how the day ended up.

Dean’s Duets provided such an angelic atmosphere and then DJ J Hawk with Royal Entertainment kicked off the party and tunes after dinner. He was hired only days before the wedding (GOOD call Leah and Leland), and he was able to quickly get up to speed and handled the reception with such a level of professionalism and talent. The venue ended up having some power issues and he was able to problem-solve quickly and with ease during the reception. No one even noticed!

I cannot thank my assistant (Emma - omg I love you) as well as the vendors enough for going above and beyond the call of duty this day. I received SO much support from them. From helping me move tables and chairs, setting up the dinnerware, and assisting me with moving all the ceremony set-up back down to the reception area. By the end of the day, we all nearly collapsed with exhaustion. This wedding truly bonded us all by the end of the night!

And a HUGE shoutout to the bridal party for stepping in and assisting wherever there was help needed. They were so willing and eager to offer a helping hand whenever they had the time to do so, I could literally cry thinking about how amazing they were to work with. I couldn’t have handled all the challenges without y’all. You guys were incredible, and Leah and Leland are SO lucky to have that type of love and support in their lives.

I am going to remember this wedding forever, and I have become a stronger and better planner because of it so for that…I am SO thankful. It turned out to be a perfect day despite the trials and turbulations. I loved celebrating this couple’s long history of love and to be able to honor their vision and give them the wedding they deserved made it ALL so worth it. Congratulations to Leah and Leland!!!