Intimate Wedding at Separk Mansion and The Esquire Hotel

July 21, 2020

A Gastonia, NC Wedding During Corona

Anna and Josh were originally supposed to get married on May 30. However, like all spring couples this year, their plans were affected by the coronavirus. They ended up getting married on July 12 at Separk Mansion and had an intimate reception at the Esquire Hotel in for their Gastonia, NC Wedding.

The Wedding Day

Bridal Details

We began the day with lots of Anna’s beautiful bridal details. I especially loved her dainty jewelry choices and her Betsey Johnson shoes! They were the same shoes that I wore on my wedding day! After spending some time shooting details in the beautiful black and white room at Separk, we headed upstairs to the bridal suite!

Dapper Groomsmen Portraits

The guys were ready to go, so we did their photos first on the veranda. Because it was a hot July day, we kept them in the shade and it ended up being a perfect spot! The guys also had special Star Wars socks, so we were sure to get a fun sock picture as well! I knew Josh was going to be the most dapper groom and he chose a beautiful blue suit for himself and his groomsmen!

Getting Ready Portraits

After hair and makeup by Jennifer Abercrombie Beauty wrapped up, we got to celebrate Anna with a champagne toast including all of her bridesmaids, her mother, and her mother-in-law! It’s always so much fun to gather the girls before everyone gets dressed. Anna and her mother got ready in the private room of the bridal suite, complete with a full length beautiful mirror. After Anna was completely dressed, we did a fun reveal with her bridesmaids! This is a fun trend that I love to include in every wedding day if possible. Anna shared letters with each of her bridesmaids and Josh before their first look.

Bridesmaid Portraits

We headed outside to the Rose Garden at Separk Mansion for all of the girls’ photos. All of the bridesmaids looked amazing in their flowy light pink dresses.

First Look

After all of the anticipation, it was finally time for their first look! We set Josh up in the rose garden and had Anna come up and tap him on the shoulder. First looks are always my absolute favorite part of the day especially when the groom gets emotional! They embraced and shed a few tears!

Family Photos

Before the ceremony started, we gathered their bridal party and family and did all of those photos! Both Anna and Josh’s families were so sweet to work with! Then it was finally time for the ceremony. Guests started to trickle in, and Anna and Josh actually had a live stream set up for their guests that were from all over the country and all over the world that couldn’t be with them!

The Separk Mansion Wedding Ceremony

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was when Anna was walking down the aisle with her dad. Josh got emotional again and he had the sweetest reaction to his bride. Anna and Josh exchanged personal vows that were so heartfelt. You could just tell how much they were loved by all of their friends and family!

At the very end of the ceremony, right before they walked out, their poor little flower girl who is actually Josh’s younger sister passed out! I didn’t actually see it happen but some of the family gathered around her as soon as it happened! She was perfectly fine and everyone clapped for her when she stood up! 🙂

Josh romantically picked Anna up and they went back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Moore!

The Champagne Toast

Because they could only have a small reception, they decided to do a champagne toast with all of the guests that were present at the ceremony! This was such a unique way to include all of their guests in the festivities.

The Esquire Hotel Reception

After some more romantic bride and groom portraits at Separk Mansion, we drove to the Esquire Hotel just a couple of minutes away! I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of this place. Their outdoor patio is so romantic!

After Anna and Josh and their wedding party were announced into the reception, all of the guests enjoyed a delicious dinner and some yummy cake by Delish Cakery. They even got to have a small dance floor and Carolina DJ pros brought the party! We had such a great time celebrating Josh and Anna! At the end of the night they exited from the Esquire Hotel with a grand sparkler exit. Their wedding party had decorated their car with streamers and crammed it full of balloons! It was an exciting way for them to end their night, and I am so glad to have been a part of their Gastonia NC wedding day!