Simple Elegance

Roseland is a time machine. Our guests all tell us that they enter a different time when they come through the gates. Somehow they get transported back to a time period a century ago, when time was something to be savored – like a fine meal – and not devoured like a fast food snack. Our weddings reflect this phenomenon.

Grace before Bridal Tea

Perhaps a recent 250 guest Roseland wedding best illustrates this wonderful experience. It was a most beautiful wedding in the tradition of the olden days. The family rented the entire Bed and Breakfast for the night before the wedding and the night after the wedding. It was literally a three day affair!

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are traditionally held the night before the ceremony. The family enjoyed a wonderful catered BBQ dinner at the Plantation under a tent after the rehearsal, which went flawlessly thanks to Jennifer, our certified wedding coordinator. After dinner family members retired to the Bed and Breakfast to socialize until the wee hours, snacking and sipping refreshments. The girls enjoyed pedicures and manicures done in the Library.

Bridal Tea

The entire family started the wedding day with a wonderful country breakfast a la Roseland. After that the ladies enjoyed a sumptuous formal Bridal Tea hosted by the bride’s godmother. Tea was served by our courteous staff in the finest tradition of Roseland, on delicate china, glittering silver, and gleaming linen. All participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience; it was truly a special event for the younger ladies who have never had the opportunity to participate in such an event.

Flower Girl

Everybody pitched in and helped set up for the wedding. People were scurrying to and from carrying decorations while music played. Some family members used this opportunity to spend time with distant relatives and catch up on the latest events in their lives. A wedding, after all, is a life event – a joining not just of two people but of two families – and this is a perfect opportunity to get acquainted or to catch up with the latest developments in the family.

Strings making music

Ready for Bridal Entrance

Some guests who arrived early strolled the paths throughout Roseland’s acres and acres of natural forest. The crepe myrtles in full bloom literally formed walls of glowing lavender from the ground to the top of the trees and drenched the air with their sweet aroma as you walked by.

The Vows

The ceremony was a beautifully moving outdoor event, not gaudy, nor showy. The dogwoods were in full splendor, simply glowing in the sunlight. It was supposed to rain, but not a single drop fell that day. Clearly God had smiled upon this couple!

The touching Christian ceremony started at 5 pm and featured a live rendition of Brandon Heath’s “Love Never Fails” (among other selections), a scripture reading from Ephesians, a sibling candle lighting, and a wonderful string quartet for the processional and recessional. The flowers included spectacular bouquets of roses and Stephanotis flowers with pearl centers.

Mr. and Mrs. Slack

Once the ceremony was complete, the party began in the tent with food and refreshments served in the Plantation Ballroom. The beautifully set buffet included jalapenos wrapped in bacon, stuffed olives, various quiches, fruit, vegetables, rolls, and more. A variety of refreshments rounded out the fare.

Non-stop dancing began almost immediately after the ceremony and continued until late in the night. In fact, there was so much dancing that it actually moved the dance floor about an inch over the evening!

The atmosphere in a tent is always festive. The clear party lights strung throughout the tent shimmered; lighting colored the drapes and pole covers to match the color scheme of the bride and groom; and special light effects made the ceiling look like stars and aurora borealis (northern lights) at night. A large kissing ball above the dance floor provided the added incentive for a bit of public smooching by the bride and groom. A slide show ran continuously on our large projection screen throughout the party which, I’m sure, would have continued all night had the music kept going.

Simply Elegant

The bride and groom retired to the Bed and Breakfast thoroughly exhausted late in the evening, after the bouquet and garter toss. The getaway car was appropriately decorated with flowers, shaving cream, and cans. Everybody threw rose petals at the bride and groom as they “departed.”

Delicious Food

Next morning, refreshed after a good night’s rest, the family enjoyed another sumptuous Plantation breakfast all together before setting off for the trip home….

Dancing in the tent

May God bless the new Slack family and give them many happy years together!