Intimate + Romantic Winston-Salem Wedding

Melissa and Travis always knew they wanted a small wedding. Their intimate dinner at Winston-Salem’s Spring House Restaurant ticked every box: a timeless and elegant setting, unforgettable food and drink, and treasured personal details. Melissa stayed true to her initial vision of a neutral palette with sophisticated hints of metallics. Amy Lynne Originals designed lush, clustered centerpieces of calla lilies, roses, peonies, lisianthus, hydrangea, and ranunculus, paired with a sea of candles in glass cylinders. The linens–handmade in India and passed down through Melissa’s aunt–were sheer with gold threading and beading, adding just the right hint of sparkle. From the custom cocktails honoring the couple’s two pups to the beautiful images captured on film by Red Boat Photography, this entire wedding is not to be missed!

Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 12
Bride in Mikaella Bridal
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 3
Bride with Swiss Dot Robe
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 1
Groom with Dogs
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 5
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 8
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 9
Mansion Wedding Reception White and Gold
Dog Signature Drinks
Wedding Cake Table
Ivory and Gold Mansion Wedding Reception
White and Ivory Wedding Reception
Romantic Intimate Mansion Wedding Reception
Mansion Wedding Reception in NC
Gold and Ivory Wedding Cake
Classic Mansion Wedding Reception
Winston Salem Spring House Wedding 11

In their own words

How did you meet?
Melissa had moved from Jacksonville, FL to Winston-Salem, NC to go to law school at Wake Forest. She was in her second year of law school. Travis was getting ready to move from Atlanta,GA to Winston-Salem to work as an air traffic controller at the Greensboro, NC airport. Travis was visiting the area for a few days, the two connected, and Travis asked Melissa on a date. Melissa initially declined due to law school stress. The two decided to get together once Travis officially moved to the area. Melissa ended up going to visit Travis in GA and they have been inseparable ever since.

What is your proposal story?
Travis had always said that he was planning to propose around April 2018. Travis and Melissa had looked at rings but Travis stressed that timeline. They talked about getting engaged often. They knew they wanted something very intimate, with just the two of them. However, Melissa wanted to be able to see her parents shortly after. Her parents live in FL. Melissa also made it very clear that when Travis proposed she better have a manicure. It was Friday, December 15th, 2017. Travis said that the two of them were going to go to his work Christmas party that night. A few days previously, he treated Melissa to a manicure. On Friday, they were about to walk out of the door when Travis said he had a surprise. He pulled out a basset hound ornament for them to put on the Christmas tree (they have an 80 pound basset hound named Dexter). After that, Travis said he had one more surprise. He pulled out an ornament that Melissa had seen the week prior. It was in the shape of a ring box with a diamond in it. Melissa thought it was a sweet gesture and joked that the ornament better be a hint of things to come (meaning in April). Travis immediately said “well, it is a hint” then he got down on one knee, pulled out the real diamond, and asked Melissa to marry him. She was 100% shocked! And said yes! As noted before, the two wanted it to be just the two of them and their dogs (Dexter and Kaley) at the proposal. In Travis’s words, some things are best left as a memory. Photographs aren’t always necessary. It was just that! Melissa called her parents and best friends to tell them. Not even two minutes later, Melissa hears the front door open. Her parents walked in! They drove all the way from FL to surprise her! Travis then gets an amazing bottle of champagne and they all toast. After that, Travis took them all to Jeffrey Adams in downtown Winston-Salem, the first restaurant Travis and Melissa went to together! The proposal was perfection.

What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
The most important thing to the two of us was to keep the wedding small. We wanted a very intimate feel. We wanted to be able to have time with each and every guest and to provide amazing drinks and an unforgettable dinner. 43 guests! We skipped having a bridal party. Travis has been in so many weddings and didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to spend a lot of money to come to the wedding. We also skipped dancing. Neither of us are big into dancing and a beautiful sit down dinner was perfect for us. Skipping on the dancing makes the wedding a bit out of the ordinary, which we like. The music was very important to Travis. We had a string trio play during the ceremony, a saxophonist play during cocktail hour, then during dinner and after Travis created an INCREDIBLE wedding playlist. It was truly outstanding with classic music throughout the years. After we cut the cake, Travis had our song play…”Better Man” by James Morrison.

What were your favorite parts of the day?
Melissa: The first look we did was extremely special. It gave us a chance to spend some time just the two of us, and step away from the stress of wedding planning. Travis teared up during it! I also loved having my best friends and amazing family all in one place. When will that happen next? Also, having my dad walk me down the aisle was one of the most special moments of my life. He is an incredible man who has raised me well. We were both nervous, but in his words, “we will do it together.” Almost forgot, the food! It was hands down the best food. Please look at the menu. The choices were mouthwatering. Everything was 5 star. I love the look of our menus and place settings too :) Travis: He loved the venue and his incredible playlist. It really is that good! Plus, he loved his mini photoshoot with our two dogs. The bride couldn’t partake in order to keep the white dress white!

Describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
An incredible personal detail was our signature cocktail sign. If you hadn’t figured it out yet, our dogs are extremely important to us. We chose two signature cocktails, named them “The Dexter” and “The Kaley,” and had the cutest sign made to be put up during cocktail hour. The sign has our dog’s faces and the cocktail descriptions. The bride wore a diamond and sapphire ring that was made from her grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s rings. The ring now belongs to her mother. She also wore a platinum wedding band that her Aunt loaned her. Two of her cousins as well as her Aunt wore that ring on their wedding days. The table linens were loaned by the bride’s aunt. The linens were handmade in India. They are sheer with gold threading and beading. Breathtaking! They pulled the whole look together.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Try to enjoy the process! It became very stressful however, you have to remind yourself that at the end of the day, you get to marry the one you love! Try to enjoy this time before it is too late!