I’m sharing this post for a bride, Annalee (Hello, new friend! 🙂 ), whom I just talked to on the phone today about her winter wedding at Deep Creek Lake. Of course COVID has derailed her original plans and she and her fiancé are putting together something small at Deep Creek. I LOVE IT! I love the smaller weddings…and I especially love that so many couples are turning to Deep Creek to make them happen! YAY!

So here’s Tory and Nick’s small wedding from this past fall at Deep Creek Lake…here’s how Annalee, and any other engaged couple out there looking to get married sooner rather than later, and do it safely, can make their own magical, intimate, comfy, cozy wedding happen!

It was 10/10/10, the most popular wedding date of 2020. (It’s a numbers’ game, folks! 10-10-10 just sounds good when you say it, right? It also looks pretty on paper, I suppose. Anyways…) Our leaves were nearing their peak for the fall season and the lake was quiet. Tory and Nick’s closest family members came from a few different states (North Carolina included!) and they all hunkered down in a big, gorgeous, lakefront home for a long weekend…and Tory and Nick just happened to get married in the middle of it!

Interruption: Tory’s dress! Don’t you just love it!? So soft and romantic and feminine! AHHH

The ladies had their hair and makeup done at a salon at the lake, the guys did guy things in the basement. With multiple floors (and even an indoor pool and second kitchen in the basement area), it was easy to keep Tory and Nick separated before the ceremony. They could both enjoy the comfort of a beautiful lake home, hang out with their families and get ready as needed…all in one place!

They married on the dock of the house (you’ll see that scene below) with about 90 minutes of daylight left. Tory’s sister served as officiant and Nick’s brother served as speaker box coordinator. Then we took some married portraits, on the dock, in the backyard and on the driveway underneath the colorful leaves…while everyone else enjoyed a drink. Then it was time for appetizers and cocktails inside the house! A private chef and his bartender had shrimp ready for everyone and they eventually gathered around the biggest dining room table I’ve ever seen (right inside the house) for a meal.

And you know what they likely did after dinner? Had some cake, maybe another drink or two, changed into some sweatpants and slippers, and just hung out together as one, big family. No one had to drive anywhere and everyone could just easily go to bed when it was time. Easy peasy, right!? Not stressful, right? And pretty darn comfy-cozy! Especially for the fall and winter seasons…it’s really the perfect scene here at Deep Creek, in my opinion. 🙂

This colorful ring shot is a new all-time favorite! And how about Tory’s blue ring!?

It was a relatively warm fall day, so the guys were outside. I loved being able to style and photograph Nick’s groom details with the fallen leaves…

And have him suit up against the yellow trees, of course! 🙂

Tory was just STUNNING in this dress!

A new favorite ceremony scene, for sure! 

Insider Tip: If you’re marrying at the lake between December 1st and April 1st-ish, you won’t have a dock to stand on…well, at least a dock that’s in the water. All docks are pulled out by December 1st and some of the local businesses will start putting theirs back in at the very end of March. But it seems the majority of docks will stay out of the water until at least early April. (The lake freezes, so docks can’t remain in winter.)

This doesn’t mean you can’t have a picturesque lakefront scene for your wedding! I personally love the “rocky shoreline” that appears in fall and winter when the lake water is low…like you can see in Samantha and Matt’s elopement. They were still able to stand on a dock for their October 18th ceremony, BUT had the dock not been in the water, them standing on that beautifully exposed shoreline area would have been just as lovely!

Back to Tory and Nick’s wedding…

ALL of the guests! 12 of them! A reason to get dressed up, have good food and drink, and celebrate together!

They did their first dance in the backyard…it was so lovely to see them move about the grass, just after sunset.

And then it was dinner time! Like I said, the biggest dining room table I’ve ever seen!

If you’re curious about getting married at Deep Creek, especially if you need help putting together your own small gathering just like Tory and Nick’s, HOLLERRRR! I would love to give you some guidance and help you figure out how to make it happen! 🙂

Florals: Farmhouse Fete
Food: Chef Don Champion
Hair and Makeup: Deep Creek Salon