Samantha & Blake's Wedding at The Cabins at King's Mountain

Back in the Fall of 2015, I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Kaylan and John Petty. Little did I know that there was a seed planted that day that would end up blossoming into a romance between Kaylan’s maid of honor, Samantha, and one of John’s groomsmen, Blake! A little over 5 years later, these two lovebirds were married themselves in an open field on a beautiful Spring day, surrounded by family, friends, and flowers gathered from both their families’ yards. It was such a beautiful day!

How They Met: Blake is the 3rd groomsman from the left of the groom, and Samantha is Kaylan’s maid of honor, standing right next to her. (October, 2015) Fun fact: Judson, Kaylan and John’s 2-year-old son, was Blake and Samantha’s ring bearer, and Kaylan and John were both in Samantha and Blake’s wedding! — **How They Met:** Blake is the 3rd groomsman from the left of the groom, and Samantha is Kaylan’s maid of honor, standing right next to her. (October, 2015)
**Fun fact**: Judson, Kaylan and John’s 2-year-old son, was Blake and Samantha’s ring bearer, and Kaylan and John were both in Samantha and Blake’s wedding!

This wedding was truly a DIY wedding, with so many services and details provided by dear friends and family of the bride and groom. Everything, from the flowers to the catering, had special meaning to Samantha and Blake.

Samantha describes her idea for the flowers and how they turned out: “All of the flowers were picked from my family and Blake’s family's yard. My mom, aunt, uncle, the officiant, the coordinator, and a few other family members all put the bouquets and centerpieces together the morning of the wedding. I told them I wanted natural, organic looking and didn't want everything to be uniform. I didn't see any of the flowers until right before the ceremony and I couldn't have loved them more. They were EXACTLY what I had in mind!”

The delicious catering was provided by Courtney’s BBQ, where Blake worked in high school and college. Jessica Harris, cousin of the bride, coordinated the wedding day. “Jess has never directed a wedding before, but she was EXCELLENT and was exactly what I needed!” (And as a wedding photographer, I completely agree!) The ceremony was officiated by Bo Parker, Samantha’s cousin and Jessica’s brother, and his daughter was their adorable flower girl! Samantha’s aunt and uncle took care of the cake as their wedding gift to the couple, and a generous relative of Blake’s drove his limo all the way from Florida to spend the week before the wedding chauffering the wedding party around! “I had never met this side of Blake's family before, so I felt so honored that they would go to this length for me. It was really special to me and the girls had so much fun Saturday morning getting picked up around Clover in the limo!”

The bride and bridesmaids arrived on the day of the wedding via limo to the beautiful bridal cabin at The Cabins at King’s Mountain after having their hair and make-up done. There was so much laughter and joy as the ladies got ready for the ceremony. The groom and groomsmen got ready at the groom’s cabin, and the ceremony was held in an open field overlooking a pond. The reception took place in a beautifully decorated barn, and since there was a nip in the air still, heaters and fire pits were available to keep guests warm. The bride and flowergirl even donned jean jackets, which were perfect additions to their dresses!

Samantha shared that “one other thing that was special to me was the quilts that hung on the arbor. Blake and I don't have any grandparents left alive. In fact, neither one of us have had grandparents living the whole time we've dated. So we never got to meet any of the other's grandparents. Both of our grandparents played a vital role in our childhoods. I knew we would have their pictures there but I wanted something that made me feel like they were physically there with us during the ceremony. Both of us had grandmothers that quilted so I knew this would be a special sentiment to them to have a physical piece of each of our grandmothers close to us as we said our vows. This was really important to me; something I had planned even before we were engaged. Blake's sister made the arbor for us and she made the posts specifically to hang quilts on so that we could have that in our ceremony. It's one of the most special parts of the day, and I'm so glad that the pictures of us saying our vows have the quilts in the background.”

After having to delay their wedding and for a year due to the pandemic, this day could not have been more lovely! I am so grateful that a change of plans allowed us to connect just a few weeks before so that I could photograph this sweet couple’s wedding. Congratulations, Samantha and Blake! Be sure to view below for some images of their beautiful day.

Ceremony/Reception Venue: The Cabins at King's Mountain

Coordinator: Jessica Harris

Lead Photographer: Kimberly Cauble Photography

2nd Shooter: Taylor Courtney Photography

Ceremony Officiant: Bo Parker

Florist: Friends and family of the bride and groom

Catering: Courtney's BBQ in Clover, SC

Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes *Samantha raved, “I have a gluten allergy and most gluten-free cakes aren't tasty. Nothing Bundt Cake has THE BEST gluten free option. My aunt and uncle offered to take care of the cake as their wedding gift to us. We looked at several different bakeries for gluten-free options, but nothing compared to Nothing Bundt Cakes, so we went with them. Highly recommend for anyone, but especially for anyone who is looking for gluten-free options!”

Cupcakes: Sam’s Club

Band/DJ: Lamar Walker

Wedding dress: David's Bridal

Rings: Zales

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David's Bridal

Bride's Hair: Tonya Jenkins (cousin of the bride), Sola Salon in Rivergate

Bridesmaids’ Hair: Kelly and Delyah at J's Hair Salon in Kings Mountain

Make-Up: Leigh at J's Hair Salon

Limo/Transportation: My Town Car out of Orlando, FL