Caston + Demetria had their “Vintage Romantic” wedding at Separk Mansion in Gastonia, NC. They chose the venue because of its simple elegance. When asked, Demetria decided to share this bit of advice for all engaged couples -“Plan the wedding that works for you both. Don’t mind traditions if they don’t fit you both. There were a lot of traditional things that we left out of our wedding, and we believe no one missed them. We sometimes get caught up in the glitz and glam of the beautiful weddings we see online and that can cause us to add additional stress to wedding planning. If you plan for what you both want and what is important to you (and within the budget) the day will come out absolutely perfect.” Please join in with us as we thank both Caston + Demetria for letting our team share in their beautiful wedding celebration.
Update April 20th, 2018: We’re pleased to share that Caston + Demetria’s Separk Mansion Wedding was published in Premier Weddings and on Bustld!
Separk Mansion Wedding
Complete with insights from the bride!
Caston + Demetria
September 22, 2017
Separk Mansion
Share with us how you two met:
We both work for the Charlotte Fire Department so we met at a work event. I was working a job fair and typically a crew a Firefighters will join so they can help explain their job duties and responsibilities to potential candidates. Well, this particular job fair, Caston and his crew came out to help. It was our first time meeting, so we spent a lot of time having sidebar conversations throughout the day discussing work and some other personal things. A couples months later we had our first date.
Tell us about your proposal:
Caston proposed on a Sunday, after church at brunch with all of my closest friends and family in attendance. I had spent the night before celebrating a friends birthday and after church I was tired. Everyone wanted to go to brunch and I wanted to go home. I eventually agreed and we went to brunch at one of my favorite spots in Uptown Charlotte, Dandelion Market. As we are dining, I turn my back and once I turn back around the waitress is bringing out a beautiful cake that says “Will you marry me?”. In complete shock, I turn to him, and there he is down on one knee, asking me to be his wife.
How about the wedding invitations & stationery:
Our wedding invitations were a DIY project. I created my own laser cut invitations. I wanted the lace look for a low price. So I ordered white doilies and spray painted them navy blue. They turned out perfect once they were all dry and assembled with the invitation.
Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration for your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette?
We wanted our wedding to feel very intimate and romantic. The only way I could describe it to people was “Vintage Romance.” Our wedding day was on the first day of fall, so we chose wine, navy blue, and silver for our colors.
Let’s talk fashion. How did you choose your wedding day look? How did the groom? Describe both looks in detail (include dress & tux designer). What was wedding shopping like for you?
Wedding shopping for my dress was way too easy! I visited Ladies of Lineage Bridal Boutique for a sample sale. It was the very last hour of the sale, so there wasn’t many dresses left. I tried on about four dresses and I did not feel like they were the one. Then a stylist brought over a dress and asked me to try it on because it was her favorite dress. So I did, and it was then that I said yes to the dress. My dress was from London Designer Sassi Holford and it was the perfect dress to give me the vintage look I wanted and I thought it would go really well with our venue. My shoes were my something blue, so I went with a classic navy blue pump from Badgley Mischka.
Caston wore a black Calvin Klein Tux. He found his look with ease as well. We discussed colors for him and his groomsmen and he worked his magic.
Separk Mansion Wedding
Tell us about your ceremony venue and what attracted you to it?
We got married at Separk Mansion in Gastonia, NC, right outside of Charlotte. Separk Mansion was only the second venue that we toured, but we immediately fell in love. I was attracted to the simple elegance of the Mansion. The chandeliers were my favorite. The entire Mansion really just gave off a vintage look and I absolutely knew that was the venue for us. It was the perfect place for the Ceremony and the Reception.
Tell us about your bridesmaids:
My bridesmaids consisted of my four closest friends, my little sister and my stepdaughter. The ladies wore dresses from Davids Bridal. Each dress was a different style with lace somewhere on the dress to give a vintage look. Their dresses were all the color Wine. I wanted to give them all the opportunity to show off the individuality by picking different but still similar dresses.
Tell us about his groomsmen:
Castons groomsmen consisted of his older brother, four of his closest friends and his son. The guys all wore Navy blue Michael Kors suits.
Any bridesmaids/groomsmen gifts?
The bridesmaids received wedding day makeup, robes+ flip flops, and perfume gift sets.
Caston went above and beyond to make sure his guys were taken care of. He assisted with the purchase of their suits because he wanted them all to have a nice suit that they could keep after the wedding and wear again someday.
Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
Because of the beauty of the venue, we didn’t want to take away from that, so we kept the decorations very simple, with lots of candles and fewer flowers for the reception. The Ceremony was held in the Garden behind the Mansion and the greenery gave off the perfect backdrop.
Read more about our wedding photography.
Separk Mansion Wedding Reception
What songs did you choose for your wedding ceremony and reception, and why:
Groom, Officiant, Best Men and Groomsmen Entrance: So High- John Legend
Bridesmaids and Maids of Honor Entrance: Why I Love You- MAJOR
Bride Entrance: Make me whole- Amel Larrieux
First Dance: Love Ballad – LTD
What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day? What is your best memory from your wedding?
The best memory from our wedding day is the first dance. We picked a song that was special to us and had no idea how many others would enjoy it. To hear everyone singing all of the words so loudly as we danced was such a happy feeling. Its truly one of the videos we like to watch over and over again.
What’s your favorite image from your wedding day, and why:
There are so many beautiful ones, it’s really hard to choose. I really love all of the photos of me and my Husband. Each picture came out beautiful.
Tell us about your wedding planner:
Our wedding Planner was Yolanda Boulware from Enchanted Wedding by Design. Yolanda and her team made the year-long process of planning a wedding so easy and not stressful at all. She provided Effective communication and she has great connections with numerous vendors in the area where she was able to find the best deals to fit our budget. There is no doubt our big day would not have been everything we imagined without her services.
Tell us about your wedding photography:
My husband and I are beyond thrilled and thankful that we chose In His Image Photography to capture our wedding day. From the moment we begin our email exchanges with Dajaun, to the day of our wedding being captured by him and his team, was just amazing and flawless! Dajuan is very professional and has a lot of experience in wedding photography. It was very easy to communicate with him as he was very efficient at responding to my questions and emails.
They say a photo is worth a thousand words… and In His Image absolutely justifies that. Looking through our wedding photos brought me indescribable feelings of happiness, love and every emotion in between! Dajuan was able to capture all the beautiful moments we can look back on for the rest of our lives. He’s the type of photographer who will give you 100% of his tireless effort and will exceed your expectations! Our photos are breathtaking and we are SO happy that we were able to work with him.
Do you have a honeymoon planned? Tell us about it.
Our Honeymoon was a European Cruise up the coast of Spain, Italy, and France. We spent seven days in 3 countries and 10 different cities. AMAZING!!
Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day? Any advice for future brides:
Enjoy every moment of this time leading up to your special day. One major key of advice that was given to me that I think every future bride should hear.. “try not to sweat the small stuff and don’t let things that may not go as planned get you down. It’s not about those things. The day is ALL about you and your hubby to be and your love for each other. And have fun, it will be one of the BEST day of your life.”
