Long before Natalie walked down the aisle, the lace on her cathedral-length veil had already witnessed generations of weddings.
Dating back to the 1700s, the delicate lace first appeared on her great-great-grandmother’s wedding gown. It was later transformed into a veil and passed through generations of women in Natalie’s family, including her mother and sister, who both wore it for their own weddings.
For Natalie and Nic, that remarkable piece of family history became part of a wedding planned with Fete and Figs and photographed by Alexis Lunsford that was already deeply rooted in faith, family, and the generations of love that came before them.
Centuries-old lace became Natalie’s cathedral-length veil
The most extraordinary piece of Natalie’s bridal look had been in her family for generations.
Lace dating back to the 1700s first adorned her great-great-grandmother’s wedding gown before eventually being transformed into the cathedral-length veil Natalie wore down the aisle.
Her mother had worn the same veil. So had her sister.
Rather than simply incorporating a vintage accessory, Natalie became the latest woman in her family to carry the lace into a new marriage, turning her walk down the aisle into another chapter in a tradition spanning centuries.
Her sister’s lace bolero created another bridal connection
Natalie found another way to honor her sister through her ceremony fashion.
She wore the same lace bolero her sister had worn, adding another shared element to a bridal look already filled with family history. After the ceremony, Natalie removed the bolero to reveal a second bridal look before eventually changing again into a playful party dress for the reception.
The progression allowed her fashion to evolve throughout the celebration, moving from deeply traditional and sentimental to something lighter for the party.
A traditional Catholic ceremony centered the day in faith
Natalie and Nic exchanged vows in a traditional Catholic ceremony at Cathedral of Christ the King, making their faith an important foundation for the celebration.
Their chosen wedding date carried an additional layer of significance. They married on the Feast Day of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, the first married couple canonized together by the Catholic Church.
Sharing an anniversary with saints whose marriage has become associated with faithful love and family life made the date particularly meaningful for a couple beginning their own marriage.
You may also like
Vibrant florals turned this Arkansas wedding into a summer garden in full bloom
A colorful Athens wedding that brought Mediterranean romance to a historic Greek castle
Bubbly NorCal wedding inspired by an artisan sunset citrus theme
Vibrant florals brought a modern energy to the celebration
While family heirlooms and Catholic tradition grounded the wedding in history, the floral design by Bantam and Bloom brought a joyful dose of contemporary color.
Vibrant arrangements incorporated unexpected accents of golden cherries and citrus, creating a lively counterpoint to the more traditional elements of the day.
The combination kept the celebration from feeling overly formal or tied to a single era. Centuries-old lace could coexist with playful fruit details and colorful flowers, allowing the wedding to honor the past without attempting to recreate it.
Brookhaven Capital Club carried its own family history
The reception at Brookhaven Capital City Club held another, much more recent, connection to Natalie’s family.
Her sister had celebrated her own wedding at the same venue just one year earlier. Returning to the property gave Natalie and Nic’s reception an added sense of familiarity while creating yet another shared thread between the sisters’ wedding stories.
Surrounded by family and friends, the couple focused the celebration on the candid interactions and joyful moments that reflected the relationships most important to them.
A new chapter in a centuries-old family story
Natalie and Nic’s wedding brought together traditions spanning dramatically different periods of time.
There was lace dating back to the 1700s, a veil worn by generations of women, a bolero shared between sisters, a Catholic ceremony rooted in faith, and a wedding date connected to Saints Louis and Zélie Martin. Alongside those traditions were colorful flowers, golden cherries, citrus, multiple bridal looks, and the joyful energy of a modern celebration.
The result wasn’t simply a wedding inspired by the past. Natalie and Nic allowed family history to become part of something entirely their own.
And when Natalie walked down the aisle wearing the same lace carried by generations before her, she wasn’t only preserving an heirloom. She was adding another love story to it.
Continue to next story
