Out On a Limb: Florals adorned a stately tree that served as a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.

Photo by Carter Rose Weddings

It Was Wedding Bells (and Bountiful Blooms) for Wedding Pro Emily Noland and Thomas Moss

By Allison Hatfield

Emily Noland

Thomas Moss

August 1, 2020

 

After Thomas Moss surprised Emily Noland with a marriage proposal in 2019, the two went to work planning their wedding for May 2, 2020. But on the very day they were to mail their formal invitations, they realized they’d need to push the date. COVID stay-at-home orders would prevent the couple from hosting 400 guests that spring, but it wouldn’t prevent them from celebrating in style later in the year. On August 1, 2020, the two sealed the deal in “a fun, elegant backyard wedding” at her parents’ home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

 

When the Tables Are Turned

Emily Noland has been a wedding professional for several years, most recently as vice president of operations at Bella Flora. She’s worked on scores of weddings, but last summer was the first time she was herself a bride. She found it difficult to let go and just enjoy the moment.

“It was a hard thing for me, because I always wanted to be in control,” Emily says. “I wanted it to be what I wanted it to be, versus what I’ve seen before. Now I look back, and I didn’t have to be that way.”

The experience did give her some insight into the minds of her bridal clients, however. And she feels better equipped to put her brides at ease, reassuring them “that at the end of the day, you’re going to marry your person,” no matter what else happens.

“It’s a good way for us to relate,” she says.

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