On a Blanket of Roses

Carsyn Wharton and Lane Bortell brought faith and light to every corner of their Vienna nuptials. 

Carsyn Wharton & Lane Bortell
Vienna | 07.13.24

written by Julie Perine
photographed by Lauren Perreault Photography

Throughout their four-year relationship, Carsyn Wharton and Lane Bortell shared a lot of sunsets. Lane even popped the question on Valentine’s Day 2024, just as the sun was retiring for the day. It seemed like a given that they would wed in a sunset ceremony. 

Although the wedding was planned in just five months, things fell into place beautifully. “We knew it was going to be an elegant, family picnic kind of day with lots of flowers,” Carsyn says. “It ended up being a really interesting mixture of a lot of different aspects of my and Lane’s relationship that we turned into a giant party.” 

Making a vow

The ceremony took place under a crisp white tent in an open Vienna, West Virginia, field owned by the Whartons. Deciding upon the venue was easy. Carsyn’s parents had wanted to be married in the same spot, but the weather hadn’t cooperated. However, on July 13, 2024, conditions were pristine—a picture-perfect sky with lush green vegetation. The scene was set for a romantic, elegant atmosphere. 

Set against a blue sky dotted with clouds, Carsyn’s attendants wore gowns in shades of yellow, orange, and pink in styles of their own choosing. “I just wanted it to look like the sky with all the bridesmaids in bright sunset colors,” Carsyn says. Each carried a bouquet to complement her dress. Snapdragons, zinnias, straw flowers, poppies, ranunculus, garden roses, and other varieties were carefully chosen by Becky Clark of Marietta, Ohio. Carsyn’s bouquet was a blend of those florals as well as sky blue hydrangeas. “Becky is a family friend, like a second mom to me. I told her I wanted bright, beautiful colors, and she took that and ran with it. It was a perfect job—10 out of 10.”

Carsyn wore a chiffon Noa gown by Jenny Yoo, purchased at Dearly Bridal in College Grove, Tennessee. Escorted by her father, she walked to the altar on a blanket of white rose petals. Sporting a deep navy suit and white button-down shirt, Lane waited eagerly for his bride. “Some moments in life are so classic and iconic,” he says. “Seeing her walk down with so many people that we love, the string trio playing—everything was just so perfect.”

Carsyn’s and Lane’s dads officiated the ceremony, but not before the gathering of family and friends broke into groups to pray over the couple. They exchanged traditional vows as well as personal, self-written vows. The service also focused on the reflection that marriage is a covenant with Jesus. “Yes, it was a celebration, but more importantly, it was a celebration of Jesus and an opportunity for people to see him in a different light than they had before,” Carsyn says.

With those we love

Guests entered the canopied reception through an archway of lush greens and colorful flowers. The couple addressed them, sharing their faith and thanking them for being there. Special dances created emotional moments: The newlyweds’ first dance was to “Lady May” by Tyler Childers, and that led into a mother–groom dance to “Little Blue” and a bride–father dance to “A Father’s Blessing.” The dance floor heated up as Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie” brought everyone to the floor. Dancing continued into the evening with a playlist created by the bride and groom. “Hanging out with every single person we love most in the world was a really cool experience,” Lane says. 

Catered by the bride’s family business, Qdoba, the reception featured a fajita bar with Mexican corn, chips, and guacamole. Strawberry shortcake and a trio of mocktails—watermelon margarita, cherry limeade, and blueberry basil lemonade—were served by Parkhurst Dining. A dessert table showcased a variety of sweets, and the couple cut a small wedding cake made and decorated by the bride’s dear friend, Emma Clark. As a keepsake of the day, guests were invited to take home a small bud vase from their table as well as a wrapped pepperoni roll made by JR’s Donut Castle of Parkersburg.

Carsyn and Lane were thankful for Misti Sims, owner of Little Black Dress Events, who assisted them as their wedding planner in bringing their ideas to life. “I was able to be involved in the really fun parts of the wedding and entrust somebody else to pull together all the fun ideas we were coming up with,” Carsyn says. Each of the thoughtfully-curated ideas was perfectly immortalized by Lauren Perrault Photography and Perrault Film Co., capturing the wedding of Carsyn’s dreams. “It really was perfect from start to finish,” she says. “It had its own tiny little hiccups, like any wedding does, but it really was just magical and special.”

After honeymooning in Cancun, the Bortells settled into life in Nashville, Tennessee, where Carsyn continues nursing education at Lipscomb University and Lane works as a mechanical engineer.

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