Google+ Real Mississippi Wedding: Bailey + Sage - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Judging by these fabulous images from Stephanie Rhea Photography, I’d have to say this Mississippi bride more than succeeded in pulling off a wedding that oozed simple Southern elegance when she and her college sweetheart (and fellow Auburn U. alum!) said their I-Do’s.  Now we all known I’m the tuxedo’s #1 fan, but I really love that the groom and his attendants spiffed up their classic wedding day bests with white bowties.  Ultra-formal, dashing and oh-so-Southern!  Of course, Bailey’s Heidi Elnora gown is one of the most figure-flattering choices we’ve seen in awhile but the bridesmaids’ one-shouldered blue gowns from Bella Bridesmaid?  I love (repeat: l.o.v.e.) these dresses!  I like when bride’s keep their bouquets simple and understated (white peonies from The Pantry Catering and Event Designs really complemented this real-life Southern wedding’s classic vibe) but also appreciate when couples infuse sophisticated and subtle splashes of color into their centerpieces (please tell me those lime green apples aren’t absolutely adorable!).  The courtyard at the Old Waverly Golf Club where the newlyweds celebrated with family and friends post-vows in an intimate evening reception is simply breathtaking and the cake – oh, the wedding cake – is a six-tiered masterpiece from Angels ConfectionsDe-lish!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Sage and I met as neighbors in our apartment complex at Auburn University.  I needed a date to my sorority’s fall formal and, though we barely knew each other, I asked Sage to go with me.  After dancing and laughing the whole night, the rest is history.
Describe the proposal
.  After Sage finished his last final exam in the spring of 2008, he surprised me with a picnic on top of a mountain at Chewacla State Park.  While I was busy getting things out of the picnic basket, Sage got down on one knee and pulled out the ring he had picked out for me.  I was beyond shocked!  I didn’t even know he had bought a ring!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
  I had a vision in my head of exactly what I wanted my wedding to look like and sometimes bringing that vision to life was more challenging than I had imagined.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?
  Simple southern elegance.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
  I wore a custom-designed gown by Project Runway designer Heidi Elnora.  It was an amazing and fun process to watch as my dress sketch evolved into a beautiful gown!
Describe your wedding flowers: 
A white and cream palette of flora that included peonies, mop-head hydrangeas, dendrobium orchid sprays, Queen Ann’s Lace, fragrant gardenias and stalks of cymbidium orchids, all laced with string smilax.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: 
Elegant, fun and full of love.

What was your favorite design element of your big day?  The transformation of the English garden into a chic, outdoor lounge where guests gathered for cool summer drinks and hors d’ oeuvres before a light summer supper and evening of dancing.  It was the perfect place for us to decompress a little and enjoy both the minted palmyras and the beginning of our evening.

Describe your wedding cake:  Our wedding cake was fabulous!!  We chose a six-tiered, round confection filled with traditional vanilla and French vanilla buttercream.  The cake was decorated with edible shimmer and hand-sculpted orchids made from sugar paste.  To incorporate Sage’s love for fishing, I surprised him with a three-tiered chocolate cake topped with a handmade fishing basket complete with bass fish, lures, line and stringers of small fish, all made of chocolate and sugar.  The cake was accented with cattails made of chocolate, grass and turtles made from sugar paste. 
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  Kicking off our reception under a clear top tent with a first dance to the band’s version of Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” was definitely a highlight.  Escalade Show and Dance, an eight-piece band from New Orleans, kept great music flowing all night and had all the guests hitting the dance floor.   
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I would have to say when Sage and I saw each other for the first time.  I could see the love all over his face, and everything really came into focus.  It was a sweet, special moment I know I’ll remember forever. 

Congratulations Bailey + Sage!  Best wishes in all your future endeavors together!

Written with love by Katharine
52 Comments
  1. avatar Brittany reply

    Love this wedding! Totally my style!!!

  2. avatar mandy worsham reply

    these pics are awesome! stephanie has a great eye!

  3. avatar Bev reply

    Incredible photo’s- beautiful, creative, detailed…awesome!!

  4. avatar Jenny Cobb reply

    What a beautiful southern wedding! :) Love the blue bridesmaid dresses and green apples as decoration. Photos really capture the day!

  5. avatar Johnnie Sue reply

    Fantastic photos! What a beautiful wedding and photos…such attention to details!

  6. avatar Charlie reply

    Stephanie and Juan Carlos photographed our wedding a couple of years ago and I’m sure this couple will be just as happy with their final results. Beautiful, to say the least.

  7. avatar Kim reply

    Beautiful photos! The lighting, composition, and colors really make these special. Stephanie Rhea is so professional and fun to work with.

  8. avatar Busylad Rent-All reply

    Another wedding and beautiful photographs to capture all of the moments of that special day! GREAT work as always!

  9. avatar Amanda reply

    Stunning!

  10. avatar Pamela reply

    What a gorgeous wedding and couple! Love Stephanie’s photos! She has such a gift for capturing beautiful weddings!

  11. avatar ann reply

    Loved the true southern wedding. So elegant! Fun pictures too.

  12. avatar Jessica reply

    I love this wedding!!!! The photos are gorgeous!!!!

  13. avatar Bridget Sharp reply

    Stephanie, as always, you blow me away with the talent you have for capturing the bride and groom at just the right moment. Your flair for the details in a wedding is stunning. Your work is always fabulous!

  14. avatar Marty reply

    Stephanie did a wonderful job with the photos!

  15. avatar Danny B reply

    Beautiful!!!

  16. avatar Drew Williams reply

    Great work Stephanie and JC- they are the best photography team in the state of Mississippi. We love working with them on weddings and other events. Great shots and style.

  17. avatar Sharon Gamble reply

    What an amazing wedding it was! From the start guest were treated like royalty! We all received a personalized bag to welcome us into the most beautiful rooms that had been reserved for us. Bailey and Sage made you feel like you were the one that they wanted at their wedding. The church, flowers, wedding party, parents and grandparents were to awsome to describe! The entertainment at the reception could give Hollywood a lesson or two. But, the best thing that comes to my mind out of that special day was the LOVE I saw between Bailey and Sage! It was written all over their faces. They could not have hidden it if they tried! This is a match that was made in Heaven and they reminded all of us "older" married folks what true love, family and friends are all about. :)

  18. avatar Kelly reply

    Breath taking. I love them all but especially the bride by the church doors.

  19. avatar Tony Corrie reply

    I never grow tired of seeing the magical moments within wedding photography. These photographs capture excitement, hope for the future, and love. Congratulations!

  20. avatar Anne reply

    Beautiful photos! Love how Stephanie captured the emotion and reaction of the wedding party as bride & groom kissed. Wonderful!

  21. avatar Tonya reply

    What a BEAUTIFUL wedding! The bride is lovely and so are her choices in decoration. It looks so pulled together and professional. Her dress is a dream – as well as the cake, flowers and choice of lighting. The photographer did an outstanding job of capturing the evening. I’m sure they’ll cherish the memories and the beautiful pictures for years to come. Best wishes to the bride & groom!

  22. avatar Tara reply

    Beautiful wedding. I am envisioning my wedding to be similar.

  23. avatar Kimberly Letson reply

    Love the capture of the pictures!! Beautiful gown, gorgeous flowers, great location, LOVE the cake & the cheese too!!

  24. avatar Catherine reply

    this is such a beautiful wedding! i love the centerpieces with the green apples in the bottom and the white flowers coming out of the top. I really like the little sitting lounge outside with the white chair and the table…. so original!! it looks like a great, fun wedding party and a beautiful wedding!

  25. avatar Amanda reply

    Wow! What a special day. The photos really capture the essence of the event!

  26. avatar Katie reply

    This was a fairy tale wedding and you can tell by the pictures! they truly capture how enchanting a wedding can be. You can see the love shared between these two in these pictures and by what Bailey wrote. thanks for sharing it with all of us!

  27. avatar Carrie Beth reply

    Dress was amazing…love the bmaid dress color…stunning. All around, a beautiful event!

  28. avatar Jen reply

    LOVE the beading on the gown, Bailey’s dress is beautiful. the entire wedding was georgous. Congratulations!

  29. avatar Jason reply

    Beautiful wedding and LOVE the pictures! The photographer captures the elegance and an artistic flair. Well done.

  30. avatar Katie reply

    Amazing wedding day judging from the photos. Love the details.

  31. avatar Amanda Hayden reply

    What a beautiful wedding!! Love the clean, crisp color scheme and the couple is so cute! Sweet story and great pics!

  32. avatar Tara reply

    Love everything about this…from the color or the bridesmaids dresses to the apples in some of the centerpieces! FABULOUS!

  33. avatar Saud reply

    Great Wedding, off-course with great photography :)

  34. avatar LYNN COTHRAN reply

    Wonderful wedding, love the dress so special makes the bride look even more beautiful than she already is.

  35. avatar Emily reply

    Love the pictures. I wish I had been there.

  36. avatar kelly reply

    The photographer really seems to know how to capture the personalities of the bride and groom and their wedding party, while also documenting their beautiful event.

  37. avatar holli robinson reply

    i love these shots they are awesome She really knows how to make you feel that you have been to the wedding

  38. avatar Lauren Springer reply

    I was maid of honor in this wedding, and, I can assure you, it was just as fabulous as it looks in these pictures! Even more than that, this was a great event to celebrate a monumental love between people who were clearly made for each other. I’ve known Bailey since I was in elementary school, and, like I said at their rehearsal dinner, I saw her come alive as she fell in love with Sage. I was honored to be a part of such an amazing love story, a gorgeous wedding, and an incredibly fun party!!

  39. avatar Lindsey reply

    fun, fabulous wedding! i was honored to be a part of it!!

  40. avatar Katherine reply

    These pictures are beautiful, but they do not nearly do justice to how wonderful every detail of the wedding weekend really was! It was the epitome of simple southern elegance!! Bailey’s touch was evident everywhere you turned!

  41. avatar Quinetha reply

    How awesome! I think your wedding was sublime! The dress was faaaaabulosity personafied!

  42. avatar Lillajo Ford reply

    My husband and I attended the wonderfully sophisticated and elegant wedding of Bailey and Sage (Stephanie Rhea/Photographer) It was truly a midsummer night’s dream. They are two of today’s most precious young couples and we immensely enjoyed sharing their special night! From the first outdoor greeting from John and Patti Griffin to the lavishly served, fabulously tasty foods, the evening was truly perfect. A true Southern girl’s dream wedding, just as Bailey said.

  43. avatar Angie reply

    Such a gorgeous wedding. The apple centerpieces looked so elegant as did the cheese and cracker table. Everything pulled together so nicely.

  44. avatar Jeffie Filgas reply

    The photos are beautiful and cover the beginning and end of a beautifully planned wedding that covered every detail. The photo of the reception’s beginning in the English garden court yard shows the elegance of the pivotal point from the small-town, people-packed church to the beautiful and completely southern Waverly Country Club.

  45. avatar scott burton reply

    I am very impressed with the quality of Stephanie’s images and style….Amazing detail!!!

  46. avatar Ashley reply

    AMAZING Photos!!! Everything looks so beautiful!

  47. avatar debbie pipkin reply

    A beautiful southern wedding- love the outside lounge!

  48. avatar FAE reply

    What a beautiful wedding! Whoever did the decor and food is amazing….and the flowers are gorgeous….i would love to know the name of the company/companies that put it all together…they created such a beautiful scene for a wedding reception….

  49. avatar Lynn Gillespie reply

    Bailey and Sage had a truly MAGICAL evening from beginning to end. It was the most beautiful event I have ever attended!

  50. avatar Sandy reply

    Gorgeous pictures. I understand that there was no detail missed.

  51. avatar Rose reply

    Stephanie Rhea has such a talent for capturing the moments for the bride & groom to remember their day. Absolutely beautiful wedding and the cake is outstanding.

  52. avatar LaJuan Mackin reply

    This was the most fun and most rewarding wedding party that I have done in twenty years! What you would dream of "The perfect wedding" and Bailey was so cool and calm through the whole thing. Thanks Bailey, Mothers and Bridesmaids you were beautiful!LaJuan MackinBillyBBeauty & Syd Curry Salon

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