Southern Weddings

Have y’all been enjoying a look into our our newest issue through all the gor-geous editorials the last couple of days? Heavens, I know I have, and I surely can’t pick a favorite. Can you?

However, I sure can pick a boatload of favorites out of this classic yet glamorous wedding from Justin DeMutiis. Hello, I die over Blair’s monogram veil, and that’s just the beginning! Y’all, there are so many beautiful details in this wedding that I could gush for days. But to me, it’s the small details that matter most, like how B + B incorporated Brian’s family tradition of opening poppers before Christmas dinner by using them as place cards. And how they cut their cake with Blair’s late grandmother’s wedding knife. Not too mention how Blair worked with Jade Lee from Lovelee Affairs on just the perfect Southern menu – yum!

Oh my stars! Those silver sparkly shoes were made for dancing, and that Anna Maier gown… Blair, you got style, my friend!

Let’s hear a little more about that stunning gown! I looked both in Seattle (where I live) and in Atlanta (where I am from). I tried on about a million tulle fit and flares but still had not found ‘the one’ and was afraid I never would. After a long day of searching, some silver beading caught my eye. The dress was so different than anything else I was looking at that the woman helping me thought the dress had been grabbed by mistake. The gown’s bubble hem and stunning appliqués on the bodice made me swoon. THIS was the dress I was going to marry Brian in.

Don’t you love Blair’s dad’s face as they do their father daughter first look? So sweet!

I kind of adore the story of how these two first met: My sorority was hosting a philanthropy basketball tournament and I was assigned to be the coach for Brian’s fraternity. I went to his house to drop off the schedule and Brian answered the door. I thought it was adorable that he shook my hand as he introduced himself. He requested that I bring orange slices and Capri suns so I showed up to the first game with about 10 pounds of each.

Describe your wedding flowers: We stuck with mainly white hydrangeas and white roses with accents of peach and blush flowers. My favorite arrangements were in these oversized mint julep cups. They looked amazing on our long estate tables.

Y’all know I about flipped when I saw this gorgeous veil complete with Blair’s monogram!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Fortunately, our church has an amazing organ. We choose songs that shared our excitement for the day but also our reverence towards the commitment we were about to make to each other. Our mothers walked down the aisle to the same song my mother walked down the aisle to on her wedding day. I walked down to the traditional Wedding March. For our first dance, we choose” Love Is Not a Fight” by Warren Barfield. One lyric in the song is “love is a shelter from a raging storm.” Those words perfectly capture the comfort and peace Brian’s love provides me.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did traditional vows followed by personal words of affirmation. He told me, “I will lead you and I will never stop seeking you or seeking the Lord. I told him, “You will wake every day in a home where you are wanted, where you are supported, and where you are loved.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My brother read Colossians 3: 12-17 and Brian’s sister said a prayer of blessing right before we were announced as husband and wife.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? My wedding planner and I worked really hard to create the perfect Southern menu. So many of our Northwestern guests only had an idea of what Southern cooking would be like and we wanted to blow them away. We searched for months for the perfect recipes and went over every detail with the venue. It was really important to me that we include traditional Southern items like pimento cheese, grits, and Coca-Cola barbeque sauce, but in a elevated way. From fried green tomato BLTs to our shrimp & grits bar to our spiked Arnold Palmer and my Dad’s famous ginger ale bourbon tonic… It was all yummy and perfect.

Our cake was a beautiful five-tiered pink/peach fondant cake with two beautiful sugar magnolia flowers. We cut the cake with a cake knife given to me by my grandmother. She died just a few months before our wedding but I still felt her love with us that day, especially when we were able to use her knife.

Describe the proposal. Brian took me to the site of our first date, where we had sat in a park next to the restaurant overlooking Puget Sound. Brian had set up a semicircle of wedding photos of each of our parents and grandparents and in the middle he had placed the bible which I gave him as an anniversary present. He got down on one knee and proposed with one of our friends hiding in the distance taking pictures to capture the whole thing.
In what month did you get married? September
How many guests attended your wedding? 155 people
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? One of the first photographers we met with really encouraged us to do a first look. He said that it would really help with any nervousness and we would get to make out the whole day as opposed to just seeing each other for the ceremony and reception. We ended up choosing to do a first look and both really appreciated all of the extra kisses we were able to sneak in.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: As a tradition in Brian’s family, they open poppers before Christmas dinner and wear paper crowns so we used poppers as place cards and had our guests join us in wearing gold paper crowns during dinner.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Editing. I wanted a modern/vintage/classy/Southern/formal/laid-back wedding .
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? My dress!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Be a gracious host. As you plan your day, keep in mind what experience you want your guests to have as they help you celebrate this amazing occasion. Try to think of ways to invite your guests to share in the love you have for each other and anticipate what they might need to stay comfortable and in the mood to celebrate with you!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? I knew marrying Brian would be my greatest adventure. As he finishes his last year of dental school, we are now looking at several residency programs around the country. We both have faith God will shepherd us as we begin to lay the foundation for our marriage and future family no matter what city we call home.

Justin DeMutiis is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa