Southern Weddings

Of course, it’s not hard for me to adore a love story that began at a baseball game! And for Rochelle + Casey, what started as a simple trip to see the Braves play turned into so much more as their relationship bloomed through a long-distance dating and engagement period. I love how Rochelle intentionally scheduled meetings with vendors during their planning time while Casey was in town visiting, so he could be a part of the process, too! They also worked with their planner, Brandee Gaar from Blush, to create details that meant something not only to themselves, but to their guests, as well.

Special thanks to Chelsea Patricia for sharing Rochelle + Casey’s sweet day with us!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! Something borrowed and blue was a sapphire ring that all my father’s sisters and my oldest sister wore on their wedding days. My something old was my father’s Sunday watch, wrapped around my bouquet. My something new was my new dress and boots!

I sort of had a style of dress in mind that I wanted, but I was certain I knew what I did not want. I knew I loved Monique Lhuillier dresses, so we started there. A couple of dresses were picked out because I wanted a belt, some lace, and a short train. THE dress was almost passed by, but my mother pointed out that it had a belt-looking sash, and said I should try it. I honestly didn’t like the dress on the hanger. As soon as I put it on though, I immediately thought about Casey, and I knew he would love it. I just knew it was the one. My mother and sister loved it, too. It looked like me and went with our wedding theme perfectly.

My bouquet was elegant and hand-tied, with a base of white hydrangea blooms, wonderful white mini calla lily blooms tucked into the center, and white freesia and ranunculus throughout. The bridesmaids had hand-tied bouquets of all orange blooming flowers: orange mini calla lily blooms, orange ranunculus, orange freesia, and accents of orange cymbudium. Casey had a white freesia boutonniere and the groomsmen had matching freesias, but in orange. The altar had a series of wooden doors with two pedestals of orange and green florals in between. The church reception had birch-covered cylinders that held a selection of assorted orange flowers. The dinner tables had tall glass vases filled with birch branches in a bed of open white hydrangea blooms.

Love their custom aisle runner, and this festive ribbon wand exit!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I wore cowboy boots under my dress for the whole day. The bridesmaids and I wore pearl jewelry. Our drinks were served in mason jars. There were also flowers displayed in mason jars down the aisle and throughout the reception and dinner. We had a wood theme carried from the invitations to the dinner. At the dinner, we served individual pies and banana pudding for desserts. We had corn hole, horse shoes, ladder golf, and life size jenga games to play at the dinner. The dinner was held at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market, which is an old train depot. At the dinner, the bridesmaids all changed into their own pairs of brown boots. The food was Southern comfort food.

At the church, we included cookies from family recipes. We asked some of our aunts for their favorite cookie recipes and displayed them as desserts with flavored milk. At the dinner, we had an assortment of pies and banana pudding. The pies were favorites of ours: peach, chocolate silk, apple, and pecan. We also had an ice cream truck come with an assortment of flavors for our guests! The ice cream was made fresh and frozen by liquid nitrogen!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. In 2006, my father passed away. My family and I were living in Osteen, Florida. My father’s best friend, Brian, was a youth minister that was called to a church in Newnan, Georgia in 2007. It’s because of the bond between Brian and my father that my family and I continue to visit him up in Georgia. Casey was a member of this church and a member of Brian’s new youth group. We met for the first time on Father’s Day of 2007 and became friends. It was a tradition for Brian and I to go to Atlanta Braves games each time I visited. It was not until one visit to Georgia in August of 2010, that Casey was asked by Brian to take me to the Braves game, where we finally hung out for the first time. The rest is history. We began talking more and visiting each other, and our long-distance relationship started.
Tell us all about the proposal! On June 21, 2012, while Casey was visiting Florida, he planned to take me to New Smyrna Beach to go kayaking at JB’s Fish Camp. While kayaking, we were so close to dolphins and manatees. It was a gorgeous day! After, Casey asked me to walk out on the dock with him. We have a hobby of geocaching (kind of like a treasure hunt with a GPS) and Casey told me he made a cache just for me, which was hidden out on the dock somewhere. We started searching on the dock for the box. When we found it, Casey had written a sweet note on the book inside that read “You are going to make my life so much better, check Yes or No.” I just started crying (not the reaction I thought I would have). I turned around to Casey saying the geocache represents us and our marriage. It’s something that we love to do and will always be around for others to enjoy as well. Then, he got down on one knee and brought out the ring. Of course, I said YES after a few tears! We were lucky to have Casey’s parents taking “secret” pictures of the event.
When did y’all get married? July 13, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? About 250
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? Yes, Casey and I did a first look and we are so thankful that we did. We both wanted to get our nerves out. Casey is the more emotional one and we thought it would be good to get the initial emotion out and have some special alone time before the rush of the day. It ended up that I was the one crying all day. But, we both agree that we were able to enjoy the ceremony more because we were able to get our nerves out earlier. It also made it easier to get all of the family and bridal pictures done before the ceremony so we could go straight into celebrating with our friends and family!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? No, we did not write our own vows, but they were not traditional vows either. Our vows were very Christ-centered. They talked about Christ’s love for the church and how that is reflected in our marriage.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We did not have any readings in our ceremony but instead, we did a Unity Cross. We built a cross that represents the man and woman in marriage. This was held together with three pegs that represent how our marriage is held together with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. The bridal party processional, which included my grandmother and Casey’s mother, was a song that Casey sang and recorded for me. It was a Valentine’s day gift one year. He sang and recorded a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Falling in Love With You.” The song we left to was Holley Maher’s “Perfect Day.” We thought it was the perfect song to explain what that day meant to us. Our first dance was to a cover of Jason Mraz’s “I Wont Give Up.” It was sung and recorded by my little sister’s boyfriend, Justin Slaven. We wanted to use songs recorded by Casey and Justin because they both love music and we love sharing their great talents! It also gave it a more personal touch.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Casey’s favorite detail was my dress! He kept saying all night that he just loved it. My favorite detail was the dinner we had for family and close friends after the church reception. This gave us time to really celebrate and enjoy time with those closest to us.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? All of the vendors we worked with were great! Two that I am beyond pleased with are Blush by Brandee Gaar and Lee James Floral. Without the help of Brandee and her team, the wedding would not have been as wonderful as it was. Lee James took my vision for the flowers and decor and blew me away. The flowers were the part I was most nervous about, but wow! The ceremony was beautiful! The flowers were just amazing. He really listened to what I wanted and gave me more than I thought I wanted! I can’t imagine the day with out those two!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Casey’s most memorable moment was our first look. He was excited to see me for the first time on the day that I became his wife. My most memorable moment was right before I walked down the aisle. I thought I had gotten all the crying out and I was so excited to walk down the aisle, but as soon as they opened the doors, my mother turned to me and said, “I love you.” The flood gates opened. It is not like me to cry that much, but I just couldn’t stop. I told my mom halfway down the aisle, “This was not part of the plan,” but my mom just told me it’s ok and enjoy the moment.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Casey and I are looking forward to living in the same state! During the time we were dating and engaged, I lived in Florida and he lived in Georgia. We are beyond excited to just go on date nights anytime we want and to see each other for more than just the weekend. We can finally have a “normal” relationship and be together, just the two of us!!

Photographer: Chelsea Patricia Photography / Videographer: Perfect Sky Productions / Planner: Brandee Gaar with Blush By Brandee Gaar / Ceremony Venue: Central Baptist Church / Reception Venue: Winter Park Farmer’s Market / Florist: Lee James Floral Designs / Wedding Cake or Dessert Baker: Party Flavors Custom Cakes / Caterer: Arthur’s Catering / Chair and Table Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc / AFR Rentals: Rent Furniture / Lighting: Kaleidoscope Event Lighting / Band or DJ: Soundwave Entertainment / Special Details: Chalk Shop Events / Ice Cream: Ice Cream Social Club / Transportation: Exotic Car Rentals / Bride’s Gown: “Bliss 2012, BL1221” by Monique Lhuillier / Invitations: Pearl Beach Paperie / Programs and Table Seat Cards: Polka&Dot / Bride’s Pearl Necklace and Earrings: Nadri / Bride’s Headpiece: Headpieces by Tacori / Hair and Makeup: Beaute Speciale / Bride’s Shoes: Justin Boots / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Blakey Dress” by J.Crew / Men’s Vests and Pants: Perry Ellis

Written with love by Marissa