Southern Weddings

She wasn’t born in the South, but got here as fast as she could! Amber is a West Coast transplant who fell in love with the charm and culture of the South after her own plantation wedding in Nashville, Tennessee. She can be found each morning picking fresh dahlias and zinnias from her garden to adorn her desk, and she loves most any shade of pink. A former wedding planner and stationery designer, she has a soft spot for a well-branded soirée, complete with coordinating cocktails, great food, and meaningful details. Her charming husband and two little ones keep her on her ballet flat-wearing toes, which coordinate well with her closet full of fluffy a-line dresses.

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Hometown: Orange County, California
Birthday: October 4
What fires me up: Fresh flowers, gardening, beach vacations with my family, creating, inspiring and encouraging others, reading and learning, date nights with my husband
You would be surprised to know: I spent more than half my life in Southern California and Nevada. However, after living in Nashville for ten years, I now have a slight Southern accent! I always say, I wasn’t born in the South, but got here as fast as I could.
How I met my husband: Crazily enough, we met on Match.com back when it first started! I declared to my friends when I joined the dating site that I only wanted to date a guy like my dad: a guy who could make me laugh, was handy around the house, and drove a truck. I was shocked to find that after a few dates, Brandon met all of these qualifications and more! We were the perfect match. :)
Favorite memory from my wedding: Having all of our West Coast family and friends gather one the front lawn of a 150-year-old plantation house to witness our wedding. Never in a million years did we imagine we’d end up marrying and making our home in the South. It was a delight to give them all a taste of Southern hospitality and traditions.
Claim to fame: Best Smile for the class of 1998. I still do love smiling.
Favorite class I took in college: My Spanish classes. I minored in Spanish and it led me to study abroad in San Sebastian, Spain the summer of my junior year.
How I came to work at Southern Weddings: My wedding was published on the Southern Weddings blog back in 2008 when the team was just Lara and her cat. I can still remember the emails we exchanged and what an excited bride I was! Our lives weaved together for many years through the wedding industry and Making Things Happen. As a former wedding planner and designer, I’ve had the honor to produce two editorial shoots for Southern Weddings (Song of the South and Fun and Fancy Free) and have a client’s wedding published in V5 (Lynae and Brenton). Eight years later, I never would have dreamed I’d be working on this side of the white picket fence and I’m thrilled!
Favorite Southern Weddings editorial ever: I am going to be biased and say Fun and Fancy Free. It was such a fun summer shoot and I loved dreaming up all the details with an amazing team of vendors in Nashville. Food trucks, sprinklers, and fireworks–what could be better?
Best part of my job: Pairing my love of marketing and analytics with a mission I truly believe in, and working with a team I’m grateful to call friends.
Why I do what I do: I wasn’t raised here, but I sincerely love the culture and spirit of the South. I believe in celebrating family and cultivating a life and marriage that means something even greater than just a one-day celebration…though I really love the pretty details, too!
What I do in my spare time: Garden, scrapbook, cook, visit barn sales, decorate the house for the next holiday.
The cause/organization/charity that most captures my heart: I have the honor to call Paige Chenault, founder of The Birthday Party Project, a friend, and I absolutely love her organization that brings joy to homeless children through birthday parties.
True love is: Making each other laugh every day and welcoming each other home with a six-second hug.