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Southern Weddings

Author: Marissa

With a relationship stemming from minor league baseball chatter on Twitter, it’s safe to say Jessica + Chris did not meet in the most traditional way. But, when it came to their sweet Southern wedding, tradition was deeply woven into every detail. My favorite detail is the Bible Chris’s mother carried into the ceremony — it was his late father’s, and it served as a reminder of his presence and his support for their marriage. What a lovely way to honor and remember him.

On a sweet note, I would be remiss not to mention that Jessica + Chris made their own peach preserve wedding favors with the help of Jessica’s mom and step dad! Says Jessica, “It was a great bonding experience, and we were so proud of the ‘fruits’ of our labor!”

We’re sending lots of thanks to Chris Isham for snapping J+C’s big day!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
My mom and I went everywhere in Greenville looking for the perfect dress. I would find one that I really liked the shape of, but find something I didn’t like about the fabric, or vice versa. Finally we decided to drop in at David’s Bridal, where I immediately spotted the dress. I knew it would be mine before I even tried it on — the texture and flow were just perfect for me.

We decided to do a first look because it was really important for us to have just a few minutes alone together before the ceremony and the hustle and bustle of the reception. It was so nice to just take a moment to reflect on our love for one another. The huge grin on Chris’s face was priceless; it is one of my favorite wedding memories.

My mom, my five amazing bridesmaids, and my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law decorated the entire reception area the night before. A true labor of love! We used a mix of white hydrangeas, blush and white garden roses and baby’s breath for both the reception and the ceremony. The buds were arranged in hand-decorated mason jars and small vases to create a vintage Southern feel — simple, sweet, and comfortable elegance. We took fabric flower pieces from my mom’s veil and attached them to my bouquet as my something old; it was a wonderful way to carry a piece of her wedding day with me.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. A friend of ours, Johnathan, played guitar during our ceremony since access to power or a piano really wasn’t an option in the middle of a farm field. For the processional, he played an amazing acoustic edition of “Everlasting Light” by The Black Keys. Chris and I went to a Black Key’s Concert early in our relationship and have always loved this song. For the bridal entrance, we selected “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan and for the recessional, “Here Come The Sun,” by The Beatles. Our first dance was to “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. Chris and his mom danced to “I Hope You Dance” by LeeAnn Womack, and my dad and I danced to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. On our RSVP return cards we asked our guests to “Be the DJ” — such a great idea! Our reception music was an eclectic mix of music that kept everyone on the dance floor all night long. Plus it was great to see when a guest’s song came on and see them rush to the floor in excitement for “their pick.”

My cousin Evan, who ministers to college kids in Ohio with Campus Crusade For Christ, officiated our wedding. It was really special for me because we have grown up together (we are only six months apart) and he understood my personality and desire for a relaxed but meaningful ceremony. He wrote the entire ceremony and we made traditional vows. Evan did a great job relating to Chris and I and even added a personal touch by pulling in lessons he has learned from his own young marriage. Plus, he used his iPad during the ceremony, which was a nice touch for a couple that was brought together by the wonders of technology.

I love the relaxed atmosphere of this photo! It looks like Jessica, Chris, and their entire bridal party are absolutely enjoying the day! Not to mention that light is just dreamy.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? 
Our wedding was full of Southern charm. We wanted our guests to feel comfortable and at home so that they could really enjoy themselves. Our guests rode up to the ceremony site on tractors — hay ride style! One of the most Southern details was the food. Our wedding was held on an organic working farm, so the dinner we served was farm-to-table style using as many ingredients as possible from our surroundings. We served crostinis with goat cheese and pepper jelly, a salad with organic greens, slider burgers with fresh greens and cheddar, corn lollipops, a mashed potato bar with all the fixin’s, and BBQ chicken over collard greens. Plus, every drink at the wedding was served in a mason jar with a paper straw. We had a fire pit in the reception barn where guests could warm themselves in a rocking chair or toast marshmallows for s’mores. We were all about Southern comfort and good ‘ol hospitality!

When you get down to the final weeks and days of planning, you’ve done everything you can do up to this point to make your day unforgettable. If things don’t turn out quite like you planned, just roll with the punches and don’t sweat the things you can’t change. Improvise and laugh about it — it’s not worth getting upset over. It’s your big day — savor every moment!

Y’all know I believe everything tastes better in a mason jar, and that lemonade looks like a great refresher from dancing the night away!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. 
Our wedding cake was alternating tiers of fresh organic strawberry cake and strawberry icing and chocolate cake with fudge butter cream icing with a vanilla butter cream that looked as though it had been iced right there at the reception. Our cupcakes were an assortment of four flavors: peach bellini, pumpkin spice with cinnamon icing, green tea, and champagne sparkle. The groom’s cake was a traditional red velvet cake, Chris’s favorite!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
I can’t just pick one! Chris and I made our peach preserve wedding favors with my mom and step dad. We live near a peach orchard and pass it virtually every day. We thought it would be a great idea to make a yummy treat for our guests to enjoy. We purchased two bushels of peaches and spent an entire weekend slicing, prepping, boiling, and canning the old-fashioned way!

We always love a good father/daughter dance, but this photo of Chris and his mama dancing encompasses so much emotion!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
Chris and I met on Twitter, but before you think that’s crazy please read on! We started communicating with one another periodically about small stuff in late 2009, talking about the local minor league baseball team, our distaste for speeding tickets, and the fact that we were both from Virginia and living in South Carolina. Eventually, that led to the need for more in-depth conversations, so we exchanged phone numbers and figured that it was time to meet each other in early 2010. We both knew that the other person could possibly be a serial killer (only kidding!) but we took a chance and found that there was a definite attraction. We’ve been inseparable ever since!
Describe the proposal. 
One summer Saturday morning, I got up early and started getting ready to go look for treasures at a local neighborhood yard sale. Chris is not a morning person, so I was pretty shocked when he wanted to join me on my 7 am excursion. After a couple hours of looking at tables upon tables of junk, we made our way back to our apartment. All morning, Chris had been asking what I wanted to do for the rest of the day, and I replied multiple times that I had no plans. After being asked the question again, I was beginning to get a little annoyed. I turned to Chris and in a very annoyed and sarcastic tone grumbled, “You keep asking me what I want to do, clearly you have something in mind, so what do YOU want to do today?” He dropped to one knee and said, “I want to make it official.” My mouth dropped open and I immediately felt terrible about what I had just said. The rest is history! We were going to have a much more romantic engagement story, but I mistakenly ruined Chris’s grand plans by inviting one of our friends along for dinner the night the proposal was supposed to happen. But I honestly couldn’t be happier with our story… it is very “us”!
In what month did you get married? 
October 2012
How many guests attended your wedding? 
150
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
Evan added 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13 to the wedding message at our request and my stepfather, Jim read Romans 12:9-21 during the ceremony.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
I am a very detail-oriented person and it was hard to narrow down the things I wanted to include in our special day. Eventually, I had to decide what mattered most and eliminate the all the piddly things that weren’t as meaningful to us.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Our photography. I was especially picky about what I wanted to look back at years from now and see. After looking up every photographer in town, I just knew I wanted Chris Isham to capture all of the little moments during our big moment. His relaxed style was just perfect and he really made Chris and I feel at ease. We could have had a few of our friends capture the day for little to nothing, but this was the best choice we could have possibly made!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
We are excited for what is ahead! Shortly after we returned from the honeymoon in Jamaica, Chris interviewed for a new position and received a promotion at his company at the end of last year. I am in the process of preparing for and applying to graduate school programs and I just changed career paths. We are looking forward to settling into our new house and starting a family in the next few years.

Chris Isham is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
2 Comments
  1. avatar Lauren reply

    I absolutely love the pictures of the wedding party in the field. I love how feminine and delicate the flowers were paired with those gorgeous dresses.

  2. avatar Chris Isham reply

    Thanks so much for sharing Jessica + Chris’s wedding! Y’all are awesome! :)

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I love how Sara + Dom chose to separate the dinner from the dancing portion part of their celebration. (And oh my, what a celebration it was!) Tara and the team at Lowndes Grove worked together to create a dinner party feeling through estate tables, romantic chandeliers and low floral arrangements, then utilized modern lighting and a fun lounge area to create an upbeat space for dancing and more celebration. I love how ecstatic these two look in Liz’s photos!

Thanks again to Liz Banfield for capturing S + D’s soiree!

Dom is a big collector of matchbooks, so we had custom matchbooks made with our married monogram!

Did you have a cocktail hour? If so, what was it like? Our cocktail hour was fantastic.   As you entered the house, you saw a gorgeous old-fashioned champagne tower.  There was also an oyster bar, cheese trays and delicious shrimp and grits in edible spoons.

One of the biggest hits was a soup sampler we served as part of dinner.  There were three different soups served together that people could not stop talking about: gazpacho, curry crab, and split pea.  The split pea and gazpacho were served cold, so they were also refreshing.

I’m smitten over these chargers – the cut-out detail is simple yet ornate all at the same time. I can see pairing them with my grandmother’s vintage china for an Easter brunch!

We always knew we wanted to separate the dinner and dancing portions of the evening.  We wanted dinner to feel like a dinner party and then we wanted to create a much more upbeat atmosphere for the dancing part of the evening.  The two spaces were adjacent to each other and as dinner ended, the dancing tent with the dance floor and lounge floor was unveiled for all to see.

I saw the idea for mini cakes in Vogue, and could not wait to re-create it!  I thought the idea of having individual cakes for everyone was so different, and also delicious.  We had three different flavors: carrot cake, caramel, and chocolate.  The cake tower that held them all looked perfect.

As soon as Kristin and I both saw Sara’s getaway dress we absolutely flipped! This girl is ready for a party!

We had rented an old Rolls Royce that had to cancel at the last minute so we ended up with a vintage green Lincoln coupe convertible and it was even better!  We left through the house doors and ran through the sparklers to the car and drove off to everyone cheering.  We went for a ride around the battery before heading to our after party.  It was an amazing feeling to drive around the battery as every car we passed by honked and people were wishing us well.  We were just trying to take it all in and enjoy the best night of our lives.

And please enjoy this film of the day from Joel Serrato!

Tell us a bit about your first dance. We danced to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.  We went back and forth on many different songs as we wanted as we wanted something that was a little upbeat.  “Stand by Me” turned out perfectly.
Favorite design element of your big day: My whole idea for dinner was to have the feeling of an intimate dinner party surround by friends.  That was executed with the long tables, lit candles, and the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the tents.
What was the funniest moment?  What was the scariest? Our funniest moment was when one of our friends was dancing on the stage with the band and jumped up and came down into a split.  The crowd could not believe it and when he showed up at our brunch the next day, the room gave him a standing ovation for his incredible dance moves.
What was Southern about your wedding? The location, the plantation, the food, and the specialty cocktails.

marissa Written with love by Marissa
4 Comments
  1. avatar Lauren reply

    I love the beautiful fabric draped ceiling. It’s so whimsical and delicate and paired with the gray and blue accents it is perfection.

  2. avatar Emily reply

    I adore their champagne tower and monogrammed table linens!

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Sara + Dom knew they wanted to get married in Charleston and after seeing Lowndes Groves Plantation, they instantly felt that this venue would be perfect location for their big day. I tend to agree! With the help of Tara Guerard and her Soiree team, S + D worked to create an elegant wedding that is so effortlessly chic, I can’t get over it! Sara said, “We really wanted to maintain the Southern plantation feel, but to add modern touches, too.” Mission accomplished, doll!

Big hugs to the very talented Liz Banfield for sharing these gorgeous images with us.

Looking to make your own Charleston welcome tote? Check out our tips (and free download!) here!

Oh my beautiful paper! I’d like to lay this out on my coffee table and just stare at it all day!

Y’all! A monogrammed bouquet wrap, say what?! And did you spot the personalized boxes each bridesmaids’ bouquet arrived in?

My mom and sister came to NYC for the weekend for the search for my gown. We looked all weekend, and I tried on so many dresses at so many different boutiques.  I considered several dresses, but when I put on the strapless beaded gown by Amsale and saw my mom tear up, we all said that was it.  My favorite thing about it was the beading detail and scalloped bottom.  It really had everything that I was looking for.

For the bridesmaids, I knew that I wanted each girl to be able to pick her own style in the grey color I had chosen.  My sister and I tried on every single bridesmaid dress line out there, and felt that the Monique Lhullier line was light and airy and had enough styles for each girl to be happy.  Each girl’s dress ended up reflecting her own personal style.  I let my sister have a different dress as the maid of honor, and she had her dress designed and made in NYC.  I could not believe how perfectly her dress complemented the other bridesmaid dresses.

Briefly describe your wedding flowers:  They were fresh and spring-like. We had all whites with hints of grey and lots of texture. All of the bouquets were wrapped with ribbons that were custom monogrammed for each individual.

A mama’s girl myself, I’m especially smitten with this sweet way Sara honored her mother.

My mom, who helped with the entire wedding process from start to finish, walked me down the aisle, which was a very special moment of the day. 

Now that is a chuppah!

Tell me a bit about the wedding ceremony. We chose to have my uncle be our officiant.  In the weeks leading up to our wedding, he reached out to all the members of our wedding party and had them each share their favorite story about us.  He then weaved all of these stories into the ceremony, which gave it a very personal and intimate touch.  It was incredible.  I was so impressed.

What was the most memorable or touching moment about your wedding day? My husband giving a wonderful toast as dinner finished.  He gave a special thank you to each important member of our family and ended the toast with special words for me.  It was an incredible speech.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party.  We talked throughout the party, but then when Dom asked for my phone number, he got my name wrong! I soon learned he is terrible with names but on that night I was not sure I would hear from him again.  I was wrong. We started dating and we both knew early on we had something special.  We dated for three years before getting engaged.
Describe the proposal: We went to Jackson Hole for my birthday because we both love to ski and our first-ever trip together was to Vail, Colorado. Ski trips hold a special meaning for us.  We got there mid-day and got our ski stuff together so we would be ready early the next morning.  We got back to the room and there were flowers all over, which I thought were for my birthday.  I turned around and he was on one knee in front of the fireplace proposing! I could not have been happier.  My sister and other friends also joined us on the trip later that day and they had no idea Dom proposed.  When we saw them, we were able to share the news with them in person, which made the whole night even more special
Tell me all the basics of your wedding! Our wedding was in the spring in Charleston, SC at Lowndes Grove Plantation. We knew that Charleston was the most likely place we wanted to get married as I had been visiting there for years after my mom relocated there eleven years ago.  When we saw Lowndes Grove Plantation in person, we knew we had found the venue that could host the type of wedding we envisioned.  It wasn’t until we met the team at Soiree that we knew we had all the pieces to the puzzle. We knew that they would be able to create the vision we had for the entire event.  They surpassed anything we had even expected.
Three adjectives that describe the day are:  Spectacular, elegant, intimate.
What was the weather like on your big day? Cloudy but the sun broke through
How many guests attended your wedding? 136
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  Why was this design special to you as a couple?   We really wanted to maintain the Southern plantation feel, but to add modern touches, too.  We saw photos of a wedding in Italy that was both formal and intimate at the same time and we felt that really went well with the vision we had for our wedding.
How did you spend the morning or afternoon before your big day?  I spent the morning getting ready with my mother, mother-in-law, sister and best friends. I had given my bridesmaids robes as part of their gift and we all lounged around in our robes and relaxed to having lunch and drink champagne while getting our hair and makeup done.  My sister had little surprises for me, like a pin to wear on my bouquet and a hanger with the wedding date that she had ordered for my wedding dress.  She thought of everything and I could not have gotten through the day without her.
Who participated in your ceremony? We also had a close friend Dom went to college with do a reading from the book Tuesdays with Morrie, which is a personal favorite of both of ours.
Did you write your own vows? We wanted the ceremony to be very personal, so we wrote the entire ceremony, including all of our vows.  The entire ceremony from start to finish was beautiful.
Were there any family traditions you included in the ceremony? Yes, in Jewish ceremonies you break the glass at the end of the ceremony to signify the frailty of life and to show that as the glass shatters, it is permanent – the same as our marriage.  Dom broke the glass at the end of the ceremony. 

marissa Written with love by Marissa
14 Comments
  1. avatar Lisa reply

    Her dress is stunning, and so perfect with that gorgeous bouquet!

  2. avatar Emily reply

    I adore their stationery suite, and I love those monogrammed bouquet wraps!

  3. avatar Lauren reply

    Her dress. Oh her dress. I love it so much.

  4. avatar Ann McWilliams reply

    Love the monogrammed bouquet wrap! Any idea where she got this?

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  6. avatar Jenny Clark reply

    Love the Charleston tote shown above. Where can we purchase this template?

    • avatar Heather reply

      Jenny Clark: Did anyone answer you? I also am very interested in having some made up!
      Please let me know if anyone did thanks Heather

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  8. avatar Kristin reply

    Beautiful!!! The styling & colors were using in September – I can’t wait!! Anyone know where the brides earrings are from?! Would love to find similar :)

  9. avatar Kristin :: Teal White Garden reply

    Absolutely love this wedding!! We’re working towards the same style & feel for our September wedding and I can’t wait :)
    Does anyone know where the earrings are from?! They’re stunning!

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  11. avatar Christine reply

    This Amsale dress is stunning! Would anyone happen to know it’s specific name? I can’t find it anywhere!

  12. avatar Andi reply

    I absolutely love the embroidered monograms on the bouquets. Curious what type of ribbon you have to use for that.

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