Southern Weddings

 I’m going to share a little secret with all our autumn brides-to-be: turquoise and hot pink aren’t just the perfect colors for a summer wedding.  Kim + Josh’s Florida wedding from Concept Photography reminds us that, with the right accessories (think rustic, dark leather cowboy boots and natural wood sign posts), these bright, bold and beautiful colors also make for lovely accents in cooler weather weddings.  For a wedding that occurred ten years to the day after the couple first started dating, the circular motif on everything from the invitations to the place settings was an especially sweet reminder of the couple’s unique history.  As the bride herself aptly noted, this couple really did come full circle and we’re just loving the final product at the Lake Mary Events Center.  As an avid cowboy boot lover, I’m a huge fan of the bridesmaids’ Southern-chic pairing of authentic boots and deep v-neck frocks from David’s Bridal.  We’ve got to hand it to Kim for dressing up her Maggie Sottero gown with her very own pair of cowboy boots.  Since we’re so impressed by the many DIY elements in this wedding, we thought we’d mention that the bride arranged her own flowers and the maid of honor baked and designed the classic three-tier cake as the perfect complement to the bride’s gown and antique broach herself.  Ah, to be that talented!  

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met through a mutual friend and dated in high school before going our separate ways after, Josh joining the Army and me to the University of Florida for college.  Even though we were apart, we always kept in touch and remained great friends.  After Josh returned safely from his first tour of duty in 2004, we rekindled our relationship and dated long-distance for two more years.  Josh served one additional year-long deployment before moving back to Orlando to be with me.
Describe the proposal. Josh proposed on my 24th birthday at my apartment after spending the whole day together and having dinner with my parents.  It took him three separate tries to actually ask the question because he was so nervous, but when he finally got it out, it was sweet, meaningful and perfect for the two of us.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Relaxed, rustic and family.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Since circles were a recurring theme of the wedding, I wanted our wedding invitation to be circular as well.  Our tagline was “Josh and Kim have come full circle,” because the wedding day was ten years to the day after we first started dating in high school.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: My favorite detail from the wedding was the coffee break during “cocktail hour” because it was a unique alternative and so “us.”  We had a gourmet coffee bar complete with rock candy stirrers, syrups and whip cream.  We received so many wonderful comments about this part of the day!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Finding my dress was the one task I was not looking forward to.  I knew what kind of dresses did not flatter me and had a picture in my head of what I wanted.  I searched online for weeks and finally found one that I knew I would love and that was in my price range.  I took my mom to the only store in Orlando that had the sample and we ordered it that day.  I tried on one dress – the dress – and never had any regrets!
Describe your wedding flowers: We used gerber daisies for everything.  My bouquet consisted of dark fuchsia gerbers that matched my shoes and my bridesmaids’ bouquets were white and wrapped in burlap.
Describe your wedding cake: My maid of honor made our cake.  It was designed to match my wedding dress sash and brooch, with three round tiers of differing heights and widths.  The cake itself was white cake with buttercream icing – my favorite – covered with fondant.  Our cake topper was a custom-engraved acrylic circle with one of our engagement pictures laser etched into it.  The whole thing was beautiful.  We also had grooms’ cupcakes instead of a grooms’ cake which were yellow cake with chocolate icing – Josh’s favorite.  We decorated his table with his Army patches, helicopters and other meaningful items.
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding? Our ceremony was a very traditional Christian ceremony with Josh’s father officiating.  We tried involving both sides of our families in the ceremony: both of our grandfathers spoke briefly about their 50-year marriages and we also involved our parents and grandparents in the Unity Candle ceremony.  Our grandparents each lit candles representing their marriages, then our parents lit their candles from our grandparents’ candles, and finally Josh and I lit our individual candles from our parents’.  It served as a symbolic “passing of the torch” from both sides of the family, ending with Josh and I lighting our own Unity Candle together.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? For me, it was seeing Josh for the first time as my father walked me down the aisle.  I cried the whole way.  I just couldn’t believe it was all really happening.  I was so happy (and still am!).
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Josh and my future plans are still developing, but we are excited about the “adventure” of not knowing where our life is going to take us.  Josh continues to be a part of the Army Reserves, which may relocate us out of our hometown and even to another state in the very near future.  He’s also finishing up his last semester of college, and I am looking into MBA programs.  Right now we’re living one day at a time, learning how to be married and enjoying every minute of it.  We look forward to going through life together, as partners and best friends.

Congratulations, Kim + Josh!  Best of luck with all the exciting plans in your future!

Emily knows me (and my love for all things formal and traditional) so well!  As soon as Lauren + Jeff’s lovely Florida wedding came through Emily’s inbox, our uber-talented Art Director knew the elegant details and classic overtones of this black-tie affair would make me melt.  Special thanks to Agnes Lopez for capturing and Heather Canada from First Coast Weddings for planning Lauren + Jeff’s glamorous soiree at the ultra-Southern TPC Sawgrass.  While the groomsmen look strikingly handsome in their tailored tuxes, the bridesmaids’ floor-length gowns from Priscilla of Boston are wonderfully romantic and the perfect complement to Lauren’s classic Rivini alencon lace gown.  The gardenlike bouquets and blooming centerpieces of peonies, hydrangeas and tiny roses from Liz Stewart Floral Design are enough to make me swoon!  (How lovely are the blue hydrangea accents on the couple’s simple, four-tiered cake, courtesy of Jacksonville Beach’s own Classic Cakes?)  Since I adore all things gold, I just have to point out the elegant place settings of delicate gold-rimmed crystal plates and luxe napkins.  I guess we know what type of bride I’ll be when the big day comes!   Want to tell me about your unique bridal style?  Check out our September mega-giveaway!

How did the two of you meet? Jeff and I both grew up in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. We went to middle school and high school together but didn’t meet until our 10^th grade chemistry class. Jeff and I remained friends at school but our relationship didn’t spark until senior year. Jeff asked me on our first date and then went to our senior prom together. After senior year, we went separate ways for college (Jeff to the University of Florida and myself to the University of Georgia), but we managed to date long distance all four years. After graduation, we both decided to take jobs in Charlotte, NC so we were no longer apart from one another.

Describe the proposal. For our fifth anniversary in March of 2008, Jeff took me to Chicago for a long weekend. With so many friends getting married and Jeff working all the time, I didn’t expect to get engaged that weekend, even though I wanted it to happen!. Little did I know, he had been planning the whole thing for a month, picking out the ring and asking for my father’s permission. On our first day in Chicago, Jeff and I went to Millennium Park where we went to a quiet area in the park. After a few minutes of conversation, Jeff was on his knee asking me to marry him. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, loving and breath-taking. 

What was your favorite design element of your big day? The photobooth! My dad decided over a year ago that he wanted to have a photobooth at the reception. I had never seen this done before but it was a huge success. We now have some of the best photos and memories in our scrapbook!

Did you have a theme for your wedding? Simple, classic and reminiscent of a romantic English garden. I wanted our reception venue to look just a little different than other weddings and I thought a romantic English garden was perfect. Our florist tucked away little birds nests in the cocktail and reception area to really add a special touch.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was:Our favorite detail had to be the ceremony room and then the ceremony itself. Although the entire venue was decorated beautifully, the ceremony room was better than I could ever have expected. It was intimate with perfect lighting. I loved being able to see so many of our close friends and family in one place to share in such a special moment. My best friend’s husband, Chris, officiated the ceremony and did an incredible job. It was so personal and touching to everyone around.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Since Jeff and I were engaged for over a year, my mom and I went to several wedding shops to look around. As a low-key girl, my first vision was a flowy, Grecian style dress with little to no detail, but when I realized that a wedding only happens once, I ended up going in the total opposite direction. For the big day, I decided on the most beautiful Rivini alencon lace gown. I fell in love with it immediately and, even after ten more dresses, I knew it was the one! To make it more unique, Mom found a broach for the front to add a little sparkle.

Describe your wedding flowers: My favorite colors are blue and green so I knew I had to incorporate them in the wedding décor. When I decided on a peridot green for the girls’ dresses, the florist produced a sample bouquet for them with white roses, peonies, antique blue-green hydrangeas and some dusty miller. Not being a floral expert, I didn’t really know what to suggest but Tiffany from Liz Stewart Floral really created just what I was looking for! For my bouquet, I had always wanted an all white and round bouquet. I had a bouquet full of white peonies, hydrangea and garden roses. It was perfect. To top it off, I had my grandmother’s rosary tied around the stems for my “something old/borrowed” and to remember her on our special day. For the ceremony and reception, we had centerpieces of varying heights (tall wrought iron stands, mosaic glass and low potted arrangements) that had a mixture of blue, green, white and soft peach flowers.

Describe your wedding cake:Our wedding cake was a round, four-tiered cake with a simple three-dot design, pearl detailing and cascading antique blue-green hydrangea. It was a chocolate and vanilla cake with a chocolate butter cream icing in between the two layers. It was such a delicious cake that a friend ask if they had a mail service for birthdays!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment was walking into the ceremony room and seeing Jeff for the first time. We hadn’t see each other for the whole day and even though I was very calm, I felt so relaxed once I saw him and was standing next to him. Jeff says that his most memorable moment was seeing me walk down the aisle. I think we were just really excited to see each other!

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?We will be living and working in Charlotte, NC. We have been here for two years and are hoping to just be able to relax and spend some time with family and friends. Aside from taking trips together, we don’t have anything planned. We’ll see where life takes us!

Congratulations to the newlyweds!  We hope you enjoy spending time together as husband and wife!

Seeing as how we’re still in a festive mood thanks to the impending change of seasons, we have an extra special surprise for you today, courtesy of Perez Photography!  While we absolutely adore the weddings we get to sort through and gush over every week, we thought we’d share a unique (and often overlooked) part of the real Southern wedding process with you.  When Crystal passed along her lovely bridal portraits taken at the rustic Penn Farms in Cedar Hill, Texas, we quickly fell in love with the idea of formal bridal portraits.  What better way to preview (and get even more excited for!) one of the most important days in your life than with a pseudo dress rehearsal that allows you to experiment with your hair, make-up and accessories and even spend a few hours in your gorgeous gown? Crystal’s flowy wedding dress from Anna Maier / Ulla-Maija Couture is simply divine, but what I can’t get over is how flirty and fun her Phoebe Couture reception dress is, especially paired with those cotton-candy pink Valentino heels.  A feminine bouquet of pretty pink roses and romantic orchids from A Stylish Soiree completes the bride-to-be’s picture perfect wedding day look.  What would you do for your bridal portraits?  

Why did you decide to have bridal portraits taken? It’s a Southern tradition! These are pictures I will keep forever and will be able to share with my children one day. A bride can see how the hair, make-up, dress, veil, etc. look on film. A bridal portrait is also the perfect opportunity to make any adjustments before the big day. What if you decide you hate your shoes or want to change up your hairstyle?  It also gives the bride a bit more practice in front of the camera plus I won’t have to worry about getting a bunch of bridal shots the day of my wedding! I highly recommend that all brides have a bridal portrait session!

The weather on my portrait day was: Hot!! This was the first of many 100+ degree days in Dallas. In between shots, I used small hand-held fans to try and stay cool.

What was the design inspiration for your portrait? Rustic prairie love. I wanted a location that would be completely different that our wedding location  and different from what everyone else does. Perez Photography does amazing shots with light and color so what better setting to capture these elements in?

Favorite design element of the shoot: The lighting, color and simple shots.

Are you wearing the same dress in the shoot as you’ll wear for the actual wedding? Most definitely!

How did you decide what to wear to the shoot? I knew I had to have pictures in my reception dress. It would be fun and give the photographer more flexibility. Also, the bridal salon recommended that I not dry clean my wedding dress before my wedding so I was a little nervous about getting it dirty during the bridal portraits. I ended up wearing my wedding dress at the end of the shoot.

Describe your flowers for the shoot: My bridal portrait bouquet was made up of soft pink roses, antique pink spray roses and pink orchids in varying sizes

My favorite detail of the shoot was:I loved the vintage cameras that my photographer used for the shoot

My favorite location of the shoot was: The wooded path and old fence.

Three adjectives that describe the day are:Hot, quick and fun.

What advice would you give to someone planning to have bridals taken? Do it! And when you do, bring two or three people to help assist.

Good luck on your upcoming wedding, Crystal!  You are going to make a beautiful bride!