Southern Weddings

It’s not often that we get to hear a couple’s love story from the groom, but when we do, it’s such a treat! Brandy and Quint are so adorable together, and their colorful wedding was wonderfully reflective of their fun-loving, joyful personalities. These North Carolina natives drew tons of inspiration from their Southern home state, from the foods they served to the way they incorporated family into the ceremony. After all, as Brandy says, “So much of being Southern is celebrating family.” We couldn’t agree more!

Thank you so much to Anna Routh for sharing Brandy and Quint’s wedding with us!

From Quint: We owe our meeting to a mutual friend, Damian Hall. Damian has known Brandy for a few years through one of Brandy’s bridesmaids, Elizabeth, and he was in my part-time MBA classes at North Carolina State University. After getting to know me, he decided to play matchmaker and asked each of us if we cared to be set up. We both were game, so he gave me Brandy’s phone number. After an exciting initial phone conversation, I asked Brandy to a concert, Joshua Radin, at Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh. We met for the first time outside of Sono, a sushi place on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh. We shared many laughs, smiles, and even a practical joke on Damian that night. It was a great meeting/first date, and we have been stuck on each other ever since.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I was very nervous about finding “the” dress. Lana Addison, a boutique in downtown Cary was recommended to us by a friend. It was the perfect place to find a dress. Small and intimate, with a great collection of beautiful gowns. Joining me was my mom, sister, and two best friends. The dress I selected was the third one I tried on! Even though I tried on many more, we all kept going back to the Martina Liana gown. It was a fitted lace gown with a sweetheart neckline. I also had two sashes I wore for the day. I wore a taupe sash for the ceremony, tied in a bow in the back. For the reception, I changed into a crystal embellished sash. The gown had vintage-inspired, re-embroidered, textural cotton lace detail, a scalloped hem and a traditional chapel train.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided not to do a ‘first look. We really wanted to save that moment for the ceremony. Sharing this sweet moment with our friends and family was perfect for us.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? While we didn’t write our own vows, we poured over samples of vows and pieced together the ones that we felt were most important and meaningful to us.

We were married in the gardens of the Weymouth Center and I wanted to add to the beautiful, natural flowers in the environment. I used pink and coral roses, gerbera daisies, and green and white hydrangea. Our designer also incorporated many other small orange blooms in miniature vases. It was very eclectic and perfect for our outdoor garden affair. As opposed to matching table florals, we used old vases (brown and blue glass) and lots of white milk glass in various shapes and sizes. I switched things up a bit and had the bridesmaids carry white bouquets with hydrangeas and other blooms while I carried a bouquet with coral and pink accents. My bouquet handle carried a small charm of a pug, as a tribute to our sweet pug, Pearl! The bridesmaids all wore different dresses and the maid and matron of honor wore a slightly different color, so the white bouquets added the symmetry we needed.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our food, for starters. We had a buffet menu of Eastern pulled pork BBQ (our favorite food), fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, baby green salad with strawberries and goat cheese, mini biscuits and cornbread with honey butter. We also had lemonade served out of mason jars. The groomsmen wore khaki slacks and vests with plaid bow ties. Even our sweet ring bearer, Lawson Akom, wore a khaki suit with a chevron bow tie. Adorable! During the reception, we played a bit of beach music to get the crowd warmed up. One element that makes me feel Southern was having the entire event outdoors. Both of us grew up in NC and love being outside. It was important to us to incorporate the natural beauty of our venue. As the sun set, twinkle lights and candles were used everywhere.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Pies, pies, and more pies!! Quint and I love pie and we felt it was a nice touch to add to our Southern wedding. We had pecan, peanut butter, key lime, chocolate, lemon and strawberry. Some were full sized and a few were mini. We did have a small cake as well, since we couldn’t miss the opportunity to “cut the cake.” We had two layers–one peanut butter and the other strawberry, all covered in buttercream icing.

Tell us all about the proposal! From Quint: On my drive back from Pinehurst, NC after asking Ms. Barrett’s permission to marry Brandy (meeting Brandy to go see “The Five Year Engagement,” ironically), I began brainstorming about how I wanted to carry out this important moment. It only took me about 25 minutes to hatch my plan. I knew that Pinehurst was on the short list of Brandy’s favorite places in the world, so that location was settled. Since it is known for its golfing, I wanted to incorporate that as well. I had our friends, Justin and Elizabeth, reach out to Brandy about visiting us from Philadelphia, and had them express interest in riding with us to Pinehurst to play a round of golf. Brandy bought it. My plan was to propose on the 5th hole of one of the eight Pinehurst courses. Why the 5th hole? Why not the 18th green? Glad you asked. Being that I am the 5th (V), the number five has always had a special meaning to me, and I did not want to leave any detail untouched. With the help of Justin and Elizabeth, we got a tee-time of 11:20 AM on Pinehurst Course No. 3, and a customized golf ball with “Brandy, will you marry me” on it. Justin also helped me arrange for my dad to hide out around the 5th hole so that he could take pictures and capture the moment as it happened. Now, I’m not a great golfer, so I had alternating fears about my plan: a) I would play absolutely terribly and be about 20 over par through those five holes; or b) I would play tremendously and not want to end our round short on the 5th green! The nerves didn’t hit until the tee box for the 5th hole, but I somehow managed to make it to the green in regulation. Once Brandy reached the green, I replaced her actual ball with the customized ball and waited for her to approach. I got an assist from Elizabeth, who encouraged Brandy to remove her golf glove from her left hand because “all of the professionals putt without their gloves.” After some initial confusion about her ball, she bent down, read the question, and turned to find me kneeling with the ring. What I actually said is hazy in my memory, but I’m pretty sure she got the point that I was asking her to marry me! She said “YES” of course, and then I calmly sank my par putt. From there, it was a whirlwind of pictures on the course, followed by some celebratory champagne in the clubhouse. Brandy kept saying that she needed to call her mom and her best friend, Whitney, but I had a plan arranged for that, so I managed to stall her. I had gathered a group of our closest friends a couple of minutes away at Ms. Barrett’s house for a surprise celebration. It was a perfect celebration for a perfect day.

When did y’all get married? June 8th, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 175
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Whitney Akom, the matron of honor read a piece by Wilferd Arlan Peterson titled “The Art of Marriage.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. For our first dance, we chose “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. We had discussed several different options for our first dance, but it was decided after Quint randomly watched “I Love You, Man” on Comedy Central one night and heard that tune on the soundtrack. We listened to it and realized it was perfect for our first dance! A couple of years ago at a friend’s wedding, “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison played. Quint and his mother simultaneously shared their love for that song, so it was only natural for them to use it for their mother-son dance.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: It’s hard to pin down a favorite detail, however, we were thankful and blessed to have my Aunt Bebe marry us. She is my father’s sister. Although my Dad is not with us, having Bebe be such a special part of our wedding was perfect and something we will always cherish. So much of being Southern is celebrating family. :)
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I wore a new double-stranded Chanel pearl bracelet given to me by my mom as my something new. My something old was a handkerchief that was Quint’s grandmother’s. My something blue was my garter and my something borrowed was a ring that belonged to one of my bridesmaids.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Ray! Ray was our wedding planner/designer/caterer/ extraordinaire!! He always made us feel reassured and was able to make our vision come to life. I also feel it is important to note that my sister and mom were such a huge inspiration for many of the special touches at our wedding. They both are have a talent for design and crafting.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? There were so many memorable moments. We both wanted our reception to be a great time to “get down” with our friends and families. As we introduced our bridal party into the tent, we had selected a different song for them to dance to. Needless to say, this was hilarious. The night continued into a huge dance party, tons of celebrating, and lots of laughter.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Our advice would be to not stress yourself out if something (details, etc.) don’t work out. No one will know but you. Enjoy the day!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Enjoying each other every day. Down the road, we look forward to starting a family!

Photographer: Anna Routh / Planner, Florist, Dessert Baker and Caterer: Ray McDaniel / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities / DJ: More Entertainment / Bride’s Gown: “Martina Liana 404” at Lana Addison Bridal / Paper Products: Blue Eye Brown Eye / Bride’s Veil: Lana Addison Bridal / Bride’s Jewelry: Vintage Chanel / Hair Stylist: Salon Jasemin / Bride’s Shoes: Jack Rogers / Wedding Party Attire: J.Crew

Written with love by Lisa