Southern Weddings

After “the first time around,” Robert had to work hard to win Brittany back, and after reading their sweet interview below, especially their proposal story, it’s clear that he certainly did. Upon their engagement, these two set out to not only show their love to each other, but also to their friends and family. With a guest list of 650 strong, I’m sure it was hard to make everyone feel welcome, but Brittany and Robert are the kind of couple who could do it! Everyone not only felt welcomed by this darling couple, Brittany also said that after the wedding, people didn’t talk about details or colors–they talked about their love! I can completely see why–it spills right out of these gorgeous photos from Spindle Photography.

I had found a dress I liked while looking with my mom, but since my aunt (also my matron of honor) and my grandmother weren’t with us, we didn’t buy it right away. When we went back to get the dress, my aunt poked around and picked just one other dress off the rack for me to try on. I tried on the dress we came back for, then tried on the dress my aunt picked out, and the dress my aunt picked definitely had the wow factor. It fit like a glove, and suited me, my personality, and the feel of our big day perfectly!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The guest list. Robert is a youth pastor to a group of around 400-500 kids, and we both went to a smaller college where we had close relationships with a lot of people. We both grew up in Birmingham, went to school and church in Birmingham, and now work in Birmingham. If money grew on trees, we would have just had an open invitation to our wedding.

Our families are both really involved in two Methodist churches in Birmingham, so it was a little hard to decide which church to get married at. Robert and I started attending another Methodist church, Trinity UMC, when he first started interning with the youth department almost five years ago. We really grew into the people we are today while we were attending that church, and we started dating when we started going to Trinity. Robert started working there full-time as the middle school youth pastor while he finished his senior year in college. The people at Trinity watched our relationship grow and helped foster that growth, so we chose to get married there. As for the reception, I had photographed a couple of weddings at Swann Lake Stables, and I was in love with the venue. Robert wanted a reception where people felt comfortable loosening their ties and relaxing, and as soon as he and our families saw Swann Lake, we knew it was perfect for the feel of our wedding.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? From Brittany: I loved the ceremony. The pastor that did our homily had watched us date and grow together over the last four years. He asked Robert and I to write letters about each other and give them to him. He surprised us by incorporating parts of those letters into the ceremony, and it was so special to us. From Robert: The one thing I don’t think I could ever forget was when the church doors opened and Brittany began to walk down the aisle. We had already had our first look, but that was the moment where it all really came together, and for the first time, saying “this is my wife” really hit me.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I loved having my childhood table and chairs tea set for the kids to sit at. I also LOVED our welcome baskets for our out-of-town guests. My grandmother made kitchen towels to go in the baskets with a cutout of the state of Alabama sewn on them. We are a little obsessed with Birmingham, so it was fun to pick out treats, drinks, and items unique to our city to share with others. I think what made our wedding feel Southern to me though was having so many people we loved talking, dancing, and congratulating Robert and I under the twinkly dance floor lights. It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: My mom is a retired art teacher and my grandmother is a master seamstress and the queen of crafts, so we loved being able to make a lot of details that were special to Robert and I and our families. My favorite details were the drawings and watercolors my mom did of our favorite places in Birmingham. Another favorite detail was the portrait my mom painted of me trying on my wedding dress. She loved doing these so much that she is now starting her own watercolor business!

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? In the end, the little decisions don’t matter. No matter what color the flowers are, what band is playing, what food is served, or where you are, you will still be marrying the love of your life when it’s all said and done, so don’t stress! After our wedding, people didn’t talk about the details or the colors–they talked about our ceremony and our love.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Robert’s family has a long-time family friend, Pam, who has made every birthday, wedding, and family event cake for years. It was a no-brainer that Pam would make the cakes for our big day! The groom’s cake was a family tradition: chocolate peanut butter cake (I wish I could virtually send you a bite of this cake!). The bride’s cake was strawberry with vanilla icing, which was equally good, of course :)

Don’t miss their wedding video by The Film Poets!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We knew each other in middle school and high school, but our paths didn’t cross too much. When the time came to look at colleges, I contacted Robert and some of his friends to ask about what life was like at Birmingham-Southern College. Fast forward a few months, and I was a freshman at BSC, still keeping in touch with these boys. Unfortunately for Robert, I was a little oblivious, and after months of telling friends and family that we were “just friends,” Robert asked me to dinner. We dated for five months, which became known as “the first time around” because one break up, a sad summer apart, and several life lessons learned later, we got back together, and the rest is history!
Tell us about the proposal! After our breakup, I had to “work for it,” as we joke now, to get Brittany back. One of the ways was to show Brittany that I wasn’t just telling her “I love you” because it was convenient or would make seeing each other less awkward. So, almost every day for a month and half, I wrote Brittany a letter. We then decided to continue writing to each other, especially when one of us was out of town. We typically wrote the letters in a journal we share. In March, when Brittany went to Mexico for a mission trip, I decided to write to her, but this time, I wrote about the journey of me picking out a ring, talking to her parents, and finally saying “Today, I asked you to marry me. Look down.” I proposed on April 20 by the lake on Birmingham-Southern’s campus. I gave her the journal and let her read through it, and then popped the big question! She said yes! I gave her a Bible with her new name engraved on it and said a prayer for our future life and marriage together. The best surprise was her reaction afterwards, when our families and a few of her best friends came running up after hiding on the other side of the lake. Brittany’s two best friends are photographers, so the whole experience was captured perfectly.
When did y’all get married? June 14, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 650 at the ceremony and probably 550 or so at the reception
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had two readings read by two dear friends. The first was Colossians 3:12-17 and the second was Colossians 12:9-18.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My something blue was the ring my parents gave me as a graduation present from high school. My something new was my Kate Spade heels. My something borrowed and something old were two pins from my grandmother. One was a spoon that my grandmother got when she was engaged and picking out her china, since girls used to get a pin of the china and silver that they picked out. The other was a pin that my grandmother’s Aunt Pearl used to wear.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Since I know how to use Photoshop, we were able to do a lot of things ourselves. Our wonderful design company, Empress Stationery, gave us our logo to use for many other things we were making for the wedding. I used the logo on the cotton candy bags and the fans that we had at the reception. I designed the wedding programs, bridesmaids luncheon programs, and welcome basket tags myself as well.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? That’s so hard to say! I had an incredible team of vendors, but I have to say, what I was most excited about was the photography and videography. Kelly is not only a mentor, but also a friend and partner in crime, so I couldn’t wait to go through my own wedding day with her capturing and experiencing each moment with me. Robert and I do a lot of video work with his youth ministry, so we looked around a lot before we found The Film Poets. To say we are obsessed with them, is an understatement. We were (and still are) blown away by the brilliant video they created for us.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We’re just excited about living life together, as simple as that is. We have great friends and great family, and we’re happy to have a home to welcome them into after they have housed and hosted us for so long. I had been looking forward to getting a dog, and finally convinced Robert to adopt a dog a couple months after we were married! Just one day after adopting a hound-lab mix, Sadie, Robert and I went back to adopt her brother, Cooper! Now we just love spending nights on our back deck with our two precious puppies, family, and friends.

Photographer: Spindle Photography / Videographer: The Film Poets / Planner: Brittany Lott of Elle Affairs / Ceremony Venue: Trinity United Methodist Church / Reception Venue: Swann Lake Stables / Florist: Lillie’s / Caterer: Shindigs / Rentals: Event Rentals Unlimited / Lighting: Design Productions / Band: 2nd Coming / Watercolors: SArias Creates / Paper Products: Empress Stationery / Bridal Salon and Veil: Diane’s Formal Affair / Bride’s Jewelry and Getaway Shoes: Kate Spade / Hair Stylist: Lynze Prater of Click Salon / Makeup Artist: Lisa Phillips / Bride’s Shoes: Vera Wang / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Joanna August / Bridesmaid Dress Salon: Bella Bridesmaids / Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Spindle Photography is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa