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If it’s one thing we know about weather in the South, it’s that Mother Nature is unpredictable. We’re basking in the warmth of our 80 degree weather this week, when just a few days ago it was sleeting! That’s why we absolutely understand why Melissa + Corey’s biggest challenge for their November wedding was the weather. Just a week before their “I do’s,” their wedding site was covered in snow! As these sunny images from Katelyn James show us, their dream wedding weather came to fruition, allowing the couple and their friends and family to celebrate outdoors, with the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. We’re all positively loving Melissa’s big, joyful smile and the little ways she and Corey symbolized their bond in marriage.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. Four days after we got engaged, I helped Corey move to New York. That weekend I was totally excited yet also totally bummed to have just said goodbye to my fiancé until I would move to New York with him after the wedding. As a way of getting my mind off missing him, my mom suggested we try on dresses. I thought I would want to shop around more, but the first boutique and the fifth dress in, I knew I had found the one. Not to mention — it was on sale. All of its perfect, ivory, laciness.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Corey and I did decide to do a first look and could not have been happier with the decision. I was influenced to have a first look by our photographer, Katelyn James. Katelyn was my roommate in college and I had been stalking her blog since the beginning of her business. I had seen the special, intimate moments she was able to capture in such spectacular images, and I knew I wanted that moment too. Now, five months after our wedding, that is one of the clearest moments of the day — those few moments to pause and take in each other and what would lie before us in the hours to come.

Describe your wedding flowers. My wedding flowers contained many fall colors that I used as my “pops” of color since the bridal party suits and dresses were all neutral tones. There was deep yellow from the sunflowers, burnt orange in cockscomb and amber red from dahlias. Some of my favorite texture pieces were green tric and hypericum berries.

Oh, y’all! I just love the look the father of the bride and the groom are sharing below!

Did you write your own vows? We did write our own vows and my favorite line Corey said to me was, “I promise to talk to you, to draw you into my life and vision, and to wash you with my words of praise, affirmation and gratitude, that you might live securely in my love.” My favorite that I said to him was, “I promise to talk openly to you, to confide in you first, before all others. I promise to be your best friend.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? During our ceremony, we had Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 which explains that a cord of three strands, including me, Corey and the Lord, shall not be broken. We then braided three strands of rope together to signify our unity together through Jesus.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. To honor my mom, I walked down the aisle to Pachabel’s “Canon in D.” My bridesmaids entered to “Ashokan Farewell” from a Civil War soundtrack by Evan Stover, Jay Ungar, Matt Glasser, Molly Mason, Russ Barenberg. One of my bridesmaids sang “Lead me to the Cross” by Hillsong while we took communion. And we exited to “Lover of the Light” by Mumford and Sons. We entered our reception to “D Bag Rag” by the Avett Brothers and our first dance was Matt Hires’ “You Are the One” sung and played by a bridesmaid and her husband.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our favorite detail of the wedding was the location at Khimaira Farm in Luray, Virginia. Our ceremony had the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains and then our reception was in the event barn on the same property. We loved that our guests did not have to travel between sites and had the beautiful scenery to compliment the perfect warmth inside the barn and cool November evening as the sun set outside.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. My wedding cake was beautifully crafted by a family friend. It had a simple ivory white cream cheese frosting with hand crafted icing flowers and was set on a wooden base. We also had authentic, homemade Amish pies made by another family friend.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Corey and I met as Ropes Interns at a Young Life camp in New York the summer of 2010. We spent the summer operating high ropes courses, zip lines, rock climbing walls, and giant swings and became great friends. I would swear that I did not have feelings beyond friendship for him throughout the summer (although he did for me!), but by the end of the summer, I was a smitten kitten. We are both originally from Virginia, however, he had to return to college at ASU in North Carolina and I had to return to CNU near Virginia Beach. We dated long distance for two years until we both began working and living in Richmond, VA.
Describe the proposal. While living in Richmond, Corey was offered a full time position on staff at the camp we met at in New York. The opportunity to manage the Ropes and Mountain Bike Department there was a dream come true for him and I fully supported it, but his acceptance of the job further pressed the question in my mind: “When is he going to propose?!” We only had two weeks from his acceptance to his moving to New York, and he had planned EVERY minute of every day for us to say goodbye to friends and family before he moved. I was so mad. I wondered when I was going to get time with him?! But, he had the whole thing planned. On our way to our goodbye day with his parents, Corey surprised me by taking me on a hike to one of our favorite spots. I honestly had no clue — I was just elated to get time alone with him! But once we reached the top (and once the lingering Boy Scouts left) Corey pulled his laptop out of his backpack. He played a video of him asking my father’s permission, and then got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Between the tears and squeals I managed to get out a “Yes!” but then he had me quickly moving back down the mountain. When we reached the trail head, both of our families and closest friends were waiting to celebrate with us!
In what month did you get married? November
How many guests attended your wedding? 200
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? One of my favorite Southern details of our wedding was that it was outside in a field. We didn’t need elaborate decorations, we just trusted nature to give us the perfect backdrop. We also incorporated Southern tradition as my bridesmaids and I wore cowgirl boots. I let all of my girls use their own boots they already owned and let them select their own neutral toned dresses to give a soft, more casual, Southern look. The guys did not wear jackets over their vests to achieve the same look. We also kept with the Southern tradition by serving sweet tea, smoked barbeque, and a variety of pies.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Our biggest challenge was not having control over the weather for our outdoor, November wedding in the mountains. Two weeks before our wedding, the site was covered in snow, so I knew our rain plan would be fine — but I desperately wanted the dream outdoor wedding. We needn’t have worried. Our whole wedding day was in the 70s!
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Our ceremony and reception site really was our biggest splurge and I am SO happy that we picked it! It was the first place we visited and I knew from the first moment I got out of the car that it was the place for us.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment was during our first look and then at the reception when Corey and I got a moment to step away alone. Both times we made each other pause and take mental snapshots of the day, made each other soak it all in. The whole day goes so fast — but both of those times were truly memorable and helped us to capture the feeling of both before and after we were Mr. and Mrs.!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Enjoy the process. Wedding planning can go by almost as quickly as the wedding day itself, but there is no need to rush through it. One thing that helped me to do this was to invite friends or family along for whatever I needed to do. It was way more fun and so much less stressful than doing it by myself! I also think being willing to ask for help and involving those people who you care so much about makes the whole experience that much sweeter too. Lastly, be deeply thankful. We were blown away by the love and generosity of all our friends and family throughout the process and still don’t think we could thank everyone enough.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? As a couple, we are looking forward to our present future on Young Life staff in New York and seeing where else God may lead us from here.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
22 Comments
  1. avatar Kat reply

    I just love all the country, rustic details of this wedding & the lush autumn colors! Their ceremony backdrop takes my breath away and I love the advice she gives to other bride-to-be’s: be deeply thankful. And of course it doesn’t hurt that her amazing photographer will be taking the pictures at my big day too :)

  2. avatar Lauren reply

    That burlap wreath is so perfect. I really love the group picture in the field. What a beautiful celebration of their love :)

  3. avatar Laura reply

    Beautiful wedding! I love all of the rustic details.

  4. avatar Inspired by This Blog reply

    Loving this rustic wedding! :] How the bright flowers pop against the neutral dresses and suits is just beautiful. And what a stunning location!!

  5. avatar Carrie Logan reply

    LOVE this wedding!!!! my favorite wedding of katelyn’s ever. so many sweet details and moments captured so very beautifully :)

  6. avatar Ben reply

    Such natural ease and laughter in their portraits = awesomeness. Beautiful tones and details, well done and congrats to the couple!

  7. avatar Ashley reply

    Gorgeous Wedding! In all the information I read, I could not find any info on the Bridesmaids & flower girls dresses. I am hoping you can help me out and tell, where can I find them?!? Thank you in advance for you help!!! :-)

  8. avatar Lauren reply

    Love everything here! Especially the cardi’s over the bridesmaid dresses – great idea!

    Any idea who the brides dress is made by? Thanks!

    ~L

  9. avatar haley reply

    I NEED to know!! Who made that dress?!?! its gorgeous!!!

  10. avatar Cristina reply

    Hi dear!
    That is a lovely album and I have fallen in love with the bride’s dress. Can you please let me know which brand is it? Have been browsing Bella Rossa’s site but couldn’t find it. Do you think I could find it in Barcelona??
    Thanks!
    Cris,

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  12. avatar Katie reply

    Beautiful wedding. Could you tell me where you got the groomsmen suits from?

  13. avatar Southern Newlywed: At Home with Katelyn James – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] team, and as well as shooting pretty weddings (see a few of our favorites here, here, and here!), they also love decorating their home in Richmond, Virginia, where they live with their […]

  14. avatar kayla sebastian reply

    i love what she dressed the guys in.. i have looked and looked and can’t find this color.. is there a way to find out where the guys got their suits from?

  15. avatar Cheyenne reply

    Hi Melissa!

    Where did the guys get their vests from? We have been looking all over & haven’t been able to find them anywhere.

    Thanks!

    Cheyenne

  16. avatar How to have a chic fall wedding: decor, flowers & more! – Wedding Party reply

    […] Katelyn James via Southern Weddings […]

  17. avatar Kelly reply

    I also would like to know who made that dress and where I would be able to purchase it!

  18. avatar Elsa reply

    I love everything about this wedding. I would also like to know where this beautiful dress could be purchased. Thank you!

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  22. avatar Linda Campbell reply

    We were so happy to host the special day at Khimaira Farm! ‘Dream clients’ !!

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This may sound cheesy, but looking through the images of Malloree + Jordan’s wedding makes me feel warm and fuzzy. The newlyweds crafted a ceremony that was thoughtful, filled with faith and full of love from friends and family. We’re grateful for The Reason for giving us so many great images from their “I do’s.” Scroll through and you’ll see what I’m talking about when I say their group prayer could bring tears to your eyes. Of course, you’ll instantly smile when you see M + J’s cute personalized paper items at their reception!

I brought my mom, my youngest sister, and four of my bridesmaids dress shopping with me. I had already gone dress shopping with my mom, but was stuck on two dresses. I was also stuck on what I had envisioned myself looking like on my wedding day (in all lace) or going with what my mom liked best (a ball gown). Most of my girls actually liked my mom’s pick better, but when I really thought about it, I knew that if I bought the ball gown, I would be thinking about the all-lace, vintage looking dress. So that is what I went with and I couldn’t have loved my dress more. It was a perfect fit for our farm wedding.

We will never tire of seeing adorable ring bearers! We especially love this one’s sign — a sweet change from the usual “Here comes the bride.”

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Washing each other’s feet during the ceremony and asking family and friends who wanted to pray for us to stand and join us. EVERYONE stood and gathered around us. It was beautiful.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did. That was important to us. My favorite part was that both of us quoted Ruth 1:16-17, “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The bridal processional was to “Where I Belong” by Cory Asbury. We washed each other’s feet to “Wedding Day” by Casting Crowns, had the prayer to “Before the Throne” by Shane & Shane, and recessed to “Mine to Love” by Dave Barnes. Our first dance was to “Close Enough” by Sean McConnell.

Our wedding was located on a 500-acre farm complete with open fields and a beautiful, rustic barn. Some traditions we incorporated were having a groom’s cake. Jordan had two cheesecakes with a banner from his alma mater. The food served was delicious BBQ sliders, my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese recipe, apple cole slaw, chicken fingers and more.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Wedding cake was delicious. It was two-tiered with white buttercream on the outside. The inside was ombre and went from strawberry, lemon, to white wedding cake. The outside was decorated beautifully with flowers from the wedding.

The most memorable moment of the day was dancing with my two favorite men, my husband and my daddy. Also, our reception was probably one of the most fun dance parties I’ve ever been a part of.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met as missionaries in Australia. We were both at a missionary training school called Youth With a Mission. Dating isn’t allowed within the program while you’re there, which is great because it doesn’t allow for distractions. But our hearts were starting to change toward the other, without the other even knowing! So to make a VERY long story short, through much prayer and lots of waiting, leaving each other for two months to separate field outreaches to Papua New Guinea and East Timor, we finally started dating after our graduation on June 10. We traveled to Sydney for two weeks afterwards and then I made my trip back to Georgia and Jordan went back to Texas. We traveled back and forth for two months until we decided that I would move to Texas. I’ve been here happily ever since!
Describe the proposal. We dated for four months before we got engaged. Everyone always says, “When you know, you know.” I thought that was such a crock until it happened to us! I told Jordan that I didn’t want anything over the top because that’s just not who we are, and Jordan was up for the challenge. On Sunday, October 30th, we went to church in the morning and then made plans to spend the day with his family like we do every Sunday. I made plans to have coffee with his sister while the rest of the family was supposedly at home. In the middle of our coffee date, we get a phone call from our sister-in-law asking if we wanted to meet her and our nephew Jax for some ice cream. When we met them, my sister-in-law said, “Jax, show Malloree what you learned at Sunday school today!” He handed me a folded up piece of paper, so I unfold it and started reading it. It’s a letter from Jordan. I knew what was happening and just tried to whiz through the letter to get to the end. I looked up after I finished speed reading and my handsome man was walking toward me, all dressed up, ring in hand. After he asked and I finally said yes, the whole family came out of nowhere, as well as the surprise photographer! Jordan did a wonderful job, incorporating some of my favorite things, our nephew and ice cream, and I loved spending it with the family.
In what month did you get married? May
How many guests attended your wedding? 140
Did you decide to do a “first look”? We talked about it, but Jordan is very traditional and he did not want to see me at all the day of. I was really glad that we didn’t, because the anticipation of seeing each other for the first time was so great.
Describe your wedding flowers: Beautiful — coral peonies, Juliet roses, ranunculus, hydrangeas, and tons of wildflowers. Our flowers were one of my favorite parts of the whole wedding.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a Georgia wedding while living in Texas and also keeping in mind that it was my wedding, my one day. I had to really consider that when others’ opinions rubbed me the wrong way.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000 – $25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Having a videographer
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Don’t get caught up in the details. Hire a wedding planner, or at least a day-of coordinator. Remember that it is your wedding and it doesn’t always have to be traditional.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now, we are enjoying being newlyweds and starting life as just the two of us. We are looking forward to one day starting a family and potentially going back into ministry in the next few years.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
7 Comments
  1. avatar Lisa reply

    What a beautiful couple and gorgeous wedding! That dress is phenomenal on her!

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  4. avatar Sam reply

    Was such a blessing to be there with the two of you. No matter how beautiful the photos are, they don’t compare to the love that spilled out of you, and onto you from our Father. Love each word and photo.

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