Southern Weddings

College football kicked off two weeks ago, which means life for the Winchesters is upside down until December! It’s safe to say that we fully embrace the good ol’ Southern tradition of college football around our house. KPW works in college athletics (Go Hokies!) and our first public photo was taken at Kenan Stadium after a Carolina victory (Go Heels!). Given my love of college sports and my deep passion for marriage, my heart explodes into a million bits of happy when I see a nod to an alma mater during a wedding day. I love the idea of incorporating your heart (and allegiance) into your big day – we served our champagne toast in stadium cups during our reception, which our guests got to keep as a favor! Clearly, I couldn’t let Marissa and her beloved SEC Football have all the fun. Without further adieu, welcome to the ACC – Southern Weddings style!

Want more ACC inspiration? Be sure to check out last year’s post!

Julia Laible Photography, unknown, Emily Gilbert, 35 Atlanta Photography, Blue Mountain Photography. Thanks to the Clemson Girl blog for many of these photos!

Clemson University
Nickname: The Tigers
Mascot: The Tiger and the Tiger Cub
Colors: Clemson Orange and Regalia
Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member (1953)

Begrudgingly, let’s travel up I85 from Clemson to Durham:

Becci Ames, unknown

Duke University
Nickname: The Blue Devils
Mascot: The Blue Devil
Colors: Duke Blue and white
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Let’s head down South to FSU:

Red Fly Studio via Southern Weddings, Woodland Fields Photography, Red Fly Studio, Set Free Photography via Southern Weddings, Meg Baisden

Florida State University
Nickname: The Seminoles
Mascot: In addition to Osceola and Renegade (see below), Cimarron the horse
Colors: Garnet and gold
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Joined the ACC: 1991

Fun Fact: FSU lays claim to what might be the most dynamic tradition in college football (in fact, it’s almost too dynamic-sounding to be believable, but it is!) At every football game at Doak Campbell Stadium, a student portraying the famous Seminole Indian leader, Osceola, charges down the field riding an Appaloosa horse named Renegade and plants a flaming spear at midfield to begin every home game. Whoa! FSU graduate Bill Durham envisioned the idea of Osceola and Renegade while still a student and sought and obtained the approval of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Osceola’s regalia is designed by the tribe, and Durham and his family supply the beautiful Appaloosa horses who portray Renegade. Make sure you YouTube this one if you’re not familiar with it!

Up next: the Ramblin’ Wreck in the heart of Atlanta!

Flip Photography, Anna & Spencer, Anna & Spencer, Andrew Thomas Lee

Georgia Institute of Technology
Nickname: The Yellow Jackets
Mascot: Buzz the yellow jacket and the Ramblin’ Wreck
Colors: White and Old Gold
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Joined the ACC: 1979

Fun Fact: The Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech is the 1930 Ford Model A Sport coupe that serves as the official mascot of the student body. The Wreck is present at all major sporting events and student body functions, and its most noticeable role is leading the football team into Bobby Dodd Stadium, a duty which the Wreck has performed since 1961. The Ramblin’ Wreck has been the target of several pranks perpetrated by rival schools — the University of Tennessee once provided the Wreck with an unsolicited new paint job, and the University of Georgia has stolen the Wreck on at least two occasions. The official Ramblin’ Wreck is considered the only “true” Wreck, and no backups or replacements exist.

A hearty Southern welcome to the ACC’s newest member, Louisville!

Conrhod Zonio Photography

University of Louisville
Nickname: The Cardinals
Mascot: Cardinal Bird
Colors: UofL Red and black
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Joined the ACC: 2014

Let’s head back to Florida – this time to sunny South Beach and “The U”!

The Majestic Vision, Ricky Stern via Floridian Weddings

University of Miami
Nickname: Hurricanes
Mascot: Sebastian the Ibis
Colors: Miami Green and Miami Orange
Location: Coral Gables, Florida
Joined the ACC: 2004

From sunny Florida, we head to Chapel Hill, a Southern slice of heaven, and home of my beloved Tar Heels:

Martha Manning, Renee Sprink, Renee Sprink, The Burks

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nickname: The Tar Heels
Mascot: Rameses, a live Dorset ram. A stuffed ram makes appearances as well :)
Colors: Carolina Blue and white
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Continuing east down I40 to NCSU.

Anna Paschal, Aaron & Jillian, Renee Sprink (x3), Nicole Faby

North Carolina State University
Nickname: The Wolfpack
Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf, who are stuffed wolves, and Tuffy, a live Tamascan dog
Colors: Red and white
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Now it’s time to head to the mountains (and my current residence): Virginia Tech

Laura’s Focus

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Nickname: The Hokies
Mascot: The HokieBird, a turkey-like bird that grew out of the former Fighting Gobbler mascot
Colors: Chicago Maroon and burnt orange
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Joined the ACC: 2004

Continuing on our tour of Virginia, let’s travel to UVA:

Mykkah Photography

University of Virginia
Nickname: Cavaliers (also referred to as the Wahoos)
Mascot: Cavalier
Colors: Orange and blue
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Joined the ACC: Original Member

And our last stop: Wake Forest!

Ellis Photo Studio

Wake Forest University
Nickname: The Demon Deacons
Mascot: Demon Deacon
Colors: Old Gold and black
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Tell me: Where does your alliance lie? Have you been to or will you be representing your alma mater at your wedding? AND – next week we’ll be doing our last Southern football schools round-up. Who should we be sure to include? I know there are some UT fans out there! :)

Written with love by Kristin