Southern Weddings

Be sure to check out the {Whitebox BLOG} for Part II of Abby + Kevin. Thank you so much, Melanie and Sara, for sharing this amazing wedding with us! Have a fabulous weekend!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Kevin set up a photo booth with chalkboards for our guests to write messages to us and take their own photos by remote control. Whitebox let our guests use their props (wigs, sunglasses, and fake mustaches) so everyone had a blast taking funny photos. We ended up with over 400 photos that make us laugh every time we look at them!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Agreeing on all the little details. Kevin and I both had our own creative ideas and vision.
Funniest moment? We told Whitebox that we love props for photos so we knew they were bringing some but we totally didn’t expect the mustaches! The Whitebox girls pulled out the fake mustaches for the bridal party to put on and I almost peed in my pants when I saw my BMs with their mustaches on. One of the girls has dark hair and dark eyebrows and her mustache look soooo real! It cracked all of us up! I still laugh about it!
What were your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue items? For the something blue, I bought light blue alphabet stickers at the craft store and spelled “I DO” on the bottom of my wedding shoes. One shoe had the letter “I” and the other “DO”. I didn’t have something new, old, and borrowed.
How was your wedding different than the way you’d always imagined it would be? It was sooo much more fun than we ever imagined. Kevin and I were excited knowing that all of our family and friends from MN and all over NC would be together in a town that we both adore. To have our closest friends and family together and meet for the first time had to be the best part of the weekend. We had such a blast with everyone. It was probably the only time everyone would be together.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Spend the extra money on an awesome photographer. It’s probably the most memorable day of your lives so why wouldn’t you want the photos that are just as amazing?!! Also, allow plenty of time between the ceremony and reception for family and bridal party photos! This is the time when your photographer can get the best shots of the newlyweds together and fun shots with the bridal party.

Sara & Melanie from North Carolina-based {Whitebox Weddings} are so creative and always produce compelling (and just pure fun!) images. The second we saw Abby + Kevin’s wedding, we knew this was a very special couple. Reception: {The Balcony on Dock Street}, Floral Design: Jennifer Rose-Sandy of {Salt Harbor Designs}, Cake: Nancy Hearne.  Be sure to check out the {Whitebox BLOG} for Part I of this super-fun wedding. Happy 4th!

The weather was: Gorgeous spring weather! Sunny, breezy, mid 80s, no humidity.
Occupations: Abby is Senior Quality Analyst at PPD, Inc., a clinical research organization headquartered in Wilmington, NC but works in the RTP office. Kevin is a self-employed wedding photographer – { www.kevinmilz.com }.
What was your design inspiration for the wedding? Southern, spring wedding with bright colors. I guess you could call it a Southern Contemporary wedding. We just wanted unique details and bright colors. The loft where the reception was held was the perfect setting for the urban feel we were going for. The florist had these awesome black benches with pillows that made it feel like a lounge.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? Chartreuse and hot pink. From looking at tons of wedding photos from weddings Kevin has photographed, I knew that contrasting colors that pop look the best in photos.
Describe your wedding flowers: I LOVED my wedding flowers! I knew right away that I wanted Kermit mums for the bridesmaid bouquets so they would stand out against the fuchsia/hot pink bridesmaid’s dresses. The florist also added green spider mums to add more volume. The bride’s bouquet was pink peonies. The flower girl (grooms niece) carried a pomander ball made with Kermit mums. The 2 ring bearers (brides nephew and grooms nephew) each carried a ring bearer pillow made with Kermit mums. The boutonnières were Kermit mums and the corsages were a mix of Kermit mums and mini bright pink roses. The reception flowers were a mix of simple bud vases with a single spider mum, Bells of Ireland, and pink tulips. I told the florist that I wanted just a mix of green and pink flowers and Jennifer did a fabulous job!!! All the guests raved about the food and flowers!
Describe your wedding cake: A middle layer of chocolate cake with Khalua filling, and two layers of white cake and strawberry filling all covered in rich, dark, decadent, chocolate ganache icing. Each tier had a chartreuse satin ribbon around the base.
How did you meet? Kevin was a friend of my coworker. A group of us went out after work for happy hour and Kevin met up with us. We ended up talking that night and exchanged emails throughout the next week. We started dating the week afterwards and were inseparable for the next 5 years.
Describe your engagement: We went to dinner at the Herons in The Umstead Hotel in Cary, NC. After dinner he surprised me with a suite for the weekend! He proposed to me while playing “Songbird” by Eva Cassidy which is the same song that he played when he first told me he loved me and became our “first dance” song.
What attracted me to my husband was: His gorgeous blue eyes and baby face. Then once we got past the physical attraction and I found it he was a photographer, I was attracted to his creativity and artistic side.
What attracted me to my wife was: her beauty and sense of humor
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: all of them!

Check back for Part II of Abby + Kevin….