Southern Weddings

I love the colors in Holly + Philip’s wedding! The yellow in the bridesmaid dresses from J. Crew and the red in the bride’s stunning bouquet are fabulous! Thanks to Heather Forsythe Photography for sending us this wedding. The floral arrangements are by Luke Wilson Special Events (who also planned the couple’s big day). The bride wore a beautiful dress from Priscilla of Boston. The couple loved Boone Hall Plantation at The Cotton Dock where the reception was held. Catering by JBC Catering. To see more of Holly + Philip, check out Heather’s blog.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Phil was the Assistant Principal, and I was a teacher.It was a bit of a scandal, but with the permission of our supervisors, we began spending time together, and found that everything we did together was better than apart- Running errands, yard work, cleaning the house…everything.
Describe the proposal: Phil and I had joked back and forth for several months about getting married. I was so anxious to get married, and I knew I wanted to marry Phil, so I bugged him-asking him to break up with me if he thought that I wasn’t the one. At Christmas break, I had plans to go to Las Vegas to be with my family, I wanted Phil to join me, but he hesitated, and explained that the holidays were important time with his family back in Ohio. Sadly, I accepted that we would spend Christmas apart, and made a gift for Phil. As he dropped me at the airport, I handed him a homemade December calendar with “my plan.” It was silly, and had every day of our break planned with Phil surprising me in Las Vegas, asking for my hand in marriage and planning a wedding. Of course, this was completely farfetched, and made both of us giggle instead of cry as we said “goodbye.” Little did I know, that Phil had already spoken to my parents, months in advanced and planned to arrive in Las Vegas the following day. After spending the morning at the spa with my mom and sisters, we came home, and I stumbled upon the gift I had given Phil the evening before. “How was my calendar in LV?” I wondered. As I looked more carefully, I noticed Phil’s handwriting with some revisions to my daily schedule. He wrote, “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a different plan.” I walked outside to find the love of my life standing, with gerber daisies in hand, in a puddle of rose petals. He got down on one knee, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I was elated, I sobbed! We shared in our intimate moment, and then proceeded inside, to be greeted by my entire family-and to Phil and my surprise, we saw his mom and dad, from Ohio, there to welcome us, too! My parents exclaimed, “Phil, we thought we’d surprise you, too!”
What attracted me to my husband was: His integrity, loyalty, work ethic and passion for people!
Why do you love your husband? Because he has taught me about forgiveness, unconditional love, and the importance of treasuring the journey through life.
What attracted me to my wife was: Her beauty, intelligence, strong beliefs and creativity.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: The European Deli! Phil first proclaimed his love to me on a trip to the auto shop when I needed to purchase a new car battery. He asked me to walk across the street and get a coke-but the only place around was a small, odd deli. We sat in a little hot deli in a booth, and Phil walked me through a year of knowing me. I was so shocked, and flattered that I smiled, and said “Thank you, but, I think my car is probably ready now.” Thankfully, he forgave me for my quick dismissal-and I came to my senses!
The weather on our wedding day was: Cloudy and warm in the morning, with afternoon showers during the ceremony. As we exchanged our vows, the sun came out, and we left the church with rain drops falling and the ground drying!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Casual, classy charm.
Favorite design element of your big day: My bouquet!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: It was the 4th dress I tried on…and when I began looking, I had no idea what I wanted…or at least I didn’t think I had an idea. I put it on, and knew. I didn’t want to wear another dress, ever again.
Describe your wedding flowers: I love gerber daisies and I love roses. Both were an important part of our proposal, so I wanted to have them in the bouquets. I like whimsy and color, so we included mums, a few orchids, freesia (for the aroma) and some willow for height on the tables and interest.
Describe your wedding cake: I had a selection of mini desserts for the guests, and for the family table, I had a mini wedding lemon pistachio cake. It was 3 tiers, all white (icing, not fondant), and had the texture of homemade. Each tier was trimmed in an inch wide yellow band. The whole cake stood a little over a foot high. It was so cute, and everyone loved watching us cut it!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: the reception spot, The Cotton Dock at Boone Hall Plantation…everything about that place was perfect. Even sweating while we danced felt like us, down and dirty, fun, and free.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We really didn’t have any challenges. We both were so excited to have each other-nothing else mattered as much.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Phil’s family loves vodka martinis with blue cheese olives, so we included those for everyone. We sat at a table with our immediate families, and actually ate dinner. We love eating and we love talking, so we wanted to make sure we had time and an opportunity to do that on our day.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Looking at each other at the altar and knowing that from then on, it was us.
Funniest moment? Realizing that we had the wrong scripture on the program, and if anyone looked up what was printed, they would have died laughing.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Joyful, Restful and Loud
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Fight the urge and temptation to make everything a big deal. Focus on what really matters, and be decisive and quick with minor details.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration.“Love every minute.”
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Our grandmothers.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Settling in our home in the Heights, Houston, Texas and taking care of house projects.

Congratulations Holly + Philip! We wish you love and happiness in the future!