Southern Weddings

There’s something at once classically timeless and refreshingly original about this Southern wedding from Stephan Maloman.  The bride’s vintage-inspired Monique Lhuillier lace gown and the elegant place settings offset by delicate baby’s breath centerpieces from Ocean Florist gave Victoria + Adam’s wedding the perfect blend of romance and whimsy while the rows of family pictures hung up line-dry fashion by wooden pins and the B&W photo booth add just the right hint of fun and authenticity.  I’m really quite torn over the simple elegance and personal touches of this wedding!  Tell me: which element is your favorite?

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Adam and I met on February 6, 2004 at the Townhouse Rooftoplounge on South Beach. We both were there with friends and Adam came over and started a conversation.  My friend was training for a marathon and had to leave early, so I asked her if she would mind me staying at the bar with our new “friend.”  Adam and I were out until 4:00 a.m. that night!  We spent the rest of the night walking on Lincoln Road and getting to know each other.  Our first official date was lunch on Valentine’s Day.  (We did lunch because his mother was in town and they already had dinner plans!)

Describe the proposal: Adam proposed in our living room.  We were watching a British movie and he told me he needed to find the remote so he could turn on the subtitles.  I was a little annoyed because who needs subtitles for a British movie?!  He was running around the house looking for the remote and came downstairs with the ring in his pocket.  Adam told me that meeting me was the greatest thing that ever happened to him and that I am the reason he feels he can do anything in this life.  He pulled out the ring box and I said “yes!”  We immediately got on iChat with my parents to tell them the great news and, of course, to show my mom the ring!

What attracted you to your husband: His boyish good looks first drew me in, but I ultimately was attracted to him because of how comfortable he was in his own skin.  I remember thinking to myself that this was the most centered person I had ever met.  I got such a calm vibe from him.

Why do you love your husband? I love Adam for a million reasons, but namely because he is loyal, honest, ethical beyond belief, driven and kind-hearted.

The weather on our wedding day was: Torrential rain most of the day!  The sun broke through for our ceremony and cocktail hour and then rained again.  In the end, the weather was inconsequential.  The day was perfect!

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I had 3 words that I kept coming back to: romantic, Florida, elegant.

Favorite design element of your big day: the baby’s breath centerpieces!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Deciding on my husband was easy but  the dress was a nightmare!  I had shopped for 6 months!  I had been all over Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and New York.  Finally I went back to the first shop, second dress and knew it was the one.  I just needed to try on a million dresses to be sure.  I love fashion and this was the biggest decision for me.

Describe your wedding flowers: I am not a flower snob by any means. In fact, I find I love “filler flowers” the most. I told my wonderful florist this at our meeting and she ran with it.  My baby’s breath centerpieces were beautiful beyond my wildest dreams and they added the perfect amount of whimsy and romance to the ballroom.  My bridesmaids’ bouquets were also gorgeous!  I had asked for a flower with a dark center so the bouquets would “pop” against the girls’ navy dresses.  I cannot get over how wonderful it all looked.

Describe your wedding cake: Our wedding cake was a three-tiered rum cake.  I wanted something simple and white and the rum was an homage to my Italian heritage.

Your favorite detail of the wedding was: I really can’t pick just one favorite!  I loved the cocktail flags, the menu wax seals, the cake flags, the petal toss and the photo booth!  I also love that we were able to get our favorite beer, Lagunitas IPA, that we discovered after a trip to the brewery.  I loved that we toured the brewery together, met the brewmaster and then served the beer at our wedding.  That little detail just made the day even more personal to us.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Finding everything to fit within the budget.  It is so easy to get swept away when planning a wedding.  Shows like Platinum Wedding are no help!  But if you want something you either have to DIY or shop around until you get the best price!  I also prioritized.  For example, it was far more important to me to have a great venue and less important to have an expensive cake.  I also took advantage of deals when I saw them.  Jumping on discounts when you come across them was key to planning our wedding.

Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? At the end of the night, all the guests gathered in a large circle and sang “That’s What Friends Are For.”  It is something we do at all our get-togethers with our family and closest friends.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I have far too many snapshots in my mind to pick one, but the one I keep coming back to is when my husband started to cry during our “Pledge of Faithfulness.”  I was so surprised and touched.

Scariest moment? Thinking that the bugs were going to eat my guests alive!  I had a ton of eucalyptus-based bug spray, but the rain brings out mosquitoes and, of course, the mosquitoes in Florida can be brutal!

Funniest moment? When Adam did a move on the dance floor where he jumped through his own leg!  I didn’t even know he could do that!  Was that really the man I just married?!

Hardest decision you made in planning? How to keep the guest list short.  The reception hall only held 100 guests.  Once you make the list of family you want there, it leaves little room for friends.  Ultimately, we had 99 people in the ballroom.

Three adjectives that describe the day are: Love, excitement  and joy.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? We didn’t necessarily write our vows all on our own, but we did personalize the ceremony.  I had found a touching reading from Robert Fulghum called “Union.”  We also asked that our grandparents be recognized at the ceremony since they were unable to walk into the ballroom unescorted.  Finally, we said this “Pledge of Faithfulness” to each other right before we exchanged rings.

What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Remember that the wedding is just a day but marriage is forever.  Don’t let your thoughts of “perfection” affect your relationship.  Adam and I fought only once about the wedding and we vowed never to argue over the big day.  And we never did!  (It didn’t hurt that he let me plan 99% of the wedding!)

Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. I was told by so many guests that our ceremony was the most touching and authentic one they had ever seen.  That really meant a lot to me because the ceremony is what a wedding really is all about; the celebration is only secondary.  I heard there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Our grandparents.  I am so grateful they could be there.  We are blessed!  And of course our parents. Who would we be without their support?

Any DIY items? The door hangers at the hotel while we got ready, the menus and the menuwax stamps, the programs, the ceremony seating signs, the out-of-town bags and the cookies in the out-of-town bags.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Adam and I will take our honeymoon in August and he will continue dental school.  We’re already talking about our 1 year anniversary trip: Hawaii, here we come!

Congratulations Victoria + Adam!  We hope you have a fabulous time in Hawaii next year!