Thank you Studio A Photography for sharing this ultra-sleek and uber-sophisticated Alabama wedding! College sweethearts Christi + Chris (how cute is that?) exchanged their vows in an intimate outdoor ceremony at the historic and distinctly Southern Magnolia Manor. The bride’s ruffle-neck Vera Wang looks like it belongs on the runway and her chic birdcage veil courtesy of Brenda’s Bridal Veils (another fabulous Etsy vendor) adds just the right sass and flair to this stunning gown. After pining over the bridesmaids’ sweet BCBG frocks and the groom’s checkered tie from J.Crew, I have to say I’ve never seen ivory and navy done quite so well. Brava, Beth Humphrey, planner extraordinaire from Elizabeth Events! Since a Southern wedding is really complete without the requisite lapel shot, check out Chris’ twine-wrapped boutonnière.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met in calculus class at Auburn University. Neither of us went to class very often but, when we did, we always managed to sit near each other and commiserate over our dislike for the professor and our slipping grades. I came out of that semester with the only C I’ve ever made and a new boyfriend – in hindsight, definitely worth the GPA sacrifice!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation? We wanted our invitations to reflect the amazing venue we had chosen and really didn’t have time to commission an intricate letterpress design. One night while agonizing over what to do about invitations, my mother suggested we make our own. I sketched an oak from a photo we took at the site and had a graphic designer (and close friend) lay out the invitation format and pick the typeface. The hand-drawn oak tree (with a little bird on one of the branches) became the inspiration for the rest of the wedding. We incorporated little branches and birds and feathers on everything from my feather fascinator and birdcage veil to the birdcages hanging from the front porch.
What was your favorite design element of your big day? The altar area was my favorite thing. After living up north for a while, we were feeling deprived of all the things we love about coastal southern summers. We decided that nothing was more perfect for us than a wedding under an oak tree with romantic Spanish moss. The antique chandelier that hung above us really anchored our ceremony and I was thrilled with the way the bamboo chairs and the shepherd hooks and hydrangea-filled vases looked. I also really loved the mason jars with tea lights accenting the dance floor.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: So many things, I don’t know where to start. The groom’s tie, which we bought from JCrew, was one of my favorite design choices. It helped lighten up the navy suit and really played up the casually elegant Southern summer theme. We were also really excited about the food. We worked as much of the south into our menu as possible, taking the chance to indulge in all of the great cuisine you just can’t get in New York, like crawfish etouffee with gouda grits, white jambalaya, biscuits, crab cakes, boiled shrimp, chicken salad croissants and, of course, sweet tea and lemonade.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I noticed that Daily Candy was advertising a Vera Wang sale the week my mother was going to be visiting me in NYC for the first time so we decided it might be our only chance to have this mother-daughter experience. I tried on every dress she brought me (30 in all), and decided I liked the last one best. It was a 2007 runway dress with frayed silk ruffles and it fit like it was made just for me. After some encouragement from the salesgirls and all of the complete strangers in the room who had stopped their own dress shopping to ‘ooo’ and ‘ahhh’ over the perfectness of the dress, we decided it was the one. The whole trip (subway ride included) took about 3 hours. With no tears or bridal consultations or champagne or fanfare, we wrote a check for the dress, stuffed it in a huge brown paper bag and carried it right home with us on the subway.
Don’t worry – there’s more! Come back soon for the reception photos!
Looove the fabic backdrop! Where can I find the pattern?
Hey Amy! I’m not exactly sure where the bride purchased the fabric — hopefully she’ll chime in — but I’ve had success finding great patterns at Purl Soho, Fabric.com, and Etsy. Good luck!
Beautiful wedding! and awesome shoes!Any word of where can i buy them???
Beautiful pictures…if only I had my wedding to do over… :-)
Gorgeous pictures for a gorgeous wedding. Congratulations and best of luck.
What a beautiful wedding, the photography is amazing! Congratulations Christi and Chris
Hi Olga,Thank you!They are Max Studio. I ordered them online from Bloomingdales but I saw them first at Macys. I bet they are even on sale by now.–Christi
The fabric for the backdrop is from Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern collection. It comes in several different colors!
Un matrimonio bellissimo!!!!
I’m not much of a wedding person by nature. In fact, I’ve often said that I find funerals to be more interesting. With Chris & Christi’s wedding, this was definitely not the case. I can only describe their wedding in three words: It was perfect! There was never a thought of: "Maybe this could have been done different" or "I would have chosen better bridesmaids dresses." At this wedding, I could just sit back and enjoy their moment because there was nothing that needed to be changed. It was a wedding out of a dream, a Southern dream; and I am so happy to have been a part of it. Chris and Christi, I adore you guys…and your exquisite taste of course!Lots of love, W:)
Absolutely beautiful, so orignal- has a definite wow factor! congrats. I want to use your wedding photographer when the time comes!
What a gorgeous and stylish wedding!! The details are beautiful and thoughtful (feather in corsage, mason jar lanterns, veil, bird cages) LOVE IT! (and not to mention the bride is absolutely glowing!)
Love love love the whole wedding and the pictures are of course amazing. Congrats Chris & Christi!
THE most aesthetically pleasing wedding I’ve ever attended, hands down. The themes were made successful by the charming, thorough, thoughtful (yet not annoying) attention to detail. That, and all the LOVE floating around everywhere :) Kudos on achieving such a beautiful end-product.
I’m loving all of the details! Gorgeous.
Wow, absolutely gorgeous! This is my new favorite wedding that I’ve seen recently. I love the twig bunch on the groom and the tree that reminds me of the giving tree on the invite. Christi, that dress is beautiful and you all look great! Congrats!
Beautiful pictures and attention to detail. This makes me miss Alabama!
great photos! i love photos of the details that you spend so much time planning.
These photos are very original and the attention to the details are beautiful.
For sure the most effortless looking wedding ever and so elegant! i’ve loved looking at the pictures!
So Perfect…..Literally everything…..Beautiful Wedding….The details are fabulous….the photography is like none I’ve ever seen!! These pics will make such wonderful memories! Congratulations on a job well done! And may your life together be as perfect as your special day was!
Wow…. what a beautiful southern wedding. Photos are beautiful and capture the essence of a summer wedding in the Alabama. Chris and Christi’s personalities and love for each other really shines through in these photographs. Enjoyed this blog very much. Ann W.
This entire wedding so SO adorable. I’m so happy I found this site. While I’m not yet engaged I am learning all the ins and outs of throwing a Southern Wedding (I’m originally from Maryland and now have been living in Alabama for 5 years it’s amazing to see all the different traditions – helllo – grooms cake is the coolest idea on earth! :) Thank you for all the great work!
Thank you Christi!To give more info on the shoes they are the MAX STUDIO ‘Salsa’ Sandal. . .I would like to have green shoes for my wedding, but if I decide to have beige shoes, I think these would be the chosen ones :)I found them in Nordstrom
Such beautiful pictures! Where is the invitation from? It is perfect!
The wedding was beautiful, and the pictures really capture that beauty. Everyone had a great time at the wedding, and it shows through the pictures.
I really enjoyed looking at the gorgeous photos and reading the story of this perfect couple. I love weddings and this looks like it was a truly special one. The pictures are gorgeous and capture the essence of the south. Good luck to the bride and groom, may they share many happy years together.
Very professional pictures, I felt like I was there. Beautiful story about the couple. They will have wonderful memories forever with such great photos.
Chris and Christi’s wedding was absolutely beautiful!!!!! Wow.
These photographs are GORGEOUS!! i am thinking i should hire this photographer for my wedding! (i actually already have). I love how amy captured all the tiny details christy so perfectly selected!
Absolutely beautiful wedding…but I expected nothing less from these two! Congrats on creating such a unique and memorable day!
These are BEAUTIFUL pictures and it seemed like a fantastic day! Congrats to Christi and Chris!
What awesome photos of a very special day…loved their shoes photo…!!!!
THE PHOTOS ARE FANTASTIC. YOU PERSONALIZED THE DETAILS. VERY WELL DONE.
Wow! The photography is amazing! Love how the photographer captured both the intimate and the unexpected, whimisical moments.
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What a great story so beautifully captured in the photographs – the details shown in the pics make this a unique and special event something that they can recall forever!!!
What amazing photos. It looks like the day was fantastic. Must of been a memorable one too!