Southern Weddings

We’re back with more from Tara + Mark’s Spanish-inspired fete, and we have to say: we LOVE the colors of this shindig!  And the cake, the fun three-tiered square cake from Fancy Cakes by Lauren.  The only thing I wish were different about this rockin’ reception was that I had been there to enjoy Café Malaga’s spread of Spanish favorites!  If you want a little more, visit Nine Photography’s blog here.

What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation?  Spanish Talavera Tile -made of recycled paper- with Terracotta & cobalt blue.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: We wanted everyone we love to be involved in the wedding.  Since everyone tells you how fast the day will come and go, it was a great way to bond with our new families.  For example, my dear friend Douglas, whom I refer to as my brother, was our wedding officiant, became ordained just to marry us, which was really special.  The mother of the groom, Pat, made special Mexican wedding cookies for wedding favors.  My parents made the centerpieces and other potted flower arrangements. Douglas’ parents worked so hard to custom create invitations, save-the-dates, menu cards, drink cards, brunch invitations, bridesmaid luncheon invitations & the incredible table cards.  My step-father picked all the cigars & tasting tequilas, which were a huge hit.  We used our own Sangria recipe, which we made many times throughout the summer with friends until we got it right!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I saw it on e-bay and fell in love, so I tracked down a store in Dallas that had a sample.  As soon as I put it on I knew it was the right dress for me.  Cheryl at Neiman Marcus was so wonderful; she made it so easy to get the dress tailored just how I envisioned it!
Describe your wedding flowers: I knew I didn’t want roses or hydrangeas, and I wanted the flowers to be different but didn’t know much else.  Erin at the Urban Blossom was one of the few florists I felt actually listened to my ideas and wasn’t trying to sneak in roses when I wasn’t looking.  We used terracotta and cobalt blue to keep with the wedding theme.  My bridesmaids carried a mix of terracotta flowers with orchids and tulips, and my bouquet was white tulips, freesia, stock and orange orchids, wrapped with fabric from my dress and a bit a the blue fabric from a bridesmaid’s dress.  The centerpieces were all made by my mother and step-father; Erin then added colorful flowers the day of the wedding to complete the look.
Describe your wedding cake:  Keeping with the theme, the cake was three-tired with three different tile patterns taken from the tiles we incorporated into the invitations and paper products.  The first layer was orange cake with the top two layers in German chocolate cake, both with butter cream frosting. The cake was topped with orange orchids matching the bridal party bouquets.  It was delicious and beautiful!
Tell us about a particularly great experience you had with one of your vendors:  Our caterer, Annie, was so amazing.  We chose her since her restaurant is our favorite local spot.  We served passed tapas as appetizers, dinner was Paella with Shrimp, Chicken and Chorizo served the traditional way by serving each plate with a lemon wedge and leaving the dish on the table for everyone to serve themselves after the first serving. 

Photographed by Nine Photography (a loyal SW sponsor) and planned by Jennifer Ashford of Altar Ego Weddings, Tara + Mark’s wedding at the 1899 Farmhouse was an autumnal dream come true!  The bride looked sweetly Southern in her open-back Monique Lhuillier gown while her bridesmaids stunned in their Alvina Valenta + Jim Hjelm frocks.  I think what I like best about this Texas wedding (besides the golden glow of the sunset ceremony, of course!) are the rustic floral arrangements and bouquets from The Urban Blossom Floral Art Studio.  Wonderfully wildflower perfect!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  The short story is that we met at work, but, of course, that is not the whole story!  I had started a new sales position at a large company that required new employees to train with several other seasoned sales people.  Mark was training me and we were chatting between calls when an instant message popped up on his screen from another co-worker asking, “Did you ask the new girl out yet?”  Mark closed the IM as fast as anyone possibly could, thinking he has been smooth, but of course I had already read it and now knew he had a little crush.  After many weeks of casual flirting, a few group lunches, and casual work get-togethers, I still hadn’t been invited on an official date, so decided I would call Mark myself.  I called on a Saturday thinking I could leave a cute and smart message when, to my surprise, he answered!  Being quick on my feet I asked if he was busy and whether I could sit with him again to further sharpen my sales skills.  Mark tells me he still didn’t think I was flirting with him but after a slow day with lots of downtime to chat, he finally asked me out for real!  It didn’t take long to see we had a ton in common and always had a lot of fun together.
Describe the proposal.  Mark & I were in NYC for the weekend with his cousins from Philadelphia, so we stayed Saturday night to spend a night alone before taking the train back to Philly the following morning. We had booked a budget hotel and, on our way there, Mark reveled a surprise: he had upgraded us to The Carlton on Madison Avenue! This alone didn’t raise any suspicion since Mark does romantic things, especially on vacation. Then after checking in we discovered our room was a suite, on the corner with an awesome view, the concierge had really hooked him up, again, no real red flag’s registering yet… until dinner!  He had another surprise: we were going to Tavern on the Green for dinner, which was wonderful except Mark seemed distracted.  He kept looking around me until I finally turned around expecting to see a beautiful woman sitting behind me, but no one was there.  On top of that he seemed really concerned about how long we were taking at dinner.  After dessert, he revealed the last surprise: he had arranged for a carriage ride through Central Park to pick us up after dinner… Red Flag!! I knew something was going on but tried not to convince myself of anything. He had told the driver of his plans to purpose and asked him to stop at a scenic spot, knowing I would want to get out to take a picture, which I did, but my flash was not cooperating so Mark took the camera from my hands and got on one knee.  I remember seeing the ring as a sparkle in the dark and remember kneeling down to kiss him and accept his proposal, but the rest is a blur.  We got lost leaving the park since we were too distracted calling family and friends with the news.  I finally saw the ring when we stopped to sit and get a drink to celebrate.  It was exactly what I would have picked, dainty and antique looking, and at that moment I realized just how well he knows me. It was a perfect evening we won’t ever forget!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, happy and optimistic.