Southern Weddings

Heaven.  I am officially in my wedding heaven.  Humor me here while I indulge in my gold, black + white wedding fantasy.  Kristen + Grant’s reception at The Cloister Clubroom on St. Simons Island in Georgia is literally dripping with luxe crystal details and gold accents, but what I really like is how the happy couple gave their elegant affair a sophisticated update with chic feather accents (did you see the plume on their four-tiered confection from Natasha Zeal of the Sea Island Culinary Team?) and subtle black details.    And the lighting – oh the lighting! – is really spectacular.   (Note to self: must add this wedding to my inspiration folder.)  Emily is going to make fun of me if I don’t stop gushing, so, for your sakes, I will, with just one question: this wedding really is something, right?

Describe your wedding flowers: The chapel had such a beautiful, simple elegance that we decided not to use any flowers. Instead, we used two tall arrangements of white ostrich plumes by the altar.  Rose at the cloister did such an amazing job on the flowers! On the head table, we had a trumpet vase filled with lush, fragrant all-white garden arrangements featuring hydrangea, stock, lisianthus, vivianne spray roses and heiress garden roses with plumes of white ostrich feathers rising from the center. The look was completed by the addition of hanging Swarovski crystals, beaded crystal votives and cut crystal candlesticks along the entire length of the table.  In my bouquet, I carried white heiress garden roses accented with feathers and Swarovski crystals. The bouquet was wrapped in silk and pinned with Grant’s great grandmother’s vintage brooch.
Describe your wedding cake: The cake was gorgeous! So gorgeous, in fact, that we had it displayed in the center of the room. It was so close to the dance floor, I was afraid a guest might fly into it while dancing! I knew I wanted to include the ostrich feathers and the crystals in the cake and the Sea Island culinary team did such a great job designing it!  It had huge ostrich plumes coming out of the top.  We wanted to create a chandelier effect with crystals on the cake, so we hung Swarovski crystals from the top layer. The cake was also covered in sugar crystals which looked so amazing against the candlelight and crystals.
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding? Everyone knows that I love a good costume party, so we decided to have a “fancy dress box” on the dance floor. We had a vintage trunk filled with boas, top hats, gloves, canes, mustaches, fake jewels and feathered headbands. It really took the party to a whole new level! Everyone was dressed in costume by the end of the night.  We had so much fun and the pictures are priceless.  In addition, I asked all of the guests to wear silver, black or gold and the women to wear floor length gowns. It really added to the glamour of the night. All of my friends and family looked like movie stars and the pictures were amazing.  Also, Grant’s uncle Zeke (the judge who married us) and his wife Linda had a beautiful vase made out of the glass that Grant stomped on at the end of the ceremony. It is now proudly displayed in our living room as a wonderful reminder of our wedding day.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  Grant insists his favorite part of the wedding was seeing me walk down the aisle!  For me, it was when Grant and I snuck down to the boat dock to be alone for a few minutes in between courses.  It was very dark and there was one single chandelier hanging from the tree above us. The wedding planner had left the 40’s music from the cocktail reception playing on the terrace, so Grant and I had a single dance there under the chandelier next to the water. It was one of the sweetest, most romantic moments of my life.
Funniest Moment: During the ceremony, Grant accidentally said “I do” before being asked!  So adorable!
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We both knew that we wanted our ceremony to be short and sweet! Grant was raised Jewish and I was raised Christian so we created our own ceremony in which we could celebrate the traditions of both religions. It turned out to be a very intimate and special ceremony! We had so many guests comment on how sweet and unique it was. We also had a special part in the ceremony where we honored our grandparents who had passed. I was very close to my Grandmother Haralson, so that had extra special meaning for me.
Fun Fact: We were married on the same day as JFK and Jackie O’!
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We are really looking forward to our long-awaited honeymoon in Greece!

Congratulations, Kristen + Grant!  Enjoy your fabulous honeymoon!