Southern Weddings

I know weddings are supposed to be all about the bride (and trust us, she is lovely), but can I just say I think the flower girl’s frilly tights and sparkly slippers totally stole the show?  Cute, cute, cute!  (And even cuter once you find out said cutie-pie is also the groom’s lovely daughter.)  David + Kendrick from Our Labor of Love captured Jennifer + Jay’s wedding celebration at the gilded Biltmore Ballrooms in downtown Atlanta.  SW favorite Ashley Baber of Ashley Baber Weddings coordinated the lavish affair, and Steve Bales + crew at Bold American designed the entire event, including the lush white bouquets carried by the bride and her attendants.  The bridesmaids looked distinctly un-bridesmaidy in simple floor-length sheaths from J. Crew, while the bride was ultra-feminine in a strapless Rivini gown – the perfect touch for her black-tie optional fete.   I’ve always loved formal weddings, and after seeing J + J’s soiree, I’m definitely considering a similar style for my own wedding.  So question for all our dear readers: what’ the best way to inform guests of a dress code for your wedding?  And what’s better: black tie or black tie optional?  Check back soon for Part II of this fabulous celebration!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. We are both huge food lovers and met through a local food forum here in Atlanta. I was seeing someone at the time, but Jay and I quickly became lunch buddies.  After a couple years of being friends, I broke up with my boyfriend and started dating again.  I’d always had a crush on Jay—I’ve got a thing for Italian boys from New York and was touched by the fact that he was such an amazing full-time single dad to his adorable daughter, Siena.  I didn’t think I was his type until I ran into him while I was out on a date and he greeted me with a hug and whispered in my ear: “I’ve been thinking about you all day. You shouldn’t be here with him, you should be with me.” My heart melted and I ditched my date. We’ve been together ever since.
Describe the proposal. It’s embarrassing. I’m a little… hyper-organized.  Jay had been living out of a bag and I’d ordered new dressers so he could have more storage.  On the day that they arrived, I started putting all of his stuff away and found an oddly lumpy sock. I reached in a pulled out a blue box and proceeded to freak out.  It was hard not to peak inside, but I exercised some super-human willpower and put it back where I found it.  When Jay got home, I tried to play it off like I hadn’t found it, but he figured out what was going on within five minutes. His planned proposal (we were going to Mexico in a week) was pretty much ruined so he broke down and proposed one Sunday afternoon in bed. We still get a good laugh out of the whole debacle.
Three words that describe the day are:
Jennifer: Blissful, warm and delicious!
Jay: Kissing, kissing and more kissing!  Plus, a beautiful bride.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I’d have to say the room. My mother gave me some great advice when I started the planning process. She told me to choose an ornate room so I wouldn’t have to spend a lot on décor. It was perfect and grand. The LED dance floor was my second favorite detail. Jay’s favorite part of the day was the food, the wine and the cake.  If I had a dollar for every guest who told me it was the best wedding food ever…