Southern Weddings

S + S look really sweet and really, really happy to be married – and Georgia-based photographer, Melissa Schollaert, got just the right shots.  The newlyweds toasted their marriage at the Fair Weather Farm with their signature drink (spiked sweet tea!) served in Mason jars and a 3-D turkey cake (courtesy of Cakes by Darcy) in honor of the turkey-hunting groom.  Baby Cakes designed the couple’s green + white wedding cake, and Carole Parks Catering coordinated the traditional Southern fare.  Kudos to Simply Charming Events for planning this Georgia farm wedding!

See all the photos from Sarah + Steve’s wedding in their Real Wedding Gallery!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? Both Steve and I were born and raised in the South, and knew we wanted a farm wedding here in Georgia. All the cotton used for the wedding was hand-picked by my younger sister, Amy, from a cotton farm in South Georgia. Burlap was the fabric of choice. My father made home-made Spiked Sweet Tea for the signature drink and served it in Mason jars. The food was traditional Southern fare: ried chicken, beef tenderloin, shrimp and grits, mashed potatoes, butter beans, sweet potato biscuits and corn bread muffins.
Describe your wedding flowers: The hand-picked cotton centerpieces were arranged in large Mason jars. The groomsmen wore cotton boutonnieres with a hint of green hypericum berries. My bouquet was made with cream Amelia roses, cotton blooms, green hypericum berries, dark centered white daisies and white freesia with the stems wrapped in burlap. The bridesmaids’ and mothers’ bouquets were similar  to mine, and had a touch of orange tea roses to give them a pop of color.
Describe your wedding cake: Our wedding cake was a simple, yet elegant square design that had stripes matching the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses with pearl drop icing lining the edges. The groom’s cake was a surprise from me. Steve is an avid turkey hunter, and our wedding was on the opening day of turkey season. I gave the bakery a picture of one of Steve’s stuffed turkeys and they make a 3D chocolate cake with chocolate icing.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The band! The farm had never had such a big band before, so we had to make sure that ten-man troupe would fit in the venue and have enough electricity. We also had to reserve the venue for extra so that the band could set up and do sound checks. It was well worth it, because the band was awesome!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? After the ceremony, we were walking in the fields while the photographer was taking pictures of just the two of us. It was a quiet moment that we enjoyed together as husband and wife. We were surrounded by such beautiful scenery and the sun was just about to set. It was perfect. 
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?  We now live in a small rural town in Kentucky where Steve practices as a mixed animal veterinarian. I am continuing my work as a photographer and graphic designer, and also enjoying decorating our new home. We are looking forward to finding a good church and starting a family in the next couple years.

Is there anything more Southern than hand-picked cotton blossoms tucked into the bride’s bouquet?  Office consensus is no way, Jose, and Sarah + Steve (with the help of Birch Blooms Flordal Design) get this down-home bloom just right.  The Georgia natives exchanged vows at the Fair Weather Farms, and we just love the natural backdrop of the unfinished barn in the bridal portraits.  The ladies wore sage-colored dresses from Bella Bridesmaid, and the darling bride got all dolled up in a feminine Rivini A-line gown.  Melissa Schollaert photographed this sweet couple’s traditional Southern wedding – and what a job she did!  Check back soon for images from Sarah + Steve’s reception.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. We were introduced by one of Steve’s close friends, Casey Neary.  Casey and Steve were classmates in the College of Veterinary Medicine at UGA and spent a great deal of time together studying, hunting, and of course looking for the right woman. Casey and Jenny decided we would make a great match, and began to plan when they could introduce us. On August 24, 2007, my younger sister, Amy, had a birthday party in Athens.  It was this birthday celebration that served as the place of our first formal introduction. The rest is history, folks!  
Describe the proposal. After his graduation from vet school, Steve moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to work in a dairy practice. Steve is all about the outdoors, and we were both very excited that his relocation would afford us various mountain activities that were unavailable to us in Dixie. He decided to plan a 4^th of July camping trip in Steamboat Springs so we could get a chance to enjoy the beauty of the Rockies and get a good wilderness experience together. Steve warned me that the weather was supposed to get bad and mentioned that we would most likely be camping under a few thunder storms. Once we arrived in Steamboat, Steve surprised me with a weekend suite reservation at the Highmark resort!  Our camping trip got a tad more comfy at that point! That evening, I overheard Steve on the phone preparing a reservation for 6:30am. He told me it was going to be a great surprise and said that I should dress warmly. The next morning, we woke up really early and went down to the lobby to prepare for our surprise adventure.  A few minutes later, a Pegasus tours van pulled up with a balloon mural painted on the side.  We were going for a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the mountains of Steamboat Springs!  At 10,000 feet, Steve asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, and I joyfully said yes!            
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Warm, Southern and joyous.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Hand-picked cotton.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, and after trying a few other places I booked an appointment at Bridals by Lori. That Saturday morning, one of my best friends and I went through all the rooms of the salon looking for dresses that were ivory, A-line and lace. We found the perfect Rivini strapless gown with delicate lace on the bodice and flowing sheer ribbon across the top. There was matching lace and ribbon around the bottom of the skirt that brought it all together. The most delicate detail was the buttons that lined the back of the dress all the way down to the tip of the train.