Southern Weddings

You know what the COOLEST thing about this reception is – besides the rustic barn, the Sugar Leaf Treats cake bar and the wildflower centerpieces from Artistry in Bloom, of course.  The bride wore a too-cute yellow cardigan!!   (Can’t y’all see Emily doing that at her own wedding one day?)  There’s more from T+ J’s big day!  Visit Alec Vanderboom’s  blog post here to see the rest!

Describe your wedding flowers: The flower arrangements that were on the tables (and everywhere else) were loose and had a wild flower look. I wanted them to both stand out and blend in with the country backyard. I didn’t want the look to be tailored and structured, more organic and wild.
Describe your wedding cake: We couldn’t decide on one, so we made it easy. We got three of them! They were three different shades of yellow with tiny white dots at the bottom—very simple and imperfect. The flavors were chocolate, lemon and nutty amaretto. I loved them and so did everyone else—they were a big hit!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Walking around together with just the photographer right after the ceremony. We knew it was the only socially-acceptable time we could be alone together, and it was wonderful to just have the two of us look around and at each other and say, “Wow, this is fantastic!”
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? My girlfriend, Brieana, read “love” by Roy Croft. Our favorite line from it says, “I love you because you/ Are helping me to make/ Of the lumber of my life/ Not a tavern/ But a temple/ Out of the works
/ Of my every day/ Not a reproach/ But a song.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  We’re going to stay in Manhattan for awhile and soak it up. We know we don’t want to raise a family here, so we’re enjoying it while we can then we’ll move someplace that looks like the farm!

Congratulations, Taryn + Jay!  Enjoy the city and your new family!

Man, we’re having a week of ridiculously awesome wedding dresses on the blog.  Yesterday was Lindsey’s lovely lace Claire Pettibone, and today is Taryn’s crisp + clean Ella Weiss.  Whoo, do I love this dress – not to mention her sunshine yellow Kate Spades.  Taryn + Jay said “I do” in a real-life family affair at her brother’s barn in Missouri.  (So sweet!)  We <3 the yellow accents –  bright blooms in the bride’s Artistry in Bloom bouquet and the lemon-colored bridesmaid dresses from Nordstrom – that T + J wove into their celebration.  The talented Alec Vanderboom is the genius behind these stunning images, and because we like you we’ll even show you some more!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  (From the groom) We met on an overnight shift working in the emergency department at a New York City hospital. I saw her across the room tackling and then sedating an intoxicated patient and I thought, “This is a special lady!”
Describe the proposal. (From the groom) We went out to lunch in Soho at a great restaurant, then went for a cupcake on the Lower East Side and came back to pack for a trip to England that evening. I snuch the ring into an iPod video box (emerald colored, like the stone on the ring). Sitting on the couch, I gave her the gift for our upcoming trip—she loved it! Except pulled out the iPod and never saw the ring. Finally I had to hint and say, “Hey, what’s this piece for?”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Bright, springy and yellow!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I loved that it was a collaboration of everyone that loved us. We had the wedding at a friend’s barn that they converted into a hous. Jay’s sister, Liz, married us. We named the tables after herbs that were grown in the garden by the house and the rocks on the table were taken from the same garden. The benches and hand-made soaps were made by an Amish family that a friend works with. My brother made homemade hand-churned ice cream to go with the cake. Everyone helped out doing the things that they were good at. Our wedding had personal touches of the many different people that helped us along. It was perfect and it felt like a big love fest!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding? Bluegrass, bourbon and Missouri country charm. We also imported lots of cousins from Oklahoma just to balance out the Northeasterners. At the end of the night, we all sat around a fire pit telling stories!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I live in New York, the land of wedding dresses—you’d think it would be easy to find one! I had gone to a couple places but felt a lot of pressure and wasn’t having the experience that I wanted. My sister in law suggested that I check out a local place in downtown Springfield. They were amazing, warm and very supportive. They gave me all the time I needed, had a great selection and they had the best customer service with no pressure!