Southern Weddings

Sure, it’s like playing Russian roulette with the weather, but truly outdoor receptions (as in, no tents!) make for the most incredible pictures!  We love Bethany + Joe’s outdoor garden party at the AMOA Laguna Gloria, and especially like that they used square and rectangular tables instead of traditional rounds.  (Of course, I’m biased, since that’s what I’m doing at my own wedding!)  B + J wisely kept the décor simple so as not to detract from the natural beauty of their venue.  A few touches we do like, though?  The paper lanterns that appear to be hanging in mid-air, the strings of twinkle lights and outdoor lounge area.  So simple, chic and garden perfect!  Michelle’s Patisserie decorated a five-tier square cake for the happy couple, and finished it off with their brand new monogram.  To see me, head on over to The Nichols blog post!  You’ll be glad you did.

Describe your wedding cake: There were a few things we knew we wanted right off the bat when we started planning, and Michelle’s Patisserie red velvet cake was one of them.  Michelle actually had a cookie cutter custom made to match the geometric pattern we used in everything from our Save-the-Dates to our invitations and our escort cards.  She used these shapes to decorate the ivory butter cream frosting with white fondant cut outs – it was perfect!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? For me:  The biggest test I encountered, especially right off the bat, was learning to allow our families and friends help – whether it was putting in their two cents about décor, or listening to their thoughts on etiquette – learning to let go was a bit of a challenge, but in the long run made the whole process much more enjoyable! For Joe: Figuring out how his best friend, and best man, could be involved in the wedding even though his Green Beret unit was stationed in Iraq at the time. They’d always looked forward to being in each other’s weddings, so we planned and surprised Joe (and all the guests) with a video “speech” that he had made and sent to one of Joe’s other groomsmen. 
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? For me: Seeing the reactions of our family members to everything. Our families are very important to us, so even the little things, like using my grandmother’s bee (you know, “B” for Bethany!) brooch on my bouquet since she had passed away two weeks prior to the wedding, helped us know that we’ll always have an amazing support system! For Joe: Everyone else in the room disappearing during our first dance. Neither of us love to be in the spotlight, but that moment was absolutely amazing because we were so focused on enjoying moment with each other.
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We opted to say traditional vows – something about finally getting to say those time-honored words to your loved one just meant the world to us!
What advice would you give to future brides? Being in the wedding business, I give lots of advice to my brides (and grooms!).  But the one thing I will forever tell people from here on out is to not worry about the guest list.  So you may be trying to stay within a very specific budget, or your venue may have size restrictions – but in the end, the people that can make it to your wedding want to be there to show their love and support and to celebrate such an exciting and important day with you and your new spouse.  In the end, that’s all that matters.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We’re excited to be a part of each other’s large and close-knit families and look forward to joining these wonderful people together down the road as we start our own family. But for now, we’re happy to have quiet evenings at home with our two dogs!