Happy Friday, y’all! As you know, we’ve been a little busy over here prepping V3 for your enjoyment, but we wanted to tide you over with some Kentucky gorgeousness from Todd Pellowe. In true Southern fashion, Sarah + Arturo were married beneath a wild oak in the Gardens of Ray Eden. The bride wore a ruffled Lezu gown (which I’ve been swooning over all morning!) and vintage veil from Birdcage Veils. Sarah’s maids, in yellow David’ Bridal frocks, carried bright, summery stems from In Bloom Again. Our favorite part of the ceremony? The pretty pink pomanders hanging from the tree! Hankering for me before you head off for some weekend fun? Take a peek at the photographer’s blog post here!
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We actually worked together. At our company Christmas party, Arturo finally got the courage to ask me out, but since we worked together I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to accept. He was very persistent, though, and after some beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day, I accepted. We dated for four years and managed to keep our relationship a secret until we were engaged. No one knew that I was even dating anyone!
Describe the proposal. I was standing at the stove fixing taco salads when Arturo came over for dinner. After coming in, he got my puppies ready to go outside, which was not unusual. When he returned, I was still at the stove with my back to him and he said he had something to ask me. I turned around and he had flowers. I was completely surprised. He pulled out the ring, and said he wanted to ask me to marry him. I said, “You’re doing this now? I’m wearing sweat pants.” Of course, I said, “Yes,” and immediately called my parents!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Happy, perfect and unforgettable.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I don’t think we could pick just one; we loved all of them! We wanted everything to be unique and personalized, so that meant making a majority of our details just the way we wanted them.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? One of my favorite Southern details was all the family we included in our ceremony. With the exception of the Best Man, our entire wedding party was family, including the Minister who was my brother-in-law. My six sisters walked in the processional with their husbands as my honor attendants. My brother escorted my mom and my other sister was my Matron of Honor. We weren’t sure that my one year old niece and great nephew would make it down the aisle on their own, so we had my nephew pull them in a red town and country wagon. To include both cultures in our reception, our dinner menu included both a Southern and a Mexican food station. The Southern station included mac and cheese in tiny mason jars with fried onions on top, fried green tomatoes sprinkled with goat cheese, and ham biscuits.
Describe the proposal. I was standing at the stove fixing taco salads when Arturo came over for dinner. After coming in, he got my puppies ready to go outside, which was not unusual. When he returned, I was still at the stove with my back to him and he said he had something to ask me. I turned around and he had flowers. I was completely surprised. He pulled out the ring, and said he wanted to ask me to marry him. I said, “You’re doing this now? I’m wearing sweat pants.” Of course, I said, “Yes,” and immediately called my parents!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Happy, perfect and unforgettable.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I don’t think we could pick just one; we loved all of them! We wanted everything to be unique and personalized, so that meant making a majority of our details just the way we wanted them.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? One of my favorite Southern details was all the family we included in our ceremony. With the exception of the Best Man, our entire wedding party was family, including the Minister who was my brother-in-law. My six sisters walked in the processional with their husbands as my honor attendants. My brother escorted my mom and my other sister was my Matron of Honor. We weren’t sure that my one year old niece and great nephew would make it down the aisle on their own, so we had my nephew pull them in a red town and country wagon. To include both cultures in our reception, our dinner menu included both a Southern and a Mexican food station. The Southern station included mac and cheese in tiny mason jars with fried onions on top, fried green tomatoes sprinkled with goat cheese, and ham biscuits.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: We searched endlessly for a dress. My mom, sister and nieces looked in numerous stores in numerous states. Becoming very desperate, we decided to forego our usual tradition of Black Friday shopping for wedding dress shopping in Charlotte, NC. We went to our appointment and were led to the dresses in our price range. My sister and I started looking at the dresses in our price range and picked out a few. We decided to “just look” at the dresses that were a little over our budget, and found the most beautiful dress that I would “just try on.” It was Ivory with a sweetheart neckline, buttons down the back and a double accordion ruffle along the bottom. It was completely different than what I had been looking for, but I LOVED it!
Describe your wedding flowers: It was important to us that our wedding be very happy and colorful, so our flowers were bright pink and bright yellow. My bouquet included hot pink gerberas, hot pink tulips, hot pink peonies, pink calla lilies and some clusters of yellow spray roses. We had hot pink gerberas “growing” in the grass down the sides of the ceremony aisle. We also hung large spheres of pink flowers from the huge oak tree where we exchanged our vows.
Describe your wedding cake: We served a white cake with a vine of old-fashioned daises going around it. One tier was lemon cake with a bavarian cream filling and a raspberry filling, and the other was chocolate cake with a turtle filling. Our topper was a handmade customized replica of me and Arturo, plaid tie and all.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? For me, it was the entire ceremony. Whether it was the sound my dress made on the grass as I walked with my dad down the aisle, Arturo’s legs shaking at the beginning of our vows, or Arturo trying to push the rings on my finger, it was the most wonderful, happy day of my life.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We can’t wait to just settle in as Mr. and Mrs.!
Describe your wedding flowers: It was important to us that our wedding be very happy and colorful, so our flowers were bright pink and bright yellow. My bouquet included hot pink gerberas, hot pink tulips, hot pink peonies, pink calla lilies and some clusters of yellow spray roses. We had hot pink gerberas “growing” in the grass down the sides of the ceremony aisle. We also hung large spheres of pink flowers from the huge oak tree where we exchanged our vows.
Describe your wedding cake: We served a white cake with a vine of old-fashioned daises going around it. One tier was lemon cake with a bavarian cream filling and a raspberry filling, and the other was chocolate cake with a turtle filling. Our topper was a handmade customized replica of me and Arturo, plaid tie and all.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? For me, it was the entire ceremony. Whether it was the sound my dress made on the grass as I walked with my dad down the aisle, Arturo’s legs shaking at the beginning of our vows, or Arturo trying to push the rings on my finger, it was the most wonderful, happy day of my life.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We can’t wait to just settle in as Mr. and Mrs.!
Congratulations, Sarah + Arturo! We wish you a lifetime of hugs + happiness.
The wedding is beautiful, but the last image is truly magical! Congratulations!