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Monthly Archives: August 2010

Goodness gracious! You guys never cease to amaze me. Literally thousands of votes were cast for three amazing finalists. Of course, we think Ms. Maile Lani is a stupendous photographer, and these thousands of votes show that you obviously agree. It was a tough race and the tally was close, but the time has come to introduce you to the winners of this great prize package.

After many hours counting (and recounting and recounting and recounting) votes, we are proud to announce Bonnie and Brent as the winning couple! Their wedding plan is full of Southern charm:

“I (Bonnie) grew up on a small farm in central South Florida and my favorite memories are those with my family all together for barbecues on the back porch sipping sweet tea and looking out on our cows, pigs and chickens.  I knew from the moment we were engaged that I wanted a Southern-style wedding, but my hometown is so small that we don’t have a hotel for guests to stay in. So we moved to Jensen Beach, which is equally as awesome because my fiance and I LOVE the ocean. The ceremony will be held on the beach, using furniture built by my grandpa as a makeshift altar and old quilts (made by his mother, my grandmother and myself) for seating. We were lucky to find a reception site with a huge wrap-around porch… just like home!  Brent loves BBQ (a lot), which made the menu decisions easy.  Our Southern barbecue will be complimented by homemade sweet tea, my grannie’s delicious desserts and tuna salad and the best chocolate chip cookies ever tasted, made by Brent’s mother.  I’ve already hand-sewn cloth banners to decorate the porch and plan on making a quilt with them after the wedding.  Bottled drinks will be served from galvanized washtubs filled with ice. We’ve got a giant collection of mason jars at home in addition to many beautiful vases and antique bottles given to my mother by an old family friend and will fill them with wildflowers grown in pastures back home.  What I’m most excited about though, is spending the evening dancing the night away to oldies country music with the sweetest, most wonderful (and delightfully Southern) people in the world.”

Congratulations to Bonnie and Brent! The SW ladies can’t wait to see your wedding photos. Really, I’m already drooling over those homemade cookies. We know that Maile is ecstatic to have the opportunity to capture such an amazing Southern day, as well.

Thank you to every couple that entered the giveaway and especially to our three finalists. It was an extremely close race and we wish we could have picked you all!

As a quick side note… the multiple recounts were due to the unfortunate fact that many people cast multiple votes. We scoured through IP addresses and did not count any repeated votes. Please, in future giveaways, only vote once!! Be fair!!  It’s the Southern thing to do.

Written with love by Katharine
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This might just be my favorite real wedding we’ve featured on Southern Weddings. Ever.  Andy of Donnan Photo submitted his grandmother’s — yep, grandmother’s — adorable wedding, and we had no choice but to feature it.  As Andy says in the little write-up we asked him to send in, “It’s comforting to know that you can be in love at any age.”  Check below for even more from this adorable, intimate, and joyful wedding (and check out a few more photos on Andy’s blog!).

Ruth and Jerry’s video:

Ruth & Jerry from Andy Donnan on Vimeo.

From Andy, the grandson and photographer:

“When I head that my grandmother was going to get married after just a few months of meeting Jerry, all of us were a bit worried, but what can you really do?  She’s happier than ever before and there’s no way any of us were going to stand in the way of that.  It’s clear that they are in love and I’m proud of them for doing it right, even in their 80’s.

She then said that they wanted to have a tiny ceremony, which ended up being on Tuesday at the church they both went to at some point in their life.  I basically gave her no choice but told her I had to be at their wedding.  After I showed her the photographs, she was thrilled that I was there to witness and record the event.  Both of our families are very grateful for that.

My girlfriend and I arrived at the chapel about 45 minutes prior to the ceremony.  We greeted Ruth and Jerry, who were sitting in the pew with the rings, flowers, and each other.  We all waited for the pastor to arrive, and then an intimate wedding took place with just the five of us in the room.

I asked Jerry to hold the rings in the palm of his hand.  I was amazed at how steady he could hold them, despite being nervous before the wedding.  It was actually cute to see the both of them nervous!  It’s comforting to know that you can be in love at any age.

After the ceremony, it was cute to watch Jerry carefully assist his new bride outside of the chapel, where I had them stand for just a few images before they drove off in his Buick.”

Congratulations, Ruth + Jerry!  We’re so happy you found each other, even if it did take awhile! :)

 

Written with love by Southern Weddings
69 Comments
  1. avatar Brittany Escuriex reply

    Oh, my, this is beyond awesome! Thanks for such a cute, uplifting start to the day!

  2. avatar Sydney Dawbarn-Robinson reply

    Okay, I have to admit, this made me tear up. There is always hope to grow love and find love! Good for them!

  3. avatar Tara K. reply

    This gave me goosebumps. These two are beautiful, thank you for sharing!

  4. avatar belle on heels reply

    oh my god, this is the cutest thing i’ve ever seen!

  5. avatar Stacy Reeves reply

    Agreed. Best wedding ever.

  6. avatar Kristin reply

    Oh my gosh this MAKES my day. No one "gets" love like someone in their eighties. They’ve lived and learned what truly matters in life is the people you love. So beautiful :) Thanks for sharing this SW!

  7. avatar Ginny Corbett reply

    I love this! So sweet!

  8. avatar Becks reply

    How adorable! I teared up looking at these shots. I wish this couple a very happy life.

  9. avatar Lauren reply

    This made my heart melt and eyes water. Even pulled my husband out of the bathroom mid-shave to come see. So so sweet.

  10. avatar Mary reply

    This makes me smile :)

  11. avatar Michael Newman reply

    This is so adorable!!!

  12. avatar Colleen C reply

    Love this. So awesome. Love knows no boundaries.

  13. avatar Emma reply

    I absolutely love it.

  14. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  15. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  16. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  17. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  18. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  19. avatar Jeannine @ Small & Chic reply

    This is the first entry on the blog that has made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you so much for this!

  20. avatar Tiffany Vaughan reply

    Oh, this is precious!

  21. avatar Candice {The Beautiful Mess} reply

    so sweet…..

  22. avatar Leeann Marie reply

    Awwwww I LOVE it!!

  23. avatar Bethany Ann reply

    Love this! They are so beautiful. :)

  24. avatar Jennifer Brown reply

    This is so stinkin’ cute!!!

  25. avatar AmyPunky Photography reply

    This is so sweet!!!

  26. avatar tara mauldin reply

    this post makes me miss my grandparents even more. thank you SW for posting this beautiful, heartfelt, and utterly sincere wedding! a wonderful way to start my day!!!

  27. avatar Deborah reply

    OMG, I totally teared up at this. This wedding is sooo sweet especially the sweet old man. I hope they are so happy together!!!!

  28. avatar Jenny Lynn Weitz reply

    Sweetest thing ever!

  29. avatar Samantha Cover reply

    Truly beautiful! It is easy for a 20-something bride to look innocent and full of hope on her wedding day…..it is quite another story when a senior can have that same look of innocence and hope and wonder and faith in love after living her life and experiencing the ups and downs that she met along the way. This is such a testament to the power of love.

  30. avatar Brooks reply

    Just adorable. And think about how the vows must take on a whole new meaning to them at this stage in their lives. Thanks for posting!

  31. avatar lynn reply

    This is the sweetest thing ever! What a treasure these images are! :)

  32. avatar Betty Weber reply

    This is so lovely..thanks for sharing the beautiful day!

  33. avatar Stephanie reply

    This is such a moving wedding. I LOVE that love exists no matter what age.

  34. avatar Morgan reply

    I LOVE this!!! So touching and so glad SW decided to share :) I think it’s great to celebrate love, regardless of age

  35. avatar lydia {ever ours} reply

    so so so adorable! definitely a favorite too.

  36. avatar erica reply

    brought tears to my eyes. thanks for sharing!

  37. avatar Shawn reply

    This brought tears to my eyes, a truly beautiful couple. Just absolutely lovely, and they have all my best wishes in all the worlds. Congratulations to them!!

  38. avatar Marie Charity reply

    I can’t believe how cute this couple is! I just hope my wedding can compare! All I know is that my groom is a stud, just like Jerry :)

  39. avatar JL_DESIGNS reply

    LOVE :)

  40. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  41. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  42. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  43. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  44. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  45. avatar Kate@Ruby&Willow reply

    Totally made me cry!!! Love is timeless!

  46. avatar Gwendolyn Tundermann reply

    Tears in my eyes after seeing these sweet images! How inspiring! Congratulations Ruth and Jerry!! : )

  47. avatar Dennis @ Wholesale Fresh Flowers reply

    This is so wonderful to see. Both Ruth & Jerry look very happy.

  48. avatar Wendy Robinson reply

    Real love…simple and pure!

  49. avatar Maile Lani reply

    Well, I agree! This has to be my favourite wedding, ever :D

  50. avatar Sharon reply

    Fairy Tales do come true!

  51. avatar Christine reply

    That may be one of the sweetest weddings ever. LOVE it! What beautiful photographs, and what a touching story.

  52. avatar lizet reply

    that’s so sweet!!!! :D

  53. avatar Rachel reply

    I look at pictures of weddings all the time on blogs, but this is the first one that was so sweet it brought me to tears! Bless them.

  54. avatar Julia Jay reply

    What a lovely story! Fantastic to see that the heart knows what it wants, for your whole life.I would, however, like to caution the writers, readers, and posters to think about the adjectives they use when describing elderly men and women. Words like "cute" and "adorable" are suitable when describing a child or a pet, but not an elderly person or their activities. As someone who works closely with older men and women I am keenly aware of the indignities and insults that are directed towards this very vulnerable population. I apologize for getting "PC", but people who have reached an advanced age really need to be revered and respected. It is a difficult thing to remember sometimes (like when reading a touching story about marriage and love). Even I need to work at it!Thank you,Julia Jay

  55. avatar CrankyOtter reply

    Yay! Good for you guys!I say this because my grandmother remaried at 86 to a younger man, age 82. The community pitched in and she had a gorgeous wedding in 3 weeks time that didn’t look thrown together at all. While they’d known each other for 60 years previously, they only dated a short time, "We want to get married soon. We’re old and we could die." grandma told me. A full house with both their families and neigbhors in attendance. They looked at each other the way Ruth and Jerry are looking at each other in these photos. It’s been 8 years and they still look at each other that way and do everything together and are having a great time and almost never get sick. I can only wish the same for Ruth and Jerry. And encourage any other couples like them to go for it.

  56. avatar emma reply

    sweetest wedding i’ve ever seen i cried looking throughout the whole videothis made my day ! thankyou SW for posting this ! Congratulations and blessings to the happy couple !! :D

  57. avatar Southern Weddings reply

    Hi Julia!Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! As the writer behind this story, I can tell you that I (and we) meant no disrespect by referring to Ruth and Jerry’s wedding (or Ruth or Jerry themselves) as "adorable." As someone who regularly refers to all manner of things, including babies, thirty year olds, trees, squirrels, and rocks as adorable, it didn’t even cross my mind that it might be disrespectful. Thanks for pointing that out, and I’m glad you liked the post!Emily @ SW

  58. avatar Me reply

    Emily, pay no mind to Julia. She’s the one being disrespectful. The elderly have no desire to be "revered and respected" as she suggests. They wish to be treated just like everyone else, which is what you’ve done here. And I’m sure the happy couple appreciates everyone’s positive feelings.

  59. avatar loving this reply

    I am crying as I am watching this!!! Beautiful… There is true and real love in this world!!! Thank you for sharing this, I am happy :))

  60. avatar Judy Comfort reply

    This is WONDERFUL!!! It just shows that even "mature" people can be as happy as young ones. It warmed my heart!!! I would treasure those photos and have them placed so they’re available to them to see and remember what a wonderful time it was. This is a reassuring sign that true love can be had at ANY age. If you want it bad enough, and look hard enough, it WILL happen. Determination can be a fantastic element to finding "true love" at any age. Congratulations to the wonderful couple. Regards, Judy

  61. avatar Courtney reply

    Love this!

  62. avatar RT reply

    Congrats to the beautiful couple! Great photos, too.

  63. avatar Rachel reply

    Maybe it’s just because my wedding’s only a month away, but this made me cry for sure. I can’t wait to be old together…

  64. avatar Jeana reply

    I Love this..brought tears to my eyes!

  65. avatar Shona reply

    I’m a blabbering mess.This is the most amazing post I have EVER seen.Ruth & Jerry… I wish you the most fabulous marriage ever.& might I add, Ruth… what a beautiful bride… and how dapper and handsome is Jerry?

  66. avatar Juliet reply

    Omgosh I am crying. This is one of the sweetest weddings I have EVER seen. Thanks you for sharing this. :)

  67. avatar Elizabeth @ Dapper Paper reply

    sweetest. wedding. ever. they are lovely.

  68. avatar Erin Adams reply

    I am so glad you posted this! These two are so cute–that's how alot of people did it back in the day-just keep it low key and small. It's all about the love and not the party.

  69. avatar Will It Matter When You’re 80? « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] when you’re 80? Just ask these young lovers that we’ve all fallen in love with.  Ruth and Jerry stole our hearts last year (and yours!).  Met at 83; married at 83. Save Facebook it Tweet […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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We’re all about perfectly pretty engagement sessions.  We love them!  But sometimes, it’s nice to see a really real couple, you know?  A girl that could be you or me, that doesn’t look like she spent 8 hours at the beauty salon but still looks gorgeous.  A couple that’s a little sweaty (ummm, with this North Carolina heat, anything else would really be pushing the limits of reality!).  Thanks to Alec Vanderboom and the fabulously creative fireworks engagement he sent in, we have just that.  Read on for a few more details, and be sure to check out a few more photos on Alec’s blog!

From the couple:

“We had our much anticipated engagement session with Alec Vanderboom a few weeks ago, and were definitely not disappointed.  We have known Alec for many years now, and I have enjoyed seeing his photography take off and become what it is today — an amazing work of art.  Alec said he wanted to do something different, and pitched some creative ideas to us.  When fireworks were mentioned, we were right on board!  The session was an absolute blast, Alec took us to many places around Branson I never knew existed.  By the end of the day, we all knew beyond a doubt we had some great shots.  I already knew Alec was amazing at his job, but I was still blown away once I saw the pictures.  We were very lucky to have him shoot our engagements.  Our wedding will be August 16, 2010 in Ecola State Park (right off of Cannon Beach), Oregon.”

Looks so fun, Derik + Amanda!  We can’t wait to see your wedding!

Written with love by Southern Weddings
3 Comments
  1. avatar WeddingXpert reply

    One of my fave e-seshes of all time…it’s just indescribable!

  2. avatar Jenny @ Weddingistas reply

    Charming esession. I really enjoyed all the sparklers & smoke.. made for interesting photos!

  3. avatar F and S @ sanebrideadvice reply

    SO adorable..love the light up shots….thanks for sharing!

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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