Southern Weddings

I’m kind of in love. It’s no secret around these parts that I’m all black-and-white, all the time. But if I were to add color to a wedding celebration, it would definitely, absolutely, no-questions-asked be a dark navy blue. (Livin’ on the edge, I know.) After I got past the initial WOW from Ashley’s bow-tied Priscilla of Boston gown, luxe Badgley Mischka heels and all-white blooms (courtesy of Tommy Murphy at Greenery Productions), I went a little crazy for the glam Vera Wang bridesmaid dresses. The bride gets extra points for so perfectly matching her bridesmaids to the gents in their Air Force dress blues. (The dramatic movie-star kiss at the end isn’t too shabby, either!) I do believe photographer Sara Kauss has made my day!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Judd and I both mostly grew up in Orlando, Florida. It was during a ninth grade summer P.E. class that we first became friends. After graduating high school, we both started our journey on the path we had chosen to two extremely different colleges. Judd attended the United States Air Force Academy, where during his four years he was able to follow his dream of becoming a military officer, while at the same time, play water polo at the collegiate level. I attended Florida State University, to follow my dreams of being a collegiate Cheerleader for the Noles, as well as go to school to become a teacher. Judd and I dated long distance for about 3 years and along the way we had to overcome things that most couples have never even gone through or could even imagine. We always told each other, that if we could make it through college and still have this strong of a relationship and love for one another, we can make it through anything!
Describe the proposal. (From the groom) After weeks of planning, the only thing that was really planned was where I was going to pop the question. That special place was going to be back in Utah, the very first place where we had our first date together, and where I taught her how to snowboard. So there we were… it was a cold and snowy December evening on the side of the mountain that overlooked the town of Park City, Utah. The moon was so bright it made the mountains look purple; the air was so cold it took your breath away, and the wind howled around us and blew the snow in every direction, there was not a soul around, and it was the perfect time for a proposal. As I started to crouch down into the snow, pull the ring out of my pocket and begin to ask the question, I think it hit Ashley, too. She knew me well; this was perfect for us. There were no plans, no speeches or cameras, surprise guests, or crowds of people to cheer for us, it was just us and the stars, which is all we needed that night.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Amazing, Extraordinary, Fun
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I graduated and cheered all four years at Florida State University where I graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education. The Escort cards were attached to bronze metal airplanes that doubled as pencil sharpeners. It combined our two careers since he is a pilot in the United States Air Force. We tried to make it both a winter and military wedding. Instead of having a guest book for people to sign, we used an 8ft wooden prop, ordered from asimplertime.com to support Judds career. We also used the military alphabet for our table numbers. All ushers were military; either air force or navy. Our ushers performed the traditional military saber ceremony for us as we entered the reception and guests, the bridal party, and the bride and groom were ushered into the reception to the theme from Top Gun.