Google+ Real Virginia Wedding: Alison + Manny, Part I - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Alison + Manny just might win the prize for most (effortlessly) fashionable wedding. The bridesmaids’ ruffled frocks from London Times (available at Dillard’s, y’all!) and the gents’ coordinated blue ties are awesome enough, but throw in a pair of cowboy boots and cardigan-topped David’s Bridal gown (like Alison did) and you’ve got yourself one winner of a Virginia wedding. Katelyn James photographed A + M swapping vows at the Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church, and Flowers by Rose designed the ladies’ all-white bouquets. (Alison gets extra points for keeping her basic white bouquet from looking anything but boring!)

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. The first time I saw him, he had long shaggy hair, a scruffy face, and he was riding on the back of a mini dirt bike. To say that it was “love at first sight” probably couldn’t have been more of a falsehood! We met in the summer of 2007 when we each traveled from North Carolina and Virginia to work for three months at a Young Life property in the Pocono Mountains of New York. The Lord began to develop a great friendship as we spent the summer with our team of sixteen interns. Little more than this friendship had developed, however, as the summer drew to a close. We stayed in touch over the following months where the Lord developed between us a great mutual respect and the discovery of shared joys and passions. On January 5th, 2007, our relationship became “official” with a phone call Manny made to my dad asking him for permission to date me, along with the request that he continue to pray for depth in our growing relationship.
Describe the proposal. In August of 2010, on a trip back up to the camp in New York where we had met, we took a walk one morning to a small stone chapel on the edge of the property where we had spent countless hours with our friends the summer we met. As we rounded the corner, Manny began to tell me a story about his trip to Spain earlier that summer, and the moment when he knew he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life without me. As we stopped in front of the chapel doors, he dropped to one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked me to marry him. Through my flowing tears I dropped to MY knees and responded with an emphatic “are you serious?!” After wrapping my arms around him and whispering yes, Manny reminded me that I had completely overlooked the diamond ring clutched between his fingers and said “Well, this is for you!”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Blessed, warm, homemade
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our home-made decorations like the jars, the chalkboards, and the burlap banners. Manny was so wonderful about telling me how much he loved these little things and it really felt like our wedding day was a great representation of who we are!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We used lots of fun burlap and twine… I love the warm feel it gave to the evening! Mason jars were everywhere!

Written with love by Katharine
17 Comments
  1. avatar Genna reply

    Beautiful photos. Love the cardigan! Where did you find that custom hanger? I’d love to give that as a gift to my engaged friends!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Genna! I’m not sure where Allison got her hanger from, but I know LilaFrances on Etsy makes something very similar (lilafrances.etsy.com). Too cute!

  2. avatar Chelsea Patricia reply

    Saw this on KJ’s blog first, and totally loved it there. Glad to see it featured! :)

  3. avatar Kelly Sauer reply

    OMG – I am in LOVE with her bouquet! And a photographer’s note – Katelyn, I love the way you caught the reflection of the sweep of her dress on the car – beautiful!

  4. avatar Brit @ Landlocked Bride reply

    Love her dress. So chic and simple. And, their invites are great.

    • avatar Shannon reply

      Can someone please list the style # of her dress? I’ve been searching David’s Bridal for hours and can’t seem to find the style!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Shannon! I believe it’s this one: http://tinyurl.com/2fby7ex Best of luck with your search!

  5. avatar Gypsy reply

    Love the country chic wedding! I also love her necklace and bracelet, any suggestions on where I can find ones like that?

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Gypsy! I rounded up a few options in a quick internet search:

      (http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/jewelry/necklaces/PRDOVR~40398/40398.jsp) + (http://www.anntaylorloft.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=31883&N=1200017&pCategoryId=3361&categoryId=235&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_235&loc=TN&gridSize=sm&showAll=true&defaultColor=Soft%20Silver&defaultSizeType=Regular) + (http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_necklace&product_id=1064786859&Page=all&pgcount=25)

      Hope that helps!

  6. avatar My heart always « Katelyn James Photography reply

    […] that it skipped a few when I saw Ali and Manny’s big day featured on Southern Weddings Blog! Part 1 and Part 2 look amazing on there and I hope some southern brides can find some amazing inspiration […]

  7. avatar Rose Good reply

    It was a pleasure working with Alison and Her family with providing the flowers for the wedding. Alison had a great theme for her event. Chic Country. Blessings … Rose Good Flowers by Rose Grottoes Va.

  8. avatar Rachel – theWeddingVine reply

    The bridesmaids are gorgeous! I love the colour and the style is lovely!

    • avatar emily reply

      Rachel – theWeddingVine: Anyone know where the bridesmaid’s dresses are from?

  9. avatar Monthly Round-Up :: February 2011 « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] Score one for budget brides! Alison’s David’s Bridal dress was my pick for the month (here + here). Katharine fell for Christine’s Lace Blossom number (here + here), while Sierra […]

  10. avatar Classy Cardigans | Something Pretty reply

    […] from Southern Weddings, Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, Snippet & Ink, and Southern Weddings… Southern girls […]

  11. avatar covering accessories. reply

    […] via: 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7. Cancel […]

  12. avatar Best of 2011 :: Wedding Gowns « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] Alison’s David Bridal gown (photo by Katelyn James; originally seen here) […]

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