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Monthly Archives: April 2011

Happy April! I’m so very excited to introduce you to our second Southern Bride of the Month. Readers, meet Kelly! She comes with a handsome fiance, Rob. Read on for all the touching details of her wedding planning journey, including one prolific honeybee and a pair of heartfelt ceremony readings.

Hi! What’s your name?
Kelly

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Robert

What do y’all do for a living?
I am, believe it or not, a wedding planner! Rob works as a civilian for the Army specializing in logistics.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
It was February 2007. I was a Zeta & Rob was an SAE, and our sorority and fraternity were paired up together for Homecoming. Against my will, I was nominated for the Homecoming pageant. Rob was doing a lip sync skit competition with a bunch of other people, and we met one night during practice. I remember he was wearing Nantucket red shorts, New Balances, a hooded sweatshirt, and this tacky Alabama sweatband around his head – and I still thought he was cute!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Well, I went on to be crowned queen. Now fast forward to the Homecoming pageant in February 2009. I went with a bunch of my sorority sisters to cheer on the girl from our chapter, and Rob came too, claiming he hadn’t seen any of his fraternity brothers in a while (at that point he was working on his masters). We sat separately in the theater. After the “talent” portion was over, the guy onstage who had just finished singing (coincidentally, one of Rob’s fraternity brothers) said, “Can I have Kelly Walsh onstage, please?” I was all, “Hmm, this is odd -maybe it’s for old Homecoming queens?” Being a good sport, I got up – and saw one of Rob’s fraternity brothers in a suit standing in the aisle. He asked me to come with him, which made me really nervous – like, OMG, what is going on?! Then, as he took me down to the stage, I saw another of Rob’s fraternity brothers in a suit with a dozen roses. By this point I was SO nervous because I knew something was going on! He took me to the center of the stage, where Rob came out in a tuxedo, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him in front of about seven hundred people. He opened the box, and inside was his grandmother’s emerald cut engagement ring. I couldn’t have been more surprised, and of course I said yes! It was so amazing to have all of my sorority sisters and one of my biological (also sorority!) sisters there to share in the excitement!

When’s the big day?
June 18th, 2011

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Rob and I didn’t know where we wanted to get married, just that it had to be somewhere in the South, and somewhere outside with amazing views. My wedding planner, Melissa, recommended our reception venue, which is a private home on the river in Savannah. I love it because it gives us more flexibility to do what we want, versus having to work within a time frame or stick to a preferred caterer.

Above: a shot at the reception venue

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I think who Rob and I are has been the most inspiring part of the process. We really took into consideration what we love, where we are from, and what means the most to us. We want people to leave our wedding saying, “That was SO Kelly and Rob!” The backdrop for both the ceremony and reception has had a huge part in the inspiration, as well. We don’t want to do anything or bring anything in that will feel out of place. We want to highlight the natural beauty that is already there!

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
I think my knowledge of the event industry, our wedding planner Melissa, and Rob’s strategic budget management have all helped keep me calm! I am actually planning two weddings in Richmond, VA (where we live) on the same day as mine, so Rob and Melissa have been a saving grace! Rob is amazing at keeping me grounded, and any problems we have run into Melissa has been able to fix immediately – I swear she has a magic wand!

Above: Kelly’s hair and bouquet inspiration, both from The Knot

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! I just had my first dress fitting a couple of weeks ago, actually. It’s an Alvina Valenta. My mom flew up to Richmond last year to look with me, and though there were tons I loved, I never had that “cry moment” with “the dress.” At the end of a long day, my mom wanted to stop in this little shop called Jingles. The name really bothered me – it reminded me of an old cat lady, or something, But I agreed to go in and pulled a few random dresses. I came out in one of them, looked in the mirror, and just started crying! So did my mom. I found some gorgeous slate blue Badgley Mischka’s to wear as my something blue, and I’m planning to keep it simple with pearls.

The (nine!) bridesmaids will be wearing bright kelly green dresses, and the groomsmen will be in three-button seersucker suits with navy bowties.

Don’t have your own honeybee? Order some from Bee Raw!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Does my honeybee count?! Our guest favors are small mason jars of honey. Rob bought me a honeybee a while ago, and she lives on a bee farm in Georgia. We get all of her honey, and it’s always a different shade depending on the pollen and season. I am so excited for our guests to take these home – I think it’s so fun, and personal at the same time!

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
A videographer, for sure! Not a tacky one, but one that films more like a documentary. I’d love to have a video like that to look back on one day!

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
The best part is sharing this experience with Rob and getting excited every day about what our future holds. It’s also been wonderful to talk to my family about the details. I am the first grandchild in the family, and the firstborn for my parents, so it’s a really special time for everyone!

The worst part? Dealing with a budget and having to have a rain plan!!!!! Fingers crossed it will not rain on our wedding day – I mean, it never rains on weddings, right?? I think brides across the board agree about the budget aspect. It’s never fun to sit down and talk money or crunch numbers, but Rob is a math whiz, so I’m really thankful for him.

Left, Kelly’s bridesmaids’ dress, and right, her cake inspiration from Maggie Austin

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Planning the wedding from far away! We booked our venue and all vendors when we were living in Florida… and then Rob got an amazing job offer that brought us up to Richmond. Being about seven hours from Savannah, we have to do mostly phone & Skype appointments, but we are making it work! It’s also hard to plan it without being close to my mom and maids of honor (I have two). Rob has been gone for three months at a time twice this past year, so sometimes it’s lonely!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Rob for the first time, and dancing with my dad. I am sure I will be so emotional for both of those. I did ballet for forever when I was younger, and to this day I still dance with my dad in the kitchen when I am at home. I take off my shoes and stand on his feet, little-girl style. I have found the most perfect song for us, and I can’t wait to share that moment with him. He’s a wonderful man.

I am also excited for the ceremony. I really wanted it to be personal, and about Rob and me becoming husband and wife. My two sisters are each going to pick a passage from the Bible to read – whichever one means the most to them. In honor of my grandmother on my Dad’s side, we’ve planned something special. She and my grandfather met after WWII, when my grandmother was a nanny for his siblings. They used to write love letters to each other all the time, and they are some of the most beautiful and romantic letters I have ever read. My Dad has two sisters. During the ceremony, one will read a letter that my grandfather wrote to my grandmother, and the other will read the letter that my grandmother wrote back. She is the only grandparent that I have had pass away, and I want her to be a part of this day.

Pie bar inspiration from Kate Headley. See more from this wedding on SW here + here!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
What is the most unique or personal thing about your wedding? I love hearing how each bride puts her own spin on things!

Thank you so much for playing along, Kelly! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

The Southern Bride of the Month header was designed by our intern Sierra, with illustration by Curious & Company!

emily Written with love by Emily
7 Comments
  1. avatar Emily reply

    Thrilled to have you on the blog, Kelly! I think your favors are the cutest thing ever :)

    • avatar Caroline reply

      Emily: Hi! I LOVE the idea of giving guests honey!! Where can I buy a honeybee in Georgia? Thank you! :)

  2. avatar Katie reply

    Hey there fellow Southern Bride of the month!!! You my dear, are going to have a georgous wedding! The venue selection and all of your inspiration pics are swoon worthy!! The tribute to your grandmother is going to be a tear-jerker for sure, I know it will be so special! Congrats!

  3. avatar Mary reply

    My beautiful daughter….i love you so much!! April’s Southern Bride of the Month!!!! Grandma Walsh is so impressed :) You know she would say that she was the April’s “Northern Grandmother-of-the-Bride” of the month!! Can’t wait to see you in May!! xox

  4. avatar Hannah reply

    Love, love, love everything about this wedding! I am getting married the weekend before & have the same bridesmaid dresses, hair inspiration & bouquet of peonies inspiration!

  5. avatar Paula reply

    blog fan from Australia! Kelly – you’re ideas sound/look amazing; i especially love that you will read your own grandparents love letters! How beautiful!
    One of the ‘something special’ things we did from our wedding was have my MOH (and only sibling) hand my finance my ring during the ceremony and the Best Man (Dan’s only sibling) hand me Daniel’s ring. It meant alot that our sister and brother kind of ‘gave’ us their blessing in this way.

  6. avatar Wedding Flowers Co reply

    Love the pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies!

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Weekly Round-Up

by in Main on

I’m just going to go ahead and say it — Happy weekend! I know there are still a few hours left of work for some of you, but it might as well be the weekend already, right? On the blog this week, we posted a bunch of pretty weddings and features. I know you’re just dying to hear about it all, so I won’t keep you waiting.

I love tulips. Who doesn’t? But we’ve never seen a tulip boutonniere before and Emily’s Southern Spotting brought it to our attention. We love it!

We have a great giveaway this week! Whitney gushed about Brandy Pham’s jewelry and we can see why now. They’re glamorous enough to pair with your dream wedding dress, but we can also see how great they would look with a pair of jeans. Brandy Pham’s collection is mostly black and white, but we want to hear about your wedding colors for a chance to win something from her collection! Head to the original post now!

Time flies, doesn’t it? We find ourselves at the end of March. Happily, though, that means we get to do the Monthly Round-Up! Emily, Katharine and I compiled our favorite aspects of this month’s weddings. Take a look and tell us what your favorites were!

Did you miss some of our real weddings?

Take a look at Kiley + Tim’s fun blush wedding from V3 here and here.
Dana + Danny’s elegant wedding here and here.
Lindsay + Jonathan’s wedding full of lush blue hydrangeas here and here.

Want to win a pair of TOMS shoes? Tell The Green Kangaroo what you plan to do without shoes on April 5th and you will be entered in their giveaway! Post to their Facebook page, tweet on Twitter or comment on their blog what you plan to do on TOMS One Day Without Shoes. One lucky friend, follower or reader will win a pair of TOMS shoes courtesy of TGK! Check out their blog for more information.

Enjoy the weekend y’all! If you have any fun plans, tell us what they are!

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
1 Comment
  1. avatar Casey Schneider reply

    I have been following the SWMag Blog for a few years now and I just want to say that I absolutely love that you feature TOMS Shoes in your shoe choices and that you did a spot on One Day! I am the campus coordinator for TOMS at the University of Georgia and I think its really cool that ya’ll are showing young women that being philanthropic on their wedding day is not only a great idea, but can also be really stylish!

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Break out the red velvet cake, y’all!  Today is our Three Year Blogaversary!

When I started this blog, I just wanted a place to show local brides what I loved about weddings.   Long story short, I was living in Pensacola when I met my husband. We moved to Ventura, CA, where he was being stationed. While I was there, I worked for some event greats like Mark’s Garden, Corridan and Company, Colin Cowie, etc.  It was wedding design heaven.  I learned so much and couldn’t wait to show Southern brides what was out there. This was back when the only blogs I remember were Faye and Greer, Style Me Pretty and Snippet and Ink, among a small handful of others.

I say “back in the day” as if it was 30 years ago, but it was only 3ish years ago. Time flies in the blog world! So, my husband got deployed to Iraq and I moved back to Pensacola to stay with my family while he was gone. I needed something to keep my mind busy while he was at war and – inspired by my time in LA – I really wanted to show Southern brides that there was more out there. So, I started the Southern Weddings blog in July 2007 with some local vendor friends and it took off like a freight train in Georgia! We didn’t make it official until April 2008 when we launched this very first design along with the first test issue of the magazine…

Ari thankfully came home from Iraq safely and – again, long story short – we moved here to Chapel Hill, NC. We launched the first official print edition to rave reviews. It sold out in the first three months! In November 2008 we launched the second version of the SW blog…

And now… here we are with all new digs. And a very sentimental me.  I can’t take much credit for this beautiful blog now.  Emily and Katharine (with awesome help from Sierra, Nicole, Whitney and Marissa) run the show… and boy howdy do they run it!  Every day, I get so excited to read our blog and I pinch myself and say, “I KNOW these ladies!  I work with them!”  Miss Whitney has been with us almost since day one (love you, Whit!) and Emily and Katharine have been making this blog beautiful for two of our three years.  I couldn’t be more grateful!

What’s even more exciting today is that our new Assistant Art Director – who we searched high and low and over yonder for – starts today.  She won’t make her official debut on the blog for a bit, but we’re so excited to welcome her to the SW family and we can’t wait for you all to meet her soon!

It’s been a wonderful journey, y’all. I never ever thought I’d be spending my days with these wonderful women, doing “work” that makes my heart happy, with so much love and support from readers like you. Thank you, friends, for these wonderful years! Here’s to many more!

lara Written with love by Lara Casey
8 Comments
  1. avatar Lisa reply

    Congratulations, ladies!! Here’s to many more years of inspiring Southern brides…and non-Southern brides who wish they were Southern ;)
    Have a great weekend!
    Lisa

  2. avatar Michelle reply

    congrats! The blog is beautiful and a great inspiration! You ladies ROCK!

  3. avatar Jennifer reply

    Congratulations!!! This is my favourite wedding blog by far, and I can’t tell you how much of my inspiration for my upcoming wedding has come from here. Great work, ladies!

  4. avatar Jessica reply

    So excited to see what you ladies come up with in the years to come! Congrats on three awesome years : )

  5. avatar Rebecca reply

    Congratulations! I LOVE reading SW blog and magazine. What an amazing job you have done Lara! Longing to get into the social events side of the industry you are an inspiration. Thank you!

  6. avatar Erin reply

    Congratulations, ladies! While I haven’t been a follower for all three years (I think I just discovered your gem within the last year), I’m LOVING it! Keep up the GREAT work!!

  7. avatar Trent reply

    HAPPPPPPPPY THREE YEARS!

    And to many many many more years to come!!!

  8. avatar Kate/MagnoliaRouge reply

    Congratulations!!! I must have followed along almost since the beginning and it just keeps getting better and better. The sky’s the limit with all the talent you have between you!!

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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