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Monthly Archives: May 2011

Well, thanks to y’all, I have a plethora of new Southern adventures I want to try. Such great answers on my last post! Congrats to [randomly chosen] winner of the gorgeous custom leather luggage tags from Of the Fountain, Caroline K, who said:  I think this is my favorite SW post ever. To me, those ordinarily wonderful moments are what add up to a lifetime of happiness. Perhaps because our graduate student budgets forced it, but most of our relationship was built wandering through small bookstores, sandwich shops, and towns in this Old North State. My favorite of these “wanderings” is when we meandered up the Outer Banks last summer– staying only in B&Bs, stopping at any interesting shop (or sand dune), and eating all the local ice cream we wanted! Love it!  Email us your info and we’ll get your custom luggage tags made for you.  Enjoy your adventures ahead!

Well, friends, I’m headed to a different South tomorrow… SoCal!  I’m so excited to be speaking on branding with a couple of my dearest friends at the Engage!11 luxury wedding conference in San Diego next week. The best of the best in the wedding world gather twice a year for this incredible summit.   This will be my sixth time attending Engage! and my third time as a speaker.  If you are coming next week, please come give me a hug and say hi! A favorite pic below of Emily and I walking the “pink” carpet last year with Engage! friends (shot by DVB Photographers). All you “Say Yes to the Dress” fans will recognize my sweet friend to my left who is brilliant at making brides feel like a million bucks on their big day:

A very simple thought for you this week: how do you want to feel on your wedding day? Most brides focus more on how they want the day to look than how they want to feel. They focus just on the surface details and end up spinning their planning wheels. When you focus on how the day will feel, decisions get so much easier!  Use all five senses.  How do you want the smells, sights, sounds, textures and tastes to tell your authentic love story and make you and your guests feel?  When all of those things are blended together beautifully, a true celebration comes to life!  If your goal is to feel 100% relaxed, calm and focused on loving your fiance and family on the day of, all of your decisions should be rooted in that goal.   Perhaps that complicated first dance routine you’ve been stressing over can go… and those cute little favors that are going to take you 20 hours to construct the day before the wedding.  Focus on how you want to feel, what really matters and simplify, simplify, simplify! 

Every day of my engagement, I’d want to feel 100% focused on my marriage and growing with my fiance. Loving this shot from Adam Hudson Photography.

This image from V3, shot by Paul Johnson, mirrors exactly how I’d want to feel on the big day: carefree and exceedingly joyful!

And when the party starts going, I’d want to feel like there’s no place in the world I’d rather be – surrounded by the people I love – having the time of my life! Photo by Poser.

GIVEAWAY: This week’s giveaway is sure to make you feel calm and relaxed on the big day.  I am a huge fan of these delicious candles from Illume.

The scent of Southern gardenia, star jasmine or sweet rhubarb wafting through the house as you get ready?  Yes, please!  Three lucky winners will get Illume candles for their big day prep (or to just set the mood for a romantic dinner with your sweetie!). 

To enter, simply tell us what you want you wedding day to feel like!

lara Written with love by Lara Casey
48 Comments
  1. avatar Kristin reply

    Lara, I can’t tell you how much I needed this reminder. I’m a month away from my “big day,” and the stress is starting to pile on my shoulders. This was the perfect post for today. The wedding of my dreams is one in which I feel all the emotions that I imagined I would when I first got engaged. That same love “overdose” that you want to cling to forever. I have been in a long distance with my fiance for three years, and we have overcome some extreme obstacles in the process. So on that day, when I’m standing next to the love of my life, all I want to feel is the nearness of him- the feeling that I crave all day every day… the feeling that I get to feel for the rest of my life.

    • avatar Lara reply

      Oh, Kristin! I’m thinking of you! You WILL have everything you are desiring here because it sure sounds like you want it badly enough to make those things come to life. I immediately started singing “The Nearness of You” by Nora Jones when I read this. So many good wishes for your wedding from all of us!

  2. avatar Corey reply

    Serendipitous

  3. avatar Nicole reply

    On my wedding day, I want to feel light and carefree. I want to feel the warmth of love from my family and friends as the support and help my Fiance and I take this huge step in our lives.

    Most of all, I want to feel comfortable: with my guests, with my ceremony, with my dress, with my expectations of the day. Like a pint of ice cream and your man’s sweatpants — your wedding should feel as good on the day of as it does on paper. I can’t wait!

    • avatar Lara reply

      OK, Nicole, don’t laugh. I immediately saw the words “like a pint of icecream” and the prego lady in me did a little happy dance! Love how you described this!

  4. avatar madelynne reply

    I want my day to be filled with love. I want my guests to be excited and comfortable… bright colors, live singer/songwriter, beer, and delicious food. The reception site is contemporary and it reflects mine and my fiance’s personality, so I want people to feel special to be a part of US on our big day. Most importantly, I want it to feel HOLY. It’s a very important religious sacrament, so I want to feel the presence of God the whole day!

    • avatar Lara reply

      You are a woman after my own heart, Madelynne! “Holy” is exactly the feeling of joy, authenticity and connectedness I would want. Many blessings on your marriage! Keep us posted!

  5. avatar Sonia reply

    I want to be overflowing with happiness! Laughing, crying from being so happy and laughing so much with my soon to be husband, family and friends. And just to live in the moment!

  6. avatar Rochelle M reply

    Candles can be relaxing, soothing, and luminous. That is how I want to feel. Relaxed that I will be able to pull off a small intimate wedding. Soothed that everyone can make it and enjoys themselves during our special day. And luminous.. I want to look radiant and at ease. :)

  7. avatar Erin reply

    Lara, I LOVE that you can meet and greet with Randy! You’re right–he has the most amazing ability to make everyone feel so special; I even start to feel excited and beautiful just when WATCHING Randy work his magic! I made sure to tune into TLC’s coverage of the royal wedding, too, since he’s so fun to watch on TV! Anyway, I’m hoping my wedding (we did a JOP in March but are planning a big shindig in September of 2012 when he’ll be home from deployment) will be “swanky, sexy, fun”–since we’re already legally married I want it to have a party vibe, but also be gorgeous and, well, swanky! I want my bridesmaids to feel gorgeous in their dresses and I want guests to feel like the champagne’s-a-flowin’ like a 1920s new year’s eve party!

    • avatar Lara reply

      Oh my goodness, Erin, I will tell Randy about your wedding when I see him! My husband was deployed for quite a while and it is a huge sacrifice. Please thank him from all of us for his service. Enjoy that swanky party in September – you deserve it!

    • avatar Erin reply

      Lara: Thank you so much, Lara! I’ll be sure to tell him :) You guys are too sweet <3 I don't think I realized your husband was deployed for a while–how did you stay sane? I'm trying to find lots of activities to keep me busy (a new house and a new dog I think may do the trick!), but still it's hard to think I won't see him for six months!

  8. avatar Taylor reply

    RELAXED! and lucky ;)

  9. avatar Natalie reply

    I want to feel a dash of excitement, a handful of happiness, and a pinch on nervousness. Most of all I want to soak in every second.

  10. avatar Jamie B reply

    This post comes at a funny time for me. Just last night I was going through a “wedding design questionnaire” with my fiance and we got to a question that stated “On our wedding day, we want our guests to feel….” and you had to fill in the blank. Without skipping a beat, he blurted out “joyfully tipsy!” He, of course, didn’t intend for me to read more into than that, but I think it conveys a feeling of lightheartedness and celebration of joy. In that sense, he’s pretty spot-on.

    • avatar Lara reply

      Haha! I LOVE that response! I’ll be thinking of you two and hope your day is 100% just that – “joyfully tipsy”!

  11. avatar Lindsay Weidenhammer reply

    I want my wedding to feel like being transported back in time to the late 1950s. Drinks in hand, Sinatra singing in the background, and preppy pink!

  12. avatar Kristy reply

    I want my wedding to feel light and happy.

  13. avatar Sara T. reply

    I want my wedding to feel casual, tuscan and stress free!

  14. avatar angelica reply

    i want my wedding to feel completely blessed, carefree, and happy. i want the day to radiate with love and joy. I hope people remember our wedding day as a celebration of love, forever-ness and family– and great food, drinks and dancing!!

  15. avatar jules reply

    i want my wedding day to feel sweet and southern. how do you feel southern? well, i recently moved to the deep south, where moss hangs from trees as you drive down the street. where the hot, humid days turn into warm evenings on the back deck telling stories with a cold drink (or two). i want my wedding day to smell of sweet peonies splashed with hydrangeas and roses. i want a light, airy feel in the atmosphere, achieved by men wearing seersucker and ladies in light pastels. i want the mood to be light, yet emotional as i see my husband for the first time as i walk down the aisle. i want a reception filled with good, fun music in the air and dancing away the night with the most important people in my life. most importantly, i want my wedding day to feel like LOVE. i already have that…just ready to let everyone else feel what i feel each day!

    • avatar Lara reply

      This sounds like a dream! Love everything you wrote here and I hope your day is perfectly “southern”!

  16. avatar Ashley B. reply

    On my wedding day, I want to feel complete BLISS! Blessed to be marrying my best friend, happy to be surrounded by amazing friends and feeling all the love from my family and sharing it with my new family!

  17. avatar Loren K reply

    I want to feel like I’m going to feel for the rest of my life :)

  18. avatar Ashley Borysewich reply

    I want my wedding to feel like a beautiful new beginning! i’m so excited for our future!

  19. avatar Brittany R reply

    I want my wedding day to feel like the celebration that no one wants to end! Cozy yet fun, fresh, airy, romantic and, of course, southern! Lots of dancing and lots of fun. Full of love, for sure!

  20. avatar Erin B. reply

    On my wedding day, I want to feel overwhelming relief, peace and calm that this pivotal point in my life has finally arrived. I want to be present in each moment and soak it up like a sponge. I want to revel in the one night that all of my and my mans family and friends are in one place, having a good time, and celebrating our love.

  21. avatar Desiree reply

    Well..I felt FAN TAS TIC on my wedding day. I felt healthy, confident, excited. CALM – because I had amazing women like Marissa Kloess {and others} helping the day set up just right. My day went so well, as a wedding coordinators assistant, I knew to let the uh-oh’s and whoopsies go, and to just embrace the whole day for what it was and however it turned out. Lucky me, it was perfect.

    2 years and my own business later; I took those feelings to heart and they are the core of my business: {direct from the philosophy tab on my website} “It’s neither the dress, nor the rings, the flowers or the cake; the most important detail a couple should remember on their wedding day is to breath in the love of the people that surround them. Their family, their wedding party, and their guests deserve the best them during the planning process and especially on the big day”

    • avatar Lara reply

      You really can’t go wrong with Marissa there!!!! Lucky bride, you!!!

  22. avatar Madi reply

    There are many things I want my wedding day to feel like: calm, relaxed, exciting, classy, and just absolutely perfect. However, when it all comes down to it, I want my wedding day to feel like a Beginning: the beginning of my life as not only just a best friend, but as a wife. I want to feel the excitement and anticipation that one has at the beginning of a story, the joy and delight as one hears the story, and the hope that one feels as they anticipate the happy ending. A wedding is a celebration, and I want it to feel that way!

  23. avatar leah reply

    fun fun fun. laid back. a dream come true <3

  24. avatar Carlyn reply

    I want my day to feel like we’re walking on air. My dear friend is officiating, my best friend’s husband is playing guitar and another good friend is singing – our friends’ and families’ involvement is key to our day. We want everything to be fun and light and a celebration for all. More than half of our 265 invited guests are from out of town – so this will be a special reunion also.

    We’re getting married in a courtyard, which will then be transformed for cocktail hour with high top tables decorated with ivory candles – the whole courtyard will have a soft glow. Inside at the reception our best man’s dad will be our DJ/singer – entertaining our guests with special songs and humor.

    We’ll have a “family tree” table with pictures of our parents’, grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ wedding photos. This is our way of carrying on their traditions and paying our respects to those not with us on this special day – I can’t wait to spend time at this table and kind of “check in” through out the night with his mother and my grandparents.

    Personally, I want to relaxed, comfortable and filled with joy and love. I want to feel my most beautiful. With him as my partner? I always do.

    I want to have faith in all the work we’ve put in and comfort when I see the shared love and happiness in our guests’ faces. We have an amazing family friend doing our flowers and I can’t wait until the room is filled with the scent of the fresh flowers and greens that she selects.

    Also, the gift he decided to give me on our wedding day is a perfume he selects personally – I can’t wait to see (smell!) what he chooses and breathe it in all day – then when I wear it in the future, it’ll refresh all of our amazing memories.

    Goodness – I could go on forever! Less than 4 months until I have the honor of calling my best friend, my husband. I cannot wait.

  25. avatar Brittany reply

    Well I’d have to say my wonderful fiance said it very well, “I want it to feel like Christmas morning, and fireworks, and birthdays, and puppies!” He is just so darned cute! And he’s so right! I’m so very very lucky.

  26. avatar Janna reply

    We wanted our day to feel like a big family reunion where we were surrounded by the love of our family and friends who have become family! Both of us growing up, had family as a huge part of our lives and we knew our wedding wouldn’t be any other way.

  27. avatar Cheryl reply

    We want our wedding day to feel like a cross between a family reunion on a hot summers day lounging by the pool, and a romantic, secret garden. The cross between is his vs my vision haha.

  28. avatar Stephanie reply

    I imagine my day filled with love and laughter surrounded by my closest friends and loved one. The only thing better than sharing my love with my partner is sharing that spirit with the whole family…while dancing the night away :)

  29. avatar Weekly Round-Up « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] week, Lara is asking another crucial question that we often overlook. How do you want to feel on your wedding day? Use all five of your senses and focus on that amid all the wedding planning hubbub. Go to the […]

  30. avatar Valerie Owens reply

    On my wedding day, I want to feel relaxed, calm, and elated. I don’t want to be stressed, worried, or irritated. From lovely scented candles to a morning yoga session, I will do what it takes to make sure nothing gets to me on my big day. I wasn’t going to hire an event planner, but I believe it’s worth it! Let them deal with the stress!!!

  31. avatar Davonne reply

    I want my wedding day to feel like the two of us…laid back and happy and full of love.

  32. avatar Brittany M reply

    I feel like my fiance, Adam, put it best when I asked him what he wanted our wedding to feel like:
    “Like Christmas morning, Fourth of July fireworks, birthdays, puppies and swinging on the swing set!”
    I think that sounds like it will feel wonderful. :)

  33. avatar Ilana reply

    On my wedding day I want to feel the excitement and anticipation of the first snowflakes in winter, the warmth of a mellow, sultry evening in July, and the connection I felt when we first walked into the mountain chapel where we want to get married.

  34. avatar Melissa reply

    I want it to feel surreal, surrounded by so many people who love us, looking at the one who loves me more than anyone on this earth, and to feel God in that place when I join the one made for me. I want to soak it in, bottle it up, and save it for the rest of our lives.

  35. avatar AshleyHH reply

    On my wedding day above all the crazy, joyful excitement… I want to feel peace.

  36. avatar Ashley Stout reply

    I want it to feel like a dream come true. I want that feeling of butterfly’s in my stomach,the knot in my throat while trying not to cry, the feel of my first tear drop rolled down my face,the feeling i get the first time I see Stephen looking at me, the feeling I get on the father daughter dance,and the feeling of love from all the attendees. I know my wedding day will be one I will never NEVER forget.

  37. avatar KAREN COGBURN reply

    I want my special day to be filled with lovely fresh flowers & scents. The aroma sticks in your mind & reminds you of what you were doing on that day.

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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I can promise you, nothing quite beats a Southern Weddings grab box. What does it contain? Well, we can’t tell you that! That’s part of the surprise. This round of grab boxes is stuffed full of random and assorted goodies collected over the past few years through photoshoots and office samples. Good stuff, we promise!

Today, five super lucky winners have been selected to receive our mystery grab boxes. In honor of our move to a new (more spacious, more awesome) office, we asked readers to tell us their favorite part about moving to a new place.

Congratulations are in order for:

Davonne, who loves the cleanse that comes with moving
Hill, who loves making new beginnings
Jennifer A., who loves making her famous “ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies” to familiarize herself with her new oven (yum!)
Joy, who loves making the new space her own
and Ashley S., who loves going through boxes and remembering the past

Champs, email whitney {at} iloveswmag {dot} com with your mailing address to collect your box of surprises!

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From sparkling tiaras to floor-length veils, Laura Jayne has got all of the princess necessities. We asked you to pick out which Laura Jayne accessory was worthy of royalty.

Congratulations to Allison P., who thought that the Etta veil was perfect for a royal wedding (or her own wedding)! Allison is the winner of a $150 gift card to Laura Jayne Couture Accessories.

Be sure to check out this week’s twobirds Bridesmaid giveaway!

Written with love by Whitney
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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 back with another Southern Etiquette column! (It’s been awhile, huh?) Today I’m feeling inspired by the Royal Wedding (yes, it’s still on my mind, even after a few weeks!).

Specifically, I’ve been turning over in my mind the fact that Prince William will not ever be wearing a wedding band – in fact, he doesn’t even have one to tuck away in a box! As I’m sure you noticed at the ceremony, only Kate had a ring placed on her finger. Palace officials got the word out early so as to minimize spectator surprise on the big day. They said,

‘It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn’t one for jewelery – he doesn’t even wear a signet ring – and decided he didn’t want to. It really is just down to personal preference.”

Ring shot by Amelia Lyon

What do y’all think? Does your spouse wear a wedding ring? How would you feel if he or she chose not to? Call me traditional or sappy, but I think I would be disappointed, and would (heartily) encourage my husband to wear one. In my mind, wedding rings are a beautiful reminder not only of the sacred vows exchanged at a wedding, but of the love and support of your partner, and your combined family and friends.

But tell me – what do you think?

emily Written with love by Emily
15 Comments
  1. avatar madelynne miller reply

    I know many men and women that don’t wear wedding rings, and I think it’s definitely based on personal preference. While I believe that wedding rings have a wonderful symbolic meaning and I will DEFINITELY be wearing mine, as will my future hubby, there are lots of other ways to show your commitment to one another. Even if the world doesn’t know you’re tied to someone, you and your spouse do, and that’s all that matters.

  2. avatar Lauren reply

    I wear my wedding ring every day and so does my hubby. I too see is as a reminder of the vows we exchanged and a reminder of what a wonderful day we had. My husband is deployed so I had a titanium ring made for him with a message engraved on the inside. I wanted him to have his ring, but got a less expensive one in case he was to lose it. He has not after 7 months and he told me that he wears it whenever he can and if he cannot wear it he puts it in his uniform jacket pocket to keep it close to him. I wear the one that I gave to him on our wedding day everyday on a necklace. Our wedding rings have become something that keeps us close together being so far apart.

  3. avatar Lauren Frances reply

    Even though our definition of the engagement ring is relatively a new one, I believe that the symbolism of the wedding rings is meaningful and powerful. I agree that wearing them is sometimes a question of personal style or occupation but I hope that I’ll never have to remove mine. I read that the reason Prince William doesn’t wear a ring is because of a royal tradition. Kate’s wedding ring is what is truly special; it comes from a nugget of rare Welsh gold that the Queen provided, another royal tradition. Nothing beats the timelessness of tradition!

  4. avatar Lindsay Weidenhammer reply

    My soon to be husband and I are stationed 4,000 miles apart, both being in the Air Force. We want others to know we are married, especially since we aren’t always together in person. Wedding rings are the easiest way to show the world we’re off the market.

  5. avatar Katie reply

    My husband comes from a long line of cowboys and I was quick to notice that few of the men of the family wore wedding bands. But when I explained to hubs how important it was to me that he wears one, he obliged. I don’t think there’s anything sexier than catching a glimpse of his hand, wearing the ring I placed there on our wedding day. Plus, let’s face it: it’s that subtle, respectable way to say, “hands off, ladies–this one’s mine!”

    • avatar Emily reply

      Katie: I just have to say, it cracks me up that your husband “comes from a long line of cowboys.” That is pretty awesome :)

  6. avatar Sheila reply

    My Fiancé is definitely not a jewelry wearer. Not even a watch. But he knows how much it means to me for him to wear a wedding ring, and he understands. My parents have both never, not even for a second, taken their wedding rings off. This just exemplifies the commitment they made to each other 28 years ago. He will wear a ring to make me happy, and that small gesture from him means a lot to me.

    • avatar Emily reply

      My parents, too, Sheila! I plan to be the same way… none of this “taking it off to shower” for me!

  7. avatar Erin reply

    I have to agree with you there, Emily–I’d definitely be disappointed if the hubs didn’t choose to wear a ring. Luckily my Stephen has a job where he’s able to wear one during the day and another reason I love him–I just asked him if he was excited to wear a ring and he said “Oh absolutely yeah, I wish men could wear engagement rings, too–it’s like you’re taken but we’re still on the market? Nuh-uh.” Do we ever see Mangagement rings becoming a thing??

    • avatar Emily reply

      Mangagement rings? Hey, it could happen! I’ve definitely heard of brides giving their betrothed a similarly special gift — say, a really nice watch — in honor of their engagement!

  8. avatar mary reply

    It’s important to me for the guy to wear a wedding ring. My guy probably won’t though because he is a pilot and can’t. His dad didn’t because he was a farmer and so it never seemed like he just had to wear one.

  9. avatar Weekly Round-Up « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] (let’s be real, we’re still talking about it), Emily brought up a good question in the Southern Etiquette column. Prince William decided against a wedding ring. Does your spouse wear a wedding ring? How would you […]

  10. avatar Ilana reply

    Both my fiance and I have physically demanding jobs (both to us and to jewelry!) where wearing our rings every day could be dangerous. He is very excited to wear a ring and we have discussed the idea of wearing vs. not wearing and we both agree that it is something we both want very much. As much as I hate not wearing it all the time, the last thing I want is for something to happen to it, or for either of our rings to get caught while we’re working. I love the idea of both of us wearing rings and the symbol they represent. I can’t wait to place that ring on my man’s hand!!

  11. avatar Lauren reply

    My MOH has been my best friend for 16 years. She’s the sister I never had. Through thick and thin, ups and downs and more hardships any pair of 11-year olds should ever have to endure, we stuck together no matter what. Since we were nine years old, for every scraped knee, every birthday, every love lost, every love found she has been my rock. We grew up in two very different worlds and where she found stability in mine, I found strength in hers. She taught me how to be a woman of strong heart and how to never let my circumstances determine the person I am. To stand up for what I believe in.She lived a hard life under terrible circumstances, but you would never have known.
    She moved away from our hometown when we were 15 years old. A few months later my father passed away and she dropped everything and made her father drive her to my house where she spent a week with me in silence. Just being there. We never stopped being best friends.

    I fell very ill in September 2008. She stayed up with me at the hospital at night and through hours of surgery, she sat waiting for me to get out of the OR and wake up and made sure I was OK. She was happy when I was happy and if someone broke my heart, she was always there to help pick up the pieces. To tell me how horrible and ugly he was and that the next one will be better. She was never wrong :) I was there when she and her husband said their I Do’s, I was there when she gave birth to their son (she asked me to make sure her baby doesn’t get switched like in the movies), I was there for the housewarming when they moved into their first house and now, she will start my journey of milestones with me. I can’t imagine getting married without her there as our witness. We’ve laughed together, cried together, we’ve loved together (we litterally loved all he same boys when we were growing up) and grew together. I couldnt have asked for a better friend than Carol.

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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