Y’all have been such a hoot to get to know with our Sit a Spell Series! We’d love to bond a little more, so over the next few weeks, each of us will be giving you a look into our dream wedding — what our inspiration is, what we’d want to wear, and the great Southern traditions we’d love to include. First up? Nicole’s Southern wedding!
Dreaming up my future wedding is a constant adventure — there are so many beautiful details I’d love to include and so many color palettes to consider! I’ve gone from “dark and dreamy” to “elegant courthouse” to “bright and whimsical.” Needless to say, my wedding inspiration folder is eclectic and varied. However, one thing I always come back to is the idea of a warm and intimate nighttime wedding with rich colors, good food and great friends. Let’s hope my future husband agrees this is a good choice.
Image credits: (Top to bottom, left to right) Romona Keveza Legends, Jenny Jimenez via Ruffled, Ellen Silverman via Automatism, Oscar & Emma via Oh So Beautiful Paper, Jose Villa via Ariella Chezar, Weddings by Two via Martha Stewart Weddings
Tell us the basics. Where do you want to get married and when? How many people would you invite? Ideally, I would have a small wedding in September in North Carolina. The ceremony would be outdoors at sunset and the reception on a terrace or pavilion.
What’s your design inspiration and color palette? Believe it or not, my inspiration comes from crème brulee. I love the warm colors, the pop of red when it’s topped with raspberries, and the cozy, delectable feeling you get when you crack past the sugary surface. It’s the same feeling I’d want guests to have at my wedding.
What details and traditions would you include in your ceremony? I love my dad for being supportive and for all the wonderful advice and love he’s given me over the years. I’d want him to walk me down the aisle. My bridesmaids would all get monogrammed handkerchiefs to carry with their bouquets and the groomsmen would get fun, matching accessories like socks and cufflinks. My family doesn’t have any heirloom jewelry, so I would love for my engagement ring to become a piece that could be passed down through the generations. (Dear future hubby, I’d like an emerald cut surrounded by pave diamonds sitting on an intricate basket.)
What dress would you wear? I would wear Romona Keveza Legends’ L251. I’ve seen this dress in person and I think I died when the consultant fluffed the skirt. It falls so softly and gives the skirt a fullness without being heavy. Later, I would change into Sarah Seven’s Love Story dress. It’s perfect for running through sparklers and hopping into a getaway car.
Image credit:Weddings by Two via Martha Stewart Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, Veil and Bow via Southern Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, A Glamorous Little Side Project, Tanya Tribble via Ariella Chezar
What would your flowers look like? I’m a sucker for giant, fully bloomed peonies. I’d like a medium-sized bouquet of creams and ivories with long stems, wrapped in a big dupioni silk bow. My bridesmaids would have smaller peony bouquets in a deep coral-y red. At the reception, low and simple arrangements of cream and raspberry colored blooms would deck square tables along with dozens of tea lights.
What details and traditions would you include in your reception? Warm lighting would fill the space and there would be string lights connecting European-style lampposts on the periphery of the reception. The bridal party and our immediate families would sit at a banquet table, but everyone will be dancing all night. We will take a dance break for food, however, which will be served on assorted vintage china. We won’t do a bouquet or garter toss, but guests will get to take home adorably packaged favors.
What food would you serve? I’m all about some good food and I will be eating at my wedding. I’d like to have food stations set up throughout the reception area for freshly made tapas-style food – everything ranging from sushi to mini pulled pork sliders. Dessert would be mind-blowing. As in, there would be a lot of it. I intend on having a full ice cream bar, a s’mores pit, and mini crème brulee, among other sweets.
Where would you honeymoon? My hubby and I would honeymoon-hop throughout the Mediterranean, eating and drinking our way through Italy, Greece, Turkey and Morocco.
What’s most important to you about weddings? Not to be corny, but it’s all about love and togetherness. There’s a beautiful thing about two people making vows to each other, two families converging, and a room full of friends who love and support you. I’ve cried at weddings for couples I barely knew! That says a lot. I think that as long as there’s love and joy in the room, a wedding will be a beautiful experience.
Do we have anything in common? Let me know in the comments below and tell me what your dream wedding is like.
Nicole, my favorite part is your last comment about what is most important. I could not agree more! It’s so important to remember why we have weddings in the first place. I love how y’all highlight all the beauty of the day, including the truth represented by it all.
Hi Lindsay! Thank you! My favorite part about our Real Weddings is reading the love stories and proposals — it makes me appreciate the wedding photos even more.
This is delightful! I love that your inspiration was crème brulee.
Nicole, when I’m watching wedding shows (Say Yes, My Fair Wedding…) I cry when they show the couple getting married. I don’t know them, but knowing that these two people are in love and can’t imagine being without the other, makes me emotional. Guess how soppy in going to be at my own wedding! =) I love what you said about how important it is to remember why there is a wedding in the first place. So many times brides get caught up in the details and making the wedding perfect that they momentarilly forget why they are doing the planning. I admit I have gone through this, but I keep reminding myself the day will be perfect no matter what, because I am marrying the love of my life.
Hi Sheila! That’s so sweet! There’s a lot that goes into wedding planning, but I love that at the end of the day, all that matters is the fact that you’re marrying the love of your life.
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