Southern Weddings

Sometimes, the overall ambient tones of your wedding are the hardest to pinpoint and execute, but I think most people will agree, when it comes to the look and feel of a wedding, it’s the tiniest details that can make the largest impact. For Xaviera + Chris, it was the addition of some papel picado details that really made their wedding come together. Hugs go out to Jenny DeMarco for sharing this wedding with us!

I’m so happy I splurged on the details of the wedding. Seeing all those little details I spent hours picking out come together was AWESOME. It felt amazing to be done planning and see it all come together like one awesome puzzle. My husband and I feel like planning a wedding is a rite of passage every couple should go through. It’s an amazing feeling completing it together on your wedding day. A close tie to that moment is when we arrived in our honeymoon suite that night and, as I was helping my husband take off his boots, we realized he had torn the back of his pants seam to seam! We couldn’t stop laughing when we realized he’d been dancing so hard that night, he tore his pants! It was a great party.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I really enjoyed looking for my dress. I decided that I’d go looking for my dress first with my bridesmaids at Blush Bridal and then cull it down to my top three picks for my mom and sister to help make the final decision on once they came into town. The second dress I ever tried on ended up being “the one” and my Matron of Honor shouted, “That’s the one, we can stop looking!” Many dresses and stores later, she was right. That was the perfect dress for me and when my sister and mama came into town, they heartily agreed!
Did you decide to do a “first look”? No, we didn’t do a first look. My husband was not very demanding on what he wanted for the wedding but one of his only requests was that he see me for the first time as I walk down the aisle. Even though it would have been easier to do a first look, I’m so happy we waited for the big moment to see one another. It is one of the best memories of my life, and I was happy to oblige his request!

Describe your wedding flowers: My flowers were amazing. I loved them. It was a mix of light pinks, muted greys, and light or deep purples. We had lots of succulents, amaranthus, Juliet roses, and tons more!

Aside from the adorable flower girl, this photo below is tres Southern, no? The Barr Mansion’s gardens are surrounded by beautiful buildings and were a beautiful place for X + C to tie the knot.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? During our engagement, my husband and I chose a family verse that we felt would get us through good times and bad. We also want something for our children to cling to as they grow up. We ended up picking Ecclesiastes Ch. 4: 9-12 and had it read at our ceremony.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. During the processional we chose our favorite hymnals (“Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “Jesus Paid it All,” “Come Thou Fount”) for the family and wedding party. However, my dad wanted to have input on the song that played while he walked me down the aisle. He chose “Con Te Partido” (Time to Say Goodbye). It was a beautiful, moving walk down the aisle as he was giving me over to my husband and saying goodbye as the lead guy in my life. At the end of the ceremony, as soon as we kissed, mariachi’s played La Negra, which is the traditional piece played to announce newlyweds as a nod to my Tejano heritage. The wedding party and family recessional was to traditional mariachi music which then played into the appetizers and happy hour! For our first dance, my husband chose a country music song by Keith Urban, “Making Memories of Us.” It was the first song he sent me the lyrics to over instant message years before, at work. Every time I hear it, I’m back at my desk falling in love with him all over again. For the father-daughter dance, we danced to a rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” by Willie Nelson.

The chalkboard sign below might be one of my favorite signage details that I’ve seen. Who need escort cards when everyone is family?

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The papel picado! We had it handmade in Mexico and it took months to arrive. Additionally, we loved our invitations and menus that our dear friends at Andrade Design created. They were the perfect fit for our wedding. We now have the papel picado hung in our home in gorgeous wooden frames. It is a great piece to have to remember our big day. We also loved the handmade pinata and door hangers at the reception. They really stood out!

The bridal cake was a traditional four-tiered white cake with white floral cut-outs. However, my favorite cake was the groom’s cake, named after the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. It was a three-tiered chocolate cake with Star Wars characters and fleet cookies all over it. On top, I had the bride and groom painted on wooden dolls to look like Hans Solo and Princess Leia. Even more, we had our two dogs and cat also painted on wooden dolls as C3PO, R2D2, and Chewbacca! My husband and guests absolutely loved the cake.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met at work — I was his intern! We fell in love over instant messaging and working out together outside of the office.
Describe the proposal. We went to a Lyle Lovett concert and then he proposed on the roof top of a downtown parking garage. It was exactly like our first date five years ago — same parking spot on the top of the garage, he said exactly the same thing, except this time he had a ring!
In what month did you get married? March
How many guests attended your wedding? 150
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? My wedding was a fusion of Tejano and Country/Southern styles to pay homage to both of our backgrounds. We had a traditional Christian ceremony, with Southern Baptist hymns playing on the strings, but followed that up with mariachi music at the recessional. Our sign-in table was reclaimed wood from an old barn on my parents’ ranch. They refinished it and are making it into our kitchen table. We’ll be able to read everyone’s well-wishes every time we sit down to breakfast! And of course, my husband wore the Lucchese boots I gave him when he graduated with his MBA. No Southern wedding would be complete without boots!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Time! I own a small business and there is never enough time to get everything done. Adding a wedding on top of that becomes a challenge. I hired BZ Events to help with our coordination, look/feel of the wedding, and weekend-of management. They saved the day many times! I couldn’t have done it without them.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Hire a wedding planner. Also, if you live in a hot state, consider asking your makeup and hair vendor to stay for the reception. They can touch you up if humidity and heat wreak havoc.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are relaxing and enjoying life, going to tons of concerts, nice dinners, movies, vacations, Bible studies, and spending time with family. Generally, enjoying each other!

Written with love by Nicole