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Monthly Archives: August 2012

We ate our peach ice cream this week, made sure to stop by the farmer’s market for the last of the good crop and prepared our pies and mason jars for peach-filling. Summer is winding down (sniff sniff). We can’t say goodbye to August (National Peach Month, y’all!) or to summer without reflecting on the good ol’ peach — a summer staple, thirst-quencher and tummy-filler from May until September.

Oh yes, y’all, the Southern Weddings ladies are bursting with peach knowledge. Have another fun fact? Share them in the comments below! We’re also open to peach canning tips, peach recipes and offers of eternal summertime :)

Want more peach-lovin’ posts?
Summer in the South: Peach Fab Finds
National Peach Month Real Wedding Round-Up

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
2 Comments
  1. avatar Madi Reid reply

    Love that as I sat down to catch up on posts for today I had a glass of peach tea in hand! How’s that for perfect timing?

  2. avatar Adrienne Snyder reply

    Love your website and blog! I am curious about your submission process for weddings. We recently photographed a wedding in Spruce Pine, NC that I would love for y’all to see ;)

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Oh my goodness, y’all. Really, Katie + Mike, can you and your wedding get any cuter? Pink and navy are fairly common wedding colors. I love how they’re usually presented as romantic and tailored in the wedding world, but I am just smitten with how K + M turned these colors into a poppy and preppy seaside soiree. We’re sending big virtual hugs to Jacqueline Schmitz Campbell for making our day with this one.

I tried on dresses three different times — once with mom and nanny, again with my mom and sister-in-law, and the third time just with my mom. We were in Raleigh, NC at Alexia’s Bridal. I would say I tried on a total of 10 dresses at Alexia’s and had three dresses that I loved, but none of them were “the one.” The owner then went to pull one of the dresses in the window — this amazing dress that I saw on the way in. I tried it on and I knew immediately. I looked at my mom and she was tearing up and that’s when I knew I had found the dress. I was all smiles!!!

Describe your wedding flowers: They were gorgeous, ivory and soft blush with accents of lilac and buttercup yellow. I had dahlias, peonies, spray roses, Queen Anne’s lace, scabiosa pods, maiden hair fern, and astrantia. My bridesmaids carried a bunch of mini daisies. The flower girl carried a leaf covered basket decorated with ribbon full of cream and blush rose petals. The groom and groomsmen had hypercium berries, astrantia, maiden hair fern and ivy.

We had a string trio, Sage String Quartet for the Processional which played “Bittersweet Symphony.” For the bridal entrance, I walked to Cannon in D. For the recessional, we played “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” During our cocktail hour, they continued to play an eclectic mix of music. We had a DJ for the reception. He introduced everyone to Calvin Harris’s “The Rain.” Our first dance song was “Feels like home,” by Chantal Kreviazuk and our father-daughter dance was to “I Loved Her First,” by Heartland.

What range did your wedding budget fall into? I had no budget. My parents are the best. At first, Mike and I didn’t want a big wedding. Instead, we wanted to get married in my parents’ beautiful backyard. My parents envisioned their little girl’s wedding to be something different. We compromised; I had a vision of an outdoor garden party for all our closest friends and family.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The venue. The Inn at Perry Cabin, in St. Michaels, Maryland was gorgeous.

How fun is this tent? Cheery flags waving against the blue sky are a sure sign of wedding festivities. Just wait until you scroll down to see the rest of the tent — gorgeous!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Ours was a lemon pound cake with lemon curd and fresh raspberry preserves surrounded by a lemon buttercream icing. The cake was three-tiered with mini blush sugar flowers arranged on the exterior of the cake. We also had a vintage candy bar that showcased old school candies as well as some of our favorite sweet cravings such as Fishers Caramel Popcorn, combinations of dark chocolate and a variety of cookies.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met at school at East Carolina University. I was a sophomore and Mike was a junior. We met through mutual friends but most importantly, we have to give thanks to our friend Justin, one of Mike’s groomsmen for introducing us.
Describe the proposal. I knew it was coming but I didn’t know when. Mike had been acting strange and out of the ordinary — like very nervous all the time. We were visiting my parents at their beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, our most favorite place to getaway. It had been an extremely rainy month, but finally there was a break in the rain and the sun came out on May 21. We rode our bikes up to the beach. Usually I carry a beach bag with everything we would need, but this time Mike insisted on bringing his backpack. At the time, I thought nothing of it. We sat together and had a mini picnic. I had a full belly so I began to doze off. Suddenly, I felt someone standing over me. I opened one eye and saw Mike getting down on one knee. I don’t even remember his exact words. I said at last, “YES…YES!” I do remember we were both so happy you couldn’t smack the smile off my face.
In what month did you get married? June
How many guests attended your wedding? 122
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? Yes, we wrote our vows together. “I knew you were the one when I realized I loved you more than I loved myself.”
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? It was on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Mike and I live in the South so we wanted to bring a flair of the South with us. During cocktail hour, we had specialty drinks served in mason jars. We also served Ruby Red Margaritas and gin and tonics, mini canapés including shrimp and grits, frozen watermelon, fried chicken and waffles, tomato mozzarella and Bloody Mary oyster shooters…delicious.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning from out-of-state is pretty tricky. Mike and I live in North Carolina but we were married in Maryland where I grew up.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable moment was right after we said “I do.” We took pictures with our wedding party first, and then Jacqueline, our photographer whisked us away to take pictures in private. That was our first moment alone as a married couple. I also remember at one point, under a tent at the reception, taking a look around and noticing how awesome it felt to be surrounded by our closest family and friends celebrating the start of new beginnings together.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? I have a friend getting married soon. I tell her all time to make sure that on the day of the wedding you are calm and relaxed and you enjoy every moment that you can because you spend so much time agonizing over every little detail and then the day of goes by so fast!!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are excited to create our life together as Mr. and Mrs. We are excited to start our own family in the near future.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
12 Comments
  1. avatar Jacqueline reply

    Looks beautiful and I love Katie’s insight into the day. Thank you SWM! xx Jacqueline

  2. avatar Mary Mullen reply

    Oh my! This is one of my all-time faves on SW !!!

  3. avatar Utah Custom Wedding Announcements reply

    I love that color scheme. It looks like the wedding was a huge success. Those pics are just lovely.

  4. avatar Krista Jones reply

    Those flowers are just stunning – especially in the arch at the ceremony site! and I love all the lanterns handing from the tent! So beautiful!

  5. avatar Katie reply

    Aside from the fact that this wedding is adorable! I just needed to say that the last photo of the reception at night is absolutely frame worthy and needs to be blown up and hung in their home! It has such a wow factor!

  6. avatar DC Wedding Photographer reply

    Love the scrabble cufflinks!

  7. avatar Laura reply

    This is what I imagine when I read about Emily’s wedding plans.

  8. avatar AMBER reply

    Gorgeous. Who did the flowers?

  9. avatar Andrea reply

    Where did you get the table number blackboards?

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  12. avatar Preppy Seaside At The Inn At Perry Cabin Wedding | Wedding Idea Spot reply

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Y’all, this month’s Southern Bride of the Month is getting married THIS WEEKEND!! Rachel graciously took time out of what I can only imagine was a busy week of wedding prep to answer a few questions for us. Please join me in making her feel welcome! (And be sure to leave some sugar at the end for her wedding weekend!)

Hi! What’s your name?
Rachel

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Joshua

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We were at a mutual friend’s house for a birthday party. Josh was introduced to me, and when he walked away, I turned and said “dibs” to my friends! I was a smitten kitten, but too nervous to talk to him. A year later, he asked me out on a date and we have been inseparable since.

From their engagement session with Nathan Westerfield… see more here!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Josh and I love to take weekend vacations, and travel together whenever possible. This particular weekend, we decided to visit Asheville to tour the Biltmore and visit a city we’d heard so many good things about. I had absolutely no idea what the weekend had in store, as we had never even mentioned the word “engagement,” even though we had been dating for almost two years!

After an amazing tour of the Biltmore, we went for a walk around the grounds and ended up at the top of a hill overlooking Bass Pond. We sat down for a few minutes, and while I enjoyed the view of the gorgeous fall trees, I eventually got bored and suggested we walk a little more. Josh patted the ground, and asked if I could just sit next to him a bit longer (he was sitting in grass while wearing khakis and a blazer — this should’ve been a dead giveaway that something was up!). We didn’t say much while sitting there, other than “I love you,” before he turned to me and said, “Well, will you marry me?” (I thought I was about to have a heart attack, y’all!)

I immediately began crying and laughing and said, “Are you serious?” and then “Yes!”, followed by him explaining that he had had the ring for an entire month and how he had talked to my family about proposing, which made me cry even more. We were able to sit there together, alone, for a little while longer, and those will forever be some of my favorite moments of my life.

When’s the big day?
September 1, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
West End Church of Christ in Nashville

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
First, I wanted everything indoors. I wasn’t willing to gamble with Tennessee weather! We picked West End Church based on my love for a long center aisle. Also, the sanctuary is a gorgeous Tiffany blue color!
We chose the University Club because my parents’ reception was at there thirty years ago, and Chef Nick is a Southern food extraordinaire! We will have fried green tomatoes, chicken and biscuits, shrimp n’ grits, and all kind of good fixin’s at our reception!

Rachel loved this idea we shared for labeling food, and we love the sound of her Southern fixin’s! (Photos by Dave Lapham via Southern Weddings and Ingalls Photography)

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Most definitely Southern Weddings! I have folded pages, circled, highlighted — you name it — from every issue, and the blog is on my daily iPad reading list!

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
My mom. She deserves most of the credit!

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
We are big music lovers and go to the Bonnaroo music festival every year, so that was important to us. We meticulously chose our music and I can’t wait for our first dance together!

A sweet embroidered patch Rachel is thinking about adding to her gown (photo by Melissa Schollaert)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
I had a really difficult time finding a dress. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I tried on just about every dress in Nashville, but I never had ‘a moment’ with a dress, like I had always dreamed of. My phrase throughout the process was “I didn’t settle on a man, and I refuse to settle on a dress!”

I had applied to be on Randy to the Rescue, and had been through about four interviews to be on the show when it happened… I was helping a friend of mine find her dress, and we went into Olia Zavozina’s shop. She and I both found dresses there that night! I called my mom, she picked up my grandmother, and I knew after their reactions I had found “The One”! I can’t give too much away yet, but it’s a custom-made strapless ball gown with a sweetheart neckline. It was an amazing experience, and well worth the wait!

Since we obviously can’t show you Rachel’s dress, here’s a peek at her color scheme! Love the fresh navy + green! (Photo by Ashley Hoskins via Style Me Pretty

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Nathan Westerfield, our amazing photographer! We interviewed about ten others before deciding on him, and I know he will capture our wedding perfectly! He is one of the most talented wedding photographers I have met, but he is also down to earth and listens to my ideas, which is important to us!

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
The traditions, monograms, the pearls, seersucker, heritage, the flowers, bow ties, the food, the huge bridal parties, the use of lace, burlap, doilies, groom’s cakes… you name it, I love it, and I want it in our wedding!

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
Sigh. Plum Pretty Sugar robes, but with eleven bridesmaids, it was way out of our budget to outfit everyone. I’d highly recommend them to any other bride with a smaller bridal party, though!

Wedding cake and groom “cake” inspiration! (Photos by The McCartneys via Style Me Pretty and via Tara Guerard Soiree)

What has been the best part of wedding planning?
Some of the best parts for me have been creating and crafting some of the personal details. I drew our wedding program by hand (complete with map!) and handmade our ring pillow, among many other things.

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Our biggest challenge so far would have to be managing our large wedding party — 24 people in total! We are blessed to have so many friends and family, but coordinating them all has been a small challenge. Thank goodness for our wedding planner! Also, it was a challenge to find a good weekend that didn’t conflict with the SEC football schedule! (Go Vols!)

A perfect photo opp for state-proud couples like Rachel and Joshua! (Photo by Kristyn Hogan)

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Our first look. Just thinking about it makes me tear up and get chills! This is one tradition I don’t mind breaking, because I am so excited to have a moment together that’s just ours. Josh is looking forward to his “groom’s cake” pie bar. Also: me bawling my way down the aisle with my dad (it’s inevitable). Of course, we are both excited for the part where we say “I do”!

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We’re headed to Saint Lucia, y’all! We are looking forward to a week of relaxation, with some exploring and snorkeling sprinkled in.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I have passed along the Little Borrowed Dress site to every bride I can! If you are like me and want to save your girls some money, check it out. For $75, they can rent a floor length dress in any color, which is what we are doing: the Hillary Jane dress in navy.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Rachel! Best wishes this weekend!! 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!

Melissa Schollaert is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

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

    I’ve gotten to know Rachel over the past few months through our blogs and she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! Can’t believe her wedding week is finally here!

  2. avatar Kristi reply

    I have known Rachel since she was a young girl and watched her grow up to the amazing person she is today! What a beautiful woman she is (inside and out!!) and I am so excited for her dreams to be coming true. Congratulations and blessings to you. I love you!

  3. avatar JoAnna reply

    Precious wedding! I love every bit of it. Congratulations and I hope all goes well for you this weekend! :)

  4. avatar Sarah reply

    Rachel is one of my best friends, and I can’t imagine a someone that embodies all of the wonderful traits of southern brides and the Sweet Tea Society more than she does. Her and Josh are two of the kindest, most amazing people I know, and I am SO EXCITED to stand up at their wedding this weekend. Congrats, Rach! Love you!!

  5. avatar Mary Mullen reply

    Cannot wait to see this wedding! What a sweet couple!

  6. avatar Andrea reply

    Congrats! And best wishes to you and your groom!

  7. avatar In Another Life, Let’s Have Some Pi | Weddingbee reply

    […] via Southern Weddings / Photo by Tara […]

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