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Southern Weddings

Monthly Archives: October 2013

Last week, I was honored to join a few fellow Southern gals on a panel with Lover.ly to chat about Southern weddings. A great tip discussed was exploring different venue options that truly mean something special to the couple and their family and then making them your own. I think Baylor + Daniel hit the nail on the head by choosing the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, which has been a retreat for four generations of Baylor’s family. They then used farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade to create a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm. Gosh, I love that!

Thanks to one of our delightful Blue Ribbon Vendors, Elaine Palladino for sharing this sweet day with us!

My something borrowed was my grandmother’s pearls, something blue was my mother-in-law’s garter, something old was a pearl bracelet given to me by my dad, and something new was my shoes.

Describe your wedding flowers. I wanted flowers arrangements that were romantic and reminiscent of a garden’s natural beauty. Our florist, Veronica, created various centerpieces of moss-covered boxes and terrariums filled with peonies, garden roses, jasmine, anemones, clematis, spray roses and succulents. The pink, coral and magenta flowers were so luscious, and the best part was that no two arrangements were the same.

We decided to do a first look to relieve some of the nerves before our ceremony. Seeing each other in a more private setting among our closest family and wedding party was a really special moment we will always cherish. By the time we walked down the aisle, we felt no anxiety–just pure joy.

Y’all, this doll-baby is way too cute! Would it be wrong if I actually pinched those cheeks?

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The beautiful chuppah that my dad, cousin, sister and I built was my favorite detail. During the days leading up to the wedding, it meant a lot to have quality time spent with my family while sanding and staining the wood. They finished building it as I got ready and it was draped in ivory fabric and decorated with flowers. It was truly a labor of love and so meaningful to have as the focal point of our ceremony.

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Our guests traveled from all over the country to be at our wedding in Miami, so we wanted to make sure they truly felt a sense of locale and culture. To create this, we had a cigar bar, which included a local cigar roller, and a mojito bar serving two varieties: traditional and blood orange. These details were a huge hit with our guests and accomplished just what we had hoped–an authentic South Florida experience.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Our cake was ivory and decorated in lace designs and flowers. Each tier was a different flavor–vanilla lemon, vanilla almond and vanilla rum–and all were delicious. We also had a dessert bar that included adorable mini key lime pies, macarons, eclairs and fruit tartlets. My mouth waters thinking about all the sweets!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We were both planning separately to move to Colorado. Danny answered my ad searching for a roommate and we met for the first time two weeks before he moved in. We only made it three months as roommates before we started dating–there was just too much chemistry to ignore.
Tell us all about the proposal! We were living in Maui when Danny proposed. One spring weekend, we went on a little getaway to the mountains on the island of Lanai. Danny had been acting strange all weekend, and after we returned home, I confessed my disappointment, since I had anticipated a proposal. He said he was sorry for giving me the wrong idea and even suggested we weren’t ready yet! Little did I know, he already had the ring. I was folding laundry in our bedroom that evening when I walked out into the hallway to find Danny on his knee.
When did y’all get married? May 26, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. While my mom was visiting from Florida, we went dress shopping in Virginia. I tried one dress on that I couldn’t stop thinking about, but I continued my search. Six months and several dresses later, I went back to that first store and tried on the same dress–I knew it was “the one.”
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? With the help of Danny’s cousin, who was our officiant, we wrote our vows based on others that we had heard and read. My favorite part was hearing him say to me “I, Daniel Edward Knoll, take you, Baylor Guyton Young, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love…I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My sister-in-law recited the Hands Ceremony and a friend of ours read an Apache Marriage Blessing, which ended in “may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our ceremony music was performed by a string trio and was absolutely beautiful. I decided to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon” because the song has always made me so happy. Our first dance was “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. It was romantic and relaxed, a feeling which seemed to perfectly represent our wedding and us as a couple.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest members-only yacht clubs in the South and has been a retreat for my family for four generations. We enhanced the setting with farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade with paper straws. Being out on the lawn at the water’s edge really helped to instill a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a wedding from afar was a bit challenging. We got engaged while living in Hawaii and moved to Virginia to be closer to friends and family, but still found ourselves many miles from South Florida. We were only able to meet with our vendors in person a month before the wedding, and all other planning had to be done through phone and email.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment of the day was our first look. We had originally decided that we didn’t want to do it, but changed our minds, and I’m so glad we did! It was really special to be able to spend that time with Danny and take a moment to escape the chaos of the day. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes when he saw me in my wedding dress for the first time.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? If at all possible, make the dinner and dancing portion of your reception an hour longer. We had a typical five-hour reception that flew by. It’s worth setting up in advance so that you can enjoy the evening and don’t have to worry about paying your vendors to stay longer.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We recently returned from our honeymoon in Iceland and Spain. With all of the planning behind us, we are looking forward to simply spending quality time with each other and our families. We heard our first dance song at a friend’s wedding last month. All of the incredible memories of our wedding night came rushing back, and it was surreal for us to already be looking back on everything. It all goes by so fast.

Elaine Palladino is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
16 Comments
  1. avatar Emily reply

    Love the succulent escort cards!

  2. avatar Amanda {Amanda Jayne Events} reply

    I love the centerpieces!

  3. avatar Caitlyn | The Aerialist Press reply

    Love that venue!!

  4. avatar Desiree reply

    Gah! Loving so much of this! What a gorgeous wedding and there are some seriously talented peeps involved! yay :)

  5. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze #113 | Floridian Weddings reply

    […] amazing things happen! We were instantly smitten by all the lovely details of Baylor and Daniel's nautical Miami wedding – including Anthology's stunning florals – that were brought together by Sugar(ed) Occasions and […]

  6. avatar Ellen Williams reply

    Can you tell me where her blue shoes are from or who the designer is?

  7. avatar 2013 Featured Roundup | Elaine Palladino | Portrait and Wedding Photographer | Miami and the World. reply

    […] Weddings selected this shot from Baylor and Danny’s Biscayne Bay Yacht Club wedding as one of their favorite kids images of the […]

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Southern Weddings Weekly Round-Up

by in Main on

Happy Friday! We started this week getting re-focused on our mission statement and what matters most at the Making Things Happen conference. I know I speak for all of us when I say we are more ready than ever to start mailing out V6 in a few weeks to share that mission with you! Don’t forget to preorder your copy–there are only 18 days left till 11/12/13!

Our favorite office activity at the moment is watching our event page as friends near and far RSVP to the V6 launch party. We can hardly wait to celebrate, and we hope y’all can join us! See this post for more information and RSVP here. P.S. Don’t delay–tickets are already going fast!

Get ready to swoon over this week’s real weddings!

Rochelle and Casey’s baseball game first date led to a long-distance relationship, a unique proposal, and ultimately, the prettiest navy and orange fall wedding. See it here.

We love the fact that Jennifer and Ryan were married in the same place where Ryan proposed–his family’s stunning lake house. See their beautiful mountain wedding here.

We were so excited to share our sweet friend Emily and her now-husband Brendan’s charming North Carolina wedding! See it here.

I can think of a handful of my friends who have told me they want to get married near a big red barn someday, and I’m sure some of y’all can relate! Stephanie and John found the perfect Virginia farm to fulfill that dream. See it here.

Last but not least…

It’s Facebook Friday! Don’t miss the most adorable high school sweetheart-themed engagement session by Kristen Alexander Photography on our Facebook page.

Enjoy your weekend!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
1 Comment
  1. avatar Kristen reply

    I was wondering, in your opinion. What looks best together, long navy dresses with black groomsmen attire or black? I have seen many pictures and read your posts about navy+black. However, I think it looks a little dark altogether. I have tried searching long navy dresses with charcoal or grey suits/tuxes and have not had very much luck. Do you know where I could find some photos?
    Thank you.

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I spent a large part of my childhood in Virginia, and to this day, I love going back to visit. Everything about Virginia makes me feel so peaceful, and just looking at Stephanie and John’s wedding pictures, I get a little twinge of that same feeling. After weeks of rain, this sweet couple was blessed with a gorgeous summer day, perfect for the romantic, outdoor wedding day Stephanie had always dreamed of. They filled the day with meaningful traditions and rustic Southern details–my favorite of which is that big red barn!

Thank you to Lucy of Lucy O Photo for sharing Stephanie and John’s wedding with us!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. I met John in college and from the start, I knew we had something special. His all-American charm is just one characteristic I fell in love with during our first years together, so it is fitting that we are now building our life together in Alexandria, Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C. We spent a few years doing long-distance because John graduated a year before me and moved back to the D.C. area. I continued school in Texas, then took a job offer in Boston right after graduation. After some time searching, I was lucky to find a job in Baltimore, which finally put John and I in the same area. From that moment on, I knew we were meant for each other after all of the distance that kept us apart, and we fell more deeply in love while finally being in the same city.

It was a regular weekday night and John and I took our dog, Henry, for a walk. John mentioned a new route to this beautiful park I had never been to before and off we went. John suggested we take Henry to a spot in the park away from the public to play fetch, and after I threw the first stick for Henry, I turned around to find John on one knee! Henry hurried back to us as I excitedly said yes! It was the perfect moment because John knew I did not want anything elaborate–it was just our little family together in a beautiful Virginia park! Simple, but amazingly romantic!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We did not do a first look, as I wanted our “first look” to be when I walked down the aisle. Although we did not get married in a church, I wanted some of the traditional elements incorporated into our day.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? First Corinthians

As a little girl, I always dreamed I would be married outside, where the landscape would be a picturesque backdrop to my fairytale love story. And my dream came true! The details were simple, elegant, and personal, exactly as I envisioned. Everything from the rustic doors used on the tables, to the hand-stained crates and the mason jars, to the burlap, chalkboards, and koozies were labors of love that helped us make our vision a reality. After many weeks of rain before the big day, the sun shined down on our wedding day and it turned out to be more amazing than we had ever dreamed!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The Southern details included the farm venue, the burlap table runners and programs, the rustic farm decor (such as the wine barrels used for our altar pieces), the mason jar vases, the chalkboards used to display messages for guests, the custom-made koozie favors, the pies as dessert instead of a traditional wedding cake, the bar stocked with local Virginia beer and wine, the wild flower arrangements, and our dog’s seersucker bow tie collar and matching leash.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we wanted to go the route of pies. Pies are a Southern summer dessert that fit our venue well. There were nine pies filled with a variety of summer fruit flavors with different crust designs on top. John and I cut an apple pie because that is our favorite flavor.

When did y’all get married? 6/22/13
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 90
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. Picking my wedding dress was like finding John. I knew it was the one from the moment I laid eyes on it–in a magazine! I found a local bridal boutique that carried the dress, and once I tried it on, everything was solidified. It had the simple elegance I was looking for and was as perfect as I had imagined!
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. I had dreamed of walking down the aisle to Canon in D since I was a little girl, so I did just that. For the recessional, I wanted to use something romantic, but also upbeat and sweet, such as Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Our first dance song was chosen because John introduced me to Van Morrison when we first met. He thought the song “Crazy Love” was fitting for our long-distance relationship and the passion we felt for each other.
Describe your wedding flowers. Our wedding flowers were designed to be wild flower-esque using mason jars, small bud vases, and galvanized buckets to arrange them. We used a combination of peonies, hydrangeas, ranunculus, hypericum berries, Queen Anne’s lace, and a variety of roses, all in the color scheme of pink, coral, and white. They turned out perfectly and ended up being one of my favorite details!
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My something borrowed and old was my mom’s diamond tennis bracelet, my something blue was my mom’s sapphire and diamond bracelet, and my something new was my earrings.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge I overcame while planning our wedding was balancing all of the suggestions and input from family and friends. I appreciated the help that was offered, but it did become difficult to manage all of the opinions. I had a certain vision in mind, so I had to delicately pass on some of the suggestions.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? The venue, The Inn at Westwood Farm, is owned by a couple (Jay and Elizabeth) who went above and beyond their duties as the venue owners. As part of our wedding package, the Inn sleeps ten people and is reserved for the wedding Friday through Sunday. Also included in our wedding package were the tent, dance floor, lighting, tables, chairs, and linen rentals, so I did not have to go to separate vendors for these items. It was a huge life saver! On top of the wedding planning assistance, Jay and Elizabeth made every element during our wedding weekend intimate and special in unique ways, such as fresh flowers matching our color scheme throughout the inn and rooms, a bottle of local Virginia wine for each inn guest, champagne and chocolates for John and I, specific drinks on site for my family (who stayed at the Inn), and an engraved silver bottle opener as a wedding gift. I highly recommend this venue for all brides in Virginia! It will not disappoint!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable moment about our wedding, besides saying our vows, was taking a step back after the ceremony concluded and realizing everything I dreamed had come together in the most perfect way.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Don’t lose sight of what the wedding is all about: you and your soon-to-be husband! Sometimes, the planning can become stressful, but never forget the end goal: marrying the man of your dreams!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Relaxation! The planning process was quite a whirlwind and now we are ready to settle into a normal routine and enjoy our time together. High on our list is traveling to places neither of us have been to before and creating new memories!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
9 Comments
  1. avatar Lucy Taylor reply

    YAY! Stephanie and John were such an amazing couple to work with— thank you so much for featuring their wedding ladies! What a day it was!! :) :)

  2. avatar Emily reply

    SO many beautiful portraits! And I love her bow and bouquet!

  3. avatar Stephanie and John featured on Southern Weddings! – Lucy O Photo Blog reply

    […] day! Stephanie and John’s lovely summer wedding at the Inn at Westwood Farm is featured on Southern Weddings today! Go give them some […]

  4. avatar Elizabeth reply

    These photos are beautiful! I wish I could get married all over again just so Lucy O Photo could shoot my wedding.

  5. avatar Inn at Westwood Farm reply

    It was such a pleasure working with Stephanie and John throughout the entire wedding process. It was truly a wonderful wedding and Lucy captured the day perfectly! We look forward to Stephanie and John returning to Westwood! Elizabeth and Jay

  6. avatar Emily O’Connor reply

    What a beautiful way to celebrate a marriage! The stunning photos have not only captured the beauty of John & Stephanie’s wedding day, but somehow communicate their joy too! Beautiful!

  7. avatar laurel reply

    What a beautiful wedding!! Such wonderful photos – really captured the sweetness of the day!

  8. avatar Caitrie Kulick reply

    Oh my gosh, these photos are soo soo beautiful! Let’s see more, Lucy O!!! Love them.

  9. avatar Deirdre Goulard reply

    The photography captivated the moment so well. And loved the southern decor! It’s so much fun seeing wedding with the old fashion red barn.

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