Southern Weddings

Fair warning, y’all–today’s couple is really cute. I loved reading Lauren and Cole’s story, getting a peek at their secretly-videotaped proposal, and finally, admiring the way their gorgeous fall wedding came together. Lauren described the venue as the “perfect merging” of their personalities, but it goes beyond that as well–there are so many details at their wedding that represent them both individually and as a couple. I think every bride and groom wants their guests to leave their wedding saying the celebration was “so them,” and I can only imagine how much Lauren and Cole were told those exact words!

Thanks so much to Sara & Rocky for sharing this beautiful wedding with us!

The first time I went to try dresses on, I brought a group of six special women with me. I tried on some amazing dresses that day and had a blast, but didn’t find the dress for me. My mom and I spent a few more weekends searching and finally ended up at the Neiman Marcus bridal salon. Ironically, this salon was where my aunt, mom, and cousin all found their wedding dresses. I tried on a few dresses, all with lots of texture, and had some great options, but when I put on Vera Wang’s Jasmine dress, I fell in love. As much as I didn’t think it would happen to me, I started glowing and couldn’t stop smiling. It was the dress I knew I could walk toward Cole in.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? Yes, we did. It was more about logistics in the beginning, but I am so glad we did it. It was harder than I had thought it would be to not see Cole all day on the biggest day of our relationship so far. Our first look was a reality check of what this day was about–Cole, me, and God. When we finally saw each other, I felt so joyful and at ease.

What made you choose your venue? It was absolutely gorgeous and we wanted to have a destination wedding without it being a true “destination.” Since Cole and I went to different colleges in different states, we have so many friends spread across the country. We figured they all had to travel anyway, so why not have them come to a city that has so much to offer our guests? Camp Lucy was the perfect merging of mine and Cole’s personalities–relaxed and natural, but elegant.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? No, we decided there were vows out there that were already beautifully written. My favorite part of our vows read: “I promise to love you with all of my heart, and to be true and faithful, patient, kind, and unselfish in this love.”
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? This is a hard question–so much of it is incredibly memorable. One that sticks out specifically was during our ceremony. When we were exchanging vows, Ocho, our dog, spoke up too with a grunt-moan noise. It was hilarious! The crowd laughed and our pastor announced that Ocho said “yes” too.

Describe your wedding flowers. UNBELIEVABLE! The ladies at Gypsy Floral outdid themselves. They made my mood board of dreamy images come to life. The flowers were incredibly lush and elegant, and they made the whole venue feel complete and magical.

My mom handmade Mr. and Mrs. pillows for our sweetheart table, which each had pins and keepsakes about Cole and I, like a vintage Jayhawk badge and a vintage Alabama banner. My mom also made beautiful boards displaying all of our family wedding photos, going back to our great grandmothers. The wooden cross we used during the ceremony was the same cross my best friend used for her wedding. We even pulled a selection of vintages and labels of Cabernet Savignon from my parents’ wine cellar to serve at the reception.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. The bride’s cake was a simple four-tier cake with a combination of lemon cake with lemon mousse and white cake with strawberry Grand Marnier filling. It had a wonderful buttercream icing applied with textured detail and lined with greenery by our florists. The groom’s cake was a round chocolate cake filled with a layer of chocolate mousse and raspberry purée and covered with chocolate ganache. It was topped with a large University of Alabama seal in fondant.

For our first dance, we had our band, Blind Date, learn Josh Abbot Band’s “She’s Like Texas.” During our long-distance relationship, it was one of the songs Cole sent me the lyrics to, and it has been one of “our” songs since then. We knew our first dance had to be a country song and something we could two-step to.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met sometime between sixth and seventh grade. Our families were connected through several people and activities, so we just got used to seeing each other around. We “dated” in middle school, if you can even call it that, for about a month before I broke up with him the day after Valentine’s Day! From then until our freshman year of college, we were good friends–he was the guy I could always depend on. He was even my prom date! We went our separate ways in college; he attended the University of Alabama and I went to the University of Kansas. At the beginning of sophomore year, I couldn’t deny my feelings anymore–I decided the moment I saw Cole back home over Thanksgiving break that I was going to tell him how I felt. Thankfully, our families planned to spend Thanksgiving together at our lake house, so I knew I would have the opportunity. After dinner one evening, we walked up to the top of the boat dock to look at the stars and I told him that I wanted a relationship with him. Thank goodness he felt the same way and had since 7th grade!
Tell us all about the proposal! Cole invited a few of our friends to the lake house the last weekend in September. It was cool and rainy outside, so we were all hanging out on the boat dock. Between rounds of a card game, Cole walked upstairs to the top of our dock. I eventually wandered up there to see what he was doing in the rain! He started hugging me and I heard his heart pounding in his chest. Then, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes, of course, and then our friends ran upstairs screaming. Little did I know, all of this was being filmed on a GoPro camera. It can be seen here. Cole then made up a pretty convincing story that our good friends called and said there was something wrong with their neighbor’s dock. Cole, being the great guy he is, offered to go check it out, so we all loaded up in the car, drove over to their house, and got one of the biggest surprises! Everyone–our families, some of my friends, and his friends–were waiting for us. He even flew in my sister from Portland and my dearest cousin from Montana! When I saw them, I lost all control–it was definitely one of the best days of my life. We proceeded to party from noon till midnight.
When did y’all get married? November 23, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 250
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We had a wonderful quartet for music during seating and through our cocktail hour. Cole is a man of tradition and used to play the cello, so he wanted me to walk down the aisle to “Canon in D.” Cole also picked our recessional–much less traditional, but very fun, “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns and Roses. One of my favorite things about our ceremony was when my aunt and cousin sang the Lennon and Maisy version of “I won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz during communion.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I borrowed my cousin’s garter, which both she and my sister wore at their weddings. My something old was my emerald necklace, given to me by my grandmother when I was a child. She and my grandfather had purchased one for each granddaughter on a trip to Africa. My something new was a gift from Cole–emerald earrings that he gave me the morning of the wedding to match my necklace.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Cowboy boots all around! Cole’s were his custom-made Alabama boots that seem to be glued to his feet! The groomsmen sported eggplant bow ties. All the meats served were local game meats: quail, venison and beef. We also served local Dripping Springs vodka, Tito’s vodka, Shiner Bock, and Fireman’s 4 beers.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning was surprisingly smooth. The most difficult thing overall was probably planning the wedding from out of town, since we had limited time to meet with different vendors. Thankfully, we had a great wedding planner who filtered through various vendors and would set up 2-3 options for us to meet with when we could.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Our wedding would not have been the same without ALL the vendors, but I was exceptionally happy to have the ladies of Gypsy Floral. They understood my vision for the wedding and I had complete faith in their ability to transform the venue into my dream space.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Have a detailed rain plan!! Although, I refused to think about the possibility of it raining, our wedding planner, Ashlee Voda, made sure we had one in place, just in case. Well, we were in that “case,” not just because of the moisture, but because of the 35 degree temperatures! Be prepared so that if it comes to that, the stress won’t make the situation worse.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We bought a house a couple of months before we got married so we could begin to do some work on it. Absolutely crazy idea–talk about a lot going on! But, it was amazing to come home from our honeymoon and spend our first night in our new home together.

Photographer: Sara & Rocky Photography / Videographer: Don Nguyen of ILC Films / Planner: Ashlee Voda of Mrs. Planner Weddings & Events / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Camp Lucy / Florist: Gyspy Floral / Wedding Cake Baker: Judy Lee of Simon Lee Bakery / Caterer: Royal Fig / Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals, Bee Lavish, and Whim Event Rentals / Lighting: Katherine McCommon of ILD Lighting / Band: Blind Date / Ceremony Strings: Terra Vista Strings / Bride’s Gown: “Jasmine” by Vera Wang / Paper Products: Lauren Maibach (bride) / Envelopes and Liner: Paper Source / Wood Invitations: Cards of Wood / Calligraphy and Letterpress: Scribbles and Swirls / Bride’s Veil and Fur: Neiman Marcus / Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Chancy Cone from Adore Makeup Salon / Bride’s Shoes: Vince Camuto / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew in Eggplant Chiffon / Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse and The Man’s Shop / Photo Booth: The Photo Toaster

Written with love by Lisa