We wanted to offer one more big thank you to the hundreds of guys and gals who took our annual survey! Since our goal is to continually improve our corner of the world of weddings for y’all, feedback is so helpful for us as we decide where to focus and what needs to be improved. While you’ll get to see a bit of the demographic info we collected in a post next week, we wanted to take a moment to answer a few questions and respond to a few requests that came up in the survey. If we didn’t answer yours here, feel free to leave it in the comments!
What about Kentucky/Mississippi/Maryland/Arkansas?
We do our best to cover every Southern state (and yes, those four are all considered Southern by most sources, including Wikipedia!), but for whatever reason, we tend to get fewer real wedding submissions from those “on the fringe.” Because we are a small company, we sometimes have to implement features (like our Best of the South page) over time, and when we have to pick and choose, it makes the most sense to go with the states where we have the most readers first. We aren’t biased against these four, we promise!
Can I view real weddings by state?
Yes, indeed! You can filter by state, color, season, and Southern Thang in our Real Weddings Gallery.
In the real weddings gallery, I wish I could search by things like “cakes.”
We hear you! In the meantime, Pinterest is a great way to search for very specific things, since we pin all of our weddings. Try our boards dedicated to monograms, engagement rings, first looks, custom koozies, bows, and yes, cakes. And don’t miss our personal favorite – furry and fluffy friends!
When I search in the real weddings gallery, how do I find details on the vendors the couples used?
On the righthand side of the page for each wedding you’ll see a link to the original post. We include all of the vendors at the bottom of each post!
Do you feature weddings that are not in the South?
In short, no. In print, we only feature weddings that took place in the southeastern United States. We will on occasion feature a wedding that took place outside the South on the blog if there’s something about it that is extremely and authentically Southern, but that’s the exception, not the norm.
How do you choose which real weddings to feature? What do you look for?
That’s a complicated question! In short, we look for weddings we think will resonate with our readers – which usually means they have clean (unprocessed) and lovely photography; inspiring, unique, and authentically Southern details; and a great love story. We also try to make sure we’re featuring a range of budgets, colors, aesthetics, types of venues, states, and much more — it’s a lot to balance!
When the new site launched, your individual bios went away!
Not true! If you click on “Hi Y’all” in the main nav bar, it will take you to our main meet and greet page. The group photo is actually clickable, so point your mouse at each of our faces to learn more about us!
How can I view posts by category?
If you scroll allll the way to the bottom on the homepage, you’ll see a drop down “category” menu.
What about posts on budgeting?
One of the posts I’m most proud of is this one on budgeting. It includes all of my best tips! We also just added a new question to our real wedding interview, asking brides one way to share one way they saved or cut costs at their wedding, and we think that will be really helpful info going forward!
I love Lisa’s wedding planning advice. More how-to and wedding timeline posts would be helpful!
Thanks, y’all! We’ve rounded up some of our best advice posts here, and you can find them all in our “Expert Advice” category.
Why isn’t [XYZ Photographer] in your BRV?
We are slowly adding the best wedding vendors we can find across the South to our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory. We don’t take these recommendations lightly! If there’s someone you think should be included, by all means, please email Emily (emily at southernweddings.com). We love getting recommendations from y’all!
Can you explain sponsored posts?
Of course! Sponsored posts are one of many advertising options we offer. Think of them like commercials on TV – companies use them to get the word out about their offerings or services. We screen interested parties and only share the ones we think y’all will like. We know they’re not everyone’s favorite, but we hope they’re helpful, and so appreciate your understanding as we work to share the most beautiful and inspiring content around!
I want to purchase a magazine, but I can’t find one in stores.
Thanks so much!! You can always purchase copies of the current issue and some back issues through the Southern Weddings Shop. For the three months after a new issue debuts, you should be able to find a copy on the shelves of your local Barnes & Noble, Target, Harris Teeter, Walgreens, and/or CVS, as well as lots of other stores. However, copies do tend to fly, and stores can’t restock after they’ve sold out, so it’s a bit tricky to pinpoint where copies may be at any one time!
Why do you publish just one magazine a year?
Great question! At this time, we’ve decided that we don’t want to grow larger as a staff, and with all of the irons we have in the fire (including this blog, our shop, our Southern Living partnership, and Lara’s book and conference), more than one issue a year is not feasible. We pour our heart and soul into making each issue a true heirloom keepsake, filled with the most inspiring content and helpful information, and we think that format lends itself to a less-frequent publishing schedule. And finally, we think there’s some truth to the old advice to “keep them wanting more” :)
I love your office. How can I get more involved with Southern Weddings?
Thank you so much!! We are not currently hiring, but we put together this page as a resource for those interested in working in weddings. We hope it’s helpful! If you’re local to the Chapel Hill area, we occasionally offer opportunities (like our Gingerbread Barn Building, workshops, or release parties) where we can get together!
I’m a longtime, already-married Southern Weddings reader, and I would love to see more on married life!
I saved this one until last, because I have good news! We have been hearing this request for awhile, and have been brainstorming the best way to satisfy it. We are really pleased with the ideas we’ve dreamt up, and think y’all will be, too! Stay tuned to the blog in the next few weeks… :)
We hope this was helpful! Again, feel free to drop a line in the comments if we didn’t answer your question!
Beautiful engagement photos by Blue Ribbon Vendor Rachel May. See them all on Facebook Friday!
Awe yay!!! Thank you so much for featuring my images in this post! Absolutely love being a part of the SW family! I took the survey and am definitely excited to hear more about what you have up your sleeve for us married folks! <3
[…] delicacy make it? We answered some of the questions y’all left us in our annual survey here. We love real […]
Thanks for responding to some of the comments from the survey! I am a huge fan of Southern Weddings, and I often feel a twinge of sadness that I don’t live in NC and can’t participate in fun stuff like the model search or calligraphy workshops. I wonder if it’s even possible to expand community events or advertise things in other areas of the South?! I hope that made sense :)
Hi Christine! That makes a lot of sense, and it’s something we think about often! We actually do hold model searches outside of NC as we travel for shoots, but you’re right, most of our events take place where we’re located. We’ll keep thinking about this!