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Monthly Archives: May 2014

We’ve gotten into the kitchen with Kristin and taken a tour of Emily Ley’s home, and now, we’re tickled pink to introduce y’all to another Southern Newlywed topic: date nights! Making time for each other and continuing to “date” your spouse is something we believe in fiercely, but we know it’s often easier said than done. Enter our own lovely Marissa and her baseball-playing beau, Brandon. Due to BDK’s profession, these two are on the road constantly, and especially now that they’ve welcomed their first little belle to the family, we’re so inspired by the way they cherish their time together and make dating each other a priority!

Jennifer Pharr

Names: Branch (Brandon) and Marissa Kloess
Years married: 5.6 years!
Children’s names and ages: Emerson Katherine, almost four months old
By day: Brandon is a semipro golfer, facial hair aficionado, Alabama born and raised professional baseball player for the San Diego Padres and Marissa is a professional car packer, monogramaholic, Florabama-raised Director of Advertising for Southern Weddings.
How they met: We met in our Multimedia Practicum class in college. Our desks faced each other, and it was love at first sight (especially when BDK brought the baby squirrel he rescued to class!).

A throwback to the class where M + B met! Awww!

Their wedding: We were married in the sweet little town of Mount Dora, Florida. Our incredible day started at a beautiful church downtown with stained glass windows, and continued with a horse-drawn carriage ride down the cobblestone streets past the park (decked out in Christmas lights!) to the historic Lakeside Inn for our reception. We ended the day dancing and celebrating with our family and closest friends. P.S. The Lakeside Inn even has lemonade and rocking chairs on their adorable wraparound porch!

Michelle March

Marissa and Brandon’s top five favorite date night ideas:

1. Movies in the park: One of my very favorite dates BDK and I have ever had (and his personal favorite) was when he surprised me and we drove three hours to watch the classic Marilyn Monroe movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (one of my all-time favorites!) on a big projector screen in the park. He even packed us a fried chicken picnic for dinner!
2. Be a kid again: While in college, BDK and I were lucky enough to live pretty close to Orlando, Florida. One of our most fun dates (and my personal favorite) was when we went to Universal Studios for the day. No adult roller coasters (we’re both scaredy cats!)–just plain ol’ kid fun. We ditched our cell phones and laughed until our bellies ached, all while surrounded by characters from our childhoods.
3. Singalong: BDK should really be in the music business–he knows all the best bands before they hit iTunes. We love going to small concert venues and seeing bands no one has ever heard of, all while singing our hearts out to songs barely anyone knows! Most small shows are inexpensive (except for the time our car got towed!), and you never know who the opening act will be–we’ve seen now-big-name bands back when they were selling their own t-shirts!
4. Explore the outdoors: While we all know I’m way more of an indoor kind of gal (no tents, and please pass the blowdryer!), one of the last dates we had before our baby girl arrived was a pitstop we made at the Grand Canyon while on the way back from a baseball road trip. It was so much fun to explore the sites and see such an iconic part of our great country.
5. Stay inside: One of our very favorite dates is more of an un-date! Budget-conscious, pajama-friendly, and makeup-free, we LOVE a complete day at home ordering takeout and watching movies. We’ve been known to binge-watch Netflix (House of Cards, anyone?) for hours. Since we travel so much, BDK and I are homebodies, and really enjoy spending time just relaxing and hanging out. These nights (or days) in are sometimes the best way to recharge our batteries and reconnect when everything is a bit hectic.

A little reminder We have great things in the works for this column, but we’d love your help! Our hope is to feature REAL couples in the South – not just folks who write blogs (though we love them, too!), but also, your inspiring friend, super talented cousin, or neighbor with the cutest house – the kind of person everyone would love to “e-meet.” If that sounds like you or someone you know, take a peek at our Southern Newlywed submission page and shoot us an email!

Jennifer Pharr and Michelle March are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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One of the first things Dave and I did after getting engaged was start brainstorming our guest list. We both come from big families, so before looking for venues, we needed at least a rough idea of how many people we expect to travel to North Carolina for our wedding day. By the way, I have to mention, we’re getting married exactly ONE year from today!! Ahhh!!!

Compiling our personal lists of immediate family and friends from childhood through college, plus our parents’ lists of extended family and their friends was quite the task in itself, and I know the craziness of managing our guest list is nowhere near over! Though my financial analyst fiancé’s spreadsheet is seriously impressive, there is way more to keep track of than we originally expected, which is why I was so excited to learn about RSVP Wedding Manager.

RSVP Wedding Manager has thought of every possible wedding guest organization need, from importing and organizing contacts from your email account, iCloud and more, to keeping track of who is coming to which event, to whether or not you’ve sent a handwritten thank you note for gifts received. Each guest is assigned an ID number for easy tracking, and you can organize guests into helpful groups (like “Bride’s Family”).

One of my very favorite features? How easy it makes using proper etiquette! Manners will never go out of style, and from the proper salutation to the order in which names should appear on an envelope, RSVP Wedding Manager does the etiquette puzzle for you, wrapping everything up in a handy downloadable report that you can refer to, print out, and share with your envelope calligrapher. Y’all, it does not get easier than that!

Beyond your guest list, RSVP Wedding Manager also offers tools for organizing other important parts of your wedding. You can create to-do lists and assign tasks and deadlines to different people (like your mama or your maid of honor–super helpful if y’all are spread out across the country!), monitor your budget and print reports of it, and even keep track of your vendors and inspiration. It’s so convenient to have all of these tools in one place!

We would love to know, how are you keeping your wedding plans organized?

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

    What a neat tool, I’ve never heard of this! I’m already knee deep in my RSVPs or I’d look into using it but may still have to take a peek so I can share with other friends.

    My fiance and I are just using a Google Doc to keep track and have used different tabs for the different events. It’s worked well since my mom is collecting all of the RSVPs, I can always see an updated count since it’s a live spreadsheet and I can also access it anywhere from my phone. It’s been a great system so far!

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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We’ve taken a bit of hiatus from our Southern Delicacy features, but in honor of Derby Week, we think the mint julep is a great one to jump back in with!

Photo by The Studio B from Anne + Eric’s wedding

There is just something about those shiny silver mint julep glasses–we love them filled with fresh mint or flowing with flowers. There is no question that that these glasses are the epitome of classic and Southern! How to make a true mint julep remains a hotly debated topic in the world of bar tending and mixology, but the classic version of a mint julep is served in silver julep cups, filled to the brim with a refreshing concoction of the finest bourbon, simple syrup, fresh mint, and crushed ice. These classic silver cups should be chilled before being served.

Fun fact: if you want to fit in at the Derby, be sure to hold the glass properly! Only by the bottom and rim of the glass, so one’s hand does not transfer heat to the drink. I imagine Rhett Butler made a mean mint julep, AND knew how to hold the glass!

On left: photo by Elaine Palladino from Baylor + Daniel’s wedding; on right: photo by Ashley Seawell from Sarah + Gabe’s wedding

I was unable to track down the exact origin of the julep, but it is said that the mint julep originated in the Southern United States around the eighteenth century, and can be traced back to a British novel from 1803, in which a traveler wrote about drinking a mint julep at a northern Virginia plantation. It was described as “a dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning.” It has also been said that farmers in the South drank mint juleps in the morning, using the mint to jumpstart their days! Yikes, I bet that’d put a pep in your step!

Photos by Katie Stoops from Love in the Commonwealth

The term “julep” is generally defined as a “sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine.” The word itself is derived from the Persian word Golâb, meaning “rose water.”

While earlier recipes included many other spirits, such as rum or gin, bourbon-based juleps have decisively eclipsed all others. As a champagne celebration kind of gal myself, I love the twist of a champagne julep! And if you didn’t think the MJ could get any more Southern, there’s the mint julep sweet tea recipe!

On left: photo by Justin DeMutiis from Jessica + Derek’s wedding; on right: photo by Laura Gordon from Ellie + Breck’s wedding

Nowadays, the mint julep is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, and rightly so! The mint julep first became the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby in 1938 when they were served them in collectable glasses and sold them for 75 cents apiece. Since then, almost 120,000 mint juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack. This feat requires more than 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint, and 60,000 pounds of ice! Woah!

Now if only I could don some Lilly and my Jacks, and have a silver glass in my hand, I’d be sure to enjoy the Derby! Cheers, y’all!

P.S. Check out our past Delicacies for some yummy treats to accompany your drink!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Kathryn reply

    I am growing mint for the first time this year, and it’s grown like crazy this week! I will have to use it for derby drinks. Thank you for this history.

  2. avatar Veronica reply

    Hey Marisaa,
    Great post.Thanks for sharing.Mint is really beneficial in summers.I love its smell :)

  3. avatar Lisa Hays reply

    Where can I purchase the silver cups? Do they have to be of sterling? And while I’m asking – does anyone know where to get copper cups that Moscow Mules are served in?

    • avatar Marissa reply

      Hi Lisa! We love these monogrammed ones from Three Hip Chicks! http://www.threehipchicks.com/products/monogrammed-silver-mint-julep-cup And these Moscow Mule ones from Sur La Tables: http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1398882/Moscow+Mule+Copper+Mug

  4. avatar Matt reply

    Nice summary Marissa…the photography make me thirsty :)

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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