Lisa and I email-gush over lots of our beautiful Real Weddings–we can’t help it! But for Courtney and Nick’s wedding? I even Snapchatted Lisa a few elephant emojis, complete with lots of exclamation points! A tried and true Alabama girl myself, I was excited for this wedding as soon as I saw the title! You see, Courtney was a Crimsonette in the Million Dollar Band and Nick was a drum major and member of the Auburn Tiger Band, so they’re a house divided. When it came to celebrating their sweet wedding day though, they didn’t take sides…that is, until Courtney and her fellow Crimsonettes performed the Alabama fight song at the reception. While the girls were twirling, Nick and his groomsmen plotted their rebuttal and snuck to the balcony with their instruments to play the Auburn fight song. I’m sure glad this hilarious event was captured on film–you won’t want to miss it! P.S. Roll Tide Roll!
Thanks so much to Lea Nicole for sharing this fun day with us!
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. When Nick graduated from Auburn, he was hired by Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa. One of the first people he met was my mom, who was in charge of the majorettes, dance line, and color guard in the marching band. I had just graduated from Hillcrest and was a new Crimsonette for the Million Dollar Band, and I was hired to teach choreography to the Hillcrest majorettes. I was in school at the University of Alabama, but was always close to Hillcrest High during the fall season because of marching band. Nick and I developed a friendship, but Nick stayed away from me because I was young and in college, and he was somewhat fearful of my mom and what she would think if he started pursuing me! During Nick’s third year at Hillcrest, we began hanging out more, and he got to know my whole family. We eventually began dating.
When I went wedding dress shopping the first time, I tried on many different styles and types of dresses. I put one ball gown on and was quite surprised that I liked it as much as I did. I chose that dress that day and went straight to an Alabama football game. I felt uneasy about my decision from the time I left the bridal shop, so during the third quarter of the game, I called the shop and told them not to order the dress. I went back to square one and tried on several more dresses. When I put my dress on, our first dance song was playing inside the bridal shop. I knew it was the one for me!
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Yes! We had a very large bridal party, and we did not want to keep guests waiting after the ceremony for us to take pictures. We decided it would work better for us to have a first look and do all the pictures before the ceremony. We did it at my aunt and uncle’s home in Birmingham that overlooks the mountain. It was gorgeous!
Our ceremony venue was Asbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham. Nick has worked there as the worship orchestra director for three years, so it only made sense to wed at that location. The reception venue was not as easy of a choice. We were looking for an indoor/outdoor type of place that could hold 250-300 people, and ended up choosing a beautiful location, The Rucker Place in Birmingham. It features a Southern-style wraparound patio that overlooks a beautiful grassy area.
As a band director and connoisseur of great music, excellent music was important to Nick. We danced to “From this Moment” by Shania Twain for our first dance. This tune was something that we would jokingly sing in the car occasionally (when the mood struck), and it has a great and meaningful message. I danced with my dad to “Mama’s Song” by Carrie Underwood. The lyrics easily apply to any parent, and being that my mom is deceased, it easily was dedicated to my dad. Nick danced to “A Mother’s Love” by Mark Masri. The words were absolutely stunning, and it was very touching.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. The bride’s cake was three tiers of red velvet and strawberry cake. Each layer had a different design on the outside, and it had our initials on it. The groom’s cake was the Auburn football stadium, complete with fans inside (made of sprinkles) and an interlocking AU made by band members. The Auburn fight song was also written around the outside of the cake. Since Nick was a drum major with the Auburn band, he wanted to make sure they were represented in some way.
I was a Crimsonette in the Million Dollar Band for five years, and Nick was a drum major and member of the Auburn Tiger Band for six years. It is a tradition for the Crimsonettes to bring their batons to all Crimsonette weddings and perform the fight song at the reception. The groom knew of this tradition and planned his rivalry surprise. The groomsmen were in the band at Auburn with the groom, so while the girls were twirling, they snuck to the balcony and got their instruments. They played the Auburn fight song and “Glory to Ole Auburn” on the second floor balcony. I was so surprised, and the video went viral on the internet. It has over a million views, and was picked up by BuzzFeed, CBS Sports, and several news stations!
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? Nick is headed to graduate school at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance to obtain his Masters in Conducting. We are looking forward to beginning our lives in a totally different place than where we grew up and were raised. The climate is quite different, too!
Don’t miss the viral video of their rival college traditions below!
Tell us all about the proposal! Nick proposed on the stage at Theatre Tuscaloosa’s production of Hairspray, in which I was a part of the cast. Before the show, Theatre Tuscaloosa’s Executive Producer told the cast to stay on stage after the show for a presentation given by the president of Shelton State. Instead of the president coming onstage, it was Nick! He told the story of how we met and then got down on one knee. I was completely surprised and so happy! Nick had also invited both sides of our family to witness the special moment.
When did y’all get married? June 6, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 250
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My mother-in-law let me borrow her pearl bracelet. My mother passed away in January 2012, so for my something blue, my sister took one of my mom’s blue shirts, cut it into the shape of a heart, and had my mom’s handwriting etched onto the fabric. It said “Love you Bunches, Mom” and was taken from a letter my mom had written me in high school. It was stitched inside my dress over my heart. My garter was made out of fabric from my mom’s wedding dress, which was also my grandmother’s wedding dress. My something new was my dress!
Photographer: LeaNicole Photography / Ceremony Venue: Asbury United Methodist Church / Reception Venue: The Historic Rucker Place / Florist: LSL Event Design / Cake Baker: Dreamcakes Bakery / Caterer: Richard Bishop of Savoie Catering / DJ: Patrick Johnson / Bride’s Gown: “D1448” by Essense of Australia / Bridal Salon: Diane’s Formal Affair / Bride’s Accessories: Justin Alexander / Hair and Makeup: Jessica Lavender Tinsley / Bride’s Shoes: Naughty Monkey / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “778” by Bill Levkoff / Junior Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “53702” by Bill Levkoff / Menswear: Jos. A. Bank / Bow Ties and Socks: The Tie Bar
Every year on our anniversary at 5:00 (the time of our ceremony), we have a bottle of champagne and view our wedding. It is a wonderful way to start our anniversary celebration and relive that special day. As we’ve been married 27 years, we also get to see friends and family no longer with us. We haven’t looked at our pictures in years, but the video gets an annual showing.
What an amazing tradition, Alice! I love that!!
Well, obviously as a cinematographer, I am slightly biased. :) But YES!! We tell sweet couples all the time, PLEASE hire someone talented to capture your wedding – you don’t want just a video of your day, you want a film handcrafted with love and the long-term in mind!! We want our brides and grooms to be cuddling up on the couch and pressing play twenty, thirty, sixty years from now!! The greatest gift we could give to anyone making such an incredible commitment of love and determination is a gorgeous, love-filled film that truly captures the joy they shared while making it. :)
Although we did not originally budget for a videographer, we ended up hiring one for our upcoming wedding in October and I am so happy that we did. We actually really lucked out with ours, he was a friend of my sister’s from college and he ended up introducing us to our photographer. They are both so wonderful and they work together often so we knew it would be a great fit for everyone. When I talk with my married friends, the majority of them say that if they could go back and change one thing they would have hired a videographer to capture their day. I love that we will have a video to look back on to remember what a special day we shared with all the ones we love most!
Great article Emily, I honestly wish I would have read the GoPro comment three months earlier for our wedding!
I was the same as you, I only wanted a certain level of professionalism and unfortunately it was thousands of dollars over what we could budget. I sadly had to see a videographer as a add-on after we booked a wildly talented (and expensive) photographer.
But you know I would rather have amazing photographs with no video than average photographs with an average video.
One bonus to other brides who had to make this cut and were sad about it. Not having videographers & technology all around on my special day helped lessen my stress. If I was being filmed the whole time, I would have had extra pressure to make every moment camera-worthy.
We did not hire a videographer because it was not in our budget & I wanted to invest in a great photographer (which we did & were so happy with!) While I don’t regret not having a videographer to capture the entire day, I do regret not having someone at least record our ceremony. My advice if you are not hiring a videographer is at least having someone record the ceremony. Most likely a friend or acquaintance could do this or if you need to hire someone I aniticipate it wouldn’t be a huge expense.
Our wedding budget did not have room for my dream videographer, so we decided to skip it completely. Then, about a month beforehand, on a whim I asked a talented and creative friend to take some video for us, not expecting much at all. He did an incredible job, went above and beyond, and the video is something my husband and I truly cherish. It’s not what I thought I wanted, but it’s perfect for so many reasons! We especially enjoy having the footage since the photos from our dream photographer came up a little short of expectations. My advice? Don’t be afraid to get creative or ask a friend for help when the budget comes up short. You never know – you could love the end result!