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Y’all, as I was reading through Abigail and Ben’s interview, I kept nodding my head and thinking “Yes! That’s it right there!” Everything about their wedding day was filled with intention and joy, from their venue choice (inspired by Abigail’s upbringing on a plantation surrounded by oak trees) to their advice for couples currently planning a wedding. They not only prepared for their wedding day, but prepared their hearts well for their marriage–Abigail said, “We wanted to be intentional with every detail, giving it great meaning to who we are together, but also who we are in Jesus.” From the looks of it, I’m sure guests would agree that they did an brilliant job!

Gracious, we’re thankful Callie Davis of Nancy Ray Photography was on hand to capture their sweet day!

Believe it or not, my dress was the first dress I ever tried on. I wasn’t certain what style I wanted, but I knew I wanted my dress to be timeless and elegant. I met my mom and grandmother in Raleigh to begin our search. At our first appointment, at Lana Addison Bridal in Cary, I showed the consultant a few different pictures of what I thought I may like. She brought me four different dresses. I tried the first dress on and could not stop smiling and twirling around. I looked at my mom and grandmother and said, “I think this is it.” They encouraged me to try the others on just to be sure. I tried them all, but didn’t feel like they were me. I tried on the first dress again and still loved it, but I began to second guess myself and ended up going to our second appointment. I tried on three other beautiful dresses there and got a bit overwhelmed. We decided to call it a day, and as soon as we walked out of the store, I looked at my mom and said, “We have to go back to Lana Addison, it has my dress.” I fell in love with it all over again–from the high neck line, to the combination of the soft lace and tulle, to the beaded waistline, it was perfect. I made the decision that I was only going to let my mom and grandmother see my dress. It made finding my dress and sharing that experience with two of the most special women in my life even sweeter, and I didn’t want to be swayed by the opinions of others. I wanted the first time my family, closest friends, and guests would see my dress to be when I was walking down the aisle to my groom.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Ben and I decided not to do a first look. We both wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I was walking down the aisle to marry him. We did, however, find a time before the ceremony to grab hands and pray with one another.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had one of our closest friends read 1 John 4:18-19. We chose this verse because it centered the entire day around Christ and we believe that without Christ loving us first, we would not be able to love one another. Another verse that is very important to us, Philippians 1:9-10, was on our dinner cards. We asked that our guest pray this verse over us and with us as we entered into marriage together.

We both liked the traditional vows, but also wanted to make them more personal and meaningful to us. We promised the same things to each other: “In the presence of God and according to his will I, Ben, take you, Abigail, to be my wife. I promise to love you, I promise to serve you, I promise to cherish you, as a testament to Jesus and his death on the cross, I give you my love.” We also wanted to affirm together the vows of having a Christian home. We were given this idea by our pastor and we loved it. “Depending upon God for strength and wisdom, do you both solemnly pledge yourselves to the establishment of a Christian home? Will you together, constantly seek God’s will and honor Christ in your marriage?”

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? I knew I wanted to be married in my hometown, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and I knew I wanted it outside. I grew up on a plantation that is surrounded by the most beautiful oak trees and I always envisioned them in my wedding someday. When I told Darlene (a dear friend and my wedding planner) what I had envisioned for my day, she said she knew just the place, and told me about the Rose Hill Mansion. I looked it up and fell in love immediately. It had the oak trees with the beautiful hanging moss, enough space to create what we wanted from scratch, and we could have the reception there. I knew it was where I wanted to marry Ben and I booked it without even having seen it myself in person.

Our venue has a rich Southern history. It is an old cotton plantation and the mansion on the property has many antique artifacts to peruse inside. You can actually tour the mansion with the onsite staff and learn a lot about the history of the property and the people that lived there. It is an incredibly unique spot.

What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Flowers and decorations for sure! Jana Qualey and Bridget Short, who are dear friends to me, have their own side business called Little Vase Events, and let me tell you, they are the best of the best! We repurposed bridesmaids flowers and went out and collected all the oyster shells that we used on the tables. Our gold and white stripped napkins were made by Bridget and Jana themselves!

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Keep things in perspective. Your wedding is one day, your marriage is for the rest of your life. When you get overwhelmed, step away and do something fun. Don’t lose your joy in what is such a sweet time of your life, or your sight on what is most important. I started journaling during our engagement, writing down my thoughts and feelings, memories, and all the reasons I love Ben and wanted to marry him. I gave it to him the week of our wedding and I love looking back at it and reliving those days and seeing him read those pages for the first time.

Don’t miss Abigail and Ben’s wedding film by Heart Stone Films below!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Ben would joke and say it was somewhat of an arranged marriage. Our brothers and Ben’s younger sister, who is also my best friend, had been trying to get the two of us together for years. Although I knew Ben’s whole family, it wasn’t until our sophomore year of college that we met for the first time at a mutual friend’s wedding. We crossed paths again a year later at Ben’s older brother Will’s wedding. This was the night Ben asked me to dance. I tease him now because he never called me after that night! Last year, I got a call from my friend to come visit with her in Greenville for a long weekend. I was living on Hilton Head Island at the time and I jumped at the chance to go and see her. I was unaware that only a few weeks before, Ben had moved to Greenville. I spent the whole weekend with them, and finally, Ben asked me out. When I had to head back home, Ben asked if he could still pursue me. I said yes, and we continued to talk and get to know each other. Soon after, I got a job in Greenville and made the move. Ben and I continued to grow closer to each other and the Lord, and now the rest is history.
Tell us all about the proposal! My family has a house in the outer banks of North Carolina that has been in our family since before I was born, and it is one of my favorite places. My family typically goes there over the 4th of July, so this time was no different, except Ben would be there. Every morning I woke up while we were there, I had a letter slipped under my door. I didn’t think much of this, only because of how thoughtful Ben always is. On July 4th, Ben asked if I would take a walk out to the dock with him. We sat down at the end and talked for awhile. When we got up, Ben grabbed both my hands with the biggest smile. I knew what was happening and said to him, “Is this really it?!” After saying many sweet words, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And I said YES! As soon as he was up and we were hugging, my brother ran down the dock with his phone (he was FaceTiming with Ben’s brother and his wife) to celebrate with us. My sister-in-law was snapping pictures and the rest of my family, who had been watching from the house, came out to hug us. Ben planned breakfast for dinner that night, my favorite. We made our way back to Greenville the next day and Ben told me there was one more surprise. When we got back home, we went to his brother’s house, where all our closest friends and family were waiting to celebrate with us!
When did y’all get married? November 14, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 175
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Ben and I decided soon into our engagement that we wanted to prepare more for our marriage than our wedding. The most important thing for us while planning our wedding was to create a beautiful and meaningful event that glorified the Lord and reflected who we are. We wanted to be intentional with every detail, giving it great meaning to who we are together, but also who we are in Jesus.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? My day would not have been the same without Callie Davis with Nancy Ray Photography. I can not sing their praises enough. Having Callie and Olivia there to capture our day honestly added even more joy to an incredibly joyful day. They took the time through the whole process to pour into me and make sure that everything was perfect and ready to go for my wedding day. I gained two sweet friendships.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? Well, we’re getting a puppy in two months and can’t wait to have a furry friend in our family. We look forward to lots of adventures, learning new things about each other, and just getting to do life with each other. Ultimately, having children and raising them together excites us the most about our future. We aren’t ready yet, but our biggest dreams usually involve a house full of children.

Photographer: Callie Davis of Nancy Ray Photography | Videographer: Heart Stone Films | Planner: Darlene Cranston | Venue: Rose Hill Mansion | Florist: Little Vase Events | Cake Baker: Ronnie’s Bakery & Cakes by Lou | Caterer: Downtown Catering Company | Rentals and Lighting: Amazing Event Rentals | DJ: Will Krause | Paper Products: Swoozies | Bride’s Gown: Theia | Bride’s Accessories: The Poinsett Bride | Hair Stylist: Amber White at Kaleidoscope Salon | Makeup Artist: Bride’s Side Beauty | Bride’s Shoes: Sam Edelman | Menswear: Jos A. Bank

Nancy Ray Photography is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
3 Comments
  1. avatar kelly reply

    Oh I just love the Nancy Ray team’s work! Such a beautiful wedding with the hanging moss, that gown, and the meaning behind it all.

  2. avatar Rose Hill Plantation Wedding – Southern Weddings Magazine – reply

    […] and Ben’s Rose Hill Plantation Wedding is featured on Southern Weddings Magazine! Yay!!! Alex was the lead filmmaker and editor for this gorgeous wedding and we are so excited for […]

  3. avatar 2016 Online Features Part 1 | Nancy Ray Photography reply

    […] and Ben’s Rose Hill Mansion Wedding Featured on Southern Weddings Photographer: Callie […]

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Hi belles! Our friend and former Southern Weddings intern Jessica Clinch is the newest gal to take you through her wedding process here on the blog! Jessica has been blogging for us once a month during her engagement and we couldn’t be more excited to send her into married life with lots of love! In case you missed her introductory post, be sure to check it out here! — Lisa

Y’all, our wedding is this Saturday! Zack and I are so incredibly excited that it is officially our wedding week! We thought it would be fun for our last blog post of our wedding planning series to be a reflection of what we are most looking forward to about our wedding day.

The element of our wedding day that the two of us are both most excited about is seeing all of our friends and family in one place for the first time. Some of our friends have met, and some of our family members have met, but we have never had our entire group of loved ones in one room! We cannot wait to be surrounded by the people who have made our lives so special and full of wonderful memories, and are looking forward to making even more memories with them this weekend. While our wedding day is about our union and the beginning of our family together, to us, it is also a celebration among loved ones! That is what has been the most important to us during our entire planning process.

One of the things I am personally looking forward to is seeing our wedding design elements come together at our venue. I know that when I see all of our design details, from the artwork I am creating to the fun surprise details we can’t wait to show our guests, to our flowers, and more, I am simply going to be blown away by seeing it all come together!

I am also so incredibly excited about our first look! This will be one of the only moments we have alone together, and I know it will be one that will be etched into our minds and hearts for years. I am not a happy crier, but I have a feeling that seeing Zack for the first time on our wedding day is going to bring a few tears to my eyes! It is also going to help us to both calm any nerves we have, and get us really excited for what is to come the rest of the day and evening!

Lastly, we cannot wait to let loose at the end of the night and dance at our reception! Whenever anyone asks us what our wedding is going to be like, we both say that we really want it to be fun! Dancing and singing along to our favorite songs with friends and family is going to be the epitome of fun, in our opinion.

There are a million other things I can think of that I am excited about for our wedding day, like getting pampered in the morning with my bridal party, our ceremony (of course!), my father-daughter dance, and more. As we lead up to Saturday, the two of us have let go of any of our nerves and jitters, and are simply looking forward to what is to come this weekend! We hope that any other brides and grooms getting married this weekend feel the same way!

Friends, I’d love to know: what were you or are you most looking forward to on your wedding day? If you had once piece of advice to share with us during our wedding week, what would it be? We are always so thankful for your love and advice!

See more of Jessica and Zack’s engagement session by Perry Vaile here! You can also find all of Jessica’s past posts below:

The Proposal
Choosing a Wedding Planner
Choosing a Wedding Photographer
Shopping for a Gown
Knoxville Wedding Venues
Attire and Colors
The Registry
The Details
The Cake
The Flowers
Bridal Style

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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Gift giving is one of my love languages, so I’m always on the lookout for sources of unique, meaningful items. That’s why I was so excited to peruse Bourbon and Boots for today’s post–it’s a new-to-me online store that is chock full of memorable goodies that are perfect for Southern brides especially! After being showered in gifts throughout your engagement, your wedding day is a special opportunity to turn the tables and choose tokens of gratitude for some of your dearest loved ones. From your bridesmaids to your daddy, here are a few of our favorite Bourbon and Boots picks–I love how unique these items are, and am confident your favorite folks will too!

Clockwise from top left: Y’all canvas tote, walnut wood watch with leather strap, Raised on Sweet Ice Tea soy candle, watercolor state print, mint julep copper cups, Due South necklace

Clockwise from top left: moonshine cologne, bourbon barrel sunglasses, horn shot glasses, Steampunk wooden watch, tailgate shave kit, bourbon barrel cuff links

Clockwise from top left: handcrafted wine barrel frame, Cross and Heart Faith necklace, handcrafted fleur de lis pewter wine stopper, bullet bangle, cotton boll candle, wine barrel ring scripted Love sign

Clockwise from top left: reclaimed whiskey barrel top drawer valet, equestrian distressed leather round glass decanter, state quarter cuff links, college town rocks glass set, antique copper deer hunter pen, grooming kit

Which of these products is your favorite? I think I may need to pick up one of those cute cotton boll candles for someone!

This post is brought to you by Bourbon and Boots – thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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