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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Confession: I have been secretly looking forward to writing this post for over a year! Maghon is a very dear friend of Southern Weddings (if you’ve tuned in to our launch party live stream over the last two years, you may recognize her!), and she and her beau, Chris, were married last May. After 20 years of love and friendship, they had plenty of memories to draw from for wedding inspiration, and as a result, their day was packed with meaningful details, plus plenty of Maghon’s cheery calligraphy–she’s the talent behind All She Wrote Notes, after all! As if that wasn’t enough to love about this colorful North Carolina celebration, Maghon and Chris also have a huge passion for their Southern roots, and adopted “Cheers, y’all!” as their official wedding day motto. Join me in raising a glass (or coffee cup!) to toast the Taylors, and enjoy this recap of their joyful day!

We’re so glad our Blue Ribbon Vendor Anna Paschal was on hand to capture every fun moment!

I knew in my head exactly what I wanted in a dress: I wanted to feel like myself. I am marrying a guy who has played basketball with me since first grade, so I wanted to walk down the aisle and have Chris see the girl he’s always known. I also LOVE fun jewelry and accessories, so I wanted a simple dress that didn’t compete and wasn’t too much. My friend (and wedding photographer) Anna suggested I try the J. Crew Warehouse in Virginia, and that same day, we hopped in the car and drove there! I found the EXACT dress I had in mind, and the best part is–y’all won’t even believe this–it was $73! I could have cried, I was so excited!

Describe your wedding flowers. Coral. Charm. Peonies. I wanted a big, beautiful, pink bouquet with peonies, and Kat with Dear Sweetheart Events absolutely nailed it. I knew I was going to give it away to Chris’ grandmother in honor of their 56 years of beautiful marriage later in the evening, so I wanted it to be extra special!

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did and it was my absolute favorite part of our whole day! I knew that Chris and I would both be pulled in different directions all day and I really wanted a moment that was just for us. We knew from the very beginning that we would do a first look, and our venue even had a porch swing for it! I walked around the corner to see my sweet man, and I don’t ever want to forget the way he looked at me. It was the most simple and comfortable moment, and all of our favorite photos are from those few minutes together. It gave me such a sense of peace and calm to have had that time with him before the ceremony, and I will always be grateful that we did it!

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? I can’t even pick just one. I truly loved everything, but my absolute favorite was our invitation envelopes. Molly at Ply took my crazy idea and made it happen and it was even more awesome than I could have even imagined. Chris and I exchanged notes every day when we were kids, and when I was moving a few years ago, I stumbled across the box where I had saved every single one he wrote me. He would draw this little heart at the bottom of each one with an arrow going through, and from the moment I found that note, I knew I wanted it to be incorporated into our wedding somehow. Molly took Chris’ original pencil drawing and turned it into an amazing envelope liner that also included a cute message to explain that Chris drew this for me when we were 10 years old. That note is my most prized possession, so it was absolutely the most meaningful detail to me.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We chose to stick with traditional vows, but with one little addition. Chris and I both admittedly have had a crush on each other since first grade and want to make sure we always do. We added the line “to have a crush on you always” to our vows, and that will forever be my favorite! That’s a promise I can’t even wait to keep.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My best friend from high school, Rachel, read 1 Corinthians 13. Rachel has been such an inspiration to me spiritually over the years and there isn’t anyone else I would have chosen to do that special reading.

Chris and I have known each other almost our entire lives, but we knew we still had a lot to learn. We met weekly with our amazing pastor, Josh Sands, and discussed a different marriage topic every week, from communication to budgeting, family, and everything in between. I was sad when those sessions were over because I loved them so much!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I think making our guests feel like family was the most important Southern tradition that we incorporated. Growing up, my family always held hands around the dinner table to pray, so I got on the mic and explained this tradition to our guests. Before dinner, all 150 of us held hands in a circle and prayed to bless the food and our marriage. My brother did this at his wedding too and I was proud to continue the tradition. We served Eastern and Western North Carolina BBQ with all the fixin’s, and a dessert table that made you feel like you were at a family picnic. Starting from our save the date, the theme of our wedding was “Cheers, Y’all!” and we incorporated that into our signage, coasters, koozies, napkins and anywhere else we could! That’s one of my favorite sayings and totally fits our personality as a couple.

My FAVORITE songs are the ones for our first dance. Part 1: Chris and I both fondly remember our very first middle school dance in sixth grade, when we danced (very awkwardly) to “All My Life” by K Ci and Jo Jo. Every time I’ve heard that song over the past 20 years, I always thought about Chris Taylor. When the music started, we decided to throw it back to middle school and have our arms WAY extended out like little kids do, to make everyone laugh. Part 2: The moment I knew I was going to marry Chris was when we were in the car on the way to watch a Carolina game and he played “Jump Around” by House of Pain. That is the “get hype” song for UNC and the song that they always play before a jump ball. We have gone to dozens of games ever since and I always grab his hand during that song and remember that first moment. So we knew that this would need to be part of our first dance too! We had planned with our DJ to cut out of “All My Life” and into “Jump Around,” but what Chris didn’t know was that I had an even bigger surprise planned (and the only secret I’ve ever kept). My friends at the General Alumni Association helped me invite the UNC mascot, Rameses, to the festivities, and he joined us during our first dance as a HUGE surprise to all of our guests, including the groom!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I have two. A few weeks before our wedding, we got some amazing advice from our friends who said that we should steal away for just a few minutes, step back, and just watch the party happen. Chris and I snuck away in a corner for a little while during our reception and just beamed at all of our family and friends. Love was so, so present at every moment for the entire day, but that’s the picture in my mind when I think back about all of it. My other favorite is that I couldn’t get Chris’ ring on his finger! They warn you that this may happen, but most brides would remain calm and just let the show go on. Not me. I waited almost 30 years for this! Chris gave me a look and said “go for it,” so I practically man handled his finger to get his ring on! We both died laughing and so did the crowd. Chris then looked at everyone and gave them a thumbs up! It was perfect.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Chris and I met in the first grade!! I had a crush on him for as long as I can remember, and he officially asked me to be his girlfriend when we were 10 years old. He was my first slow dance, first kiss, and first guy I ever said “I love you” to. We were boyfriend/girlfriend in sixth and seventh grade, but we weren’t quite ready for forever back then, so we remained friends through high school and college. We reconnected at our five-year high school reunion, exchanged numbers, and started hanging out. It wasn’t until a few years later that we finally went on our first date to play golf in our hometown and we’ve been PAR-TEE-ing ever since!
Tell us all about the proposal! Lots of important life moments for me, and my best memories as a child, have taken place in a porch swing, and our proposal was no different. When I purchased my first home, my daddy built a swing for my porch that is a replica of the one that was on my playhouse when I was a little girl. Every Sunday, Chris and I love to hang out on the porch, me in the swing and him in an heirloom rocking chair that came from my grandparents. We listen to music, catch up on our week, and just chat about life and love. This particular Sunday, we were enjoying our regular porch party when he walked towards me like he was walking in the house, but instead, he got down on one knee and asked me if I would make him the happiest guy ever and be Maghon Walker Taylor! I was SO excited that the first thing I blurted out was “Thank you” instead of yes!! It was so special, so laid back, and so us! Every weekend when I am out there now, swinging in the swing still gives me butterflies. The biggest surprise was that Chris had actually called and booked my dream wedding venue just a few weeks before he proposed, so not only did I have a brand new fiancé, we already had a date and the venue I had always wanted!
When did y’all get married? May 22, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our bridesmaids walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of “Carolina on my Mind” by James Taylor because Chris and I are both Tar Heel fanatics. I walked down the aisle to “A Thousand Years” by The Piano Guys, and chose it because even though we didn’t play the words, I love what they say. For our walk back down the aisle, I have waited on this one forever and always pictured our kiss and walk every time it came on the radio. It was “Gone Gone Gone” by Phillip Phillips. I LOVE every word and feel that Chris and I take turns living out those words for each other every day.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. If you ask Chris or myself what we are having for dessert, it’s almost always going to be banana pudding! We opted for a dessert bar instead of a traditional wedding cake and we asked each one of our moms and grandmothers to make our favorite desserts. They each have their own specialty and it was so much fun to see it all come together. We also had Carolina blue cotton candy from Sweet Puff Candy and Chapel Hill Toffee, which are some of my favorites from two sweet friends.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Chris and I paid for our wedding ourselves, so as much as that certainly was a challenge, we loved working together to have the day that was exactly what we wanted. The hardest part for me was choosing my bridesmaids. I have been blessed with SO many amazing girlfriends throughout my life and if I could have had every single woman there stand up at the front with me, I would have.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? I am a calligrapher, so I addressed our invitations, worked with an amazing stationer to put a handwritten touch on our invites, and created our signage, place cards, and decor. There was so much calligraphy that at one point, Chris was like, “May, we get it that you write cursive for a living! That’s probably enough!” :)
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We just welcomed a new golden doodle puppy, Mr. Teddy Confetti, to our household a few weeks ago and we are looking to move into a larger place. I’ve lived in our current home for four years and started running my business out of our home before Chris moved in. We are so blessed that All She Wrote Notes has continued to expand, but Chris is tired of finding confetti everywhere, so we need a little more space! I am excited to channel my inner Joanna Gaines and make a beautiful home for us wherever we’re supposed to be. God’s plans have been bigger (and far better) than our own throughout our whole journey to find each other, so we can’t even wait to see what He has in store. Right now, we are just enjoying the ride.

Photographer: Anna Paschal Photography | Videographer: Dansby Productions | Planner and Florist: Dear Sweetheart Events | Venue: The Gardens at Gray Gables | Caterer: Prissy Polly’s BBQ | DJ: Mike Marshall of Triad DJ and Events | Guest Appearance: Rameses the UNC Mascot and UNC Pom Pons | Paper Products: Ply Fine Paper | Bride’s Gown: “Miranda” by J. Crew | Bride’s Jewelry: Moon and Lola | Birdcage Veil: David’s Bridal | Hair and Makeup: Jourdan Gallman | Bride’s Shoes: Fan Feet | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, Red Dress Boutique | Groom’s Attire: Banana Republic, Saks 5th Avenue, Nike | Groomsmen Attire: Express | Calligraphy, Cake Topper, Signage, and Decor: All She Wrote Notes | Cotton Candy: Sweet Puff Candy | Toffee: Chapel Hill Toffee | Tassel Garlands: Studio Mucci | Ring Bearer Bow Ties: Little Brotique

lisa Written with love by Lisa
4 Comments
  1. avatar Skylar Caitlin reply

    How fun and absolutely adorable is this bride?!? I love the energy and joy that is conveyed through their design choices as well as through Anna Paschal’s images. And those par-tee escort cards, genius! Dear Sweetheart Events really hit this one out of the park (oops, incidental sports pun)

  2. avatar Kristin reply

    Not even kidding. I laughed and cried my way through this whole interview. I love the details + joy + ALL the color!! Such a blessed Southern PAR-TEE indeed!!

  3. avatar Evangeline Smoot reply

    Did anyone notice the bridesmaids dresses? I like that these dresses were different for each body type. This complements the women in them and the color scheme for the dresses blended nicely with the bouquets and the groomsmen attire. Good choices for great ladies.

  4. avatar Vanessa Hodge reply

    This is really colorful and that too from everywhere. It’s always good to see something unique, interesting and different. Thanks for sharing!

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It has been a crazy year, y’all. With three new gals in our ranks (plus three new babies!) and so much changing in our business so quickly, we were all really anxious for our third annual team retreat. With half of our team working remotely, having time together to talk shop, get gussied up for team photos, and play a round of Celebrity in our PJs could not come fast enough.

Someone recently asked us on Instagram how we plan such great team retreats. Kristin and I like to think that when we get together to plan events, our brains mesh together in the perfect chemistry under which magic just explodes everywhere :)

Our team retreat looks like it’s full of photo shoots, cupcakes, activities, and laughs — and it is! But it’s also full of big conversation, hard decisions, and a lot of baring your heart. The magic of our team retreat comes from the women around the table.

We have two priorities when we gather for our team retreat every year: to make big decisions that affect the future of our company together, and to spend time in person so that our team is stronger than any obstacle we might face.

We’re not going to sugarcoat it, y’all — this time is hard work. Sometimes tears are shed, sometimes we disagree, and sometimes we walk away from a conversation with eye-opening revelations and no answers. But these are the conversations that bring us closer and make us better in business. These are the conversations we have in order for us all to feel represented, supported, and unified. We all have a huge stake in the work we do because we believe it in, and there is no traditional hierarchy where executive decisions are made. That means there are nine of us around the table fighting to do the best work possible. To us, that’s where the magic happens.

Since we love these women so much, and since team retreats are hard work, we like to surprise everyone with fun gifts and activities!

Each gal received a monogrammed luggage tag from Dixieland Monogram in the mail with a team retreat invitation and packing list (and a retreat playlist, which I do declare is awesome).

After arriving at the Carolina Inn, everyone received a personalized Kate Spade journal for all of their retreat notes, plus a monogrammed Kate Spade water tumbler. Swoozies supplied both of these sweet items, plus surprised us with retreat snacks!

Then, we broke up our work days with a hand-lettering class with All She Wrote Notes! We are the biggest fans of Maghon’s hand lettering classes, and she is the most hilarious Southern woman you’ll meet. We had a blast learning letter forms from her, and then (in true stylist fashion) taking a bunch of pictures of all of our favorite pieces.

We wrapped up the day with a delicious dinner at the Inn’s restaurant, Crossroads. This is my favorite part of our retreats. With no agenda to stick to, and the sweet tea pouring, we tend to talk the most candidly about our jobs, our brides, and how we want to improve every bit of the experience for y’all. (If you follow swmag on SnapChat, you know this is also the time when we bust out our piano ballads.) Then, it was back to our hotel rooms for game night and more SnapChat shenanigans in our soft new Lake Pajamas :)

On the last day of our retreat, we dug even further into action steps, but not before gifting everyone a Southern pineapple print from Thimblepress and a round of Southern Weddings Office Jeopardy!

We broke up the day with BLT lunches at a favorite local spot called Merritt’s, followed by a cupcake decorating class with Randi of Sugar Euphoria. I wasn’t exactly a natural at cupcake decorating like Kristin and Amber are, but the good part is that you get to eat your mistakes and start over!

Finally, we said goodbye to our remote gals who were flying back home early the next morning, and sent everyone off with SW team tanks! Can y’all believe we’ve never had team tees? Ashley at Miller Monograms combined SW’s two favorite things (seersucker and and monograms) to make these tanks for us. Kristin says she feels like a superhero with the SW emblem on her back!

We’re excited for y’all to see the fruits of our time together — things like deciding on more storytelling, more conversation with you, more in-person time with you, and more content that will help you plan meaningful married lives.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
6 Comments
  1. avatar Lisa Hays reply

    Sounds like a great way to do business and have some fun. I love your website and am dreaming about being mother of the bride and of the groom in the not too distant future. When that happens, I will lead those kids of mine straight to you!

  2. avatar Kyla Fetzner reply

    It looks like y’all had a wonderful time with lots of southern goodness and meaningful activities sprinkled in! :)

  3. avatar Skylar Caitlin reply

    Y’all are seriously team retreat goals!! What kind of structure for your discussion works best in creating a productive retreat?

    • avatar Nicole reply

      That’s so sweet, Skylar! We usually have a list of questions we want answered or decisions that we want to be made. Otherwise, it’s a really open conversation, with a bit of moderation to make sure we’re staying on topic and on time :)

  4. avatar Kristin reply

    This makes my heart soar! So much good + hard work (and a lot of laughs) packed into those three days!!!

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You know the saying, “If it stops moving, monogram it”? It’s safe to say that we Southern girls like to monogram everything, and one of the biggest days of our lives is certainly no exception! Historically, monograms were used to show ownership or status, but now, they’ve become so much more–they’ve become a sentimental way to personalize your wedding details so they can be passed down or displayed in your newlywed home. Whether walking down the aisle is the last time you’ll wear your maiden initials, or your first meal as husband and wife is on china with your initials cozied up next to your new husband’s, a monogram makes everything that much more special!

Today, we’ve rounded up ten of our best ideas for incorporating your monogram into your wedding details. Enjoy!

A gorgeous monogrammed veil (Photo by Katelyn James from Dave and Sara’s wedding)

A monogram for your going-away car (or golf cart!). Photo by Rachel Red from Sarah and Adam’s wedding.

Monogrammed dinner plates from Sasha Nicholas for your sweetheart table and newlywed life (Photo by A.J. Dunlap. See the whole pink tablescape!)

A watercolor monogram sign to welcome guests or point them in the right direction (Photo by Dixie Pixel from Matthew and Jessica’s wedding)

Monogram bouquet wrap in turquoise (Photo by Dana Cubbage from Katie and David’s wedding)

Monogrammed ghost chairs for a rooftop wedding ceremony (Photo by Our Labor of Love from Abby and Matt’s wedding)

Floral monogram (and a beautiful bouquet!) (Photos by Mint Photography from Laura and Grayson’s wedding)

Monogrammed clutches for the bride and her bridesmaids (Photo by Robyn Van Dyke from Tori and Will’s wedding)

Monogrammed crest table runner for the head table (Photo by A Bryan Photo from Southern Weddings V4)

Monogrammed mason jars (Photo by Dear Wesleyann from Ashley and Steve’s wedding)

marissa Written with love by Marissa
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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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