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Monthly Archives: November 2016

After a dreary winter, we were craving all things bright, which may or may not have led to our sunniest V9 editorial falling first on the calendar this year! While not everywhere in the South is photoshoot-ready by March, St. Augustine, Florida certainly was, and I couldn’t have been happier to hop on the plane to meet up with our team at Casa Monica Hotel. For this shoot, we loved the idea of a couple who had relocated to the Sunshine State together inviting their family and friends to their new home for their wedding–something I think many couples nowadays take advantage of doing (my husband and I included!). The locale, therefore, was an automatic source of inspiration, and from the citrus and flamingo-inspired palette we used, to the tropical blooms Ashton Events arranged, to the graphic, art deco patterns that popped up throughout, I think we did Florida pretty proud.

We’re so grateful to our longtime friend and Blue Ribbon Vendor Justin DeMutiis for capturing all the fun!

P.S. Spot any familiar faces in our beautiful bridal party? :)

Twinkle & Toast created the most beautiful and pop-y invitation suite to announce our colorful soiree. The die-cut invitation shape, inspired by Florida’s art deco pools, popped up several more times throughout the shoot.

Our bride’s bouquet, by Laura from Ashton Events, included Yves Piaget, Romantic Antique and Lemon Pompon garden roses; Coral Charm peonies; daffodil;, fritillaria; boronia; ranunculus; Mambo and Majolika spray roses; salal; fern; and gardenia.

Working with ghost chairs at your ceremony? Order vinyl cling-on names to mark reserved seating for loved ones.

It’s safe to say our whole team is obsessed with this tablescape, from the matte black chairs to the banded linen, colorful flowers, and poolside locale! Ashton Events, Wish Vintage Rentals, Luxe Party Rentals, and Kate Ryan Linens knocked it out of the park!

For so much more from this issue, pick up your copy on newsstands around the South or in the Southern Weddings Shop right now!

Planner, stylist, and florals: Ashton Events | Photographer: Justin DeMutiis | Film processing: Richard Photo Lab | Ceremony venue: St. Augustine Lightner Museum Garden Courtyard | Reception venue and catering: Casa Monica Hotel | Hair and makeup: Amanda Hopcraft | Cakes and desserts: The Pastry Studio | Popsicles: Hyppo Popsicles | Paper goods: Twinkle and Toast | Linens and rentals: Kate Ryan Linens | Rentals: Wish Vintage Rentals | Chargers: Luxe Party Rentals | Bride’s gown: Kate Spade New York | Bride’s veil: Yuri C. Wedding Shoppe | Bridesmaid dresses: Ralph Lauren | Menswear: The Black Tux | Bow ties: Rock Avenue

Ashton Events and Justin DeMutiis are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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Every year, we do our best to fill our annual print edition with advice and tips that will help you not only plan your wedding, but also (more importantly), help you and your fiancé prepare for marriage. We ask every couple we feature how they go about preparing for life after the big day, and were so happy to include many of their answers in V8. Please enjoy their words of wisdom every Sunday here on Southern Weddings!

Rachel Moore

“Planning for our marriage was just as important, if not more, as planning for our wedding. We participated in a premarital course offered through a local church. This provided a place to talk about many things we had touched on previously, and allowed us to dive further into our values, goals, and hopes for marriage. We also made sure to have date night once a week to regroup on our life outside of wedding planning and make sure we were on the same page. This was essential in planting the seeds for a fruitful marriage.”
Hilari + Grant

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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Will y’all send all your good thoughts to the Winchester house next week, pretty please? We’re staying in Florida for Thanksgiving, and I’m attempting to make my grandmama’s famous Turkey Dressing for the first time all by myself. It’s KPW’s favorite, and he swears it’s not officially Thanksgiving without it. Spending the holidays away from your family can be a bittersweet part of getting married, and I remember having a bit of a meltdown as I approached our first married Christmas, knowing it meant my first Christmas Eve not with my parents and baby sister. Whether you’re celebrating with your new family or you’re riding out a holiday solo with your darling husband, I have a few ideas for how to make the holidays a bit brighter.

It’s good and healthy to embrace the traditions of your new family, and to remember that they are likely just as beloved to your significant other as your traditions are to you. But it can be fun to do a little blending. Talk with your husband early in the planning process about something you’d like to introduce his family to (ideally something that doesn’t clash with one of their established traditions). Maybe it’s a Thanksgiving dessert, or something that goes in every stocking year after year at your house. Letting your new loved ones in on of your special traditions is a great way to make your family feel close by, even if you’re apart.

Make it a point to spend a little one-on-one time with your new husband doing something that will be special just for the two of you. Perhaps you can go on a morning walk to get coffee before the hustle of Thanksgiving prep is in full swing? Or sneak away from the family and drive around to look at Christmas lights after supper. Kyle and I drag our Christmas stockings (from each other) upstairs and open them by ourselves at bedtime on Christmas night. The best part is that we can do this little tradition regardless of which family we are spending the holiday with!

I begged the rest of the married SW gals for a few tips based on their personal experiences, because, after getting married, we’ve all spent different holidays away from our families. I hope it gives you a bit of extra encouragement and perhaps a little inspiration for the upcoming holidays

Emily: Think outside the box. My family has come to hold the actual dates of holidays quite loosely, and to celebrate when we can be together. (It’s actually a bit of a joke in the SW office, as the girls see me taking “Christmas vacation” over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend!) Home truly is where the heart is, and we’ve found that Christmas is also when we are together. This allows us to travel to celebrate with both families, which is our highest priority, and to not go crazy rushing from one house to the next.

Amber: We love the opportunity to host our own holiday dinner (even if it was just the two of us!) featuring not only dishes or recipes we grew up on, but a few new ones to start our own traditions. Decorating for the holidays is something I enjoy immensely, and instead of being disappointed that my family wouldn’t be visiting and able to enjoy all the festivities, I scheduled a FaceTime date with them to do a little tour of our home including all the inside holiday decor and the outside Christmas lights! I even made hot chocolate and Christmas cookies for the occasion.

Marissa: With our families living in different states, my husband and I have yet to have the chance to celebrate a combined family holiday, so before we got married we decided to alternate years. Thanksgiving with one, Christmas with the other, then each year it switches. Though we have had to be a bit flexible, having a system in place has helped deter hurt feelings, on everyone’s part! However, no matter how loved you are by your in-laws, it’s never easy to be away from ‘home’ for the holidays. Making a point to FaceTime with my family has helped to ease missing them. And even having a rescheduled holiday before or after the actual day helps feel like I’m not missing out on anything.

Photos by Blue Ribbon Vendor Jen Dillender, from Christina and Blair’s home tour

Part of the fun of getting married is blending two families and two sets of holidays schedules and traditions together. Remember to give yourself a little grace as you work to figure things out. Do you have a great tip for how to spend the holidays away from your family? Please share below! 

kristin Written with love by Kristin
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  1. avatar Christina reply

    Oh my heart! I love seeing these photos, but I love even more the traditions my sweet Mr. BMF and I have now created and share for the holidays! That first Christmas away from my family was a doozy (to say the least), but I have grown to love our time with my family and his family during the holiday season! This year my mom is joining us in Houston with his family to celebrate! Happy Holidays ladies! xo

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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