April 2017 - Page 4 of 10 - Southern Weddings

Monthly Archives: April 2017

The Citadel Houston Wedding by Civic Photos

by Lisa in Real Southern Weddings on April 20, 2017

Some of the most memorable weddings we feature, in my opinion, are the ones that are undeniably Southern, but that also include traditions from other cultures. There’s truly no one way to have a Southern wedding, and the truer your details are to who you and your fiancé are as a couple, the better! For Dasola and Tomilade, that meant blending their Nigerian roots with their Texan venue. My favorite example of these two things coming together beautifully on their special day? The fashion! Dasola looked gorgeous in her lace-detailed Liancarlo, but the guests who wore traditional Nigerian dress looked pretty fabulous too!

Thank you so much to Civic Photos for sharing this beautiful day with us!

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Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Yes, we did. We decided to do this because we knew the day would go by really quickly, and we wanted one-on-one time, even if it was for a single moment. It was great!

Finding my dress was nothing like I expected. I tried on several dresses at some pretty amazing bridal boutiques, but nothing felt right. When I went to Ivory Atelier Bridal, I found several dresses I wanted to try. After trying on the first dress by Liancarlo, one of my favorite songs, “A Thousand Years” started playing on the radio. I started crying, and my cousin who came with me started crying too. I knew I had found the dress.

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What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? My husband didn’t have a lot of must-haves when it came to the wedding, but when it came to the venue, he wanted a venue no one we knew had used before. When we found out that the Citadel in Houston would be ready for operation in 2016, we knew it had to be the place.

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Our flowers represented all things I love about spring, even though our wedding was in summer. The flowers were all in bright, beautiful colors. We had pink roses and hydrangeas, white baby’s breath, lavender, and more!

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How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Tomilade and I met in 2013 when my older sister introduced us. After some time, we exchanged numbers. Our first phone conversation lasted over five hours and everything changed. Right from the start, I knew that this was the man I would marry.
Tell us all about the proposal! I moved to Nigeria from 2014 till summer 2016, so we had a long distance relationship with a lot of traveling involved. In August 2015, he let me in on the fact that he would be in Nigeria in September to surprise his mom for her 60th birthday. While in Nigeria, Tomilade told me he wanted us to go out on a dinner date. Of course, I knew I had to get dressed and maybe get my nails done. The thought crossed my mind that he might propose, but after I asked my older sister to help with my nails and she dismissed me, I thought, “If I was getting engaged this weekend, she would have definitely helped a sister out.” On the day of the date, he kept asking why I was so excited–I guess it was just the idea of having one-on-one time again, after what seemed to me like a long time. When we got to the restaurant, he was being extra peppy. He even asked the waiter for wine (he rarely drinks) and for him to take pictures of us. After dinner was dessert, which we decided would be at Hans and Rene, a new place I wanted to try. But first, we stopped to pick up my older sister from my uncle’s house. En route to Hans and Rene, Tomilade decided we had to take a route that would bring us over a picture-perfect bridge on Lagos Island that he had been meaning to drive through before leaving. On the bridge, he claimed the car’s tire felt weird and he had to check it out. To make matters worse, he then asked me to help him get something from the trunk. My first thought was “Dude, I am wearing heels,” but being the awesome partner I am, I had to go help. He popped the trunk of the car, and I saw a huge poster pop out with a sign saying “Omodasola Alatise, will you marry me? I love you sweet pea” and several pictures of us, from the very first day we met to our first date together at Le Colonel and even our last date before the proposal date. It was super amazing. He got down on one knee and before I could gather myself, I saw a car approaching with family and friends, music playing, and flashing lights (which I later realized was a photographer).
When did y’all get married? August 13, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 380
Did you write your own vows? No, we didn’t. We went the traditional route.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Our church offers premarital counseling, which was extremely helpful in planning for our marriage.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are looking forward to being a family, making our own traditions, and falling in love all over again.

Written with love by Lisa

1 Comment

Tags: citadel houston, civic photos

The UpperRoom Events April 20, 2017 reply

This is awesome! Thank you for the feature!

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!

The One-Stop Site for Planning Your Wedding

by Lisa in Sponsor Love on April 19, 2017

Honestly, how awesome is it to be a bride in 2017? From wedding websites to online RSVP tracking to universal registries, there are so many ways technology makes wedding planning easier (is it bad if I actually cringe when I think of our parents having to write down SKU numbers on clipboards when they created their registries? No thank you!). Even with all of the blessings technology provides for brides though, wedding planning is STILL stressful, so whenever we find out about something that can make your life a little easier or save you time, we want to shout it from the rooftops. After all, less time doing mundane planning tasks = more time for date nights and marriage prep with your fiancé, AKA, what matters most!

For years, we’ve been singing the praises of Zola‘s online registry system (our blogger bride, Jessica, even used it when she was engaged!). But now, having heard the concerns and worries of brides everywhere, they’re taking their beautiful interface and amazing customer service to a whole new level…Zola Weddings is now a one-stop site for planning your wedding!

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Your Zola Weddings dashboard includes planning checklists, your wedding website, guest list management, and your registry, all in one easy-to-use place. The organizer in me loves the idea of seeing something on a checklist, accomplishing it, and then checking it off, without even leaving the website! Your checklist is custom-created based on your wedding date and the traditions you may want to include in honor of your religion or heritage. Of course, you can also add, remove, and edit tasks to best suit your needs.

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Creating a wedding website is SO helpful for your guests (I’d go as far as to call it a gesture of Southern hospitality :)), and Zola Weddings makes it incredibly easy. Their templates are beautiful, the pages are customizable, and the entire thing is mobile-optimized.

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One of the handiest features of the all-new Zola Weddings is guest list management. Making the guest list is enough of a headache…managing it doesn’t need to be! In your guest list tab, you’ll be able to add guests and all their information (imported from your contact list, by requesting info via a private link, or by entering it manually), specify what the inner and outer envelopes of your invitation should say, and then mark an invitation sent or not sent. Guests can then RSVP through your wedding website. No more penciling numbers onto the back of reply cards in case someone doesn’t fill out their name!

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We have to talk about Zola’s claim to fame: their online registry! They were one of the first companies I ever heard of that allowed couples to add items to their registries from any online retailer, and their easy-to-use system and elegant (also mobile-friendly) interface makes them one of the best options out there. Along with the ability to add physical gifts from over 450 top brands to your registry, they also allow you to register for experiences (like cooking classes, spa visits, and more) and for cash funds for your honeymoon, a house down payment, etc. SO practical, useful, and convenient! I especially love the way this helps your guests understand what’s important to you as a couple, and gives them a glimpse of your hopes and dreams for your future together. To make things super easy on your guests, your registry is seamlessly integrated into your wedding website–people can shop directly from there.

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One last feature I’m so excited to tell you about: true to their reputation for amazing customer service, each couple who uses Zola Weddings will have access to a Zola advisor. This person will be able to answer any questions you may have as you use the system, and they’ll guide you through any part of the process you may need some help with.

Friend, we couldn’t be more excited about this new system for keeping all of your wedding planning ducks in a row–we hope you love it as much as we do!

This post is brought to you by Zola Weddings. Thank you for your support of the brands who make Southern Weddings possible!

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Written with love by Lisa

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Ten Tips for Working with Your Wedding Photographer

by Emily in Expert Advice on April 18, 2017

Y’all know we love us some wedding photography around these parts. We’re passionate about sharing beautiful images because we know that these photographs are the witness to the beginning of your life together, and that they will become some of the most treasured possessions you’ll ever own, something to be shared with your children and your grandchildren and their children. Y’all, that is something special!

You put so much time and thought into choosing the perfect photographer; it only makes sense that you’d want to have the best working relationship with him or her possible. Today, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite tips and suggestions to help you do just that.

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1. Consider an engagement session. A pre-wedding session will help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera (I know this was definitely true for my husband!). And, it will prepare your photographer for your wedding day by allowing her to see how you two interact, and get a feel for your best features.

2. Plan your morning carefully. I am a huge proponent of this tip. Choose a room with abundant natural light to get ready in. If possible, choose a room with neutral colors, and try to keep things neat and tidy throughout the morning. This will help your photos stay cohesive and clean-looking. If details are important to you, have everything you’d like photographed laid out and waiting for your photographer — a full invitation set, special jewelry, a vintage handkerchief, etc. See more of our wedding morning tips!

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Photo by Ryan Ray (planning by Jacin Fitzgerald) from Katie and Ryan’s wedding

3. Share your morning. This is a tip from our friend Caroline: “Specifically invite your closest loved ones to be with you when you’re getting ready for your wedding. And encourage them to get totally ready beforehand, because most people like photos of themselves more when they look their best. It could be your mom, dad, a special relative, or simply your closest friends, but I love the idea of intentionally making them feel special by sharing those moments with them.” This is a wonderful way to create an opportunity for those spontaneous, sweet, intimate moments to happen — the ones we want captured on our wedding day, but can’t really plan for.

4. Create a generous timeline. I spoke about this a bit here, but if photographs are important to you, build in as much time as possible for them. Generally speaking, the more time your photographer has with you, the better the photos she/he will be able to produce. If you’re not sure how much time you’ll need for portraits, check with your photographer.

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Photo by Amy Arrington (planning by Invision Events) from Sarah Beth and Matt’s wedding

5. Consider doing a first look. I completely respect those who want to see their significant other for the first time at the end of the aisle, but if you and your fiance are ambivalent, I’d definitely consider doing a first look. That way, you can take care of the majority, if not all, of the formal family groupings pre-ceremony, leaving extra time for bride and groom portraits or to attend cocktail hour post-ceremony.

6. Do not create a ridiculous shot list. Please, for the love of sweet tea, do not create a shot list with specific poses or moments. (You know the ones I’m talking about: they include things like “Dad whispering last minute advice to groom” and “bride’s parents whispering to each other during dinner.”) Remember why you hired your photographer, trust him, and give him room to let his creativity shine. Asking him to recreate something he or someone else has already done before will not give him the time or space to create something amazing for your special day. Instead, try showing your photographer some of your favorites from his portfolio, which will help him understand the work you’re attracted to.

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Photo by Sawyer Baird (planning by Jacin Fitzgerald) from With This Ring

7. DO create a formal shot list. On the other hand, it’s important to think carefully about the formal groupings that you’d like captured either pre- or post-ceremony. Try to keep the list to ten or fewer combinations (i.e. bride and groom with bride’s parents, bride and groom with all siblings) to avoid impatience and stress. When you give the list to your photographer, be sure to include names — this will help her direct the portrait session smoothly and kindly!

8. Communicate with the VIPs. Once you’ve got that great shot list, be sure to share it with all the people involved. Email them a copy in advance, print out more copies for the day of – whatever it takes! Make sure they know where to be, when to be there, and what they should be wearing so you’re not scrambling after everyone on the big day. Even still, it’s great to assign one (kind but firm!) member of the family to be the official wrangler – maybe an aunt or older cousin. That way, someone who knows each person by name is helping to round up the group, meaning neither you nor your photographer (who doesn’t know who anyone is anyway!) is scrambling.

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Photo by Ali Harper (planning by Blue Eyed Yonder) from Fine Feathered Fete

9. Plan for capturing the details. In addition to gorgeous portraits, many of y’all want your photographers to capture the details you’ve worked so hard on. This requires communication, too! If possible, work with your planner/venue/special helpers to set up the reception space as early as possible, so that your photographer can snap the details either pre-ceremony or during cocktail hour, before guests have entered the space and ideally while there’s still natural light outside.

10. Ask questions. Our last tip for working with your photographer? Ask them! “Is there anything I can do to help you do your job better?” Photographers, like all wedding vendors, try their hardest to be flexible, and they’ll do the best they can under whatever circumstances they find themselves in. But, if you do what you can to provide the optimal environment, they’ll probably produce their optimal results. And THAT is what we call a win-win :)

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Photo by Heather Hawkins (planning by Mayhar Designs) from Maegan and Jared’s wedding

What do you think, ladies? Anything you’d add to our list? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Jacin Fitzgerald, Amy Arrington, and Invision Events are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Emily

1 Comment

Irene A, Artistic Wedding Photography July 12, 2017 reply

Excellent advice, all. As a professional wedding photographer, I especially love that you say to ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you do your job better?” Thank you!