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A New Chapter

by in In The Office on

Friends,

Southern Weddings is deeply important to us and has been an integral part of our lives—and yours—for many years.

It is with bittersweet expectation that we share that the tenth-anniversary issue of Southern Weddings is the final issue for our team. Before we share our story of why, we want you to know that the Southern Weddings site will soon transition to a robust archive, giving you and future brides access to the timeless content we’ve worked so hard to create over the last decade together.

While we are confident that this is the right choice for us, it is one we have wrestled with for over a year. To close a chapter on something that has meant so much to so many people (and most poignantly, to our team) isn’t easy.

Although we feel that we have completed the work that we have been given to do with Southern Weddings, our hearts for cultivating relationships and for living meaningful lives is as strong as it ever was.

We feel we’re better able to do that through our sister brand, Cultivate What Matters. Some of you may already be familiar with CWM; for others of you, it may be a whole new world to explore. You can read more about why we made this decision and what’s ahead for us on my blog. You can also read a few FAQs about our transition here.

We are so grateful for the work we’ve done with Southern Weddings. It has been one of the greatest joys of our lives to come alongside you all, delighting in your engagements, helping you find meaning in your weddings, and encouraging you in your marriages. We have been able to champion and work alongside some of the most incredible, big-hearted vendors you could ever imagine. We have learned and grown SO much, as individuals, and as a team. We have loved it all.

Though we are turning a page in the Southern Weddings story, we believe our greatest impact is before us. We’re not done encouraging meaningful relationships. We’re not done living with intention. We’re not done cheering you on and celebrating alongside you. We’re not done with each other, either (the team’s all still here!). In all of these things, we are just getting started.

We will always be grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. For many of us, working on this magazine was a dream come true and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Thank you for supporting us, inspiring us, and caring about the things we care so very much about.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Lara, Kristin, Emily, Marissa, Jess, Kaylee, and Casey

Photo by Ryan Ray with styling by Stefanie Miles

lara Written with love by Lara Casey
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    […] we made a very big announcement at Southern Weddings: that the tenth-anniversary issue will be the last for our team. Among many […]

Bride Lacie shares her colorful and joy-filled Texas wedding!

There is so much to love about today’s wedding. Despite having what is objectively a gorgeous celebration (those colors! that bouquet!), what truly shines in the photographs is Lacie and Stewart’s joy — so appropriate, then, that her advice to future brides is this:

“Your wedding will be beautiful no matter what. Your guests all love you, and they won’t be able to recall what flowers went in what vase — all they remember is how beautiful and happy you two looked, and how much fun they had. We live in a such a picture-perfect, social media/Pinterest-driven world, it makes us think we have to have all of these little things to make the perfect wedding, which isn’t the slightest bit true. And don’t ever lose focus of your relationship: planning a wedding isn’t more important than your relationship with your future husband. Your wedding is one day, but your marriage is forever!”

Too good to not include in full. Whether you’ve heard those words before or not, friends, I hope you let them sink in today!

Many thanks to Hannah Mayson for sending along these photos – especially the magical ones of Lacie and Stewart’s surprise confetti recessional!

The wedding invitations were definitely one of the hardest parts of planning. I’m a graphic designer, and have designed and letterpressed tons of wedding invitations. Choosing colors and style for myself was so difficult since I have such love for so many styles and colors! I can’t even pick a favorite color! I also hand drew the borders of each card insert and hand-letterpressed my invitations myself, so it was so much more personal to me.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. We met through mutual friends in a small West Texas town and dated long distance for four years.
Tell us all about the proposal! He proposed with his great grandmother’s wedding ring before dinner. I thought he was going to ask if his shirt looked okay, and when I turned the corner he was on one knee! I did not see it coming (but I love surprises!)!
When did y’all get married? November 11, 2017
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 220

My mom actually found my dress during a Reem Acra trunk show and sent me a picture. We quickly made an appointment, and after trying on a few dresses, everyone agreed it was the “one.”

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Before we were engaged, we spent Thanksgiving at my family’s ranch outside of Marfa, TX, and on our way home we both talked about how we loved the mountains and the feel of West Texas. When we got engaged, my stepdad was the one to suggest Lajitas. We visited the next week and fell in absolute love with the whole place!

What were some of the most meaningful or special parts of your ceremony? My uncle, whom I am very close with, is a pastor, so we knew we wanted him to do the ceremony. I trusted him completely and let him choose what he wanted to say. After our kiss and official announcement, we turned to our family and friends and all of a sudden confetti started raining down on us! I am obsessed with confetti, and my mom had secretly planned on handing out confetti wands to our guests. I had no clue it was happening! The pictures speak for themselves when you see my and Stewart’s reactions!

What was Southern about your wedding? Well, we had amazing food that was pretty Southern: it included beef tenderloin, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and much more! We also had the entire wedding party sit at one large table and served our food family-style. Finally, we did a South Texas spin on a New Orleans second line tradition: the mariachi band that led our guests from the ceremony to our cocktail hour! It was also a nice moment to honor my grandfather who had passed away two weeks before my wedding, who loved nothing more than mariachi bands!

Lajitas is a very remote location, so our guests came and stayed the entire weekend. We really got to see and spend time with all of our guests, which was amazing! Both of our love languages is “quality time,” and thats exactly what we got on one of the most important days of our lives.

We went traditional with our ceremony music, but our first dance song was called “Dancing Shoes” by Green River Ordinance. They are a band out of Fort Worth, which is where I went to college, and the song perfectly describes us. Not to mention, Stewart is not a planner, so the line, “in a world that gets lost in making plans just be my woman, yeah, and I will be your man” nails it! It’s my favorite line in the song!

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? We chose a baker out of the city where I was living before marriage and close to where we both grew up. She makes the most delicious cakes — I didn’t care what we did as far as design, I just knew I wanted her cake! We served a bunch of small cakes and kept the design simple to make it easier to transport them from San Antonio to Lajitas. We also did a really fun groom’s cake with an oil rig, a Texas Tech golf bag, and a Spurs flag, because Stewart is a petroleum drilling engineer and a Spurs fan who graduated from Texas Tech!

Did you decide to do a first look? Yes, Stewart is usually not an emotional person, but when he proposed he cried — hard. I’m usually the crier, and I held it together because I had never seen that amount of emotion from him — it was a total surprise to both of us! We mutually agreed that it was best that we see each other first so he wasn’t as emotional in front of everyone. It was the best decision.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? The whole day was amazing, but standing as husband and wife for the first time and having confetti rain down on us as we walked down the aisle was magic – it felt like a dream. The confetti was so thick we could only see each other!
What advice would you give to someone currently planning a wedding? I tell any bride I come across not to sweat the small stuff. Your wedding will be beautiful no matter what. Your guests all love you, and they won’t be able to recall what flowers went in what vase — all they remember is how beautiful and happy you two looked, and how much fun they had. We live in a such a picture-perfect, social media/Pinterest-driven world, it makes us think we have to have all of these little things to make the perfect wedding, which isn’t the slightest bit true. And don’t ever lose focus of your relationship: planning a wedding isn’t more important than your relationship with your future husband. Your wedding is one day, but your marriage is forever!

Photographer: Hannah Mayson Photography | Videographer: Sight and Sound Films | Planner and florist: Viridian Design Studio | Venue and caterer: Lajitas Golf Resort | Desserts: Cakes by Cathy Young | Groom’s cake: The Exclusive Cake Shop | Band: Drywater Band | Paper products: Zella Press | Bride’s gown: “Dalma” by Reem Acra | Reception hair accessory: What Katy Did Next | Hair stylist and makeup artist: Angelica Zamora | Bride’s shoes: Valentino via Saks Fifth Avenue | Bridesmaid dresses: Dress the Population, Rachel Zoe, and Asos | Menswear: Tommy Hilfiger from Mens Wearhouse

emily Written with love by Emily
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Bride Annie’s tropical wedding at Sunkin Gardens.

Please meet today’s bride Annie! You’re not going believe me when I share how she and BK cut costs at their wedding… Annie made the centerpieces and her bridesmaids made their own bouquets! Y’all! After falling in love with the striking flower King Proteas, she knew she wanted to include them in her wedding, so she ordered the flowers from a wholesale distributor and got to work! Not only are the flowers absolutely gorgeous but by including her gals in the process the florals became an extra personal detail of their Florida wedding! Keep reading for more sweet details and fun memories from Annie!

Big SW hugs to Everence Photography for sharing!

What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? Wedding planning was a huge creative outlet for me. I loved taking an idea I had in my mind and finding a vendor who would make that idea a reality. It’s a cool feeling seeing your dreams come to fruition.

What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? I ordered flowers from a wholesale flower distributor and made my own centerpieces, and my bridesmaids made their own bouquets! It saved us a ton of money, and it made the decor and flowers more personal to me.

What were some of the most meaningful or special parts of your ceremony? We both agree that writing our own vows made the ceremony extra special. We both made promises, reminisced about our romantic beginnings, and even had some moments where we started laughing hysterically. I have to admit the funny parts were my favorite, because they put me at ease.

Did you decide to do a first look? We decided against a first look simply because we wanted to feel all the emotions when I was walking down the aisle. I’m happy with our decision; seeing Blake for the first time that day during our ceremony made it all the more special.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? I always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding. Sunken Gardens was the only place that felt magical to us. It was more than just a garden to me, it was like a little jungle nestled in the heart of historic St. Pete.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. My favorite songs from our wedding were our ceremony song and our wedding party entry song. I chose “Nuvole Biance” because it had a light, airy piano sound, and it was something I had never heard at anyone’s wedding. We chose “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson for our wedding party entry song, as inspired by the movie Center Stage. It always gets me dancing!

What was Southern about your wedding? The venue really brought in a ton of Southern charm. Nothing screams “South Florida” louder than flamingos and tropical foliage.

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? We had a two-tier buttercream cake, macarons, cake pops, and cupcakes! We wanted something for everyone. My personal favorite were the macarons.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. Two weirdos bond over memes and a love for tacos and fall happily ever after.
Tell us all about the proposal! I thought we were getting ready for a date night with his mom, who had invited us to see a play! After a romantic dinner, as we were looking out at the Lincoln Memorial from the rooftop of the Kennedy Center, Blake proposed. He said, “Did you really want to see that play tonight?” (drops down on one knee) “Because there is no play… will you marry me?” I said yes, and a secretly-hired photographer captured the entire moment. We spent the next thirty minutes taking sunset photos with the scenic backdrop of Washington, D.C. behind us.
When did y’all get married? May 6, 2018
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 64
What was your favorite detail from your wedding? I loved our flowers. I fell in love with King Proteas after seeing them in an arrangement, and knew we had to include them in our wedding!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? We both loved the ceremony so much. I half expected to be either nervous or maybe even bored, but the ceremony was fun and romantic.

Photographer: Everence Photography | Videographer: Lucky Lemon Films | Planner: Southern Glam Weddings | Venue: Sunken Gardens | Florist: 2 Birds Events | Dessert baker: Hands On Sweets | Caterer: Carraba’s | Rentals: Coast to Coast and Rent-All City | DJ: Grant Hemond | Paper products: Zazzle | Bride’s gown: BHLDN | Hair stylist: Anna from Style Hair and Makeup | Makeup artist: Lindsay Travis Artistry | Bridesmaid dresses: JJ’s House | Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse | Officiant: Scott Lortz of Weddings & Wellness

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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