Southern Weddings

Why yes, I do adore this Gatsby-inspired wedding from The Parsons, thank you very much!  (If you’re a regular here, you probably already knew that, though.)  But, seriously, classic black – make that white – tuxedoes with sharp bowties, a chic and sophisticated Palazzo gown, a bouquet of all-white roses courtesy of Rose Sinclair at the Sea Island Florist?  Kristen + Grant’s upscale black tie affair, held at the Sea Island Chapel, makes my traditional heart go pitter-patter.  Add in the fact that this beautiful couple tied the knot in the Southland (Georgia, to be precise) and you pretty much have my recipe for a perfect Southern wedding.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  A mutual friend, Thom, had been trying to set us up for months. He invited me to a happy hour and brought Grant, and we ended up flirting most of the night. Grant claims that he knew he wanted to marry me that night. (So sweet!)  Soon after we met, he asked me out for sushi. After dinner and a lot of sake, we literally shut down the restaurant. Grant was living in San Diego, but also had an office in Chicago where he worked a lot. After dating a couple of months, I somehow managed to convince him to move from the warm and sunny beaches of San Diego to Chicago in the middle of the winter.  Now that’s love!   He moved to Chicago, then we both moved to Denver, Colorado a year later and the rest is history!
Describe the proposal. It was Super Bowl Sunday and a powder day so we decided to forgo watching the game and head to nearby Breckenridge to ski. We both love to ski so I expected nothing out of the ordinary. Breckenridge boasts the highest lift in North America, which I’d been dying to tackle. Mid-day, Grant casually asked if I wanted to head up to the top. We jumped on the lift and, when we got to the top, I skied on, anxious to get down (I’m afraid of heights). When I turned around, Grant was on his knees on his snowboard about 20 feet away from me. He then started inching awkwardly toward me in the snow. I was cracking up! I had no idea what he was doing and was urging him to hurry up. When he finally got to me, he was exhausted but still able to say, “Will you marry me?” I was shocked, but absolutely thrilled!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Can I say four? Vintage, elegant, unforgettable and FUN!!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? The Cloister hotel in Sea Island, Georgia.  Grant’s family has a home in St. Simon’s, Georgia where we have been vacationing together since we started dating. It is one of our favorite places on Earth! We knew we wanted to get married there and the Cloister proved to be the perfect spot. We loved the glamour and rich history of the old hotel combined with the rustic marsh in its backyard. The Cloister was built in 1928 and has since become a legend in the South. We wanted to celebrate the Cloister’s history with a theme that romanticized old-Hollywood glamour the 30’s and 40’s. The Clubroom at The Cloister, where we had our reception, is absolutely stunning: a perfect backdrop with its breathtaking vintage chandeliers, old-school charm and antiqued mirrored panels.
What was your favorite design element of your big day?  The unbelievable vintage chandeliers in The Clubroom. I am just in love with them! The room was filled with candlelight that just looked amazing bouncing of the chandeliers. We wanted to bring the glamour and drama of the chandeliers into the outdoor areas of our wedding so we hung more chandeliers from the old oak trees on the terrace and in the garden. They were so amazing!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Instead of doing the traditional sendoff in a fancy car, we used a good family friend’s vintage restored CJ7.  Over time, it became a tradition of ours in St. Simon’s to take the jeep to watch the sunset on the marsh. We knew the jeep had to be part of the wedding!  And even though it rained the night of our wedding, my two brothers-in-law drove the Jeep home for us in their tuxes. They were soaked and loved every minute of it!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I was the girl that had to try on hundreds of dresses before I found “the one.” (I actually ended up buying two wedding dresses when it was all said and done.) I bought the first dress in Savannah, Georgia when I was on a wedding planning trip with my Mom and Aunt Nancy.  I was newly-engaged and overly excited, to say the least. I found a gorgeous Reem Acra dress and bought it on impulse. I think I got swept up in the idea of getting a dress that day even though I had not tried many dresses on. When I returned to Denver, I had the sinking feeling that I had made a mistake. After months of trying on dresses in multiple cities, I found the one! It was so sleek and glamorous, just like what I imagined a 40’s Hollywood starlet would wear.  I learned my lesson the hard way. Take your time ladies!! It’s the most important dress you will ever wear!