Southern Weddings

I’m living a bit vicariously through Mette + Joe today as I peruse the photos from their oceanfront ceremony and swanky reception at the exclusive Citadel Beach House in South Carolina, and have to admit the newlyweds’ fresh green and white color palette is making my winter day a little less glum.  Jade Water Designs masterminded the flowerless arrangements (bride’s request!) and Cakes by Kasarda provided the delectible three-tiered ribbon cake.  The couple’s clever decision to opt for a surf board in lieu of a traditional guest books has me thinking: what are some other fun alternatives to the customary guest book?  Tracy Turpen gave us so many images to choose from we still have one more image board to share with you!

What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  We wanted a laid back, fun atmosphere for our guests.  It was important to us to incorporate our love of the water and surf.  Having our ceremony on the beach was a great start.  The Citadel beach house offers views of the water and the relaxed feel of the reception lent itself well to our tropical theme.
What was your favorite design element of your big day? Instead of a normal guest book, we had our guests sign a surfboard.  My aunt wrote out our last name and wedding date on the board, and we encouraged our guests to embellish the board.  Unlike the traditional guest book that never sees the light of day after the wedding, we hung the surfboard above our fireplace, allowing us to enjoy the sentiments from our family and friends.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: We rented out three beach houses close to the wedding venue for a few days around the wedding.  Both of our families shared the houses.  It was great to have everyone all together and it gave us plenty of time to enjoy the company of our families.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I actually never tried on a single dress.  I had saved a picture of my “perfect” wedding dress when I was 14.  I took the picture to Brooke at Ship to Shore in Asheville, NC and she and I collaborated on the design of the dress. It was such a great experience helping design my dream dress.
Describe your wedding flowers: We went to the floral meeting with one request: no flowers.  It sounds odd, but we knew Thuy from Jade Water Designs could do it.  She did an amazing job creating a tropical yet modern feel.  In the end, she did use some flowers, but they were exactly what we needed.  She used horsetail reeds, monstera leaves, and pomanders of green button mums.  I opted to not have a traditional bouquet of flowers, so I carried my late-grandfather’s brass Bible instead.  The Bible was issued to soldiers as they went to war.  He kept the bible in his left breast pocket as a last bit of protection for his heart in battle.  We wrapped the bible with ribbon, and added white sweet peas and orchids.  With the bible, I carried a hanky that had been used as my christening bonnet.
Describe your wedding cake: it was a three-tiered square cake with different flavors for each tier.  We had carrot cake, almond cake with raspberry filling and red velvet cake.  We specifically did not want fondant so we chose Italian cream for the whole cake. I picked out the ribbons that were on each tier and Thuy from Jade Water Designs created the simple bouquet cake topper.  I was so excited to try the cake that both Joe and I tasted the frosting well before the cake-cutting! was ours so we thought, why not?

Written with love by Lara Casey

To be honest, we’re going a little stir crazy from the string of cold and dreary January days, so Emily thought a sunny beach wedding from Tracy Turpen Photography would be just the thing to cheer us up.  (Surprise, surprise: our Art Director is right again!)  Mette + Joe exchanged vows under an oceanfront arbor overlooking the Isle of the Palms.  I know it’s a little (okay, a lot) too early to be thinking about bikinis and suntans, but the bride’s flowy custom-made gown from Brooke Priddy at Ship to Shore has me yearning for summer.  But hey, only six months left!  Sigh.

How did the two of you meet?  We met through a mutual friend, Brian, at a bluegrass concert in Seattle, WA.  We all went to the bluegrass concert as a kick-off for a weekend event we would all be working at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA (where An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed).  Joe and I did nothing more than introduce ourselves to each other and then rocked out to the music.  As luck would have it, Joe’s booth was right next to mine.  While tearing down our tents at the end of the knight, Joe asked for my pocketknife.  I was dumbfounded that this guy would not have a pocketknife.  I did not catch on that it was a means for Joe to strike up conversation.  By the time the weekend was over, I still thought of Joe as nothing more than a new friend.  He was handsome, funny and nice, but I was not looking for anything more than friendship.  The next weekend, however, I was working at an event in Fayetteville, WV and ran into Joe again.  I thought it was crazy that we would randomly meet again all the way across the country.  I figured if this was meant to be, he would ask me out, but by the end of the night there was no offer.  As I was preparing to leave town the next day, however, I ran into Joe.  He asked me to dinner that night.  I said yes, even though my plans were to leave that afternoon.  I never change travel plans and to this day I am amazed I chose to stay, but the seed must have been planted. other in the same town or state twice. Describe the proposal.  I knew Joe had the ring.  It was before Christmas and he was acting more suspicious about one package that had arrived than any of the others.  Shortly after the mystery package arrived, we left to visit his family in West Virginia.  I thought he surely would pop the question there.  It was snowy and beautiful.  We went for a long trail run in Babcock state park and Joe was fiddling with something in his pocket the whole time.  I could not believe this was going to happen!  It was a beautiful setting but I was all sweaty and gross from running.  Well it turns out he was just having iPod issues, not ring issues.  We returned home on Christmas Eve, to open our gifts before we left for Charleston the next day to see my parents.  I counted all the packages I opened, and sure enough there was one missing, the mystery package.  Needless to say I was foiled again.  No ring on Christmas Eve.  The next morning we opened gifts in Charleston with my family.  Yet still no ring!  On the last afternoon we were in Charleston, Joe said he wanted to go to the beach and drink wine and watch the sunset.  Of course, my mind went back to the mystery package.  We packed up to go to the beach and my father, a wine buff, picked out a bottle from his collection.  I knew that this was one of his very expensive bottles.  Now I knew something was up.  Joe and I went to Folly Beach and set up a blanket close to the pier.  The sun was setting over the pier and it was the most beautiful setting I could have ever imagined.  He pulled out the ring and asked me.  I was so excited!  As it turns out, the mystery package was the ring and Joe had had the proposal planned all along!

Written with love by Lara Casey