Southern Weddings

Having attended services at the Seaside Interfaith Chapel myself, I can personally attest to how absolutely dreamy it is. I can only imagine it was even more dreamy for Victoria to walk down the aisle to her future husband, especially since they were in the very same chapel where he had proposed exactly one year prior. After saying “yes,” she and Spencer planned a fabulously fun and colorful wedding in that special chapel Victoria had always dreamed of getting married in. From save the dates to lawn decor, their flamingo theme was woven throughout their big day, and while they may have said their vows in the Sunshine State, they also paid homage to their Louisiana roots with a crawfish pot groom’s cake, and a second line-inspired trumpet player who escorted the guests to the reception!

Big SW hugs to Pure 7 Studios for sending us Victoria and Spencer’s lovely day!

My wedding dress shopping began at Pearl’s Place, right outside of New Orleans. I knew I wanted something different, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on exactly what it was–I just knew I didn’t want to look like the traditional bride. We walked into Pearl’s Place, and there was a mannequin wearing a dress that I liked. Miss Ruth, who was helping us, pulled out two other gorgeous dresses that looked great on, but just weren’t me. I asked to try on the dress from the mannequin, and I loved it. Even in the size 12 sample size, it just looked like me. But I couldn’t say yes to the first dress I ever saw! I tried on beautiful gowns and even met with a gown designer, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the first dress. And just as it began, my wedding dress shopping ended at Pearl’s Place in Metairie. My mom and I drove there the next weekend and I said yes to the very first dress.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? I have always loved Seaside. My family and I would vacation there almost every summer and it has always held a special place in my heart. I was never the little girl that planned her fairy tale wedding, but I knew one thing: that if I ever did get married, I wanted to get married in Seaside. Spencer proposed to me in the chapel in Seaside on April 2, 2015, and we were married there exactly one year later.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Standing outside of my dream chapel, the sun shining, my arm linked in my daddy’s arm. And then they opened the doors. I saw all of my closest friends and family and I knew that this was the best day of my life.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. For wedding musicians, we hired a violinist and cellist from Gulf Talent Services. I have always been a big fan of Elvis, so I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” During the ceremony, we recognized our parents by presenting each of our mothers with a flower. During this time, they played Debussy’s “Claire de Lune,” one of my favorite pieces to play as a classical pianist. Leaving the chapel, we played the most logical song I could think of: an instrumental version of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” Entering the next episode of our lives, as well as the next episode of the day, the reception, it was the only song that seemed truly fitting for the occasion.

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I did! My something borrowed was actually the hardest to find. I kind of forgot about it until we were already in Seaside, so all of my friends and family were scrambling to find something I could borrow for the day. I tried on bracelets from my mom and a few friends, but I have tiny wrists, so nothing fit. Our flower girl, my nine-year-old niece Mary-Claire, saved the day when she offered me the pearl bracelet she had planned to wear that day! She has since told me that I can keep it to remember our special day anytime I wear it. For something blue, I had my nails painted a super fun, glittery light blue. The new was my dress. The old was a Mikimoto pearl necklace that my grandmother passed down to me before she passed away.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was the flamingo theme. From the save the dates to the pink yard flamingos decorating the Lyceum Lawn and reception, everything went along with our theme. We made sure that everything that was sent out had a flamingo on it. Spencer’s mom even made flamingo cookies and lollipops to give as goodies at our Friday night welcome party.

All of our wedding flower arrangements were mixes of tropical flowers. The two arrangements behind the altar included birds of paradise, hot pink peony tulips, orange pincushion proteas, bridal veil protea, tropical greenery, and curly willow. The flower I carried down the aisle was a single, large king protea. My two bridesmaids carried bouquets of cafe au lait dahlias accented with seeded eucalyptus. Our junior bridesmaid carried a pint-sized version of the bridesmaids’ flowers and our flower girl wore a crown of white ranunculus blooms, bridal veil protea, and seeded eucalyptus. My two bridesmen and Spencer’s groomsmen all wore boutonnieres of small succulents with a touch of seeded eucalyptus.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We included our most favorite Southern tradition, the crawfish boil, into our reception. The groom’s cake was a crawfish pot filled with fondant crawfish, corn, potatoes, and even two cups of crawfish dip made of fondant. We also paid homage to our Louisiana roots by having the trumpet player from our band escort the guests to the reception while we took our family pictures. Guests said they felt like the were down home in a New Orleans second line, not a few hundred yards from the beach.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Spencer and I first met in 2004 through our mutual friend, Charlotte. At the time, I was 17 and still in high school and Spencer was 24 and a college graduate. Not exactly appropriate to ask me out back then! For the next ten years, we were acquaintances and would say hello to each other in passing, neither of us knowing what was to come. Spencer mentioned to Charlotte and her husband that he wanted to ask me out, but being the protective friends and neighbors that they are, they gave him a firm no. Finally, Spencer decided that if he wanted to ask me out, he would just have to do it and not let anyone know. He sent a Facebook message asking me to dinner and I agreed to go. He made plans to go to a local restaurant, but nature threw a wrench into his plan when the skies opened up and started pouring rain on our drive to dinner. Being the gentleman that he is, Spencer made a quick decision to change our venue to a restaurant with a covered valet so I wouldn’t have to get wet. Walking in with no reservations, there were few open spots left in the restaurant, and they seated us in the very back corner where we could only see each other. This could have been very awkward had the date not gone well, but the date was perfect! Spencer still says to this day that they gave him the best view in the house. (I agree!)
Tell us all about the proposal! Thirteen months after our perfect first date, we planned a trip to Watercolor with his family to stay at their fabulous new beach house for Easter. He was so nervous before the trip, making sure he had everything he needed and worrying about not being prepared. We woke up Thursday morning and were waiting for other family members to arrive for a 50th birthday lunch celebration for his Aunt Monique…or so I thought. We had a wonderful lunch by the beach with his family. I mentioned that I loved the chapel in Seaside and would like to stop there for a visit while we were walking around that afternoon. Silence. Crickets. No response from anyone. I guess that should have been my first clue, but I didn’t catch on! As we got closer to the chapel, I mentioned to Spencer that if one day we did decide to get married, the chapel would be my dream location. I immediately started crying when we walked in, just dreaming of one day walking down the aisle there with Spencer. I still had no clue that my dream was about to come true. I told him how much I loved him and how special it was for me to share this place with him. He asked me if I noticed that my favorite song was playing…I hadn’t. He got down on one knee and it wasn’t until that moment that I FINALLY realized what was going on. I imagine he said some of the sweetest things he’s ever said to me, none of which I remember. I just burst into tears, told him I was going to pass out when he opened the ring box, and shook my head yes so he would have some sort of response in case I did fall to the floor. I made it out alive, we toasted with a glass of Veuve, and I immediately started adding wedding dress ideas to my new Pinterest board!
When did y’all get married? April 2, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 175
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did not do a first look. We thought it would be more special to see each other for the first time in the chapel, and it was. Even though I’m crying in every picture of my walk down the aisle!
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? We met with a local counselor to discuss some of the tough issues we might face–how we felt about children, careers, goals, etc. Even though it wasn’t always coming up roses, I think it really helped us to get to know each other even more than we did already. Counseling is a place where you can say whatever you feel with no judgment, and work through any issues before they even arise.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? We made some pretty major cuts to the floral and decorations budget. We decided that we didn’t really need a $50 floral arrangement on each table during the reception or aisle markers in the chapel. Most people remember the food, the band, and the open bar at weddings, so we spent a little extra in those areas to be able to scale back a bit on the decor. And everything still looked amazing! Marja from Florals by the Sea was so fun to work with, and even with cutting a few corners here and there, she made that tent look like the modern reception venue of my dreams!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Elope! But if you decide not to elope, I think in any wedding planning situation, pleasing all parties involved has to be one of the biggest challenges. With people trying to come together from different backgrounds and lifestyles, everyone has their own opinion on the way things should be done. But I think it’s really important for the bride and groom to ultimately do what means the most to them as a couple. If there are areas where you are willing to bend a little and give in to make your lives easier, go for it. And on bigger issues, you may just have to put your (very respectful) foot down and let other people know that it is your wedding and you will decide how it goes.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? Our next adventure as newlyweds is our upcoming honeymoon to The Viceroy Anguilla. Being gone for almost a week for our wedding in Seaside, we decided to wait a few weeks before embarking on our honeymoon. But we are so ready for a week filled with sand, sun, island hopping, and cocktails! We both love to travel and we have an ongoing list on my iPhone of all of the places we want to go, things we want to see, and food we want to try. I am currently making a major pull for Miami over the 4th of July to see Justin Bieber in concert!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding? My niece, Mary-Claire, was our flower girl. She wore the same dress that I wore when I was the flower girl in her mom (my sister)’s wedding!

Photographer and Videographer: Pure7 Studios | Planner: Mary-Katherine Owen of Cottage Rental Agency | Ceremony Venue: Seaside Interfaith Chapel | Reception Venue: The Lyceum Lawn at The Seaside Neighborhood School | Florist and Lighting: Florals by the Sea | Bride’s Cake Baker: Sweet Henrietta’s | Groom’s Cake Baker: Bake My Day | Caterer: Bud & Alley’s | Rentals: Big Day Rentals | Band: Super T Revue | Paper Products: Elise Constantin | Bride’s Gown: Style 7059B by Watters | Bride’s Veil: Toni Federici | Hair Stylist: Michelle Hogan of Rolland’s Beauty Bar | Makeup Artist: Kaitlyn Brown of Rolland’s Beauty Bar | Bride’s Shoes: Valentino | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Custom by Nelly Asmar of Nelly’s Tailor Shop, Lafayette LA | Groom’s Attire: Custom by Holland & Sherry London | Groomsmen Attire: Hilton Club

Written with love by Marissa