You have a lot of choices for information and inspiration while wedding planning, but we believe one of the reasons you come to us is for a regular dose of what we like to call “the magic of the South.” Not only can this magical place we call home inspire your wedding day details, but it can provide a healthy dose of perspective and calm during a sometimes stressful season.
What, exactly, is the magic of the South? Well, it’s different for everyone, but here are the things our team finds most magical about life beneath the Mason-Dixon Line…
All photos from our hashtag #SWMagicoftheSouth!
AMBER, our Marketing Director: I find the way community is so natural here to be magical: everyone on their porch chatting about the day, how well we know our neighbors and wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for any kind of help — whether it be an egg or cup of sugar, or helping you track down a missing cat. I also appreciate the gardens, florals, and nature of the South. It was completely new to me when I arrived ten years ago, and I’m constantly learning something new even now.
EMILY, our Creative Director: My favorite thing about the South is the history and community of historic neighborhoods: beautiful old houses, big front porches, gracious old trees, and neighbors who know each other. Think downtown Beaufort, SC; downtown Laurel, MS; 12 South in Nashville; or Oakwood in Raleigh!
LARA, our Founder: I love how the South colored and shaped my grandfather’s personality and legacy. I love driving through small Alabama towns, hot boiled peanuts, the sound of crickets, Peach Park, humble homes, and the distinct smell of magnolias. I grew up going to a place called Hopkin’s Boarding House for Sunday supper where the entire porch was lined in rockers and we’d collect rolly pollies while we waited on a table in the family-style dining area. The food was classic: mashed potatoes, fried chicken, banana pudding, white rice, rolls, and super sweet tea. Overall, I love how the people reflect the history and landscape, creating a unique heritage.
NICOLE, our Art Director: I love the hometown feel that happens in Southern cities. There’s so much pride in local — local businesses, local farms, local history (that’s the funniest!) — and it makes everyone feel connected to the past and involved in the future.
Photo by Jessica Burke with styling by Blue Ribbon Vendor Jacin Fitzgerald from Southern Weddings Volume 6
JESS, our Chief Encourager: My favorite part of the South is knowing that the people here embody true hospitality, willing to jump in and help on the hardest days and thrilled to stand by your side to celebrate the milestones in your life. No one is ever too busy to stop for a hello or hang out for a glass of sweet tea.
MARISSA, our Ad Director: Heaven above, I simply cannot just pick one thing to love about the South! I love the personalities that have never met a stranger, the architecture that is so carefully preserved and restored, the way honeysuckle smells in the spring, how Saturdays in the fall are reserved for college football, how baby girls wear big bows and baby boys wear jon jons, the food (especially biscuits, banana pudding, and cheese grits!) and how it is used as a love language to bring people together. I love the sound of a thick Southern drawl, the pride Southerners have for their t-tiny hometowns (and the South as a whole for that matter!), and the traditions that helps shape every aspect of life in the South from naming babies to the color of your porch ceiling. But, most importantly, I love the feeling of ‘home’ that the combination of these things represent.
KRISTIN, our Editor-in-Chief: Admittedly, it’s hard to pick a favorite part about the South, but if I had to pick just one, it would be the traditions. I love how so many Southern experiences are based on long-honored traditions: pimento cheese sandwiches on Master’s weekend, watermelon and potato salad on the Fourth of July, college football kick-off and tailgating, handwritten thank you notes, seersucker and pearls, eating ‘supper’ instead of dinner. I could go on and on…
How about y’all? Did our favorites immediately bring to mind your own favorite memories, sights, smells, and sounds? Hold them close while wedding planning and long into married life! And as you enjoy them this summer and beyond, do share with us using the hashtag #SWMagicoftheSouth on Instagram – we’d love to see, and we’ll repost our favorites on the Southern Weddings account!
Love it! Are there any suggestions for music in an outdoor ceremony?
Hi Savannah! I love that idea! We haven’t written that post yet, but I will put it on the calendar :) In the meantime, I think you can’t go wrong with live string versions of modern songs for an outdoor ceremony!