Southern Weddings

Well, they say all good things must come to an end, but even though the Katharine’s Big Day series is coming to an end, we think one good thing is just beginning.  Miss Katharine Waterman will be marrying her handsome beau tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited!  To join in the fun, take a look back at her journey to the altar:

We started with an inspiration board from Emily and a few very strict guidelines from Katharine.

Almost the first decision made was the bridesmaids’ dress: classic black, of course.

Katharine + Kyle are thrilled Bryan of A Bryan Photo will be joining them to document their big day.  Lara and I are excited, too!

K poured many hours into making her wedding website helpful and fun for all of the out-of-town guests (which is, after all, almost all of the guests).

The SW office took a massive trip to Kleinfeld… and Katharine said YES to a gorgeous dress.

Katharine’s inner bargainista was unleashed on the wedding’s paper products.

She thought she didn’t want flowers, but it turns out there will be beautiful blooms.

The CAKE!  Gorgeous on the outside, delicious on the inside.

Can’t forget about the groom and his men!

A custom veil, and something old, new, borrowed, and blue.

What Katharine’s looking forward to most: the ceremony.

I get by with a little help from my friends… or, Katharine does, anyway!

Note from Katharine:  I can’t thank you enough for sharing in our wedding whirlwind!  Your support, encouragement and good wishes were enough to make even the most “anti” of Anti-Brides get excited for her big day and love the planning process.  Almost love the planning process, but excited nonetheless!

Thank you, also, to my right-hand maid, Emily.  Truth be told, Emily was the driving force behind these posts and probably my single greatest asset during the past 10 months.  Emily, I was lucky to have you planning my wedding with me and am blessed to have your friendship.  How did I get so lucky?!

We can’t forget my personal florist, Lara, who will be styling the bouquets and reception centerpieces.  Not a small feat, huh?  Thank you for everything!  I can’t wait to share pictures with everyone.

And last, but far from least, thank you to my groom and best friend, Kyle.  It’s hard to imagine that Saturday will mark the fifth anniversary of our first meeting freshman year, and I couldn’t be happier to share a new anniversary with him.  Kyle, you are the very best thing in my life, and I can’t wait to start out on a new adventure together.  I love yew!

We’re nearing the home stretch of wedding planning, so it only seems appropriate to introduce you to a super-star vendor who came to the party a bit late in the game.  Katharine thought she didn’t need a day-of coordinator… that is, until she started working with Ashley.

From Emily: We’ve worked with Miss Ashley Baber of Ashley Baber Weddings several times before, and both Katharine and I (and Lara, of course) love her.  She was a champ at our last issue’s Serenbe shoot, and sends us tons of beautiful weddings to feature on the blog (as evidence, see here, here, here, here, and here).  We were all thrilled when it was confirmed she’d be joining us in Boston for Katharine’s wedding (there was lots of squealing on that phone call)!

Ashley is such a pro, and we know she’ll make sure Katharine’s big day is one that everyone can enjoy, from her family to her office mates.  Plus, who wouldn’t want this smiling face at her wedding?

From Katharine: I want this smiling face at my wedding!  And, lucky for me, she apparently wants to be at my wedding.  Victory!  After months of planning, I’ll confess I didn’t know what exactly a day-off (or weekend, as the case may be) coordinator could add.  Emily, ever anxious to talk about weddings, was quick to list off the many tasks I likely wouldn’t want to do, but would have to do, without a coordinator.

Create a detailed timeline of the events.  Run the church rehearsal.  Check in with vendors and confirm their arrival details.  Handle last minute phone calls, and deflect potential crises.  Oversee reception set-up.  Wrangle my massive bridal party, and make sure little sis doesn’t take too long getting ready.  (Sorry, Bis, had to out you there.)  Make sure Grandma Busam and all the other ceremony readers know their cues.  Usher guests onto the buses that will take them to the reception.  Coordinate and oversee the reception timeline.  Run interference whenever and wherever possible.

Needless to say, my head was starting to hurt even before Emily had finished listing off the behind-the-scene duties that go into pulling off a wedding.  Before Type-A Emily could come up with any more tasks, I promptly agreed Ashley was a necessity.

Ashley and I already have had an hour and a half planning session over the phone.  I’m proud to report we have a working timeline, and Ashley has a better idea of the in’s and out’s of the weekend.  (Truthfully, I’m a little surprised she hasn’t backed out yet.  I was sure our phone call would send her running quickly in the opposite direction.)

In other news… Two weeks ago, we gave you a sneak peek at the custom veil Annette Thurmon of Chaviano Couture was designing for my wedding.  This week, Annette emailed me announcing the veil was finally ready!  (I’m embarrassed to admit that this veil has been one of my very favorite parts about the entire planning process, so needless to say, I was psyched.)  I don’t have the veil in hand yet, as its making its way up to North Carolina from Annette’s home in Atlanta, Georgia, but the gorgeous designer was kind enough to model her work for me.  I can’t promise I’ll look like that in the veil, but I know I sure do love it!

If you’re thinking the veil looks a little different than the inspiration pics we shared with you a few weeks ago, you’re exactly right!  Last week, Annette sent me an inspired email detailing a brand new design for our veil.  Rather than having an all-over lace border that might compete with the clean, simple lines of my dress, Annette suggested we scrap our original design and go with a scalloped lace border and free-floating blooms along the bottom half.  That way, the top and sides would be just as simple as my dress, without any fear of the veil detracting from the main event.  It wasn’t what we had been planning for the past 8+ months, but I am so glad she modified our vision to help create the perfect veil.  These pictures are just making me itch to try it on!

I’m still debating what to do with the veil after the ceremony.  Do I take it off immediately after the “I do’s”, throw it over my arm for awhile, or some combination of the two?  Any pointers from fellow cathedral veil wearers would be greatly appreciated.

Weigh-in: Are you hiring a wedding planner?  Are you hiring a day-of coordinator?  If you’re already married, were you happy with your decision?

All images except Ashley’s head shot c/o Our Labor of Love.  OLOL is an SW sponsor.

Previously:

Intros + Inspiration Boards // The Bridesmaid Dress // The Photographer // The Wedding Website // SW Goes to Kleinfeld // The Paper // The Flowers // The Cake // The Groom’s Look // The Bride’s Look // The Ceremony

Chaviano Couture is not an SW advertiser and no free services are being received. Ashley Baber is not an SW advertiser, however, Ashley approached Katharine about providing her services as a personal gift.  Her travel and expenses are being paid for and Ashley is looking forward to building her destination wedding portfolio. Katharine’s planning posts are written to share her experiences and personal recommendations, not as advertisement for vendors.  We don’t even tell the vendor that the post is being written.  We just love em : )  Katharine’s only free vendor is… Lara.  Lara is working for Luna Bars.