Southern Weddings

If there were an award for Best Wedding Shoe, I’m pretty sure Kate Spade’s Clarice pumps would win.  Hands-down.  We’ve featured at least a half dozen brides on the SW blog who donned the flirty shoe – though usually in fuchsia – for their big day, so I’m loving that Esther opted for my favorite wedding shoe color of all time when it came to picking her Kate Spades.  Pair these scarlet red heels with her bridesmaids navy portrait-collar gowns (Jim Hjelm, of course) and you have a winning wedding combo.  Esther, in an asymmetric drop-waist Melissa Sweet, and Jeff were married in true Hill Country style at the aptly-named Texas Old Town.  Table4Weddings was on-hand to photograph the Southern celebration planned by Nita Teng.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  The boy from Oklahoma and the girl from Boston met in Austin, Texas. We both went to the University of Texas and shared the same group of friends. Right before sophomore year ended, Jeff asked me for my number so we could talk over the break.  I declined, so he had to settle for Instant Messenger conversations, instead. At the end of that summer, he asked me out on a date (on IM, of course!) and I accepted! That kicked off our six-year dating relationship.
Describe the proposal. Jeff and I had been dating long-distance for four years while he was in Texas and I in Boston. In 2009, Jeff bought a plane ticket to visit me and emailed me a fake itinerary showing his arrival for February 6. Little did I know he was actually flying in the day before to meet with my parents and ask for their permission to propose. Sneaky, sneaky! I didn’t suspect anything until Jeff met me at work on the 6^th. He had supposedly come straight from the airport, but had no luggage with him. Suspicious. Later that night, he cooked dinner together at my apartment. As an after-dinner treat, he pulled out a ring and proposed!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Jeff says his favorite part was watching me walk down the aisle on my father’s arm, and I loved hearing Jeff say his vows. 

Brides with short(er) hair you either can’t or don’t want to sweep into a romantic up-do for your big day: consider this Louisiana wedding my gift to you.  An easy, low-maintenance hairstyle (like Courtney’s cute bob) is perfect for an outdoor wedding, and we think this Southern bride looks absolutely darling at the couple’s New Orleans soiree at the Audubon Nature Institute.  Courtney’s birdcage veil definitely dressed up her cute coif and was a sophisticated complement to her asymmetrical Melissa Sweet gown.  The attendants shined in pewter-colored frocks from Jenny Yoo (that matched the bride’s rosette-studded shoes!) and, like Courtney, we love the all-green florals designed by Ken Marino at Fabulous Flowers.  It may have been the talented bakers at Melissa’s Fine Pastries who treated guests to an all-chocolate wedding cake, but it the mother of the bride who surprised the newlyweds with a proper New Orleans second line band and festive umbrellas.  Special thanks to photographer Kim Ashford for sharing her lovely work with us! 

How did the two of you meet?  At a bar!  Not very exciting, but it was a chance meeting as it was Luke’s last weekend in town before heading back to school in NYC and I was still in college at LSU. We never thought we would meet anyone in our hometown, but it’s funny how things work out. I just so happened to be moving to NYC that summer, so we stayed in touch until we could meet again. The night we met I went home and told my roommate I had met “the one.” It does happen!
Describe the proposal. The good thing about living in NYC is that you can ring shop in the most amazing stores. Luke surprised me one day after work with a detour from our usual route home.  Instead, we had a nice dinner at the Lever House Restaurant where Luke had a fabulous bouquet from Takashimaya (where he worked) for the table.  (I definitely knew something was up.)  After a delicious dinner, we stopped at a bakery to pick up a few cupcakes before retuning home to our apartment.  Once home, Luke got down on one knee.  So sweet, and the ring was gorgeous – and designed by Luke himself!  We celebrated our engagement with the cupcakes we had just purchased.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The second line umbrellas that my mom made to look like a flamingo and peacock! Those were definitely the hit of the party!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: When I was living in NYC, one of my bridesmaids and I went to Kleinfeld’s to dress shop.  Surprisingly, the first dress I tried on was the one I bought in New Orleans with my mother several months later.  My mom knew it was the right dress the moment I tried it on.
Describe your wedding flowers:  Ikebana-style centerpieces with magenta and lime orchids and kiwi branches. The arrangements were very sculpted and minimal, and proved to be the perfect backdrop to the unique architecture of the tea room. My bouquet (which I loved) was a ball of cymbidium orchids with fresh lotus pods.
Describe your wedding cake: We wanted something other than the traditional white cake so opted for chocolate – which was perfect since I am a chocoholic. Our cake had three tiers with truffles decorating the sides. I bought wooden toppers that were hand painted to look like us from Etsy. So cute!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We were blessed with perfect weather and the surprise second line band my mom had come in at the end.

Written with love by Lara Casey

Stop the press!  Emily and I finally agree on something: hands-down the cutest thing about this Florida celebration from Maloman Photographers is the couple’s personalized response cards on display at their reception.  We also like that it was the bride’s father who chose her eyelet Oscar de la Renta gown, and that Kimberly + Mark served milk and cookies from Cookie Monkey in lieu of a traditional wedding cake… so I guess there’s a lot Em + I – usually at opposite ends of the wedding spectrum – like about the couple’s airy reception at the Grand Bay Club.  Though Kimberly + Mark’s wedding technically was a winter affair, we love that Nevot Flower Design (305-266-2024) infused a fresh, spring-like feel to the celebration with their bright, sculptural blooms.  Want to steal Kimberly’s easy trick for bringing personal touches into your wedding day?  Ask guests for the “favor of a creative response” instead of a more traditional reply when sending out your invitations.  Just be prepared for the flurry of poems, pictures + song lyrics that are sure to come your way!

How did the two of you meet?  We met in law school and our romance began after our first exam. Out celebrating with friends after the test, we shared our very first toast with Jack Daniels whiskey — you’ll see a tribute to this first drink in our wedding photos!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: I can only describe the wedding as I have been describing it since: “It was like a dream.”
Favorite details of the wedding was:  We loved the invitation response cards, on which we asked for “the favor of a creative reply.” Guests responded with photos, poems, songs, collages — we displayed them all at the cocktail hour. We also loved the tribute to my favorite meal: despite our February wedding date, our dinner was a traditional Thanksgiving feast, replete with turkey and stuffing.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My father found my wedding dress! My father was patiently waiting while my mother and I were choosing gowns at a salon, and in an attempt to keep him occupied, my mom instructed him to choose something he thought I would like.  And he did!
Describe your wedding cake: We opted not to have a wedding cake. Instead, guests were served milk and chocolate chip cookies.

Congratulations, Kimberly + Mark!  Thank you for sharing your sweet wedding with us!