Southern Weddings

They may not be the Rachel + Ross (Friends flashback, anyone?), but we think this twosome is just as sweet… and Southern, to boot!  The talented Kelly Moore Clark was on hand to document the Louisiana nuptials at the Lincoln Parish Park.  Ruffles gave the bride’s vintage sheath (an eBay treasure) an updated look, and we’re still impressed Rachel and her photographer and now sister-in-law (with the help of Wal-Mart blooms) designed the floral arrangements themselves an hour before the ceremony.  (There’s DIY in action, ladies!)  Next to the intimate couple shots, Emily’s favorite detail is the fun burst of summery colors in everything from the flowers to the fabric wall treatments.  I have to agree: let’s skip spring and go straight to summer!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Ross and I met through mutual friends at a dinner party. We got along well and stayed in touch but were not looking for anything romantic, as we were both involved with other people at the time.  After those relationships ended, we realized we had the potential to become so much more than what we were, and felt that we belonged together.  Our relationship took a lot of sacrifice from both of us, namely a cross country move for myself and my two young children.  The girls and I are still adjusting to the culture shock of living in the South, but could not be happier with the family we have joined.  Ross and I believe that God has brought us together to heal the parts of our souls that were broken and to bring joy to ourselves and everyone around us for the rest of our lives.
Describe the proposal:  I was fresh off the plane from Las Vegas and had only been living in Louisiana for three weeks.  Ross and I knew that we were going to be married and were making plans for the wedding and our life together, but I still didn’t have my ring.  Ross  had commissioned a custom sapphire and diamond ring that I knew was on the way but had no idea when it was going to arrive.  One night, we were standing in the kitchen making dinner together.  Ross, who wears one of my gold rings on his pinky to remember me by, turned to me and said, “You know how much I love you, right?  I was thinking you could wear this ring until your ring arrives.”  He then pulled the ring off his pinky and crossed the kitchen to place it on my ring finger.  As soon as he got close, however, I could see the ring he was holding was not the plain gold band I had given him, but my beautiful engagement ring.   Once the shock and surprise wore off (and I stopped dancing around the room) he held the ring out and said, “So you want to marry me?”   The whole proposal was very personal and low key, and very fitting for our personalities.  He was able to surprise me in a very sweet and way, which was just what I was hoping for: magic.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Whimsical, vintage and homemade.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  Everything turned out more beautiful than we ever expected, but I would have to say our favorite detail was the quilt on the cake table.  It was made by Ross’ great grandmother and i’s bright pattern and bold colors fit perfectly into the theme of the day.  It was amazing to think that a piece of family history made so many years ago would fit into our wedding day so perfectly all these years later.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I knew that I wanted a vintage dress, but wasn’t sure that the tea length A line skirt was the way to go. I  found my dress on Ebay of all places and fell in love with it. I purchased it for the low price of $200 and Ross’ mom let the seam out on the side for me.  It fit like a glove!   After a $30 cleaning and steaming, it was good as new and ready to walk me down the aisle.  I loved the neckline and simple, elegant feel of the gown.  I know it’s not the typical choice of most brides, but I love the way that dress made me feel. 

We agree with Rosanna: the florals – and especially the arbor under which the bride and groom were married – are spring loveliness personified.  After the pink + purple-accented ceremony, I expected more feminine hues so was (pleasantly) surprised by the pop of fresh green + rustic burlap details at the reception.  We especially love the paper goods, lovingly crafted by Urban Bark.  Now that I’m a bride-to-be myself, I feel like I’m always on the look-out for fun, meaningful ways to personalize a wedding.  Rosanna’s tip?  She topped her four-tiered Cakes by Meg confection with the same dove cake-toppers that adorned her parents’ wedding cake.  (I like that.)  And because I know you’re going to ask, the bride’s embellished lavender heels are from Steve Madden.  (I really like that!)  Hugs and kisses to Mike Colon, Scarlett Lillian and Luke Edmonson, the talented trifecta that captured Rosanna + Jared’s Southern celebration.

Describe your wedding flowers: Gosh the flowers were amazing. Pat, the resident florist at Kimball Hall, was fantastic! I really wanted the flowers to be in season for the outside ceremony and the tables and wanted the arrangements to feel earthy.  Everything was covered in cherry blossoms, wisteria, branches and moss. Our tables were made to look as if they had cherry trees growing out of the middle.  The bouquets were filled with peonies because I grew up loving my great-grandmother’s peony bush in the backyard. It just brought a piece of childhood into my wedding day.
Describe your wedding cake: Expanding on the outdoor theme, I wanted the flowers to be the main focus of the cake. Since I love dogwood trees and was getting married exactly when they were blooming, I couldn’t help but have them on my cake. Cakes By Meg did such a fabulous job making the delicate little flowers. My favorite part about the cake was that they were able to include the two doves from my parents’ wedding cake within the cake table arrangement. Their marriage was the best gift my parents ever gave me, and it seemed like the perfect way to symbolize it.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  Planning an Atlanta wedding all the way from California was difficult. In all honesty, though, Julie from Kimball Hall took so much off my plate that I felt pretty confident as the day approached. She made me feel as if mine was the only wedding she was planning. The other challenge for me was trying to include my father in the wedding even though he passed away several years ago. It was really tough because I wanted to feel as though I was honoring him but I didn’t want to sob the entire day.  I decided to have reminders of him throughout the day. My favorite and hardest reminder was having his and my mom’s wedding rings tied to my bouquet. I walked down the isle with his ring on my ring finger. It made me feel as though God let him walk me down the isle.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We just moved cross-country to Atlanta and bought a house, so we are looking forward to settling down and not making too many more changes for awhile!

Congratulations, Rosanna + Jared!  Enjoy your new home and life together as husband and wife!

I’m a bit of a sucker for prettiness, so Rosanna + Jared’s ultra-feminine Georgia wedding at Kimball Hall really does it for me.  Plenty of white accents kept the couple’s light lavender and petal pink color scheme from looking too girly, though my two favorite details just happen to be the bridesmaids’ coordinated Bari Jay gowns and the flower girls’ frilly frocks.  Rosanna wore a princess-worthy Maggie Sottero gown and carried a blooming pink and white peony bouquet designed by Pat Holland at Kimball Hall.  Fun fact: this couple had not one, not two, but three photographers on-hand to capture their big day – no big surprise considering the bride is a photographer herself.  Special thanks to Mike Colon, Scarlett Lillian and Luke Edmonson for sharing their work.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Jared was my pastor! Funny story: it was his first Sunday on staff as a teaching pastor and the church met in a place called the Shark Club that actually had a live shark tank. Jared worked at a church about an hour away from where the meeting was so didn’t really know anyone there.  He didn’t think the meeting went too well (and the shark had been rather loud!) so he was sitting down on a bar stool, looking somewhat dejected.  He didn’t meet too many people that first night and was honestly contemplating a career change! About that time, he met me.  A Chicago native, I was also new to the town and church as well.  He didn’t even know if I was allowed, but he asked me if I wanted to go to dinner.  Somehow we ended up talking for several hours that first night and went on our first official date a few nights later.  About a week later, he told me he was going to marry me!
Describe the proposal.  Jared knows I am the kind of girl who would rather be surprised with a gum machine ring than get a ten-carat diamond that I expects, so he knew the element of surprise was the most critical part of the proposal.  Jared had my friend call me on a Wednesday night and plan a walk in a Laguna Beach park near where I lived and she worked.  The plan was for me to get off work at sunset, drive to meet my friend and arrive at an ocean-view and candlelit proposal on the side of a cliff.  Everything went according to plan:  Jared made sure my boss let me off work on time and I drove to meet my friend, but stopped by the chiropractor’s office along the way.  Poor Jared was waiting in the dark when I arrived!  He grabbed my hand and took me down a path that led to a spot where he had laid out pillows, candles and roses.  He got down on know knee and she said yes!  Jared says it’s a good thing he remembered the candles!
Three adjectives that describe the day are:  Emotional, life changing and euphoric.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The arbor! I couldn’t believe they took my ideas for the arbor and made it so much more. It was literally dripping in flowers and branches. I gasped when I turned the corner and saw it.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew my wedding was my one chance to wear a big princess dress and not have anyone laugh at me, so I was going to take full advantage of that!   I had a picture from a magazine of a Maggie Sottero dress that had it all: lace, beads, roses, a corset, princess neckline, strapless, and bustles. I showed the dress shop the image and they said they actually had the very dress in the picture. When I put it on, I could not believe how gorgeous it was. I tried on about 20 dresses throughout the day, but never got over the first. I had found the one!