Southern Weddings

David + Linda Murray of David Murray Weddings certainly had a dream setting when it came to photographing Meredith + Ben’s soiree at the Montaluce Winery & Estates.  The bridesmaids’ rich plum-colored gowns from Melissa Sweet perfectly accented the dark + romantic hues of the Georgia-based vineyard, and we love the subtle wine-themed accents (cork place card holders, anyone?!) the couple wove into their celebration.  I’ve been on the lookout for subtle and sophisticated wedding cakes for my upcoming wedding (any suggestions, friends?) and have to give two thumbs up for Meredith + Ben’s simple four-tiered swiss-dot cake from The Frosted Pumpkin, complete with a strand of lilac and cream roses from Bold American Events & Catering.  The bride’s embellished drop-waist gown is a Judd Waddell masterpiece from Bridals by Lori. 

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  In June of 2005, I joined a mixed doubles tennis team for some socializing and exercise.  Little did I know that I would meet my future husband!  I didn’t make it easy for Ben, though.  Sitting on the sidelines watching our teammates play, Ben and I would talk and, every once and a while, he would ask me to hang out with him and some of our teammates.  I would like to say that I was playing hard to get, but really I was just oblivious to what I’ve come to find were Ben’s attempts to “woo” me.  After months of disappointment (according to Ben), I finally agreed to hang out with him after a tennis match.  After an evening of NFL playoff football and Trivial Pursuit, I realized this guy would be fun to hang out with outside of tennis.  Fortunately, I guess Ben felt the same way because it wasn’t too long before he asked me if I would like to play tennis with him one Friday evening.  Always the ultimate competitors, Ben and I battled it out at the Chastain Park tennis courts on a chilly February evening.  Before the first serve, Ben suggested that we place a bet to make the evening a little more interesting: the loser had to pay for dinner.  Little did I know that this was part of a much-debated plan with Ben’s sister (and my future bridesmaid!), Sarah.  Should Ben let me win?  Anyone that knows me knows O am one of the most competitive people you will ever meet.  No way was I going to let Ben “let” me win.  I talked a big game, but Ben destroyed me… I think I won maybe 3 games.  Love must have been blooming, though, because I still agreed to join Ben at a romantic, post-tennis meal on the patio of a local Mexican restaurant.  After a few margaritas and chips and salsa, I was hooked. 
Describe the proposal. The first week of February 2009, Ben and I went to the Bahamas on an incentive trip with Ben’s company.  We spent four great days enjoying fabulous meals, swimming with dolphins and getting pampered at the spa at the Cove Atlantis.  Many months before, Ben and I had decided to spend an extra night on the island, after the “work stuff” was over.  On the last night of our trip, we went to a beautiful beachside restaurant (where they filmed part of Casino Royale) and enjoyed some champagne and island fare.  It was pretty cold that night, so Ben suggested we just head back to our room and watch a movie.  Sounded good to me!  Back at the room, I opened the door to a room covered with roses.  Rose petals on the floor, rose petals on the bed, ose petals on the desk.   I spotted a card addressed to me on the bed alongside a long stem red rose.  I opened it and started reading some of the sweetest words Ben had ever written to me.  As I turned around to give him a hug and thank him, he got down on one knee.  I immediately put my hands to my face and started crying.  (Ben says this is exactly what my mom did when he asked her permission to marry me.)  When he asked if I would marry him, I was crying so hard that I couldn’t say anything, just nod.  I wanted to make it perfect, so I made him ask me again so that I could give him a proper “yes.”  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  We popped the bottle of Dom Perignon that we had been saving for a special occasion (and Ben had lugged all the way to the Bahamas), and I stared at the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.
Three adjectives that describe the day are:

Meredith: Romantic, exciting and perfect.

Ben: STD – Solid, tight and dominant.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom and matron of honor went with me to Bridals by Lori a few weeks after Ben and I got engaged, and I was on a mission.  With less than 6 months before the wedding, I knew I had to make quick work of finding a dress.  We looked through rows and rows of dresses… all beautiful but nothing jumped out at me.  Then my matron of honor spotted one on a mannequin.  It was a stunning strapless Cinderella-like ball gown with lace and Swarovski crystal embellishments on the sweetheart neck line and waist.  I hesitated because I felt badly about asking them to take it off of the display.  My matron of honor was not going to let that stand in the way of me trying on that dress.  Thank goodness for her insistence.  The stunning dress from the mannequin was the first dress I tried on, the 10^th dress that I tried on, and the last dress that I tried on.  It was “the dress” and I loved it!
Describe your wedding flowers: Simple but unique, and exactly what I had envisioned.  It was as if our event designer (Steve Bales…a genius) peered into my mind and created exactly what I imagined.  I love purple, so there was lots of it.  My bouquet was primarily Sterling roses accented with stephanotis, chocolate cosmos and chocolate fern curls.
Describe your wedding cake: Delicious and elegant.  Our cake was “death by chocolate:” our-tiers of chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache.  The white butter cream icing was accented with platinum ribbon, Swiss dots and a cascade of Sterling roses and Picasso calla lilies.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When Ben took my hand and said his vows with complete sincerity and love.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We are currently looking to sell our condos and buy a home in Atlanta.  In the long term, we are looking forward to starting a family, playing a little tennis and enjoying our life together.

Congratulations, Meredith + Ben!  We wish you a lifetime of tennis… and happiness, of course.

Ahh… Carillon Beach in February must be nice.  Heck, Carillon Beach at any time must be nice if Katie + Steven’s wedding photos (courtesy of the uber-talented Paul Johnson) is any indication.  The modish square tables, fresh white linens and alternating orchid + greenery floral designs (courtesy of Nouveau Flowers) were the perfect accent for a beach wedding.  How cute are the seashell accents on the five-tiered patterned cake from Confections on the Coast?  (Really cute, if I do say so myself.)

Describe your wedding cake:  Delicious!  But I assume you want an actual description: varying patterns (stripes, dots, latticework) with sea-inspired accents.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  There are so many!  I loved the lights: we had lanterns in the tent, candles everywhere, cafe lights around the dance floor, and our venue had white lights in all the trees and through the town that surrounded our reception space.  Also, our dinner was served on three tapas plates, which was a little different and gave people some great choices.  I also really liked the flip-flops that we gave the girls for tired feet.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  Travel arrangements proved especially difficult.  Carillon is a beautiful place, but not the easiest to get to.  We were so fortunate to have so many friends and family join us.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding?  No, but we did honor my grandfather with a signature drink.  He was a big Manhattan drinker and I think would have preferred to be honored with that, rather than something too traditional!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My dad’s speech.  It was funny, touching and uniquely him.
Scariest moment? Realizing my “waterproof” mascara had made a break for it and not knowing how long I had looked like that!  So all in all, nothing too scary!
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: Discovering how really terrible we are at dancing!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line?  No, but we did opt for a traditional Irish blessing over a Biblical reading.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?  We’re going to continue being good parents to our dog, which hopefully includes getting him a house with a nice yard.

Congratulations, Katie + Steve!  Enjoy your newlywed status, dog and (hopefully) that new house!

Written with love by Lara Casey

Who’s ready for a sunny beach wedding?!  Good!  Me, too.  And, as usual, the talented Paul Johnson is here to deliver.  And if the Carillon Beach location isn’t enough to put a spring in your step, just take a look at Katie’s radiant smile — that is the look every girl should have on her wedding day, don’t you think?  Katie is a self-confessed SW addict (love that!), and we would love to think we had a little something to do with her fabulous style choices, including her orchid bouquet from Nouveau Flowers, her tiered Liancarlo gown, and her kelly green bridesmaid dreses from the Vineyard collection.  We’ll be back soon with the equally-stylish reception!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  I was an intern in Washington, D.C. and went to a happy hour that turned into a few hours!  Fueled by some liquid courage, I approached Steve and we began chatting.  Not too long after, Steve asked me out… a week before I was supposed to move home.  But we went out every night before I left, and decided our fledgling relationship had a chance long-distance.  That was more than six years ago.
Describe the proposal:  Steve knows my love for all things Christmas, but after telling me several times it was impractical to get a Christmas tree because we were going to be out of town for the holiday, I sadly caved.  Then one night, I came home and he had brought home a beautiful tree with tons of white lights and a single ornament.  On the ornament was the ring!  His proposal was personal and perfect and I’ll always be grateful for such a wonderful memory.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, personal and natural.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  We wanted beach-elegant, but, most of all, we wanted people to have fun, which framed all our decisions.
Favorite design element of your big day:  Well, I loved Mama Margarita.  But I think in terms of statement and general appeal the lanterns in the tent were just phenomenal and looked stunning at night.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I went shopping one time and when I put that dress on, that was it.  The other dresses I had been holding onto in the dressing room didn’t even matter anymore.
Describe your wedding flowers: I wanted mostly green and white with pops of fuchsia.  I didn’t know anything about flowers, so I pulled pictures of blooms I liked and deferred to my excellent florist, Christina at Nouveau Flowers.

Written with love by Lara Casey