Southern Weddings

We don’t have as many reception details to share with you as usual, but then again, that’s not really the point with this wedding — this time, it’s all about the portraits, taken by Two Suez Photography.  Aren’t the shots among the Christmas trees breathtaking?  Just about as lovely as the way Bailie + Chase ended the night, by releasing paper lanterns into the dark sky.  Does anyone else see a new trend in the works?  (And does anyone else think that last lantern looks a heart?  Because I sure do!)  See more at Two Suez’s blog here.  And happy December!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  My mom and I were bored so we decided we would go try wedding dress shopping.  I couldn’t find a single dress I liked at the first place we visited, but my mom MADE me try on a dress that was nothing like the one I had in my mind.  Being the sweet daughter I am, I tried the dress on and instantly fell in love with it!  I never put on another dress.

Describe your wedding flowers:  Lots of mums!!  My bridesmaids and I carried identical bouquets, with the exception that my flowers were yellow and theirs were white.  
Describe your wedding cake: Chase’s aunt made both cakes!  Our wedding cake had two tiers and was small, simple and decorated with sunflowers.   Chase’s groom cake was poker-themed and Aunt Diane put a picture of Chase in the middle.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Making time for studying for test and doing homework!  Also, having bridal showers.  (I dreaded showers, but it all worked out just fine.)
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding?  The reception was just like one of our “barn parties!”  The new idea that I used was the sky lanterns.  Everyone had the best time lighting them and releasing them!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Everything! Every moment about that day and night will always replay in my head!
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We said traditional vows. Chase’s uncle was our preacher and we repeated after him.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  I’m graduating nursing school next year, so school, graduation, then getting my first “big girl” job as a registered nurse. We want to have children. but not right now! The future is endless!

Written with love by Lara Casey

Who can blame this bride, a Louisiana native, for wanting to tie the knot with her high school sweetheart at her family’s Christmas tree farm?  (Yes, folks, a real Christmas tree farm!)  How romantic… and appropriately seasonal!  We love the Christmas trees (naturally) providing a ready-made seasonal backdrop for the couple’s Southern nuptials, the tractor parked near the Pepper family’s barn, the bride’s and her maids’ cowboy boots and, of course, Bailie’s Mori Lee gown.  Local florist, A Dream Come True, captured the rustic feel of the surrounding Christmas tree farm with sweet white and yellow bouquets bound in twine.  We want to see more… and get an office Christmas tree of our very own!  A big holiday thank-you to Two Suez Photography for these breathtaking images!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We were friends in high school and hung out with the same group of friends.  (I actually dated one of his friends during high school!)  What’s funny is that I always had the biggest crush on Chase when we were in school.  We shared a few little kisses but never dated.  After Chase graduated, he moved to Missouri with his family.  Since I hadn’t spoken to him since my graduation two years earlier, I didn’t even know he had moved.  A few years later, one of our mutual friends invited me to a bonfire.  It just so happened that Chase was in town that weekend.  I was sitting around the fire and Chase walked over to me and gave me a hug and said hey!  I hadn’t seen him in two or three years, and he didn’t know I had broken up with my boyfriend.  We soon reconnected on MySpace and spoke long distance on the phone.  We talked on the phone for hours every night before he finally moved back to Louisiana.  We’ve been together ever since!  
Describe the proposal.  It was late on Christmas Eve, and we just returned home from visiting relatives.  Chase told me he had me a Christmas present for me, but that he had left it down the road at his aunt’s house.  I was so anxious I made him go get the present, even though it was already midnight!  When he returned, Chase presented me with a huge box.  When I opened it, there was a smaller box and an even smaller box inside.  There were about 10 boxes inside of each other, and they just kept getting smaller!  Finally, I got to the middle and found a card.  I started to read the card, and started tearing up when he said he wanted to grow old with me.  Chase hit one knee and asked me to be his wife.  Of course, I said “yes!”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Perfect, laid back and amazing.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  I grew up on my family’s Christmas tree farm so I always wanted to have my wedding there. Old style, country, laid back, all natural, comfortable – was what I was going for.
What was your favorite design element of your big day? I have two favorites!  We released “sky lanterns” into the night sky.  They were absolutely amazing.  I also loved it when all the groomsmen and Chase got out their guitars and put on a show for our guests.

Written with love by Lara Casey

Emily has quite the eye for exceptional floral arrangements and unique details, so it’s no surprise she fell in love with Susan + Troy’s romantic garden wedding.  I’m in love with the miniature bunches of fresh herbs and slim thistles next to the bride’s ivory and orange wildflower bouquet.  Wearing her mother’s lace-trimmed wedding gown, Susan married Troy at her father’s home in North Carolina.  As a sugar addict, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of great cakes, but the fruit-trimmed and sugar-dusted raspberry marsala confection served at their reception looks unbelievably delicious.  Special thanks to Aregrayline Weddings for sharing their lovely work with us!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We Met at Pearl Art & Craft Supply in Chicago.  Troy used to sneak up on me in the aisles and startle me so I would drop everything I was holding.  On our first date (my birthday), we collected all the old light bulbs in the basement and broke them in the alley behind Pearl.
Describe the proposal:  We were visiting his brother in Brooklyn and had spent a day roaming the city.  As we were crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Troy said, “Wouldn’t this be a romantic place for someone to propose?”  I agreed and he just said, “So?…”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Busy, happy and beautiful.  
What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation?  Well, the wedding was at the very top of a mountain in North Carolina.  The location was so beautiful that we really just wanted to work around what was already there.
What was your favorite design element of your big day?  My best friend did all the flower arrangements.  She used a variety of leafy greens and bright orange flowers accented with peacock feathers.  They were so beautiful and unique. 
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  We are so lucky to have a very talented and generous group of friends.  The most wonderful detail was the participation of all our friends and families.  From the flowers to the cake to photography, everyone was involved.  Troy’s best man even played the wedding march on his accordion.  We were married by one of our close friends.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  It was my Mom’s.  She was married in the 70’s and, while the dress was made of lovely French lace, the style was rather dated.  We had the turtleneck cut out and cap sleeves added.  It was beautiful, and my Mom was so happy.
Describe your wedding cake:  Troy’s good friend, Judy, made the cake.  She baked it in Madison, Wisconsin and had to transport it all the way to North Carolina.  We just asked her to make something great and she did!  Raspberry marsala cake dusted with powdered sugar and dressed with fresh fruit.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Distance was definitely our biggest challenge.  We live in Brooklyn, and the majority of our families is in the Midwest.  The wedding was at my father’s house, so we had to put a lot of responsibility on him.  He did a great job!
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding?  We excluded a lot of the typical wedding traditions:  no garters, no bouquet tosses, no father/daughter, mother/son dances, etc.  I do think we took the record for the most speeches, however: 6 of Troy’s 9 siblings made speeches, to mention a few.  My favorite ”non-tradition” was having our friend marry us.  Jenny is an actress by trade and a very funny girl.  Her ceremony was sweet, funny and far from the norm.  It suited us well.
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line?  We did.  I loved having the opportunity to sit down with Troy and talk about what we loved about each other, what we hoped for and what we were looking forward to.  We agreed on a mutual promise to give each other and then individually wrote our own vows around this promise.  
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  We’re certainly enjoying married life.  We’ve opened a small gallery and studio space here in Brooklyn and have been busy getting it up and running.  We hope to continue with the enterprise and to build a strong artist community and network here in Brooklyn.   

Congratulations, Susan + Troy!  Best of luck with your new family business!