Southern Weddings

One look at Heidi + Ryan’s French-inspired wedding at the Clark Gardens in Weatherford, Texas and it’s no wonder our lovely Emily is in love.  She’s been looking forward to this wedding from Phose Photography for the last two weeks, and with the couple’s sophisticated black-and-white color scheme (my personal fav!), dramatic feather details and green and white floral designs from Willow Creations, it’s not hard not to see why our Art Director is in wedding heaven.  Sigh.  But I have to say, while the bride’s paper-white Eugenia Couture gown is simply breathtaking, our very favorite part of this wedding is its uniqueness.  Just goes to show that there is no one true type of Southern wedding!   

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Ryan and I met in the Emergency Department of a hospital in San Diego.  Several chance encounters and sideways glances later, we finally formally introduced ourselves.
Describe the proposal.  We were walking along the beach in San Diego on a Saturday afternoon.  As we were looking out towards the ocean, Ryan put his arms around me and pulled out a beautiful engagement ring!  I was so surprised! Ryan had to ask me twice before I finally said “yes.” 
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I knew I wanted a garden wedding.  My inspiration for my special day included fabrics and hair styles of the French court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the Petit Trianon and the gardens of Versailles.  I also wanted to incorporate a more modern, vintage feel, so threw in some couture elements inspired from the late 1950s.
What was your favorite design element of your big day? The Sevres-inspired china and sterling silver candelabras.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I went with two of my bridesmaids to look for bridesmaids dresses.  To appease them after they had tried on countless dresses, I grabbed a dress off the rack and put it on.  The dress turned out to be “the one!”  

Like this French-inspired affair as much as we do?  We have more!

Written with love by Lara Casey

Let’s cut right to the chase: I love (I mean love) this Florida wedding from J. Monet Studios!  But really, from the bride’s stunning open-back lace Alfred Angelo gown to the perfectly pink centerpieces from Designs by Elsa (305-470-1834), what’s not to love?  While the Deering Estate in Miami, Florida where Archie + Danny exchanged their vows is a picturesque throwback to a sprawling Southern plantation, the portraits of the couple have a sleek and modern edge to them.  Can we say breathtakingly stunning?  Event designer Nora Salario from Absolutely Famous Weddings and Events perfectly captured the sophisticated and ultra-glam undertones the couple tried to weave into their wedding day celebration.   Every now and then, wedding cakes look (almost) too good to eat, and the feminine five-tiered confection courtesy of Mr. Bee’s Cakes is definitely one of those masterpieces.  Can we have a slice?

 How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We had both gone to play pool at Dave and Busters. We were introduced through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off. We talked about everything under the sun, including our shared love for everything Will Ferrell. I knew we were a perfect match and have been together ever since!
Describe the proposal: It was our one year anniversary, and little did I know that Danny and my mom had planned a huge surprised for me. That night, I was dropped off at the beach with only my cell phone. Danny called me and guided me to where he was. As I got closer, I saw him waiting for my by the water. He had prepared a beautiful candlelit beach blanket and had even brought a bottle of champagne! Soft music was playing in the background, and I realized that it was a play list of every song we had ever dedicated to each other.  At some point Danny slipped away and returned with a large gift box. I opened it and found a smaller box. Upon opening that box, I found an even smaller box. I finally came to the last and smallest box and Danny told me to stop there. He then played our song, “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, and began to read a poem he had written entitled “If Love Is.”  The poem ended with the best line ever: “Archelle Coll…will you marry me?” With the music playing, the waves crashing behind us and the love of my life proposing to me, it was truly like a fairy tale!
The weather on our wedding day was: It didn’t rain! Because we were having an outdoor wedding, rain was our biggest concern. The weather report had called for a 60% chance of rain! Fortunately, the sun was out all day and it was a beautiful day! We were still able to have a beautiful outdoor ceremony!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Vintage, elegant and magical!
Describe your wedding flowers: My flowers were perfectly pink, with a mix of peonies, roses and my favorite — tulips!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Getting married is truly a once in a lifetime event! You should have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff! Don’t let the minute details get the best of you and make you make your day happy and memorable rather than stressful and rushed! It’s also important to not bicker with those closest to you, and to keep in mind that they are trying to help you and make you happy! Finally, this is not just your day: don’t forget that there wouldn’t be any wedding if it weren’t for that that incredible man standing next to you!
What’s next for you as a couple? I just graduated from nursing school and will start working as an RN, while Danny is in the process of starting nursing school. But right now we are really focusing on starting our careers and playing house in our adorable apartment!

Congratulations, Archie + Danny!  Best of luck with your new careers!

Talk about Old Southern Elegance!  With its impressive marble columns and perfectly-manicured lawn, the Spindletop Hall where the new Mr. and Mrs. Durtschi celebrated their marriage with friends and family is reminiscent of a sprawling Kentucky estate – and I love it!  Photographer Laura Negri did a fabulous job capturing the classic elegance and Southern sophistication of the couple’s wedding without losing sight of their fun, easy-going personalities.  Seriously: how much fun does it look like they’re having?!  (We think the red accents really help bring out Brittany + Patrick’s fun side!)  Since I’m a bit of a sugar addict, I hope you’ll indulge me as I marvel over the delicate four-tiered confection from Martine’s Bakery… amazing.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom and I went to try on dresses the day after the 4^th of July.  There weren’t a lot of people in the salon because of the holiday weekend, so I pretty much tried on dresses for hours.  When I tried on the lace Lazaro gown and looked in the mirror, I was shining!  I felt different in this dress and knew I looked different because of the way my mother was looking at me.  I wanted to make sure this was “the dress,” so we visited some more salons in Florida and Kentucky.  Eventually, we were back in Florida and I was purchasing my Lazaro gown.  It really was the perfect gown for me.
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were simple and elegant.  For our centerpieces we used oversized mint julep cups filled with bright, beautiful flowers.  Roses and hydrangea’s are my two favorite flowers so we made sure to have plenty of those in each piece.  Nancy Potter, a family friend, made all of the gorgeous floral arrangements as a wedding gift for the two of us.
Describe your wedding cake: We wanted our cake to look like a traditional wedding cake; white, classic and elegant.  Two of the tiers were red velvet, since that is our favorite flavor, and the other two were vanilla with butter cream.  The topper was a gift we received from one of my grandmothers.  The groom’s cake was a complete surprise for Patrick!  He loves Makers Mark bourbon and I wanted to surprise him with a Maker’s Mark-inspired cake at our reception.  It turned out to be a huge hit with all the guests, and it was definitely delicious.
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included?  We included several family traditions in the wedding.  The flower girl baskets we used were over thirty years old and already have been used in three other family weddings.  Another family tradition is for the Groom to change his jacket, so, after our ceremony and formal photos, Patrick changed in to a white dinner jacket.  The look was very Gatsby and he loved it.  All of our rings (including my engagement ring) were made by a jewelr in eastern Kentucky and he happens to be the same jeweler who made some of my aunts’ and uncles’ rings.  It felt great to know he made ours, too.  We started a new tradition by having the wedding party ride in the back of my dad’s 1936 Ford Truck. 
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  We both agree that the most memorable moment was when I was waking down the aisle to meet Pat.  It was a feeling we will never forget.  It was finally our wedding day and now the two of us are a family. 
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  Enjoying one and other, traveling, moving in to our first home and having fun every day. 

Congratulations, Brittany + Patrick!

Written with love by Lara Casey