Southern Weddings

Now that we’re well into September, it’s time to stop dwelling on the spring and summer months past and instead get properly and officially excited about Fall and the promise of cooler months, changing leaves and all our favorite holidays!  What better way to get in the autumnal spirit than with another fabulous Whitebox Weddings photo spread?  The chocolate browns, spice reds and warm chartreuses of Caroline + Matt’s North Carolina wedding at the Barn at Fearrington are perfectly seasonal and deliciously warm and inviting.  Rustic fiddle ferns and bright hypericum gave the bride’s lush bouquet from Mary Stevens at Fearrington Farms a fresh, hand-picked look while pinecone accents and detailing added a natural, homey feel to the ceremony and reception.  We especially love that Caroline wore a timeless Melissa Sweet gown she had picked out nearly ten years before her wedding.  (Talk about just knowing when you’ve found the dress!)  Want to see this darling couple’s cozy barn reception?  Check back soon!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  We met at an online dating service!  Both of us were a little reluctant to try it at first.  Thank goodness we did, because we never would have met otherwise!  We chatted for a few weeks online and then he FINALLY asked for my phone number, but didn’t call for a week!  We met very soon after that and the rest is history!

What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation? We wanted to create a holiday spirit without being completely “Christmas”.  We loved the pinecone motif and thought the chocolate and chartreuse color scheme was perfect for the season.  

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I found my wedding dress ten years ago.  I was in Atlanta and ventured into Melissa Sweet’s bridal shop, which was in a little house at the time. I saw my dress and immediately knew it was the one. I was just waiting for the perfect man to wear it for! 

Describe your wedding flowers: Gorgeous!  My meeting with our florist, Mary, was so much fun.  She let me wander through the flowers in the shop, mixing a color scheme that I liked.  I asked her to create a bouquet that was unstructured and looked freshly-picked.  The final product was perfect.  My bouquet was one of my very favorite details of the day.  It was a mix of deep reds and bright greens.  I especially loved the fiddle ferns and hypericum berries. 

Excited for Fall yet?  Check back soon to see Part II of Caroline + Matt’s seasonal wedding! 

After yesterday’s fairytale sweet and endlessly romantic wedding, Julie + Todd’s Texas affair from Whitney Lee Photography is modern, sleek and oh-so adorable.  Sunny yellows, chocolate browns and fresh whites came together at the Mansion at Judges Hill to express the couple’s love of nature and the outdoors.  Naturally, the SW girls love the sophisticated bird theme woven subtly into nearly every detail.  While Emily is wowed by the intricate feather detailing on the groom’s chubby owl cake and mini-owl mushroom accents on Julie +Todd’s wedding cake from Sweet Tempered Bakery, I adore the delicate bird’s nest safeguarding the couple’s rings and the elegant centerpieces of delicate twigs and branches, all arranged by the groom’s amazingly talented sister!  Julie’s airy gown is appropriately whimsical and fits perfectly with the earthy and natural feel of her big day.  Special thanks to this Texan couple for reminding us that sometimes simple and sophisticated details and personal touches make for the most stunning weddings! 

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met through mutual friends in Austin and clicked instantly, but I moved to California shortly after we were introduced. We saw each other when I came home to visit family and became closer over time. Eventually, we started dating long distance and, in order to stay in touch, both decided to carry 3X5” black moleskin notebooks to document our lives. The majority of our books were filled with letters to each other, but also included bits of daily life, like photographs, drawings, ticket stubs, music recommendations (with a mixed CD and playlist) and even question and answer sections like, “What is your earliest childhood memory?” We would mail the books back and forth to each other every couple weeks, always in the same two boxes. Two years later, when we finally moved to the same city, we had 5 full notebooks, totaling 960 pages documenting our early relationship. They are amazing to read through!

Describe the proposal: It was my birthday and we were living in Indiana at the time. Todd and I share a love for nature and would regularly hike in the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. When we got to the top of a bluff overlooking the lake on this particular, he pulled out the ring from deep in his pocket and asked me to marry him!

Favorite design element of your big day: The invitations. My brother and his wife (Letterpress Delicacies) made the letterpress invitations and they were perfect. Bright yellow birds were pressed into heavy ivory cardstock with chocolate colored text. They also included a map with local landmarks and directions. We loved the texture and feel of the paper and envelopes.

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We wanted the wedding to reflect our love for nature. Natural elements like birch bark were used as well as bird and owl motifs. Our colors were bright yellow and espresso brown.

Describe your wedding flowers: The bouquets (made by Heather, my brilliant sister-in-law  and matron of honor) were primarily yellow, consisting of craspedia, roses, freesias and alstroemeria. In my bouquet, we added Guinea feathers obtained through a cruelty-free farm in Texas.

Describe your wedding cake: We really wanted to have cakes that would make our guests smile. The wedding cake itself was a simple ivory fondant draped over alternating tiers of lemon and orange curd filled rosewater vanilla cake. Keeping with the nature theme, we placed locally harvested branches into the cake and little mushroom owls in the branches. The groom’s cake, an upright, chubby owl, was made from chocolate devil’s food cake and frosted with American Buttercream. The delicate feathers were made from rice paper, which had been dipped in white chocolate while the beak and talons were made of soft caramel.

The cake bases were handmade by my brother, Tim. He collected the wood in Berkeley, CA and carried it with him onto the plane to Austin where it was sawed and sanded into beautifully balanced cake stands.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The music. Todd’s brother, Trevor Gureckis, arranged two of our favorite songs for a string quartet. I walked down the aisle to Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th” and we exited to “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes, which is such a happy song of celebration. He did a phenomenal job taking modern music and adapting it to the classical sounds of violin, cello, and viola.

Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, sweet and whimsical.

Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? We truly honored each guest at our wedding. However, my mother, who also served as the officiant, deserves extra credit! Not only was she trying to help prepare last minute details, but she was also simultaneously memorizing her readings. 

What’s next for you as a couple? We really want to travel!

Congratulations, Julie + Todd!  Enjoy your many travels.

I know Fall is almost upon us but for those of you planning your upcoming spring wedding, Vanessa + Brant’s Texas I-do’s from Photography by Niki should really get the creative juices flowing!  While every girl dreams of her fairytale wedding, this bride made hers come true with light, airy colors (don’t you love the fresh aquas of the bridesmaids’ flirty frocks from David’s Bridal?) and whimsical butterfly accents.  The lace detailing on the bride’s ultra-feminine veil is the perfect complement to her vintage empire-waist gown (I adore Pronovias!) and we love how wonderfully sweet she looks against the garden backdrop of the Houston Oaks Country Club.  Perhaps I’ve seen a few too many Disney movies, but after looking at that butterfly-topped cake from the appropriately named Enchanted Cottage Bakery, I’m half expecting a little fairy to fly out of those dainty bouquets and magical arrangements from Pecan Hill Florists. 

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: I grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada and would spend a lot of time at a nearby lake during the summer.  One summer, Brandt came to the lake on vacation before he moved back to Texas. Though I never got a chance to meet Brandt that summer, I heard about him through my friends and we were soon introduced. Once we had gotten to know each other, we stayed in touch and I eventually took a trip to Texas where we met in person for the first time. After I returned, we kept in close contact for the next two years until we decided to start dating!

Describe the proposal: We started off the night at the restaurant where we had our first date. After dinner, Brandt drove me to a spot where we had spent a lot of time in the past: a mill on the banks of a peaceful lake. When we got there, Brandt took me to the banks and read a poem he had written for me. He seemed so nervous, which made me laugh because I couldn’t understand why. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was perfect.

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? My inspiration was the beauty of nature. I included elements such as oak trees, butterflies and bright, vibrant flowers to leave our guests with a feeling of refreshment and rejuvenation, as well as to provide them with a glimpse of our love.

Favorite design element of your big day: I absolutely loved the combination of the bouques and my bridesmaid’s pool blue dresses.. The colors seemed to pop and really lightened the atmosphere and mood inside, which was a pleasant contrast to the dreary weather outside.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I spotted my wedding dress while flipping through a bridal magazine and instantly fell in love with it. I went to a bridal boutique in Cincinnati, Ohio and tried on a similar dress and loved that one, too,, so I ordered the dress from the magazine. I had to wait until after Christmas for my dress to arrive in Houston, but it was so worth it. This dress was everything I wanted and more!

Describe your wedding flowers: I knew I wanted something fun and different for my wedding bouquet, so I chose powder blue hydrangeas with vivid fuchsia orchids. I also wanted a piece of my mother with me for the big day, so I added some embroidered flowers that were from her original veil to the satin wrap around the stem of the bouquet. My bridesmaids’ bouquets consisted of an assortment of white flowers that gave them a soft cluster look. They were also accented with lavender sweet peas and blue butterflies, which gave it a refreshing pop of color and complemented the blue hue of the bridesmaid dresses.

Describe your wedding cake: For our cake, I knew I wanted something simple but with a vivid splash of color that would make it stand out. I chose an aqua blue linen decorated with white, sparkly butterflies. The cake was a beautiful element that coincided with the wedding’s nature theme.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Because of the rain, our reception hall hosted our ceremony and reception. As I walked into the building, Lauren, our wedding planner, and two other friends covered me and my father with umbrellas as we walked up to the building. Once we finally made it to the door, I saw Brandt and all I could think about was how long I had waited for this moment to arrive.

Funniest moment? I had asked Niki, our photographer, if the bridesmaids and I could take a jumping picture. She advised me that it was easier said than done and that it is difficult to jump in a wedding dress. We still had fun trying to get the perfect shot!

What’s next for you as a couple? I will be acclimating to living in Dallas and fighting through immigration bureaucracy, but we’re looking forward to traveling together and just being a part of each other’s daily lives.

Congratulations, Vanessa + Brandt!  Enjoy exploring Dallas together!