Southern Weddings

There are so many cool aspects about this wedding.  First we have that Lindsay + Jeremy met in the 9th grade and funny enough Lindsay was one of her only friends that didn’t have a crush on him.  But years later…we have this awesome wedding to share with our readers.  This wedding was also a family affair with Lindsay’s step mom creating her veil, a family friend took care of the catering, Lindsay’s aunt did the flowers and Lindsay acted as planner.  And Lindsay planned her heart out with booking the {Bullock Springs Manor} and hiring the fabulous {Brandelyn Lee}.  Check out more from this wedding on Brandely Lee Photography {Blog}. 

How did the two of you meet? Jeremy and I met in Mrs. Pruit’s 9th grade Literature Composition class. For some odd reason, my cousin and all my best friends had crushes on Jeremy. I didn’t understand the fascination until a few months later.
Describe the proposal: Jeremy proposed to me at the top of Kennesaw Mountain. I woke up that morning, July 2, 2007, got all dolled up because I didn’t think hiking entailed all that we went through. So, from the very beginning, I was not a very nice girl to say the least…complaing the whole way up the mountain. We went hiking with my sister, brother and his girlfriend. Somehow they managed to sneak away while Jeremy pulled out an enormous rock. My brother’s girlfriend, Diana, somehow hid in the bushes further down the trail and got some amazing pictures of it all happening.
What attracted me to my husband was: My husband is handsome. That’s what got me at first. Then after I got to know him better, he became my best friend and someone who was so random/hilarious. I just couldn’t imagine not being around him…having that someone to make me laugh or smile when I’m trying to be a crazy stressed out control freak.
Why do you love your husband? I love my husband because…
The weather on our wedding day was: On our wedding day, the weather was sunny during the day and overcast later that evening. It made for a comfortable June wedding.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I found the design inspiration for our wedding in a bridal magazine that had a pink and navy monogram cake. From there, I went crazy. I thought they were unique wedding colors.
Favorite design element of your big day: Our favorite design element of the day was the gorgeous pink rose petals that covered the center aisle. They made for beautiful pictures.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: The very first dress I tried on was the one I bought. It was perfect!
Describe your wedding flowers: I mean HELLO….Just look at the flowers! My aunt was my florist and she is absolutely amazing. We just did a mixture of colorful flowers.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? My dad is stingy. He kept us on a VERY strict budget.
Hardest decision you made in planning? The hardest planning decision we made was choosing the music for the reception…especially the first dance.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: The flowers that lined the isles almost did not make it on time. They came from Ecuador and the UPS man delivered the flowers like 20 minutes before we left for the wedding place.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Our next undertaking as a couple is a new puppy. We just got a little black Labradoodle puppy. She’s our new baby and she’s been such a blessing.
Any DIY items? The favors and flowers balls that lined the aisle my step mom and sisters helped create.

Congratulations to Lindsay + Jeremy.  We wish you the best as puppy parents!

Katie + Dwayne’s wedding is definitely one-of-a-kind, especially since a lot of the wedding was DIY. The couple and their family decorated the entire wedding and did all the cooking for the reception–except for the cakes, which were baked by Paula Harmon. The groom’s cake, made to look like some of the most meaningful books in the couple’s relationship, was Katie + Dwayne’s favorite detail of their big day. The bride wore a dress from {David’s Bridal} and flower arrangements were by {Heritage Florists}. To see more of Katie + Dwayne, check out {Simply Bloom Photography}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Dwayne was attending church where my parents attend. When I returned home from school for a weekend visit, we began talking. We exchanged book suggestions, poetry, and music regularly and a true friendship quickly evolved into a deeper relationship.
Describe the proposal: I (Katie) had been in Paris, France for ten days straight with no great way of communicating with Dwayne. So, I immediately called him when the plane landed in the Atlanta airport and stayed on the phone with him while walking to gather my bags. Then, I heard on the line “I see you!” and, click, the line went dead. I saw Dwayne running towards me (dodging oncoming crowds), but he stopped about ten feet from me, held up his hands and said “stop right there.” Then he dropped to his knees and proposed! When I said yes, I dropped to my knees to kiss him and he said, “then put this on” and handed me the ring that he was wearing on his bandaged finger (he had put a screw through it accidentally while I was away). As we kissed a crowd of people that had stopped to watch began clapping and cheering.
What attracted me to my husband was: His adventurous spirit and sense of humor. Dwayne is the perfect mix of adult man and teenage boy. He keeps me on my toes!
Why do you love your husband? I love Dwayne because he is a genius. He’s the most intelligent and talented human being I’ve ever met.I love him because no matter what we are doing we are laughing and the conversation is never ever dull.
What attracted me to my wife was: What immediately attracted me to Kate was her intelligence, wit, and ability to be completely honest.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: We literally laid around in an open field for an entire day together just talking and laughing. It was straight out of one of our books.
The weather on our wedding day was: Rainy, cold, and beautiful!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? There wasn’t one alone. It was a melting pot of sorts. During my training as an artist, I was exposed to a lot of different works and techniques which all seemed to influence my wedding ideas.
Favorite design element of your big day: Hands down, the groom’s cake. I had is made as a surprise to Dwayne… it was a stack of three of the most influential books to our relationship.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My dress was very classic. It was strapless, A-line, and covered with antique looking lace. I’m a sucker for antique or vintage anything!
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were all white with hints of blue and green. All the boutonnieres and corsages had peacock feathers instead of greenery. Flowers were really less important than candles at our wedding, though.The bridesmaids all carried candles in crystal holders.
Describe your wedding cake: My wedding cake was completely an accident! What I had ordered was very fragile and broke while being transported to the reception. Mrs. Harmon (the most brilliant baker on the planet) improvised and worked her magic, however, and it turned out beautiful. She added some of my extra flowers and peacock feathers for a very “My Fair Lady” effect.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Each other. When it comes down to it, that is the only thing that matters. The cakes, decorations, flowers, etc are all fun but we were just so happy to married!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Mainly time. We basically planned the entire thing in 2-3 months.
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Not really. We tried to break the mold as much as possible. We had two maid’s of honor, two best men, two officiants, and my mother walked me down the aisle!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? (Dwayne) Seeing Kate walk down the aisle. That image will never leave me!
Scariest moment? My 4 year old little brother, Ryan, was our ring bearer. He is a little unpredictable so we didn’t know what he would do. However, we were up for anything because he’s adorable. The plan was to have him walk down with his dad (who was a groomsmen), but when the time came he had a come-apart and wouldn’t go. Turns out, he just wanted to walk down alone! When his dad walked down, Ryan followed and walked perfectly to the front. After a few circles around the stage, he found his place and stood there.
Funniest moment? I received a card from Dwayne right before the wedding that just said, “Mine?” I wrote back, “Yours.”
Hardest decision you made in planning? Whether or not to go with a Marie Antoinette theme—I still think it would have been a blast!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, emotional, fast!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Have an organized mother!
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Both of our families were extremely involved so we can’t choose just one person. We were just happy to have everyone all together!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to a long life of adventure together!
Any DIY items? Oh, EVERYTHING at the wedding was DIY. We and our families cooked all the food, decorated, and even arranged some of the music!
Favorite inspirational blogs or sites (if any): Southern Wedding, the Knot, and Simply Bloom Photography!

Congratulations Katie + Dwayne! We wish you the best on all the adventures your life together will bring you!

More to come from this Southern wedding at {Villa Serena}. Shanda + Chris treated their guests to music from {Awesome Enteraintment} in the form of a DJ and wedding cake by {Simply Tasteful Cakes}. Shanda + Chris also hired Lara Molettiere of {Cameo Event} to plan their wedding. We love the white and black color scheme with the beautiful tables scapes with feather centerpieces. Take a closer look to see what we mean. The chair covers and sashes came from {Memories by Design}. Check out all the shots on Brandelyn Lee Photography’s {Blog).

The weather on our wedding day was: Beautiful, but windy!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? A modern yet vintage black and white theme…with a little pink of course!
Favorite design element of your big day: Beautiful hand-made ostrich feather centerpieces with many damask-patterned accents.
Describe your wedding flowers: I love vintage! The flowers were a combination of vintage and modern themes.
Scariest moment? Since the wedding and reception were outside, we had everyone praying for no rain! However, we forgot to tell everyone to pray for no wind! The day was beautiful, but windy! We were so terrified the ostrich feather centerpieces would fly away!
Funniest moment? Our DJ played this hilarious game called the “Shoe Game” during the reception. We sat on chairs back-to-back and held up each other’s shoes based on questions that he asked, such as “Who is the better driver?” (I held up my shoe – of course – and he held up his!)
Hardest decision you made in planning? The seating chart!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, unforgettable, and fairytale!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? There are always small things that will happen that are out of your control. Make sure you enjoy the day with your groom, family, and friends because the day goes by so fast.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. One of my little cousins thought I was a real princess and bashfully asked me to take a picture with her!
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? My Daddy, who passed away five years before this day. We dedicated a special area of the reception to remember him.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Many more vacations!
Any DIY items? The ostrich feather centerpieces, programs, and the seating chart.

Congratulations to Shanda + Chris.  We wish you many more vacations!

Written with love by Lara Casey