Southern Weddings

Now that I am officially a North Carolinian, I get so excited when I see a Tar Heel wedding! The {Bliss} girls just posted a really fun Tar Heel inspiration board this week… Be sure to check it out! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Tar Heels, click here. I found this really fun vintage Tar Heel postcard that reads:

Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine,

The summer land where the sun doth shine,

Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,

Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State!

Here’s to the land of the cotton bloom white,

Where the scuppernong perfumes the breeze at night,

Where the soft southern moss and jessamine mate,

‘Neath the murmuring pines of the Old North State!

-Written by Leonora Martin and Mary Burke Kerr

If you don’t know what scuppernongs are, please make a trip to the South so you can experience them. I will have you over for scuppernong wine, pecan pie and boiled peanuts. OK, back to the wedding…

Shot by talented North Carolina-based photographer {Kellie Kano}, this wedding is pure southern simplicity and goodness. {Wild Bloom Flowers} played up the Tar Heel color scheme with fresh bouquets of peonies, roses and blue hydrangeas. We love the coordinating blue and brown polka dot ties on the groom and groomsmen. From Leslie… ” We had the ties custom made in NY at Seigo Neckwear. Here is a link to a New York Magazine Profile of the store: NY MAG.” Event planning by Samantha from {Emma Grace Designs}. For more of CJ + Leslie’s beautiful day check out Kellie’s {BLOG}. Happy Friday! Enjoy~

The weather was: Perfect at 79 degrees and mostly sunny.

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We were going for North Carolina/Southern wedding. We wanted a traditional service and a fun reception. We are both from North Carolina and are now living in New York. We love, and are very proud of our southern roots and wanted to share that with our friends and family from all over the country.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? Carolina Blue and Chocolate Brown.
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were simple and elegant.
Describe your wedding cake : Delicious! It was Carolina blue icing with chocolate brown ribbons. The top and bottom layers were cakes and the three middle layers were cupcakes. Our flavors were lemon with strawberry filling, chocolate with peanut butter filling and red velvet with cream cheese filling.
How did the two of you meet? We lived in the same dorm at UNC.
Describe your engagement: We were on the beach in St. Croix, USVI. I was more surprised than I’ve ever been in my life. Everyone finds this surprising because we had been dating for 7 years. It was absolutely perfect, what I had always imagined!
What attracted me to my husband was: Initially, his legs and his smile! He has a caring personality and is always loyal to those important to him. We were friends for a while before we started dating and he always looked out for me and was always there for me when I needed him. He is so much fun and loves exploring, which always proves to be a fun experience.
What attracted me to my wife was: Her eyes, her smile and her altruistic personality.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: C. J. is a great date planner which makes it hard to pick a favorite! One that I will definitely always remember was a romantic picnic in Duke Gardens.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: It is so hard to pick just one detail. Everything was so amazing and came together better than I ever could have imagined. If I had to pick I would say the food. It was a southern menu that included fried chicken, pork chops, green beans cooked with pork, cornbread, and banana puddin’.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge was the distance. I was planning my Chapel Hill, North Carolina wedding from Brooklyn, New York.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? It was our reception that turned into a dance party.
Funniest moment? The funniest moment was when one of our good friends did his rendition of “Strokin’” by Clarence Carter. It was especially funny because we have seen it before but many of our friends and family had not. I was laughing very hard at everyone else’s reaction.

Why do you love your husband? I love my husband for a million reasons but one I’ll mention here is that he always brightens my day!
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: Getting to dance to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. Whitney Houston was one of my favorite artists growing up and this was one of my favorite songs. My brother secretly requested it and Kellie Kano, our photographer, got some great shots of us singing and dancing to that song!

How was your wedding different than the way you’d always imagined it would be? It was exactly what I had always imagined!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Classic, Carolina Blue, and Fun.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Make it a reflection of yourselves and have a blast. Definitely don’t sweat the small stuff, especially on your wedding day!

Congratulations, Leslie and CJ! We wish you a lifetime of love and joy!

The Southern Wedding of the Week continues with more fab photos and details from Katrina + Matt’s Atlanta Wedding, shot by {Our Labor of Love}.  Be sure to check out the {OLOL BLOG} for more!  You can also read details about the planning of this stunning soirée on event planner Jeannine Kennedy’s {BLOG}. Reception Venue {The Trolley Barn}, Catering by Nationally-acclaimed {Affairs To Remember}, Cupcakes {Gabriel’s Desserts}, and Entertainment from {DejaBlue}.

From event planner, Jeannine… “Favorite things about Katrina and Matthew’s wedding, Part II: Topiaries – really made the tablescapes. What a pop of color! Initially I was worried about the dirt showing through the glass, but they looked really organic and earthy; The Bouquet Toss was for ALL women (single or married) and Katrina used a breakaway bouquet – it broke into several small bouquets when she tossed it – it was so fun!; Cupcakes – Katrina chose great flavors over frou-frou design and her guests loved it!; Birds of a Feather – We incorporated a couple of items into the overall organic theme to make it personal. The couple’s invitation had two birds on it, so we used birds nest favors with white Jordan almonds that look just like little eggs. We also attached some small nests to the garden-themed custom cupcake stands to unify things; Travel – The couple had traveled extensively during their five years together, so travel was a natural theme to bring in. We made custom escort cards matted on a beautiful antique map paper. For the rehearsal dinner the night before, we were able to create a large, custom atlas of some of their travel locations and bits of trivia about the places they have been.”

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We went more for clean designs and lines. My goal was to have a simple table- topiary trees that guest could take home, white candles, and wine that I have discovered while traveling. Overall, we opted for an organic, natural look. I wanted people of feel like they were sitting down for dinner at a huge family reunion in someone’s backyard…in Italy!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our bluegrass band, DejaBlue Grass Band.
Describe your wedding cake: Only one choice for us: CUPCAKES! Matt lived in New York City for a year and we would always make the trek to Magnolia Bakery for their amazing cupcakes. However, I have to say that our wedding cupcakes were ten times more delicious! Gabriel’s Desserts provided strawberry cupcakes, real strawberries baked in yellow cake mixture, and red velvet cupcakes that killed!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My older two brothers, from my father’s previous marriage, delivered a very moving prayer at the reception and gave a very touching tribute to my mother, who just battled cancer earlier in the year. Seeing my mom’s face light up as they expressed their appreciation for her made the entire day worth it.
Scariest moment? One of the groomsmen got lost in downtown Atlanta while shopping for additional vodka. The limo bus driver finally located him but he certainly experienced the crusty side of ATL. Second scariest moment: realizing how much vodka our families consume.

Funniest moment? My 8-year-old nephew performed one of the readings during the ceremony. He had rehearsed for weeks but when he stepped up to the podium he forgot to stand on the provided step stool. Only the top of his head was visible, probably the cutest thing ever. Oh, and he wasn’t wearing any socks with his tux. Too cute.
What were your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue items? My mom’s white and blue wedding garter knocked out the Big 3! She wore it 37 years ago and my sister borrowed it for her wedding day in 1996.
Why do you love your husband? I’m speechless…he is the only person who makes me speechless.
Most unexpected moment: How amazing our wedding song turned out to be. DejaBlue sang Van Morrison’s These are the Days. The band was a little hesitant about covering such a legendary song. They were concerned that it would not translate to bluegrass well and not meet their high standard of quality (they are truly amazing). In the end they worked it out beautifully. Actually, Matt and I were able to hold back tears throughout the entire day but when we heard that song the floodgate opened wide- well, they opened wide for me, Matt just got a little misty eyed.

How was your wedding different than the way you’d always imagined it would be? It flew by…
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Precious, Fun, Rewarding
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Take it all in stride and stick with your vision. (And buy extra vodka.)

What a joy!  Thank you so much, Jesse and Whitney, for sharing these fabulous images with us and to Jeannine for all the behind the scenes details.  Congratulations, Katrina + Matt, on your marriage and a truly inspiring wedding.  Have a wonderful weekend!  

PS- Don’t forget to vote for your favorite SATC Design Carrie’s Wedding board before Monday! 

Katrina + Matt’s Atlanta wedding, shot by awesome photography duo Jesse and Whitney of {Our Labor of Love}, is rich with delightful surprises, personal moments, and just pure fun!  Planner: Jeannine Kennedy of {FAVOR Events}, Flowers and Decor: {Carither’s}, Ceremony Venue: {The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception}, Hair and Make-up: {Scoobie West}.

From event planner, Jeannine… “Katrina was referred to me by her sister, Stacie Johnson, who is now an Assistant Planner here at FAVOR Events. Katrina lived and worked in D.C. at the time, and Matthew lived in New Jersey, but had taken an assignment in London. There were a lot of e-mails and late night phone calls in order to accommodate their work and travel schedules. Katrina and Matthew’s wedding was the first full service wedding for FAVOR Events. To me, it will be the wedding that I measure all other weddings against! Favorite things about Katrina and Matthew’s wedding, Part I: The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the oldest church in Atlanta and North Georgia. It was used as Union headquarters and later as a hospital in the final days of the Civil War. Floral choices – She incorporated mint from her grandmother’s garden and Georgia bushes (from when Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympic Games) in her bouquets. At one of our first meetings, Katrina said she didn’t want flowers – not even in her bouquets! She kept using the words, “clean and organic”. Oftentimes, the vendors and I would make alternative suggestions when it become difficult to find items, but I am so glad she stuck to her vision and wouldn’t be steered in another direction.”

From Jesse at {Our Labor of Love}: “Matt’s gift to Katrina was an “IOU” kitty. They are moving to London soon and when they get there they’ll get a cat. Katrina was very happy. Here’s the evidence…”

The weather was: Liquid sunshine in the morning followed actual sunshine in the afternoon.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? Black dresses for the bridesmaids and green in the reception.
Describe your wedding flowers: All cut leaves and other foliage, only a couple of white flowers in the bouquet. We tried to stay away from cut flowers. I loved feeling the Lamb’s Ear cutting! It served as the best relaxation device.
How did you meet? Our two friends arranged a “surprise” meeting. The meeting surprised me but Matt knew about it!
What attracted me to my husband was: His dashing good looks and his wicked sense-of-humor.
What attracted me to my wife was: Her kind and gentle heart.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Dressing up as Santa Claus and participating in the annual Washington DC Santa Stumble. Imagine 200 crazy people donning Santa outfits and running wild through the streets of Georgetown during the busiest shopping days of the year.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Matt lives in London and I travel continuously for work. Making plans over numerous time zones was extremely difficult. We struggled for the first few months without a wedding planner but then my mom encountered some major health problems. At that point Jeannine Kennedy with Favor Events came into our lives. She was a true blessing. She helped us through some very difficult times and never dropped the ball. She is an amazing lady!
Where there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Our wonderful florists incorporated mint branches into my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ bouquets. My grandmother loved mint. She was a wonderful Southern Lady from Alabama who used it in everything. Shortly after she passed away, my mother rooted some clippings from her expansive mint bush. So we took some branches from that bush and sent them to Carither’s Flowers. It was a hit!!! The mint smelled wonderful. It just filled the room! Although my grandmother was not physically there with us, her spirit was. In addition to the mint clippings, we were able to incorporate clippings from the UGA hedges. The ongoing joke was that by placing twigs from the hedge in my sister’s bouquet and the best man’s boutonniere, Matt and I were married ‘tween the hedges. Because Matt and his family are HUGE LSU fans, I kept this a secret until after the ceremony.

Check back later for Part II of Katrina + Matt…