Southern Weddings

I admittedly don’t have the same eye for detail as our Emily, but even I can tell that the personal touches at Stacey + Chris’ reception at her parents Alabama home are really spectacular!  A cup filled with old-school No. 2 pencils?  Adorable!  It’s hard to believe that the backyard-chic floral arrangements were designed by the bride and her friends.  Want more?  Check out SimplyBloom’s blog post here.

Describe your wedding flowers: I really didn’t know what direction to take with the flowers.  I knew I wanted something in-season and sustainably grown.  Luckily, one of my clients suggested this great little farm north of Huntsville.  They grow all their own flowers organically and sell them by the bucket.  I went with my Mom to look around and found that dahlias were the major flower in season.  Once I saw all the colors and sizes, my mind went into overdrive.  I was in heaven.  I bought three buckets and had enough flowers for all my center pieces and my bouquet. The Friday before the wedding, my sister-in-law, Mara sat on the floor in the living room arranging all the flowers.  She was a miracle worker!
Describe your wedding cake: Let’s start by saying it was the most buttery, moist piece of sugary delight ever!  Not to mention beautiful and made with love by my new sister-in-law, Lisa!  Lisa is a teacher by day and cake baker by night.  She spent so much time whipping and measuring and icing!  The cake was a butter cream frosted vanilla cake with our flowers arranged on top. I painted a groom and bride for the toppers and we placed them to the side of the cake.  The groom’s cake was a tower of doughnuts placed on a cake stand.  Lisa promised to make us a cake for our anniversary rather than having to pull a piece out of the freezer.  Have I mentioned how wonderful my new sister is?!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  Really just one: After the ceremony, Chris and I stuck around to take pictures and everyone else headed to my Mom’s house to begin the festivities.  For us to have those moments together in the sunlight was so surreal.  We were so excited and happy and the surroundings couldn’t have been more beautiful.  The really great thing is we had the most talented photographer to catch it all.  Now, whenever I have a stressful day or I just want to have that moment back, I can, and do often!  Thanks Vania and Christine!
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite verse, line or phrase?  We went a step further and wrote the whole darn ceremony, so it’s hard to pick out one favorite phrase or poem.  I would say what was really nice is everyone coming up to us afterwards and saying that the ceremony was so honest and real.  One of our friends said she had been to several weddings in the last year and she felt ours was a true representation of what marriage is.  That made us really happy!
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? This is an exciting question for us to answer.  We are right on the edge of Chris finishing his schooling and taking a job in D.C.  We plan on moving in the summer and I am also going to make the jump from doing hair to working in the non-profit sector.  After we settle in up there, we hope to travel and see all kinds of wonderful things.

Congratulations, Stacey + Chris!  Good luck with your exciting move to D.C.!

Vintage pastel: that’s what I’m calling Stacey + Chris’ sweet lovely color palette.  Pastel weddings are always lovely, but there’s something extra sweet about the soft blues, lilacs and tangerines the couple chose for their Alabama nuptials at the Union Grove Art Gallery.  SimplyBloom Photography wows us again with their touching and heartfelt images… lovely!  And what do y’all think of the bride’s J. Crew frock?  She totally has my vote!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  I had been living in Seattle for four years and enjoying the music scene and all the local markets before I decided to move home to Huntsville.  Once there, I began to get involved in local politics, which is where Chris and I met.  We met up for some Thai food, but little did I know that Chris was not a fan of Thai.  We talked over dinner while Chris pushed his food from side to side and I happily dug in. We finished the date with Pan’s Labyrinth and some redneck loudly yelping about the subtitles and strange language.  When we both started laughing I knew that this was going to be a good match.
Describe the proposal.  The proposal was more of a conversation on the couch just before Chris was leaving for Christmas break.  We were talking about what was in store when Chris finished school and before we knew it a bottle of wine was gone and we were on the phone to our families.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Chris says, “Super duper awesome!”
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? To be honest, I spent hours online.  I looked at countless blogs, pictures and craft pages. I looked at Etsy.com.  I also tried to think of things that felt warm and inviting.  I have always loved fall and knew that was when we were hoping to get married.  I created inspiration boards and took note of anything that inspired me while walking around or talking with people.  I had to remind myself that I only had time to craft so many projects and, at one point, there was even an intervention from my Mom and Chris.  They told me that no more ideas were allowed!!  Luckily I have many friends that are getting married so I am passing the ideas on.  I tell you: this stuff is addictive!
What was your favorite design element of your big day?  I loved the art gallery we got married in.  It ihasa beautiful one-room chapel from the 1800’s.  The art department at UAH restored it and now uses it for events and art exhibits.  It is the perfect blend of rustic and homey with great lighting.  The white steeple and all the beautiful trees around just made my heart flutter.  I would close my eyes and picture all the leaves changing and this perfect little building sitting waiting for us.  I really loved every bit of that place.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Oh there were so many, but the best thing about the whole event was my family playing music together.  Both of my brothers are musicians and my sister-in-law sings like an angel.  I knew I wanted them to perform and, thankfully, they all agreed.  I still think about everyone eating dinner together with Mara’s and Wade’s voice floating through the air.  It meant so much to us.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I was terrified of blowing my budget on a dress.  I really avoided typical wedding dress shops and looked at everything from vintage shops to everything online.  I settled on a creamy silk confection by J.Crew.  The cut was beautiful and it had the best details.  I was comfortable and felt like a really beautiful bride.

Check back soon for more of Stacey + Chris’ lovely Alabama wedding!

I’m not a sentimental person, but, really, how sweet is this Kentucky reception photographed by Todd Nichols Photography?  Alexis + Thad celebrated their new marriage with an outdoor soiree on the sprawling lawn of Locust Grove.  The rich navy and crisp white accents are lovely against the open green spaces around the tent, and the fresh lemon and lime accents a perfectly Southern accent.   Wish I could share a slice of the flower-topped confection from Thornberry’s Delicatessen with the too-cute newlyweds! 

Describe your wedding flowers: Old-fashioned and Southern to the core.  My bouquet consisted of all white hydrangeas, cabbage roses and peonies.  The bridesmaids carried bouquets of pink and green hydrangeas and white roses.  The aisle was lined with hot pink rose petals and the rows were marked with pink and green pomander balls.  The reception tent was decorated with a variety of flowers.  The tables had arrangements of white and green hydrangeas, belles of Ireland, white roses and gerber daises.
Describe your wedding cake: We chose a five-tiered cake with five different flavors: chocolate, white, marble, strawberry, and lemon with butter cream frosting. The Groom’s cake was individual chocolate meringue pies.
Describe the food and drink at your reception: The reception began with appetizers that had a North Carolina influence.  We served “Redneck Martinis,” eastern style Bar-B-Que, cole slaw and hush puppies.  We also had specialty drinks including “Lover’s Lemonade,” made of old fashioned lemonade and vodka as well as Kentucky’s finest bourbon.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? It was a hot and humid Kentucky summer day.  I had dreamed of an outdoor wedding and reception but I was always afraid of rain on my wedding day.  We had to be prepared for 300+ guests in the best or worst weather. Luckily, the sun was shining the entire day. 
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding?  We tried to blend traditions from both families into our wedding.  We both have deep Southern roots so we wanted to highlight those with our music and décor. 
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Dancing and celebrating with our closest family and friends.
Where did you honeymoon?  We took a 10-day trip through Italy and Spain.  We were really looking forward to some rest and relaxation and this was the perfect trip! 

Congratulations, Alexis + Thad!  We hope you had a blast on your European honeymoon!