Southern Weddings

Helen never imagined she’d find love when she agreed to have dinner with her best friend’s brother.  But a romantic Mother’s Day proposal (that involved her young daughter, Wimberly, and entire family) later, Helen + Johnny were planning an authentic Alabama wedding at the Five Star Plantation.  We’re especially glad the uber-talented Leslee Mitchell was there to capture the whole day on film!   Before their garden-inspired afternoon ceremony, the happy couple and their guests spent the afternoon horseback riding and skeet shooting.   Later, the bride, in a flowy J.Crew summer gown accented by a blooming wildflower bouquet from Jeffrey Long, was escorted down the aisle by her daughter to her waiting groom.  At their tented reception, Helen + Johnny treated their guests to a delectable three-tiered butter cream cake, courtesy of Pastry Art Bake Shoppe, before hitting the chic black-and-white tiled dance floor.  I think I’m in heaven!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We were introduced  by Johnny’s sister,  a long-time friend of mine.   One day she called me out of the blue and asked if I would meet her for dinner and if I would like to meet her brother.  I immediately said no!  I had recently ended a relationship and had no interest in meeting anyone new, but she promised it wouldn’t be a date.  I reluctantly agreed and even had a pretty good time despite my initial misgivings.  The next week she invited me to dinner again.  This weekly dinner with the three of us for awhile before Johnny and I saw each other on our own!
Describe the proposal:   Johnny planned a weekend at Lake Martin and even invited my parents and my daughter.  It was Mother’s Day weekend, so I didn’t suspect anything.  He took my family out on a boat ride to ask their permission to marry.  After their successful boat ride, plans were set in motion for a surprise engagement later that evening.  When it was time for dinner, I was the last to come to the table.  As I approached my place, I saw a box wrapped in white with a white ribbon.  As I looked up, Johnny asked me to marry him.  Of course I said yes!
Three adjectives that describe the wedding are:  Country,  magical  and joyful.
What was the design inspiration for your big day?  The design inspiration for the wedding was a summer garden party.    
What was your favorite design element?  My favorite design element was the full day of horseback riding, skeet shooting and exploring the wooded property.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  The wedding dress was a story in and of itself.  In my mind, I had a perfect (although non-traditional) dress picked out.  It was actually a hand-sewn skirt that I just knew was the one.   However,   after trying it on a couple of times, I knew I wasn’t really happy with it.  With only six weeks left out of the wedding, I started to panic.  A friend had recently been in her sister’s wedding and suggested I look online at J.Crew’s bridal collection.  I had all my favorites overnighted to see what I liked best.  My very favorite was the last one I tried on.  The simple lines of the gown really complimented our outdoor wedding and really suited me.
Describe your wedding flowers.  My flowers were white and green with soft peach accents.  We used white and peach roses and French green hydrangeas for the entryway wreaths, center pieces and bridal bouquets.  My daughter carried a smaller version of my hand-tied bridal bouquet.
Tell us about your wedding cake.  The wedding cake was a three-tiered white cake with buttercream iced with a swirl design.  The bottom layer was surrounded with a wreath of fresh hydrangeas.
Did you incorporate any special traditions in your wedding?  I did the something old, new, borrowed,  blue and  a 6 pence in your shoe tradition.  My garter had a sterling charm engraved with my initials and our wedding date.  I will pass it on to my daughter, Wimberly, to use for her own engraved charm. 
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?  The most memorable moment of the wedding was when my daughter and I left the “holding room” where we had been waiting for the ceremony to begin.  The sun was low in the sky and filtering beautifully through the trees, giving everything a special golden glow.  The string quartet was playing and, as we emerged, all our guests parted to make an a aisle for us.  That’s when I first saw my groom!  He looked so handsome and just seemed so happy.  As my daughter and I approached the minister, the crowd of family and friends circled around us to show their love and support.     
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to?  We have just moved into our new home and are busy completing the final construction.  Our first holidays as a married couple are quickly approaching.  We hope to start some new family traditions this year.  Whatever they may be, we want a home filled with family and friends and fun entertaining.

Congratulations, Helen, Johnny + Wimberly!  Enjoy your new home and the upcoming holiday season together!

Written with love by Lara Casey

Now would be the perfect time to tip our hats to the Sea Island wedding planner extraordinaire, Melissa Ippensen.  First up on the SW marvel list?  Flowers, flowers, flowers!  The long-stemmed white and green arrangements of tulips, hydrangeas, and calla lillies at Erin + Patrick’s swanky reception in the Cloister Grand Ballroom are over-the-top amazing and the delicate ring of ivory garden roses between the layers of the Sea Island pastry chefs’ five-tiered confection an elegant touch.  While this Georgian affair certainly was a masterpiece, the seafood spread is a work of art in itself.  Considering the newlyweds’ romantic exit in a classic car surrounded by sprays of fireworks was Erin + Patrick’s favorite part of the night, it only seems appropriate that we take a moment to again marvel at Laura Negri Chiders’ talented work behind the camera.  Lara and Emily are hot-footing it to Atlanta as we speak to put on a wedding of their own.  Wish them luck!

Our favorite details of the wedding were: Our entrance and exit were two of our favorite details.  The Sea Island signature bagpiper escorted us into the ballroom and onto the dance floor for our first dance, “You Send Me” by Sam Cooke.  At the conclusion of the reception, the horn section of our band, Bobby and the Aristocats, paraded us out of the ballroom to the music of jazz song “Satin Doll.”    
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding?  One of my best girlfriends from home purchased a beautiful Belgium lace handkerchief while living in Europe.  Her hope was that the five best friends would each carry it on our wedding day with our new initials monogrammed on the handkerchief in the order that we married.  The girls presented it to me during the wedding week, and I carried it around my bouquet.  Later, we gifted our guests with old-fashioned handkerchiefs that my mother and I had collected throughout the year.  The handkerchiefs were monogrammed with our wedding date and venue as a keepsake for our guests who had traveled to the island to celebrate with us.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  Walking in to the kitchen at 4 a.m. because I could not sleep and finding my father in the kitchen because he couldn’t sleep either!  It was a sweet moment that I will forever cherish.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?   Appreciating the many blessings, opportunities, love and support surrounding us and living our lives honoring God, our vows and being a blessing to others. 

Wow!  What a wedding!  Congratulations, Erin + Patrick.

Fellow UGA alums Erin + Patrick said their I-Do’s in the quaint Wesley United Methodist Church and, boy, do I love the ceremony pics from Laura Negri Photography!  The bride’s dramatic one-shoulder Romona Keveza gown was timeless and sophisticated while her bridesmaids’ fun, flowy Tibi dresses added a subtle pop of citrus color and flair.  Erin’s hand-tied bouquet of white garden roses and lilies of the valley from the Sea Island florist, Rose Sinclair, is ultra-elegant (and one of my very favorite arrangements) but check out those sleek modern arrangements of calla lilies and hydrangeas!  And yes, brides, the couple’s ring bearer is carrying a seashell ring bowl of lush green moss.  Totally organic and oh-so original.  While Erin + Patrick’s Sea Island ceremony is picture-perfect and sweetly Southern, I think you’ll be blown away by their glitzy reception. 

What was your favorite design element of your big day?  Our favorite design elements were the flowers and the lighting at our reception.  We achieved a soft, romantic glow by placing brushed-gold candelabras for the corners of the ballroom and putting clear glass tapered candlesticks with votive toppers on each of the tables.  In addition to the soft lighting, I also really loved the bamboo-wrapped floral arrangements of white orchids, hydrangeas, tulips and bells of Ireland.  These tall arrangements nicely balanced the lower, square containers holding single cluster arrangements of all white callas, tulips, garden roses, hydrangeas and hanging amaranthus.  Of course, food was also at the forefront of our design vision!  The food stations were creatively placed throughout the ballroom.  We had a sushi station and a friend mac-and-cheese station!  Melissa Ippensen and Rose Sinclair of Sea Island really helped make our design vision a reality.
Describe your wedding dress:  Romona Keveza was the designer, and I was attracted to the classic and timeless look of the gown.  The one shoulder ivory gown was made of silk taffeta and featured a draped bodice with a soft sweetheart neckline.  The back of the dress was highlighted with a watteau train and fitted ruched skirt.  I finished the look with a classic cathedral length veil and blusher of ivory silk tulle.
Describe your wedding flowers: My hand-tied bouquet was filled with all-white garden roses and lilies of the valley. My Maid and Matron of Honor carried bouquets of all-white hydrangeas and garden roses.  Our flower girl carried a small nosegay of white roses and freesia with a trailing ribbon.  Patrick and our two fathers wore lily of the valley boutonnières.  The other groomsmen wore boutonnières of white dendrobium orchids.  Our ring bearer carried a sea shell filled with green moss.

You’re in for a treat with the reception photos in Part III!