Southern Weddings

Sarah looks so happy to be getting married in these pictures from Paul + Mecheal Johnson that I have to wonder: is it the perfectly picturesque location (Carillon Beach) and sunny day or just the handsome groom waiting for her at the end of the aisle?  (I’m sure that gorgeous gown the barefoot bride wore for her big day didn’t hurt either…) Regardless, Sarah + Ryan’s oceanfront ceremony, replete with ladies in aqua-colored Melissa Sweet frocks and gents in seersucker, has us hardcore swooning for summer.  Come back for a second swoon session later on, will ‘ya?

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  It was the summer of 2006.   Ryan and I were working in different design firms in Cambridge, MA. One afternoon, my friend, Iliya, asked if I wanted to go to an architecture league softball game after work.  I had never been to a league softball game, but decided to go.  The team met at their local pub, “The Cellar” for a beer before heading to the field, where I was briefly introduced to Ryan.  A few minutes later, Ryan left to bring the bats and balls to the field. As he left, I looked down and noticed that he had on black dress socks with his baseball uniform, which I found rather unusual, but charming.  Later, at the game, we started talking, but both thought the other was dating the friend we came with.  It wasn’t until a week later that we met again at an Industry Party held at the Fish Pier in Boston’s Seaport District.  The party was packed with people, but somehow Ryan found me in the crowd, and we’ve been together ever since…
Describe the proposal. Ryan proposed while vacationing with our families at the Atlantis in the Bahamas.  On Friday, the whole family went out for dinner together.  Afterwards, Ryan asked me if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach.  As we made our way to the beach, I could sense that Ryan was nervous, but I figured it was because a storm was brewing on the horizon.  As we walked along together in the sand, I broke hands from Ryan for a second to brush the hair from my face.  When I went back for his hand, I turned to find him on one knee with the ring in his fingers.  I was so surprised I could barely breathe. He told me all the reasons he loved me and ended with a simple, “Will you Marry Me?” I said, “Yes!” and started to cry.  We kissed and shortly after made our way to the Sea Glass Bar at the Cove to celebrate with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. 
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Elegant, light and natural. 
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The table cards.  I had Val Cole hand calligraph them here in Nashville.  Each card had a design from our invitation, which indicated what they ordered.  (Beef, Fish, Chicken, Vegetable) They were a beautiful final touch to the tables.  She also did some hand-calligraphed table numbers, which were beautiful as well.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Over my birthday in September, I flew to New York for the long weekend.  My best friend (and bridesmaid), Karen, and I visited a couple high-end bridal salons and found several contenders.  The second day of dress shopping, we woke up early for the first appointment of the day at the Bridal Garden.  We found a beautiful silk taffeta dress with a crinkle chiffon empire waist.  Around the empire waist was a silk taffeta sash that tied in a bow in the back.  The dress was light-weight, which was key for a beach wedding, and simply elegant.  The dress was perfect!

Hel-lo, wedding reception!  Erin + Jeff toasted their nuptials in style at the famed Keswick Hall, and what a reception it was.  It’s like candy for the eyes!  Sure, they had an incredible five-tier cake from The Desserterie and the décor (courtesy of Easton Events) is to die-for, but my very favorite detail of all is the escort card table, replete with lime-and-rose-covered silver pyramids.  Proof that simple elegance still goes a long way in the South. Want to see more?  Visit Patricia Lyons’ blog post for her take on the Virginia celebration!

Describe your wedding flowers: I used a combination of white orchids, white gardenias and pale yellow and white peonies for my bridal bouquet. The bridesmaids carried white peonies, purple picasso calla lilies and purple viburnum, and the groomsmen wore Picasso calla lilies for boutonnieres. There were flowers galore and most all were local to Virginia. That is a great benefit of an early June wedding. So much is in bloom!
Describe your wedding cake: We served a vanilla cake with buttercream frosting. Our florist decorated the cake with white gardenias and white and yellow garden roses with rose petals around the base.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Managing our guest list because our historic country church had a capacity of 225 max and we invited almost 350. While we were very tight in the church during the ceremony, it was cozy and felt very intimate being surrounded by so many friends and family.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Jeff sent a bouquet of gorgeous flowers with the most sincere, sweet note to my suite where I was getting ready with the bridesmaids.
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We followed the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer for our vows, but we did write the final prayer.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  Jeff will graduate from business school in May 2011, and will be starting a new job. We should know what city we’ll be in by this fall. While the future is a bit of an unknown for us right now, we both agree wherever life takes us, we trust it will bring us back to Virginia. It’s where we both grew up, went to college, fell in love and have lived for the first year as a married couple. Virginia really is for lovers!

Congratulations, Erin + Jeff!  Enjoy your new lives together – and the beautiful Commonwealth!

I get a wee bit excited whenever we feature a Virginia wedding, and for good reason!  Erin + Jeff’s wedding at the Grace Episcopal Church in our dear Commonwealth is an effortless throwback to classic Southern elegance.  (Not that I’m biased or anything, but the happy couple may or may not have met at the College of William in Mary in Williamsburg, my beloved hometown for those of you who somehow have missed my obsession with Virginia.)  The bride’s twelve attendants donned elegant champagne-colored gowns from the Jenny Yoo collection.   Easton Events planned the Southern soiree, and Shawn Cossette at Beehive Events brought the bride’s vision of bouquets bursting with local Virginia blooms to life.  Emily’s going to cut me off in short order, so I’ll save some of my other musings for the reception.  Special thanks to VA photographer Patricia Lyons for sharing this perfect June wedding!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Jeff and I met as undergrads at the College of William & Mary.   We took a modern European history class together, and were paired up by the professor for a presentation. The rest is history.
Describe the proposal. Jeff proposed a few days before Christmas in Washington, DC at the National Tree. He pulled me to the middle of the National Mall by the tree and got down on one knee. He surprised me with a beautiful cushion cut diamond he had designed himself. I was so surprised I started crying and people around us started clapped when Jeff and I hugged. A limo then picked us up with champagne, and took us on a tour of DC to see the holiday lights while we called family and friends. We ended the night at a candlelight dinner at Kincaid’s restaurant in the city.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: One of our favorites was our signature drink during the cocktail reception. We served Lemoncello martinis. Not only were they delicious and yellow (one of our wedding colors), they were a nod to my Italian heritage.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My sister was married two years before me, and she insisted I, too, would be a “Vera bride.” I didn’t think she was right, but after a few excursions in Richmond, D.C., and New York, I found my dream dress at the Vera Wang Madison Avenue boutique. My mom and sister were with me, and when I came out of the dressing room all three of us knew it was the one. The two sales clerks started clapping and opened champagne to toast.