Southern Weddings

Sara & Melanie from North Carolina-based {Whitebox Weddings} are so creative and always produce compelling (and just pure fun!) images. The second we saw Abby + Kevin’s wedding, we knew this was a very special couple. Reception: {The Balcony on Dock Street}, Floral Design: Jennifer Rose-Sandy of {Salt Harbor Designs}, Cake: Nancy Hearne.  Be sure to check out the {Whitebox BLOG} for Part I of this super-fun wedding. Happy 4th!

The weather was: Gorgeous spring weather! Sunny, breezy, mid 80s, no humidity.
Occupations: Abby is Senior Quality Analyst at PPD, Inc., a clinical research organization headquartered in Wilmington, NC but works in the RTP office. Kevin is a self-employed wedding photographer – { www.kevinmilz.com }.
What was your design inspiration for the wedding? Southern, spring wedding with bright colors. I guess you could call it a Southern Contemporary wedding. We just wanted unique details and bright colors. The loft where the reception was held was the perfect setting for the urban feel we were going for. The florist had these awesome black benches with pillows that made it feel like a lounge.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? Chartreuse and hot pink. From looking at tons of wedding photos from weddings Kevin has photographed, I knew that contrasting colors that pop look the best in photos.
Describe your wedding flowers: I LOVED my wedding flowers! I knew right away that I wanted Kermit mums for the bridesmaid bouquets so they would stand out against the fuchsia/hot pink bridesmaid’s dresses. The florist also added green spider mums to add more volume. The bride’s bouquet was pink peonies. The flower girl (grooms niece) carried a pomander ball made with Kermit mums. The 2 ring bearers (brides nephew and grooms nephew) each carried a ring bearer pillow made with Kermit mums. The boutonnières were Kermit mums and the corsages were a mix of Kermit mums and mini bright pink roses. The reception flowers were a mix of simple bud vases with a single spider mum, Bells of Ireland, and pink tulips. I told the florist that I wanted just a mix of green and pink flowers and Jennifer did a fabulous job!!! All the guests raved about the food and flowers!
Describe your wedding cake: A middle layer of chocolate cake with Khalua filling, and two layers of white cake and strawberry filling all covered in rich, dark, decadent, chocolate ganache icing. Each tier had a chartreuse satin ribbon around the base.
How did you meet? Kevin was a friend of my coworker. A group of us went out after work for happy hour and Kevin met up with us. We ended up talking that night and exchanged emails throughout the next week. We started dating the week afterwards and were inseparable for the next 5 years.
Describe your engagement: We went to dinner at the Herons in The Umstead Hotel in Cary, NC. After dinner he surprised me with a suite for the weekend! He proposed to me while playing “Songbird” by Eva Cassidy which is the same song that he played when he first told me he loved me and became our “first dance” song.
What attracted me to my husband was: His gorgeous blue eyes and baby face. Then once we got past the physical attraction and I found it he was a photographer, I was attracted to his creativity and artistic side.
What attracted me to my wife was: her beauty and sense of humor
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: all of them!

Check back for Part II of Abby + Kevin…. 

Describe your engagement: We got engaged on a trip to Puerto Rico, on a tiny island called Vieques… Andy proposed on our balcony that overlooked the ocean, under a sky full of sparkly starts! Our engagement lasted a little over a year, and in that time, we both got new jobs and moved to the Bay area in California (but kept our wedding location in Carillon) — it ended up being a true destination wedding for everyone!
What attracted me to my husband was: his humor, his candor, and his honest & adorable face.
What attracted me to my wife was: I think it was her cute tush!! Stunningly naturally beautiful. Food, openness and drive for success.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Andy: The Highland Tap – Atlanta. We talked so much, so late into the night, the valet guy went home and locked up my keys (car & apartment) before he left! Where was I to go that night!? Julie: this is also the same date I will always remember… he says it was an "accident"… I was nice enough to let him crash at my place :)
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Julie: I can’t pick a favorite!! I think it was our guests — they made the day so fun & memorable. Andy: The band, the food, the people. For me it was a joy to do the traditional British speeches, where we could thank our parents, our guest, tell some fun stories and to read my fun little poem I wrote for Julie in Starbucks the morning of the wedding.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Julie: planning the wedding without a mom… but I had an amazing maid of honor, bridesmaid, and sisters to help me overcome it. Andy: For me it was making sure family and friends from the UK and New Zealand had places to stay and new house to get to the wedding destination.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Julie: seeing Andy’s face when I first walked into the chapel with my dad. He said, "oh my god"! Andy: Seeing Julie for the first time – just beautiful and delicate.
Scariest moment? Julie: right before I walked into the chapel with my dad. I looked through the glass paned door and saw everyone looking at me with cameras ready — I thought, oh my god, this is it!! Andy: the thunder!
Funniest moment? Andy: The speeches. Julie: when we sang Love Train with the band!
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: Rain! Our final song, ‘Love Train’ – we had the human love train that danced in and out of the tent, and we both got to sing the last parts of the chorus with the band!
How was your wedding different than the way you’d always imagined it would be? It was 100 times better than we could have imagined. We expected to be outside in the sun but we were inside sheltering from the rain. But it did not matter – there were just 55 guests from all over the world – Atlanta, California, Hawaii, Seattle, Korea, New Zealand, France, Scotland, England, Wales and Canada and they all made our day special by being the most sociable, fun, loving, giving, caring group of people I would ever want to share a tent with. Oh and the band – they really added something special by being just outstanding.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Andy: Invite only those you would want to share your special day with. Good food, good band, good photographers and the rest should fall into place if you have your friends and family with you. Julie: this is about you two. If you are very lucky, it will never happen again, so remember to stop, breath, and ENJOY it!!

Congratulations, Julie + Andy!  Thank you, Paul and Mecheal, for sharing these fabulous images~  Have a beautiful weekend!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: the wedding cake and the red shoes!
Where there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? We used my mom’s veil as a backdrop on the potters shed. Inside the house, my mom’s wedding dress was displayed across the dining table… it was a beautiful touch. (you can see it displayed behind us in most of the shots of us cutting the cake) We wanted to use the toasting glasses that his parents used at their wedding.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Matt says, “Seeing Anna arrive on the carriage and walking down that aisle”
Scariest moment? Watching out the window of the guest house and seeing all the people start flowing in… I think back to the butterflies that were in my stomach…It reminded me of the stage fright I would experience just before going to go on stage for a high school play.
Funniest moment? After the ceremony was over, and the wedding party was being escorted out the front door of the house (where the ceremony took place) slowly creeped opened and my uncle’s dog walked out, stopped to look at everyone, as if to say, "you are dismissed" and then turned around and walked back into the house. It almost looked rehearsed …you could hear chuckling across all the aisles.
Why do you love your husband? I love who I am when I’m around him.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: As Matt and I were running out to the limo, my parents surprise us with fireworks! It was absolutely amazing!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: colorful, cultural, whimsical
Did you write your own vows? We used the "Hand Ceremony" as a guideline and modified it to fit us.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Delegate, as you’re planning be sure to include him and in the months prior spend time with together, set each other first, be confident in your commitment to each other…a single day isn’t as important as the rest of your lives!