Southern Weddings

We’re back with more from Kelli + Jeff’s Florida wedding at the University Club, and can I please just say holy glitz, Batman!  A bold black + white damask, silver + gold accents and, yes, those crystals are literally dripping from the elegant five-armed chandeliers.  Nice work, Christina Kopecki!  Wilson’s, Ltd. Arranged the over-the-top florals while Classic Cakes (904-246-6408) took care of the black + white quilted confection.  Be sure to check out the rest of Lindsey Tropf’s work before you go!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Before going to try on dresses, I had my heart set on a silky satin. I tried on multiple styles before trying on the dress I knew was the one. It was so elegant and simple, and was a perfect complement to the atmosphere I was trying to create for my reception.  My favorite part was the bubble hem at the bottom.

Describe your wedding flowers: GORGEOUS. Other than actually getting married, the flowers were the most important part of the wedding! The simplicity of having white, ivory, and pink flowers really was breathtaking. We used these beautiful silver candelabras with strands of crystals hanging from the flowers

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My dad means the world to me, and I wanted to express my love and gratitude for all he has done for me. I knew I would never be able to tell him in person, so I wrote him a long letter. I gave it to him a couple hours before I walked down the aisle. After he read it he came over a little teary eyed (which is unusual for him) to give me a hug and a kiss, and I just lost it. I should have planned it a little better because I just finished getting my make up done and could not stop crying.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? Hopefully my sister and I will be opening up our own wedding and event planning business in the near future. Jeff and I hope to spend as much time together, and to start a family within the next couple of years. We will see what God has in store for us!

The second part of Amy + Clayton’s post doesn’t need much introduction: the blue + and white décor at their outdoor reception is appropriately nautical without being clichéd or too theme-y, and the bright green accents gave off the fun, preppy vibe the couple was hoping for.  Cakes by Tanis designed the sweetly simple all-white confection, Dine by Design provided the coastal-inspired spread and Nouveau Flowers wowed – once again – with fresh green + white blooms.  Planning a summer wedding yourself?  Visit Paul Johnson’s blog post for more detailed shots of the happy couple and their Seaside wedding!

See all the photos from Amy + Clayton’s wedding in their Real Wedding Gallery!

Describe your wedding flowers: They were gorgeous! My bouquet was extremely full – very lush blooms filled with white and green flowers. For my bridesmaids, I wanted a monochromatic bright green look. Their dresses were navy blue, and I wanted the green to pop against their dresses. My florist did a beautiful job arrangements with lime green button mums. They looked great in our pictures.
Describe your wedding cake: Our wedding cake was very classic, clean and preppy. It was an all-white cake with white ribbon and white gardenias. My favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie, so we chose a Key Lime flavored wedding cake! It was as delicious as it was pretty.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? There are so many special memories from our wedding weekend. I’ve actually started a journal so I can remember all of them years from now. Of all the memories, the most special was seeing Clayton’s face for the first time when I came down the aisle with my dad. We hadn’t talked to each other the whole day, and I couldn’t wait to see him and talk to him. He looked so handsome and happy! He had the biggest grin on his face – he was so cute! What’s next for you as a couple?
What are you looking forward to in the future?  We are so excited that we no longer have to do long-distance! We appreciate coming home together and waking up with each other every day. We are really looking forward to purchasing our first house together this summer, and I can’t wait to make a beautiful home for our future family.

Congratulations to the happy couple!  We wish you all the best in your new life together, Amy + Clayton!

We took a poll in the Southern Weddings office today, and the unanimous decision is that Amy + Clayton, married at the Rosemary Beach Eastern Green, have the formula for an authentic Southern wedding down pat: quaint venue on the lush Seaside, FL property + rich navy and lime green accents x Paul Johnson Photography = wedding success!  We’ve had a week of brides in gorgeous veils this week, and Amy is no exception in her lace-trimmed veil from Opulent Creations at Kelly’s Closet.  Looks great against her classic Modern Trousseau princess gown, right?  Christina Gshwandtner of Fete Events planned and designed the couple’s Florida nuptials.  Wonder if the chic Coren Moore b’maids frocks and hand-tied bouquets from Nouveau Flowers were her suggestion?  Adorable!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We love sharing the story of how we met! We had both recently moved to Atlanta after college.  I met a friend through Bible study who had been good friends with Clayton in college.  For months, she tried to set us up on a blind date, but we were both hesitant. One Friday night, both Clayton and I were out with friends at one our favorite bars, Five Paces, and Emily finally had the opportunity to introduce us! I thought Clayton was so cute, and was kicking myself for not going on that blind date! Luckily, he asked for my phone number that night and the rest if history!
Describe the proposal.  Clayton proposed to me on the morning of July 4^th in 2009. The morning of the proposal was no different than the other 4^th we’d spent together:  we woke up, drank our coffee on the balcony and headed to the beach for a walk. We were casually walking by the ocean when Clayton stopped me. He looked at me and told me how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me – then he dropped to one knee!  I had no clue this was coming! I immediately started crying, and we both hugged and kissed! Then we went back to our beach condo to share the good news with everyone.  We walked back up the boardwalk, only to be greeted by our whole family – in their pajamas – shouting and screaming with excitement from the balcony! We cooked a big breakfast, had a champagne toast and spent the day at the beach calling family and friends! That day ended with fireworks over the harbor.  It was a day we’ll never forget!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Beautiful, cheerful and fun!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: God was so in the details and so many neat things happened over the weekend! We were blessed to have such amazing weather. We also loved the overarching theme of our wedding: we went with a preppy, nautical, J.Crew-like look. Our colors were navy and green, and they looked so crisp against the Eastern Green!  Clayton’s favorites included the oysters and the band! We hired the 24/7 Band out of Nashville, and they literally kept everyone on the dance floor the whole night!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom, sister and I started the wedding dress hunt last fall. I thought I wanted a simple lace dress, but when I tried on my Modern Trousseau dress at Kelly’s Closet in Atlanta, I fell in love. It was the first “big” dress that I tried on and I loved it! When do you ever get to wear a dress like this again? My sister knew this was the one, because I just kept looking at it from all different angles in all of their mirrors. I didn’t want to take it off! After trying it on, I knew I’d have to call my father and discuss the “budget,” but I ended up being able to purchase it right off the rack for half the price. It was meant to be!