Southern Weddings

We couldn’t help but love the beautiful shots of Holly + Shea in Rosemary Beach, Florida on their wedding day.  What a beautiful day!  To think, it stormed before hand and their was a lot of worry about where this wedding would take place.  But everything worked out and thanks to the photos by {Paul Johnson Photography}, we see it worked out in style.  The evening reception included dinner by {Emerald Coast Catering} and wedding cake by {Cakes by Jan}.    To see more shots of Holly + Shea check out Paul’s {Photo Blog}.

The weather on our wedding day was: Wedding day? How about wedding week. Raining, storming, windy! It was actually raining sideways. Tropical Storm Holly is what Shea called it! The rain finally stopped a couple of hours before the wedding. We had a beautiful ceremony on the Western Green. It was not originally planned there, but was perfect.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Simplicity, and my favorite color…brown. The natural beauty of the Emerald Coast and Rosemary Beach can stand-alone.
Favorite design element of your big day: The arbor on the Western Green. It was simple and beautiful. It was the perfect backdrop for our wedding vows.
Describe your wedding flowers: Simple. Lime green orchids for the boys and a pomander for me made of lime green button mums. Other than that, we only had ferns and ivys. Very natural. Shea’s Mom has an amazing green thumb and her home is filled with ferns and ivy. We thought of her when we decided on plants instead of flowers at the reception. This decision also allowed us to have “flowers” we could keep after the wedding. We gave each of the Mother’s some of the plants and we kept some that we have potted in our house now. I have no doubt that Brenda, Shea’s Mom, will be able to keep her plants alive for years to come.
Describe your wedding cake: Square, four tiered white cake with brown ribbon and lime green orchid accents…the cake had raspberry filled layers that were delicious.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: All the friends and family that came to support us. We were truly honored by the number of people who traveled to our wedding. Families and friends from various stages of our lives invested time, money, and traveled thousands of miles to be a part of our wedding day. We could not believe how many guests came.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Funding the wedding we wanted. We are in our thirties and didn’t want our parents to be burdened with the cost of a wedding.
Scariest moment? The rain! We thought it would never stop. For a while we couldn’t use the beach (no beach left, tide was up), we couldn’t use the lawn (too windy to set up tents), and our back up location, the Town Hall, had been newly tiled, but, not yet sealed! At 9 A.M. Saturday morning, we didn’t know what we were going to do. The Town Hall ended up being only not sealed tile in the back. We were able to block off this part and use the rest of the area. Saturday morning was crazy! I had kissed Shea goodnight on Friday evening and thought I’d see him next when I walked down the aisle. He was in my bedroom Saturday morning early listening over the phone as Jan helped brainstorm alternate options! By 9 A.M. we were walking throughout Rosemary together trying to figure out the plan. Around 10 A.M., we were hugging, kissing, and crying a little…sad that the weather had changed our plans…happy that as will always be the case, we had each other. Our union was really all that mattered!
Funniest moment? Shea turning me around during Bon Jovi and playing the air guitar on my arm and waist! We love dancing together. He never ceases to surprise me. Shea will make a fool out of himself in front of a crowd if it will keep me smiling and laughing.
Hardest decision you made in planning? Wedding location…Florida or Arkansas. We have a lot of family in Arkansas. However, we elected to have the wedding in Florida because this is where our lives came together. Both of our families were completely supportive of this decision and happily came to the coast.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: The weather! First the inordinate amount of rain over a period of days. Then, the clouds parting just in time for the perfect wedding and colorful sunset.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Unpredictable, unforgettable and surreal.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Remain flexible. No matter how much you plan nothing is a given. If those plans go to waste remember that the wedding is about you professing your love to that special someone. Nothing else matters. Shea told me that daily the week of our wedding. (Remember, it rained cats and dogs all week long!)
Best advice: “Communicate.”
Most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: My best friend Angie pulled me aside and said, “Holly, your going to be so happy. I can see it in the way he looks at you. He loves you so much. He’s going to take care of you and love you forever.” I knew this in my heart, but, to have someone recognize it in Shea was beautiful.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Being together. Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to have children in the not so distant future.

Congratulations to Holly + Shea.  We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Written with love by Lara Casey

Our Southern Wedding of the Week couple has a beautiful engagement story.  With Shea carrying his wallet and cell phone out in his hands, Holly asked what was going on to hit his back pocket to feel a jewelry box.  Knowing what was about to happen, the two both shared a moment that ended with Holly explaining that Shea was jolted up with excitement.  In her words, he was like Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch.  Wow.  Having both begun their relationship in Florida and having Shea sharing his love to Holly on {Bud & Alley’s} porch in Seaside, Florida, the two decided a destination Florida wedding was perfect for them.  The two were married on the Western Green.  Holly’s bridal gown was purchased at {Simply Elegant}.  Capturing this wedding was Paul and Mecheal Johnson of {Paul Johnson Photography}. More to come in the second post.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: Shea and I were introduced by a mutual friend. Over time we discovered that we had a lot in common. We both loved to travel, we both loved sports, and most importantly, we both love children and family. We dated for over a year and half before becoming engaged.
Describe the proposal: Shea intended on planning an extravagant, romantic proposal. He had a friend make my engagement ring and it came in the mail on a weekday afternoon. He had it shipped to the friend who had introduced us. Upon picking it up from her that day, he put it in the pocket of his scrubs pants (Why, I’ll never know.) After this, he met me at the local mall for errands and Christmas Shopping. As we were finishing up, I was asking him to let me help carry some of our bags. Shea is the ultimate gentleman. He was carrying all of the bags and I noticed he had his phone and his wallet in his hand. As I was asking him why he was carrying his wallet, I slapped his back pocket and felt the jewelry box. I instantly knew what the box contained and grew nervous as my eyes teared up. He says he knew then that this would be the night he proposed. He took me to one of our favorite local spots and proposed only minutes later. He was dirty and in his scrubs from being in the operating room all day — unexpected, yet perfect. He was on a knee and as excited as I’ve ever seen him. I compared him and his emotion that night to that of Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch. He was so sure and I was nervous and a little scared. I remembering telling him I was scared. (I had been married before and I still can’t believe I’ve been lucky enough to find such a wonderful man.) What I will always remember about our engagement is what Shea said to me after I had told him I was scared. Shea said, “I know baby, you’re always scared..don’t you know I’m always going to be brave enough for the both of us.” That melted my heart.
What attracted me to my husband was: His “old soul” heart (I call him Humphrey Bogart), his sense of humor, and his spontaneity
Why do you love your husband? I love Shea because he is genuine and he really does make me a better person. I am stubborn and hard headed. He has taught me patience, selflessness, and to appreciate the moment. Shea makes me want to surrender the fight not worth fighting, compromise, and forgive. I love him because he is a loyal friend, a devoted Father, and a classic romantic!
What attracted me to my wife was: Holly the person. I always thought she was beautiful. I loved her smile and her subtle freckles. I fell in love with Holly when I learned about everything that makes up who she is inside. Holly loves me like no one else. She has an infinite amount of compassion and capacity to give. She is an incredible mother. Life is tough and so is my Holly. I know she will always stand by me and fight life’s battles beside me.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: The first time Shea returned from being deployed out of the country we spent a weekend “date” away in Seaside, Florida. It was during this trip that he told me he loved me. It was in a “not so quiet” quiet corner of Bud and Alleys rooftop bar. I was still playing hard to get and could not tell him at this point I loved him. Seaside will always be a special place for the both of us. We still love to go there and we always go to the beachside bar to remember.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: It was the first one I tried on! My Mother was there and she cried. My girlfriends were there and they each thought it was “so me!” Elegant, but ever so simple. (Shea’s words.) The brown bow made it just perfect for me!
Biggest challenge the day of the wedding: Dry sand. This sounds ridiculous, but we used a sandvase in place of the traditional unity candle. The storms made dry sand a near impossibility. Shea climbed under the pier and dug a hole about a foot deep to get “damp” sand. He and his brother and best friend then baked the sand in the oven to have it ready for the ceremony.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? No. We used traditional vows. Shea is big on tradition. I love this about him!
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? I wrapped up the “old, borrowed, and blue” tradition into a handkerchief. Shea’s best friend had loaned me his handkerchief at my grandmother’s funeral last year. Later, his wife took the handkerchief and had it embroidered with a blue “B” for the wedding. This was a stretch to the standard “tradition”, but, the ties it had to my grandmother made it feel “old”, the fact that the husband of the couple that introduced us had let me “borrow” the hankie when it was so needed was beautiful, and the blue emrodiered “B” was a perfect final touch. I know that hankie will be a part of many more memories in our future. I used it just three weeks after our wedding at my Grandmother Lackey’s funeral.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Shea says it was seeing me with the boys for the first time. I say it was when I saw Shea and could tell he was crying as I came down the aisle. Shea never, ever cries. It was so touching.

More to come from Holly + Shea.

Written with love by Lara Casey