Southern Weddings

Ready for a little country, rustic, chic wedding? Rachell + Lee’s big day took place on one of Rachell’s family friends farm in Fairview, Tennessee.  The simple outdoor ceremony and reception were perfect for the couple. Rachell’s cousin arranged all the flowers and Rachel’s mom planned this beautiful celebration.  Catering by {Pasta Vino A Trattoria} and wedding cake by Amanda Mason of Bake Me a Cake.  Photography by {Inge Kathleen Photography}.  Check out all the amazing shots on Inge’s {Blog}. Love the groomsmen’s Chuck’s!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. One of my best friends from college grew up in an area of Maryland not too far from D.C. When I moved to D.C. to pursue a career in documentary production, I was quickly accepted into her group of friends. Lee’s best friend from growing up happened to be one of these new friends of mine. I first met Lee one afternoon when we all met up to watch a football game at local bar we frequented. I remember he was wearing a sweater vest as he had just come from a teacher training at his new school. I thought that it was (number one) cute that he was wearing a sweater vest and (number two) awesome that he was going to be a teacher, a job I truly admire. His sincere smile was perhaps telling that he thought I was cute but other than that, I didn’t think much of the meeting at the time. Although, I did tell my mom about him. Every now and then we would see each other at parties of our now mutual friends. And it was one party in particular when this sweet and unassuming man picked up a guitar at the begging of his friend and began to play and sing with such unabashed talent that my jaw dropped. I whispered to a girlfriend of mine that I officially had a crush and she was allowed to spread the word. That the night when I began to notice something more, the mystery of Lee that was waiting to be unraveled. And that is how he hooked me, it was always just as I thought I had it all figured out, he would reveal more and deeper I would fall. After our friends successfully set us up, he had told me that he had liked me from the first football meeting. My instincts were right all along.
Describe the proposal: It was Christmas and Lee had come down to Nashville to celebrate the holidays with my family. He had apparently been scheming with my parents as they helped him to conceal his plans and drove us out to visit family friends of our at Whipperwill Farms. Whipperwill was a day camp that our family friend had run for years and where I had attended as child and worked at as a teenager. I adore this place. I excitedly took Lee on a hike around some of the property and he carried a banjo case along with him. This did not seem too uncommon since he loves to allow the moment to inspire his music. But he was acting a little funny and when we reached the crest of the hill he wanted to rest and take in the view. So I sat down – which thoroughly confused him. (How was he going to get on bended knee with me already on the ground?) He figured it out anyway and opened up the case to reveal dozens of red roses and out of his pocket he pulled a ring. The ring was special because it was a family heirloom; it was his grandmother’s wedding band.
What attracted me to my husband was: There is something mysterious about him and yet wholeheartedly faithful. At first glance, you may think you have got it figured out but he is multi-layered and full of surprises. I like things that make me take a second look. He is like those the grab bags at Hello Kitty stores from my childhood, I could never resist them. He is also tremendously handsome and incredibly fun.
Why do you love your husband? It is for his sincere nature, wonderful smile, talent with music, his ability to tackle variety of skills, his love of laughter, his respect for the environment, his yearning for adventure and his capacity to learn new things and look at it from new perspectives. Again, he is also tremendously handsome and incredibly fun.
What attracted me to my wife was: She is beautiful and she intrigued me. Later in our relationship I realized that she makes me a better man.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: (Part 1): The first time I took Lee to meet my family which was actually my annual family reunion in Polk County Tennessee. The reunion is on the farm where my grandmother grew up and includes 2nd and 3rd cousins and 3rd and 4th generations. My cousin raises chicken on the farm and we have a big chicken BBQ potluck on Saturday evening. After Lee had gone up to the table for seconds, maybe thirds he looked and me and said, “Rachell, I ate a entire chicken, in one sitting”. From then on he called the reunion “chicken fest” and the name has suck. Everyone is now referring to the reunion as “chicken fest ’08 or ’09” Of coarse, my entire family razed Lee, but he wasn’t phased and they loved him for it. (Part 2): My dad and I are big whitewater paddlers and after the reunion we often go river scouting in the Tennessee plateau area. That Sunday we had tons of rain and so my Dad and I were jazzed. We took off dragging Lee with us towards the Telico River (a creek that only runs big with good rainfall). Lee had never really been white water paddling, but again he wasn’t phased. He jumped right in (literally) and rolled with the waves down the Telico River with my Dad and I. That was a little more than a date but it was certainly a turning point I will never forget.
The weather on our wedding day was: Perfect. Warm during the day and when the sun went down it became a crisp fall evening peppered with stars.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Our wedding had a couple of themes. One was definitely transformed into a wedding design, the other was the spirit of the event.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There are many. The surprise of the Bride coming out of the woods – kind of a ethereal or magical moment (said guests), the bluegrass band, the wood bonfire, the personal involvement of so many family and friends, the melding of Southern and bay culture, the love that surrounded us.
Scariest moment? Rachell: Two minutes before walking out of the woods. I was gripping my dad’s arm eyes fixed on the ceremony. Lee: Thirty minutes prior to ceremony with guests flowing in and groomsmen following me pacing around like a pose.
Funniest moment? When ladybugs crawled around on Clayton’s (officiant) face as he tried to compose himself.
Hardest decision you made in planning? The date. It changed many times and finally landed on a time just three months in the future.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: The presence of so many lady bugs. They were everywhere at the arbor that we were married under – landing all over my veil and on Clayton’s face as he was trying to bless us.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Every single person who was able to share this day with us, they all made us feel like a million bucks.

Congratulations to Rachell + Lee.  We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Written with love by Lara Casey

{Millie Holloman Photography} captures some of the best weddings in North Carolina.  We fell in love with Molly and HR’s vineyard wedding in Western North Carolina at {Stony Knoll Vineyards}.  Molly + HR went for a pink and green color scheme in their flowers (designed by {Bo-Ty Florist}) using roses and gerbera daises. The wedding feast was catered by {Cross Creek Country Club}.  Molly wore a stunning gown from {Nitsa’s} and her bridesmaids wore lovely dresses from our favorite, {J.Crew}. Check out more shots on the Millie Holloman Photography {Blog}. How cool is the Stony Knoll antique car?

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: We actually met a few years back when I was still working at the same local bank where he currently works. I ended up moving directly across the street from him and we began to hang out. I was somewhat of a runner and one day he challenged me to a running competition. Needless to say, I left him in the dust. He must not have minded the defeat because he stuck around and we were inseparable from them on.
Describe the proposal: HR and I went to Asheville to celebrate our one-year anniversary – March 23, 2008. He rented a cozy, little cabin for the weekend and planned a wonderful dinner for that Friday night. We ate dinner and went back to the cabin to continue watching all the March Madness basketball games (I am avid Carolina basketball fan and insisted on being able to watch the games that weekend – I know, how romantic!). When we got back to the cabin, he started acting a little funny and before I knew it, he was on his knee asking me to marry him with the most beautiful ring ever!
What attracted me to my husband was: First of all, his southern charm! But most importantly, his big, tender heart and his ability to make me feel like I am the most important thing in the world to him! He respects me and we can talk about anything!
Why do you love your husband? I love him because he is the one that I can count on when I have had a bad day and need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to! I also adore him because he is an excellent cook and I am a bit challenged in that area (although I am working on it).
What attracted me to my wife was: What first attracted me to Molly was her friendly spirit and her will do attitude. She never meets a stranger and is never afraid of a little challenge. Being with her makes me a better person.
The weather on our wedding day was: Rainy in the morning, but it finally cleared off for a gorgeous fall day! Our reception was outside under a tent, so no matter what, we were going to have a great time!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Our reception was at a vineyard, so we used a woodsy theme mixed in with plenty of pink and green! The vineyard theme was carried out with lots of grapevine, curly willow, and containers covered in moss and bark. My mom and her friends are the queens of decorating, so they pulled it all together with all the moss, twigs, and pink and white tulle you can imagine!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I had just gotten engaged the Friday before and my mom came to visit that Monday because we had to get the planning started! She knew exactly what kind of wedding dress I wanted because we had talked about it so much leading up to our engagement. She went looking around while I was at work and called me to say she had found the perfect dress! I took off work a little early and went to try the dress on. The second I put it on, I knew it was the one!
Describe your wedding flowers: Again, lots of pink and green! Hydrangeas, roses, Gerber daisies, hypernicum berries, buttons and many more!
Describe your wedding cake: Off-white butter cream icing with white on white polka dots, 4 tier square design, green hydrangeas as the topper and on each tier with a large “W” in icing on the second tier. The actual cake is a well kept bakery secret of the vendor’s own designed recipe – dense, rich, and very flavorful. The cake was displayed on a square, large moss and bark covered stand especially designed for our wedding.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: For my family, music and dancing are key elements to any party. Most of my family and friends would tell you that my dad doesn’t miss a dance if music is playing! That is why our music selection was so important. Our band, {Hip Pocket}, was wonderful! They were so much fun and got all the guests involved. At one point, my mom, dad, HR and I and some of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were on stage singing! I love to look back at all our pictures and see what fun everyone was having!
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? I wore the pearls my dad gave to my mom on their wedding day almost 34 years ago! She had them restrung for me to wear and that was very special for me to incorporate that into my big day!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? During the ceremony, as I usually do, I cried during my vows and tears were streaming down my face. As I was trying to finish the vows, HR wiped a tear from my face and at that moment, I knew why I was marrying him. My heart melted!
Funniest moment? During the ceremony, my dad kissed me on the cheek after he gave my hand in marriage and then preceded to give HR a hug before he went to sit down next to my mom. As he was walking over to give HR a hug, he stepped on my veil and almost pulled it off my head. It was pretty obvious and everyone laughed! It definitely lightened the mood as HR and I were both very nervous!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Unforgettable, Fun, Perfect!
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Enjoy the time you have as it does not last long! Take deep breaths and realize that it will all come together in the end. The things you may stress over, nobody will ever know the difference if it doesn’t work out perfectly.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. My brother and sister-in-law had just gotten married in June 2007 and went to Greece on their honeymoon. Someone in Greece told them “Happy New Life!” upon realizing they were newlyweds. My brother wrote these three simple words in our guest registry book and they stuck with me! Our wedding day brought us together and our new life began the moment the minister pronounced us husband and wife! I now have this wonderful man to enjoy this “new life” with and things couldn’t be better!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now, we are actually enjoying the down time we finally have after many crazy months of planning! We are enjoying being with each other mostly and can’t wait to see what our future holds!
Any DIY items? My mother and her friends were my saving grace! She has a wonderful group of helpers and they crafted so much themselves that I can’t even name it all. Only these ladies can make a piece of moss or twig look classy and elegant!

Congratulatons to Molly + HR.  We wish you the best as you discover what your future holds.

Written with love by Lara Casey