Southern Weddings

No, you’re not imagining it: we really are featuring two weddings today!  Consider it an early Christmas present from your favorite Southern girls.  There are two (okay, three!) things I really love about Danielle + Draw’s wedding from Lang Thomas Photography and Lauren Chitwood Events: the crisp navy color palette (kind of in love with the bridesmaids’ marina blue frocks from Ann Taylor and matching heels), the bride’s ultra-flattering Marissa gown and, last but certainly not least, the vintage cotton candy machine.  Emily, of course, would be disappointed if I didn’t point out the lush, hydrangea-filled bouquets from Pathelen Flowers or the simple square cake from The Sugar Woods.  Want a few more details from Danielle + Draw’s Greystone Estate nuptials?  Visit Lang Leichhardt’s blog post here!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Drew and I met through my best friend (and Maid of Honor), Kelly. She and I moved together to Louisville after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2006, and Kelly and Drew worked together. The first time we all hung out was Halloween, and Drew didn’t have a costume but said the only thing he would dress up as was Raphael from Ninja Turtles.  Ironically, I had been Raphael with a few friend the night before for a party. It was a sign!  We hung out a few more times as friends, until one night sparks flew!  For our first date, Drew took me to a University of Louisville basketball game, which I would NEVER have done (I am a Huge University of Kentucky fan) unless I really liked him. The rest is history!
Describe the proposal. Unbeknownst to me, Drew had talked to my boss and had him set up a fake business meeting for me on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. My boss had been harassing me about the meeting all week, telling me to make sure I wore “something nice” since this was an important meeting.  Looking back, the day before it happened, Drew and I had lunch and I told him I really didn’t want to go to work the next day and was thinking about calling in sick. Normally he wouldn’t have said anything but he seemed surprised and told me I needed to go to my meeting. That morning, I got up and begrudgingly got all dolled up for my “important” meeting. I remember getting ready and looking over to see Drew putting on a tie. He normally never wears a tie unless he has a huge meeting but I just shrugged it off.  The breakfast meeting was to take place at The Seelbach in Downtown Louisville. My boss is normally late so I waited outside for him before going in. After emailing and calling him, he finally called me back and told me to just go ahead, he would be right there. I walked in to the restaurant and was completely surprised to see Drew, mouthing to him “What are you doing here?” He had arranged for the server to escort me to his table, which didn’t work out because I argued with her about how I wasn’t there to meet him. Finally, when he realized there was no chance I was walking over to his table, he walked up the servers’ station, got down on one knee and proposed.  I was completely and totally surprised. The cherry on top was that he had arranged for me to have the rest of the day off as well!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: FUN, unique and perfect.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I always loved fairs, carnivals and church picnics growing up. When I got engaged, my Dad jokingly said I should have a carnival-themed wedding and I thought it would be perfect. Drew and I are all about having fun and that’s what we wanted all of our guest to do as well! I think the carnival theme helped take every one’s fun to the next level.
What was your favorite design element of your big day?  I absolutely loved the ribbons we hung from all the trees at the house. It was Lauren, my planner’s idea, and it perfectly incorporated my wedding colors and the whimsical feeling of the day. Even though it was a fall wedding, I still wanted to use bright, fun colors and I think that hanging those ribbons made our wedding really stand out.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There were so many amazing details in the wedding, but I think what I loved the most were the candy apples. They did double-duty as favors and place cards and I think they turned out great. We made the place cards ourselves and got an awesome candy store to make the apples. I had so many people tell me after the wedding that they were delicious and such a fun idea.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Going wedding dress shopping was fun and overwhelming at the same time. My mom came in town from Florida and we went to Cincinnati Bridal & Formal with my best friend, Kelly, and my now mother-in-law. Originally, I didn’t think I wanted a dress with a dropped waist but when I tried it on I knew it was “the one.” I wanted something simple, without beading or rhinestones, but that also stood out a little. I loved the flower detail on the hip; I think it gave the dress a little couture feel. We also modified the dress and turned it into a sweetheart neckline It fit perfect and I just loved it. Looking at pictures now, I wish I could wear it again!
Describe your wedding flowers: I love hydrangeas and wanted to incorporate a little bit of navy and light blue into my bouquet. Lori at Pathlen flowers really took it from there. I just told her a few things I liked and she created the most beautiful bouquet.
Describe your wedding cake: We wish we had gotten to eat more of our wedding cake! I have a serious sweet tooth so having a delicious wedding cake was VERY important to me.
Again, we wanted something simple with pop, so décor-wise it was all white with little pink dots with the layers separated by blue hydrangeas. I really liked how all the details incorporated our colors. The top and bottom layers were filed white cake with fresh strawberry filling and the middle layers were carrot cake with cream cheese filling.   Drew’s groom cake was one of his favorite things. His cake was yellow with caramel icing and topped with his favorite thing, the University of Louisville cardinal bird. 
I think one thing we did that saved money that everyone loved was serving Fried Chicken at the wedding. Here in Louisville, church picnics are HUGE. And they all serve a chicken dinner with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Well that’s what we served (along with pork tenderloin and corn pudding!). It was delicious and it went perfectly with the theme we were going for.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Walking down the aisle was surreal but amazing at the same time. And I definitely loved when they announced us as man and wife.
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We didn’t write our own vows but I loved the quote on our program from the song, “Nature Boy:”
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? 
Right now, Drew and I are enjoying married life and, as always, having as much fun as we possibly can. We are saving up now to buy a house so we can start using all our presents!

Congratulations and best wishes, Danielle + Drew!

What the first thing that catches your eye in Jessica + Dane’s down-home Tennessee nuptials, shot by The Photographix and planned by Dawn Schenkel of Premier Wed?  If it’s the magnificent autumn bouquet from Enchanted Florist, you’re not alone!  Special SW secret: the bride based her entire wedding design around the beautiful blooms in her rustic bouquet.  The next best thing?  The bride’s custom-designed gown from Romantic Creations!  Come back soon: we’ve got more awesomeness to share!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. We met at church in a Sunday school class. Dane had been involved in the group for a few years, and I was new to the area. The youth minister told Dane to introduce himself to me as we both had a similar story.  While at school, my family had moved from South Carolina to Nashville. My parents thought I should give school in Tennessee a chance and I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to Nashville. Dane was moved, also kicking and screaming, to Nashville shortly after he graduated high school in 2002.  His parents sold their business in Michigan and prepared to open one in Nashville, and did not want Dane to begin his freshman year alone with no family close by. Poor Dane found all this out a matter of weeks before he was to leave! Dane came over to me, introduced himself, and a few nights later we went to a movie and stood outside talking for a few hours. Since then, we have been inseparable. And, I might add, we LOVE it here in Nashville and might never leave!!
Describe the proposal. Dane took me to Chicago: he wanted the moment to be perfect. Everyone thought that he was going to do it at dinner the night we got there, so when I woke up the next morning, I had several text messages, like “Show me a picture!!” I, not even realizing that they might mean a picture of THE RING, sent them pictures of Chicago out our window! Dane’s plan was to take me to the botanical gardens, so we went there and right when Dane was about to “pop the question,” a family unpacked a picnic a few feet away. By this point, I was definitely starting to wonder what was going on with him – I could tell he was nervous! We ended up going back to the hotel, and it was there, standing by the window that he finally asked me. It was perfect and we enjoyed the moment before calling our families. I loved having time together before we went home just to focus on each other and savor the time.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Elegant, bright and happy.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I found a bouquet on a wedding website and fell in love with the color palette. It varied as I planned, but I knew I wanted a color palette, not just a few specific colors. That little bouquet started me off- it captured Fall for me in an elegant way and gave me something to work from.
What was your favorite design element of your big day? I loved how our dresses came together. I also loved the pop of the flowers against the dresses. I really wanted my flower girls to have these bronze dresses, but they were sold out in their sizes. I ended up frantically ordering some last minute, and they couldn’t have worked out better. It wasn’t until I saw the pictures that I realized the hems of their dresses mimicked mine, and I love that. I also loved their dark boots.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Probably the Italian street fair lighting. This made the outdoor space feel more enclosed and less open. It made the space elegant but also kept it casual.