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Many of us spend our early years toddling around tailgates, cheering in the stands of our favorite Southern college stadiums, and exploring the campus grounds where our parents fell in love. With all this in mind, we thought there was no better choice for our tenth anniversary fashion editorial than one inspired by iconic universities across Dixie. When it comes time to get married, we’re determined to honor what’s most important to us, and in the South, that often includes our beloved alma maters — be it in the flowers in our bouquets, our accessories, or our beloved gowns!

We had more than one lively conversation around the office as we narrowed down our list of schools and chatted about the attributes embodied by each. While we wish we could have represented all of the great institutions across the South, I’m betting you’ll fall in love with at least one gown here, whether or not your college is represented! (Psst: you’re allowed to covet your rival school’s gown — we won’t tell!)

We’re so grateful to Blue Ribbon Vendors Anagram Photo for these beautiful images and Teighla Norris for our gals’ hair and makeup. Anna, Graham, and Teighla were such great sports (in addition to being amazing vendors) as we drug them all around Chapel Hill to find the perfect spots for our spirited shoot!

Haven’t picked up your copy of our newest issue? You can do so in our shop and at stores across the South!

The University of Alabama: Her first words were “Roll Tide” and her daddy’s old houndstooth fedora was her favorite piece in the dress-up box. Our Alabama bride’s love of magnolias and monograms (which will play a big role in her upcoming big day) was inherited from her mama, and she makes time in her weekly schedule to grab chicken salad sandwiches with her nana and chat about plans for the upcoming home game at Bryant–Denny.

Emily is wearing Style 9655 by Alvina Valenta. Bouquet by Fairview Farm & Flowers.

Texas A&M: Living anywhere but deep in the heart of Texas has never crossed our A&M’s bride’s mind. Her cowboy boots outnumber her heels, fitting well with her laid-back style and deep Aggie pride. From Yell Practice on Friday night through an A&M victory on Saturday afternoon, she doesn’t miss any of the football festivities. Her love for her team is only trumped by her love for her favorite Cadet, and she can’t wait to introduce all her non-Texas family to “Howdy,” the official greeting of A&M, at their rehearsal dinner.

Jessica is wearing “Rose” by Jaclyn Jordan. Bouquet by Wildflowers.

Clemson: When she’s not cheering on her Tigers in Memorial Stadium, our Clemson bride tries to spend free fall weekends back home on her family farm. As a little girl, she spent summers frolicking in the tall grass and picking vegetables from the family garden and every fall begging her daddy to make bonfires after each Clemson victory. Her family means the world to her and she can’t imagine getting married anywhere else.

Toogie is wearing “Jolie” by Astrid and Mercedes. Bouquet by Jennifer Wood, The Barn of Chapel Hill at Wild Flora Farm.

The University of Kentucky: She bleeds Kentucky blue and, from December to March, doesn’t miss a Saturday in Rupp. In her free time our UK bride can be found saddling up her family’s pony, Twirl Girl, for long Sunday afternoon rides in the rolling green hills of her favorite place on earth. If she gets her way, she’ll tuck roses into her bouquet and say her vows next to her family’s barn on the first warm Saturday in the spring.

Sam is wearing “Londyn” by Hayley Paige from Twirl Lexington. Bouquet by Flowers by Janie.

Louisiana State University: Purple and gold have been her favorite colors since before she can remember and our LSU bride celebrates her birthday each summer with a big bash in her parents’ backyard. Although she can’t imagine living anywhere but NOLA, she considers Tiger Stadium her home away from home, and helps her mama host the best tailgates in Baton Rouge before every home game. As for her wedding day? She’s planning the most delicious crawfish boil east of the Mississippi.

Lauren is wearing “Karina” by Rebecca Shoneveld. Bouquet by Narbail Floral Design.

The University of Mississippi: She’s always smack dab in the middle of the fun and festivities in the Grove during home football game Saturdays. Even though our Ole Miss bride misses her sideline spot cheering for the Rebs, she can still rally the crowds with her spirit and energy from the stands and has big plans for rocking a fantastic topknot and rebel-approved red lip when she says “I do” to her favorite wide receiver-turned-fiancé.

Carter is wearing “Aster Mae” by Heidi Elnora. Bouquet by Flowers by Cherry.

The University of Tennessee: Tailgating by the Tennessee River wearing Tennessee Orange is how our UT bride wishes she could spend every single weekend from September to December. Since the home schedule only blocks out seven Saturdays, she spends her open weekends dragging friends hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains (her picnic packing skills rival the best tailgate spreads). She’d always rather be outdoors and plans to tie the knot at one of her favorite lookout spots with a few close family and friends.

Teighla is wearing “Sullivan” by Sarah Seven. Bouquet by Florafino’s Flower Market.

The University of Georgia: While she loves spending her fall Saturdays tailgating in Athens and has proudly adopted the most adorable bulldog in the world, our UGA bride relishes the chance to pop back to Atlanta for a night out on the town with her high school girlfriends. Her idea of a perfect evening starts with gourmet fried chicken from JCT’s Kitchen (which she plans to serve at her reception) and ends at her favorite rooftop bar in Midtown. You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.

Bindhu is wearing Style 843 by Martina Liana. Bouquet by Kast Events.

The University of North Carolina: Be it fall in Kenan Stadium or any winter evening inside the Dean Dome, our Carolina bride never not rooting on her Tar Heels. As a third generation alum, she can hold her own when chatting about the chances of another national title, all while rocking her pearls and dreaming up what she’s bringing to the next neighborhood potluck. Chances are good that she’ll dance the night away with her groom to the classic James Taylor tune “Carolina in My Mind.”

Taylor is wearing “Bennett” by Anne Barge Blue Willow and Jack Rogers x Draper James sandals. Bouquet by Julie D’Agostino Designs.

The grounds of the UVA campus still take her breath away, especially when our University of Virginia bride walks past the spot where she met her future husband, back when they were first years. While studying for law school takes up most of her time, she won’t miss a chance to cheer on her Wahoos on Saturdays or explore the numerous Charlottesville vineyards on Sunday afternoons. She can’t wait to marry her first love when the leaves change in mid-October.

Grace is wearing “Brooke” by Sareh Nouri. Bouquet by Fiore Fine Flowers.

I’d love to hear which spirited school look is your favorite and whether we did a good job capturing your beloved alma mater!

Anagram Photo and Teighla Norris are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory. Astrid and Mercedes and Heidi Elnora are wonderful Southern Weddings sponsors.

kristin Written with love by Kristin
3 Comments
  1. avatar Stephanie Shaul reply

    The fashion feature is always a favorite of mine, and I love this school-spirited twist!! Y’all did an amazing job of capturing the personalities of each university in every aspect: the stunning bouquets, the unique gowns, and even each bride! And as a proud UNC alum, you know I have to love this feature so much. It’s also so fun to see so many of my favorite spots around campus captured so exquisitely here! Amazing feature + incredible vendor team.

  2. avatar Janna Toruno reply

    Texas A&M may have beaten us this year, but I adore that dress and boots together! I’ve already purchased my wedding boots and haven’t even gone dress shopping yet!

  3. avatar Anna Garcia reply

    I was a 4th generation Carolina bride, got married at the Carolina Inn! And definitely wore my Jack Rogers to the reception where we danced the night away to James Taylor and other campus favorites :)

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Bride Cathleen shares her New Orleans-inspired wedding in St. Louis!

Today’s wedding looks very familiar and brings back a lot of happy memories for me! I have to admit that when I saw “Peabody Opera House Wedding by Mike Cassimatis” in our queue, I thought it was a mistake! You see, my wedding, featured here, was by (the incredible!) Mike Cassimatis with our reception at the Peabody Opera House. It turns out the similarities don’t even end there. We also had extremely similar bridesmaids’ dresses and hairstyles (both for the ceremony and reception!). So clearly I think today’s bride, Cathleen, has exquisite taste.

But what makes this wedding so special is the way Cathleen and Mike brought Cathleen’s hometown and the city where they met, New Orleans, to St. Louis! It’s especially fitting, because St. Louis also has a rich French history, its own French Quarter, and a rollicking annual Mardi Gras celebration. No traditional New Orleans detail was left unturned, from the second line to the cake pull to the beignet cafe! Cathleen summed it up best, saying, “All of these special touches definitely left our guests singing, ‘laissez le bon temps rouler!'”

Tell us your love story in one sentence. We met by complete chance on the streets of New Orleans, and as they say, the rest is history!
What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? I really enjoyed designing our save-the-dates and invitations. My sisters and I loved the movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis” growing up. So it was really fun to incorporate it into the paper products and get all of our guests excited to come visit The Lou!

When did y’all get married? July 15th, 2017
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 200

Did you decide to do a first look? We decided to stay traditional and not do a first look. I will truly never forget the earnest look on Mike’s face as he waited for me at the end of aisle. Instead, as quite the daddy’s girl, I decided to do a first look with my dad. From dance recitals to proms, I remember eagerly rushing down the stairs to see the reaction on my dad’s face. On my wedding day, as he slowly cracked the door open and looked at me with the same doting expression and his eyes welled up with tears, I felt just like that little girl again. It was a moment with my dad I will always cherish.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is our home parish just a few blocks from where we live. The first time we attended mass there, we noticed a few details that felt very personal to us. Just inside the entrance to the church on the ceiling reads “keep the faith” which is saying used frequently by both of our families. The ends of the pews have a carving of a fleur de lis inside of a celtic cross. As I’m from New Orleans and Michael is Irish, we took it as a sign that if we ever got married, this would be the place. We chose the Peabody Opera House as the venue for our reception because of the fabulous art deco-inspired architecture and details. I really wanted our wedding to have a 1920s feel with a lot of Southern flair, and the Peabody was a perfect fit.

What were some of the most meaningful or special parts of your ceremony? We had a full Catholic ceremony complete with the Basilica’s talented choir. My two best guy friends served as lectors for the mass and sat across from us up on the alter. I remember a very specific part of the wedding just before our vows when they had all of our bridal party join us on the alter. The choir was singing a capella, and it was the most surreal and beautiful moment having all of our closest family and friends on the alter with us as we prepared to say, “I do”. Our wedding was also the anniversary of my aunt’s passing. She was my godmother and namesake and holds a very dear place in my heart. We had a special set of intentions on behalf of her and other loved ones. So although they could not be there in person, we felt them in spirit celebrating our day of love and joy.

Tell us the highlights of finding your wedding dress. One of my surgery co-residents and I went dress shopping after being on call for 24 hours. We were both completely exhausted, but after trying on this one dress, we both sprang to life and knew it was perfect! Of course, I could not make the final decision without the blessing of my mom and sisters. So they made the trip to St. Louis and after seeing it agreed wholeheartedly that this was the one!

We had so much fun incorporating a bunch of Southern traditions into our wedding. First was the steamboat. Historically, the steamboat played a huge role in developing the South from the ports of New Orleans to St. Louis along one of the greatest rivers in the world, the Mississippi. Between the ceremony and reception, we had our guests board the Becky Thatcher river boat and take a journey through time down the Mississippi River.

What was your favorite detail from your wedding? I especially loved the roaring twenties elements we incorporated into our reception. From a champagne tower, flapper girls, a gramophone, and an old school man in the moon photo booth, it all came together. My favorite detail, however, were F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes we had framed and displayed throughout the venue. They appeared to be written on an old type writer and held sweet sayings such as, “I love her…and thats the beginning and end of everything.”

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? We chose to do a traditional New Orleans wedding cake: white, almond flavored confection, with a sweetened pineapple filling, and butter cream icing. We also found a terrific bakery in St. Louis that was able to make beignets!

Michael and I were driving home one day, and Tim McGraw’s “On Top of the World” came on. There’s a line that goes, “we could have something or nothing and we’d still be sitting on top of the world.” It really captured the feeling of timeless love we wanted for our wedding, so we chose it as our first dance. The most anticipated dance, however, was the father-daughter dance. I am the last of my dad’s three girls to get married, so I knew we wanted to make it really special. For months leading up to the wedding, we took dance classes together to prepare, which were amusing to be sure. We chose the song, “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright. Of course our live performance was not without a few missteps, but it was 100% us. At the end of our dance, the band kicked in with James Brown’s, “I Feel Good.” We surprised everyone with a quick two-step routine and then invited all of our guests to the dance floor to kick off the party!

At our reception, guests enjoyed New Orleans-style beignets and coffee at the Cafe Beignet as well as a traditional New Orleans wedding cake. Prior to cutting the cake, the single ladies gathered around the cake and participated in a “cake pull” where they each pulled a ribbon attached to a charm beneath the cake to find out their fortune. College football is, of course, a huge part of the South. Mike and I went to the University of Florida, and the rest of my family attended LSU. So of course the reception included fight songs with guests chanting, “geaux tigers!” and “go gatas!” But the absolute highlight was for sure the second line. Mike and I carried feathered white and black umbrellas and paraded everyone in attendance up the stairs and around the balcony above the dance floor. The trumpet and saxophone players accompanied us on the parade as guests spiritedly waved handkerchiefs that we had made special for the occasion. The band was absolutely phenomenal! At the end, we served our favorite Southern late night snack…Chick-fil-A! All of these special touches definitely left our guests singing, “laissez le bon temps rouler!”

What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? Our reception venue, the Peabody Opera House, shares a corner with the Scottrade Center where the St. Louis Blues Hockey team plays. A few weeks before the wedding, my wedding planner and I found out that it might be possible to use their pyrotechnics for our wedding reception send-off on the front steps. It was the only detail I kept an absolute secret from my fiance, Michael. So at the end of the reception after all of the guests were escorted outside, they opened the front doors and Michael and I stepped out into what seemed like a sea of fireworks around us. Michael was in complete shock as we walked down the steps grinning ear to ear. It was truly magical!

Tell us all about the proposal! Mike and I did long distance from Florida to Nashville for one year, so Nashville holds a special place in our hearts. Five years later, after we moved to St. Louis, Mike had a conference in Nashville, and I flew there to meet him so we could then both drive down together to a family beach trip in Seaside, Florida. I decided it would be a good idea to get an impromptu spray tan while waiting for him to finish up. When I met up with Mike, he looked at me in horror, as I resembled an oompa loompa! I did my best to scrub off the orange tint, and we headed out to dinner with some of Mike’s friends. On the walk back to our car we were midway across the John Seigenthaler bridge, and Mike said to hold up to take a picture. He then dropped to one knee in front of the Nashville skyline and popped the big question. His friend Doug surprised us with champagne and we sat along the Cumberland River excited to share the big news with our family. The next day, we drove to Seaside, Florida where our families surprised us with a marvelous engagement party. It was a weekend to remember!
What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? I think the hardest part of the planning was having my mom and sisters in a different state. I really wanted their opinions on everything from venues to cakes to music. So it took a lot of Facetiming and Pinterest boards, but we made it work!
What advice would you give to someone currently planning a wedding? After you make a decision, whether it be the cake, invitations, or dress…stop looking! Continuing to look at magazines will make you start to re-think your decisions. Just stay true to your vision of your wedding day and it will turn out perfectly!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding? I just wanted to give a huge thanks again to all of our incredible vendors mentioned below. Especially Frankie from Festive Couture Florals, who is unbelievably talented. When we walked into our venue for the first time, his arrangements left me completely speechless. He created a true work of art that I will remember and love forever.

Photographer: Mike Cassimatis | Videographer: Mike Dalton | Event Planner and Designer: Kristin Ashley Events | Ceremony Venue: Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis | Reception Venue: Peabody Opera House | Florist: Festive Couture Floral | Wedding Cake Baker: The Cakery | Rentals and Lighting: Exclusive Events | Band: TC Squared | Hand-painted Photo Booth: Oh So Vivant | Paper Products: Denise Wilson | Bride’s Gown: Essence of Australia | Bride’s Hairpiece: Maria Elena | Hair Stylist: Danielle Style | Makeup Artist   Whitney Reynolds | Bride’s Shoes: Bella Belles | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Adrianna Papell | Beignet Baker: Cafe Ventana

Written with love by Catherine
2 Comments
  1. avatar David D-Print reply

    I can totally see the ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ inspiration in the wedding invitations and save the dates! Gorgeous wedding and stunning bride and groom, you guys definitely brought New Orleans to St. Louis.
    Congratulations Cathleen and Mike!

  2. avatar Tina Jenkins Crawley reply

    We were so privileged to bring our windy city chicago sounds to St. Louis and we loved being a part of this unbelievable and #OVERTHEMOONEY St. Louis Wedding for Cathleen and Mike .
    Thanks for including us in your blog credits and special thanks to Kristin Ashley Events and Mike Cassimatis for his incredible images.
    Kindly, Tina J Crawley
    Band Leader – TC Squared
    #tcsquared -#beatmixmusic Band –
    Chicago , IL USA

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Bride Rachel shares her North Carolina wedding complete with a monogram-filled floral chandelier!

I am delighted to introduce you to today’s bride, Rachel! Her North Carolina wedding to her beau, Sam, was held at her childhood home and filled with some of the most exquisite floral details I’ve seen! Y’all, a floral chandelier with a monogram. Yes!! Inspired by her parent’s upbringing in Louisiana, Rachel and Sam (and Rachel’s sweet mama!), worked with the team at McLean Events to create a wedding day that honored family heritage while incorporating their own style. Rachel said, “it was very special to be able to get dressed in my childhood bedroom and get married to the love of my life in my own front yard.” What a memorable way to start married life!

Big SW hugs to Perry Vaile for sharing this magical day with us!

When did y’all get married? June 17, 2017.
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 325.

Tell us the highlights of finding your wedding dress. We really just happened upon my wedding dress. I was home in North Carolina with my mom and my sister, and I realized that I probably wouldn’t get to go dress shopping with them since I was headed back to Texas in a few days and wouldn’t see them for a few months. I really wanted the experience of getting to go dress shopping with them so I called Alexia’s Bridal last minute and set up an appointment for the next day. I hated all of the first dresses and probably tried on 7 before my sister pointed to another one in the room and asked if I could try that one on as it looked a lot more like what I had been describing. I tried that dress on and all of us immediately knew that was the dress so we bought it that day.

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to do a first look. I think that it was primarily because we wanted to be able to spend as much time together on our wedding day and spending the morning and afternoon apart was already too much! We also really wanted to be able to experience some of the cocktail hour that we spent so much time planning and wanted our wedding party to get to go straight to celebrating, rather than have to take pictures after the ceremony.

Both the ceremony and reception were at my childhood home. We always had a rather large front yard growing up, and I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else! At first we considered doing the ceremony elsewhere until my dad asked me why we weren’t doing the ceremony at the house too, and I suddenly didn’t have an answer for him. From there, it all fell so perfectly into place, and it was very special to be able to get dressed in my childhood bedroom and get married to the love of my life in my own front yard.

We had a fairly traditional ceremony and chose not to write our own vows. In truth, I was a little concerned I would forget any vows I wrote, and my husband is way more eloquent than I am! It was important to us to involve some key family members so we asked Sam’s Aunt Lori, my Uncle Philip, and my cousin Bobby to read Bible verses for us. We chose to have them read Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12, 1 John 4: 7-11,18-19 and John 15: 9-12. Because it ended up being rather hot outside, we didn’t want the ceremony to take too long for fear of baking all of our guests!

What was your favorite detail from your wedding? The most stunning and memorable detail from the wedding was the floral arrangements coming from the ceiling of the tent. They looked like these mythical floral halos. We even had our monogram made out of flowers in the middle of the center one. But I also absolutely loved that we served my dad’s wine (that he makes himself) as the red wine for the wedding. It was so special to have his wine being served that I risked the white dress so I could have some and may have been drinking it while leaning as far away from the dress as possible!

What was Southern about your wedding? The entire wedding was inspired by New Orleans. Both of my parents grew up in Louisiana, so the vibrancy of New Orleans is important to me and to my family, and we wanted it to be a part of the wedding. We had servers carry around trays with oysters for guests during cocktail hour and did a second line to help move guests from cocktail hour to the reception. We also incorporated a Southern tradition in order to keep the rain away from our outdoor wedding, and boy did it work! 30 days before our wedding my father buried a bottle of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon upside down near our ceremony site. The day of the wedding, the sky was ominous, and we were all talking rain plans as all 20 weather apps that my mom downloaded said 100% chance of rain during our ceremony. But, the bottle of bourbon was supposed to keep the rain away. Sam and his groomsmen went to dig up the bottle of bourbon around 1:30, but as Sam finally pulled the bottle up from the ground (out of the unexpectedly deep hole that my dad has dug), the sky fell out and the guys had to run inside. The miracle of it was that as the guys killed the last of the bourbon, the weather cleared, and we were able to have the outdoor wedding we had dreamed of.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Sam and I spent a lot of time listening to different songs for our ceremony. We both agreed that we wanted a string quartet, so we were easily able to pick which songs we wanted for the seating of the families (“Canon in D Major”) and for the wedding party processional (“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”). But, it was my mother who really promoted having a trumpet for the bridal processional so it would stand out more outdoors and would give the ceremony more grandeur. We chose to do “Trumpet Voluntary” for the bridal processional, and while I may not have been on board with the trumpet at the beginning, it was perfect! For our first dance, Sam and I chose a slightly untraditional song, “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit. As a couple, we are more goofy than serious so doing a song that was slightly more upbeat suited us great, and as we listened to the lyrics the song fit us so perfectly. We have traveled to 32 countries on six continents together and are always looking for our next great adventure so the lyrics “We have traveled land and sea, but as long as you are with me there’s no place I’d rather be,” could not have been more spot on for our relationship.

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? Sam and I have been to a number of weddings and have learned that neither of us are huge wedding cake fans. At the same time, it was important to us to have the tradition of being able to cut the wedding cake so we compromised and had a small wedding cake amidst a more extensive dessert tent complete with petit fours, fruit tarts, Italian ices, chocolate and Bailey’s shooters, and many other desserts since we couldn’t choose just one. We also had strawberries as an ode to a Vanderbilt (where we both went to college) tradition. During Vanderbilt graduation they hold a large champagne and strawberries party to celebrate, so we wanted to include strawberries and champagne in our dessert tent.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. What started as two people sitting next to each other at a football game quickly turned into two best friends exploring the world together and falling in love in the process.
Tell us all about the proposal! Sam had been talking for weeks about this huge case he had at work on March 15th and how it was going to take him all day so we wouldn’t have any time to be together. But, the day before, he started mentioning that the case might get settled and if so, he wanted to do something fun to celebrate. I had a sneaking suspicion it was coming, since he had asked my dad for permission in November, and this was the longest period of time we had to spend together since we lived in different cities (me in Austin and him in Dallas). But he did a great job of throwing me off. He called me at around 1 PM that day and said that the case was done and that he was picking me up and we were going to go to our favorite picnic spot where he took me on my first trip to Dallas. We stopped off at our favorite wine and cheese shop on the way and then headed to the park. He may have given it away when he pulled out a fully packed picnic basket when we traditionally barely remember a bottle opener, but he was so cute and nervous that I didn’t want to say anything. We sat down, had some wine and cheese, and talked for a little (though he had trouble focusing because he clearly had other things on his mind). We have a tradition that when we celebrate anything big we save the cork and write down what we were celebrating. At one point while we were sitting there he grabbed the cork, wrote on it and passed it to me. On it he had written “The Day You Said Yes” and the date. As I was reading it he got down on one knee and proposed. While neither of us can quite remember what he said, I said yes, and the rest is history!
What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? My favorite thing about wedding planning was getting to talk to my mom all of the time. It was fun to be creative and come up with ideas for the wedding that I had never seen before, but getting to brainstorm with my mom was the best part.
What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? The hardest part about planning our wedding was being able to articulate our vision. I had honestly not put too much thought into what I wanted my wedding my look like prior to actually starting the planning process and found that I never knew how to articulate my style or why I liked something or why I didn’t like something else. There is no way I could have put together such a well thought out and cohesive wedding without an amazing wedding planner and the help of my mom and Sam.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Using my dad’s homemade red wine for the wedding helped save money on the bar.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? I don’t think I will be forgetting any part of the wedding anytime soon. But, if I had to pick the most memorable moment from the wedding, it would be walking over the bridge my dad had built for the wedding with him by my side, looking to the left at so many of our friends and family there to celebrate with us, and looking ahead to my best friends and immediate family waiting on the island. My dad jokingly whispers (or he thought he whispered) to me, “it’s not too late to turn back” which it seems everyone on the island (including Sam) heard. I was so happy and couldn’t stop laughing at the same time as I could see Sam standing in front of me.
What advice would you give to someone currently planning a wedding? Set a conservative budget, and identify ways to stick to it, but also give yourself a little leeway for those things you realize would make you so happy to be able to incorporate into your wedding. Also, don’t sweat the small stuff. At least one thing will go wrong on your wedding day, but you can’t get upset about it, you just have to enjoy the day and laugh things off – my dogs got out and ran across the yard during the processional and my dad and brother had to chase them down!

Photographer: Perry Vaile | Videographer: Reel Weddings | Planner: McLean Events | Ceremony and Reception Venue: Bride’s Home | Florist: The Watered Garden | Wedding Cake and Dessert Baker: Miel Bon Bons | Caterer: Rocky Top Catering | Rentals and Lighting: Party Reflections | Band: I Love This Band | Bride’s Gown: “Esther” by Vera Wang | Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Makeup For Your Day | Bride’s Shoes: “Romance Satin Wedge” by Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Hayley Paige Occasions | Groom’s Attire: “Ivory Shawl Dinner Jacket” by Hickey Freeman | Groomsmen Attire: Bernard’s Formalwear | String Quartet: Elegant Ensembles | Additional Rentals: Party Tables | Italian Ice: Sweet Water Ices

McLean Events and Makeup for Your Day are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
2 Comments
  1. avatar CJOHN reply

    Enjoyed reading this ? I have Louisiana roots too!

  2. avatar Paulo Dasilva reply

    I love the black and white shot of the couple walking down the aisle

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