Southern Weddings

I swoon for glitzy affairs, but Nicki + Mike’s sweet wedding at the Eden Gardens reminds me what Southern weddings are all about – starting with the gents’ robin’s egg blue seersucker suits.  Add a real life Spanish moss-draped oak and hand-selected navy bridesmaid frocks, and you’ve got a good old-fashioned Dixie celebration.  (I’ll also be happy to borrow that pint-sized ring bearer for my own wedding if no one minds…)  Pure 7 Studios photographed the Florida wedding, and Shelby Peaden Events handled planning and design.  Come back soon for the reception pics, ya hear?

How did the two of you meet? Mike and I met at a party thrown by mutual friends.  Immediately, he grabbed my interest.  I have never met anyone quite like Mike.  He has an insatiable appetite for life…I was intrigued.  It was a slow start because he was clocking some pretty mean hours at his firm while working towards his MBA at night and I had to relocate to Oxford for my job.  We agreed to see where it went and saw each other on the weekends.  Long distance relationships are the pits, but weekends were better than no Mike at all…  So glad we gave it a whirl!
Describe the proposal. It was Mike’s turn to make the haul to Oxford.  I was in the kitchen cooking red beans and rice with my six-year-old, Joe.  I’m pretty sure the ring was burning a hole in Mike’s pocket.  As I was stirring the beans, I saw him moving behind me, when I turned around he was on one knee asking me to be his wife.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Beautiful, Relaxed, and HOT!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Definitely Pure 7 Studio’s Fun Booth…  The guests had a blast playing with the different props and taking wacky photos.  It was a great way to include everyone in the fun! 
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding? Everything!  I wanted a truly Southern garden wedding.  For starters, the ceremony site was under a 600 year old live oak with Spanish moss draping down.  The groom and his groomsmen wore seersucker suits which is traditional attire for the Southern lawyer. (i.e. Matlock) The décor consisted of lace, burlap, vintage mason jars and Wolfe studio birds -a must collection for any southern girl. The guests were greeted at the reception with our signature Southern cocktails of lemonade and firefly sweet tea served, of course, in mason jars.   Townsend Catering served Southern food with flair.  There was a wishing tree where guests could write wishes for the future or share advice for a happy marriage.  My something old was my great grandmother’s wedding band.  It was attached to my bouquet so she could escort me down the aisle…4 generations of steel magnolias and 122 years old…now that’s old! My something new is the Sorrelli bracelet that Mike bought me.  Sorelli’s are designed to become heirlooms, handed down through generations. My something borrowed was the cake knife.  Mike’s parents used it at their wedding, 37 years ago! And my something blue were my bridesmaid’s dresses and a very cheesy garter belt!

Yes, we’re back with more from Amy + Carl’s Texas wedding at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  Special thanks to Cesar + Tanya Perez for sharing their work with us!  I’m almost as much a fan of the soft white and pale blue accents of the couple’s floral arrangements from Apples to Zinnia as the adorable figurines (made by the bride herself) decorating the multi-layered confection from Panini Bakery.  Too cute!  Kudos to Roxie Bentaur of Society Affairs for designing and planning this sweetly Southern wedding.

Describe your wedding cake:  Our cake was so delicious!  Carl designed most of it with the help of our baker.  It had our wedding colors of blue, brown and white, with three layers white cake and three different fillings: raspberry white chocolate ganache, cappuccino and amaretto.  I made the cake topper out of clay to resemble Carl and I in our wedding attire! Our cake was so good that we didn’t have any slices left over.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Our first dance. We danced to Beck’s cover of Daniel Johnston’s song “True Love Will Find You in the End,” and it was just such a romantic, private moment.  We thought that we would feel very self-conscious with 95 pairs of eyes on us, but we forgot about everyone else and just focused on each other.
Scariest moment? Part of our ceremony included drinking out of a special goblet called a German Wedding Cup.  This cup allows two people to drink out of it at once, but it requires some artful maneuvering to successfully pull it off.  I was so afraid that we would spill wine all over ourselves, but it ended up going very smoothly and was a fun and personal way to conclude our ceremony.
Funniest moment? The arboretum had a display of fairy tale houses set up on the grounds.  One of the houses was shaped like a pirate ship, so the groomsmen had fun posing like pirates.  We only wish we had thought to bring eye patches for everyone!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Joyous, festive and fast!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/line? Yes, we wrote our own vows.  My favorite line from Carl’s vows was that he wanted me to be his “partner in crime.”  I love thinking about us as being in cahoots, secretly building this wonderful life together.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: My great-aunt and great-uncle pulled me aside during the reception to let me know they were about to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, and hoped Carl and I would have an equally long and happy marriage.

Congratulations, Amy + Carl!  We wish you both all the best in your new life together!