Southern Weddings

Amelia + Dan are the first to admit that they’re not very traditional. To be honest, I love that about them. While all of the girls in the office adore a great tradition (have you been keeping up with our Southern Traditions series?), we also appreciate when couples put their own spin what a wedding should be. It shows us so much more about their personality as a couple and opens our eyes to new details! I love that Amelia wanted to give this advice to brides currently planning their weddings: Stay true to you! Make sure you are planning the wedding of your dreams. Sure, we’ve heard that many times in unique weddings, but Amelia + Dan really show us that you don’t need a white gown or flowers to create a gorgeous celebration.

How perfect is this vintage key and burlap boutonniere? Would have been perfect for our burlap Ultimate Southern Challenge! From Amelia: The boutonnieres encompassed the vintage Southern vibe we were hoping to achieve, with an antique key backed with burlap and lace ribbon all connected with a button and twine. In my family, buttons represent my grandmother, because she collected buttons. That was another neat way to represent our family in the wedding.

Oh yes, we have some fabulous fashion in store for you today. From Amelia, on her wedding gown: Because of my love of fashion, I am one to make a statement with my dress, and I refused to settle for any dress that wasn’t exactly what I imagined. At first, I wanted a black wedding dress, and Daniel and I had quite the back and forth over what black represented to him and what black represented to me. I told him I hadn’t even found it yet, so don’t go fretting so soon! While most people thought my dress would be all black, or hot pink, or some crazy pattern, I left it a secret until the wedding day. Instead of a traditional bridal shop, my Mom and I went shopping at Nordstrom. I tried on many dresses, all within my theme of black and cream, and there was one that stood above the others. It had an exposed back, halter front (I wanted a dress with straps) and pockets! (I am teacher, and pockets are my best friend!) It was perfect.

Daniel and I asked a very close friend of ours, Todd, to play guitar during our ceremony. I walked down the aisle with my dad to the song that Daniel and I had our first dance to, “Come Back When You Can” by Barcelona. We kicked it up a notch on the way down the aisle as a married couple with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? Yes! Let’s be honest: At this point, it is obvious that Daniel and I are anything but traditional! We envisioned ourselves dolled up, walking around beautiful and historic Charleston taking pictures with our photographer. It was absolutely worth it. The other positive to seeing each other before the wedding was that it let Daniel get acclimated to my dress. He was more thankful he saw me beforehand not because of the color of my dress, but more for him to get all the tears out before the ceremony.

Amelia is a self-described “non flower person” (at least at weddings), so it was not surprising that they chose a unique route for their reception centerpieces. On what made her wedding Southern: We chose cotton to be present in our ceremony and reception and of course, and we had to indulge in the Lowcountry fare that Charleston offers, especially that of Good Food Catering! We centered each table with mason jars and doilies and had two large buffets that hosted our memorial area and vintage items. Each buffet was dripping with pearls and doilies. We covered the arches in the walk-throughs with pennant banners. We loved the idea of dried naturals instead of flowers to pull the natural setting of The Rice Mill Building together.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Daniel and I were introduced by his roommate, whom I knew from college. We met at our apartment’s summer pool party. Being a teacher, I was fortunate enough to have the summer off from school. Daniel was finishing up his summer class load. We spent all of our free time hanging out and getting to know one another. Daniel used his adorable charm to woo me and the rest is history. Little did I know that “the boy from downstairs” would quickly become my best friend and then my husband.
Describe the proposal. Daniel and I had been wanting to take a mini vacation, so I threw out the idea of driving to Austin, Texas for a weekend to get away. Little did I know, he was hoping I would suggest a trip to Austin because that was where he wanted to propose. He knows me well enough to know that if he just booked us a trip to Austin on his own, I would immediately suspect something. Once we arrived, we started getting ready for our dinner date when I noticed he had already downed half of the bottle of champagne we brought with us. I figured he was just excited to be on vacation. He kept asking me over and over again if I was ready yet. I finally threw on my lipstick and told him I was ready to go. Then, he looked at me told me he had something for me. I sighed and though, “now he is the one keeping us from dinner. What could be so important to delay sushi?!” He pulled something out of his pocket and started telling me how much he loves me and how I would make him happy for the rest of his life. I didn’t understand what was happening until he had the ring in his hand and was getting down on a knee. The words are a bit of a blur now, but I just remember looking startled and surprised! After the ring was securely on my hand, I couldn’t stop looking at it. Daniel says I didn’t look at him the rest of the trip!
In what month did you get married? March!
How many guests attended your wedding? 100
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? No, we chose to repeat traditional vows. One reason being that my twin brother, the family lawyer, married us.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We did not have readings, but my brother brought in his and my philosophy major by quoting a few excerpts from our favorite philosopher, Kant.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We chose to have many various flavors of cakes instead of a tiered traditional cake. Thanks to Sugar Bakery, we had one nine-inch cake, our “wedding cake,” along with eleven six-inch cakes, all in various yummy flavors.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a wedding out-of-state! My mom and I took a full week to visit the venue, bakery, hotel and hospitality room. I fell in love with the venue just from viewing it online and read rave reviews of the bakers online as well. It was a jam packed week, but one I will never forget. Thankfully, my mom and I had the help of my new mother and sister-in-law to help us along the way. Beside that one week visit, we relied mostly on the graciousness of our vendors to be sure our ideas would fit perfectly.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Photography, for sure. It lasts forever and we knew Nathan would fit the bill perfectly.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Enjoying our dinner at the reception with our parents and best friends. We were actually able to eat our entire dinner. I think that small amount of downtime was good for Daniel and I to soak it all in.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are most looking forward to buying a house within the next year, here in Dallas. We house hunt every weekend…and every night online.

Photographer: Nathan Westerfield // Venue: The Rice Mill Building // Caterer: Good Food Catering // Rentals: lighting and heart warmers from Snyder Event Rentals, china from Ooh Events and Shop Out of Hand // Linens: Snyder Event Rentals // Invitations: David’s Bridal (online) // Bride’s Dress: BCBG // Bride’s Headpiece: Tasha, Nordstrom’s // Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Anthropologie, Blue lace overlay

Ooh Events is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Loving this wedding? Take a look at these, too!
Rebecca + Colin’s charming Charleston wedding here.
Jessica + Derek’s fashionable and blue wedding here.
Jennifer + Kyle’s black and white and feathered wedding here and here.

Written with love by Nicole