Southern Weddings

Katrina + Tyler’s barn wedding was a mixture of her family’s Northern tastes, his family’s Midwestern ideas and their Southern locale. Though ideas didn’t always match up, what resulted was a sweet day full of handmade details that came together under the barn at Vinewood. K + T let their vendors work their talents and were completely open to doing a first look at Ben and Colleen’s suggestion. Katrina now says the first look photos are her favorites from the big day! We love that even though the couple was surrounded by talented vendors, everyone pitched in to make everything from wedding accessories to decor to cakes!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new?
 Yes! My maid of honor had special garters made for me (one to toss, one to keep). She had them made with satin (blue), vintage lace from her grandmother (borrowed), and had vintage stamps from our invitations made into charms hanging from the garter (something old turned new!). They were so special!

Three months after we met, Tyler popped the question. Hey, when you know, you know! We got engaged underneath the willows at Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia. We even had our own private drum circle to provide the romantic background music (okay, it wasn’t part of the plan, but it certainly did add some humor to our memories). We were sitting on a blanket together reading. It was a nice day, but the clouds had started to roll in. When it looked like it might rain, Tyler turned to me and said, “So do you want to head inside before it rains, or do you want to stay out here and get engaged?” My heart exploded! He proposed with the ring that his father, who passed away when Tyler was very young, gave to his mother 28 years ago. Soon after, we set our wedding date for April 5, 2013, exactly one year from the day we met.

I found my wedding dress at a charming little boutique in Atlanta’s Candler Park called Kelly’s Closet. I brought my best friend, who is one of the most honest people you’ll ever meet. I tried on about 11 dresses that day, and with each one my best friend gave an immediate head shake of disapproval until I tried on the perfect one. The second I walked out of the dressing room, my best friend’s eyes lit up. When I saw myself in the mirror, mine did the same. Even though it was a store sample and three sizes too big, I knew it was the one. I came back to the store two more times with my mother and mother-in-law before making my final decision, but I finally did it! And I couldn’t love my dress anymore. It’s still in my closet and I stare at it every day wishing I could wear it again!

Describe your wedding flowers. 
Our wedding flowers were simple and rustic. My bouquet was loose and cascading, with peonies, feverfew, peach stock, and greenery. It was tied with burlap. The groomsmen had boutonnieres with yellow Billy balls, peach stock, greenery, and were tied with twine. My bridesmaids each had a unique and different bouquet, with mixes of peonies, feverfew, peach stock, and greenery. For our reception flowers, we had an eclectic mixture of flowers, with each table having a different arrangement and set up. The color scheme remained the same as the bridal party flowers: yellows, peach, white, and greenery. Some tables had white hydrangeas in blue mason jars, other tables had bud vases with peach stock, Billy balls, and baby’s breath. Everything looked incredible together!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? We did decide to do a first look. Our photographers recommended it because they would be able to get a lot of great shots together before the ceremony and all of the craziness that would follow. We also weren’t very traditional with our wedding. Tyler had already seen me in my wedding dress at one of my final fittings, so a first look sounded great to us. And the pictures are so sweet, it was one of my favorite moments during the day!

Did you write your own vows? 
We did not write our own vows. I am extremely nervous in front of crowds and didn’t want to say anything except “I do!” Our officiant took care of all of the talking so I was able to remain calm and collected.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We did not have any. Our officiant, who is best friends with Tyler, shared the story of how we met, how we got engaged, and how we were getting married on the anniversary of when we met. It was perfect!

I walked down the aisle to “Seventeen” by Youth Lagoon. I chose this song because it’s so beautiful, with piano and hazy vocals, and a line that makes me cry every time I hear it: “When I was seventeen, my mother said to me, ‘Don’t stop imagining, the day that you do is the day that you die.” It meant so much to have that playing to remind us just how magical life can be, and all the wonderful things we have in store together. The song started out slow and calm, but when I started walking down the aisle, the beat picked up and was just absolutely perfect. Our first dance was to “Look at Where We Are” by Hot Chip. We chose this song because of a memory we have together. When Tyler and I first started dating and I visited him where he lived a few hours away, we were driving around during the summer with our windows down, holding hands, and listening to this song. We weren’t talking, just smiling and listening as we heard, “Look at where we are, remember where we started out. Never gonna be without each other’s love again.” This meant a lot to us because when we first met, our futures were a little uncertain. Tyler had been planning on moving to California, and I had been in a long-term relationship that hadn’t completely dissolved. We knew that we were crazy about each other, but weren’t sure exactly where things were going. Once we realized that we knew exactly what we wanted, we knew we’d be with each other forever. Cheesy, but true!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? 
For one, we had our wedding at Vinewood, an outdoor venue with our reception held in renovated stables! We included a lot of Southern decor in our wedding and reception, specifically with a lot of mason jars and other vintage decorations. Having the ceremony outdoors with vintage chairs also made our wedding feel elegantly Southern.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
All of the DIY work my mother and I did definitely was my favorite part. We worked so hard for months on everything and worked as a great team. I made and designed the invitations, save the dates, menus for the reception, drink stirrers, cake toppers, rings and hairpins for my bridesmaids as gifts (which I am now working to sell on Etsy!), and so many other things! My mother made fantastic dyed coffee filter balls that hung above the dance floor, she made all of the napkins and she made every single dessert we served. She even made her own dress and the flower girl dress and accessories! We also made the signature drinks ahead of time (Apple Pie Moonshine and White Wine Sangria) and the wedding favors (homemade limoncello and herb-infused olive oil). I’m sure most people didn’t notice all of the effort we put in, but we will never forget it!

My mother made all of the desserts for our wedding. She worked for weeks getting everything together. Our wedding cake was two-tiered and was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I made the cake topper myself out of wooden skewers, string, and washi tape! The groom’s cake, also made by my mother, was a dark chocolate Guinness cake. I made the cake toppers for the groom’s cake — individual plants creating the solar system because Tyler is a Space-Systems Engineer and loves space. Other desserts my mother made were mini tiramisus, Italian cookies, lemon cake, fig and date cake, red velvet cupcakes, and much more!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. 
We met through mutual friends. Tyler’s best friend was dating my best friend, and they had been trying to set us up for a while, but things weren’t the cards for us to meet just yet. One night in April 2012, we both just so happened to be going to Sweetwater Brewery with our friends and we finally met. The second I saw him, I couldn’t stop staring. Tylere was beyond adorable! We immediately hit it off and talked all night, ending with the sweetest hand-holding session I’ve ever had. From that moment on, he was all I could think about. It still makes me smile to think about that night!
When did y’all get married? 
April 5, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 
150
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Keeping everyone happy! My family is from the North and Tyler’s is from the Midwest, so our ideas didn’t always line up. We wanted a very untraditional wedding, while our families wanted something a bit more traditional and upscale. While some things we had to stand up and say we weren’t going to do, we did settle by having Sun in My Belly cater, a very sophisticated (and delicious) caterer, instead of a food truck with tacos!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? 
Our photographers were my favorite part! They were fun, witty, and made us comfortable and relaxed, which you could definitely tell in the pictures! They captured every single detail, even some things that I was too busy running around to notice, so I got to see every part of my wedding once our photos came back!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
When my little sister Sophia, the flower girl, started walking up the aisle before me. She couldn’t see the aisle in between the two sides, so she decided to just go all the way around everyone and completely ignore the aisle! She had no idea she did anything the slightest bit wrong. It was precious, and Tyler says that he and some of the other groomsmen got tears in the eyes because it was so cute. Some of my friends now call her Sophia “I do what I want” Brosan.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Take a deep breath! There were times when I was planning things and worrying about how it would all turn out and I would just sit and cry for hours. Don’t do this! It doesn’t help. Just remember that it’s just a big party for a day, and even if things don’t go completely as planned, no one will ever notice. I also recommend that everyone try to DIY as much as they can if you have the time — it gives you a lot to be proud of and memories you’ll never forget because you made it all happen!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? 
Right now we are just relaxing and enjoying being married without having to plan a wedding! There are two big things in our future that we’re looking forward to: an addition to our family (a kitten!) and searching for our first house (we are planning to move to Austin, Texas sometime next year!!). We can’t wait!

Photographer: Ben and Colleen | Planner: Maria Hickman from Vinewood Events |
Ceremony Venue: Vinewood Events | Reception Venue: Vinewood Events | Florist: Southern Stems | Wedding Cake: The mother of the bride | Caterer: Sun in My Belly | Band Duo: Mixed Genes – Barbara and Will Jenkins | Bride’s Gown: Queen Anne’s Lace by Claire Pettibone (from Kelly’s Closet) | Paper Products: Made/designed by bride | Bride’s Headpiece: Aria Vine headpiece by Enchanted Atelier for Claire Pettibone | Ampersand Pumps by Seychelles | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: All different | Groom’s Attire: H&M | Groomsmen Attire: H&M

Written with love by Nicole