Google+ Britt Croft Photography Archives - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Tag: Britt Croft Photography

Allie and Tom shared with us that the most Southern part of their wedding was the tradition that was hidden in all the details–I simply love that! We all know how important tradition is here in the South, and finding a way to include those things in the sweet details of a wedding day makes them all the more special. Of course, when your family’s home is as beautiful and filled with memories as Allie’s aunt’s is, the reception venue is a no-brainer! Built in the 1850s by Allie’s ancestors, the two were married at the stunning plantation where her mother grew up, and where her parents had held their reception. I can’t think of a more romantic way to celebrate becoming husband and wife than under the twinkle lights and Spanish moss-covered trees that have been a part of so many important family milestones throughout the years!

Gracious, we’re happy Britt Croft shared this lovely day with us!

My something borrowed was the pair of earrings my cousin lent me. I had a small blue ribbon sewn onto my garter for my something blue. My something old was my great-grandmother’s wedding band that my grandmother gave me the day she met Thomas, because she already knew he was the one. I have worn it every day since. My something new was my shoes. I wore Toms for the comfort…and to have my husband’s name on the back of my shoes!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I distinctly remember the moment the doors to the church opened and I saw Thomas’ expression seeing me in my dress. His face lit up and I knew he felt the same way that I did. It was then that all the nerves disappeared and I was able to calmly walk down the aisle to marry the man made specifically for me.

I think the most Southern part of our wedding was the tradition hidden in all of the details. We were married in the same church as my parents and grandparents, and where my mother, brother, and I were baptized. We held the reception at my aunt’s house. This house has recently come into my aunt and uncle’s possession, but was originally built in the 1850s by my ancestors and is the home my mother grew up in. It was also the same place my parents held their reception. It is a beautiful plantation about an hour outside of Savannah, where the trees are covered by Spanish moss and the fireflies come out at night to dance.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The cigar bar. I had shared with my family that I planned to surprise Thomas with a cigar bar because he is very fond of smoking cigars on special occasions. My aunts heard my plan and decided to do it for me as a gift to us. They pulled out a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, and a side table, all of which were vintage. They filled the table with cigars and hung a chandelier over it. My cousin’s wife even made a framed chalkboard sign announcing “Tom’s Cigar Bar.” It was probably the most popular spot of the entire reception.

What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? My wedding planner was my savior. I rented all of my furniture from him and he was also my florist–quite the jack of all trades. He was very good about saying “We can use this furniture here at the ceremony and then here at the reception” or “We can use these pew markers again at the reception as table accents.” He knew that I didn’t want to be wasteful or spend money that wasn’t necessary, and he was very respectful of that and resourceful.

Our wedding cake was simple, yet elegant. The base was cream frosting and it had the same flowers as were in the bouquets cascading down the sides. We worked with a marvelous baker who let us pick unconventional flavors, like chocolate peanut butter and sweet peach. However, it was the groom’s cake that stole the show. Tom and I met at Auburn and wanted to pay tribute to this. The bottom layer of the groom’s cake was decorated in tiger stripes, the middle layer contained the “AU” symbol, and on the top was a fondant sculpture depicting the Toomer’s oak covered in toilet paper, with our initials carved in the trunk.

See Allie and Tom’s wedding video by Still Co. below!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Thomas and I met in college. We attended Auburn University and spent our senior year falling in love. We were first introduced by two friends who were dating at the time, but initially, we had no interest in starting a relationship. We kept spending time together through our mutual friends, and eventually, we started to hang out just the two of us. After a year, we realized we had been dating for a while without even realizing it! He graduated and moved to Miami for law school, and we decided that long distance was worth it.
Tell us all about the proposal! I have visited Edisto Beach, South Carolina with my extended family every year for a week since I was born, and my mom has been every year since she was a little girl. In fact, this year was the fiftieth anniversary of the original trip! My parents recently bought a house on this beach, so Thomas and I decided to take a long weekend vacation to their house for our three-year anniversary. Before we left for dinner one night, we walked to the beach with a blanket and letters we had written to recap our three years together. The plan was to read the letters and then place them in a bottle and send them out to sea. As Thomas finished reading his letter, his closing remarks were “I am excited to see what the next three years hold, but more than that, I am excited to see what the rest of my life holds with you. Allison Victoria Filipowski, will you marry me?” I was so excited that as soon as I was done saying yes, I immediately started to run home to share the news with my parents, who were also staying at the house that weekend. To my surprise, both of our families were at the house to share in the celebration. And of course, we saved the letters, so there was no littering!
When did y’all get married? June 20, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? About 175
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We decided not to do a first look. Whenever I imagined my wedding, it had always been with the idea that the first time Tom and I would see each other would be as I was walking down the aisle. Our wedding was so set in tradition, I wanted to keep it that way. Also, I knew that if we did a first look, I felt like it would put a lot of pressure on Tom’s reaction to my dress, and that didn’t seem fair. His reaction when the doors of the church opened was perfect, and I am glad we made the decision we did.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did not write our own vows. However, instead of saying “I do,” we finished with “This is my solemn vow.” It felt very special for us to share how committed we are to one another.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Thomas and I had been dating for almost five years, and our engagement was a year and a half. We have really tried to take our time with every step of our relationship and savor each milestone. We took this time to discuss everything from where we want to raise our family to what values are most important and need to be passed along. We’re very lucky because we agree on almost everything. We’ve never come to a crossroad where we couldn’t find a compromise. The most important thing, we have found, has been communication. We are a very open couple, for better or worse.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Find a few key parts of your wedding that mean the most to you. Let those be the areas you focus on and let everything else work itself out. Everything will come together at the end and your memories will be of those few important details.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We hope to really take some time to savor being married and a party of two. We want a family, but we are going to take a few years to enjoy being just the two of us. We want to travel all around the globe!

Photographer: Britt Croft / Videographer: Still Co. / Planner, Rentals and Lighting: James Carlson / Ceremony Venue: Jerusalem Lutheran Church / Reception Venue: Family Home / Florist: JoAnn’s Florist / Caterer and Wedding Cake Baker: Savannah’s Hall of Cakes / DJ: All About You Entertainment / Bride’s Gown: “Danae” by Sottero and Midgley / Hair and Makeup: Taylor of 30 Volume Salon / Bride’s Shoes: Toms / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew / Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

marissa Written with love by Marissa
1 Comment
  1. avatar Kyle reply

    Beautifully done. It’s hard to find a more magical place than Savannah, GA for a stunning wedding. Southern charm in every photo! The video is really well done. I love the moss trees and plantation-style home!

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close

Just like a wedding means the coming together of two families, planning a wedding can mean bringing together two, or more, different sets of opinions and priorities. It can certainly be a challenge, but with a focus on the true meaning of the day, a little bit of grace, and a willingness to compromise, everyone involved can pitch in to create something magical and memorable. Bolling and Moultrie worked together with Bolling’s sweet mama and the talented folks at Ooh! Events for their Charleston wedding, and from the custom invites designed by Moultrie’s cousin, to the sweetgrass-esque cake inspired by the wedding’s locale, everyone’s vision for the day came together beautifully!

Thanks so much to Britt Croft for sharing this Bolling and Moultrie’s special day with us!

Moultrie and I have actually known each other since we were little. He has a HUGE family and one of his cousins has always been a best friend of mine. Growing up, she would invite me to places with her family, like summers at the beach, and Moultrie would be there too.I developed a huge crush on him in middle school and let him know one bold afternoon over AOL Instant Messenger. He let me down gently, admitting later that he couldn’t imagine getting teased for dating “Bolling Ball!” Through the years, our circle of friends always tended to overlap somewhat, so we kept in touch. It wasn’t until the summer before senior year of college that we finally connected. I am a very private person, and my most favorite person in the world (my dad) passed away that summer. I didn’t tell a soul about what had happened, not even my closest friends. We had just pulled up to the church and stepped out of the car for the funeral when I saw Moultrie pulling up in his car. That’s absolutely the moment I fell head over heels for him, and I’ve loved him every minute ever since!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! After hearing that I wasn’t quite sure about wearing a veil, my godmother generously gave me her veil to use as my something borrowed. For my something blue, I used the same garter my mom and my aunt used in their weddings. For my something new, Moultrie surprised me with a beautiful gold necklace that he asked I wear on our big day.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We very much debated over this. We had been in friends’ weddings when they did a first look, amd not only did the pictures turn out great, it freed up a ton of time for them to enjoy more of the reception. But, Moultrie was pretty adamant on the fact that he wanted to be completely surprised when I walked down the aisle. In the end, seeing his reaction was priceless and we loved that it was something we were able to share with all of our guests.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? Thinking about everyone staring at us during the ceremony already gave me plenty of anxiety, so we decided to stick to the easy, repeat-after-me vows.

The venue fit our criteria perfectly. It was outside, by the water, and most importantly, it required the least number of decisions! So much was included, which made for a much less stressful planning season.

What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Choosing Dunes West as a venue really helped us out with this. Not having to rent a tent, linens, or chairs truly made the whole day more affordable. The price is VERY competitive for the space and the team is so kind and accommodating. I’d choose them again in a heartbeat!

Our first dance was a no-brainer. We had chosen a band for our reception and were worried they wouldn’t be able to play our song, but the Right to Party band nailed it with their rendition of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love.”

Tell us all about the proposal! Moultrie’s biggest wish was that I be surprised when the time came for him to propose. He figured out the perfect way for me to not suspect a thing: propose without any fluff or fancy stuff! Moultrie and a few of our friends were already out at the beach one Friday afternoon, and the plan was for me to meet up with them once I was off of work. When I got there, Moultrie was ready for me to head out with him to try and surf before the sunset. Not understanding why he was so eager to go RIGHT then, I followed him out to the water and bent down to get my leash on. It was really tangled and I asked Moultrie what the deal was. He headed on over and got down on one knee to help me out. I still didn’t’ think anything of it, but then he started telling me how much he loved me. I was still wondering what the heck was going on when he pulled out a ring! I didn’t snap back to reality until I heard one of our friends screaming in the background! Obviously, I said yes and here we are now!
When did y’all get married? April 11, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? Around 150
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our handmade invites from Moultrie’s cousin and the logo he made along with it. We tried to use the logo throughout the wedding to tie everything together.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Merging all parties’ opinions into one. My mom, Moultrie, and I are all VERY strong-willed individuals. My mom did a great job of dividing up the decisions equally. For instance, Moultrie very much wanted his cousin to design our wedding invitations, but my mom prefers traditional designs. They compromised and my mom to chose the wording, while Half & Half designed the suite. In the end, we really worked well together and consistently reminded each other that we were all on the same team, trying to create lasting memories through the wedding.
If you are comfortable responding, 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? BRITTANY CROFT! Oh my goodness there are not enough sweet words in the dictionary to describe our photographer. Not only is her maiden name “Bowling,” so I knew we were meant to be, but she just got us. Y’all this woman is talented, but she doesn’t let that go to her head. She is so grounded and family-oriented and just a great human being. She works so hard and got us our pictures back in record time. She helped make our wedding experience perfect!

Photographer: Britt Croft Photography / Planner and Florist: Ooh! Events / Venue and Catering: Dunes West Golf and River Club / Cake Baker: Ashley Bakery / Band: Right to Party of East Coast Entertainment / Invitations: The Half & Half / Bride’s Gown: Christos / Bride’s Earrings: Sara Gabriel / Bridesmaid Earrings: Currie Jewelry / Hair and Makeup: Paper Dolls / Bride’s Shoes: Michael Kors / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Bridgette,” “Lulu,” “Wren,” and “Harlow” by Jenny Yoo / Groom’s Attire: Ralph Lauren / Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Bank / Calligraphy: Giovanna Alvino Calligraphy / Transportation: Lowcountry Valet

East Coast Entertainment is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
2 Comments
  1. avatar Shelby reply

    What a gorgeous venue! I’ve never heard of that one but definitely my type of place!

    Shelby
    http://www.prettyinthepines.com

  2. avatar Maureen reply

    I love the bride’s gorgeous wedges! Classic and comfortable – the perfect combo. :)

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close
Top