Southern Weddings

I have a habit of reading particularly sweet or funny parts of interviews out loud to my lovely coworkers, and in Lindsey and Adam’s case, I couldn’t resist sharing the fact that Lindsey quoted a Southern classic, Gone With the Wind, in the story of how she and Adam met! She was smitten with him from the moment she saw him, and after “waitin’ on him just like a spider,” they were finally introduced and began to fall in love. This sweet couple was married in Lindsey’s hometown of Jackson, Mississippi with a prayerful ceremony and a reception full of amazing food and fun traditions. Does it get any more Southern than that?

Thank you kindly to Brett Heidebrecht for sharing Lindsey and Adam’s wedding day with us!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I did! My something borrowed was very special. I had originally bought a veil with french lace lining the bottom of the veil only, with hopes of getting all “DIY” and ordering more lace to have sewn around the the entire circumference of the veil. However, I discovered that ordering the lace itself was more costly than if I had bought the original veil, so I hung it up. However, I met a darling lady, Abbie, about a week before I left Birmingham. I saw her wedding pictures and gasped–she was wearing my dream veil! She offered to lend her veil to me upon our first meeting! I was blown away by her generosity! My “something blue” was a pair of Badgely Mischka shoes,” selected by one of my best friends, Audrey. She also talked the salesman into giving us a special deal. I don’t know how she does it! Everyone needs an Audrey in their life! My something new was everything else on my person!

I spotted Adam for the first time at my first “Progressive Dinner,” held during one of my first weekends as a resident of Birmingham, Alabama. When he walked in the door, my jaw hit the floor! I spent the better part of the night either in the bathroom with one of my besties, Audrey, getting the scoop on him and telling her she MUST set us up and making loops around the house party, trying to catch his eye. It didn’t work. After that, I set out on a mission to run into this gorgeous guy again. I didn’t know his name, so naturally, my friends and I deemed him “My Original Birmingham Crush” or “Crushie” for short. (I had also heard that he was a very godly man from several trusted sources, so it wasn’t a totally superficial crush!) In the words of THE Scarlett O’Hara, “I was waitin’ on him just like a spider!” One fateful day, I spotted him again at one of my favorite coffee shops in the beautiful Mountain Brook Village, but I didn’t dare approach him! Unbeknownst to me, our mutual friend Thomas was workin’ behind the scenes to set us up (love him!!), and “happened” to invite us both to a movie. Finally, a formal introduction was made! The room was spinning and the chemistry was flowin’. Crushie finally got a name (Adam), and the next day, I got a friend request! So the next time I saw him (at my new favorite coffee shop), it was only natural that we talk (I know what you’re thinking; he approached me, thank you very much). Turns out, his heart was as pretty as his face. We talked for about an hour that first day, and for about three weeks of agony, I waited on that first date. I had grown tired of this relationship (or lack thereof) dominating my thoughts, so I prayed to rest in God’s plans for our relationship, rather than trying so hard to manipulate the situation. That very same day I prayed, he FINALLY asked me out!! The first date went great. Adam was completely open and honest with me about what his intentions were and told me that he wanted to get to know me more as friends. I really enjoyed knowing exactly where I stood with him. Game playin’ is for the birds! About a month later, he asked to pursue me exclusively. He also requested that we not kiss until/if/when we were to get married. I realize this plan is not for everyone, but it was actually very freeing for us, and we had a wonderful summer getting to know each other with beautiful Homewood and Mountain Brook as a backdrop. The Lord continued to bless our relationship as things progressed into the fall (or football season, as it is more commonly known in the South!). It became more and more apparent that Adam was an incredible, godly man who loved and led me very well.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. It nearly killed me to wait two weeks for my mom to arrive in Birmingham to go dress shopping! It only took two stops before I found a dress they had to pry off me in the store. I felt like a princess! I did get a little carried away in the store and also bought chandelier earrings, a rhinestone ribbon belt, and a trumpet slip. We also added pearls and beads to the top of the dress, but on the Monday before the wedding, I tried on the dress and decided it all had to go! This was a case of less is more. Mom was very gracious about the wasted money, and I made about four trips to the seamstress that week!

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We decided to stick with the traditional pledge to commit to each other through anything and everything, before God and our closest friends and family. We couldn’t really top that!
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had a “Salt Covenant” performed by Adam’s uncle, Pastor John Dickey. The covenant is derived from the Old Testament custom. Two individuals each bring a pouch of salt and pour the salt together to symbolize coming together in an agreement. The agreement could only be broken if the granules could be separated. This, of course, is impossible, and thus you have an everlasting covenant. “It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.” Numbers 18:19 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:5-6. An added bonus to the tradition is keeping the salt and sprinkling it on anniversary meals forever!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Definitely the first kiss!! He planted one on me that caused the crowd to “ooh” and “ahh!” No one (including me) saw that one comin’!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We each chose some of our favorite hymns and worship songs such as “Revelation Song,” “You Reign on High,” and “Be Thou My Vision,” as we wanted our ceremony to be a worship service giving glory and thanks to the Lord for bringing us together. The hymns were particularly special because they were sung by my 12-year-old cousin, Wes Magee, and a best friend of mine, Peggy Pursell. We also chose some traditional wedding classics played on the church’s magnificent organ such as “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” for the seating of the mothers and grandmothers, “Canon in D” which transitioned into “Jesus Loves Me” for the children’s processsional, and “Allegro from “Water Music” for the walk down the aisle. Our first dance was to “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers and the theme song for the movie Ghost. This was due to an inside joke between Adam and I. When I would say “I love you,” he would often respond with “Ditto.” I didn’t get it and was slightly offended. He later explained to me that it was a reference to Ghost. I had never seen the movie… needless to say it was one of the first things we watched, shamelessly, after the wedding!

Tell us all about the proposal! Christmas came and I got a picture of an adorable log cabin with the inscription “Get Excited!” written on it for Christmas. Apparently, we were going to Bryson City, North Carolina for a weekend getaway. Not terribly unusual, as Adam is always a man with a plan, and we had previously discussed going to the mountains. The only thing that slightly tipped me off was my mom being very adamant about me getting a cocktail dress dry-cleaned… for the mountains. Again, not terribly unusual, as she always comes packin’ a few cocktail options. The mountains were beautiful, and fortunately, the cabin was also very nice, as we spent the entire first day of our trip iced in. The next morning, we got up to hike, which is one of our favorite activities as a couple. At the end of the hike Adam asked me which waterfall was my favorite. I chose the third. Adam took my hands and told me that he had been thinking and praying very hard about something. He proceeds to tell me his four favorite attributes of me: 1. My relationship with the Lord, 2. My relationship with his friends and family, 3. His attraction for me, and 4. Our growing friendship. With the stunning waterfall roaring in the background, Adam got down on one knee, pulled a little box out of the cargo hiking pants he got before the trip, and asked me to marry him. That’d be a heck yeah! No contemplation needed! After that, we headed back to the cabin, got packed up, and headed back to Birmingham for an intimate dinner with family and a few close friends. I walked into the “dinner” to discover 40 of our closest friends and family yelling “Surprise!” That was definitely one of the top five moments of my life. It meant so much to have all of these people travel from near and far to celebrate our engagement. My head was spinning and didn’t stop for the next five months!
When did y’all get married? July 6, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 250
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided to do a first look. After the hectic morning and afternoon leading up to the wedding, it gave us some much needed quiet time before the ceremony. Seeing Adam is always so calming for me, and nothing could detract from the once-in-a-lifetime moment of meeting eyes while I was walking down the aisle.
Describe your wedding flowers. My wedding flowers were an elegant array of white and ivory peonies, hydrangeas, roses, and lilies. My bouquet was made up of white roses and peonies, and the bridesmaids carried white hydrangeas with baby’s breath. The church banisters were wrapped lovingly by my uncle Jay and a dear friend Paul with white organza, ivy, and lilies. It was no easy task, as a rodeo parade was being held on the street in front of the church. Apparently, it took a lot of begging to get through to those banisters! The church pulpit was adorned on either side with large urns filled with a variety of the flowers and four large antique candelabras. A large arrangement was featured on the S-shaped buffet table in the center of the reception venue. The reception tables featured centerpieces with a collection of cork screw willows, roses, and hydrangeas, and lights were placed underneath the tablecloths for a dramatic effect.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. The cake was traditional all-white buttercream. The five scrolled tiers were etched with beaded ribbon. An “R” initial was written into the top layer and fresh white roses sat atop the cake. A crowd and personal favorite was the Starbucks-themed peanut butter and chocolate (need I say more?) groom’s cake. To-go coffee cups sat atop the cake with Raisinets flowing out of them as mock coffee beans. We had to do an ode to the place where the magic all began!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The favorite detail of the wedding was our program created by Adam’s father (a printer who crossed into the wedding circuit and quickly crossed back out after the wedding!). Our program was especially sentimental to us because we wanted to honor our attendants by including tidbits about the special role each of them had played in our lives.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The food was very Southern! We had shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, sliders and sweet potato fries, a taco bar, late night beignets and frito pies, to name a few of our favorites. We got a lot of positive feedback on the menu! The singing of our sorority song was fun to share with the majority of my bridesmaids, my mother, and some of their mothers. The DMP band out of Memphis, TN brought the Southern soul and the house down! Everybody and their Mamma (literally!) was breaking it down!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Our biggest challenge, no doubt, was the invitations! The printer was very gracious to us and Mom dedicated a couple of nights to stuffin’, lickin’, and stickin’. I owe her! Another challenge was my wedding planner having an unexpected emergency and leaving before the reception began. However, a good friend, Abigail stepped up to the plate and things went seamlessly!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $50,000-$75,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? All of the friends and family who lovingly served us with their gifts and talents. To name a few: spice rub party favors made by my father-in-law, step-by-step ceremony music planning by a dear family friend, Mrs. Eloise Coleman, constant support and help from my best friend and maid of honor, Mary Katherine (former social chairman of the sorority! She knows her stuff!), and ANYTHING and EVERYTHING by my uncle Jay Magee and another dear family friend, Paul Jankowski. I couldn’t possibly name everyone who contributed! It meant so much to have so many people sacrifice their time for our big day!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Have fun! Don’t sweat the large or small stuff! God miraculously brings the day together! (Hindsights is 20/20–I spent my fair share of nights crying at my laptop).
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We are loving married life. Its so nice to have a partner to walk through life with. We are enjoying exploring our new home city Austin, TX!!

Photographer: Brett Heidebrecht / Videographer: Jordan Mahy / Planner: Maybelle Beasley and Janet Lee / Ceremony Venue: Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church / Reception Venue: Old Capital Inn / Florist and Lighting: Petals and Pails / Wedding Cake: Sandra Grover / Caterer: Bruce Cain / Band: DMP Band / Bride’s Gown: Allure Bridal Gown from Diane’s Formal Affair / Paper Products: Bruce Cain and Tony Melman / Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil/Jewelry: Diane’s Formal Affair / Hair Stylist: Janette Lungrin of Wavelengths / Makeup Artist: Francis Davis for Dior / Bride’s Shoes: Badgeley Mishka / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaid / Men’s Attire: Vera Wang from Men’s Warehouse

Written with love by Lisa