Southern Weddings

This. Wedding. Rocks! Mariangelix + Steven look like such a fun couple, don’t they? Their outdoor wedding was inspired by the 1940s Southern plantation style that we all know and love from The Notebook. M + S even asked their guests to come dressed in WWII-era garb! In addition to the fun theme, M + S’s wedding was full of amazing color and fun surprises! Their bowling alley reception was kept a surprise until right after the ceremony and guests were treated to adorably-wrapped socks. Love! Biggest thanks to Michelle March who shared this wedding with us.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Finding my wedding dress was a tricky adventure. I began the search with my mom, knowing exactly what I wanted: a mermaid shape, ivory lace, cap sleeves and a key hole back. Monique Lhuillier’s “Scarlet” has always been my favorite dress, but it was not in my budget. After weeks and weeks of searching, my best friend was in town and we just decided to stop by a shop where I found my dress! I didn’t have that “Aha,” crying moment that people describe, but I just knew that it was meant for me. It couldn’t have been more perfect!
Describe your wedding flowers: COLOR! This was one of the most important details of my wedding. I treated my flowers as if they were a part of my outfit. I did my own flowers and I used all of my favorite ones, including purple tulips, blush pink peonies, red ranunculus, billy balls, black & white anemones, purple anemones, white hydrangeas, and red pin cushions. I tied it with black and white striped ribbon and finished with a light pink cameo brooch given to me by my mother-in-law. It really was spectacular, the colors were breathtaking!

How much do you love these dapper little gents and their fun sign?

Did you decide to do a “first look”? No, we didn’t do a first look mainly because Steven wanted to keep things more traditional. He wanted to look forward to seeing me walk down the aisle for the first time. I was happy with the decision, it was really sweet!
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Our wedding was 1920s-1940s-themed and very inspired by The Notebook, therefore our song choices were connected to our theme in some way, as well as a reflection of us. We had an amazing pianist, Adlan Cruz, playing our songs on a grand piano. It was incredible! Before the bridal party walked down the aisle, he played “I’ll Be Seeing You.” The bridal party walked down the aisle to The Notebook’s theme song and then my dad and I walked down to “What a Wonderful World.” For the father-daughter dance, we played “Unforgettable”

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I feel like our ceremony had a Southern plantation feel to it, especially since it was inspired by The Notebook. I always wanted an outside wedding, so we held it on a piece of land that was on the property of our church. It was perfect! A blue vintage car dropped me off at the end of the aisle, which was elevated just enough so everyone could see. We had benches for our guests to sit on and purple rose petals mixed in with the green grass gave the aisle a nice touch! We gave everyone glass Coke bottles as favors after the ceremony and we played old jazz in the open air, while the wind blew and the sun was shining brightly. It was magical! Another Southern detail, which I treasure dearly, is my 1920s art deco estate ring!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: I had two wedding cakes. We designed both sets of cakes to fit the theme and reflect us in different ways. The first one was at the small reception right after our ceremony. It was a set of three Puerto Rican cakes with sweet mint green frosting. It was delicious! They were displayed on a red vintage desk with wooden hearts as toppers. The second cake was a bit more artsy. The five-tier masterpiece was the same style of cake as the first one, but with black, mustard, plum and mint colored fondant. The base and top tiers were black and white striped and the middle tier had a beautiful lace design. It was topped off by a set of wooden figurines that I made to resemble drawings that I make of us. Both cakes were made by my aunt, who is an amazing baker and artist in the Central Florida area.

How did the two of you meet? We met in high school. We had similar friends and knew of each other for a while before we started dating. We ended up having the same class my last year of high school and got to know each other. The last day of class before Christmas break, I happened to be leaving school early and he was skipping class. So, that was the first time we officially hung out and after that, it was a wrap! 8 years later, here we are!
Describe the proposal. Our proposal was magical! Michelle March actually had something to do with that as well. She had asked to shoot us a few times before, whenever she was in town, but it never seemed to work out, especially because Steven is not really the most photo-loving guy out there. This time, though, he ended up saying yes! “Just to get me off his back!” So, he ends up contacting my best friend and Michelle and they come up with this grandiose plan. We get some really nice shots in France and then Michelle says, “I want some ice cream,” their code word for the proposal. Of course I had no idea, so I say “Ooh, I want some ice cream!!” However, Michelle goes back to her position and keeps snapping away. About a few seconds later, Steven starts saying all these nice things to me and I think he’s joking (because he’s a jokester) so I tell him to stop playing! Then he gets on one knee and says, “This is real! Will you marry me?” I was so surprised, I started bawling like a little baby! As soon as I said yes, all I heard was clapping from all of the people that were around. It was the most beautiful thing ever! The pictures were beyond amazing and I was just so surprised! The night ended with a private view of the fireworks show on a balcony in the Italy pavilion. Disney really is where dreams come true — it was surreal!
In what month did you get married? March
How many guests attended your wedding? 200+
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I have to pick three!
1. Since it was a themed wedding, we asked our guests to wear attire from the 20s, 30s, or 40s. We didn’t think that so many of our guests would actually participate and it was a great turnout. It was such an amazing feeling when I saw all of those people dressed up right before I walked down the aisle. It was exactly as I imagined it! I felt like I was on a movie set!
2. Our reception! We had our reception at a bowling alley and it was a surprise to everyone! We kept our reception details a secret until the actual wedding day. All of the guests received the details right after the ceremony. They were so surprised and had a blast. It was really awesome to see them enjoy themselves! We wanted our wedding to be FUN as well as a reflection of us entirely. Plus, what’s better than taking your guests bowling?! Our favors were socks, because, of course, we knew they wouldn’t be ready!
3. Balloons and confetti! As we were walking back up the aisle, our guests threw confetti at us from little bags that were placed on the benches. Right before we departed to the reception, we gave everyone a red balloon and they let them go as we drove away. It was phenomenal to see the clear blue sky filled with red balloons as a celebration of our marriage!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge was keeping the bowling alley reception a secret. The only people that knew about it were our parents. We really didn’t think that we could do it, but we did! It was a great surprise!
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Steven’s custom-made suit! He is a pretty fashionable guy, so he always said he wanted a double-breasted suit. The only problem was finding it. We found a custom tailor in town to help us, which allowed Steven to be able to pick everything from the buttons to the lining and the pattern of the suit. It really was a neat experience. Steven always said that if there is any time when a man should splurge on his outfit, it should be on his wedding day! His whole entire combination was brilliant and he looked so dapper! I did not get to see the suit until the day-of and it was a really nice surprise!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable moment was walking back up the aisle with my husband as everyone was throwing confetti at us. It was like a dream!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Be you! Think outside the box and don’t worry about what everyone else is going to think. Our wedding was truly a reflection of us and we didn’t have to break the bank for it. Sometimes wedding visions are way bigger than your budget, so be realistic and think of every possible way that you can do everything you want with the amount that you have. Prioritize your wants and it will all fall into place. Do as many DIY projects as possible. Additionally, don’t get caught up in so many traditions. You can do things your way if you want to! We wanted fun, so we went to a bowling alley! It was memorable for us and for our guests. Don’t let the planning stress get to you. Try to embrace every moment. This day is about you and your groom, so do as you please!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? That’s a really exciting question! We are recently taking my event design business to the next level and we are ecstatic! Finally we are doing something greater with my passion with Peplum Events & Design. We are excited for the opportunities, dreams and goals that we have for this business. I look forward to growing as partners and building a stronger marriage each day. Kids and those will show up someday! In the meantime, we are passionate about each other’s dreams and desires.

Written with love by Nicole