Southern Weddings

For Jana, a wedding photographer herself, finding her dream gown posed to be a bit more challenging than she had initially expected. With the help of the sweet ladies at Blue Ribbon Vendor bridal salon Coast Knot Bridal, she was able to find exactly what she was looking for…as well as 63 runners up! However, having gowns in waiting turned out to be helpful when working through her and Bailey’s decision to do a first look. The week of the wedding, Jana made a last-minute decision to wear her reception dress to their first look instead of her “real” wedding gown! It was a sneaky way to compromise by calming their nerves with a first look, while still preserving that special moment of Bailey seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress when she was walking down the aisle. I love seeing a couple use the tools that are needed in marriage during their wedding planning–compromise is a perfect example!

Big hugs to Blue Ribbon Vendor Cynthia Rose for sharing this sweet coastal day with us!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. This was no easy task. Being a wedding photographer, I was searching for a dress that not only fit well, but that would photograph well. 63 dresses later, I finally found my perfect dress at Coastal Knot Bridal Boutique. I could never thank the girls there enough for all of their patience!

For our flowers, we chose a mix of greens and creams, and added a hint of color with parrot tulips and David Austin roses. I loved how they complemented the linens on the tables, as well as the colors used for the bridesmaid dresses. Hands down, they were one of my favorite details from the day!

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Kinda. I wanted to do a first look, Bailey did not. After finally talking him into it, I changed my mind the week before by choosing to wear my reception dress to our first look instead of my ceremony dress. To me, it was the prefect way to get all the nerves out without spoiling the surprise of my actual wedding dress.

We added the live painting as a last-minute decision, so our guests could experience something a little different during our ceremony and cocktail hour. It is one of our most treasured items from our wedding, and while I love photographs, I am excited to have a piece of custom art for our new home!

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Documentation of our wedding day! This was, hands down, our priority from the beginning. Our wedding day was such a whirlwind. While we remember bits and pieces of it, just seeing our pictures made us realize that we didn’t really remember as much as we thought. Bailey did not originally see the importance of having a videographer, but the second we walked away from our ceremony, his exact words were, “I am so glad you made us get the video, because I don’t remember anything I just said!”

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our logo and branding! We worked with our designer, Elizabeth, for almost a year and a half, and we couldn’t be happier with how things turned out. From our invitations to our bar signage, our life logo really added a personal touch to our wedding day. We are excited to still be using it throughout our thank you cards and additional paper products.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We buried the bourbon! You are supposed to do this a month before the wedding, but we did it the night before. In honor of Bailey’s grandfather, I had a handkerchief made from his shirt to give to Bailey at the wedding. It was embroidered with his initials and our wedding date. We also used heirloom silver pieces from Bailey’s great grandmother for our communion during our ceremony.

Choosing desserts for our wedding was a no-brainer. After eating wedding cake almost every weekend, I knew it would be hard to find one that would stick out to me. All of our wedding pound cakes were made by my aunt Gina. Her chocolate pound cake has always been my favorite, so I knew that would be the one we actually cut into! The pies were provided by our caterer, and they were absolutely divine.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Bailey and I met at my 16th birthday party. As we joke, he showed up uninvited and never left!
Tell us all about the proposal! We got engaged at the Biltmore in August 2013. As a wedding photographer, my schedule limits our vacations together to either the extreme hot or cold months, and boy, was it hot! After walking around the entire property, Bailey convinced me to hike to the highest point, overlooking the house. He asked me to marry him there, and, of course, I said yes!
When did y’all get married? May 16, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? The trees and the Southern charm! We knew Litchfield was everything we had ever envisioned for our day, and I liked that we had the house for the entire weekend.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We danced to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. There was no sentimental meaning behind this for us; however, it is a classic and we knew we wanted something that would never go out of style!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Honestly, the budget and more specifically, the guest list. These two secretly go hand in hand. We had many, many people RSVP telling us that they were attending, and then they did not show up. For each person “attending,” you have to consider the cost of renting a chair, silverware, plates, a ceremony chair, glassware (usually three per person), a napkin, and then food and drink. Most people don’t even consider these things when building a guest list, or as a guest responding to an event. Choose your guests wisely if you want the wedding you have always dreamed of.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Do your research and fully look into your venue before booking. While we loved our venue and wouldn’t change it for the world, we were not fully prepared for some of the costs that we didn’t know about when we booked it. Before touring any venue, research images of past weddings there and ask questions about them. Hidden cost can throw a huge bend in any wedding budget, so it’s better to know upfront and be able to adjust your budget accordingly.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are excited to finally settle into our new home, which we purchased two weeks before our wedding. We are excited to finally have a place of our own!

Photographer: Cynthia Rose Photography / Videographer: Low Country Wedding Films / Planner: Kelly Catron of Gigi Noelle Events and Elizabeth Curl of Palmetto Pearl Designs / Venue: Litchfield Plantation / Florist: Blossoms Events / Caterer and Dessert Baker: Art Catering / Rentals: Hotz Rentals and Eventworks / Lighting: MC Sound Light and Video / DJ: Paul Matthews / Logo, Branding, and Paper Products: Palmetto Pearl Designs / Custom Shell Wreaths: Simply Shells Rentals / Bride’s Gown: Pronovias / Bridal Salon and Accessories: Coastal Knot Bridal Boutique / Hair Stylist: Emette Tedder of Hair FETish Salon / Makeup Artist: Tiffany Long / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Stephanie” in Spearmint by Donna Morgan / Menswear: Calvin Klein / Live Painting: Kelly Bollman / Harpist: Becky Nissen / Rings: Robisons Jewelers / Officiant: Rev. Wesley Peyton

Coastal Knot Bridal Boutique and Cynthia Rose are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa