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Seersucker, Spanish moss, a gracious plantation home, and a beautiful (real life!) couple in love: sounds like just the ticket for Southern Weddings! Allison Pedigo and Elizabeth Marie Weddings & Events put together these details, inspired by the Lowcountry of South Carolina and the hospitality we all hope to offer on our wedding days and in newlywed life. Don’t miss the beautiful wreaths on the venue doors and at the reception table, and the joyful petal toss at the end!

From the team:

Incorporating a taste of South Carolina was important to us, not only for the sake of matching our backdrop, but in helping our viewers take a front seat and truly feel the essence of the Palmetto State — a place where porch sitting takes precedence over air conditioning and southern hospitality is just a way of life. My trips to South Carolina as a kid growing up consisted of beach visits, lagoons, humidity, popsicles and our annual Low Country Boil. Since sending guests home with Frogmore Stew wasn’t an option, we opted for a homemade starter for “guests” to enjoy at their leisure.

We began the day by photographing our bride as she went about her quiet, thoughtful morning, taking a moment to reflect on the commitment she would soon make to her groom. We created two separate spaces — one which was a sweetheart table for our couple after they wed in front of the estate, the other for their guests to enjoy the reception under the shade of the large, live oak that greets you upon stepping foot on the property. We ended the day with a whimsical, petal send-off as they exited down the long pathway as bride and groom.

Our bride and groom had recently wed before we planned our collaboration, so it was truly a joy to capture raw emotion and excited banter between the two throughout. Brandy and Drew have a love like none other, and I love how their adoration and newlywed giddiness show through in this collection of images.

Photographer: Allison Pedigo | Venue: Wavering Place Plantation | Planning and design: Elizabeth Marie Weddings & Events | Floral design: Camille & Gray | Makeup: Lee Chamberlain with Studio O2 | Bridal gown, sheer skirt, and jewelry: White Magnolia Bridal | Groom’s suit: Suit Supply | Invitation suite and favor tags: That Pretty Invitation | Silk ribbon: Silk and Willow | Cakes: Izzabee’s Confectionaries | China, napkins, flatware, and glass favor jars: Crate & Barrel | White chiavari chairs: Party Reflections

emily Written with love by Emily
2 Comments
  1. avatar Amy South reply

    Beautiful!

  2. avatar Ana Conlon reply

    Such an amazing setting for a wedding…Simply Stunning!

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I’m not sure anything makes a wedding celebration more special (or Southern!) than when family is weaved through the entire thing! Such was certainly the case for Katie and Alex, starting with their ceremony venue–these two followed in Katie’s parents’ footsteps by getting married at the University of Virginia chapel. Along with drawing inspiration from their families for their wedding details (they especially loved their family photo display and the groom’s cake designed in honor of their dog!), Katie and Alex’s loved ones also came through in a big way to bring this special day to life. The perfect example: when they couldn’t make it to Virginia a month before the wedding to bury the bourbon, Katie’s cousin took the task into her own hands! As you can see in these photos by Rachel May, the tradition was a great success, leading to many new family memories being created as Katie and Alex celebrated their marriage.

P.S. Don’t miss the stories of Alex’s Christmas proposal or Katie’s most memorable wedding day moment below–both are stories for the books!

The vendor that truly set our wedding apart from others was the very talented Kristy Rice from Momental Designs. Her team hand-painted all of our save the dates, invitations, ceremony programs, menu cards, table numbers, and welcome bag inserts. The designs they created for us were works of art that not only captured Charlottesville’s beauty, but also told our story as a couple. I also have to mention Jodi Macfarlan, who did the stunning calligraphy for our seating chart and place cards at the reception. Her work is seriously the prettiest calligraphy I have ever seen, and her ability to match the designs of our paper goods was beyond impressive.

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I did not have something borrowed, blue, old, and new. My mom told me that she didn’t partake in the tradition when she got married, and my parents have been married for over thirty-five years, so I didn’t feel the need to either!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. It has always been a struggle for me to find dresses that fit well, so to be honest, I was sort of dreading the whole process. My parents were planning a trip from Atlanta to Houston to meet AY’s parents for the first time, so I thought it would be the perfect time to look for a dress with both of our moms and his sisters. We went to Ivory Bridal Atelier in Houston and I tried on several dresses. While every dress the store had was so beautiful, nothing seemed to fit me the right way. Just as I was losing hope, the store manager mentioned that a Fall 2015 Anne Barge dress had just come in. At first glance, I wasn’t in love–it was a light blush color and had an antique look to it. I wanted an ivory dress, but at that point, I was willing to give it a shot. As soon as I stepped into the gown, I got that first feeling of “this might be the one.” It had all this gorgeous lace on the bodice and at the very bottom of the dress. When I saw the matching veil, I was blown away. I knew this was my dress when I found out that I could order it in ivory! With a few magic touches from Linda’s Couture Alterations in Houston, it became everything I was hoping for. Looking back on the whole wedding planning process, dress shopping was absolutely one of my favorite memories and is such a special occasion that every bride should look forward to!

Our fabulous wedding planner, Cody Grannis of Amore Events, created the bouquets for the wedding party and the floral arrangements for the reception. Cody did an amazing job arranging different types of roses with dark greenery to accentuate the light pink in the bridesmaids’ dresses and really make them pop. For my bouquet, I wanted something that looked natural and almost messy, as if the flowers were picked from a wild garden. It came out even better than I had envisioned and was truly unlike any bouquet I’d ever seen. The flowers for the ceremony were designed by Amy Webb from Blue Ridge Floral Design. Amy completely got my vision when I told her that I wanted to have an entrance for the Chapel unlike anything that has ever been done there before. She created this gorgeous floral arch with white roses and greenery that surrounded the front doors of the Chapel. It was such a dreamy piece that perfectly established the entire look and feel for our ceremony.

The most memorable moment for me was seeing my grandfather at the front of the Chapel. My grandfather suffers from Parkinson’s and had a few rough days leading up to the wedding–so rough that we were concerned he might not be able to make it to the ceremony. When I met AY at the altar, I looked to my right and saw a light shining through the stained glass windows of the dark chapel right onto my grandfather. Tears immediately came to my eyes. It was such an unforgettable moment because it was everything that my family had been praying for leading up to the wedding. That same light beam later moved over to me and AY, shining down on us as we said our vows. I remember hearing gasps from the congregation right when it happened, and several guests even came up to us afterwards asking if we had planned it, but perfection like that can only be explained as a gift from above!

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? This is an easy one! My parents also graduated from the University of Virginia and were married at the University Chapel on June 28, 1981, so from the moment AY and I started dating during college, I dreamed of following in their footsteps. The University Chapel is so beautiful and rich in history and is such a meaningful place for my family–I really couldn’t imagine us getting married anywhere else. For the reception venue, Charlottesville has so many stunning venues for brides to choose from. AY and I wanted to pick somewhere memorable to us from our time together at UVA. Wine tasting at King Family Vineyards was always one of our favorite activities, and, their views of the Blue Ridge Mountains are breathtaking and second to none!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Is it okay if we have two favorites? A detail we were really excited about was the Moscow mules, which were passed during cocktail hour. Served in a cute copper mug, they seem to always bring smiles to faces. That’s how we knew Moscow mules would be the perfect signature drink for our wedding–plus, they are also really refreshing on a hot summer day! Another detail that was definitely a wow-factor was the wedding memory table, a display of old family wedding photographs designed by my mother. It was a special way to remember our history and give a presence to our loved ones who have passed. It turned out so beautifully and was something our guests really enjoyed.

A Southern tradition we included in our wedding was burying the bourbon, believed by Southerners to keep the rain away. I tend to worry about silly things like the weather, so when I heard about this tradition, I had to find a way to make it happen, especially because every wedding planner will tell you that Charlottesville weather is the most unpredictable. My cousin and a bridesmaid in our wedding, Jayne Anne, is currently a student at UVA, and offered to bury the bourbon for us at King Family Vineyards, as we live in Dallas, Texas and couldn’t find time to make the trip. In true UVA fashion, she chose to bury Jefferson Reserve, and exactly a month later, we had the most beautiful weather for our big day. To Jayne Anne’s surprise, AY and I asked her to do the honors and dig up the bourbon at the reception, too! We owed her big time for bringing us sunny skies and high-70 temperatures at the end of June! It was such a funny sight to see Jayne Anne trying to dig up the bourbon with the massive shovel provided by King Family–an image we will continue to laugh about for years to come! Once the bourbon was retrieved, AY and I said cheers with two antique sterling silver shot glasses from Tiffany’s, given to us by my mother as a wedding present a few days before the wedding. Each shot glass had our new initials engraved on the front and are keepsakes we will forever cherish in remembrance of the tradition.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Especially when times get stressful, try to remember what the day is really about. A dear friend of mine would remind of that by saying, “No more or no less married” when I would start to worry or compare our wedding with others. It’s easy to get wrapped up in it all and lose sight of what’s really important, but your wedding will be perfect in its own way. As you make it about the love that you have for each other, it will, without a doubt, be the best day of your life.

The cake mastermind, Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations, made both our wedding and groom’s cakes. Our wedding cake was a four-tiered cake with roses and gold leaf flakes decorating the rim of each tier. The cake flavors were hummingbird cake with cream cheese frosting and vanilla butter cake with French vanilla buttercream. I was so blown away by our wedding cake–it was beautiful inside and out and looked like something out of a magazine! Our groom’s cake was designed to look like AY’s beloved family dog, Ellie B. Young, who wasn’t able to travel to Charlottesville to celebrate with us. The cake was around two feet tall and featured chocolate cake with Oreo chocolate icing. It was such a sweet surprise for the Youngs that Ellie B. could make an appearance at the wedding, even if it was just in cake form! Having parents that grew up in Charlottesville, there are several local spots that are sentimental for my family. One of those places is The White Spot located on the Corner. It serves an infamous dessert called the “Grillswith,” a grilled and butter-brushed Krispy Kreme donut with vanilla ice cream on top. Our caterer, C&O Restaurant, replicated the recipe perfectly and served Grillswiths to our guests as the late night snack at the reception. I swear, I’ve never seen people react in such a way to a dessert! Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how delicious they were and it was definitely a fun treat for our guests who also know and love The White Spot.

Our first dance was to “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” by The Tams. We thought this song was perfect for us, as AY’s last name (and now mine) is Young. The song also has a great Motown beat and is super easy to dance to!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We first met at the Foxfield Races, an annual horse race in Charlottesville, during our first year at the University of Virginia. I was introduced to him as “AY,” short for Alex Young, and continue to call him AY to this day. We really didn’t get to know each other until we had a class together our second year. He was in the 8:00 A.M. class section of Commerce 180 and I was in the later section that everyone wanted to be in at 11:00. On the first day of class, AY slept in and missed his section, so he snuck into the later one. During the class, our professor asked the students to divide into groups for the semester. To this day, I can still picture the moment AY walked down the classroom hallway over to me and nervously asked to be in my group. I told him that he had to ask the professor for permission, once he admitted to being in the earlier section. Thankfully, the professor said yes, because I truly believe that our love story began with that study group. I spent more time laughing at his terrible jokes than actually doing work, but I also got to see what a great guy he was…and, he did most of the work. We were both dating other people at the time, but we became great friends because of the class. We finally started dating a month before graduation, and have been together since!
Tell us all about the proposal! AY came to Atlanta to spend Christmas with my family. On Christmas morning, he pulled me aside and told me that I needed to open my present early. He described it as “Christmas-y” and hinted that he wanted me to have a chance to use it before the day was over. He handed me a medium-sized box, and inside were six ornaments holding pictures of special moments during our relationship. I thought it was such a sweet present and understood why he wanted me to open it early. As I started to hang the picture ornaments on my parents’ Christmas tree, AY mentioned that he forgot to include one ornament in the box before he wrapped it. He hung the last ornament on the tree and asked me to look at the picture. Busy trying to find vacant spots on our very full tree, I just said, “Oh, that’s very cute” without really examining the picture. AY laughed and told me to look closer. When I did, I screamed, as I realized it was a picture of AY down on one knee in front of his family’s Christmas tree back home! He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him in front of my family, who ran into the room as soon as they heard me scream. My mom was just as surprised as I was–she thought we had knocked over the Christmas tree!
When did y’all get married? June 25, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 175
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Having a male vocalist sing “Ave Maria” by J.S. Bach was one of the most important parts of the ceremony for us. My grandfather, who was a professor at UVA and a big reason why I went to school there, has always loved that song. His father (my great-grandfather) was a self-taught opera singer and sang “Ave Maria” at my grandparents’ wedding. We hoped it would evoke special memories, while also creating new ones for our families, and it certainly did!
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Father Stephen Alcott, a priest from my grandparents’ church in Charlottesville, officiated our ceremony. Leading up to the wedding, AY and I met with Father Stephen several times for marital guidance and counseling. I would definitely encourage other couples to do so as well. Getting to know Father Stephen better and talking through our plan as a married couple put us completely at ease during our ceremony, allowing us to really enjoy and appreciate the moment.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We were very fortunate to have a wonderful wedding and a dream-come-true honeymoon. Now that we are officially the Youngs, we are looking forward to having some down time and getting the chance to be newlyweds. I also have to admit that our wedding diet kept us from trying the hot new restaurants in town, so we are pretty excited about not having to be good anymore!

Photographer: Rachel May Photography | Planner and Florist: Amore Events | Ceremony Venue: University of Virginia Chapel | Reception Venue: King Family Vineyards | Ceremony Florals: Blue Ridge Floral Design | Wedding Cake: Maliha Creations | Caterer: C&O Restaurant | Rentals: MS Events | Lanterns: Blue Ridge A/V and Lighting | Cocktail Hour Guitarist: Peter Richardson | Band: Attraction via Sam Hill Entertainment | Calligrapher: Jodi Macfarlan Calligraphy and Joie de Vivre Calligraphy | Paper Products: Momental Designs | Bride’s Gown and Veil: “Avallon” by Anne Barge | Bridal Salon: Ivory Bridal Atelier | Bridal Gown Alterations: Linda’s Couture Alterations | Bride’s Hair Piece: Lila Accessories | Hair Stylist: Brianna B. Adams | Makeup Artist: Gohar Makeup | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various styles in Bellini by Amsale | Bridesmaid Dress Salon: Bella Bridesmaids | Groom’s Tuxedo: Suit Supply | Groom’s Cuff Links: Ledbury | Groom’s Bow Tie: The Cordial Churchman | Bride’s Robe: Girl with a Serious Dream | Bridesmaids’ Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Erwin Pearl | Maid of Honor’s Hair Accessory: Twigs & Honey | Bouquet Ribbon: Silk & Willow | Wedding Dress Hanger: Poppy and Scooter | Custom Napkins and Drink Stirrers: Laura Hooper Calligraphy | Transportation: Ambassador Limousine and Albemarle Limousine | Ring Box: The Mrs. Box | Stage: Skyline Tent Company

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

    Thank you so much for the feature! It’s an honor to be on the SW blog! :)

  2. avatar Rosie reply

    Lisa this is beautiful! thank you for sharing.

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My heart fills right to the brim thinking about the Texas Sweethearts editorial in Southern Weddings V8. The story we dreamed up for this shoot–an undeniably charming Texan wedding uniting a pair of high school sweethearts who fell in love under Friday night lights–was one of our first ideas for V8, and we immediately knew it would hold a special place in our new issue. Everything came together so naturally, from the tremendously talented team who came onboard to help us bring our vision to life, to the too-perfect-for-words venue, Star Hill Ranch, to our incredible group of reader models (including a bride and groom who are real life Texan high school sweethearts–the journal in these shots is really hers!), to even the weather, which was as lovely of a Texan spring day as you can ask for. I’m the SW office’s resident Texan, so I had fun helping to bring the Lone Star State into this shoot in really unique ways–frito pies, a nod to homecoming mums, and the colors of the flowers (inspired by the magical Hill Country sunsets), to name a few. We hope y’all loved seeing the results of this meaningful editorial in V8–here are a few more of the beautiful photos by our Blue Ribbon Vendor Kristen Kilpatrick!

P.S. If there are any fellow Friday Night Lights fans out there (the SW gals are obsessed), see if you can spot a few nods to our favorite show! FNL played a big role in helping us hone in on this shoot’s feel and aesthetic :)

It was a only fitting for these high school sweethearts to include a few details from their dating days into their wedding–her journal and their class rings, to name a few. As a wedding gift, she gave him a dapper pocket watch engraved with his former jersey number!

We wanted our bride, groom, and bridal party to look stylish, but still right at home in the Texas landscape. A dapper blue suit and chambray for the gents, plus a gown and bridesmaid dresses with great texture were just right…paired with cowboy boots across the board, of course!

This was one of our favorite details from this shoot–as a nod to the oh so Texan tradition of homecoming mums, our groom gifted his bride with a single bloom to add to her bouquet. Homecoming mums originated as single chrysanthemums, so this sweet twist on the tradition (perfect for couples who are former homecoming dates!) was both appropriate and elegant.

The chapel at Star Hill Ranch is too adorable for words, and we jumped at the chance to stage an indoor ceremony for an editorial! Katy of Without Wax, Katy gussied up the space with candles, gorgeous greenery, and a few statement blooms.

Does it get much sweeter than this? We tried to rein ourselves in when it came to literal Friday Night Lights details, but this tugs-at-your-heartstrings catch phrase was too perfect to pass up–Southern Fried Paper did an amazing job creating the chambray signage for us!

Like many corners of the South, Texas claims a few culinary specialties, and we knew we had to include them as a tribute to our bride and groom’s Texas roots. Cornbread, pimento jalapeno Texas toast, and even an upscale take on frito pie were on hand, many thanks to Pink Avocado Catering.

We loved working with Without Wax, Katy on this editorial, and her styling eye really shined as we set the table! Exposed wood, chambray, pewter, blue glass, and navy velvet created a gorgeous, rich tablescape that fit in so well with the Hill Country landscape. The colors of the flowers were inspired by the vibrant sunsets in Texas–we were even treated to a sunset that matched the blooms perfectly as we wrapped up our shoot!

Y’all, don’t you want to dig right into that luscious chocolate cake? It was the perfect pairing with yet another Texan favorite: Blue Bell ice cream, made right down US 290 in Brenham, Texas.

This shot is one of our absolute favorites from the shoot, if not from the whole magazine–it’s definitely one for the SW history books!! It almost didn’t happen, since we couldn’t get a hold of the perfect truck ahead of time, but turns out, they had one that was just right on hand at Star Hill Ranch. It was meant to be!

Stay tuned to see the behind the scenes photos from this shoot day next! And be sure to pick up a copy of Southern Weddings V8 to see the gorgeous spread–it’s now on news stands across the Southeast, as well as online here.

Photographer: Kristen Kilpatrick Photography | Film Processing: PhotoVision | Designer, Stylist, Props, and Florals: Without Wax, Katy | Venue: Star Hill Ranch | Caterer: Pink Avocado | Cake: Polkadots Cupcake Factory | Paper Goods and Fabric Signage: Southern Fried Paper | Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher | Hair Stylist: Andrea Juarez | Makeup Artist: Makenzi Laine | Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals | Pewter China: Match | Bride’s Gown: “Indigo” by Modern Trousseau | Veil: BHLDN | Bridesmaid Dresses: Eva Franco for Lover.ly | Ties: Noose Neckwear | Pocket Watch: RC Personalized Gifts

Kristen Kilpatrick and Southern Fried Paper are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
11 Comments
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  1. avatar Kelly reply

    Oh I just love Victoria! Seriously the sweetest and this editorial was hands down my fav! I’m also a FNL fan and loved the touches! Great editorial ladies! Y’all knocked this out of the park!! Xoxo

  2. avatar Kristina reply

    I love all things Friday Night Lights so this editorial is hands down my favorite! Y’all did an amazing job as always :)

  3. avatar Southern Weddings Magazine Feature – Texas Wedding Calligrapher reply

    […] is always a joy working on content to be featured in the Southern Weddings Magazine.  Those girls have a keen eye and know how to organize a thoughtful, inspirational event for […]

  4. avatar Maureen reply

    So cute and love seeing Victoria’s smiling face!

  5. avatar Abby Opersteny reply

    Completely swooning over all the FNL-inspired details! One of your darling reader models is a sorority sister of mine, and we have just raved over this shoot. Job well done!

  6. avatar Dana reply

    obsessed with all of this!

  7. avatar Tomasz reply

    amazing style!

  8. avatar Southern Weddings Magazine Feature – Texas Wedding Calligrapher | Left Handed Calligrapher reply

    […] is always a joy working on content to be featured in the Southern Weddings Magazine.  Those girls have a keen eye and know how to organize a thoughtful, inspirational event for […]

  9. avatar Darek Novak reply

    Great colours. love the analog feel.

  10. avatar Happy 10th Anniversary Southern Weddings! My 10 Favorite Editorials – Kyla Mary reply

    […] The blue, the florals, the small-town setting, and the inspiration are so dreamy! The SW gals pulled their inspiration from Friday Night Lights, and a sweet fellow blogger modeled with her husband. I guest posted for Victoria earlier this year and she and her husband Ben are the perfect Texas couple for this editorial! View the original post here. […]

  11. avatar Happy 10th Anniversary Southern Weddings! My 10 Favorite Editorials – Kyla Mary reply

    […] The blue, the florals, the small-town setting, and the inspiration are so dreamy! The SW gals pulled their inspiration from Friday Night Lights, and a sweet fellow blogger modeled with her husband. I guest posted for Victoria earlier this year and she and her husband Ben are the perfect Texas couple for this editorial! View the original post here. […]

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!

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