Southern Weddings

We had the privilege of meeting Alison almost a year ago when she and a group of the Proverbs 31 Ministries ladies came to visit the SW office. We were so impressed by how kind and intentional these ladies are, and truly cherished our time chatting about life and business with them! When we spotted a few photos of Alison and her husband’s house in Charlotte, we had no doubt that along with beautiful photos of the place they call home, we could count on Alison for an insightful, thoughtful interview here on Southern Newlywed. Sure enough, I loved getting a peek at Alison and Luke’s space, but even more so, I love what they shared about making their house a home, quality time together, and so much more. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to Maggie Colletta for these lovely photos!

The couple: Alison (27) and Luke (25) Fargason
Years married: Four
Where they live: Charlotte, North Carolina
Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Luke and I both from sweet home Alabama. I grew up playing with art supplies and Luke grew up playing sports and hunting and fishing with his dad. We both attended Auburn University (War Eagle!), which is where we met and fell in love. This was special to us because both of our parents met at Auburn as well! We now live in Charlotte, North Carolina and we absolutely love it! Luke is a financial aAdvisor with Thrivent Financial and I am the Design Director at Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Do you rent or own? What are your hopes and plans for the future in this area? Tell us a little bit about where you live. We bought our first house in May 2014 in Charlotte. It is located on a quiet street with lots of amenities close by. Some of our favorites things to do are evening neighborhood walks with our golden retriever, Ellie, and drinking coffee on our front porch in the mornings before work. Our house is a 1980’s red brick ranch that needed lots of TLC when we first moved in. Seeing our house transform from an outdated home into the perfect space for us has been so much fun. We still have a long list of updates we’d like to make, but for now, we are learning to enjoy the process of seeing it transform, little by little. We love hosting parties and having guests over. Our hope is that people always sense God’s peace and joy in our home.
Tell us about the process of moving in together. Do you have any tips for blending your two styles? I would say our moving in together process was relatively easy. Luke trusts me with designing our house and lets me run free with my ideas. His only two cents was that it “needs to comfortable–it can’t JUST look good.” And I agree! Charlotte has tons of amazing antique shops that we enjoy going to on the weekends. Luke grew up hunting with his dad, so you will find several deer heads and antlers throughout our house. When I recently hung the deer head in our den, Luke looked at me and said “On earth as it is in heaven.”

Which room in your home is your favorite, and why? I would have to say our main den. When we began renovating our home, this is where we put our attention first, and it’s where we spend most of our time together. Lots of our favorite furniture pieces are in there so that we are able to enjoy them the most!
Where do you splurge and where do you save when decorating? What are some of your favorite sources for home things? Thankfully, the majority of our furniture was given to us by our parents or grandparents, so we have not had to splurge on many things for our home. And honestly, we’ve found some things off the side of the road (so fun!). In some cases, I see something I like online or in a magazine, and if it is expensive, we will wait to buy it, and search Craig’s List for a pre-owned option. Favorite sources for home things? Goodness, where do I begin? First off, I love antique malls. Charlotte has a plethora of awesome, amazing places to visit (and with great prices too). The Depot and Gibson Mill and White Owl, both in Concord, North Carolina, are favorites. And who doesn’t love Home Goods?

Who cooks dinner? I do, but Luke has mastered the grill and makes a mean omelet!
What is your go-to weeknight meal? Weekend meal? Our weeknight go-to is BBQ Chicken Apple Pizza. It is a super easy and quick dinner! We usually eat out on the weekends, and our go-to is anything Mexican!
What different decisions, if any, would you make for your registry if you knew then what you knew now? I would have registered for more unique pieces that you can’t buy at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Target. Don’t get me wrong, I love those practical things, but it’s not really stuff that you can pass down to your children and grandchildren one day. I’d go for more heirloom pieces.

How does your family handle finances? Do you use a set budget? Considering Luke is a financial planner, we definitely set a budget. He is really great about leading us in this area and I am SO thankful. Although he has more of a knack for numbers, our goal is to always handle our finances jointly. We always want to be in agreement about decisions and plans for our future.
What’s your best tip for balancing your relationship and other life priorities (work, personal time, extended family, etc.)? Communication. Luke and I always try to over-communicate our plans and expectations. At the beginning of each week, we usually go through our work schedules and any plans we have. This allows us to know what is ahead for the week and helps us to adjust our needs and to dos accordingly.

What is your favorite part of being married? Always having the opportunity to be together. Quality time is the #1 love language for both of us, so obviously, we LOVE spending time together, even if it is just sitting in the same room or going to a coffee shop. I remember when we came home from our honeymoon, it was so much fun moving in together. It was like having a sleepover every night with our best friend!
What has been the most surprising thing about marriage? Honestly, I have been surprised by how selfish I can be. I did not realize this until my imperfections were bumping up so closely to someone else’s. Living with someone and being so vulnerable can reveal some of the selfish things we tend to hold on to. All and all, I am thankful for this. Daily, I hope to grow into a better, unselfish, and loving spouse.

Do you have a favorite date night idea to share? We love to go out to eat at our favorite local restaurants, but I think one of our most favorite things to do is go on family walks with our golden, Ellie. There are several restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance of our house, and we love treating ourselves to iced americanos after a long walk!
Do you have children? What are your hopes and plans for the future in this area? Not yet, but we are excited to have kids soon!
This year, our family is most excited about… taking a bucket list trip to Israel!

Thank you so much for sharing your hearts and home with us, Alison and Luke! Follow along with them on Alison’s website and Instagram and Luke’s Instagram.

P.S. Just as a reminder: we’d love to hear from you, too! If you’re interested, take a peek at our Southern Newlywed submission page and shoot us an email!

Written with love by Lisa