Southern Weddings

Wed in sunny Florida’s Palm Valley Gardens, Seminole sweethearts Ashley and Paul made sure their beloved Florida State’s garnet and gold made a fashionable showing at their big day. The groom paired his spirited bow tie with the bride’s Badgley Mischka heels for a rich, jewel-tone palette. A+ for school spirit, y’all! Ashley donned a Romona Keveza gown and toted a monochromatic bouquet by Lori Parker to contrast her maids’ colorful blooms and Alfred Sung frocks. Photographer Jenn Hopkins was standing by to capture every detail of the outdoor ceremony, planned by Jennifer Corrente.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We attended the same small high school and both went to Florida State University, but at different times, so had never met. We even lived in the same neighborhood! Paul and I finally crossed paths when he and my step-dad were playing golf together. They played together a lot, but this time I was actually home from school to meet him. (My step-dad apparently had been trying to put this together for quite some time). We ended up spending an afternoon playing golf, which was followed by dinner, and we’ve been together ever since. Sometimes father does know best.
Describe the proposal. It was game day in Tallahassee. Paul and I drove in to watch our Florida State Seminoles take on the Boston College Eagles. The day went by and the Seminoles won, which was nothing out of the ordinary, but, later at dinner, Paul asked if I would like to walk around campus since he hadn’t seen it in a while. We went over to Wescott Fountain, where Paul informed me that his grandmother had a brick laying on the ground with her name on it. As we searched, I turned to look at him, and there he was on his knee with his grandmother’s ring in a box asking me to marry him. What was even more special was that his cousin was hiding in the bushes and made sure to catch this special moment on camera.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, rustic and God-centered.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I have three. We moved to NYC after the wedding, so my Grandfather performed “New York, New York” at the reception for us as a going-away song. Another detail that meant a lot to me was having a locket my grandparents had given me wrapped into my bouquet. They passed away when I was in high school, and I wanted to make sure they were still a part of this special day. And lastly, one of our friends from Bible study is a worship singer, and he sang “Here We Are to Worship” during the ceremony for our first communion as husband and wife, and it was wonderful for those in attendance to be able to take part in this act of worship.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Only in the South could you have an outdoor wedding in February. The weather could not have been more perfect. We also made sure to put cotton and Mason jars everywhere! And of course, we had to incorporate our college colors (garnet and gold) into our overall theme. Go ‘Noles!