Southern Weddings

Paul and Mecheal Johnson always seem to photograph the sweetest couples and families, don’t they? Katie + Clark are no exception. Their custom invitations from The Happy Envelope (see more on those here!) set the scene for a long weekend of celebration at WaterSound Beach in Florida. Stephanie of Savoir Faire Weddings planned the party (with plenty of help from the bride herself!), and enlisted Florals by the Sea for the beautiful blooms. One of my favorite details? Katie picked out her Vera Wang dress when she was searching for something to wear to her high school prom. Eight years later, B. Hughes Bridal made her Vera dreams come true! I’m just guessing, here, but I’m thinking Katie’s bridesmaids, wearing custom LulaKate dresses designed by the bride and purchased at Bella Bridesmaid in Nashville, must have been almost as happy (sartorially speaking) as the bride herself. We’ll be back with more from Paul Johnson soon!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met on July 22, 2006. My friend Amy and I were going to a party on Saturday night. While walking down the street, a car was speeding right toward us. It pulled up, and the person inside rolled down the window and yelled “Rooney-Morris, what’s up!” I looked at the person, confused. He knew me but I didn’t know him. Amy introduced us and it turned out to be Clark. We said our hellos and then went our separate ways. Later that night, Clark turned up at the party we were at. After a very fun night of dancing to and getting to know each other, Clark called it a night. Amy and I went to another place, where to my surprise, Clark showed up again! At this point, he said he wasn’t leaving without my phone number. I was a little hesitant to give it out, but with Clark’s persuasive skills, I handed it over.
Describe the proposal. Clark’s family takes a vacation every year at the end of July to Hilton Head Island, SC. After 4 years of dating, I finally made it to the Coffey family vacation. We had dinner reservations the night after we arrived for The Sage Room. Before dinner, Clark and I took a walk on the beach. While walking, Clark said, “Hey, what’s that?” I looked to my right and saw a circle of candles with rose petals in the middle, a bottle of champagne and 2 champagne flutes. At this point, I had an idea of what was about to happen. I began to cry and kept saying “oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Clark got down on one knee and I don’t remember a thing he said except, “Katie Morris, will you marry me?!” I, of course, said yes, grabbed Clark and would not stop hugging him.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Flawless, elated, unforgettable.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We had sweet tea (mixed with a little lemonade and Firefly vodka), sang the SEC football song, Rocky Top, we had burlap, fried green tomato BLT’s, and crawfish to top with at the mashed potato martini bar! We had a lot of Southern people doing what Southerners do best: throwing a party every night of the wedding weekend starting on Thursday, lots of “y’alls,” blessing our hearts and family love.

Written with love by Emily