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There are two beautiful details that really stand out at Sara + Justin’s wedding: the gorgeous estate tables and the innovative ceremony backdrop. I’m a bit obsessed with estate tables, and the dark wood of S + J’s is the perfect blend of formal and farm table-esque. Now that ceremony backdrop – oh my loveliness! I was already smitten with the installation, and then I read that the paintings were created by Sara’s late grandmother. Wow, I’m so impressed how Sara + Justin were able to seamlessly incorporate such meaningful pieces in to their wedding. I also love Sara’s nod to tradition by wearing the same head piece as her mother and grandmother did.

Jodi Miller did a fabulous job capturing all the details and emotion of their big day.

I wanted elegant flowers, but I also wanted to incorporate our love of cooking through the use of fresh herbs. The fresh herbs were such an amazing touch not only for their beauty, but for the scent that they perfumed throughout the ceremony and reception. I will never forget the sweet smells of rosemary and basil during our ceremony, blowing toward us from the wall of flowers and herbs behind us.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Yes. We wanted to be able to spend as much time with our guests as possible. It also made the trip down the aisle a tad less nerve-wracking!

I’m sure Sara’s grandmother is so honored to see her art displayed in such a lovely way.

Did you write your own vows? We didn’t, but our officiant used our own words in her address during the ceremony. Our favorite line from Justin’s interview with our officiant was, “Marriage means that I am guaranteed to have Sara as my best friend and partner for the rest of my life.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? The Union by Robert Fulghum
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. I walked down the aisle to “In My Life” by the Beatles. I walked back up the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun”, by the Beatles. For our first dance, we danced to “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Justin and I both don’t particularly enjoy cake. I am an ice cream fan and he loves cookies. We had gelato provided by a local vendor in Charlottesville and our venue made three of Justin’s favorite homemade cookies. We are adventurous eaters so our gelato flavors included a chipotle chocolate and of course, ice cream sandwich making was encouraged.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Justin and I met at our first job out of college at a consulting firm called BearingPoint. Justin had worked at BearingPoint since 2005 and I was hired and started in the late summer of 2007. Once I joined the firm, I was responsible for finding a project. As fate would have it, I was asked to interview for the same project that Justin was leading. The interview was not particularly great and during the post-interview discussion, one of Justin’s colleagues suggested I was too inexperienced for the project. While Justin didn’t agree with his colleague, the decision was tabled for another day. Fortunately, what I lacked in consulting experience, I more than made up for in shrewd negotiating skills. By the time Justin returned to his desk, he received a phone call from me suggesting that if the team did not act immediately, they would lose their opportunity to hire me. I assured Justin that I had offers from several teams at BearingPoint and needed to make a decision immediately. Backed into a corner, Justin panicked and with no real authority told me that I would receive an offer to join the team. While this gave Justin the unenviable task of explaining his new role of hiring manager to the actual hiring manager, I received an offer and the rest, as they say, is history.
Describe the proposal. Three years elapsed from the day we first met at BearingPoint to the day we booked a vacation together to Turks and Caicos. Having been through our first corporate bankruptcy (goodbye BearingPoint) and the beginning of two new jobs at rival consulting firms (hello Deloitte and PwC), stress dictated a need for some rest and relaxation in a tropical paradise. We both agreed Turks and Caicos presented the perfect option. The vacation was planned for January of 2011 and thus the engagement wheel was set in motion. In order to keep the engagement a secret until January, Justin had to buy a ring and keep the ring in his possession for two months. Needless to say, nobody thought he could do it…not even Justin. Justin was horrified by the idea of high pressured in person jewelry shopping. As evidenced by his anemic negotiating performance with me three years prior, he knew his strengths were not suited to deal with jewelry salesmen. Therefore, he did what any rational internet aged male would do and found an online establishment, performed weeks of research, and ultimately executed one of the largest purchases of his life sight unseen over the internet. Justin had to carefully coordinate the timing and subsequent delivery of the purchase so as to avoid detection. Justin chose two days before Thanksgiving. At the time, the date seemed perfect; close enough to a holiday to not arouse suspicion regarding a random work from home day for Justin but far enough from a holiday to prevent me from working from home. Unfortunately, the night before the ring was to be delivered, I mentioned offhand, “good news, my boss said I can work from home tomorrow…we will be able to hang out all day!” As you can imagine, terror and panic again shot through Justin’s body. Not knowing what to do he texted one of the our close friends, Kathleen. After some awkward cryptic text messages, Kathleen read between the lines and understood that I HAD to go to work. Kathleen called my boss and convinced her to make me go into work. Disaster averted. Despite a few minor hiccups between Thanksgiving and the vacation date, Justin was able to preserve the surprise for me. Once in Turks and Caicos, we went for a long walk on the beach. After some stealth maneuvering and good timing, Justin was able to find a quiet spot of sand overlooking the ocean. Just as the sun was setting over the Atlantic, Justin asked me to marry him. I quickly agreed and we spent the rest of the week having biking adventures, snorkeling, and eating and drinking like kings
In what month did you get married? July
How many guests attended your wedding? 128
Did you write your own vows? We didn’t, but our officiant used our own words in her address during the ceremony. Our favorite line from Justin’s interview with our officiant was, “Marriage means that I am guaranteed to have Sara as my best friend and partner for the rest of my life.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? The Union by Robert Fulghum
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. I walked down the aisle to “In My Life” by the Beatles. I walked back up the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun”, by the Beatles. For our first dance, we danced to “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Paying homage to my grandmother by displaying her hand paintings on our flower wall during the ceremony. I also wore the head piece that she and my mother wore in their weddings and a pair of her earrings.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $50,000-$75,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The band. We didn’t stop dancing the whole time. We also did a photo booth and I think our guests really enjoyed it during the wedding and we really enjoy it as a keepsake. Also the venue — Veritas is a full service wedding venue. They provided us with a wedding coordinator leading up to the wedding and a day-of event manager. The day of the wedding, I didn’t worry about any details — they had it all covered. Leading up the wedding, I had an expert I could reach out to for advice whenever I needed.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? We made a contact sheet leading up to the wedding and called all of our vendors the week before to confirm everything. It wasn’t necessary, but the biggest source of anxiety for us was making sure all of the vendors showed up and on time. Also, at the very least, get a day-of coordinator. You don’t want to give those jobs to your bridesmaids or parents; they should be enjoying everything along with you!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? A honeymoon to Bora Bora in October and one day, a family!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
2 Comments
  1. avatar Wedding Gift Shopper reply

    The idea of the eggplant on the center table is cool

  2. avatar Julie reply

    Everything was so beautiful!! It was such an elegant wedding. The icing on the cake came when we all had so much fun!!!

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If their second date story was any indication of what Megan + David’s wedding would be like, a good sense of humor was what we expected. The newlyweds delivered with a ceremony and reception that was full of witty signage, fun bridesmaids and wide grins. Of course, honoring heritage and home are not far behind in things you’ll notice about their wedding. From the theme (cotton, a nod to Megan’s grandparents who grew it in Texas) to the sweets (cookies shaped in home states), Southern charm abounds. We’re giving out big hugs to Color and Dust who shared this wedding with us!

One of our wedding themes was cotton. My grandparents were cotton farmers in west Texas and my uncle still farms there today. When we started contemplating flower arrangements cotton, just seemed like a special way to pay tribute to my heritage. Much of the cotton used in our wedding came from my uncle’s farm, which was such a sweet gift, especially since there was a drought and a lot of the cotton did not make it that year. Our sweet photographer, Kelsey, introduced us to her friend Tristian from Gracy Lu Originals who made all of our bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, my hairpiece and garter, and our flower girl’s headband. For our table arrangements, the drought really worked in our favor. My friend Kalli had the great idea to go out to my parent’s property, a place that holds a lot of special childhood memories, and cut dried wild flowers and plants to place on the tables.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. David’s uncle and cousin gifted us with their violin and viola musical talents and played our pre-wedding music selections and the hymns we sang during the ceremony. Our processional was “All of My Days” by Alexi Murdoch, my entrance was the end of “Sigh No More” by Mumford and Sons, our recessional was “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Our first dance was to “In My Life” by Johnny Cash and the father-daughter dance was to “Waltz Across Texas” by Ernest Tubb. During our cake cutting, we played “When I’m Sixty Four” by The Beatles and during the bouquet toss, “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry. The Grand March was a 10-15 minute montage of Frankie Yankovic Polkas, my favorite being The Pennsylvania Polka.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? My family is Czech and anyone who has ever been to a Texas-Czech wedding knows that the party doesn’t get started until the dance floor is opened up with the Grand March, a traditional Czech wedding dance that my sweet aunts and uncles led all of our guests in. Only the people leading the dance have to know the steps and everyone else just follows hand in hand through all the twists and turns. It was so much fun and all our guests were laughing as they got tangled up in knots. With the help of Randy’s Bar-B-Que, our guests were served a fine Texas spread with all of the fixin’s. Our caterer even incorporated a traditional Czech sausage from grandparent’s hometown in West Texas. Guests were encouraged to BYOB (bring your own bib) for dinner and vintage hankies were provided for those that forgot. My dad and David painted all of the signs for our wedding with favorite Southern phrases and put together a ceremony backdrop out of old wooden fence panels. Our wedding was held in my hometown at the Chautauqua where I grew up performing community theatre with my mom, sister, and bridesmaid Jennifer.

Megan + David’s wedding was BYOB — Bring your own bib! Southern fare sure does get messy, luckily the newlyweds provided some vintage hankies for those guests who forgot to bring their own.

We had several vintage-style cakes made with different flavors and icings by 4 Goodness Cakes in Ennis, Texas, so everyone could find something they liked. Our cake stands and the wood for our centerpieces were made from wood that David’s dad cut down from their family cabin on the lake. David’s mom and dad lugged it all the way across the country for us. The rest of our wedding desserts were made by my sweet aunts and grandma who really gifted us with a labor of love making Kolaches (a traditional Czech dessert), pecan pies (a Texas favorite), mini pecan tarts, and icing cookies in the shapes of Texas, Minnesota (David’s home state), cotton, and loons (Minnesota’s state bird and a favorite visitor at David’s family cabin).

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. David and I met at a training we both attended for work. On our first date, we ate dinner and talked for few hours and then went for a walk and talked some more. I was intrigued but it was really our second date that had me hooked. We live in DC so David picked me up and drove me to the National Mall where all the monuments are, handed me a camera (he had another for himself) and told me there were only three rules: we could only take pictures of things that were awkward, inappropriate, or amazing. Whoever had the best picture at the end of the night would win. We spent the next hours running around the mall snapping pictures in what became a wonderful game of truth or dare involving unwitting tourists and some tricky acrobatics. Following the game, we ate dinner at a Lebanese hole-in-the-wall that has since become one of our favorites and ended the night smoking cigars and dangling our feet off the edge of a dock overlooking the Potomac River. That was the night that I decided I wasn’t going to date anyone else until I saw where things went with David. We never really looked back. David ended up proposing just steps away from that same dock less than a year later.
In what month did you get married? October
How many guests attended your wedding? Approximately 200
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Because we were planning our wedding long-distance I was not sure if I would be able to fly home before the wedding to go dress shopping with my mom. A couple months after we got engaged, David and my friends surprised me by flying my mom up to DC to go dress shopping with me. We didn’t find “the one” on that shopping trip, but it was still such a special memory. Ultimately, it was my mom who located the dress shop I ended buying my dress from. She called the shop owner and told her about the dress I was looking for and explained that I was having to do this part without my mom. When I showed up to the shop, the owner, Surki, gave me a hug and said “I told your mom I’d take care of you like she would,” and she really did take care of me every step of the way.
Did you decide to do a “first look”? We did. Leading up to our wedding, David and I knew we would be really busy on that day. Before we shared our union with all of our guests, we wanted to share an intimate moment with just the two of us and the first look was really such a special way to do that.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Romans 5:1-11 (ESV) and Romans 8:38-39 (ESV).
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a DIY wedding long-distance. David and I flew into town one week before the wedding so we absolutely could not have planned this wedding long-distance if my parents had not played such a big role in helping us by running around taking pictures of different wedding venues, tasting cakes and catering, etc. The week leading up to our wedding and our wedding day was one of the most loving experiences David and I have had. We had such a sweet group of family (on both sides) and friends that helped bring all the moving parts together. The greatest wedding gift we received was that special day they all gave us.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? Less than $10,000
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Ask your loved ones to be a part of your day. We were showered with so much love through gifts of people’s service.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Marriage is a life-long lesson in selflessness. I look at the couple we are today and how much we have grown together in the Lord in this short time and I cannot wait to see where we will be five years from now, let alone twenty-five years from now.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
10 Comments
  1. avatar Charlotte reply

    I am obsessed with these cotton weddings. My family is one of the oldest cotton farms in the country (3rd oldest) and my wedding is going to be cotton themed, but very chic and exquisite with the country touch! Love looking at these photos for inspiration!! Thanks for sharing.

  2. avatar Thursday Theme | Raw Cotton Themed Wedding » Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Vintage Weddings | DIY Weddings reply

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  3. avatar Raw Cotton Themed Wedding | Thursday Theme Your Wedding in HD reply

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  6. avatar Katie reply

    Could someone tell me where Megan and David got their invitations? I am in love!

  7. avatar Katie Morris reply

    Does anyone know where the invitations from Megan + David’s wedding came from? Thank you!

  8. avatar Beautiful boutonnieres | kauniit vieheet :: Best Day Ever reply

    […] Via Southern Weddings, Photo: Color and […]

  9. avatar Heather Simmons reply

    Hi there! I know that this is a longshot, but I too am having a cotton themed wedding, and was wondering if there were any way I could find out where these invitations were ordered from? Thanks so much!

  10. avatar BIVY reply

    I don’t know if having an old cotton plantation in the southern United States is something I would be celebrating at my wedding. It’s a little difficult to ignore the dark history behind every cotton blossom.

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Best of 2011 :: Ceremonies

by in Inspirations, Main on

Though so much attention gets paid to the reception and small details, we like to shift the focus back to the most important part of the day: the ceremony. In honor of the moment you say “I do,” here are our top ten ceremonies or ceremony details from 2011.

A baby’s breath altar for a ceremony in a field (photo by Stephen Devries; originally seen here)

A casual beach ceremony, complete with seating on family quilts (photo by Maile Lani; originally seen here)

A rustic floral arch for a farm ceremony (photo by Jodi Miller; originally seen here) and a light and airy arbor for a beach ceremony (photo by Paul Johnson; originally seen here)

A colorful and fun ribbon aisle treatment (photo by Kate Byars; originally seen here)

Garden-party aisle arrangements (photo by Veil & Bow; originally seen here) and cowboy hat tossing petals (photo by Lauren Larsen; originally seen here)

A ceremony in a pecan grove (photo by Josh Moates of Kim Box; originally seen here)

Dainty ribbons at a beachside ceremony (photo by Brooke Images; originally seen here)

A darling flower girl and banner (photo by Phindy Studios; originally seen here)

Let us know your favorite below!

emily Written with love by Emily
1 Comment
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    […] left to right, top to bottom: 1. jenhuangblog 2. ruffledblog 3. iloveswmag 4. atlantahomesmag 5. iloveswmag Posted in inspiration […]

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