Southern Weddings

Can y’all believe it? V5 is on it’s way! Pre-order your copy here.

As far as pink weddings go, I am always a fan. However, I love that Sarah + Keith juxtaposed the pretty pink blooms and soft details throughout their wedding with the rustic McKinney Cotton Mill. Those giant planters overflowing with hydrangeas set in front of the distressed brick wall of S + K’s ceremony just kill me! I’m sure that for guests, however, the pretty decor was overshadowed by Sarah’s sweet processional (as it should). Her dad, in his military best, walked Sarah down the aisle to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and I bet there was nary a dry eye in the place! Big hugs to Krystal Akin for sharing this wedding with us!

I LOVE the lotus pods that were included in Sarah’s bouquet — they’re a pretty but graphic pop of green in her romantic blooms.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Since the surprise was busted and I was moving to Houston from my hometown in McKinney in November, my mom and I decided to do a little “pre-shopping.” I’d always heard how hard it was to find a dress, so I certainly didn’t expect to find it on my first trip. I tried on three dresses before the shop owner suggested I try the beautiful dress they had on display in the front. When I came out of the changing room, my seven-year-old brother goes, “WOW!” and he hadn’t even said anything all afternoon. It was great having my little brother and mom there!

Who else is a fan of Keith’s cotton boll boutonniere? Dapper, indeed.

For Keith, an Aggie, a Texas A&M groom’s cake was a must! We think it would make a fine addition to our SEC Wedding Round-Up!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We went against tradition and I had a chocolate bridal cake and he had a vanilla groom’s cake. Although I only got a bite of each one, the chocolate with chocolate buttercream and raspberry filling was delicious. It was beautiful, with the light pink sugar roses on white fondant. I loved Keith’s because it had the Texas A&M logo on it in maroon and white. I can’t wait for our one year anniversary so that we can get our topper! Luckily, the bakery we chose makes us a fresh topper for our one year.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Keith and I met the first day of tenth grade. The first class we had together was a computer class and we had to do a “first day of class” activity requiring us to go around and find out different things about our classmates. I found out that Keith was from Canada and he had just gotten back from living overseas in Paris. I had a huge crush on him from day one! Turns out, we had a lot of classes together and started going out at the end of that year!
Describe the proposal. It was Keith’s last year of college. I had graduated early, nine months before. Being old fashion as we both are, he asked my dad for permission. Unfortunately my dad didn’t get the message that it was that special time and he certainly wasn’t ready for it. Keith called several times to no avail. Finally, my dad asked me if I knew why Keith kept calling him and my mom and I had to spell it out for him, that it was probably Keith asking for permission! After finally getting my dad to call back, set up a day to meet and eventually asking my dad, my dad actually ruined the “surprise.” He wanted to pray over this proposal and union with my entire family. Fast forward two weeks. I went down for a weekend to see Keith in College Station (home of the Texas A&M Aggies). A&M has a cute tradition that if you walk under the century tree on campus with someone, you will marry them. If you propose under the tree, you will be married for a lifetime. On November 4th, 2011, Keith told me he left something on campus and he needed to go get it. I didn’t understand that he was going to propose or why he wanted to go to campus right then. As we neared the tree, I finally understood and it was a wonderful proposal!
In what month did you get married? June
How many guests attended your wedding? Approximately 150 people
Did you decide to do a “first look”? No, I am very old fashioned and didn’t want to ruin the surprise of the first look. Keith agreed and definitely didn’t want the first look down the aisle to be ruined, either.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Our parents walked down the aisle to “Have I Told You Lately” played by Vitamin String Quartet. Our bridal party walked down to “Here Comes the Sun” played by Vitamin String Quartet (as you can see, I was a little obsessed). I walked down with my dad to “Wonderful Tonight” played by Vitamin String Quartet. “Wonderful Tonight” is one of my favorite songs by Eric Clapton because Keith was always trying to get me to like his music and this one I really loved. Our first dance was “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” by Landon Pigg.
Describe your wedding flowers: I loved the pastel, romantic flowers with lots of texture. My florist captured all that I wanted and more! There were soft pink peonies, green lotus pods, green lisianthus, ivory ranunculus, soft pink spray roses, ivory sweet peas and seeded eucalyptus. In contrast to the dark browns and rustic theme of the Cotton Mill, I think the flowers looked beautiful with their light colors and blooms.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Everyone’s different expectations was the hardest thing for us to overcome, including our own.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000 – $25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The venue, for sure.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When the officiant went to announce us, he accidentally announced us as “Mr. & Mr. Driedger.” There is a really funny picture of us laughing really hard at this announcement.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Relax and realize that the most important thing is that at the end of all the planning, you will be a Mrs. despite any of the hang-ups and bang-ups.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now we are both working jobs that we love and we look forward to buying a house soon!

Written with love by Nicole