Southern Weddings

After only attending a double date for the sake of their respective friends, “the sparks immediately flew!” (Her words, not mine!) Though both Marjorie + Adnan say they weren’t looking for their one and only, fate had other plans for their relationship! But when it came to their big day, careful planning and consideration went into to each and every detail. From each piece of her something borrowed and something blue to swapping out the standard guest book for a wooden bench, Marjorie + Adnan crafted meaningful moments throughout their wedding day, and into married life.

Big hugs to Julie Paisley for sharing the joy of their wedding day with us!

I went all the way to Miami to find my wedding dress. I had fallen in love with Maggie Sottero dresses, and Miami is where we found lots of different stores who carried them. We went to Miracle Mile and went into a lot of bridal shops, but didn’t have any luck. I looked online and found a shop called Brides of Florida that had great reviews, so we gave it a shot. They were so friendly and we felt right at home. I told her what type of dress I was looking for and she picked out a couple dresses for me to try on. I loved them, but I still didn’t get the feeling like it was ‘the one.’ My best friend pointed to a dress she saw on the rack and told me to try it on. It wasn’t something I would have originally chosen, but when I put it on I started to get goosebumps. After discussing how we could change the dress to make it strapless like I had wanted, I knew that was “the one” I had been looking for. Everyone’s eyes were watering. I had found my dress.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided not to do a first look because I wanted to keep the tradition of seeing me when I first came in with my Dad. I had a grand entrance planned for us, so I wanted everyone to be surprised.

Oh y’all, if Marjorie’s dad’s face doesn’t say it all right there, I don’t know what can!

I walked down the aisle to “A Thousand Years,” the Christina Perri song by the Piano Guys. I love this song and the meaning behind it, and the Piano guys do a great job with it. My girls walked down the aisle to “I Do” by Colbie Cailat. They had fun with this song and strutted and twirled while walking down the aisle. We walked back up the aisle to Bruno Mars “Marry You.” Our first dance song was a remix of songs. We started with a slow dance to “Then” by Brad Paisley. Then it went into the Bosnian Kolo, a traditional Bosnian dance, because my husband is from Bosnia. We then did a Bachata, a Spanish dance. Then it went into a fun dance, Soulja Boy’s “The Wop,” and finally the Harlem Shake with the whole bridal party.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I think there was a lot of Southern charm at my wedding. The venue was at a barn with lots of horses. All of our decor was burlap and lace. My mom made burlap napkin rings, chair sashes, table numbers, table runners and an aisle runner. We used mason jar glasses as favors for our guests. We had an altar that my Dad, my grandpa and his friend created with old wood, and a mason jar chandelier. The flowers at the altar were in big milk jugs. The mason jar lanterns decorated the aisle. My cake was on a tree stump cake stand my dad and his friend created. My dad also made wooden signs to direct the guests to our ceremony and reception site, and a corn hole game with Adnan and I’s silhouettes. My guests had to sign a wooden bench instead of a sign-in book. My bridesmaids all wore cowboy boots, as did I, and we drank out of our special custom-made mason jar wine glasses.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. I absolutely loved my wedding cake. It was exactly how my friend and I designed and pictured it. Dream Theme Cakes did a fabulous job! My wedding cake had three different flavors: red velvet with cream cheese frosting, classic yellow with strawberry filling and chocolate chip with chocolate buttercream.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Neither of us were looking but my best friend, Coralys (one of my bridesmaids) and his friend at the time were going on a date. Coralys didn’t want to go alone on her date, so she asked me to come with her. She told her date to bring a friend as well, so he did. We both tagged along on this date to the Casbah, only for our friends’ sake, and that’s when we met. Our friends didn’t work out, but we did. It was just fate!
Tell us all about the proposal! We had been together for over four years. It was my 24th birthday. Adnan told me he wanted to go grab a drink before dinner and it just so happened that he told me to meet him at the Casbah. I immediately started to get butterflies. When we went inside, the hostess took us to the same table we had sat at during our first blind date. Adnan proceeded to get down on one knee and ask me to marry him in front of everyone in that restaurant. It was so surreal.
When did y’all get married? May 26, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Describe your wedding flowers. My wedding flowers were a mixture of green, coral and white. They also had a rustic look with the twig branches. I used white hydrangeas and coral roses.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I can’t choose only one. My mom made so many details of our wedding, from the napkin rings to the aisle runner, the table numbers to the chair sashes. If I have to choose one detail that I absolutely loved, it was our sign-in bench. Instead of having a guest book we would never really look at, we decided to have a sign-in wooden bench that we would use in our house. This bench has the messages and signatures of all of our guests that we would see whenever we sat on our bench. It truly is a daily reminder of how much we are loved.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? Yes. I borrowed a pearl ring from my Godmother, Zulma. I had blue “I Do” bride undies from Victoria Secret. My something old was my grandmother’s charm that was on my bouquet. She passed away and it was her favorite charm. My something new was my pearl earrings that my mother in law, Bahra, bought me as a gift.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge was designing the layout for the barn and figuring out where everything would be located. The barn isn’t really wide, so having to figure out where everything would go and where we would put a dance floor was probably the biggest challenge.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? The vendor I was so happy to have as a part of our wedding would have to be my photographer. She has become more and more like a friend, so having her there with us on our big day really meant the world to us. She has given us a gift we will get to keep forever.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable moment for me was definitely riding in the carriage with my dad to the ceremony site. It was so indescribable what was going through my head. We were holding hands and all of the horses in the field were running over to see us, as if they knew what was about to happen. It was a good moment for us to just breathe and soak it all in before my Dad gave me away. It was such a special moment with my dad that I truly will treasure forever.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? I would have to say it gets hard and it gets stressful, but everything will turn out exactly how you wanted. If it doesn’t, at the end of the day, all that matters is that you get to marry the love of your life. Nothing can ruin that, not even that one minor detail that didn’t turn out like you expected.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We are enjoying every aspect of living together in our new home that we purchased a couple months before the wedding. I am learning how to juggle cooking, cleaning and paying bills. The perks of being a married woman! It is all so new to us, but every day is so exciting. We are also looking forward to traveling together, like to Puerto Rico this summer for my sister’s wedding!

Photographer: Julie Paisley Photography | Day-of Planner: Southern Charm Weddings and Events | Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Oaks Equestrian Center of Lake City | Florist: Park Avenue Florist | Wedding Cake Baker: Dream Theme Cakes | Caterer: Anthony’s Gourmet Catering | Rentals: United Rent-All | Lighting: St. John’s Illuminations | DJ: Ryan from Skip Kelly Productions | Bride’s Strapless Gown: Custom “Bernadette” by Maggie Sottero, purchased at Brides of Florida | Paper Straws and Mason Jar Wine Glasses: Etsy | Bride’s Veil: Brides of Florida | Bride’s Earrings: Kay Jewelers | Hair Stylist: Maria Prezaz from R. Lindo Salon | Makeup Artist: Amanda Hopcraft | Bride’s Heels: “Romey” from Saks Fifth Avenue | Cowgirl Boots: Discount Shoes in Asheville, NC | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Alevina Valenta” from Bella Bridesmaids | Groom’s Attire: Express | Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Written with love by Marissa