Southern Weddings

Julie + Tim’s reception at the beautiful John Oliver Michael House perfectly describes how simply sweet this couple is. Bunches of flowers from Fertile Crescent Gardens sat on top of burlap table runners while black and white family wedding photos (dating back to the 1800s!) hung along a wall. Their peony-adorned cake was courtesy of Cecelia Villaveces. Now please take a moment to look at how sweet this couple is! Those dreamy portraits are the work of Laura Leslie Photography–thanks Laura!

Describe your wedding flowers: Friends of ours grow the most beautiful flowers and have an eye-catching stand at the Athens Farmer’s Market, so I asked if they would help out with the flowers. It was very much a team effort, batting around ideas and pictures until we came up with what we wanted. I think the flowers were simply Southern, with cotton boutonnieres, magnolias on the mantle, and a lot of local greenery on the tables. They were very organic looking, but striking at the same time.
Describe your wedding cake: I never hesitated, but went straight to Cecelia Villaveces Cakes in Athens. My grandmother always bought their cakes for our birthdays, and they are delicious and beautiful. We decided on a simple design to go with the rest of our day, and some fresh pink peonies on top.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We were on a budget, but that was a fun challenge because we ended up doing a lot of things ourselves and making the wedding more unique. I would say that the most difficult part was planning a wedding from another state (I live in Tennessee), but my mother and aunt were both a huge help in the planning department.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Can we have two? We did a handfasting, and it was great to have the wedding party symbolically bind our hands with ribbon. Also, I loved walking back down the aisle, beaming next to my new husband, while family and friends showered us with lavender!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We didn’t write our own vows, but we added quite a few meaningful things like the handfasting, a reading from Walt Whitman, and a prayer we read in thanks for the day. I think my favorite part was the Whitman quote my little sister read: “Camerado, I give you my hand! I give you my love more precious than money; I give you myself before preaching and law: Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?”
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Timothy is starting his residency for family medicine, which will be a challenge for both of us and our new marriage. We are excited, though, to be part of our new community as a couple and continue to enjoy the simple things in life with one another.

Written with love by Nicole