Google+ long sleeved wedding gown Archives - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Tag: long sleeved wedding gown

Brandy and Adam tried to keep things professional after meeting at work during a very quick business trip for Adam, but the two simply knew that their connection meant something more! After 52(!) flights between the two or them in just nine months, they said their vows at the beautiful Peachtree House at a wedding that was uniquely them. Passing on floral decor, Brandy and Adam worked with their planner, Lori Ritzie-Wardman, to incorporate over 100 ivory and metallic pumpkins into their celebration. The couple also included Adam’s favorite sweet treat, pecan pie, into their fabulous dessert bar created by our Blue Ribbon Vendor Two Sweets Bake Shop. While the pecan might be Adam’s favorite, I’m eyeing those mini pumpkin pies with perfect-sized dollops of whipped cream!

We’re so glad our Blue Ribbon Vendor Jordan Weiland was on hand to capture this lovely day!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I went with friends and family to several appointments, and although I tried on many beautiful dresses, none felt like “the one.” I actually found my dress at Calvet Couture during a lunch break by myself! It was really nice to have found it alone because it was truly a surprise to everyone else on the big day.

I chose something different and walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Beyonce’s “Halo.” It’s really pretty. For our walk back up the aisle, we had “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne played.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Rather than flowers on the tables, we had ivory pumpkins and lanterns. Actually, the ivory pumpkins were everywhere throughout the property, thanks to Lori Ritzie-Wardman! Lori was our wedding coordinator and she made my vision a reality. The pumpkins were wonderfully different and the market lighting made everything feel magical.

We got married and had the reception at The Peachtree House because it is an absolutely gorgeous Florida estate home. Ashlie Darley at The Peachtree House is an amazing hostess and very accommodating. She went out of her way to make our day special!

We had a fabulously delicious dessert bar. Two Sweets did a knock-out job styling the bar and making everything so yummy. We had pies, cupcakes, dessert shooters, cookies, and more. It was a great way to have something for everyone and it was very pretty.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Well, we served pecan pie, Adam’s favorite. Also, where else can you have an outdoor wedding in November?

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Everything happened so quickly! Adam flew down from Tennessee to Florida for a one-day business trip and walked into my office on a Thursday in February. We had an immediate connection and did our best to keep it professional, but by the end of the day, we knew better, and he asked me to visit him sometime. Adam returned to Florida to “see if our connection was real” that weekend–needless to say, it was. By the time we married (nine months later in November), there had been 52 flights between us!
Tell us all about the proposal! After only four magical months, we went on our first big vacation together. I thought being able to go to Maui together was amazing enough, and then he surprised me with a sunset proposal!
When did y’all get married? November 15, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 100
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Yes. I thought it would take some pressure off of us and I wanted to take photos before the wedding so that we could focus on our celebration after the ceremony.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Finding 100+ pumpkins at a reasonable price!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Hire Jordan Weiland if you can! She is an amazingly talented photographer, and we were fortunate enough to have her capture our wedding. A great photographer is a must! Also, hire Lori Ritzie-Wardman. An organized, calming, and knowledgeable wedding coordinator is another must!
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are still getting to know each other and every day is an adventure!

Photographer: Jordan Weiland / Planner: Lora Ritzie-Wardman / Venue: Peachtree House / Florist: Lee Forrest / Dessert Baker:Two Sweets Bakeshop / Caterer: Big City Catering / Rentals: Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals / Lighting: Get Lit Productions / DJ: Adam Rubman / Paper Products: Minted / Bride’s Gown: “Willow” by Hayley Paige / Bridal Salon: Calvet Couture / Hair Stylist: Danielle Watkins / Makeup Artist: Lena Graham / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Annabelle” by Jenny Yoo / Menswear: BLACK by Vera Wang / Men’s Ties and Bow Ties: Absolutely Fitting

Two Sweets Bakeshop is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
4 Comments
  1. avatar Stephanie reply

    LOVE her dress! Beautiful photos Jordan. Congratulations!!!

  2. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze #213 – Floridian Social reply

    […] feelin' the architecture and natural beauty surrounding the Peachtree House near historic Winter […]

  3. avatar DJ Orlando FL reply

    Really enjoyed viewing your photos especially the bridesmaids with bouquets and the great candid shots. Gorgeous shots

  4. avatar Paola reply

    Lovely pictures!! How do we get in contact with this venue

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close

Laura’s been a long-time Southern Weddings reader, so we were thrilled when we saw that this sweet North Carolina wedding with the loveliest pops of red was hers and Geoff’s! I absolutely love how Laura + Geoff incorporated old traditions and little tributes to family (y’all must read about their cake, which Laura baked herself!). Laura’s favorite detail from the big day is one that so perfectly describes how the pretty things can be the ones closest to our hearts. “My favorite detail was being able to finally wear my mother’s pearls. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I would wear my mother’s pearl necklace on my wedding day. It is the same necklace that my grandmother had given to my mother on her wedding day 30 years ago. Now they are mine to pass on to my future daughter.”

Just thinking about that piece of family that Laura carried with her totally changes the way you’ll see this wedding. Okay, I admit it won’t change the way you react when you see how gorgeous their budget-saving flower decision turned out, but it will make your heart full and happy! Big thanks and hugs to McDorman Photography who shared this with us.


I really wanted the bouquets to have an organic autumn feel. I found a picture of a centerpiece in a magazine, showed it to Denny and Debbie at our first consultation and said that it was exactly what I wanted. My bouquet ended up more beautiful than the picture. It was absolutely gorgeous (and heavy!). I loved how the bridesmaids’ bouquets gave a great pop of color to their neutral dresses.


I have been a reader of wedding magazines and blogs for years, so by the time I actually got engaged, I had a pretty clear idea of the kind of dress I wanted: something simple, classic, and timeless. A few months before Geoff proposed, I saw a dress that I loved in a wedding magazine and it seemed like I kept seeing the same dress popping up on different blogs. I knew it was the dress for me. The weekend after we got engaged, I met my Mom at a local bridal store that carried the dress. I tried on a couple of other dresses first just to make sure that there wasn’t one I liked better, but when I finally tried on my dream dress, my Mom and I both knew that it was “the one.” It took all of 45 minutes! Other than saying yes when Geoff proposed, choosing a wedding dress was the easiest decision I had to make in the whole wedding process.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? 
Yes, we did decide to do a first look. As many other couples can attest, it really didn’t take anything away from the ceremony and seeing each other as I walked down the aisle. By seeing each other before the ceremony, we were able to relax and catch our breath before the craziness of the day began. As my wonderfully practical husband pointed out, by being able to take a majority of the pictures before the ceremony, we were able to spend more time with our guests at the reception. I’m so glad we decided to have a first look, the pictures that we took before the ceremony ended up being some of my favorites.

Did you write your own vows? We stuck with the traditional vows. Neither one of us would ever claim to be eloquent, so we knew there was no way we could do a better job at finding the words to adequately express the solemnity of the covenant that we were entering into.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We were blessed to be able to have each of our mentors do a reading during the ceremony. Dave read Ephesians 2:4-9 and Mrs. Carol read Philippians 2:1-5. We really wanted to put an emphasis on grace; the grace that Christ bestowed on us and the grace that we will have to bestow on each other throughout our years of marriage.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Our processional was one of my all-time favorite orchestral pieces, “Simple Gifts from Appalachian Spring” by Aaron Copeland. This piece is so beautiful and has always conveyed a sense of hope and happiness to me — perfect for our wedding. In the program, I included a verse from the song that perfectly summed up how we were feeling, “’Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free ‘tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, and when we find ourselves in the place just right, ‘twill be in the valley of love and delight.” I also wanted to make sure that congregational singing was included in the ceremony. We chose to have “Come Thou Fount,” and then during communion, “Be Thou My Vision.” During these songs, my former piano teacher played and my brother accompanied her on the acoustic guitar. I will admit that it took us a really long time to agree on which song we were going to walk back up the aisle. A week before the wedding, we finally decided on “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor.

This next photo makes me so happy! Those cheerful pops of red throughout Lauren + Geoff’s tent are actually paper flowers!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Geoff says it was when I walked down the aisle. He says that the combination of the music and the doors opening dramatically and the sun streaming in — it was like something from a movie and he’ll never forget it. For me, I just remember how beautiful the day ended up being. October in North Carolina can be unpredictable. One day might be in the 80s and then the next day you could wake up with frost on the ground. We had prayed for months and months for the weather to be nice. With 10 days out, there was a 60% chance of rain. But the day ended up being gorgeous. We literally could not have asked for a more beautiful day. To God be the glory!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? 
Family played a huge part in our wedding, from wearing my Mom’s pearls, to having a family photo table at the reception. Of course the food was definitely Southern! Gracious, we had pimento cheese sandwiches, country ham biscuits, chicken salad sandwiches, moon pies, and about seven different other kinds of pie. And as every North Carolinian knows, October means fair time, so we had kettle corn (my favorite fair treat) during the “cocktail hour.” And of course every North Carolina shindig has to include Cheerwine and corn hole!

Describe the proposal. 
We had been dating for almost three years and we had talked about marriage and the future. I knew a proposal was eventually on its way, but I had no idea when it would actually happen. It was a beautiful Saturday in April and we had a full day of fun planned. It included a trip to the Farmer’s Market, a picnic lunch, and planting flowers that afternoon. It was a wonderful day, but by that evening, I was exhausted. I took a quick shower, changed into my sweats, threw my hair up in a messy bun and was looking forward to a relaxing evening of TV viewing. I came into the living room but Geoff was nowhere to be found. I looked through the house and still couldn’t find him. As I was headed to the garage, thinking that maybe he was working on something in there, I could see what looked like candlelight coming from the back deck. Immediately I felt my knees go weak and I thought to myself, “This is it! This is it!” My second thought was, “I don’t have a lick of makeup on my face, my hair looks awful, and I’m in sweats!” But I headed outside anyway where Geoff had set up a newly purchased table and chairs (I had told him months earlier that I thought it would be nice to eat outside on the deck when the weather was nice) with candles all around. When I sat down, Geoff started chatting about nothing in particular, just shooting the breeze! It occurred to me that maybe this wasn’t it, that maybe he was just being sweet and romantic. Fortunately, before I could do too much second-guessing, Geoff was kneeling in front of me and proposing. Of course I said yes, sweats and all!


We had a dessert buffet filled with mini-cupcakes, pies, mini moon pies, and my Mom’s homemade pumpkin bread. Instead of a large cake, we decided to have a small cutting cake for the two of us, which I made, called an “Appalachian Stack Cake.” The history behind these kinds of cakes is that when the mountain people of Southern Appalachia gathered for weddings, because cakes were so expensive, neighboring families each prepared a layer of the ginger and molasses cake to donate to the celebration. The bride’s family was responsible for cooking the dried-apple butter to spread between the layers. It is said that the number of layers in a cake was a measure of the popularity of the hosting family. Although I didn’t make our guests each bring a layer of cake, I thought this would be a nice tribute to Geoff’s family who are originally from the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
I had lived in Greensboro, NC for about a year but was having difficulty meeting new people outside of work. My mom suggested that I try the singles group at a nearby church. I was a little wary of the idea since I always thought “single’s group at church” was a euphemism for “trying to find a husband,” which I wasn’t trying to do. I had come to terms with my single life; I just wanted to make some friends. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it out. I remember meeting Geoff that first Sunday and he seemed nice enough, and he was pretty cute, but he was kind of quiet and reserved — not really my type (not that I was looking!). As the most eligible bachelor in our group of mostly girls, I didn’t expect that he would take any particular notice of me anyway. But as the months went by and we started to get to know each other better, I realized that regardless of my initial impression, he was actually quite funny, but more importantly, he was a godly man. I remember emailing my friends and telling them about this guy Geoff, saying that “I don’t expect that anything will happen between us, but I know that he is the kind of man that I would like to marry one day.” Geoff says that my cheerfulness and sense of humor attracted him. We got to know each other even better through phone conversations that would last until the wee hours of the morning and eventually, we started dating. My mom claims full credit for us getting together since she was the one that suggested I visit the church in the first place.
In what month did you get married? 
October
How many guests attended your wedding? 
125
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
Geoff’s favorite detail was the Coke and Cheerwine in the glass bottles. My favorite detail was being able to finally wear my mother’s pearls. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I would wear my mother’s pearl necklace on my wedding day. It is the same necklace that my grandmother had given to my mother on her wedding day 30 years ago. Now they are mine to pass on to my future daughter.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
Finding a reception venue. We had found a church that we loved, but there wasn’t an adequate reception venue within 15 miles. After weeks of searching, my Mom finally suggested the idea of having the reception on the lawn of the church. It took a while to work out the logistics and we had to increase our budget, but I’m so pleased with how it all turned out. It ended up being exactly what I wanted.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
Less than $10,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
The tent. It wasn’t in the original budget, but it really helped to achieve the look and feel I was wanting for the reception. It was totally worth the extra expense and I would do it again for sure.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Sit down and each make a list of the things that are most important to you for the wedding. It’s almost inevitable that you won’t be able to have everything you want, but by making the list, you can at least try and first take care of the things that are most important to you both. And remember, regardless of everything else, the most important thing is that you are married at the end of the day.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
We’re enjoying being newlyweds and working on some DIY home projects. We’re also talking about having some little ones in the next year or two. Even though my wedding is over, I can’t seem to give up my passion for weddings. I’m hoping that I can someday start working in the wedding industry.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
5 Comments
  1. avatar Laura reply

    Thanks so much for featuring our wedding! This is a dream come true!

  2. avatar Shelby reply

    And I thought I had heard of every Southern tradition in the books! I love the Appalachian Stack Cake. Such a great back story, and looks delicious to boot!

  3. avatar Kat reply

    Her bouquet is simply stunning!! I love the texture and soft fall colors. Beautiful wedding!!

  4. avatar NC Wedding Planner – Orangerie Events reply

    The red color throughout ties everything together beautifully. The tradition behind some of the decor is great! Thank you for sharing.

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close
Top