Y’all!!! And, yes, those exclamation points were completely necessary! I knew I was going to like this wedding as soon as I saw the title; I hadn’t even clicked in yet and I was excited! (Obviously: Monograms + Alabama = MAK heaven!) Emily is such a doll for letting me introduce Morgan + Matthew’s to-die-for wedding from Amy Arrington. I’ll even let the fact that M + M are attending school at Auburn slide for the sake of this gorgeousness!
I feel like Morgan is my long lost sister! Oh, where to start? How about the things I love about this wedding: the monogrammed necklace, her gown, the location, the ceremony backdrop, the gold glitter the flower girls threw… but, let me be completely honest, as much as I die over these gorgeous details, Morgan + Matthew’s contagious joy takes the cake as my very favorite detail. And that, my friends, is what it’s really about.
How fun is Morgan’s something borrowed? It’s her sorority sisters’ membership pins!
I didn’t even have to scroll down to know that Morgan’s gown was the “Dahlia” by Amsale because it’s one of my absolute favorite gowns. Ever! And add in the fact that she got it for 55% off — work it, girl!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I fell in love with a dress that I saw on Pinterest, but upon doing further research, I found out that it was way out of my budget. I was so bummed, but I thought maybe if I just did a Google search of the style, I could find a salon carrying it for less. I stumbled upon PreOwnedWeddingDresses, which quickly became my best friend! I found the exact dress I was looking for being sold by a sweet, sweet lady in New Orleans. I ended up getting my dress for 55% off of the original price AND made a new friend!
We originally planned on not doing a first look, but upon seeing the wonderful first look photos of other couples that our photographer had done, we decided it could be pretty neat. On the day of the, among the hustle and bustle, we lost track of time. Before we knew it, we had run out of time for a first look. So, we waited until the ceremony and it ended up being perfect. I think subconsciously it was what we wanted all along. It was a beautiful moment.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? There was this small moment that I will forever remember. I surprised Matthew with a leather chair and ottoman as a wedding present. I placed it in the room where the men got ready, but he had no clue that it was for him. It just blended in with the rest of the furniture. After the ceremony, we signed our marriage license in that room and I told him the chair belonged to him. His face at that moment was priceless. It was a small detail in a busy day that meant the world to me.
How adorable are these buttons? I need that Alabama one for sure!
Describe your wedding flowers: We went all white with our flowers. My bouquet was a mixture of white hydrangeas, white roses and baby’s breath. The bridesmaid’s bouquets were all white hydrangeas and on the reception tables, we used white hydrangeas and baby’s breath.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our wedding was held at an old plantation home: big and white, with a wide front porch. There were many monograms. I wore a monogram necklace with my new initials at the reception, we had a monogram cake topper, and I had my monogram stitched into the inside of my dress. My husband threw the garter attached to a football (you can’t leave football out of anything here in the South). We also had monogrammed corn hole boards at the reception and they were a big hit!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We are still in school at Auburn University, so planning a wedding in six months and attending school at the same time was a challenge, but we are proud to say now that we have overcome and done wonderfully!
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: A family friend made our cakes. We went with a simple white cakes with white butter cream icing. We originally had three cakes, a small three-tier cake and two small two-tier cakes. The morning of the wedding, there was a little mishap with the larger cake, so we smiled and moved on and enjoyed our two smaller ones. They sat on milk glass cake stands and the cake we cut was topped with a beautiful acrylic monogram.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Matthew and I met while doing mission work on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation in southern Arizona. He was 17 and I was 15. I had worked on the reservation for many years but it was his first time. I led his group during the week they were in Arizona and we quickly became great friends. As teenagers do, we continued to text each other once we had returned home and our relationship quickly grew while we were separated by two states. In November of 2008, he made the special phone call and asked me to be his girlfriend. He told me that he knew a long distance relationship could be challenging but he was willing to work hard at it if I was. We were in a long distance relationship until I joined him at Auburn University in 2011.
Describe the proposal. During the summer of 2012, Matthew planned a cross-country road trip for us. It was a dream come true. We spent two weeks journeying from Kentucky to California and back home to Alabama. Along the way, Matthew planned a stop on the reservation in southern Arizona where we met and spent so much time serving together. He proposed at sunset in the very village we served in and once again, just as he did when he asked me to be his girlfriend, he told me he knew marriage could be challenging, but he was willing to give it his all if I was.
In what month did you get married? December
How many guests attended your wedding? 75
Did you write your own vows? We wrote our own vows, but kept them simple and very similar to traditional vows. Our favorite part was how they began: “I Morgan, take you Matthew, to be my husband, loving you now and as you grow into all that God intends.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. All of our songs were hand picked by my husband. He did an amazing job! I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of “A Thousand Years” by The Piano Guys, and let me tell you, it’s a tear-jerker. We walked back up the aisle to “I Do” by Colbie Caillat and our first dance was to “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There wasn’t one particular thing, but the fact that it was very personal. We made almost every decoration by hand and put so much thought and hard work into the details.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Photography!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Don’t get caught up in the minute details. You will feel like everything, I mean EVERYTHING has to be perfect, but I can tell you now that it doesn’t. If things go wrong the day of, or even the week before, smile and move on. You will enjoy the special time so much more.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to everything God has in store for us! We are finishing up school here in Auburn and are ready for the big, big plans He has for us after that. We are adventurous and ready to follow His lead.
Amy Arrington is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
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