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With each and every wedding that appears on Southern Weddings, we are continually inspired by the creativity y’all pour into your wedding days to make them extra meaningful and beautiful. It was no small feat narrowing down this list of the most memorable decor and details of the year, but here are a few that stood out to us!

Katie and Josh‘s hydrangea-covered program table, by Callie Davis for Nancy Ray Photography

Alix and Dodd‘s magnolia ceremony arch, by Kat Braman

Abby and Matt‘s monogrammed ghost chairs, by Our Labor of Love

Amanda and Chip‘s Southwestern-inspired details, by Sara & Rocky

Sally Ward and Patrick‘s place cards, made of magnolia leaves from her childhood home, by Gene Oh

Emily and Josh‘s beautiful family photo display, by Haley Sheffield

Blakely and Curtis‘ nautical backyard reception, by Natalie Franke

Jennifer and Justin‘s pineapple centerpieces, by Nikki Santerre

Lauren and Chad‘s spirited favor display, by Sunglow Photography

Megan and Aaron‘s getaway truck, by Chris Isham

Don’t forget to take a look back at our most memorable bridal styles, bouquets, menswear, bridesmaid styles, and moments of 2014, and let us know which are your favorites!

Nancy Ray Photography, Natalie Franke, and Chris Isham are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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From electric blue wedges hidden under her classic gown to an open-air photobooth that proved to be a “photo bomber dream” (her words, not mine), Laura + Chad’s wedding at the Oldfield Plantation seems like it was a complete blast! I mean check out the photo of Laura and her daddy getting down on the dance floor – pure fun! I’d be remiss not to mention the gorgeous clear tent strung with twinkling white lights because I know Nicole is loving them as much as I am! Be sure to read Laura’s “most memorable moment” in her interview, because it might not be what you’d think!

Thanks to Heidi from Our Labor of Love for sharing this fun soiree with us!

You can’t get much more Southern than blue suede wedding shoes!

I knew without a doubt I wanted to wear blue shoes. Deciding which pair of blue shoes to wear, however, is a different story.  Balancing my love of high heels with the fact that I would be walking down a flight of brick stairs during the ceremony and on grass during most of the reception proved to be quite difficult.  Finally, I opted to go with electric blue suede wedges.  I loved that they provided a unique and unexpected twist under my otherwise traditional dress, while simultaneously serving an incredibly functional purpose!

Did you decide to do a “first look”?  Yes. On a personal level, we welcomed and embraced the opportunity to share a calm, private moment before the ceremony and reception whirlwind began.  In addition, it made logistical sense.  By doing a first look, our extraordinarily talented photographer, Heidi and her team were able to maximize the best light of the day and the high tide of the river to capture many incredible shots that would have otherwise been impossible had we waited until after the 5:30 pm ceremony.

My hand-tied bouquet consisted of white hydrangeas, white freesias, white polo roses, and green cymbidium orchids. The bridesmaids had bouquets of white hydrangeas and white freesias. Chad’s boutonniere was made of green cymbidium orchid and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres were white freesia. For the ceremony, we had ferns with white Asiatic lilies. At the reception, our centerpieces were made of white hydrangeas, white lilies, and assorted white flowers in palm leaf-lined vases. The reception napkins had white dendrobium orchids

Y’all, I’m a sucker for a fellow in saddle shoes or oxfords as my husband calls them! So dapper!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When my veil snagged itself on the bricks as my dad walked me down the steps during the ceremony! We didn’t realize it was caught until it actually started to pull my head backwards and almost caused me to loose my balance. Luckily, my dad had a strong grip, we were able to free it from the bricks almost immediately, and after a deep breath or two, everyone (myself included) exploded with laughter. The snafu was a blessing in disguise – it broke the nervous energy and reminded us all to relax and have fun!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Don’t allow yourself to get burdened by the details.  Also, as our “most memorable moment” story clearly illustrates, no matter what, something will always go wrong, but in the end, it will be fine.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The clear tent strung with twinkling white lights, which gave us the ability to look up and see the trees and stars after dark.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: It was essential our cake tasted as good as it looked, so we chose three tiers of red velvet cake with whipped cream cheese filling and vanilla butter cake with vanilla butter cream filling and homemade vanilla custard.  The flowers on the wedding cake were handmade edible sugar replicas of the polo roses in my bridal bouquet.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding.  Our selections were traditional songs throughout the ceremony played by a solo harpist.  We wanted the music to compliment, not overwhelm or distract from, the natural beauty and surroundings of Oldfield Plantation.  Once we were ready to celebrate, we started the evening with very Southern-traditional South Carolina Shag, which got all of our guests, young and old, up dancing immediately!

Describe the proposal. (From the groom) Laura and I had just gotten back to her parents’ home after a nice dinner with her parents and a large group of family friends.  Even though it was pretty late at night by that point, I asked if she would like to go on a walk. After some convincing that it wasn’t that cold out, she reluctantly agreed.  We walked to the brick patio of the River House, where weddings are frequently held on Oldfield Plantation, the gorgeous low-country community in which her parents live.  I knew Laura always wanted to get married at this exact spot so I dropped to one knee, asked if she would, and the rest is history.
In what month did you get married? October. It is the perfect time of year for an outdoor wedding in the low country.
How many guests attended your wedding? 124
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  It was surprisingly easy. I found my dress on the first day that I (along with my mother, a couple of close family friends, and my maid of honor) went dress shopping.  Initially, I pulled vintage-inspired lace dresses since I thought that style would be best for an outdoor wedding.  While the dresses were beautiful, we all agreed they weren’t right for me. The wonderfully accommodating bridal consultant, Flo at Bridal’s by Lori, then convinced me to try something different and brought in a stunning Rivini satin fit and flare gown. It was unlike anything I had tried on before, but I knew instantly the classic, refined, timeless (and comfortable!) dress was perfect. On my wedding day, the dress looked flawless paired with my mother’s pearls!
Did you write your own vows? We pieced together our vows and ceremony with the help of our officiant in order to make them special and meaningful.  One of the most meaningful aspects of our ceremony was that we actually exchanged our vows on the exact spot that Chad proposed to me.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Our long time mutual best friend and bridesmaid Megan read Blessing for a Marriage, by James Dillet Freeman.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding? Our wedding weekend was filled with Southern details and activities, all set under the picturesque live oaks and Spanish moss on the banks of the Okatie River. To kick off the weekend, our family and friends joined us for our rehearsal dinner, a traditional Low Country Oyster Roast. The day of the wedding, while the guys headed out for a morning of shooting targets on a nearby sporting clays course and hunt club, the ladies enjoyed a relaxing bridal luncheon complete with Diet Coke in glass bottles (my favorite). The most Southern of all though was our food! We had the ultimate “Southern with a twist” menu. Chef Jason with Oldfield Plantation truly went above and beyond our wildest expectations and created a phenomenal meal that literally left our guests raving for months. The delicious menu included (just to name a few) shrimp and grit wontons, fried green tomato lollipops, low-country oyster shooters and, of course, Southern style chicken and waffles.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning and coordinating an entire weekend of wedding activities and events while I was living and working full time in Atlanta and Chad was living and working full-time in Charlotte.  We couldn’t have done it without the help of our incredible friends and family, especially my parents!
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? An open-air photo booth!! To this day, looking through the photo booth pictures causes us all to laugh until we cry.  By setting up the photo booth facing the river and completely open without any walls or backgrounds, it enabled our guests to have a lot more freedom to hop in and out of each other’s pictures, embrace the spontaneity of the photo booth, and encourage one another to be silly. The open space was a photo bomber’s dream come true!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
7 Comments
  1. avatar Dee Shore reply

    What a beautiful wedding! I’m loving the clear tent. You could def enjoy the night and stars with something like that. I am also loving that Spanish Moss tree. SO romantic.

  2. avatar Madelynne Moulton reply

    I absolutely ADORE that wedding gown. Timeless, beautiful, and sexy!

  3. avatar Emily reply

    Adore her veil and the cocktail hour space — looks like a magical setting!

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Best of 2011 :: Photography

by in Inspirations, Main on

Featuring excellent photography has always been one of our highest priorities at Southern Weddings, and we are so honored to have featured so many wonderful photographers this past year. They effortlessly capture the day’s emotion as beautifully as its details, and in doing so give us all a peek into so many special wedding days. Here are just a few of the favorite moments we had the privilege of sharing this year.

The last few minutes before the ceremony, captured by Studio A (originally seen here)

A stunning portrait by Joel Flory (originally seen here)

A raucous reception moment, captured by Tina Bass (originally seen here)

Another Southern portrait, captured by Our Labor of Love (originally seen here)

A joyful reception moment, captured by Armosa Studios (originally seen here)

An iconic reception moment, captured by Rensche Mari (originally seen here)

An emotional first dance, captured by Adam Barnes (originally seen here), and a nighttime portrait, captured by Phindy Studios (originally seen here)

A jubilant exit, captured by Ulmer Studios (originally seen here)

A perfect exit, captured by Abby Jiu (originally seen here)

Comment below with your favorite photo!

emily Written with love by Emily
8 Comments
  1. avatar Amy reply

    My favorite is the 1st photo, by Studio A. It captures the anticipation perfectly.

  2. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    Jubilant Exit and Few Moments before the Ceremony!! Stunning

  3. avatar AmandaR reply

    That nighttime photo with the hot air ballon lantern things is pretty awesome.

  4. avatar Sara from MarryThis! reply

    Beautiful! Keep the gorgeous photography coming in 2012!

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  6. avatar Linda at Cedarwood Weddings reply

    Ulmer Studios photo taken of Jamie and Dan’s farewell at Historic Cedarwood is PURE JOY in a black and white. We feel magic every time we look at this image. So glad Southern Weddings included it in their best of 2011 photos.

  7. avatar Tim Duncan reply

    These are great photos! I love the one where everyone’s hugging.. so precious!

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!

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