Southern Weddings

As someone who is working in the industry while planning a wedding, I can empathize with Stacy, a wedding photographer who must see gorgeous ideas every weekend. In the end, though, it seemed she and her now-husband Adam had no trouble crafting a wedding that was true to them – which for these two meant “a big fun party at a ranch with our closest family and friends!” And with our favorites The Nichols there to capture the action, I’m sure this photographer had no regrets about how her beautiful day was captured for posterity!

“It is with exuberant bliss…” How’s that for a a first line on your invitation?!

Bouquet perfection from Prive Floral! In fact, Stacy says she cried when she saw her bouquet, and we don’t blame her! Tina used garden roses, tulips, clematis, andromeda, and dusty miller for a lush garden feel. Love the lace wrap, too!

Stacy admits she was more stressed about finding her wedding dress than anything else. She says she was a ball of nerves, but decided to go look at dresses with her best friend just to get over her fear – and ended up finding the one! She loves that it’s not white but a peachy color, and we have to agree.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We did write our own vows. I just love how personal they were. My favorite line to Adam was that I promised I would try to put away my clothes the same day that they came out of the wash. Adam’s favorite line to me was, “Stacy, I love you so much and cherish every moment with you. I want to be your husband, as we discover new places and moments, as we advance, and as we share the next laugh, hand in hand.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had three readings. One was chosen by my aunt from my grandmother’s bible. Adam chose a reading from Ghandi. I chose a reading from Samuel Stoddard called “I Like You.” It’s sweet and silly like we are.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Low Strung. I have always wanted to walk down the aisle to this song, way before it became popular! Our processional was our road-trip song, “Hard Sun” by Eddie Vedder. Our first dance was “Grown Ocean” by Fleet Foxes, but our second dance that got people on the dance floor after dinner was one of my favorites, “You and Me” by Penny and the Quarters. Our last song with confetti was Footloose (my all-time favorite!) We made our exit to “Jump in the Line” by Harry Belafonte.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There were so many! It’s really hard to choose. We incorporated so much of ourselves. We collected plates so that we had different ones for all the guests to use and we’re keeping a nice set of them as our everyday use and fine china. We made our guest favors, which were soap jars made out of old mason jars we found under Adam’s mom’s porch! We added a soap pump and liquid soap. Then we made a little tag that said, “Here’s some suds from your buds. Love, Adam & Stacy” Lastly, I think our tattoos were probably both of our favorites! They were very personal and while I still have a ring on my left hand (my tattoo is on my right hand) Adam’s tattoo is his ring. His is in the shape of a tree and I have an owl that would live in that tree. I loved that we ‘unveiled’ his tattoo instead of putting a ring on him.

Ahh, the Southern BLT – bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomatoes!

For dessert, Stacy and Adam served a delicious-sounding wedding cake: one banana layer with chocolate ganache and vanilla custard, and another layer of chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter. They also offered “his and her desserts,” which were gummy bears, Seinfeld Snickers (mini snickers with forks and knives tied to them) and jalapeno chips!

I think the biggest thing that we learned and realized is that we can’t control everything. Let the process be a little bit of a surprise because holding onto something that might not happen or go the way you envision could let you down. Just remember the most important thing: at the end of the day, you are marrying the person you love! That’s really all that matters. Focus on that love and your day will be magical.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. I was the photographer at a wedding in Luckenbach, and Adam was a persistent guest. He asked me to dance and I finally caved in and danced with him for about 1 minute to the end of a Brad Paisley song. We exchanged cards later that night and he called me the same night to ask me out for a date for that Monday — which he then showed up late to because of his job! It’s a good reason, but I love to tease him about it!
Describe the proposal. We had been talking about getting married and had ordered a vintage ring online. I knew it was coming in the mail but Adam said he was going to surprise me with it. We got home from the gym one day and the postman was there with the ring. I knew a proposal wasn’t going to happen then, so I went about my daily routine, washing dishes and straightening up the house when Adam told me to come see what our three crazy dogs were doing. I headed out back to see them and when I turned the corner, he was on his knee and he asked me to marry him! He said he couldn’t wait to give me the ring and we only had it for about 20 minutes! I cried and said yes!
In what month did you get married? March, we wanted a spring wedding in Texas with all the wildflowers in bloom!
How many guests attended your wedding? About 75
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We didn’t do a first look. Being a wedding photographer, you might think we’d decide otherwise. But we both agreed we wanted that build-up of anticipation to happen as I walked down the aisle. It was perfect!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I was born and raised in Austin and Adam grew up in this area for most of his life as well. Our wedding was our take on the traditional Southern: just a big fun party at a ranch with our closest family and friends. We got to spend the weekend out there with most of them. We had elements of tradition but a lot of them with a little spin.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? For me it was my dress. It wasn’t crazy expensive, but more than I had originally thought I would spend. I LOVE my dress, so it was worth every penny. We added a bunch of things that we weren’t originally going to have. We just wanted to have the best day and for all the details to be just right! We don’t regret any of it. Food would be a close second since we are foodies.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? This is a hard one! Our ceremony was pretty incredible! Our friend Gina did the officiating and she was brilliant! Our readings and the music for it were just great. We laughed, cried, hugged and kissed. It doesn’t get much better than that!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Spend the money on a good photographer!! Our wedding day was such a blur of excitement and emotion, we are so thankful we have so many amazing photographs!!! I would have said that The Nichols were our big splurge but we knew we wanted spectacular photography from the get go. They were one of our best investments!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are going to enjoy married life! We love being newlyweds. We didn’t take a honeymoon because we travel frequently and already had trips lined up throughout the rest of the year. Right now, we’re just enjoying life together.

Photographer: The Nichols // Videographer: Photography by Vanessa // Planner: CLINK // Venue: Longhorn River Ranch // Florist: Prive Floral // Wedding Cake or Dessert Baker: Michelle’s Patisserie // Caterer: Primizie // Rentals and Linens: Marquee Rentals // Lighting: Ilios // Paper Products: Anibella Ink // Bride’s Gown: Ivy and Aster Duchess Gown // Bride’s Earrings: Kendra Scott // Hair Stylist: Danielle Barr // Makeup Artist: Face Kandy // Bride’s Shoes: Bamboo Crush 42 in blush // Bride’s Cardigan: Forever 21 // Bride’s Sash: Ribbon from David’s Bridal, flower from Ruche // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: various

Written with love by Emily