Southern Weddings

In the Sweet Tea Society, we say we believe in history and heritage, and that there is nothing on this earth more important than family. Y’all find such creative ways to honor the families you come from as you join together to create a new family, and today we’re sharing a neat way of displaying family photos at the ceremony. We love the idea of walking down the aisle past generations of family members, surrounded by your dearest loved ones!

Big hugs to White Rabbit Studios for sharing these photos!

From Rebecca, the bride: Prior to getting engaged, I became obsessed with Ancestry.com. I researched my own family back to the 1500’s, and then I started researching Sam’s family. I lucked out by discovering a family photo of Sam’s great grandfather (whom he’s named after) and his great-great grandparents. No one in Sam’s immediate family had ever seen this photo before, so I considered it a very exciting discovery! After that find I tried to collect and gather as many family photos as I could. I reached out to numerous extended family members, and eventually I had photos of all of our great and great-great grandparents. We even received a photo of Sam’s 3 times great grandparents, from 1855, 16 years after the first photography portrait was ever taken.

I think that it’s natural when starting a new chapter and embarking on a new life together, that we reflect on those in the past that came before us and contributed in no small way to who we are in the present. By searching through the old family photos we got the opportunity to connect to our past and learn more about one another and the new family that we are creating. Just as we wanted to include all our friends and loved ones in our wedding, we wanted to include those in our celebration who are with us only in spirit.

Written with love by Emily