Southern Weddings

Hi ladies and gents! As most of you know, we rarely feature guest posts on Southern Weddings (except for our lovely Southern Brides of the Month, of course!). That being said, we think you’ll enjoy this one. Courtney, from the popular party planning blog Pizzazzerie, is a Southern girl herself, and she’s planning a Southern wedding in Nashville this June. We asked her to drop by and share some of what’s inspiring her while planning her most personal party to date! — Emily

Hey, y’all! I’m visiting from Pizzazzerie to share some inspiration for my own wedding, which is on June 23 in Nashville, TN! It’s only a few months away (eek!), so I’m knee deep in all things Southern + wedding right now. Growing up in Charleston, SC and Raleigh, NC, I absolutely knew I wanted Southern influences in my wedding. However, being a blogger in the party/wedding realm makes things very hard when narrowing down and focusing in. So does Pinterest. Finally, however, I settled on a Kate Spade + J.Crew preppy look featuring kelly green and black/white stripes. Here’s some of what’s inspiring me:

Both images by JMM Photography, with planning by Yellow Canary Events

What I love about these gorgeous photos is the black and white striped ribbon detailing for paper goodies. This is an absolute must! My other favorite? The bow tie napkin – hello, LOVE! And bow ties are inherently Southern, making these perfect for my place settings.

On the left: from Traditional Home. On the right: photo by Barnaby Draper Studios with design by JL Designs

Along with the touches of black + white stripes, I want a lot of greenery and pure white florals. I’ve been busy collecting several white pillars and “urn” pieces, like those above, to decorate our tables. Moss wreaths will hang from the back of the venue doors. (Our reception is at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, which guarantees us a lot of green!).

On left: photo by 13:13 Photography via Southern Weddings. On right: photo by Jake McBride for Christian Oth via Martha Stewart Weddings (bouquet by E.G. Geddes)

White peonies bundled together make an absolute gorgeous bouquet, don’t y’all think? Tie on a black + white striped ribbon and you have my wedding bouquet! My bridesmaids will also have white bouquets, just slightly smaller.

On left: photo by Jesse Leake via Style Me Pretty. On right: photo by A Bryan Photo via Southern Weddings

Their darling shoes are black, with a peep toe and have a bow! Swoon! …Now if only I could find the perfect wedding shoes, too.

A Bryan Photo

My ladies will wear cocktail-length Kelly green dresses by Alfred Sung for Dessy. (Note: The SW gals couldn’t resist adding in this image from our past issue. Isn’t it perfect for Courtney??)

Agnes Lopez Photography via Style Me Pretty

At our wedding, we’ll have white chivari chairs with black cushions, but this picture with the striped ribbon has me thinking about incorporating a bit of ribbon detailing into the head table chairs – or my chair & Chris’ chair! Cuteness!

On the left: photo by Kate Headley. On the right: photo by Ryan Ray.

Children are a big part of my life, and I will have three flower girls and one ring bearer with me on the big day. My little ring bearer was actually a part of my surprise proposal, so I’m oh-so-excited to put him in a little black and white striped bow tie for his strut down the aisle at Vanderbilt University’s chapel!

On the left: photo by Jake McBride for Christian Oth Studio. On the right: favor by Amorology Weddings.

Favors are a total must at any event I throw, so my wedding will just kick it up a notch! I can’t decide on one favor, so I’ll likely have several. My Mom has been an inspiration for me in the world of parties and entertaining for years. I can remember sitting up on the kitchen counter and creating gorgeous pressed sugar eggs for Easter with her. For our wedding, she turned the idea into a mini wedding cake that opens up to hold little mints or other confectionery treats. I can’t wait to box up these baby wedding cakes for guests! I also think that black and white cookies will make an appearance somehow — they are my fave, and happen to fit our theme quite perfectly, don’t you think?

So there you have it! What do you think? I hope you love my wedding inspiration, and I can’t wait to have pictures back after the big day!

Thank you so much, Courtney! Belles, be sure to pop over to Pizzazzerie for more party inspiration, and to follow along with Courtney as she plans for the next few months!

Written with love by Emily