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Ladies, I am so happy to be sharing our interview with May’s Southern Bride of the Month! Lauren is getting married in just a few weeks, and I think you’ll love the inspiration she’s collected for her nuptials. Please make her feel welcome!

Hi! What’s your name?
Lauren Kelley

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Danny Evans

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Danny and I both grew up in North Carolina, attended UNC-Chapel Hill, graduated in the same year (2008) and never knew each other. He moved to Stamford, CT to work for GE Capital and I moved to Manhattan to work at The Wall Street Journal. One evening in February 2009, he met his friends (Janus and Carter, his best men) at a bar in New York, and I was already there in the booth with the boys and a few of my girlfriends. Janus and Carter still argue over who actually introduced us. He sat across from me, and the rest is history…

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
One of my college roommates got married on May 19th of last year in Edisto Island, SC. My family decided to make it a beach week after the wedding to celebrate my birthday. I had my suspicions of an engagement, but I did not expect the creativity he brought to it! After we were finished eating my birthday dinner on Sunday, Danny asked me to help him with a cake they had bought for my special day. I went inside and he told me to grab the napkins. Then he decided I should just bring out the cake. I went over to the cake to close its box, and that’s when I read, “Lauren, Will You Marry Me?” I of course freaked out and turned around, and there he was on one knee. It’s a pretty incredible feeling, and I can’t tell you how surprised I was! He had the cake made at the local Piggly Wiggly (hilarious!) and kept it a secret with my dad and brother from Thursday until Sunday. They knew not to tell my mom because I would break her instantly. She’s a terrible liar.

When’s the big day?
Saturday, June 1st

Where might you two be tying the knot?
The French Protestant Huguenot Church in Charleston, SC

A classic inspiration board from Snippet & Ink that’s guiding Lauren’s style!

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
I am in love with Charleston. It has such a juxtaposition of old and new: a rich Southern history and amazing new restaurants and bars with a college feel. Our church is crazy beautiful, and I didn’t even get to see the inside when I chose it. I knew from the outside and the location in downtown that it was exactly where I wanted to get married. The reception venue is the historic rice mill right on the water. The inside is dark wood floors, a beautiful dark wood wrap around bar and tall windows that let in a lot of light. It has a perfectly-sized dance floor and a little outdoor space so guests can enjoy the view of the water.

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
I like really clean and simple, so my wedding is a lot of white, gray, pops of Carolina blue and turquoise. There’s green in the flowers, but overall they’re clean and white.

In looking at Lauren’s Pinterest board, I love that she’s pulling inspiration from interiors and sources outside of weddings — always a great idea! (Bedroom by Armonia Decors and living room by Katie Rosenfeld)

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
My wedding planner, Ellen Robinson from WED. She has made my life so stress free!

How have you involved your “community” (friends, family, etc.) in the wedding planning process?
My mom’s group of friends from my hometown are throwing my bridal luncheon for me, and Danny’s sisters are helping with the rehearsal dinner at Magnolias. I’m usually not great at delegating, but with this project I knew it was way too big to take on myself!

Lauren was also inspired by this invitation set from Dauphine Press. So pretty!

How has the budgeting been? What’s your best budgeting tip?
Ahem… I wish Danny was answering this question. It’s been a little difficult, and I’m so happy I have him to rein me in and really apply his Excel knowledge :) My best budgeting tip is hire him to help you! He’ll keep you in line.

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! It was the fifth dress I tried on at Hitched in Georgetown. It’s Amsale, and it’s named Lauren. Meant to be? Perhaps. My mom went with me, and we tried on her dress to see what it would look like after 20+ years. Needless to say it was a miss. She’s a little shorter, and got married in the 80’s. It made for a good time. I have sewn part of her dress in the lining of mine and am wrapping part of her veil around my bouquet.

Lauren loves this clean + smooth updo — I think it will look perfect with her gown! (Photos by Hyer Images)

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
The food! Low country boil and pimento cheese sandwiches? Yes please!

Do you have a favorite independent store you’d love to tell us about?
Maddison Row and Cacky’s Bride + Aid in Charleston have been amazing! A bug ran into me and died on the left top of my dress during my bridal portrait, and they tacked a pleat and were able to hide it. They’re also being so great and letting me keep my dress at their store so I don’t have to bring it back and forth from DC!

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
Best part is seeing this event you have thought about for most of your life come together. It’s kind of indescribable. The worst part would have to be the technicalities of who you can/cannot invite and staying within budget. Both can be a little stressful at times!

Tell us about planning with your fiancé. Has it gone smoothly? Is he more involved, or hands-off?
Involved and amazing. Danny has been a trooper and when he says he wants something particular I listen. There haven’t been many things we disagree on.

Decor + rentals Lauren loves with a clean + preppy feel (photos by A Bryan Photo)

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Danny and being surrounded by our friends and family. Also, all the dance moves. My dad loves to dance at weddings, so I know it’s going to be epic.

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We’re going to St. John and I haven’t really planned much of that. Lots of relaxation!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Enjoy the entire process. Sometimes I take a step back and think, “this only happens once and I need to appreciate this moment.”

“This only happens once” — such a good thing to remember, right, ladies? Amen. Thank you for joining us, Lauren! If you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

WED is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

emily Written with love by Emily
2 Comments
  1. avatar WED Bride Featured as Southern Bride of the Month | Wedding.Event.Design reply

    […] http://iloveswmag.com/2013/05/22/southern-bride-of-the-month-lauren-2/ […]

  2. avatar Meredith reply

    Wow, I love everything Lauren has planned for her big day (that just happend, congrats!)! I’m hoping to create a similar vibe for our wedding next spring – espcially the colors she describes above as I’m marrying a Tar Heel too ;) Thanks for sharing!

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Oh my. So many great details! A fun bamboo motif covered the table linens and serving trays and pretty coral and white flowers were the cherry on top. One of our absolute favorite parts of Becky + Cameron’s reception, though, were the custom-lacquered cheese carts full of delicious fromage, crusty bread and custom flags that were rolled out by servers in attire that matched the color scheme, too! That’s design, y’all. Now before I leave you to drool over the details, let me call you attention to one more thing: the cake. That completely edible concoction is preppy perfection! Giant hugs and thanks to A Bryan Photo who shared this with us!

P.S. Want some tips on shopping this look? We put together a guide for our friends at Revel – check it out here!

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Why was this design special to you as a couple? My best friend in the world, Calder Clark, also happens to be an incredibly talented event planner. She knows that I love bright colors, am a happy person, and love all things preppy, so I think most of her inspiration came from that.
Favorite design element of your big day: Because we had a smaller wedding, we were able to incorporate personal touches. We had all of our guests send in pictures of themselves, which we used for seating cards for dinner. Many of the guests sent in their own wedding pictures, which were really special.
Tell us a bit about your first dance. We chose “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered” by Stevie Wonder as our first dance. We wanted something fun and upbeat. We had taken dance classes to learn the foxtrot, but didn’t have an opportunity to practice much since Cam hurt his knee playing basketball about 10 weeks before the wedding. So our dance started very stiff and looked rehearsed. And then we screwed up the count and lost track of the foxtrot, so we just danced! It was more fun that way!
Were there any family traditions you included in the reception? Did you try anything new or untraditional? We got a chance in between dinner and the cheese course to walk around the two long tables and speak with everyone. Again, such a wonderful part of having a small wedding – we really got a chance to socialize with everyone
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Convincing Cam we need a second dog! In the future, we’d love to live in South Carolina, perhaps even at Debidue. We would be reminded of our wedding every time we go to the club!
What advice would you give to someone planning his or her wedding? Lighten up! The most important thing is to make sure that your guests are well taken care of and have a wonderful time.

Photographer: A Bryan Photo // Planner: Calder Clark // Venue: The DeBordieu Club // Florist: Blossoms Events // Caterer: The DeBordieu Club // Wedding cake baker: Jim Smeal // Bride’s gown: Liancarlo // Bride’s shoes: Manolo Blahnik // Bridesmaids’ dresses: Shoshanna // Groom’s attire: suits by M. Dumas, ties from Southern Proper, boutonnieres and corsage pins from Emersonmade // Paper Goods: Cheree Berry Paper // Calligrapher: Elizabeth Porcher Jones ([email protected]), Music: Archer String Quartet and Deas Guyz // Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals // Tent: Skyline Tent Company // Linens: Boutique Tents // Lighting: Technical Event Company // Transportation: Absolutely Charleston // Other: vintage bamboo bikes from Calder Clark

Want more awesome weddings like this one?
Shelley + Greg’s pink and green preppy wedding here and here.
Kara + Tyler’s bright and green wedding here and here.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
5 Comments
  1. avatar Naomi reply

    I love this wedding! The colors are so happy! Perfect for a preppy wedding!

  2. avatar The Friday Fresh Squeeze | Floridian Weddings reply

    […] department wore what else to her wedding… TWO beautiful custom Jcrew dresses!Loving the look of this preppy Charleston wedding. How cute are the bride and groom's decorated bikes instead of a getaway car! MAG Rouge is a new […]

  3. avatar KAZOOS!! « Save the Date Products & Wedding Planning Resources for Every Bride reply

    […] via Southern Weddings […]

  4. avatar kelly h. reply

    Did the green/white cross-hatched runner come from Boutique Tents or the reception venue? Thanks – Beautiful wedding here!

    • avatar Nicole reply

      Hi Kelly! The table runners, aisle running and chair backs came from Boutique Tents :)

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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Just like Tuesday was all about our Paper, Cotton, and Flour feature, today is all about our fabulous Charleston polo shoot! Before we reveal the final images, photographer Leigh Webber is here to give you a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of a print feature on a hot and sticky August day!

How about the SUV corral? There’s a reason wedding vendors (and editors) drive big cars — we have a lot of stuff to haul around!

We had a much bigger crew than usual at this shoot, which meant lots of consultations amongst different groups. Which kind of translates to lots of standing around in photos, but I promise, we were working hard!

Meanwhile, Barry from Blossoms Events, our florist for the day, was hard at work pulling together gorgeous bouquets and centerpieces.

In another corner of the polo field, Emilie Dulles, Nicole, and a few other helpers were prepping the escort card display.

A selection of sparkling flatware and glassware was lined up and waiting. We typically bring more than we can use in order to have options!

When the table was finally ready to set, we had one highly unusual step: dirtying the polo balls. Yes, Caitlin, Calder’s intrepid assistant, actually spit on our polo balls then rolled them in the mud to give them an authentic layer of dirt and dust. All in a day’s work, folks!

With all the pretties prepped and ready, it was time to begin shooting! Yes, these were two of the actual cameras Bryan was using:

Pretty neat, huh? Here’s the man himself in action:

Meanwhile, inside the house, our professional model (the bride for the day) as well as two lovely Southern Weddings readers were getting prepped by Pamela Lesch and Tanesha Dupree.

Once the gals were beautified, we headed out to the field to shoot!

Everything was going great until we had to climb over a fence… and one of us was in a ball gown. Our model handled it like a champ, though! Still, these might be my favorite behind-the-scenes images :)

A half an hour or so later, and we were ready to call it quits! Here’s a small portion of our shoot crew, and the SW ladies on the bottom.

A HUGE thank you to Leigh Webber for coming out and taking these amazing behind-the-scenes images!! Be sure to check back soon for the full feature. In the meantime, check out this fun BTS video, also put together by Leigh!

P.S. Want more behind-the-scenes fun?

Paper, Cotton, and Flour BTS film
Southern Meets Southern California BTS film
V3 behind the scenes in photos

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

    This looks like an incredible day!! So fun to see everything going on behind the scenes. All your hard work pays off in the most beautiful way! :)

  2. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    These bridesmaid’s outfits are probably the cutest ones I have EVER seen. I was so sad that I didn’t discover that back in March when we picked out what my girls are wearing!

  3. avatar Amy reply

    What a beautiful shoot! What china pattern was used?

  4. avatar Melissa Schollaert reply

    IT’S MY GIRLS FROM MY V3 SHOOT – Pamela & Tanesha! They work their magic – love them. Love this shoot too – so elegant and beautiful! Bravo to all!!!

  5. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze | Floridian Weddings reply

    […] the flowers, it was the photo of the bride wiping away a tear from her eye that got me! What a fun post the ladies from Southern Weddings shared with us this week! Reading wedding magazines for years […]

  6. avatar Kristina reply

    Thank you for sharing! Love the details!

  7. avatar Southern Weddings 2011 Recap « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] by Leigh Webber. See more behind-the-scenes details from our polo shoot here! 3,376 :: number of followers we currently have on Pinterest. Pinterest didn’t even exist in […]

  8. avatar Kristen reply

    Hi! I wanted to know where you got those polo balls. Let me know as soon as you can, they’re perfect

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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