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Southern Weddings V8 has been on newsstands for a little over a week, but we are only getting started sharing all of the goodness that is inside! (And just a tip: we truly believe that online features can never fully capture the experience of reading through the magazine from start to finish — that’s why we have a print version! There are so many little nuggets and surprises tucked throughout that can only be understood once you’re holding our girl in your hands!)

That being said, I’m so excited today to share with you another bright and colorful V8 feature: Crawfish Boil Bash! For this story, we imagined a couple whose favorite way of celebrating involves a boiled spread and all of their friends and family. That’s how they chose to celebrate their wedding, and how they hope to celebrate their anniversary for years to come!

Big hugs to Heather Hawkins for these photos and Blue Ribbon Vendor Christina Leigh Events for planning everything to perfection!

Yes, those bow ties have tiny crawfish and pots on them! Thank you, Southern Proper!

Tamara Menges pulled together colorful handfuls of flowers for our gals to carry, including ranunculus, poppies, and garden roses.

Bold Kendra Scott jewelry not only ties together a mix and match bridesmaid look, but it makes a perfect bridesmaid gift, as well!

We loved working with this real life couple, who were married earlier this year (a few months after our shoot!).

I can’t think of anything more delicious to finish off a huge boil spread than a selection of good-enough-to-be-homemade pies. “Yum” is right!

Don’t miss this colorful celebration in action, thanks to our behind-the-scenes film from Nathan Willis!

As always, if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, you can do so here or on newsstands near you!

Photographer: Heather Hawkins Photography | Film processing: Photovision | Videographer: Nathan Willis Wedding Film Co. | Planner: Christina Leigh Events | Florals: Tamara Menges Designs | Hair stylist and makeup artist: Tracy Melton Artistry | Venue: La Torretta Lake Resort | Pies: Three Brothers Bakery | Paper Goods: Fig. 2 Design | Hand Lettering: Paperfelt | Table rentals: Bourbon & Bloom | Chair rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals | Flatware: Totally Bamboo | White china: West Elm | Colorful china and flatware: Rice from Shop Sweet Lulu | Favor jars: Specialty Bottle | Bride’s gown: “Waverly” by Anne Barge from Nordstrom | Bridesmaid dresses: Rent the Runway and Weddington Way | Jewelry: Kendra Scott | Men’s shirts: Brooks Brothers | Bow ties: Southern Proper

Christina Leigh Events, Tamara Menges Designs, and Bourbon & Bloom are all delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

emily Written with love by Emily
4 Comments
  1. avatar Valerie reply

    So fun to see!! These are popular in South Louisiana! They are always so fun especially for weddings with lots of out of town guests to experience the culture!

  2. avatar Dana reply

    one of my very favorite shoots!

  3. avatar Beth reply

    Love, love, love the citrus colors of this wedding! And, the lemons used at tablecards! Absolutely lovely!

  4. avatar Bright Wedding | The CaroLøve reply

    […] not branch out with the catering? You could go for a full on Texas barbecue, a good old Louisiana crawfish boil, a delicious Indian buffet, or absolutely anything else. All you have to do is ensure your venue […]

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It wasn’t until this summer while foraging around at our team retreat that I learned I might be a “flower person” after all. With that in mind, I couldn’t stop staring at Ruthie and Tyler’s stunning blooms by Gypsy Floral! These botanic beauties brought fabulous pops of color to their wedding day and provided a sweet way to remember Ruthie’s grandfather, “Poppy”–she carried poppy pods in her bouquet as a tribute to him. I also can’t help but chuckle that Tyler and his groomsmen walked into the ceremony to “Another One Bites the Dust!” BDK would have thought that was funnier than an electric switch in a candle factory!

Thanks to Sara & Rocky for sharing R and T’s big day with us!

We were lucky to work with the incredibly talented Sunni and Emily from Gypsy Floral. From the moment I first talked with them on the phone, I trusted them with the vision I had for our wedding. Flowers were very important to me, as my grandfather, “Poppy,” opened arboretums and gardens all over the country. I wanted lots of colors and the feel of the Hill Country. Sunni and Emily delivered with beautifully saturated blooms and exquisite arrangements. In my bouquet, I carried poppy pods in remembrance of my grandfather.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? Tyler and I decided to do a first look, and we are so happy we did! Not only did it give us a chance to see each other before the ceremony, which helped calm my nerves, it also gave us the opportunity to get our amazing photos taken so that we could be fully present to enjoy the cocktail hour and reception with our closest friends and family. It was such a special moment when I first saw Tyler–it was the perfect culmination of our journey together and the start of our adventure as a married couple.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Tyler is a HUGE music fan and we both love it, so we were very intentional about the songs we picked for our wedding. Our grandparents and parents walked in to “Stand By Me,” which was a nod to how important and instrumental they are in lives and how thankful we are for them. Tyler and his groomsmen walked into the ceremony to “Another One Bites the Dust,” which was such a perfect fit for Tyler’s sense of humor, and made the whole audience laugh. My bridesmaids walked in to “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” and my dad walked me down the aisle to Canon in D by Pachelbel. I can remember my mom playing both on the piano when I was a child.

Tyler and I designed our entire wedding ceremony with the help of our amazing officiants, who are longtime family friends and trusted advisors. We decided to handpick our vows instead of writing our own. Our favorite part was “I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I will make my home in your heart.”

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My something borrowed was the beautiful gray wrap that I wore throughout the evening, my something blue was the lining of my Toms, my something old was my grandmother’s pearls that all her grandchildren have worn on their wedding day and my something new was the earrings my parents picked out for me.

The details were one of my favorite parts of the wedding to plan. For our ceremony, we hung lanterns on the oak trees and brought our own altar table. Today, those items are in our house and are a sweet reminder of our wedding. We had lawn games and a mariachi band during our cocktail hour, and we also brought in a vintage Airstream trailer that was renovated into a photo booth. Tyler loves shoes, so he designed his and his groomsmen’s shoes.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We had lots of out-of-town guests, so we wanted them to really get a feel for the city of Austin and Texas in general. Salt Lick catered our reception so that everyone got a chance to have the best BBQ in the state. Tyler loves bourbon, so it was featured in our signature cocktails.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. The cakes were made by the amazing folks at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. It is a small local bakery and we love that it’s so Austin. We had trouble picking just two cakes, so we finally decided on four! My bridal cake was blueberry lemonade with buttercream frosting. Tyler’s groom’s cake was called the James Brown, and was a Valrhona chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream. We also had a cake called the Frida, which a sweet and spicy cinnamon Valrhona chocolate cake topped with coffee liqueur buttercream frosting and cinnamon sugar. Our last cake was a pumpkin spice and apple naked cake with cinnamon frosting.

During our reception, one of Tyler and I’s favorite songs came on. Not many people know it, so we were the only ones on the dance floor, singing and dancing with each other. In that moment, it felt like there was no one else there. We love that we can sing at the top of our lungs together, dance, and jump around like idiots, and have the best time!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Since we lived just down the street from each other my sophomore year of college, we used to see each other at the bus stop, at nearby restaurants, or walking to campus, but it wasn’t until the summer that we were officially introduced. I ran into an old friend from Norway at my apartment complex and was invited to a party later that evening. I rustled up some friends to go with me, and later that night, I saw Tyler from across the room–he had a white Longhorns hat on! Tyler introduced himself, and after running into each other a couple of times more on campus, he got my number and asked me out on a date.
Tell us all about the proposal! On July 12, Tyler told me we had reservations to get drinks at the Belmont Hotel in Oak Cliff–it’s the most Austin-esque place in Dallas. We had both stayed there one summer when we were working in Dallas and Fort Worth, and while in the pool, we had found a fish pool toy that I still carry in my car to this day. We arrived early for our reservation, so Tyler suggested that we go check out the pool and maybe dip our feet in. As we got closer to the pool, I started noticing the flowers, the set-up, and that fish pool toy we had found, and I suddenly dropped my purse on the grass. Tyler got on one knee, pulled the ring out of his pocket, and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised, I couldn’t really talk, so Tyler told me I couldn’t have the ring unless I said yes! I finally said “Of course!” After many hugs and kisses (and photos!), we finally made their way to the bar to grab that drink reservation! As we walked into the bar, my mouth dropped open as I saw my baby sister, Amy, luckily in town from China, along with some of our favorite friends and family waiting to celebrate. It was the perfect start to a weekend full of fun!
When did y’all get married? November 1, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 140
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Both Tyler and I changed jobs within months of our wedding, and trying to balance our careers while planning an out-of-town wedding was definitely an experiment in juggling priorities. Luckily, we were recommended a fantastic wedding planner, Meaghan with Sweet Pea Events, who was able to step in and orchestrate the plans we had made up to that point, help us think through anything we missed, and make sure the day went smoothly.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Be thankful. It’s not often that you have almost all of the people you love in the same place to celebrate your journey with your favorite person. So stop, breathe, take it all in, and be thankful for all the love you’re surrounded by.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Tyler and I are both excited about finding a house with a porch, fireplace, and yard (for our two huge puppies!). We are looking forward to traveling both in the US and around the world. We can’t wait for more adventures outside and more great music shows!

Photographer: Sara and Rocky Photography / Planner: Meaghan Cody of Sweet Pea Events / Venue: The Vineyards at Chappell Lodge / Florist: Gypsy Floral / Wedding Cakes: Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop / Caterer: Salt Lick BBQ / Rentals: Marquee Event Group / Band: The Nightowls / Calligraphy: Natalie Grace Calligraphy Co. / Paper Products: Minted / Bride’s Gown: Monique Lhuillier Bliss / Bride’s Veil: “Kate” Veil by Nina / Hair and Makeup: Lola Beauty / Bride’s Shoes: Toms / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various styles in Wild Beet by J. Crew / Menswear: Jos. A. Bank / Photo Booth: Airstream Photo Booth / Mariachi Band: Mariachi Jalisco / Ceremony Musicians: Terra Vista Strings

marissa Written with love by Marissa
10 Comments
  1. avatar Lindsay Colvin reply

    STOP IT! This wedding is beautiful. The colors of the bridesmaid dresses and the flower arrangements, swoon! Love everything little thing about this, beautiful!

  2. avatar Ruthie + Tyler | sara & rocky reply

    […] Ruthie and Tyler are precious, and they are SO FUN. I don’t know another couple that laughs as much or cares so deeply about others as they do. Their wedding in Austin was incredible – the weather was unbelievable, the team of vendors was absolutely perfect, and their friends and family were CRAZY ridiculous. HUGE thank you today to Southern Weddings for the feature, we are always so grateful to those ladies! This team included: Sweet Pea Events, Gypsy Floral, Natalie Grace Calligraphy, The Vineyards at Chappell Lodge, Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop, and many more. Check out their Southern Weddings feature here.  […]

  3. avatar Occasions In Print reply

    So pretty! Love the flowers and her dress!

  4. avatar Tyler reply

    One of our favorite parts was the wedding rap our friend Marcus Perkins wrote and performed for us: http://youtu.be/s2P_bvcYW_o

  5. avatar Bonnie & Lauren reply

    Those reds! Beautiful celebration and beautiful photos.

  6. avatar Classic Wedding Invitations reply

    Love the colour in this!

  7. avatar Rahul Jindal reply

    Well, these are really very beautiful wedding pictures, showing the real love and traditions.

  8. avatar Stacy {Woodsy Weddings} reply

    The oak trees make for a beautiful wedding location! Love the bright groomsmen socks and the thoughtful family details like the poppy and grandmother’s pearls.

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After reading that Emily and Vance met during a welcome picnic in college, when Vance used the successful pickup line “I like your pants,” I knew their wedding would be anything but ordinary! For these two actors, the Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater was the perfect place to say their own vows, that included such sweet sentiments as Emily’s vow to put Vance before herself, and that it was “the greatest gift to do that so entirely organically and without hesitation.” I just love that so much! These now-New Yorkers knew they wanted to get married in their college town in West Virginia, and they felt right at home on the rooftop of the boutique Chestnut Hotel for their reception. Of course, the addition of some good ol’ Southern food always helps!

Big hugs to Veronica Varos for sending this lovely day our way!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. My best friend was coming to town, so I googled a couple of places in NYC to go dress shopping. I’m so happy I found Saja, a small designer boutique in SOHO where everyone was lovely, and all the dresses were simple and elegant–perfect for chill, approachable brides like myself. I tried on five, and I thought, “Well, it’s for sure one of those five, and I have no interest in going anywhere else!” I narrowed it down to two, and went back a couple of weeks later with another friend. I walked out in my dress, and she said “That’s it!”

We knew we wanted to get married in our college town. Since we weren’t able to be there all the time, we enlisted the help of my sister, who was local. She was the one who suggested both the locations for the ceremony and the reception, and after visiting a couple of places, we were sold. We held our ceremony at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater, which is on the water, has a gorgeous view, and had a stage feel, perfect for us actors. The reception was at the Rock Top Lounge at the Chestnut Hotel–a sweet little boutique hotel where we all stayed. The rooftop was PERFECT! It felt so New York-esque, and as New Yorkers now, we just fell in love with it.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? Yes, we did! My favorite line of mine was: “This is the greatest thing I could ever do–marry you. We’ve already started a life together, and I sincerely love living every day with two hearts. I put yours before mine, and it’s the greatest gift to do that so entirely organically and without hesitation. I will love you every day as hard as I can until I love you more than I love myself….You’re everything I could ever need to live a happy, happy life.” My favorite part of his: “Through all the changes, we just keep falling in love with each other…As human beings, we change. Life happens. And this might be weird, but I promise to continue to grow–to evolve with each other. To learn from you. And I’m so glad I have the opportunity to keep falling in love with you time and time again.”

My flowers were absolutely perfect! My florist was so patient with me. I had so many images in my head, like desert meets neon meets bohemian meets funk meets watercolors. I gave her a wide variety of color schemes and told her what kinds of flowers I liked. Then, she made magic happen! She had never seen my husband’s shirt, but somehow, she matched all the flowers to his shirt and our kooky color scheme perfectly!

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Be true to YOU! Everyone was blown away by our wedding (so humbling to hear that!), and it’s because they had “never been to a wedding like that before!”–the highest compliment. So be creative, and put your funky stamp on all of it!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? All of it was memorable, but I’d say the moment when my husband and I were up on the stage with our dream band playing our favorite song, and we were dancing like nobody was watching, was my absolute favorite! It was pure joy! I took a deep breath to try to soak up that moment, and I will never let it go!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We were both theatre majors, and we spotted each other at orientation during our first year of college. At the welcome picnic, he approached me with a really good pickup line: “I like your pants.” Well, I was hooked. We ate pizza together by a tree and giggled as I got to know the most different and charming boy I’d ever met. We went on our first date three days later. He asked me to be his girlfriend the very next day, and I freaked out a little bit because I barely knew him. It was weird for a few months, but having almost every class together, we became friends. We both dated other folks for a few years, and during our junior year, we were forced to do a love scene together and spent a lot of time together rehearsing. We realized, “What are we doing!? We’re in love!” We started dating in January 2007 and got married in 2014.
Tell us all about the proposal! It was my birthday, and Vance had planned a fun-filled day with many little surprise events that friends could join in on: dinner, the zoo, a movie…ending with a huge private room just for us and our friends at a laser tag arena (mind you, this is something we never do, but we’re adventurous, so I was up for it!). Vance and I were on the same team with a couple of our friends. I was getting super into it, and mid-match, I said, “Where should we hide!?” to Vance. He replied, “Over there! By the inflatable tank!” I army crawled over there, and once I made it, I asked him, “Now what!?” He pulled out the ring and said, “Well, how about you marry me?” I toppled over in tears and giggled with excitement as I said yes, and we had about four minutes of the most lovely private time together, even though we were surrounded by chaos. Then, we half-heartedly continued the match, until our team lost. While the other team was shoving it in our faces, I lifted my hand and was immediately met with cheers of joy. It was perfect. Silly, so us, and both private and lovely, followed by a celebration with my best friends.
When did y’all get married? September 13, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? A little over 200
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. I come from a huge Italian family, so as per tradition, all the moms, aunts, cousins, and grandmas baked a boatload of cookies. As if over 2000 cookies wasn’t enough, I still wanted to have a ceremonial cake to cut, so my aunt made us an Italian cream wedding cake, decorated with coconut and raspberries. It was so amazing!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our entire menu was Southern fare: pulled pork, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, asparagus, biscuits, salad (with my aunt’s homemade dressing), and more.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Anywhere we could save, we did. Since our ceremony venue was at a state park, it was wonderfully cheap!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We have been together for a long time, so not much about our day-to-day has changed, but the energy has most certainly changed. My best friend described it as being “freeing”–knowing you can go forth and conquer the world, as an individual and as a couple. I feel so blessed that we earned this marriage… we went though so much together in our long relationship pre-wedding. We’re looking forward to our honeymoon to Mexico in January!

Photographer: Veronica Varos / Videographer: Pictory Productions / Ceremony Venue: Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater / Reception Venue: The Chestnut Hotel / Florist: Blooms Florist / Band: Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites / Bride’s Gown: Saja

marissa Written with love by Marissa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Olivia Fischer reply

    Colorful and Lovely photography!

  2. avatar Veronica Varos reply

    Thank you for sharing Emily + Vance’s story, SWM! <3

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