simply jessica marie Archives - Page 4 of 5

Jessica’s Southern Wedding: Attire and Colors

by Emily in SW Weddings on November 4, 2015

Hi belles! Our friend and former Southern Weddings intern Jessica Clinch is the newest gal to take you through her wedding process here on the blog! Jessica will be blogging for us once a month until her wedding next May. In case you missed her first post, be sure to check it out here! — Emily

Now that we have all of our big vendors and our venue selected, it’s time to start deciding on the fun details for our wedding! Before we get into the more elaborate design elements, let’s first chat about the most basic, yet crucial, detail: our color palette!

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Deciding on a palette was actually a bit easier than I expected: we simply chose our favorite colors! My favorites are pink and gold, and Zack’s is blue. From there, we narrowed our focus and chose specific shades within that palette: blush and fuchsia for me, and navy (a great classic choice!) for Zack.

During our initial design-planning meeting with the Rebecca Rose Events team, we sifted through a variety of linen swatches to choose colors and patterns we loved. While we are keeping the colors above as our core colors, we also discovered that we really loved the look of incorporating accent tones of soft grey, French blue, and peach into our palette. I know that might sound like an overload of colors, but I promise it is going to be so beautiful!

Now that we have our color palette determined, we have had fun going through different ways to incorporate it into our wedding details! One of the most exciting (at least for me!) ways to do this has been gathering inspiration for our bridal party attire.

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Photo on left by Erich McVey via Wedding Chicks

Zack almost immediately knew what he wanted his groomsmen to wear for our wedding. Since navy is one of our main wedding colors, it made sense for the groomsmen to be in navy suits! He really likes the look of a classic white oxford for his groomsmen, with blush ties to tie the look together. We both agreed that brown shoes would look the most dapper to finish things off. He might be switching it up and doing something a little bit different for his look, but we’re keeping that part as much a secret as my wedding dress!

I didn’t personally have as clear a vision for my ladies, however. Zack and I agreed that blush dresses would be best, since they would pop nicely against the groomsmen’s navy suits. I also knew I loved the look of mismatched bridesmaid dresses, and hoped to find dresses that flattered each of my gals’ body types and style preferences. My biggest dilemma was choosing between long and short dresses.

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Since we are getting married in May, my first thought was to have them wear short dresses, since it might be warm (and I want them to be as comfortable as possible!). But, I also adore the femininity of long dresses; the silhouettes they create are so flowy and beautiful, and I want my ladies to feel their most gorgeous on our big day!

I talked through my ideas with our planners, and Becca recommended long bridesmaid dresses for a number of reasons. Most of my bridesmaids are either a bit on the short side, or a bit on the tall side. So, if they were to all be wearing short dresses, their hemlines would fall at varying heights when they were standing next to each other for pictures. I hadn’t even thought about this, but Becca pointed out that having all of my bridesmaids in long dresses would make everything look more cohesive in our wedding photos, which is important since they will be wearing different styles of dresses! She also mentioned how beautifully Perry Vaile captures the flow and movement of long dresses, which is one of the things that attracted me most to her photography.

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With that decision made, it was really time to have fun browsing online for beautiful bridesmaids dresses! I adore a mix of soft romantic silhouettes and modern details (think sequins, tulle, and petals!), and quickly fell in love with the dresses from BHLDN and from designer Adrianna Papell. I hope my ladies love these looks as well! I know they are going to look gorgeous for our outdoor spring wedding.

Friends, I’d love to know: where did you have the best luck finding beautiful and unique bridesmaids dresses? Did you shop local at boutiques, or online at your favorite stores or larger shops that carry bridesmaids dresses?

Written with love by Emily

Erin June 23, 2016 reply

Does anyone know where this tie is from or what brand it is? I’ve been looking for something just like this and haven’t had any success. Thanks!
Tina Barker January 1, 2018 reply

Love the suit, what store or website is it from? And the tie also… Thanks
Matthew Cummins February 7, 2018 reply

Hey! We came across your story through Pinterest, and we loveeee the tie Zac wore for your wedding. My fiancée and I are getting married in May and literally want that exact tie for my suit. We’d really appreciate any suggestions on where to get it. Thanks!
- Sahil Tyagi May 10, 2018 reply
  
  Hello Matthew!
  
  I also love the tie. Did you ever get a response?
  
  Thanks!
Sahil Tyagi May 10, 2018 reply

Hi!

I love the look of the groomsmen. I was looking at something similar for my prom! Where did they get their blush pink ties from? Was it somewhere online?

Thanks!

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!

Jessica’s Southern Wedding: Shopping for a Gown

by Emily in SW Weddings on August 24, 2015

Hi belles! Our friend and former Southern Weddings intern Jessica Clinch is the newest gal to take you through her wedding process here on the blog! Jessica will be blogging for us once a month until her wedding next May. In case you missed her first post, be sure to check it out here! — Emily

I am one of those girls who watches every episode of Say Yes to the Dress (yes, I still do after having found my dress!). So, needless to say, I was eager to begin wedding dress shopping right off the bat! Having seen both the positive and negative things other brides often experience during their bridal appointments, I tried to be as organized as possible before stepping foot into my first bridal boutique.

The very first thing I did was head straight to Pinterest to make a board specifically for my bridal style. I searched the boards of some of my favorite wedding magazines and wedding planners, as well as the websites of some of my favorite designers. At first, I just looked for anything and everything that made my heart skip a beat! After gathering all of my favorite pins, I was able to look at everything as a whole to see what details and styles seemed most prominent. Those were the details I knew I loved, and should look for in my own dress! Here are some of my favorite dresses I pinned:

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First row: photo by Coco Tran via Style Me Pretty and Bliss by Monique Lhuillier; second row: unknown and photo by Ozzy Garcia via Once Wed; third row: Inbal Dror and Katie Stoops via Style Me Pretty; fourth row: both BHLDN

Once I took a good look at the dresses I pinned, I noticed a few things. I love soft tulle and organza accents; the flowiness they create is so beautiful in pictures, and feels oh so romantic to me! I also have a crush on intricate beaded details that make dresses unique and feel one-of-a-kind. I was open to both sweetheart necklines and dresses that have dainty sleeve details, but not full sleeves. I was potentially open to colors aside from white and ivory. And, while I’ve always thought I wanted to avoid lace on my dress, it turns out I do love certain dresses that have sweet lace details (just not all over lace).

Most significantly, I didn’t seem to have one particular dress shape that I loved best! I was drawn to fit and flare, trumpet, and ball gown styles that weren’t too full. It wasn’t until I got to my first bridal appointment and tried on gowns that I was able to tell what would look best on my particular body type!

With my Pinterest board ready on my phone and my mom in town, it was time to start dress shopping!! Luckily, Nashville is full of the most beautiful bridal boutiques. I visited all of my favorites, including The Dress Theory, The Bride Room, Modern Trousseau, and B. Hughes. Each boutique had a unique style, and carried a different collection of designers.

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Bridal salon detail photo by Amy Nicole

My Pinterest search helped me narrow down which designers best fit my personal style. The designers I gravitated most toward included Monique Lhuillier (specifically, her Bliss collection), Oscar De La Renta, Reem Acra, Sarah Seven, Hayley Paige, Lea-Ann Belter, Vera Wang, and Lazaro. While I adored many of the gowns from those designers, I also knew that some of their dresses would be far outside my budget. From watching so many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, I knew it was important to tell the stylist at each boutique what my budget was, so that I wouldn’t try on a gown that was twice my budget and fall in love!!

It was so much fun to try on gowns with my mom! We went to three bridal boutiques while she was in town one weekend, and the fourth when she came back into town with my sister over Easter weekend. I found my dress at that fourth boutique (hint… it was B. Hughes!), and it was such a joy to have both of them there with me when I found MY dress! While it would have been fun to have friends and other family members around, I loved how intimate it was to just have that moment shared between the three of us. Plus, the stylist at the boutique was my former intern when we both worked with Amber Housley, so it was extra special that I already knew her and she could help me find the perfect gown!

As prepared as I tried to be during dress shopping, it all came down to a feeling. Everyone tells you that when you try on your dress, you just know that it is the one. And as cliché as that might sound, it is so true! When I put on my wedding gown and saw myself in the mirror for the first time, the biggest smile came on my face, I couldn’t stop twirling and touching the dress, and most importantly – I didn’t want to take it off!! I can’t give away too many details about my dress, but I can say that it is both a combination of many of the details I knew I loved from the beginning, and also something completely unique. Most importantly, it fits my personality to a T, and I cannot wait to wear it when I marry Zack!

Friends, I’d love to hear: how was your dress shopping experience? How many salons did you go to? Who came with you?

Written with love by Emily

Jen August 24, 2015 reply

Aww love this! I went to four salons in Austin – Second Summer, Blush, Melange and Unbridaled. All were so great! I wouldn’t say I knew which dress it was off the bat, but after mulling over the options that night I decided and went back for it. :)

-Jen
http://www.500daysofengagement.net
Amber Farrell August 25, 2015 reply

Gorgeous dresses! I myself prefer A-siluhette gowns, looking like a princess attire with tiny lace back, tender light colors… However, tastes differ!
Alyssa Mock August 25, 2015 reply

Her bracelet is stunning, where did she get it??
- Jessica Clinch September 20, 2015 reply
  
  Hi Alyssa! Thanks so much! My bracelet was from J.Crew a few years ago! Unfortunately I don’t think they sell this exact one anymore, but they always have gorgeous designs!

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!

Jessica’s Southern Wedding: Choosing a Wedding Photographer

by Emily in SW Weddings on July 20, 2015

Hi belles! Our friend and former Southern Weddings intern Jessica Clinch is the newest gal to take you through her wedding process here on the blog! Jessica will be blogging for us once a month until her wedding next May. In case you missed her introductory post, be sure to check it out here! — Emily

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There are about a million and one things to decide when planning a wedding. There are details and vendors that will enhance our wedding day, from music to food to flowers. And, there are vendors who will absolutely enhance our wedding day, but will also provide us with something to cherish days and years after our wedding, including our videographer and photographer.

Choosing a wedding photographer is a challenging task! There are so many incredibly talented photographers in the wedding industry, especially here in the South. Zack and I had to think long and hard about the qualities we want in our photographer. Hopefully the questions we considered below will be helpful to you if you are deciding between photographers, as well!

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What style are we most drawn to, and what details stand out to us? The detail in a photographer that helped us narrow down our search dramatically was their photography style. There are a variety of photography styles, including classic portraiture style, documentary style, fine art photography style, and more. I have always been most drawn to the fine art style, and photographers who are able to capture all of the important and beautiful details of a wedding, but told from their unique creative eye. I adore the beauty and the process of film photography, and knew that was something special I wanted for our big day.

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While looking through pictures from some of our favorite photographers, there were certain details that we looked for style-wise. One of the factors that was extremely important to us was the photographer’s ability to capture the details in white items clearly and crisply. I absolutely adore my wedding gown, and we wanted to know that our photographer would be able to truly showcase all of the gorgeous and intricate parts of the dress. We also knew we were more drawn to photography that has a light and airy quality, while still capturing the crisp details — a fine balance. And, we knew we preferred photos that have more of a blue undertone to them as opposed to really golden-toned photography. All of these style factors really helped us to narrow down our photographer options!

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How comfortable will we be with our photographer? This question was a big one for us! We couldn’t determine this until actually meeting with a few photographers in person or over the phone, but feeling comfortable with our photographer is crucial! They will be the person who is with us during the most intimate moments of the best day of our lives. Being photographed can be awkward, so having someone who is really able to make us relax and enjoy ourselves will be very important!

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How do they interact with our other vendors and guests? In the same sense, we really want a photographer who will be a joy to the other vendors on our wedding day: someone who will be respectful of our venue, who will work side-by-side with our planners, and who will get along wonderfully with our videographers. And, a photographer who will also know how to manage our bridal party and family members in a professional yet fun way!

So, which photographer did we choose? We are over the moon excited to say that we are working with the lovely Perry Vaile!! Perry fits all of the stylistic and personal details we desired. Her ability to capture images in a truly creative, artistic, unique manner is breathtaking. Each time she shares a new photo, I get so giddy to know that she will be bringing that same beauty to our wedding day! Her incredibly fun and bubbly personality was the icing on top of the cake. When we had our initial phone call with her, it felt like talking to a new best friend. You can tell how much she really values each of her clients, which is oh so special.

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The funniest thing? I had seen Perry’s work previously, but hadn’t considered her originally as an option for our photographer since she lives in North Carolina. When Becca reached out to us recommending her, and saying that she would love to work with us, we were overjoyed! I would highly recommend not only looking in your city for a photographer, but also surrounding cities and possibly even surrounding states. We couldn’t be happier, and can’t wait for our engagement session with her that we are currently planning!

In case you missed a post…
The proposal
Choosing a wedding planner

Written with love by Emily

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!