Southern Weddings

Hand painted monograms, all-white florals and the most classically perfect navy details? Yes please! Lauren and Jared worked with our darling Blue Ribbon Vendor, Jacqueline from Sweetgrass Social to use personal details that played off the gorgeous Southern scene set by the Legare Waring House. Can you tell I’m smitten? Be sure to catch Lauren’s removable tulle skirt, which added the perfect amount of drama to her look! How fun!

Big hugs to Juliet Elizabeth for sharing such a sweet day with us!

I knew I wanted a dress that had a lace bodice and a simple skirt, but it was hard to find exactly what I was looking for. I visited three stores before going to Modern Trousseau in Charleston, where I was able to combine two dresses to make my custom dress. I also had a two-layer detachable tulle skirt that I decided to wear for only the ceremony and first dance. The first time I tried my dress on, both my mom and I cried–we knew it was perfect.

Describe your wedding flowers. In my mind, the flowers were one of the most important parts of the wedding! I wanted the flowers to be very Southern and match with our color scheme of greens, ivories/creams, and navy. I went to Whitney at Branch Design Studio with my ideas and she created the most beautiful bouquets and arrangements. We decided to use a mix of different arrangements for the tables and incorporated gardenias, magnolias and magnolia leaves, hydrangeas, ranunculus, and navy anemones. We also used a variety of jars, vases, and candle holders in cobalt, mercury glass, and milk glass. All of the flowers were beyond breathtaking!

Y’all may not know this, but I’m completely obsessed with these first touches! They make my heart skip a beat!

The Legare-Waring House was actually the only wedding venue we looked at. We immediately fell in love with the historic Charleston and Southern charm. We especially loved the beauty of the Avenue of Oaks. After visiting, I knew there was nowhere else I could imagine getting married!

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had one of our closest friends read Matthew 19:4-6, because we felt it was very important to incorporate Scripture into our ceremony.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Jared chose “Canon in D” for me to walk down the aisle to because that is his favorite classical song. As a couple, we choose to recess to “I and Love and You” by The Avett Brother, because they are our favorite band and that song has been special to us since we first started dating. Our first dance song was also by The Avett Brothers, and was called “Swept Away (Sentimental Version).” We chose this song after hearing The Avett Brothers perform it at one of their concerts, and we immediately knew it would be our song.

Adorable!

The Southern details in our celebration included the food, monograms, favors, and decorations. The food was buffet-style and consisted of quintessential Southern foods, like barbecue with baked beans, shrimp and grits, and a macaroni and cheese bar. Our appetizers were mini crab cakes, fried green tomato and pimento cheese cornbread sandwiches, and scallop lollipops. I love anything monogrammed, just as any Southern girl does, so I made sure to incorporate that everywhere we could! The favors, which also served as the seating cards, were okra from my dad’s garden that he pickled himself in mason jars.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Hire a planner, whether it be a full-time planner, part-time planner, or a week-of planner! I do not know how I would have gotten everything done without the help of Jacqueline. It will all go by so quickly, so try as hard as you can to relax the week of the wedding and take all of it in! Don’t let yourself get too stressed out about the little things, focus on the fact that you are getting to marry the love of your life! If your parents are paying for your wedding, be sure to thank them and be grateful for everything they do for you. My wedding would not have been possibly without my gracious and loving parents’ help.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. The wedding cake was everything I could have ever dreamed of! I went to Molly of D’lish with my ideas for the cake and she sent me a few sample drawings. It was so difficult to choose one because I loved each of the designs she created, so she decided to create a cake design based on all of the sketches. I was a little nervous, but I knew the cake was in excellent hands! On the day of the wedding, when I saw the cake, I almost started crying because it was absolutely perfect. It was also so delicious!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met through a friend and bonded over our mutual love of the The OC. After being friends for a few months, Jared asked me to go out for coffee with him. I left for a trip the next day and came back with strep throat, so we did not end up seeing each other for almost a month after our first coffee date! Jared waited that entire time to take me out on our first official date. I knew he was a special guy when he called me every day to check on me. Within two months of dating, we fell in love and knew we were going to get married.
Tell us all about the proposal! Christmas is my favorite holiday and Jared knew I had always wanted to go to the Biltmore Estate at Christmas. We were visiting his parents in South Carolina, and on December 21, we decided to go to Greenville for the day. Outside of Greenville, I asked Jared if we were going the right way, and he said, “I don’t know, why don’t you look at the directions?” I looked down at the directions, and at the bottom, it said Biltmore Estate. We spent the whole day doing various things at the estate, and it even snowed a little bit, which made it even more special. After a candlelight tour of the house, Jared said he wanted to go take a picture of the huge Christmas tree on the lawn. We walked out to it and as he was getting his “camera” out (really the ring), all the lights all over the estate went out! They were out for around ten minutes and then the Christmas tree lights never came back on, so we decided to walk back towards the house. He told me to get my phone out so I could take a picture of the house. Once I looked back over at him, he was on his knee holding the ring. I immediately started crying, and then he proposed and I said yes! The ring is extremely special because the diamond was given to us by my grandmother, who I am very close with. I couldn’t stop smiling. The next thing I knew, his sister popped up and started taking pictures of us. It was a magical, perfect day despite the Christmas tree losing power and changing his proposal plan.
When did y’all get married? March 1, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 160
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided not to do a first look. We liked the idea of having a very traditional wedding and agreed that we had always wanted to see each other for the first time when I first walked down the aisle. Even though we did not get as many pictures of the two of us together, I will always cherish the moment I first saw Jared at the end of the aisle waiting for me.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We used traditional vows, and it was very special to use the same vows our parents and grandparents said when they got married.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge we had to overcome while planning our wedding was the guest list. We originally wanted to have a smaller wedding, but the guest count just kept going up, for many reasons. We had to adjust our plans and budget and reach an agreement.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? One way we saved money was by not renting a custom bar–instead, we had a bar created out of tables and linens. It ended up looking custom because Marisa of Blue Glass Design hand painted our monogram on a navy blue runner. We also saved money by not doing full draping under the tent. We went with partial navy draping, which ended up being beautiful!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I loved having my mom help me put on my wedding dress and spending time with my bridesmaids while getting ready. However, my most memorable moment was walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Jared at the end waiting for me. It was also very special to have my first dance with Jared and then dance with my dad afterwards.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Jared is continuing to work as a pharmacist for the VA. I am going to be starting my final year of college in the fall and will be graduating in May 2015 with a degree in Elementary Education. After graduating, I hope to find a job at an elementary school in Charleston. We are most looking forward to traveling together and getting to experience new places and things as a couple.

Photographer: Juliet Elizabeth Photography / Planner: Jacqueline Volz of Sweetgrass Social / Venue: The Legare-Waring House at Charles Towne Landing / Florist: Branch Design Studio / Cake Baker: D’lish Discriminating Desserts / Caterer: Newton Farms Catering / Rentals: Eventworks / Lighting: Technical Event Company / Band: Charleston Groove Factory / Bride’s Gown, Belt, and Veil: Modern Trousseau / Paper Products: Blue Glass Design / Hair Stylist, Headband, and Makeup: Ash & Co. / Bride’s Shoes: “New York Cayman Flats” by Kate Spade / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “165” in Navy by Bill Levkoff / Men’s Attire: Calvin Klein / Tuxedo Rentals: Jean’s Bridal

Written with love by Marissa