Southern Weddings

Last week, I was honored to join a few fellow Southern gals on a panel with Lover.ly to chat about Southern weddings. A great tip discussed was exploring different venue options that truly mean something special to the couple and their family and then making them your own. I think Baylor + Daniel hit the nail on the head by choosing the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, which has been a retreat for four generations of Baylor’s family. They then used farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade to create a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm. Gosh, I love that!

Thanks to one of our delightful Blue Ribbon Vendors, Elaine Palladino for sharing this sweet day with us!

My something borrowed was my grandmother’s pearls, something blue was my mother-in-law’s garter, something old was a pearl bracelet given to me by my dad, and something new was my shoes.

Describe your wedding flowers. I wanted flowers arrangements that were romantic and reminiscent of a garden’s natural beauty. Our florist, Veronica, created various centerpieces of moss-covered boxes and terrariums filled with peonies, garden roses, jasmine, anemones, clematis, spray roses and succulents. The pink, coral and magenta flowers were so luscious, and the best part was that no two arrangements were the same.

We decided to do a first look to relieve some of the nerves before our ceremony. Seeing each other in a more private setting among our closest family and wedding party was a really special moment we will always cherish. By the time we walked down the aisle, we felt no anxiety–just pure joy.

Y’all, this doll-baby is way too cute! Would it be wrong if I actually pinched those cheeks?

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The beautiful chuppah that my dad, cousin, sister and I built was my favorite detail. During the days leading up to the wedding, it meant a lot to have quality time spent with my family while sanding and staining the wood. They finished building it as I got ready and it was draped in ivory fabric and decorated with flowers. It was truly a labor of love and so meaningful to have as the focal point of our ceremony.

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Our guests traveled from all over the country to be at our wedding in Miami, so we wanted to make sure they truly felt a sense of locale and culture. To create this, we had a cigar bar, which included a local cigar roller, and a mojito bar serving two varieties: traditional and blood orange. These details were a huge hit with our guests and accomplished just what we had hoped–an authentic South Florida experience.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Our cake was ivory and decorated in lace designs and flowers. Each tier was a different flavor–vanilla lemon, vanilla almond and vanilla rum–and all were delicious. We also had a dessert bar that included adorable mini key lime pies, macarons, eclairs and fruit tartlets. My mouth waters thinking about all the sweets!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We were both planning separately to move to Colorado. Danny answered my ad searching for a roommate and we met for the first time two weeks before he moved in. We only made it three months as roommates before we started dating–there was just too much chemistry to ignore.
Tell us all about the proposal! We were living in Maui when Danny proposed. One spring weekend, we went on a little getaway to the mountains on the island of Lanai. Danny had been acting strange all weekend, and after we returned home, I confessed my disappointment, since I had anticipated a proposal. He said he was sorry for giving me the wrong idea and even suggested we weren’t ready yet! Little did I know, he already had the ring. I was folding laundry in our bedroom that evening when I walked out into the hallway to find Danny on his knee.
When did y’all get married? May 26, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. While my mom was visiting from Florida, we went dress shopping in Virginia. I tried one dress on that I couldn’t stop thinking about, but I continued my search. Six months and several dresses later, I went back to that first store and tried on the same dress–I knew it was “the one.”
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? With the help of Danny’s cousin, who was our officiant, we wrote our vows based on others that we had heard and read. My favorite part was hearing him say to me “I, Daniel Edward Knoll, take you, Baylor Guyton Young, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love…I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My sister-in-law recited the Hands Ceremony and a friend of ours read an Apache Marriage Blessing, which ended in “may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our ceremony music was performed by a string trio and was absolutely beautiful. I decided to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon” because the song has always made me so happy. Our first dance was “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. It was romantic and relaxed, a feeling which seemed to perfectly represent our wedding and us as a couple.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest members-only yacht clubs in the South and has been a retreat for my family for four generations. We enhanced the setting with farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade with paper straws. Being out on the lawn at the water’s edge really helped to instill a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a wedding from afar was a bit challenging. We got engaged while living in Hawaii and moved to Virginia to be closer to friends and family, but still found ourselves many miles from South Florida. We were only able to meet with our vendors in person a month before the wedding, and all other planning had to be done through phone and email.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment of the day was our first look. We had originally decided that we didn’t want to do it, but changed our minds, and I’m so glad we did! It was really special to be able to spend that time with Danny and take a moment to escape the chaos of the day. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes when he saw me in my wedding dress for the first time.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? If at all possible, make the dinner and dancing portion of your reception an hour longer. We had a typical five-hour reception that flew by. It’s worth setting up in advance so that you can enjoy the evening and don’t have to worry about paying your vendors to stay longer.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We recently returned from our honeymoon in Iceland and Spain. With all of the planning behind us, we are looking forward to simply spending quality time with each other and our families. We heard our first dance song at a friend’s wedding last month. All of the incredible memories of our wedding night came rushing back, and it was surreal for us to already be looking back on everything. It all goes by so fast.

Elaine Palladino is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa