Southern Weddings

The way Mike proposed to Christie is similar to my dream proposal — simple, heartfelt and a little nod to how far they’ve come. I just adore that Christie was lucky enough to be able to wear the ring that was a part of Mike’s family for generations. How special is it know knowing that the ring on your finger was also a part of many love stories before yours? In my opinion, their gorgeous blue wedding was just the icing on top of the cake! We love these images from Tracy Timmester — especially how she makes biscuits look so buttery and delicious, even on a computer screen.

Check out more of Christie + Mike’s wedding in their video by Thomas Bowen right here!

Raise your hand if you love Christie’s bouquet ribbons! I adore the colors and textures. It matches perfectly with her flowers!

There was no question about who I wanted to do my wedding flowers. Holly Chapple is an amazing artist and I am so blessed to call her a friend. It is so important to let your vendors have the creative license to do what they do best: design. I asked Holly for pretty, soft, romantic flowers and let her take it from there. What we ended up with was so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. They were lush and romantic with tons of hydrangeas, cabbage roses, and delphinium.

I wanted finding my dress to be a really special day, so I decided to only take my sister and my mother with me. We found the dress at the same shop (Betsy Robinson’s) where my sister found her dress. I fell in love with how elegant it was and the detailing on the flower. Before we were done, I had to add one signature touch – the ivory satin ribbon tied into a bow in the back made the dress perfectly me!

Both Mike and I felt strongly that we wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I was walking down the aisle toward him; that moment is so powerful and special. I am so happy we stuck to our guns on not seeing each other before the ceremony. Our guests got to share in the genuine emotion of the moment we saw each other. When I got to the end of the aisle, we were both all smiles.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We love the beauty and tradition of the Catholic ceremony so we used the traditional vows. Our absolute favorite part is where we promised “to love and honor each other all the days of our life.” We really try and live that vow every day.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Sirach 26, 1-4. 13-16 This has been one of my favorite Bible passages my whole life. It sums up who I hope to be as a woman and as a wife. Philippians 4, 4-9 — This reading reminded us that God is at the center of our lives and should be at the center of our marriage. The Gospel was Matthew 22, 35-40 — My absolute favorite reading. When it all comes down to it, all we need to remember is to love God with our whole hearts, minds and souls – and try and love each other in that same way. It’s simple and profound.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The most important aspect of our wedding was that Mike and I wanted our guests to walk away from our wedding feeling like they were treated to the best Southern hospitality and are surrounded by lots of love! I knew that I wanted to focus on making sure our guests had the best experience for our wedding weekend. We chose a location that would be great for our big families and vendors who we loved as artists and people. That Southern hospitality began with our welcome bags. We included a personal note in each bag and stuffed them with two family favorites, candied pecans and Grandma’s lemon pudding pound cake, both baked from scratch in my mother’s kitchen! When guests arrived at cocktail hour, they were treated to our “Southern Charmer” cocktail (a champagne mint julep) and shrimp and grit fritters. Dinner included a candied pecan salad with goat cheese and red wine-braised short ribs with home-style mashed potatoes and cornbread. The late night Biscuit Bar was perfect for all of our guests who had literally been on the dance floor for hours. Our personalized signs helped guests load up fresh biscuits with all their fixings. I also wanted to honor all the special women in my life in some way, so I wore a little memento for them on the wedding day. My engagement ring was an heirloom from women in Mike’s family, I wore my great-grandmother’s earrings, carried a handkerchief hand-embroidered by my grandmother, my pearl necklace and bracelet were gifts from my mother, and my sorority badge was pinned to the inside of my dress.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The amazing organist at my church agreed to learn the Wedding Processional from the Sound of Music AND he brought in a trumpeter to make it extra special for my entrance. There was not a dry eye in the church! That movie was very special to my grandmother and me. We used to watch it together all the time when I was a little girl and it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear how regal and beautiful the song is. Our first dance was set to “Making Memories of Us” by Keith Urban. The song talks about everything we want in our marriage – to honor each other’s families and to spend a lifetime together making incredible memories. My father-daughter dance was extra special. My dad and I danced to Josh Turner’s “I’ll Be There.” The lyrics of that song perfectly express what every parent hopes to be for their child, and what my dad and mom have meant to me over all these years. Mike and his mother’s song was “Young at Heart” by Frank Sinatra which perfectly captured their playful and fun relationship!

Whoa. How delicious does C + M’s biscuit bar look? We’re not surprised that it was a total hit and C + M’s favorite detail of the wedding.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Mike and my brother Kevin have been friends for years, but I never got a chance to meet Mike. I remember when I finally did run into him at a golf course, I spent almost a half hour joking around with him and thinking how funny he was! My brother ended up setting us up on a date, and after that, Mike and I were pretty much inseparable. (You know you have a great guy when your baby brother gives it a thumbs up!) Mike is funny, kind, and makes me so happy, so of course I was thrilled when he decided to propose!
Describe the proposal. On our first date, Mike invited me over to his house and cooked me an amazing meal. Over the hours that we spent talking, I started to realize just how kind, funny and sweet he was — not to mention a fabulous cook! For the proposal, he recreated that first date and then we took a walk around the neighborhood. He got down on one knee right at the spot where we had shared our first kiss and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. He gave me a beautiful ring that has been a part of his family for generations. I am so honored to wear that ring and to be a part of such an incredible family!
In what month did you get married? March
How many guests attended your wedding? 171
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: The wedding cake was absolutely delicious! We went with two flavors, Viviacious Vanilla and Caramelicious. Most guests had a slice of each because it was so yummy!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Mike and I have so many special people we wanted to share our wedding day with, so keeping the guest count down without leaving out important friends was our biggest struggle. We decided to remove a few design elements in order to make sure that we could accommodate all of those people in our budget. In the end, we were so honored to have so many of our friends and family travel in from all over the country to be with us on our wedding day.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? We were in the $25,000-$50,000 range.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The band! We had the BEST TIME EVER dancing at the wedding thanks to Snackbar Jones. The energy they brought to our celebration made all the difference in the world I really don’t think I have ever seen a dance floor that packed for every song of the night. Our guests left raving about how awesome the music was.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We had the most amazing toasts at our wedding. Mike’s brother, my sister, and my dad were sweet and so funny! My dad had saved a Father’s Day gift from my childhood – I gave him a book of coupons good for a hug, a kiss, and a silly dance. At the end of his speech, he ripped out the coupon for the silly dance and traded it in for our father-daughter dance. I will never forget that moment!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? The best advice I can give is to hire a wedding planner! I have no idea what I would have done without the support of the planning team. My family was able to spend time with me and Mike instead of having to run around to check on the details and put out fires. Consider your planning team an insurance plan for one of the most important expenses and days of your life!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are having so much fun settling into our new home together and getting used to calling each other husband and wife! We can’t wait to start a big family and are so excited for all the fun milestones to come.

Written with love by Nicole