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Pineapple bowling on the beach, anyone?! While this oh-so-Southern twist on a cocktail hour staple has to be my favorite element from today’s wedding inspiration, there is so much more to love! The team at JLeslie Designs blended coastal and traditional Southern style together effortlessly, from the monogrammed details to the framed family photos to the oyster-topped cake. Take a peek below, and let me know your favorite part in the comments!

Big hugs to Marianne Lucille for these photos!

From Jenna Coleman of JLeslie Designs:

In planning for a summer styled shoot, we noticed that few seem to take advantage of the beach landscape that is so close to us here in Savannah. It makes for the perfect wedding backdrop, though it is often only chosen for the ceremony. We decided to plan our shoot for the dunes area just before the flat of the beach, but with the lighthouse in the background. We wanted to incorporate Savannah Vintage Rental’s unique pieces to really create a sense of a room in such a vast setting. We went with the Hayes gown by Sarah Seven because of its feminine feel and movement, perfect for the breeze of the beach. We incorporated oyster elements in the invitation design, and from there, we decided to do oyster place cards and use oysters as a cake topper to tie in the concept. I wanted any of my wood signage to have similar tones as driftwood to create a natural look. This shoot was a joy to design, a dream to work with these vendors, and a blast to model in!

Photographer: Marianne Lucille Photography | Design and Signage: JLeslie Designs | Bridal Salon: Ivory and Beau | Venue: Tybee Island | Calligraphy: Ashley Curry | Cake Baker: Baker’s Pride Bakery | Cookies: Byrd Cookie Company | Hair stylist: Foil Hair Salon | Florals: Joshua Grotheer Designs | China: Lillian’s China | Bride’s dress: Sarah Seven | Rentals: Savannah Vintage Rentals

emily Written with love by Emily
5 Comments
  1. avatar Hannah reply

    Love this shoot! The pineapple bowling is a brilliant idea – I’ve never seen anything like that before!

  2. avatar Joshua Grotheer reply

    Many thanks for featuring our shoot! It was a dream to work with such wonderful friendors here in Savannah.

  3. avatar Skylar Caitlin reply

    The coconut pineapple bowling is too cute!! Your wedding’s location lends itself to instant personalization opportunities. Thinking of ways to inject that personality into features you already know you’ll have – like lawn games – is a great way to engage guests.

  4. avatar Marianne Brown reply

    This shoot was so fun! I had an amazing time getting everything together and working with all the vendors involved. This shoot definitely has lots of that laid back southern charm personality to it. Thank you again for featuring the shoot on your beautiful blog!

  5. avatar The Best Bachelorette Party Destinations in the South That'll Have You Packing Your Bags – Loverly | Your Virtual Wedding Planner™ reply

    […] Photo by Marianne Lucille via Southern Weddings […]

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Small towns and the South go together like biscuits and honey–they each seem to bring out the best in one another, don’t you think? Since Abigail and Adam’s love story began in their neighboring North Carolina mountain towns, there was no place like home for their rustic fall wedding. With limited venue options in her small hometown, Abigail and her family set out to help restore an abandoned produce packing warehouse. Not only did it become the perfect industrial space for her and Adam to celebrate with all their loved ones, it also now serves as an event space for the whole community. What an incredible legacy to leave!

Thank you so much to Michelle Lyerly for sharing this special day with us!

My mother, mother-in-law, and sisters came to Charlotte to help me find a dress. When I walked out in the dress I eventually bought, no one said a thing until we heard my best friend, who we called over Facetime, quietly say, “Oh, Abby!” We collectively started crying at that point and got right to work on the alterations.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? It was important to us both that the moment when I started walking toward him to become his wife happened in front of all of our friends and family, who had and would continue to support us as a couple.

Adam and I grew up in neighboring small towns in the mountains of North Carolina. Our love story started there and so much of who we are and what we love came from growing up together in that part of the state. We knew we wanted to be surrounded by the love of our hometowns on our wedding day. We also knew that many of our friends from college and work wanted to experience our small town firsthand!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Choosing a venue that wasn’t actually a venue yet! Murphy, North Carolina is a small place, so the choices for an event are limited. We ended up taking a risk and choosing an abandoned produce packaging warehouse in the center of town, built around 1911, as the venue. The exposed white brick courtyard sold me on the place! Our families worked with the owner of the building to clean, renovate, and re-purpose the building for the reception within six months. It was a challenge to bring the building up to code and make it suitable for not just a party, but a wedding reception, within such a short time frame! It ended up being stunning. The building now serves as an event venue, and it’s wonderful to see the community using the facility!

We kept the flowers to a minimum. The church and reception venue were styled using collected antique silver pieces, handmade antler flower crowns, hundreds of candles, a custom lighted marquee, collected oushak rugs, and white and green pumpkins from a local farm. Baby’s breath, white and pink roses, and greenery covered the tables and bars. Original iron window frames from the building were covered in fresh magnolia branches and suspended from the ceiling.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The whole town got involved! People stopped by on a regular basis to check in on the status of the reception venue’s restoration. Our families pitched in and built the tables (out of wooden beams recovered from the venue) and bars (collected wooden shipping pallets). When word got out that my sister was collecting antique silver pieces for the wedding, people started showing up at our house with pieces they found at yard sales or from their own personal collections. My uncle hand-stitched over 500 feet of white flag pennants for the courtyard, and my sister made amazing antler flower crowns. We even had people stop by the reception and join in on the fun. It was truly a hometown wedding!

The wedding cake was a three-tiered lemon pound cake with buttercream icing. We also had a dessert bar of cakes lovingly made by family friends. There wasn’t a single slice left at the end of the day!

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? A local bluegrass band from the John C. Campbell Folk School. They played on the outdoor stage during the reception’s cocktail hour, greeting everyone with soulful Appalachian music. The outdoor stage was decorated with antique oushak rugs, an antique iron candelabra, and cascading pumpkins from a nearby farm. It was magical and felt just like home.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We were so young! We first met with a group of friends outside the two-screen cinema in Adam’s hometown of Andrews, North Carolina. As is the case with most 13-year-olds, we weren’t so much dating as just seeing each other at group events or ball games. Adam went to my eighth grade dance with me, and from that point on, we’ve grown up together. So many times, young love is seen as irrational or unwise, and while it is certainly unpredictable, it’s amazing when it works out. I’m so thankful to know that Adam understands every part of me: my past, my present, and my future.
Tell us all about the proposal! I was in the middle of studying for spring exams when Adam showed up with an Easter basket. Easter is my favorite holiday, so I thought he was just making a sweet gesture. Each egg in the basket held gift certificates for my favorite things, but one light blue egg held the best gift: my engagement ring! Adam and I had dated for so long, I wasn’t sure if he would be able to surprise me when the time came, but this took my breath away. It was simple, creative, and thoughtful. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
When did y’all get married? October 25, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 300
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Our families are very close, so the passage from Ruth 1 was meaningful and true.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I have so many! To name a few, a very good friend of mine gave me a watercolor she painted of our dog, Franklin, and his new last name as an engagement present. We had the image printed on the cake napkins, which was a wonderful way for Franklin to be a part of the celebration. We still use the leftover napkins for our bar cart at home! We also loved our dance floor. An old circular plant holder was used to suspend a disco ball, wrapped with a garland of greenery, over the black and white dance floor, and the stage was back lit by a custom designed marquee that said A+A. It set the tone for the party! Finally, a 1971 Minnie Winnebago, renovated by my father, served mini corndogs (my favorite), Coca-Cola bottles, and homemade potato chips as the night concluded.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? We met with my former youth pastor and the minister for the wedding, Danny Byers, for premarital counseling. No matter how well you know a person, it’s so important to make sure your goals, values, and thoughts on faith work well together.
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? We used a lot of florals and greenery that we could collect ourselves: magnolia leaves, dried hydrangeas, and baby’s breath. We also worked with many local vendors, which cut down on shipping and transportation costs. My sisters really went above and beyond to make every detail special, so we were able to work without an event planner and just hired a day-of coordinator.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Your wedding needs to be true to who you are as a couple. The small details that represent you and your life together will make all the difference. I would also add, don’t take yourself or your wedding too seriously. The details I loved the most were the ones that made me laugh, like the deer with the bow tie that hung in the restroom, or the ones that created a buzz–when the trucker hats hit the dance floor, people let loose!

Photographer: Michelle Lyerly / Videographer: Brian Johnson / Planner: Brittney Forrister / Ceremony Venue: Murphy First Baptist / Reception Venue: The Hackney Warehouse / Florist: Occasions Florist / Cake Baker: Tara Dockery / Caterer: Herb’s Pit Bar-B-Que / Rentals: Elegance / Band: The Root Doctors / Matchbooks and Drink Stirrers: For Your Party / Koozies: Custom Ink / Invitation Suite: Reaves Engraving / Bride’s Gown: Tara Keely / Bridal Salon and Hair Accessories: Hayden Olivia / Hair and Makeup: Salon El Khouri / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Donna Morgan / Suits: Michael Kors / Bow Ties: Brackish Bow Ties / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Dance Floor Props: Oriental Trading / Dance Floor Lights: Flashing Blinky Lights / Tambourines and Hats: Custom Ink / Watercolor Artist: Sara Bozarth / Special Details: Kendall Simmons

lisa Written with love by Lisa
2 Comments
  1. avatar Meg Gravley reply

    Really huge fan of a dessert bar made by family and friends – so personal and functional. The triangular banners sewn by her grandpa…icing on the cake!

  2. avatar Dana reply

    the dress, the bunting flags, the dog napkins–what is not to love about this wedding?!

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So many couples meet and fall in love in college, and y’all know how much we love it when a bride and groom find wedding inspiration from their love story! That said, some college colors can be, let’s say, less than fitting for an elegant celebration. I love Rosie and Dan’s sweet solution–these two shared so many special moments at Clemson (including their proposal–see below!), but instead of trying to make bright Clemson orange and purple work at the Legare Waring House, they chose softer shades of each color. The result? A lovely (and meaningful!) peach and lavender palette that was carried out through beautiful blooms by Branch Design Studio and captured to perfection by our Blue Ribbon Vendor, Courtney Dox!

Our wedding flowers were so beautiful! Our wedding colors were peach and lavender, to represent the Clemson orange and purple, in honor of where we met and got engaged. I wanted a mix of colors and textures, as well as flowers that meant something to me. Growing up, we always picked Queen Anne’s lace at my grandma’s house, so I wanted to include that, as well as peonies since we have a huge peony garden at our house. The fringe tulips added beautiful texture, and the garden roses added the peach color I was looking for. The centerpieces were in a mixture of mercury glass vases and clear bud vases. We had rod iron shepherd’s hooks with hanging cut glass vases as aisle markers, which we re-purposed after the ceremony on the bar tables. We had wine barrels at our altar with large tall arrangements on top mixed with smaller arrangements for height variation, which we also repurposed at the reception.

We had the ceremony under the row of oaks at Legare Waring House, which we fell in love with the moment we saw it. It was the first venue we saw that day, and when we left, we both said, “This is the one.” The oak trees were really what sold us, but the house was also so perfect. We loved the Southern decor inside and that our guests could be outside with us near the band, or go inside to get away from it if they wanted to. We also loved that the entire upstairs was the bridal suite–it was such a beautiful place to get ready. There were also two groom’s suites for the guys to hang out in the day-of, which none of the other venues we looked at had.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We wrote our entire ceremony. Our good friend from college officiated, which was so special to us. This is a phrase we both loved: “Loving someone is a reason to stretch beyond our limits, to become more for the sake of the other. It is to look into the soul of your beloved and embrace what you see. A couple who weds are joined not only by the mutual affection and love they share, but also by their hopes, dreams, and by their promises of what will be.”

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our food was really one of our favorite parts of the wedding. Cru was amazing to work with, and the food was all we had hoped for. We had assorted Southern hors d’oeuvres, like fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, pickled shrimp BLTs, pork belly with smoked tomato caramel glaze and goat cheese, and smoked mozzarella potato blintzes with truffle oil and mushrooms. For the main dinner, we had a shrimp and grits station, a carving station with filet, grilled veggies, and fresh bread, and a salad station with goat cheese caesar salad. We got to introduce many of our Northern guests to some fun Southern dishes–most people tried shrimp and grits for the first time, which everyone was really excited about!

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Our planner! Francesca from Pure Luxe Bride and her entire team were so amazing. We had to deal with rain the entire weekend, which was really stressful. I had a tent on rain reserve, but I had my heart set on an open-air celebration. Francesca made me feel really good about our decision to get the tent to be safe, and even somehow got us a clear-top tent the day before the wedding, which ended up being stunning. She and her team added draping for us the morning of the wedding, and also totally reworked our seating chart to work around the tent. She really knows what she’s doing, which saved the day…and it didn’t end up raining at all!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We had our planner grab us right when the food was put out and bring us upstairs to the bridal suite so we could eat just the two of us. It was only about ten minutes, but we loved taking a moment alone to be like, “We’re married!” and call each other husband and wife for the first time. We also got to try our amazing wedding food that our planner had so graciously set up for us with our drinks of choice. We are so happy we did that.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Dan and I met during our freshman year at Clemson University. We were great friends all throughout college, and then started dating our senior year. Our friendship grew into the most amazing relationship. We graduated and moved to Maryland (where Dan is from) together, and dated for six years before we got engaged! It is a great feeling knowing you are marrying your best friend.
Tell us all about the proposal! We were at Clemson for the weekend for a football game with friends and family, and decided to get up early on Sunday to go for a walk around campus together. We go back to Clemson every year for a game, but rarely get to take in our surroundings because we’re so busy. We were up pretty early, so it seemed like we were the only people on campus. We took a picture of ourselves with the library in the background (if you’ve ever been to Clemson, you know how beautiful this view is). I looked at him and started getting emotional because I was just so happy to be with him, and then he then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Even though we had been dating for so long, I did not see this coming! It was the most amazing moment.
When did y’all get married? April 18, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 125
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did decide to do a first look. We both really wanted to be at the cocktail hour to see and talk to as many people as possible, and to really take in the day. We are so happy we did a first look! We got so many photos done before the ceremony, with only a few taken after the ceremony around the grounds. This made for a stress-free, fun time for us both.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. We had a two-tiered white buttercream wedding cake with fresh flowers on it. It was simple, yet stunning. We went with pound cake with raspberry sauce and lemon curd inside. We also had a dessert table that included mini bourbon pecan pies with vanilla bean meringue, mini double fudge brownies, mini Meyer lemon squares, and assorted cookies.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are looking forward to our lives as a married couple. Children will hopefully be in our near future as well, but for now, we’re in love with being married to each other.

Photographer: Courtney Dox Photography / Videographer: Siegel Films / Planner: Francesca of Pure Luxe Bride / Venue: Legare Waring House / Florist: Branch Design Studio / Cake Baker: Declare Cakes / Caterer: Cru / Rentals: Snyder / Vintage Items and Love Sign: 428 Main / Lighting: Innovative Event Services / Band: The Root Doctors / Paper Products: Scotti Cline Designs / Bride’s Gown: Lazaro / Bridal Salon: Love Couture / Bride’s Hair Accessory and Jewelry: Haute Bride / Bride’s Belt: Carol Hannah / Accessory Salon: Southern Protocol / Hair and Makeup: Paper Dolls / Bride’s Shoes: Nina / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Rachel” and “Morgan” in Grey Ridge by Donna Morgan / Menswear: Men’s Warehouse

Courtney Dox and Scott Cline Designs are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
3 Comments
  1. avatar Dana reply

    love how their flowers turned out!

  2. avatar Maureen reply

    I really didn’t think I’d like the lavender and peach combo but it looks so soft and romantic together – I love it!

    Josh and I just celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary yesterday and it’s so surreal. I still feel like it was yesterday and love reading about weddings because it reminds you of the magic of your own day too. ;)

  3. avatar Occasions In Print reply

    Love the flowers and the location is stunning!

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