Southern Weddings

It’s a season of change in the Southern Weddings office, as it is for many of you! Like many changes, these ones are bittersweet, but overall so good, and so exciting for everyone!

As many of you know, Lara, Marissa, and I were bursting with pride last week as Sierra, Nicole, and our two interns from this semester, Anna and Caitlin, all graduated from the University of North Carolina’s journalism school. We even held a little Tarheel blue graduation party in their honor :)

Graduation means they’re ready for new adventures, of course! We are super proud of Anna, who is heading South to Charleston to work at Charleston Weddings for the summer. We are OVERJOYED that Nicole will be in the Southern Weddings office full time from now on, continuing to bring you the best wedding goodness the South has to offer!

Finally, we are incredibly proud of Sierra, who is moving to one of her favorite Southern cities – Nashville! She’ll be starting a new job as a bonafide graphic designer, and we just can’t wait to see where it takes her! (We’re also placing bets on how soon her first Taylor Swift sighting will be.) We asked her to write up a little something about her time at Southern Weddings, and this is what she said:

My conclusion after writing this post was simply this — golly, I am SUCH a lucky gal!! In just two years, I gained more experience than I EVER thought possible in one job. I was able to travel – for photo shoots, to work at weddings, and to review a Honey List destination. I was able to be involved in a brand that is SO me and SO fun! (80% of my clothes are even SW colors!) I was able to learn about a smaller company, one who values their readers immensely. I designed hundreds of graphics and image boards, wrote posts, shipped hundreds (perhaps thousands) of magazines, and was so involved with the making of V4, a fabulous publication that I still pick up every few weeks and reread.

From our Paper, Cotton, and Flour photo shoot

Besides the professional experience I’ve gained, being a part of the SW family was something I’ll always take with me. I remember when I first started working at SW, I would be shaking at the weekly office meetings I was so nervous, but all along I was encouraged to be myself, contribute my opinions fully, and be a confident, strong woman. And boy, did we have fun over the last few years! From tying bow ties and steaming wedding gowns with Nicole, to chocolate tasting contests, throwing poms and paper airplanes and watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette with Emily, to running around DC and having Lara and Marissa do my makeup for our SW staff shoot, to memories of working with Katharine and Whitney, I have had SO many good times! I want to thank Lara, Emily, Nicole and Marissa for being the best coworkers imaginable, to Lara for making it a possibility to even work at SW and to Nicole for being literally my “twin” and good, good friend throughout college. While I am sad to be leaving such a fabulous magazine, and I will miss you all tremendously, I know this not a real goodbye, and I am excited to be living up more Southern goodness over yonder in Nashville! As we like to say around here, may your tea always be sweet!

We love that Sierra, yes indeed we do. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to write her a few notes ourselves, interspersed with photos from her goodbye party earlier this week.

Sierra,

Biggest congratulations on graduating!! It’s been amazing to know you over the past two years and to see you work tirelessly on countless projects. I look up to you so much! I’ll always remember the first time we met, the awkward conversations we had when were first getting to know each other, and the long drives to photo shoots and weddings when you schooled me on country music. I know that the future is going to be incredibly rewarding for you and I can’t wait to hear about it!

xoxo, Nic

Dear sweet Sierra,

You are so incredibly talented, and I am so excited for you! I wish you all the best on your adventure in Nashville, but I am going to miss not being able to hear you on our calls, and your fabulous style! I know that you have amazing things ahead of you, and I cannot wait to come visit you in Nashvegas!

So much love,
Marissa

Sierra! I am SO excited for you to take over Nashville! Everyone you meet will be so blessed by your humor and heart and dedication. Over the last years, you have truly blown us all away and helped us take things to the next level in a million ways. We wouldn’t be where we are without you! Personally, I will also miss your kindness and thoughtful conversation. You are a treasure, Sierra. Things won’t be the same around here without you. But, the great thing is that I know your sweet parents will expect lots of visits… and we will too! Don’t be a stranger. You will always be a part of the SW family! Love, Lara

Dear Sierra,

I will always be thankful to you for introducing me to country music! And I know that as long as the Bachelor/Bachelorette is on air, we will have a reason to get together and discuss :) I know you’re going to do amazing things in Nashville and beyond, and I can’t wait to watch!

Much love,
Emily

You can see more from our yummy goodbye party right here! We would love for you to leave well wishes for all of our ladies in the comment section, as well as Nashville tips for Sierra! :)

Written with love by Emily