Southern Weddings

While Lisa is our resident Texan, I lived there all summer long and got a fun taste of Texas culture. Since I think I have a pretty good understanding of the area, I would say Amanda and Chip captured laid-back Texas style perfectly! These two lovebirds turned the reins over to their planner, Sweet Pea Events, with the concept of a Southwestern theme that was completely organic, unique, and colorful! The bright florals with feather accents and Amanda’s turquoise conch belt and chambray button down are all fantastic, but my favorite part of Amanda and Chip’s wedding has to be their location. From their sweet proposal to their wedding day, I love how their own home played such a big part in creating traditions and memories!

Thanks to Sara & Rocky for sharing this fun wedding with us!

Tell us all about the proposal! Every summer, Chip flew for a fishing lodge in Alaska, and for the rest of the year, he lived with me. In the spring of 2012, we started wistfully looking at houses online, deciding that we would want to move “hopefully” within the year. We found a gorgeous house on acreage fairly close to my parents’ house and Chip’s winter job, and even drove over to it to admire it from afar. When he returned in October, Chip was in charge of finding a realtor and setting up appointments to look at homes. After a few uninspired tours, Chip suggested we go look at the “unattainable” house we had coveted in the spring, because it was STILL on the market. It was gorgeous and absolutely perfect, and we knew we belonged there. We worked really hard to figure out a way to make it work, and after the new year, we put in an offer. Four months later, we closed on it. One week after closing, Chip and I were walking one of the fence lines as we neared the lake in front of OUR house. When we reached the water, Chip pulled a ring out of his pocket, kneeled down, and asked me if I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I’m certain the world stopped and the air stilled. Apparently, he had been planning to propose ever since we put the offer in on the house!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I knew I wanted something that embodied the same laid-back feel we wanted for our wedding, and I wanted to wear a turquoise conch belt. Since we decided to get married six months after our engagement, I didn’t have a lot of time to look. I ultimately decided on a completely custom dress. I provided pictures to the designer, and set off to find the perfect fabric. We also had to create the belt ourselves, since I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. I purchased three different belts and my dad picked pieces from two to make the perfect accessory for me.

Chip wasn’t too opinionated throughout the wedding planning, but he was fairly adamant about the song selections. He really wanted me to walk down the aisle to an acoustic instrumental version of “Amanda” by Boston. We walked back up the aisle to “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? We decided on our house because it has a beautiful view, was centrally located for all of our guests, and we didn’t have to pay for it! Plus, it was our dream home and we wanted our life together to start at a place that inspired and moved us.

Describe your wedding flowers. Completely organic, natural, unique and colorful. We wanted a Southwestern theme for our wedding, and since I work in the wedding industry, I wanted to evoke a feeling and style that I hadn’t seen before. I also knew I wanted to incorporate natural and fall elements. With only that and our wedding colors in mind, my boss, the amazing Debby Jewesson of Branching Out, came up with the most incredible designs. I had no idea what she was doing for our wedding until the day-of, but I trusted her. She and her team used turquoise pots, teak wood bowls, quartz and amethyst geodes, antlers, feathers, and hammered silver elements. For flowers, she included pampas grass, protea, air plants, succulents, ranunculus, and beautiful roses, as well as all different textural floral and greenery.

Chip was super excited to hire Layered Bake Shop–we loves Shannon’s cakes. We decided to do a trio of wedding cakes for a more aesthetically pleasing design. I left Shannon to her own devices with only the colors and style in mind. She incorporated turquoise nuggets, watercolor, and stylized Southwestern designs. Branching Out brought dahlias, geodes, and airplanes as accents. The cake was traditional wedding cake and amaretto with swiss buttercream. The groom’s cake was an angry grizzly bear, inspired by Chip’s time in Alaska. The best part was a large chunk of cake missing from the back of the three tiered cake, with the bear holding the cake in his hand!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I did bridal portraits beforehand. We decided to get married outside and we had a groom’s cake. I love talking about these things with my friends that live elsewhere in the country. The boys all wore jeans and boots, and Chip had a specific bourbon he wanted served at the reception!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met on eHarmony in 2010. I think we were both just trying to meet people we had things in common with, without wading through the bar scene in Dallas. Chip was splitting his time between Dallas and Paris, Texas, finding it difficult to settle in either place. He says that I was the first person he was matched with and I had 98% of things in common with him. On the flip side of that, I think I ignored his initial contact for a good three weeks–I thought he was too short! Once we began talking, we immediately hit it off. Our first date was two or three weeks later, a few days before Halloween. After we talked on the phone and texted quite a lot, we had lunch at a burger place in Dallas. We sat on the patio talking for three hours. Chip ended up with a sunburned face and raccoon eyes from his sunglasses! We dated for a few weeks, but I wasn’t sure if we were compatible, because he seemed nervous a lot. Finally, in December, I got to see the real Chip. He is a pilot and took me flying along the Red River and around Lake Texoma. He was self-assured and confident, and I realized I was falling in love with him! Five months after our first date, he decided to move to Dallas for good.
When did y’all get married? November 9, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 75
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We don’t have “a song,” so finding a first dance song was challenging. We knew we wanted a country song, and ended up choosing Randy Travis’ “Deeper Than the Holler.” Chip’s mom chose a song that she used to sing to him when he was little, “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We are so happy to share this life together. We are looking forward to raising a family here and recently welcomed the sweetest baby boy to our family.

Photographer: Sara & Rocky Photography / Planner: Sweet Pea Events / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Private residence / Florist: Branching Out Events / Cake Baker: Layered Bake Shop / Caterer: Low Country Quisine / Rentals: Posh Couture Rentals, Ducky Bob’s, and Shag Carpet / Lighting: Astounding Sounds / Band: Empire 6 / Paper Products: Southern Fried Paper / Bridal Salon: The Blushing Bride Boutique / Hair and Makeup: Angie Williams Hair and Makeup / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids / Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Southern Fried Paper is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Marissa