Southern Weddings

For today’s groom, just writing about the memory of their proposal gets him all choked up, so it’s no surprise that when Emily and Jim tied the knot, their day was sweet and completely romantic! Paired with lots of delicate lace and the prettiest peachy pink color palette, Emily and Jim created a fun barbecue atmosphere, complete with a Coke toast, to ensure their day felt Southern, comfortable and welcoming! Obviously, in addition to their gorgeous day, we also love the adorable snuggling sheep Annamarie Akins captured at Hunt Club Farm!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I sure did! My something borrowed was a pair of pearl earrings from my mother. My something blue was an “I Do” sticker for the bottom of my shoes from my MOH. My something old was a vintage pearl ring that my grandmother had given my mother on her 16th birthday, which she passed down to me at my bridal shower. My something new was my sparkly gold Badgley Mischka shoes!

Finding my wedding dress wasn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. When I first went shopping, I took everyone with me. It came down to two different dresses that I couldn’t decide between–my group’s preferences were split in half. Finally, I decided if either was the “one,” I would have known it. I continued my search and went to Pure English with just my mom and her best friend. The dress I ended up purchasing was the one for me, and I knew it when I kept wanting to put it back on!

Always so fun seeing Southern Weddings Shop products incorporated into real weddings!

My aunt Melanie officiated our ceremony, and when we were determining the readings for the ceremony, this one really stuck out: “Before I pronounce you married partners, I have just one more thing I want you to do. Your wedding day is one that seems to fly. It’s a day filled with emotion, friends, rings, and dances. Many people remember how fleeting their own wedding day was. So I want you to take a few seconds to look into each others’ eyes. Think about the happiness that you are feeling in this place, in this moment. Really let that feeling register in your heart and your mind. Now, I want you to think about your life together in 20 years. Where are you? What are you doing? We all know that your visions of the future are not identical, but always complimentary. John Lennon once said, ‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream, a dream you dream together, THAT is reality.’ That new reality starts now.”

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? When we were first engaged, I saw that a friend had been married at Hunt Club. I asked Jim if he wanted to check it out as a venue. We went, and as soon as the Hunt Club coordinator told him that there was a BBQ company that would come and cook onsite all day, he was sold. That was it!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The whole vibe of the wedding was Southern! From the friendly and fun atmosphere to the BBQ, to the drinks out of mason jars, to the coke toast, we felt like our day was comfortable, welcoming, and laid back–which is what being Southern is all about.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Which one?! We had so many desserts, and it was because we simply couldn’t decide on one. Jim’s absolute favorite dessert is blueberry cheesecake, so Emma from Sweet Emma Lou put cheesecakes in small mason jars. I love apple and peach crisps, so she made them into mason jar desserts for me as well! We also had white almond raspberry and cookies and cream cupcakes, candy, macarons, donuts, and a six-inch cake for us to cut. We definitely went all out on desserts!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. From Jim: Floating around different projects at work, I was fortunate enough to be taking the spot of the most beautiful woman in the company, as she was moving to a new job. We had a week of transition, and I flirted a little. I waited a month or two before asking her out, and we started dating. A year later we moved to Virginia beach, and a year after that, we were engaged. Here we are three years later, married!
Tell us all about the proposal! From Jim: The adventure started in San Francisco where we bee-bopped around town for a few days without any set plans–just a goal to explore. To depart San Francisco in style, we rented a red Corvette convertible. Needless to say, it made the cruise down Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, to Monterey a little more enjoyable. Monterey was a blast, and on the next to last day, Emily said, “My friend mentioned this one park we should go check out, Point Lobos.” Unbeknownst to her, she would be engaged to me the next day, in that very park! I said we could check it out tomorrow, no big deal, which was playing into the plan of being there at EXACTLY 2 p.m. That day, we wandered down to Hidden Beach in Point Lobos and looked around. I said to Emily, “Do you want to do something crazy?” “Sure,” Emily responded. “Do you want to marry me?” Writing it gets me choked up again, just like it did that day. She jumped around for a minute or two before actually saying yes…but she did. The whole experience was captured by a photographer hidden in the woods.
When did y’all get married? May 31, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. When choosing our wedding songs, we thought about the people and time periods in our lives that they would represent. I walked down the aisle to Bright Eyes’ “First Day of My Life.” That song tells the story of meeting someone and how it feels like your life begins right in that moment. For the bouquet toss, instead of the classic “Single Ladies,” I chose “Settlin’” by Sugarland, a song that reminds my friends and me of the time in our 20’s when there wasn’t a care in the world, and we wouldn’t settle for anything less than what we deserved.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? BBQ! Mobile Pignic showed up onsite six hours before the wedding, smoked ribs and chicken, and then served it as a family-style buffet. It was perfect for the vibe and saved us a ton of money over traditional wedding caterers. Plus, no one had to answer chicken or beef on their invite.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Have fun with it. You aren’t going to please everyone, so try not to worry about making everyone happy. I know it’s easier said than done, but try to remember that your wedding is all about you and your future husband.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? As a couple, we’ve accomplished a lot this past year… we bought a house, planned a wedding, and had the most amazing wedding day ever. We think we will take a break and relax for a little while, plan some adventures, and enjoy life at home with our two boxer pups, Coral and Reef.

Photographer: Annamarie Akins Photography / Planner: Hannah Hildebrandt Events / Venue: Hunt Club Farm / Florist: Johnson’s Gardens Inc. / Dessert Baker: Sweet Emma Lou / Catering: Mobile Pignic / Rentals: Bluebird’s Garage / DJ: Rodney Charles of Astro Entertainment / Paper Products: Minted / Bride’s Gown: Watters / Bridal Salon: Pure English / Hair and Makeup: Aubrey Lynn of Behind the Veil Studios / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Menswear: Jim’s Formal Wear

Written with love by Marissa