Southern Weddings

Happy Monday, friends! So far, you’ve gotten a peek at the Dream Southern Summer Weddings of the lovely Emily, Marissa, Nicole and Kristin, and now it’s my turn!

One thing that sets me apart from most of my fellow SW gals is that I am a city girl, through and through. My sister and I joke that we sleep better to traffic noises than country noises, and nothing fires me up quite like exploring places like Atlanta, Raleigh, or Austin (three of my very favorite Southern cities). With that being said, an elegant wedding in my nearest big city (Raleigh) complete with lots of charming Southern details would be my dream come true!

Clockwise from top left: bridesmaid dresses by Jessica Lorren, tablescape by Caroline Joy via Style Me Pretty, chalkboard calligraphy by Jen Huang via Style Me Pretty, cake by Steve Steinhardt via Southern Weddings, Raleigh wedding portrait by Nancy Ray via Style Me Pretty, Just Married sign by Max Wanger via 100 Layer Cake, invitation by Patricia Lyons via Southern Weddings, venue by Sam Stroud via Southern Weddings, Vera Wang Delaney dress by Lacie Hansen via Snippet and Ink

The feel: Classic and chic with an undeniable sense of Southern hospitality. Lush florals, swirly custom calligraphy, and cafe lights strung across the ceiling would help strike the perfect balance between urban and romantic. The details would all have an understated Southern feel, such as mint julep signature cocktails, a seersucker something blue, gussied up biscuits (like from our V6 biscuit shoot–check out a little sneak peek on Instagram!) and monogrammed cocktail napkins.

The place: I love industrial elements in reception spaces, especially brick walls, hardwood floors and huge architectural windows. A venue in the heart of Raleigh with any combination of these things would be fine by me!

The time: Early June, around 5 p.m.

The style: Since we’re just dreaming here, I’d splurge on one of my favorite dresses ever, the gorgeous Vera Wang Delaney. Y’all, this dress gives me chills! I love anything with bows, so I would pair it with some dreamy Valentino bow pumps, and complete the look with a long, wispy veil, My girls would wear long, mismatched dresses in shades of blush, gray and ivory, plus some delicate gold jewelry. My groom and his guys would dress in classic, dark gray suits and brown wingtip shoes.

The food: I can’t quite shake my love affair with the foodie culture in Austin, where I went to college, so I’d have to go with an elegant, modern take on Tex Mex. If Torchy’s Tacos would like to deliver to Raleigh as well, I would not refuse it. :)

The music: This is one place I would bring in more distinctly Southern elements, especially because I love country music. I’m thinking a live bluegrass band at cocktail hour and then a handful of my favorite country songs on the reception playlist.

The flowers: My two favorite flowers are quite strictly spring flowers (peonies and dogwoods–though see if you can find a different way I’d incorporate dogwoods!). For the summer, I would opt for blush garden roses, white gardenias and pale pink ranunculus, all anchored with some dark greenery. My bouquet would be tied with a charcoal gray Froufrou Chic ribbon and accented with my mom’s gold heart locket (something old and borrowed!). Centerpieces would consist of more of the same, arranged in loose, low vessels that let the flowers and greenery spill out on to the table.

What do y’all think? What would your dream Southern summer wedding look like?

Written with love by Lisa