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Of course, y’all know I love this wedding because it’s super Southern, ultra-feminine, and perfectly classic, but when you add in a baseball stadium reception, you’ve especially got me hooked! Hayley is a girl after my own heart–she can talk sports with the boys, and still has a perfect Southern bump! Sound like anyone y’all know? Ahem! ;) With all of the stress that can sometimes accompany a wedding day, we all know how important it is to focus on the moments that have deep meaning, but I also agree with Hayley and Barton about the importance of having fun! When the bride and groom surprise their guests with face paint – yes, face paint – at their reception, I can only imagine how much fun their wedding must be!

Thank you so much to Mustard Seed Photography for capturing this blast of a big day!

My something borrowed was my matron of honor’s delicate silver bracelet, which she received on her own wedding day. My something blue was my delicate blue lace garter from BHLDN. My something old was the diamond earrings I wore, which belonged to Barton’s grandmother. My something new was my brand new Jimmy Choo pumps!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. The wedding dress I ended up getting was exactly what I had always envisioned: all lace, strapless, mermaid style. It was simple, classic, and timeless. I went into the process knowing exactly what I wanted, so it was an easy decision as soon as I tried on the Romona Keveza dress. I added a crystal sash from BHLDN, a beautifully delicate diamond headpiece from a bridal boutique in Houston called Mia Bridal Couture, simple nude Jimmy Choo peep-toe pumps, and a dramatic cathedral-length veil. I knew Barton would love the look, but more importantly, I felt like myself.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided not to do a first look, and it was a very mutual decision that we felt strongly about. We wanted to fully experience that sweet, priceless moment of him seeing me for the first time as the church doors opened up and as I was walking towards him to finally become his wife. There was something so precious, special, and innocent about that moment for us. We loved our decision and feel that it made our day that much more special.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I absolutely adored the twenty minutes Barton and I had to ourselves after the ceremony, right before the reception. During this time, we retreated to our own private room at the reception venue, where we were able to eat some of our delicious food, sip on one of our signature drinks, and simply revel in the precious moments together. It was exactly what we needed right before we were formally introduced to everyone as Mr. and Mrs. Simmons, and it was a great little breather before we danced the night away with all of our friends and family.

We selected Christ Church Cathedral because, in our opinion, it was the most beautiful church in all of downtown Houston. The stained glass windows and gorgeous outdoor courtyard made a perfect backdrop for our special day. As for our reception venue, we chose Union Station at Minute Maid Park for so many reasons! First, it’s also located in downtown Houston, and we wanted our guests to be able to experience the heart of the city and all that Houston has to offer. Union Station is connected to Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros play baseball, which is a prestigious landmark in Houston. It made for a pretty cool cocktail hour (our guests were able to venture out onto a balcony that looks over Minute Maid Park), but most importantly, it’s an absolutely breathtaking space! Our venue had huge, soaring ceilings, elegant arches, exquisite white and marble columns, and an open, airy feel. It was beautiful on its own, yet it still provided so much opportunity for us to add our own personality through delicate, pretty, personal touches.

We absolutely adore seeing how y’all use products from the Southern Weddings Shop in your weddings, and H + B’s showcase absolutely did our prints justice!

Being from Texas, I absolutely wanted our wedding to give our out-of-town guests a taste of the South! We had white wedding cake, thick ribbons tied into big bows around the gold chiavari chairs, roses in mason jar-style vases, straw cowboy hats for all our guests to wear while dancing, and the most adorably Southern prints from the Southern Weddings Shop, which we framed in antique white wooden frames and placed around the venue. We made sure our guests’ welcome bags were super Southern too, and combined both mine and Barton’s home towns of Texas and Tennessee: Texas Hot Sauce, Texas-sized jelly beans, Tennessee-made GooGoo Clusters candy, and tiny Tennessee Jack Daniels bottles. One of our favorite Southern touches was the plates of Shipley Do-Nut holes we passed around as a little treat sometime after 10 p.m., when the party was in full force. Shipley’s Do-Nuts is a staple in Houston and I grew up eating them for breakfast as a little girl.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. For the brides’s cake, we had a five-tiered traditional white wedding cake with buttercream filling. The design alternated smooth and quilting designs with gold candy dots and gold fondant ribbon, with all-white shimmer icing. The groom’s cake was designed to look like the Yale football field, since Barton played football at Yale. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling, covering in green icing and accents in navy and white fondant (Yale colors). We added a little football helmet with Barton’s name and football number painted on it, which he loved.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Barton and I first met very briefly in June 2010 through mutual friends. We introduced ourselves and shook hands, but I didn’t think anything of it, mostly because he was wearing a neon bandana wrapped around his forehead and a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off (don’t ask). Little did I know, blindingly neon colors and strange headgear would soon become a constant in my life. Fast forward more than a year later, to August 2011. I had just been asked to write a column for a new sports website called Outkick the Coverage. As soon as my article was published, I immediately had both a Facebook friend request and Twitter follower request sitting in my inbox from Mr. Simmons himself. He had met me over a year ago, yes, but I didn’t truly catch his eye until I started talking about sports on the Internet! Without even realizing it, I had accidentally found the keys to his heart: sports and social media. After I accepted both of his friend requests, he Tweeted at me the next day, asking me to hang out over the weekend. We ended up going on our official first date, and exactly two years later, he proposed!
Tell us all about the proposal! Barton and I took our dog Milo for a walk around Barton’s neighborhood before dinner on Friday, July 26th. Barton, the self-professed leader of our walks, strayed from our usual route and started directing us down a path we hadn’t been down since a walk we took when we first started dating. Barton ended up leading me to a quiet path on the outskirts of the neighborhood. He stopped me in the middle of the deserted road and had me hold Milo’s leash as he took out a piece of paper, on which he had written a poem. I had been begging Barton to write me a poem for at least a whole year (and he hadn’t), and now here he was, standing in front of me reading the poem he’d written for me. When he finished the poem, he got down on one knee and proposed. Milo was the only one who witnessed it all. After that, we went straight to the best surprise party EVER–all of our close friends and family were waiting for us at an intimate dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night.
When did y’all get married? May 10, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? Approximately 200
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our first dance song was “I Like To Be With Me When I’m With You” by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. We chose this song because of its simple message: we love that we can be ourselves with each other. Every lyric in that song is so sweet. One line says, “If I could live on the moon, I’d rather stay in Tennessee with you,” which was fitting since we both live in Nashville, Tennessee!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $75,000-$100,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? One way we saved money was by adding a fake layer to the bride’s cake! No one noticed and we still had plenty of cake left to go around.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Do it together! While I did the majority of the planning, Barton was definitely vocal about many of the decisions. It was so fun hearing his ideas (ahem–the face paint), and I valued his input. We loved spending evenings together playing song after song after song, searching for the perfect first dance song (and practicing dancing with each other to each tune). We also did a lot of food menu research together, as we consider ourselves amateur foodies and both had a ton of cuisine ideas. He also pleasantly surprised me by having opinions on things I wouldn’t expect, like his preference to not do a first look and what to do for our send-off (we ended up doing these fun poppers with metallic streamers). While weddings are typically touted as the “bride’s day,” I knew this day was equally as important to Barton and I wanted him to be happy with it, too. I truly loved getting to embark on the planning journey with him by side.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Honestly, as exciting and exhilarating as planning this wedding was, we were most looking forward to just getting back to normal life! (And I’m pretty sure Barton was most looking forward to getting OFF of the wedding diet, which didn’t allow for our beloved pizza nights). In our hearts, we already felt like we were married, and just couldn’t wait for it to be official. Another ridiculously fun part of married life is getting your wedding photos back, printing them out, and framing them around your house, to always have a reminder of that incredible day! Our living room walls may or may not already be covered in wedding photos, not leaving room for much else…but what else do you need?!

Photographer: Mustard Seed Photography / Videographer: Green Leaf Films / Planner: Sharon Leahy / Ceremony Venue: Christ Church Cathedral / Reception Venue: Union Station at Minute Maid / Florist: The Bloom Room and The Senter Piece / Wedding Cake: Edible Designs by Jessie / Caterer: Greg Herbst at Houston Astros Hospitality Group / Rentals: Avalon Event Rentals / Linens: Over The Top Linen / Lighting: J&S Audio Visual / Band: In10City Band / Candle Votives and Vases: BHLDN / Champagne Glasses and Cake Servers: Kate Spade / Prints: The Southern Weddings Shop / Thanks Y’all Sign: Z Create Design / Paper Products: Darby Cards / Bride’s Gown: “L216” by Legends by Romona Keveza / Bride’s Headpiece: Mia Bridal Couture / Bride’s Veil: B.Hughes Bridal / Bride’s Belt: BHLDN / Hair and Makeup: Glam Studio by Misty Rockwell / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Style 776” in Petal Pink by Bill Levkoff / Groom’s Attire: Tom James / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

marissa Written with love by Marissa
7 Comments
  1. avatar Occasions In Print reply

    Love pink and gold for a wedding! Beautiful and the groom’s cake is awesome!

  2. avatar Loverly reply

    That cake looks gorgeous!

  3. avatar Sara Dodd reply

    I absolutely LOVE this weeding! The love between Barton and Hayley is so powerful. You can totally see the love between them both! Does y’all have any recommendations on where to buy those amazing poppers with the metallic streamers??!!

  4. avatar Maria @ The Good Life reply

    That Yale Bulldogs Groom’s cake is excellent! Beautiful wedding.

  5. avatar Mikkel reply

    Stunning details everywhere! LOVE the “bang” silver streamers. So fun! And the “thanks y’all” is another favorite. Awesome dance floor dip photo too. :-) Congratulations to Hayley and Barton and Mustard Seed Photography!

  6. avatar Stacy {Woodsy Weddings} reply

    The diamond headpiece is one of my favorite accessories I’ve seen! I love all the fun touches like the football cake and the chalkboard the ring bearer held.

  7. avatar Recent Publications » Mustard Seed Photography reply

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Kelly + Corey’s wedding blows me away in so many ways. Yes, it’s indeed a lovely affair, but it came together under the sweetest but challenging situations. Kelly is in the Air Force and Corey is in the Army. Though their proposal was a very welcome and loving surprise, it also occurred right before Corey departed for his station in Korea! Despite the distance, K + C put together a wedding that boasts the most meaningful details and traditions (don’t forget to read about Kelly’s dress!) — and looks darn fun to boot! We are so grateful for Amy Arrington, who sent this lovely our way.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
My wedding dress was one of my favorite parts! My mom wore the same dress that my grandmother wore when she got married in 1960. I grew up saying I would never wear that dress! When it was my turn to get married, I was overcome with sentiment and knew that I was going to wear their dress. It didn’t quite fit me, so I took the dress to TK Designs in Atlanta and had the top of the dress remade. The skirt is still the original, and they used the same type lace from the skirt to create the top. I was so proud to wear my grandmother’s and mother’s 53-year-old dress and wouldn’t have had it any other way!

My bridesmaids were SO wonderful. They made my wedding planning process so easy, and my day-of so peaceful and calm. (They were running around like crazy people dealing with issues left and right! I had no clue!) They actually helped me do my own baby’s breath bouquets. They also decorated everything the morning of, while I was getting my hair done. The only flowers I had done professionally were two large ceremony arrangements and my bridal bouquet. I wanted something simple, green, and white. My florist did exactly what I had in my head and everything was simple, yet beautiful. I also wrapped an old family handkerchief around my bouquet for my “something blue.”

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Yes! At first, Corey and I wanted to do everything very traditionally. However our photographer told us reasons it may be beneficial. We thought about it and realized that it would create an easier transition to the reception by having pictures before. We also wanted to have that one moment alone on our crazy day. I am so glad we decided to have a first look because it truly did calm my nerves for the rest of the day!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. 
We did the traditional song for the entrance, Canon in D, then the traditional Bridal Chorus when my Dad and I walked in. When we walked out, the traditional Wedding March played! These were all very important to me since I wanted a very traditional church ceremony. However, to make it more personal, we had everyone stand and sing “In Christ Alone” together so that we would be a reminded to live out a Christ-centered marriage. We had our extremely talented friend Marleigh sing “Amazing Grace” to remind us of how powerful the grace that God has given us truly is.

Did you write your own vows? We did! This was probably my favorite part of the ceremony. Corey is a wonderful writer and much better with words than I. His vows were so romantic, poetic, and intentional. Mine were more light hearted and fun. It totally described our relationship and people got to see who we really were by doing this. At the end, Corey said, “You are my moon, my love, my life.” Our big thing has always been the moon since we have always had distance between us. We both know that no matter where in the world we are, if we look at the moon, the other person could be looking at the same moon. We carried this over to the reception and danced to Frank Sinatra’s, “Fly Me to the Moon” for our first dance.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We had our good friend Alix read Romans 12 because it is an important reminder of how to love as an action, always! The pastor who married us was my youth pastor in high school. He made the ceremony so light and fun. Everyone was laughing one second, then crying the next. It truly was such a personal ceremony and we received many compliments about how it was so “us.” That’s exactly what we wanted!

I believe that in the South especially, we have such a pride for our military. The fact that we had such a traditional and military wedding is what I believe made it a Southern affair. We had a traditional saber arch that we walked through, and all the military men wore their dress blues. The ceremony was at the oldest Methodist Church in Savannah and the reception was at the Savannah Yacht Club right on the bay. These two venues truly encompassed Southern charm. We also had a trolley bring all of our guests back downtown after the reception to continue the fun! Savannah, Georgia, is one of the most charming and quaint towns you’ll ever visit. There was no way our wedding wouldn’t be a Southern celebration having it there!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
Corey is in the Army, and I am in the Air Force. Anyone who knows anything about the military knows this causes for some issues with being able to see each other. I was finishing up nursing school during the planning process and Corey was living in Korea. He saved up enough leave to take a month to come home, get married, and return to finish his tour. I would say my biggest challenge was not having Corey physically there to help with things. He proposed to me and then left for Korea one week later!

Corey and I are not huge fans of cake and pretty much put the task on the bottom of our list. I actually just went to Publix and asked them to create two cakes, one vanilla and one chocolate. We could not have been happier with that decision and we saved a ton of money by doing so! The cakes really turned out beautifully and tasted great, too! No one could believe that they were from Publix! We also included a Korean tradition in our cake toppers. In Korea, when a couple gets married, they receive wedding ducks that resemble peace, fertility, and faithfulness. Apparently ducks are one of the few animals that mate for life and never take a second partner. We loved adding in something from the culture where Corey is currently living.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
Corey and I met through the best man at our wedding, Mark. Mark and Corey were roommates in college. Corey visited Mark one summer and I got to know Corey better that week. We decided we liked each other and continued talking. I was quite non-committal but that summer when I went to my ROTC boot camp, Corey pursued me through the most beautiful, eloquent letters and I knew then that there was something different about this guy!
Describe the proposal. 
Corey had just finished flight school and was getting ready to leave for his first assignment in the Army in South Korea. As excited as we both were about this endeavor, it was also very sad since we would be separated. I was convinced we were not going to get engaged before he left, but one week before his departure date, he did it! We were visiting his parents in Savannah, Georgia, and he decided to take me on a walk on the beach. We had our first kiss at a certain lifeguard stand two years prior (almost exactly to the day!) where he got on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring! My best friends were hiding in the sand dunes taking pictures and ran out and surprised me afterward! Corey also had a big engagement party planned back at his parents’ house where all my college roommates and friends and my parents were waiting to surprise me again! It was a wonderful day.
In what month did you get married? 
March
How many guests attended your wedding? 
250
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
There were so many things I loved! One thing I loved was surprising Corey with an ice sculpture of the helicopter he flies, the Chinook. Corey is more than obsessed with planes and loved this! Another detail that truly made Corey and I feel like we were a prince and princess was having the Model A driven by my grandparents as our getaway car. My grandparents collect Model A’s, and ever since I saw those cars, I knew I wanted one in my wedding. They hauled the car all the way from Oklahoma to Savannah and made my wedding day complete! It was so wonderful to get in the car after the ceremony and drive around downtown Savannah and have all these people wave at us like we were royalty! It was a dream come true for sure!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
One of the most important things to Corey and I are people. We love being around people and we both are very social. I knew that having a lot of guests come to the wedding would mean that I couldn’t spend as much on decorations or other things. I really do think that having all our friends and family be invited was more important than anything else I could have spent money on. The other thing that was important to us was the photography. I couldn’t have asked for a better photographer and am so happy to have spent the money on Amy Arrington! (She and her husband are incredibly talented and actually very reasonable for what you receive!)
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
It is so hard to choose just one moment. We had the most unique and hilarious speeches from our bridal party. My maids of honor did a rap that was so funny! Corey’s best man, Mark, had one of the greatest speeches of all time. We really have such talented and funny friends. Corey and I go on and on about how much we loved seeing all of our friends and family enjoying time with one another. The DJ was so great, and the dance floor was covered the whole night! We saw pure happiness in so many people and realized how blessed we are to have such wonderful, supportive people in our life.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Have fun! I actually miss the planning process because it really can be so fun! Choose things that you really care about and focus on those. Find a cheaper and easier way to handle things that aren’t as important so that you can spend more on the other things! Stay organized and rely on your mom or bridesmaids to help you, especially with day-of events. I was made fun of for this, but actually had schedules for each person with where they needed to be at what time. I didn’t have or need a wedding planner because of the help I got from all my girls and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
Corey and I are mainly excited about living in the same time zone! I am stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. Corey will be stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs starting in July. People think we’re crazy for getting married when we knew we would be apart, but it’s what was meant to be! We believe we have a love that can conquer anything and if this is the hardest thing we have to deal with then I think we’re doing OK! We look forward to the time we actually get to live under the same roof. Until then, there’s lots of traveling in our future!

Amy Arrington is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
12 Comments
  1. avatar Savannah, GA Wedding : Corey + Kelly reply

    […] you SOUTHERN WEDDINGS for featuring their […]

  2. avatar Shelby reply

    This has got to be one of the happiest weddings I’ve ever seen. The couple just exudes joy!

  3. avatar Kat reply

    I’m in awe of the great love they have in one another to get married and live in different states! I can’t imagine what that must be like & I really respect & value what they’re doing both for our country and each other. Thank you for your service :)

  4. avatar Lilian reply

    Ah! I love it! I am doing my own baby’s breath bouquets too! Just placed my order with Blooms by the Box this month! I hope mine turn out just like these!

  5. avatar Sarah Sommer reply

    What is the name of the color of these bridesmaids dresses? Gorgeous

  6. avatar Kelly reply

    I am also wondering what the color is of these dresses, it is beautiful.

  7. avatar Linda reply

    What a beautiful wedding. Sometimes I wish that I lived in the south so that I could photograph weddings with such beautiful backdrops like this. I love the vintage car. Very chic.

  8. avatar Carly reply

    I absolutely love this wedding! This is the post that first introduced me to the work of the lovely Amy Arrington. This wedding popped up on my RSS feed one morning and I emailed her THAT DAY! I can’t wait for her to photograph our October wedding in Charleston– re-visiting this post just reminds me how lucky I was to find her! :)

  9. avatar Best of 2013: Ceremonies – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] sword arch | Kelly + Corey | Amy […]

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  11. avatar Michelle reply

    Gorgeous wedding! Nice to know you can use the wish lanterns at the Savannah Yacht Club – they look beautiful and I have yet to see them used here in Savannah.

  12. avatar diana reply

    I am in search of grayed jaded or sage bridesmaid dresses and can’t find the perfect color! You’re dresses are the perfect color! What brand and color is that?

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When I took my first peak at Nicole + Rob’s wedding images, I was completly taken with Nicole’s gor-geous Olia Zavozina deep scoop-back gown. For a self-proclaimed tom boy, this girl sure cleans up nicely! Beyond the stunning gown, Nicole + Rob’s big day was full of lovely Southern details. My favorite has to be the old refurbished church pews at the ceremony – y’all know I’m a sucker for outdoor Cathedrals, and adding in the Tennessee rolling hills. I think I might need to rework my renewal plans!

The dress was my first purchase. Two of my sorority sisters were visiting and wanted to go dress shopping. It was only a few weeks after we got engaged, so the thought of trying on wedding dresses felt slightly overwhelming. After two appointments, I didn’t really like anything and disliked the process even more. It just felt kind of fake and forced (I should note I’m a self-proclaimed tom boy so this didn’t surprise me). While heading to dinner, we passed a new bridal store, and the light was still on. My friends flocked to the window to peak inside and the door opened. It was the designer, Olia Zavozina. She told us her store was set to open the following month, but if I wanted, she would allow me to come in the next day. I did and fell in love with the first dress I tried on. Talk about fate!

Tom boy? Um, I’d have to go with complete knockout! Nicole sure knows how to rock the glam look!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? I went back and forth on this. I think every girl (or most girls) wants to see her husband-to-be’s expression as she walks down the aisle. Ultimately, we both decided to do a first look. It was great because this moment was not only a special moment we shared together, privately, but we were able to take all of our pictures before the wedding to maximize time with our out of town guests post-ceremony. It was perfect.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My longtime friend Melissa read from The Equality of Woman and Man. “The Lord made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other. If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favor in the Kingdom of heaven. Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.”

It was important to us to have vows that sounded like us. I’m a bit of a research geek, so I had a ton of fun pulling verses and copy from varying sources. My favorite part of our vows was actually a line towards the end that was something I told the pastor when he asked me what my vision was for our marriage. I told him, “As I look to the life that we will build together, I hope that we will continue to push each other towards the best versions of ourselves.” It was a nice touch to our vows that he took from our one-on-one conversations.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? That’s tough, as you would imagine. The more sentimental memory would be Rob and I walking down the hill after the ceremony. We were both so relieved for it to be over (it was kind of stressful!) and just take in the scenery of the Tennessee rolling hills. The more fun memory was a dance off between Rob and me to Salt n Pepa’s “Push It.” That happened unplanned, and it was fantastic. Rob did his classic butter churn dance move, sans his shirt.

My bouquet was a mix of white peonies, white cushions, orchids and green hypericum berries throughout. The bridesmaids bouquets had white hydrangeas with green hypericum berries, Robert had a green mini cym with an orchid and white status boutonnieres and the groomsmen had green berries. Our tables had spyders, cushion berries, million star and Queen Anne’s and our outside ceremony alter had white hydrangeas at the top.

We saw the style of our wedding as being crisp, clean and classic with a little rustic feel (after all, it was on a farm). Our color palette was white, navy and Kelly green. We had old refurbished church pews at the ceremony site with the Tennessee rolling hills overlooking the farm; there were two barns with bars alongside a gorgeous backyard setting where guests were seated. Our specialty drinks were Jack Daniel whiskey and coke and vodka and tea. Guests enjoyed family-style BBQ that included pulled chicken, beef brisket, mac-n-cheese, squash casserole, green beans and corn bread and honey butter. We also had old quilts that adorned the seats in one of the barns and a classically chic chandelier.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We had a two-layer buttermilk cake with chocolate filling and white icing on the outside, and cupcakes in triple chocolate, coconut cream, red velvet, vanilla and white chocolate.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Rob and I were introduced through our mutual friend, Jennifer. Jen and I work together, and she had mentioned that she thought her neighbor and I would hit it off. She described Rob as tall, handsome, athletic and polite. He had a good job in investment management and was from Oxford, Mississippi. Who could turn that down?! Our first date was during restaurant week on a snowy night in January. Oddly enough, we didn’t initially hit it off as one might think! Looking back, I think it was first date nerves and the restaurant wasn’t really our scene. After some encouragement from Jen, we both agreed to give it another shot. Fast forward a few days to our second date. Rob took me to a local sports bar to watch the NFL playoffs. We were able to relax, banter and watch some good ole’ fashion football. Suffice to say we hit it off immediately. We realized we had a lot in common: An affinity for SEC sports (Go Gators), the Giants (he likes Eli, I love NYC), a Christian upbringing, running, dogs, music and a sarcastic sense of humor. Not to mention I found Rob incredibly good looking. After what was an infinitely more successful date, we were inseparable.
Describe the proposal. We decided to take a trip to Rosemary Beach in the Spring. It was our first night there and Rob planned a dinner at a swanky restaurant. We biked around most of the day and as we headed back to our condo, Rob suggested going for a walk on the beach before dinner. We showered and got dressed, and as we stepped out on the beach it started to torrentially downpour. We went back inside and our electricity went out! I laughed and suggested we just head to the restaurant early for a drink. Rob sat down on the couch and motioned for me to join him. He pulled out a four-page letter and started to read it to me. What he was reading aloud didn’t really sink at first, but I quickly realized it was a letter he wrote to my mother. He went into detail about how he felt about me; that even after only four months, he knew that that I was what he had waited his whole life for; that I was the love of his life and that he would call her on Saturday to talk through his intentions and address any questions or concerns she had. My father passed away from cancer in 2004, so Rob knew that my mother’s blessing meant everything to me. The thought to write her a letter and give her time to process everything before he called was something you just didn’t hear about much. It was unique…but perhaps that’s just how they do it here in the South. He called my mother that Saturday and after some assurances Rob gave her, she wholeheartedly gave her blessing. Before she hung up, she just said, “Nikki’s father would have wanted me to say this; but please just please take care of our baby girl.” Rob went on to tell me that the day my engagement ring arrived, my mother called him and asked if the ring came in. It caught Rob off guard, since the ring had arrived a couple days before it was expected. When Rob told my mom that the ring arrived that morning, she simply replied, “I knew it. Today is the day that Nikki’s dad and I got married!” At this point, tears were streaming down my face. Rob got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him — to which I more than happily obliged.
In what month did you get married? April 2012
How many guests attended your wedding? About 90 guests total
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We had a string trio play during the ceremony. During the wedding party processional, they played U2’s “Beautiful Day” and Coldplay’s “The Scientist.” As I walked down the aisle, they played the more traditional Canon in D. During the recessional, the played Muse’s “Starlight.” We took dance lessons for 10 weeks to prepare for our first dance. We learned the rumba to Ray Lamontagne’s “You are the Best Thing.” No one knew we had a choreographed first dance, so it was a fun surprise for everyone and we looked great. It was a blast.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The chic chandelier over the bar in the barn behind an old mirror that listed our specialty drinks.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Being patient. I’m a perfectionist and planner by trade (I work in advertising), so it was tough for me to let go and trust that my wedding coordinator and venue would take care of everything. It was a lesson in patience, for sure.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Hands down my photographer. Being in advertising, I know what good photography can do for the end product. It was important to me that our photographer embodied a photo-documentary style. I really disliked wedding photos that looked overly staged. Without question, I knew I wanted Leslee Mitchell.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Have faith that everything will work out, and even if something happens unexpected on your wedding day – the guests likely won’t even know. So enjoy it and take it all in, because the day itself goes by in a blink.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? House hunting, travel and beginning talks of children. More planning!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
3 Comments
  1. avatar Andre Blais reply

    What a beautiful wedding! Gorgeous photography also! Thanks for sharing!

  2. avatar Iceni reply

    Fabulous article. Love the rustic looks the bride & groom chose, and Nicole looked amazing in her gown. Fab sparklers to finish of the night.

  3. avatar kaitlyn t pham reply

    Hi! Nicole I was wondering what the name of your dress is from – I just recently got one from Olia and it looks like that as well but can’t seem to find the name. thanks

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