Google+ wedding dessert buffet Archives - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Tag: wedding dessert buffet

One thing we love most about the South, and Southern weddings in particular, is that accompanying a love for tradition is an equally strong love for being true to ourselves. Today’s lovely couple, Megan and Aaron, are a perfect example of this. Planning a wedding in six months, walking down the aisle to bluegrass music, and playing lawn games in October, for example, are all things that many people might consider “against the rules” when it comes to weddings, but as Megan realized, there really aren’t any rules! As a result, their wedding was full of moments and details that truly meant something to them.

We’re so inspired by Megan and Aaron–thanks to Chris Isham for sharing their wedding with us!

We had talked about getting married for quite awhile, but the night we got engaged was a complete surprise. Two of my friends from Nashville were in town for the weekend. Aaron found out the ring was ready on Friday, and after talking with the girls, he made a plan to ask me that same night. For the entire night, the girls were stalling me, but I had no idea–he apparently kept texting them to say he needed more time. After a leisurely stroll through the park, a concert, and a tour of my place, we finally arrived at Aaron’s house. His car wasn’t there, so I assumed he wasn’t home. After some coaxing to get me into the kitchen, I turned the corner to see him standing in the dark with candles lit, tons of flowers, and the cutest handmade sign ever. I was in complete shock, but of course, I said yes!

I knew I wanted a very neutral color scheme for the wedding overall, but I also wanted to have a few subtle hints of fall. My flowers were mostly white and blush with green accents and hints of rust and dark brown. I don’t know a ton about flowers, but I told the florist what I was looking for, and they completely nailed it!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My old and blue was one and the same. Within the last few years, I lost my grandparents. They were the sweetest couple and I really admired their marriage. My grandfather served in the Vietnam War, and while he was away, he sent my grandmother a sweet pillow cover that said, “Sweetheart- Until we meet again, sweet thoughts to you I send, may all my blessings be with you, Your sweetheart always true.” I had my seamstress cut this part of the pillow cover and sew it into the bottom of my dress. It was a way to have them as part of the wedding even though they weren’t physically there. My something new was my dress and jewelry. For my something borrowed, one of my maids of honor took part of the leftover material from her bridesmaid dress after she had it altered and incorporated it into a garter for me.

We hired a bluegrass band to play at our reception and a few songs for the ceremony. Instead of going with traditional wedding songs, the wedding party and I walked down the aisle to some fun, upbeat, traditional bluegrass songs. It fit perfectly with the setting and casual atmosphere I wanted for the wedding.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We chose to say the traditional vows that our pastor provided us with, but there was a line in them that I hadn’t heard before. It said, “I pledge to never stop learning to be your husband/wife.” It was my favorite line because it’s so true that marriage is a learning process. Neither of us is going to be perfect all the time. The goal is to learn how to be a better wife/husband throughout this journey.

The biggest challenge for me in the whole wedding planning process was trying to find a venue. We got engaged in April and we wanted to get married by November. Since most brides plan their weddings at least a year out, I had a hard time finding availability. I stumbled upon a venue in Asheville called Yesterday Spaces and absolutely fell in love, but they only had Sundays available. After talking it over with Aaron and my family, we decided we could make it work if we had the wedding earlier in the day. Once the venue was locked in, wedding planning was smooth sailing from there on out.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our wedding had a very Southern feel. The setting was on a farm and the ceremony was outside. At the reception, we opted for a buffet-style dinner with lots of yummy food, including a good ol’ Southern side of mac and cheese, and of course, sweet tea!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. I went with a small, simple, white, round cake with ombre ruffles, and then had a variety of cupcakes with mini ruffles. Aaron isn’t a big dessert person, but he does love apple pie, so instead of a groom’s cake, we also had mini apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies. The desserts were displayed on white porcelain stands and slices of tree to give the dessert table the rustic and elegant look I was going for.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? You don’t have to go with tradition or do what everyone else does. In some aspects of our wedding, I felt like I needed to do the “traditional” things, but some of them just didn’t feel like us. After someone told me I didn’t HAVE to do anything, I quit stressing about the things I felt like I should do, and just went with things that we liked.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. In the summer of 2011, I was encouraged to try online dating by a friend’s sister. I brushed it off, but later mentioned it to my roommate. After being “dared” and curiosity getting the best of me, I took the plunge and joined an online dating site for one month. Luckily, Aaron was encouraged by a few friends to give it a try as well and joined at the same time I did. Three months after communicating, we met up in Greenville for a brief coffee date, and then two months later, we had our first official date in Nashville. We dated long distance for almost a year before I moved to Greenville, and we got engaged a few months after I moved down.
When did y’all get married? October 27, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 120
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I went home to Nashville to go dress shopping with my mom over Memorial Day weekend. I knew if I didn’t find a dress that weekend, I would most likely have to shop without my mom, so I was determined to find something. I found my dress at the second store we went to and I fell in love with it immediately. We already had an appointment set up at another store afterwards, so I went to take a look at some other options, just in case. The whole time I was there, I kept thinking about the other dress, so we rushed back to go get it!
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We did do a first look. Aaron was hesitant, but I wanted to be able to hug, kiss, and talk to him the first time I saw him that day. I’m so glad we did. The rest of the day flew by, so it was nice to share a few moments alone before all the craziness of the day started.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The caterer created “His” and “Hers” signature drink to serve. Aaron likes ginger, so his was a blackberry ginger lemonade. I love fruity drinks, so mine was a sparkling strawberry, pineapple, and kiwi cocktail.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? I can honestly say I was thrilled with all my vendors. Every one of them was amazing to work with, and they truly wanted to make our wedding day wonderful. The day went off without a hitch because of their hard work, which made for a fun and stress-free day.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Taking communion together as a couple during our ceremony is something that stands out from our wedding day. A friend of mine played a song we love on her guitar while the pastor prayed over us, and we had communion privately. It was just a special moment between the two of us.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Aaron and I are in the process of looking for and buying a house. I can’t wait to get settled into our first home together, start lots of traditions, and make lots of memories as a family.

Photographer: Chris Isham / Videographer: Hart to Heart / Planner: Verge Events / Venue: Yesterday Spaces / Florist and Lawn Games: Flora / Cake and Cupcakes: Tiffany’s Baking Co. / Catering and Mini Pies: Dining Innovations / Linens: Classic Event Rentals / Band: Bear Down Easy / Favor bags: Sixpence Press / Honey Favors: Hortons Farm / Cake Topper: Better off Wed / Lawn Signs: My Repurposed Life / Bridesmaid Robes: Silk and More / Chalk Art: Ryan Staus / Bride’s Gown: Augusta Jones / Bridal Salon and Veil: The Bride Room / Paper Banners: Megan Brooke Handmade / Flower Hairpiece: Pure Blooms / Jewelry: Dessy / Hair Stylist: Amanda from The Secret Spa / Makeup Artist: Wendy Ballance from Blush / Bride’s Shoes: Nina / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Georgette Collection from Aria / Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Chris Isham is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
6 Comments
  1. avatar Rustic Farm Wedding at Yesterday Spaces reply

    […] lovely folks at Southern Weddings have featured our wedding today on their blog. Be sure to head on over to check out some additional […]

  2. avatar Emily reply

    Too many beautiful things to point out about this wedding – I adore the going away truck, the fall ceremony, and the s’mores bar!

  3. avatar Kyla F reply

    The neutral color scheme of Megan and Aaron’s wedding sits beautifully against the backdrop of the autumn landscape. I really like their food selections, especially the s’more station and mac & cheese -such fun details! The idea of taking communion together as a couple is so special, too. That is something I would love to incorporate into my own wedding someday.

  4. avatar erin {a lowcountry wedding} reply

    love this smores bar!

  5. avatar January in Review reply

    […] I shared pictures from our rustic farm wedding at Yesterday Spaces. And also shared that our wedding was featured on Southern Weddings. […]

  6. avatar Mere Found Her Beau: The Ceremony – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] music inspiration from Megan and Aaron (by Chris Isham) and Catherine and Kyle (by Pink Shoe […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close

Last week, I was honored to join a few fellow Southern gals on a panel with Lover.ly to chat about Southern weddings. A great tip discussed was exploring different venue options that truly mean something special to the couple and their family and then making them your own. I think Baylor + Daniel hit the nail on the head by choosing the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, which has been a retreat for four generations of Baylor’s family. They then used farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade to create a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm. Gosh, I love that!

Thanks to one of our delightful Blue Ribbon Vendors, Elaine Palladino for sharing this sweet day with us!

My something borrowed was my grandmother’s pearls, something blue was my mother-in-law’s garter, something old was a pearl bracelet given to me by my dad, and something new was my shoes.

Describe your wedding flowers. I wanted flowers arrangements that were romantic and reminiscent of a garden’s natural beauty. Our florist, Veronica, created various centerpieces of moss-covered boxes and terrariums filled with peonies, garden roses, jasmine, anemones, clematis, spray roses and succulents. The pink, coral and magenta flowers were so luscious, and the best part was that no two arrangements were the same.

We decided to do a first look to relieve some of the nerves before our ceremony. Seeing each other in a more private setting among our closest family and wedding party was a really special moment we will always cherish. By the time we walked down the aisle, we felt no anxiety–just pure joy.

Y’all, this doll-baby is way too cute! Would it be wrong if I actually pinched those cheeks?

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The beautiful chuppah that my dad, cousin, sister and I built was my favorite detail. During the days leading up to the wedding, it meant a lot to have quality time spent with my family while sanding and staining the wood. They finished building it as I got ready and it was draped in ivory fabric and decorated with flowers. It was truly a labor of love and so meaningful to have as the focal point of our ceremony.

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Our guests traveled from all over the country to be at our wedding in Miami, so we wanted to make sure they truly felt a sense of locale and culture. To create this, we had a cigar bar, which included a local cigar roller, and a mojito bar serving two varieties: traditional and blood orange. These details were a huge hit with our guests and accomplished just what we had hoped–an authentic South Florida experience.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Our cake was ivory and decorated in lace designs and flowers. Each tier was a different flavor–vanilla lemon, vanilla almond and vanilla rum–and all were delicious. We also had a dessert bar that included adorable mini key lime pies, macarons, eclairs and fruit tartlets. My mouth waters thinking about all the sweets!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We were both planning separately to move to Colorado. Danny answered my ad searching for a roommate and we met for the first time two weeks before he moved in. We only made it three months as roommates before we started dating–there was just too much chemistry to ignore.
Tell us all about the proposal! We were living in Maui when Danny proposed. One spring weekend, we went on a little getaway to the mountains on the island of Lanai. Danny had been acting strange all weekend, and after we returned home, I confessed my disappointment, since I had anticipated a proposal. He said he was sorry for giving me the wrong idea and even suggested we weren’t ready yet! Little did I know, he already had the ring. I was folding laundry in our bedroom that evening when I walked out into the hallway to find Danny on his knee.
When did y’all get married? May 26, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. While my mom was visiting from Florida, we went dress shopping in Virginia. I tried one dress on that I couldn’t stop thinking about, but I continued my search. Six months and several dresses later, I went back to that first store and tried on the same dress–I knew it was “the one.”
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? With the help of Danny’s cousin, who was our officiant, we wrote our vows based on others that we had heard and read. My favorite part was hearing him say to me “I, Daniel Edward Knoll, take you, Baylor Guyton Young, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love…I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? My sister-in-law recited the Hands Ceremony and a friend of ours read an Apache Marriage Blessing, which ended in “may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Our ceremony music was performed by a string trio and was absolutely beautiful. I decided to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon” because the song has always made me so happy. Our first dance was “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. It was romantic and relaxed, a feeling which seemed to perfectly represent our wedding and us as a couple.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest members-only yacht clubs in the South and has been a retreat for my family for four generations. We enhanced the setting with farm tables, lace-tied flowers and strawberry basil lemonade with paper straws. Being out on the lawn at the water’s edge really helped to instill a sense of relaxed, easy-going Southern charm.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a wedding from afar was a bit challenging. We got engaged while living in Hawaii and moved to Virginia to be closer to friends and family, but still found ourselves many miles from South Florida. We were only able to meet with our vendors in person a month before the wedding, and all other planning had to be done through phone and email.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment of the day was our first look. We had originally decided that we didn’t want to do it, but changed our minds, and I’m so glad we did! It was really special to be able to spend that time with Danny and take a moment to escape the chaos of the day. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes when he saw me in my wedding dress for the first time.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? If at all possible, make the dinner and dancing portion of your reception an hour longer. We had a typical five-hour reception that flew by. It’s worth setting up in advance so that you can enjoy the evening and don’t have to worry about paying your vendors to stay longer.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We recently returned from our honeymoon in Iceland and Spain. With all of the planning behind us, we are looking forward to simply spending quality time with each other and our families. We heard our first dance song at a friend’s wedding last month. All of the incredible memories of our wedding night came rushing back, and it was surreal for us to already be looking back on everything. It all goes by so fast.

Elaine Palladino is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
16 Comments
  1. avatar Emily reply

    Love the succulent escort cards!

  2. avatar Amanda {Amanda Jayne Events} reply

    I love the centerpieces!

  3. avatar Caitlyn | The Aerialist Press reply

    Love that venue!!

  4. avatar Desiree reply

    Gah! Loving so much of this! What a gorgeous wedding and there are some seriously talented peeps involved! yay :)

  5. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze #113 | Floridian Weddings reply

    […] amazing things happen! We were instantly smitten by all the lovely details of Baylor and Daniel's nautical Miami wedding – including Anthology's stunning florals – that were brought together by Sugar(ed) Occasions and […]

  6. avatar Ellen Williams reply

    Can you tell me where her blue shoes are from or who the designer is?

  7. avatar 2013 Featured Roundup | Elaine Palladino | Portrait and Wedding Photographer | Miami and the World. reply

    […] Weddings selected this shot from Baylor and Danny’s Biscayne Bay Yacht Club wedding as one of their favorite kids images of the […]

  8. avatar Mňam – Torty s čerstvým ovocím » Perfect Day reply

    […] Credits * 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 […]

  9. avatar Fotogenické svatební střevíčky | Originální Svatba reply

    […] | 1 2 3 […]

  10. avatar Blue Wedding Inspiration | Amber Housley | Nashville Wedding Planner | Designer | Nashville Wedding Planner | Stylist | Custom Wedding Invitations Stationery | Lifestyle | Inspired reply

    […] | Blue Wedding Shoes | Bridesmaids Dresses | Monogrammed Cornhole | Blue Place Setting | Wedding […]

  11. avatar Bridal Trends: Succulent Wedding Favors » Buffalo Indie Weddings & Rochester Indie Weddings reply

    […] Southern Weddings- Elaine Palladino […]

  12. avatar LTS Design: Succulent inspiration » Love Tree Studios Blog – Columbia MO Photographers reply

    […] Source […]

  13. avatar Southern Wedding Ideas Any Northerner Would LoveTruly Engaging Wedding Blog reply

    […] Flowers by Harwell Photography | Shoes and Flower Girl by Elaine Palladina Photography {via Southern Weddings} | Mini Pie by A Subtle […]

  14. avatar Our Favorite Summer Wedding Trends for 2016 -Beau-coup Blog reply

    […] credit clockwise from top left: 100layercake, Stylemepretty, Southernweddings, Beau-coup, […]

  15. avatar El horóscopo de la moda y las bodas – My Blog reply

    […] 1–2–3–4–5–6–7 8–9–10–11–12–13 14–15–16–17–18–19 20–21–22–23–24–25 ¿Qué te ha parecido el horóscopo de la moda  y las bodas? ¿Ya sabes qué te te depara el 2016? Besos de confetti* […]

  16. avatar Decoracion de boda con campanas de cristal reply

    […] foto 1 vía Accent Decor, foto 2 vía Wedding Chicks, foto 3 vía Southern Weddings, foto 4 vía United Love, foto 5 vía Mon Cheri Bridals, foto 6 vía Cedar Wood Weddings, foto 7 […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close
Top