May « 2010 « Southern Weddings Magazine

Real North Carolina Wedding: Mary Katherine + David, Part II

May 31, 2010 by Southern Weddings in Real Southern Weddings | 6 comments

Almost as good as her bridesmaid dresses from Modcloth was Mary Katherine’s dress from Cardinal Bridal (okay, okay, the bride’s dress always wins) and her head piece from Etsy. Maxie B’s took care of the delicious-looking cake buffet and Emerywood Fine Foods, the catering, while old photos, handmade decor, wild-looking florals, and free-form painted signs transformed A Place for the Heart into a place for MK and David’s wedding. Thanks again to Alexa’s Photography for these lovely images — see more on her blog here!

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What was Southern about your wedding? The wedding was held on a farm in the South!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I found it at the third place I looked, within two weeks of being engaged. The moment I saw it, I knew it was what I had envisioned meeting my groom in.
Describe your wedding flowers: All of our flowers were fresh from the local farmers market! We wanted a natural, wild look and feel.
Describe your wedding cake: We found a unique design with poppy flowers, and changed the color scheme of the poppies to match our wedding colors. My sister-in-law hand made the fabric bird toppers and a tree out of wire!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Our first kiss – since it was literally our first kiss!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We both work in full-time Christian ministry and look forward to a life of loving others, embracing adventures and newness!

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xo Southern Weddings May 31, 2010 | view Southern Weddings's blog

Hi-Fi Weddings, June 4, 2010 5:31 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

omg this is the sweetest thing ever!!! and what a romantic first kiss that must have been :)

Nate at Open Light Studio, June 3, 2010 4:07 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Wow, what beautiful down home details. Lovely post.

Nancy Ray, June 1, 2010 2:18 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

i LOVE this sweet wedding! so enchanting.

F @ sanebrideadvice, June 1, 2010 11:39 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

So sweet! Love the fashion of the bride adn groom, and of course the love!

Elizabeth @ Dapper Paper, May 31, 2010 10:03 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

i knew I was right about this couple! totally LOVELY!

and the details!? ::swoon:: so sweet and pretty!

Aleah + Nick Valley, May 31, 2010 5:15 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

This is positively lovely!

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 sweet thoughts!

Real North Carolina Wedding: Mary Katherine + David, Part I

May 31, 2010 by Southern Weddings in Real Southern Weddings | 1 comment

First, how awesome is that last shot of MK and David? I’m loving their totally classic birdseed toss getaway. Second, how summery and fresh do the ‘maids look in their Modcloth frocks? (“Frocks” really seems the only appropriate word here, doesn’t it?) The casual ceremony was held at A Place for the Heart, with hand-tied bouquets gathered from the farmer’s market and boutonnieres handmade by the bride! Check back later for more from this couple’s reception, including a mouth-watering cake buffet. Big thanks to Alexa Stutts for sending this wedding our way!

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How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. It all started at “A Place For The Heart” Journaling Retreat in November of 2008. We were introduced, avoided each other out of bashfulness and had our first conversation about crisis pregnancies and God’s compassion for people! The retreat ended, and there was no contact info exchanged. Over the next three weeks, though, we ended up with the same group of people in the same places (bowling, TWICE!) and continued getting to know one another. We loved talking to each other and learning about the other’s friends, family, dreams and favorites movies. We have seen the “good, the bad, and the ugly,” but always have come out with hope, perseverance, and more love.
Describe the proposal. David took me to Friendship field off the Blue Ridge, and we spent a nice (and very, very cold) time frolicking in the field. Meanwhile, back at Thunder Hill, various very good friends of David’s were preparing for our arrival. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, David started stalling and I got more and more antsy (and cold). Finally, he got the text he was waiting for and nonchalantly suggested we walk back to his car. As we rounded the bend to Thunder Hill, David asked that question and I gave my answer: yes! From there, we went to an amazingly special after-party where we were blessed by our incredibly special friends.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Peaceful, moving and authentic.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: How we felt so full and so alive. It was truly an atmosphere of love.

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xo Southern Weddings May 31, 2010 | view Southern Weddings's blog

Elizabeth @ Dapper Paper, May 31, 2010 3:08 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

this wedding is LOVELY: so rustic yet pretty!

and after reading about them, the couple seems as lovely as the wedding!

Winner : The LV Studio

May 28, 2010 by Katharine in Contests | 1 comment

Last week could have been dubbed the Southern Weddings Stationery Week (SWSW!). Katharine’s favorite “nerdling”, Emily, had a fabulous time at the National Stationery Show. Her live tweets from the event would entice even the paper-phobic. We also held a stationery giveaway from LV Studio to bring the stationery love to our readers. So happy SWSW… celebrate by buying some stationery and sending some lovely letters to your favorite Southern Weddings gals!

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Congratulations to Meredith Ann! She gets to celebrate Southern Weddings Stationery Week in style with her new set of 50 thank you notes from LV Studio.

We asked readers to pick out their favorite design suite from the LV Studio website and tell us why it was their favorite. Here’s Meredith Ann’s answer:

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Good gracious saints! They have such pretty invitations! If I were a bold person, and were getting married on the beach I would definitely go with the Sonali! I would have it printed in Hot Pink and Lime Green! But since I am not having a beach wedding, and I am better described as “resigned” I would have to say that I would pick either Mayra or Elizabeth. Both of these designs with their swirls and loops perfectly express the style of my wedding and the ambience I want my guests to experience when they arrive at the historic Western Branch Baptist Church…comfortable aka unfussy, Southern, elegance.

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There is a great contest coming up next week, so I’d drop by if I were y’all!

xo Katharine May 28, 2010 | view Katharine's blog

Colleen, May 29, 2010 2:07 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I love Nancy! So beach chic!

Engagement Shoot: Kim + Jacob

May 28, 2010 by Southern Weddings in Southern Engagement Sessions | 5 comments

What better way to kick off Memorial Day weekend than with a fabulous flag engagement session? Many thanks to Kristin Vining for sending us these images, as well as her fave stylist, Lindsay Regan Thorne, for pulling together the details. The SW ladies hope your weekend is full cookouts, beach trips, and a quiet moment of reflection for the men and women who’ve lost their lives fighting for our freedom. We’ll see you back here on Monday!

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xo Southern Weddings May 28, 2010 | view Southern Weddings's blog

Adam, May 29, 2010 4:55 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

These are amazing!

Aleah + Nick Valley, May 28, 2010 5:06 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

This is adorable! What a fun session!

F @ sanebrideadvice, May 28, 2010 3:06 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Love it!!! happy memorial day weekend!!! Perfect choice

Lisa Jeffries, May 28, 2010 1:45 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

What a cool idea - great Memorial Day Weekend post!

Adrienne, May 28, 2010 1:35 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

This is so perfect for this weekend! How adorable!!

Southern Etiquette: A Holiday Weekend Wedding

May 27, 2010 by Southern Weddings in Personal,Southern Etiquette | 23 comments

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Hi, y’all! With Memorial Day right around the corner, I have a timely etiquette question to discuss. What of the holiday weekend wedding? Is it rude to schedule your wedding for, say, the July 4th weekend? There are essentially two camps.

The first says that individuals and families often have their own long-standing traditions based around long weekends, and that scheduling a wedding during said weekend forces them to abandon your wedding or abandon their tradition. Plus, flights and hotels are often more expensive over a holiday, and besides, some people just like to relax when they have a rare Monday off.

The second maintains that just as the bride and groom have the choice of when to schedule their wedding, their guests have the choice of whether or not to attend. Many host families think an extended weekend essentially makes the travel worth more for their guests, as there is more time for both scheduled events and casual get togethers, all without taking more time off work.

I have to say, I’m firmly in the second camp. I’ve always thought (shhhhhh, don’t tell!) Labor Day Weekend would be my first choice for my wedding — the weather is usually perfect in Connecticut at that point, and the three-day span would allow plenty of time for auxiliary events.

But what about you? Has anyone planned or is anyone planning a holiday weekend wedding? How has it gone over with your guests? Do you think scheduling a holiday wedding is rude?

Let me know what you think, and, as always, send me your etiquette queries for a future edition!

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Lovely image above by Stacey Kane who has a gorgeous new site! Images in header c/o Millie Holloman.

xo Southern Weddings May 27, 2010 | view Southern Weddings's blog

Marianne, August 25, 2010 8:37 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Our wedding is in Connecticut on September 4, 2010-Labor Day weekend! We hope the weather will be perfect as we're planning an outdoor wedding(with a tented reception)! 80% of our guests are from out of town, so we checked airfare prices before we booked the date to see if it would be more expensive. It wasn't!(as long as people reserved in advance).Even the hotels have been surprisingly reasonably priced. Most people seemed happy to see that it fell over a long weekend so they didn't need to take off extra time from work. Looking forward to that perfect end of summer weather in New England :)

Nancy Elizabeth, June 9, 2010 9:16 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Our wedding is this upcoming Labor Day Weekend. Sunday Sept, 5. And with our harbor-side New England wedding, it has been a challenge with hotels, venues, traffic and all sorts of extra obstacles and costs. However this was one of our only options with my fiancé in the military. During flight training he could not promise me any particular weekend off, especially over a year in advance. We decided on Labor Day Weekend since even if he is not granted time off he gets the 3 days! (A wedding without a groom is no good, and we have heard of that happening to many military couples!)

I know for some friends and family this is an extra burden, but for others the 3 day weekend works well, overall we are grateful for all the effort everyone is making to be there and share in the celebration!

Little Miss Wonderful, June 3, 2010 3:42 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

As a lover of all things wedding, and a bride of 16 years ago - which makes me more of a "guest" at this point. . . my favorite wedding ever was one I attended on New Year's Eve. It was a magical and holy way to begin the new year - and new life together. They danced to "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve". Perfect. Glass bell ornaments were favors, and every year since, when I hang it on our Christmas tree, I think of the happy couple (14 years for them) and remember the awesome night of their wedding!

Darren, June 1, 2010 11:28 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Holiday weekends also tend to mean greater competition/demand for vendors and venues. So there may be an additional cost.

Lindsey McDole, May 28, 2010 7:08 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I'm planning on having mine on Veteran's Day next year, which falls on a Friday. To my fiance and I, it's perfect, since we will be honoring our loved ones who have passed, including many who have fought in wars. It seemed only fitting and quite perfect to us.

Amanda, May 28, 2010 5:23 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

While I wouldn't go as far as to say they're inconsiderate, I am not big on holiday wedding weekends. I'm headed to one this weekend and bummed about all the fun events I'm missing at home. If you're truly thinking about your guests, I think any bride would lean towards a weekend that won't be a big inconvenience to them. Except for the bride and groom's very closest friends and family, NO ONE wants to use a holiday weekend to go to a wedding.

Dennis @ Wholesale Fresh Flowers, May 28, 2010 2:15 am Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Most families have their own traditions on holidays. I wouldn't ask family or friends to sacrafice their holiday tradition in order to be witness at my wedding. You want the guests to enjoy the wedding and that would be difficult to do fully if they are missing something special that happens only once a year in their life.

Marissa, May 27, 2010 11:38 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I absolutely LOVE weddings that fall on a holiday weekend. I spent 8 yrs in New England for school and I'm from CA. When school was finished (2001) I zipped back to CA and now live in WA. I have traveled back east for all of my friends weddings and the ones that have been most memorable have been the ones over holiday weekends - Not to mention the fact that often times I'm trying to figure plans out anyhow - having a wedding to attend means the plans are made for me =) May favorite weddings have been Labor Day, July 4th, and I went to one on NYE that was just awesome....Clearly I vote YES for holiday weekend weddings =)

jen, May 27, 2010 7:41 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

i am big on the no.....you are already asking guests to buy a gift, possibly buy a flight and hotel room.....don't take up their holiday weekends too. for family it may be ok because they would already be getting together but what about your friends who may have had holiday weekend plans with their family? i think holiday weddings are extremely inconsiderate!!

John, May 27, 2010 7:10 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I'm a male, so my opinion my get thrown in that pile - but holiday weddings are tough. The choice of whether or not to attend is not really the same as the bride and groom picking a date. Take Memorial Day - If I were to travel to a coastal or vacation market my hotel will be twice the normal rate and I will most likely feel the need to stay Fri-Mon, or 3 nights instead of 2. It is much easier to afford or easily say "yes" to an off weekend. Most folks want to relax and stick their feet in the sand or put them up on a porch with friends, not have their vacation scheduled around someone else. People will probably still say "yes" to the wedding, but not before they've said a whole lot more before they get there.

KH, May 27, 2010 7:09 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Our wedding is on September 4, 2010 - Labor Day Weekend. With FI's family making the trip to Florida from various parts of the country, we wanted everyone to have the extra days off to enjoy the "vacation". We've planned a few group activities as well as made suggestions on local attractions/restaurants/shopping. I think holidays are fine as long as you show your guests a good time and provide helpful ideas on how to make the most of the trip.

Melissa Schollaert, May 27, 2010 6:56 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I love New Year's Eve weddings. How fun would it be to have a great party and say I DO at the stoke of midnight and kiss in the New Year! I can't imagine a better way to start a marriage.

Nansen, May 27, 2010 5:26 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Holidays might not be perfect times, but it is so hard to plan with busy lives and booked venues. When the bride plans the wedding, she considers the schedules and understands if some cant attend. In some situations that might even be a benefit!

terib, May 27, 2010 5:10 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I'm bias, but I'm all for holiday weekend weddings. When you're in "that stage" of your life and it seems like everyone you know is a bride-to-be it can be tough to watch all your vacation days go to weddings and wedding related events.

When planning our wedding we were looking at late August in San Diego when a couple friends approached us and said, "Um, why don't you just have it over Labor Day Weekend." I was immediately worried that people would be annoyed so we took an informal poll with our friends and I'd say 95% of our friends and family loved the idea for the following reasons:

1) Not having to take vacation days
2) People love to have "cool plans" for holiday weekends
3) It instantly brings all your friends and family together for the holiday weekend
4) Easier to plan additional wedding events (we hosted a day at the Races on Saturday and the wedding was Sunday)
5) People told us that we were basically hosting a holiday weekend party for everyone.

All in all, they loved it. We had great feedback and if you give people enough notice travel plans aren't an issue.

We've also attended a friend's "5th of July" wedding which was great fun for us too!

Heather_n_Will, May 27, 2010 4:19 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I am in the second camp too. We are having our 10 year wedding renewal this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4, 2010. I think the extended weekend makes things eaiser for our out of town guests and doesn't interfere with the majority of their work schedules... plus Labor Day is not really a big tradition holiday for most other than a BBQ or something of that sort. Having a Christmas or Thanksgiving wedding might be a lot trickier because those are huge tradition holidays. The only way I would ever try something of that sort is a.) everyone you know you will invite lives very close by and never goes out of town for the holiday or b.) your invites are all scrooges who hate the holiday and make a point of not celebrating them in anyway. Although the b group might not be that fun at your wedding, but oh, well. ;)

Erin T, May 27, 2010 3:33 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I'm getting married Sunday Sept 5, this year. We're even having a beach wedding in NJ (yes, we are CRAZY). With my family from NJ and his from Florida we wanted to pick a date that everyone could get the most out of. We also chose the beach so guests could also make it a mini-vacation if they chose to do so. So I have to agree a holiday (or Labor Day) wedding is wonderful!

BTW- I am going to a wedding this holiday weekend too!

Sarah, May 27, 2010 2:52 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

We are actually planning a July 4th wedding this year. WIth such a limited budget and large families, we know we couldn't afford a Saturday wedding. A holiday weekend was almost our only choice since 95% of our guest list is going to be out-of-town. Throughout the whole planning process we took our guests into consideration. We wanted to be able to afford serving them a nice dinner and a good time where they wouldn't have to feel pressured to either drive back home late or have to miss work days. July 4th is often a pretty low-key holiday where our family gets together to have a BBQ so why not have everyone together for a wedding. The people that really care about your wedding and really want to be there, won't mind doing their cookouts the Friday before or just not doing it this year. It will still be a good time and a celebration anyways. However, we completely understand certain people can't make it because they made vacation plans in advance. The bride and groom just have to accept that not everyone will make it (which is the case no matter when you have it).

Angela, May 27, 2010 2:16 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Hi Emily! My fiance and I are getting married in just a few short weeks on July 3 in Houston, Texas. Originally, the thought of getting married on a holiday weekend did not seem ideal, but after a few considerations we decided to go with it! Most of my fiance's family lives out of state or out of the country. It is a rare occasion for all of them to get together for holiday's anymore, so we thought this would be a great weekend for everyone to have a reason to get together and celebrate.

My future in-laws are planning a fourth of July BBQ on the Sunday after our wedding for any friends and family that want to get together and enjoy the holiday. We also decided that since most of our guests would be giving up their holiday weekend, that we wouldn't leave until Monday for our honeymoon ensuring more time with our guests. The holiday weekend doesn't seem to have stopped people from RSVPing "Yes!"

I guess in our case, the holiday weekend was a better choice. If they were going to spend money on flights and hotels, we wanted them to have the chance to enjoy their time here rather than making a quick trip within a short weekend.

Lisa Jeffries, May 27, 2010 2:03 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

I would likely attend (I've attended a Valentine's Day wedding before which also happened to be the day that NCSU beat Carolina in basketball in Raleigh of my senior year of college... all of my friends were there and the texts they sent did not make missing it any easier), but I wouldn't be thrilled about it. I'm on the side of NOT doing it on holiday weekends because of the potential of interfering with traditions, more expensive travel, and less consideration for the guests which I think really is a big part of wedding planning that a lot of people forget about it. Yes, I realize it's about the couple, however, it is clearly also about the 100 (or more) people attending for that reason alone... they're attending. Just my $0.02 :-)

Amanda, May 27, 2010 1:59 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

We're scheduled for September 4th 2011 (next LaborDay) precisely because the weather and sunlight in PA are usually golden and because of the three day weekend we can spend more time on saturday hanging out with everyone - think bonfire at the river - and monday can be a day of recovery before the week! Plus my new husband will only have to take 4 days off of work rather than 5 which is a big deal with his job.

In our families there are no traditional labor day get togethers, but many folks use labor day to go away camping or on trips. We've realized that we will have to send our save-the-dates over a year in advance because folks book travel plans so early. We chose a unique venue - a restored bank barn at the lake surrounded by big fields as the location for the ceremony and reception and are planning a relaxed classy picnic for the reception with smoked ribs on site. We hope that everyone will spend labor day next year having their outdoor adventures with us next year!

Kt, May 27, 2010 1:51 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

well, I'm firmly in the second camp as well, since we scheduled our wedding for Memorial Day 2011. Almost everyone has to travel, even though we tried to pick central location, rather than my (very) rural hometown. And we're happily attending a friend's wedding this coming Labor Day, so I'm all for it for those 2 weekends. I think July 4th and Thanksgiving can be a bit trickier, though I've known people who've made it work.

F @ sanebrideadvice.blogspot.com, May 27, 2010 1:46 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Im heading to a weekend wedding this weekend. While at first I wasnt so thrilled about the fact of sitting in traffic, I am now excited to spend the weekend celebrating the love. I think it helps the bride and groom(as well as guests) fit everything in! and an extra day for relaxation cant hurt either :)

Kate F, May 27, 2010 1:40 pm Yeehaw! Love this: 0 reply

Our wedding is actually scheduled for this Labor Day Weekend on Long Island, so it's obvious which camp we're in. I completely agree with the notion that the guests have a choice whether or not to attend, and I won't think badly of those that are unable to do so. There will always be conflicts with dates, so we might as well choose the weekend we prefer to celebrate our marriage. Thanks for the post!