January « 2011 « Southern Weddings Magazine

It seems I wasn’t the only one who fell head-over-heels in love with Sidney’s lovely Anne Barge gown! The blushing bride + her groom welcomed their guests to an outdoor reception at the sprawling Bragg-Mitchell Mansion replete with oak trees, hanging lanterns and mix-and-match vintage china. Janet Allen of Angel Cake and Confections designed the couple’s delicate five-tiered wedding cake. My very favorite detail has to be the dramatic black-and-white shots from Studio A Photography – and the line of fireworks that ushered the newlyweds to their getaway car.

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Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I found my dress at a trunk show at the White Room in Birmingham. It was actually the last dress I tried on that day, and I wasn’t even sure I was going to like it once I put it on. The minute I slipped into it, I felt like a bride and I knew that it definitely was the one!
Describe your wedding flowers: I loved everything about my flowers! My florist did an amazing job making my vision come true. He used rich jewel tone colors that were perfect for our fall wedding. My bouquet was a mixture of white flowers including peonies, hydrangea, gardenias, ranunculus, lisianthus and garden roses. My bridesmaids carried a mix of hydrangea, gomphrena, dahlias, strawflower, roses, coxcomb, pepper berry and hypernicum berries.
Describe your wedding cake: Not only was my wedding cake absolutely gorgeous – it mimicked the lace on my wedding dress perfectly! – but it was by far the most delicious cake I have ever tasted! The cake had alternating layers of butter cream and hazelnut. In true Southern tradition, I just had to have a groom’s cake, too. Since we got married in the fall, I wanted the groom’s cake to be very rustic. The texture of the cake made it look like a tree trunk, and my favorite part about the cake was the yellow lab carved out of chocolate.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Standing up in front of our friends and family saying our vows. It was truly a special moment I will never forget.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to traveling and enjoying life as newlyweds.

Sidney’s a Southern bride if I’ve ever seen one – which is fitting, since the bride + groom celebrated their wedding at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion in Alabama. You don’t get more Southern than an antebellum plantation, elegant lace gown (Anne Barge, naturally), lace-trimmed cathedral veil and pearl accessories. The bridesmaids, in black LulaKate frocks of their choosing, offset the bride’s all-white bouquet (courtesy of Dennis Harris of Zimlich the Florist with rainbow-colored blooms. We love Studio A Photography, and can’t wait to share their shots of the equally-Southern reception!

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How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Matt and I met in 2006 at a mutual friend’s Halloween Party. Whenever I tell someone our story, the next question I get is, “So what was his costume?” Matt was dressed as Don Johnson from Miami Vice. And me? In 2006, the TV Game show “Deal or No Deal” was popular, so I thought dressing up as one of the models would be easy. All I had to do was put on a cocktail dress and carry a briefcase!
Describe the proposal. I could probably write two pages on our proposal, but I will give you the short version. Matt proposed to me over New Year’s weekend in the mountains of Sewanee, Tenessee. My parents have a vacation home there and it is very special to me since I spent four years in that quaint town going to college at the University of the South. Somehow Matt got me to go inside the gorgeous chapel without me having a clue he was about to propose. He popped the question below a gorgeous stain glass window – with his dog in tow. It was absolutely perfect!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Vintage, Southern and elegant.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Definitely the fireworks! I surprised Matt and our guests with fireworks as we drove off in a 1929 Model A Ford at the end of the night. It was the perfect way to leave such a fun celebration!
What was Southern about your wedding? What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? The location. Our reception took place at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion, an antebellum home built in 1855. Not only is the house beautiful, but the grounds are equally as gorgeous. The oak trees on the plantation were perfect for hanging lanterns! In addition to the venue, the menu had distinctly Southern elements. We served fried green tomatoes, mac n cheese, and pecan pie. We also had two signature drinks with Southern flair: a “Mason Dixon” and “Southern Mothers.”