Hi friends! We’re wrapping up another great week at Southern Weddings, full of some great weddings and exciting announcements. Antsy for more details? Read on.

We featured some lovely real weddings this week:

Laurie Anne + Taylor had a sweet reception backed by a sweeter love story. See the wedding here and here.

Our very own Katharine got married! Check out her beautiful black and white wedding here, here and here. If you’re new to the blog, you can also check out all the posts Katharine and Emily co-authored as the wedding was planned here.

And we made some big announcements:

Though we searched and searched for a new Ad Director, we realized we needn’t have searched much at all! We are very excited to introduce Whitney as our new Ad Director! Whitney has been with Southern Weddings for two years and has moved from intern to editorial assistant and now to ad director. Head to the post to leave her some love!

Times are a-changin’ on the blog. Though we’re excited for Whitney’s new position, we’re very sad to see Katharine go. We bid our lovely managing editor farewell today since she’s off to law school. Take a trip down memory lane with us.

Now for a few bits of randomness.

First, a fun picture to share with you! Last week, all the SW ladies and their respective beaus went to dinner to celebrate all of the wonderful changes.

From left to right: (top row) Lara’s husband Ari, Katharine’s husband Kyle, Katharine, Whitney, Whitney’s boyfriend Scott, Nicole, Emily’s boyfriend John (bottom row) Sierra, Emily N., Marissa, Lara, Emily

Because every post is better with shoes, Jimmy Choo announced their 2011 Bridal Collection! If you’re searching for the perfect pair or just a huge fan of shoes, check out their website to explore the collection.

Lastly, we just wanted to say that our hearts go out to our belles and beaus across the South who’ve been affected by this week’s violent tornadoes. Readers, if you’re moved to donate, the Red Cross is taking a collection.

Have a great weekend y’all!

Last sappy staff post for awhile, we promise. But we just couldn’t let our dear KTW go without a few words from each of us, especially not after her post this morning. Without further ado…

Katharine,

You are one of the funniest people I’ve met in a long time. I’ve always admired your commitment to the most important food group: candy. Truly inspiring. Your witty comments and perfectly timed sarcasm have really brightened the office, and I’ll certainly be sad to see you go!

Emily Nycum

KTW,

Although I have only been in the office for about 7 months, I feel like I’ve known you for more than that. You are smart, talented, funny and all around a joy to work with. From the hilarious stories about Kyle or the personalities in your family (not bad ones) to chatting it up about country celebrity gossip, you certainly made the job a lot more entertaining, and I’m really going to miss you. That being said, I’m overly exciting about you and Kyle’s future… becoming Tar Heels and all! You’ve done a fabulous job and brought so much to Southern Weddings, and I know you’ll be very successful at whatever you do. Best of luck. Stay in touch!

S

Katharine,

I am so sad to see you go, but I’m also excited for all the wonderful things you will be doing with your life! You immediately made me feel comfortable when I started working in the SW office a year ago and I’m so grateful for all the support you’ve given me, both in the office and out of it. I’ll miss our conversations about teen pregnancy, Lifetime movies and relationships. Never again will I look at Styrofoam without thinking of you! I hope there’s a macaroni and cheese date in our future!

Love love love,
Nicole

Dear Katharine,

I want you to know how proud I am to know you and how terrified I was to have you edit my first post. (Harvard grad editing my writing = scary!) I’ve learned so much from you in such a short time and for that I am forever grateful. I’ll miss your off-beat sense of humor and receiving serious emails from you laced with comical sound effects like “womp womp”. Albeit I was sometimes confused on how they should actually sound out loud, they never failed to make me laugh. This is just the beginning for you and I can’t wait to see how amazing your life will unfold. I know you will succeed at whatever you do. I also know that God has some truly incredible things planned for you and Kyle. I wish you the best on this new and exciting chapter in your life.

Love,
Marissa

Katharine, remember the first weekend we met? We jetted down to Atlanta to attend the Bridal Bar opening and our taxi took us to the wrong hotel. Remember how we decided to walk over a mile to our own hotel on that humid, Hot-lanta summer day dragging our suitcases behind us? I’m pretty sure that was the day that I realized that you were absolutely amazing. You took everything in stride and still looked gorgeous that night for the Bridal Bar party. What a trooper!

I am grateful that I have had the joy of having you in my life these past few years. You have it all…beauty, brains, and a killer sense of humor. Next year, you’ll be joining me at the greatest university on earth (GO TAR HEELS!) and I couldn’t be happier about it. We still have so many TV and junk food nights ahead of us! You are a fabulous co-worker and more importantly, you are a wonderful friend. I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things you go on to do.

Here’s to friendship, reality TV, and our shared obsession with babies!

Love,
W/Whitpick/Red/Whitney

First of all, I am not saying anything in the realm of “goodbye” to you. I think I can speak for the whole office on that one. As I told you at the SW Spring Dinner, you are getting a key to the soon-to-be-new office for candy-laden study breaks, witty banter with Em and future baby-sitting of “The Biscuit” (and teaching said Biscuit about important things like keeping your maiden name, how to deal with husbands who have crazy call schedules and all things classic and Southern). While we aren’t saying goodbye, I will admit I have been dreading this day since we first talked about your path many moons ago. Luckily, I can get away with this and just blame the prego hormones, but I’ve honestly cried at least once a day for the last two weeks about today. From the moment you walked in with your hot pink office lamp to watching you walk down the aisle – the most beautiful bride I have ever seen – I have savored the last two wonderful years with you! It has been more than I ever imagined. Thank you for (ok, hello tears again!) changing this company and genuinely changing my life with your loyalty, drive and unmistakable ability to make every day full of laughter. Just know that you have a permanent invitation to all office holiday festivities (who am I going to buy suitcases of candy for now!?), Christmas pics with Santa (I know you’ll miss that) and… when The Biscuit finally arrives in November, you better pull a hotshot lawyer move and argue your way out of class to come see me! If I have a boy, someone is going to have to teach this babe how to properly tie a bowtie. Thank you for many wonderful memories and milestones. Thank you for YOU. You are brilliant, beautiful beyond words and a force to be reckoned with, KTW. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the strongest stuff that you are made of. Ms. Waterman, you are a treasure and we’re all better people in knowing you.

Lara

My dear KTW,

I have never worked a day in the Southern Weddings office without you by my side, and I am not looking forward to starting on Monday. I have always lived by the motto “if you want something done right, do it yourself,” which is why it’s been a rare and wonderful gift to have you as a coworker: someone who I trust implicitly, someone who always gave me a second opinion better than my first, someone who always raised the bar. I will miss our lunchtime bantering, your no-BS outlook on weddings, your calm and clear head, the way you’d open emails I was nervous about (who’s going to do that now?!), and, of course, holding your hand during photoshoots with Millie. But mostly (and most importantly), I will miss getting to hang out every day with a girl who’s become a treasured friend. I know this is not goodbye, so for now I will just say, it’s been an honor and a pleasure. I have no doubt you will do great things, and I can’t wait to be at your side, cheering you on.

Much love,
Nerdling

Readers, feel free to leave your well wishes for Katharine in the comments! I know y’all will miss her, too.

Like most of you, we’ve been up since the wee hours of the morning swooning over the royal wedding coverage. Along with the fabulous fascinators and glamorous hats, we couldn’t help but notice how wonderfully Southern the former Miss Kate Middleton’s dress was! The gown, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (how appropriate, I might add!), features a full train, hand-sewn lace applique over the bodice, and, most notably, sleeves.

Looking to replicate Kate’s classic Grace Kelly look? We’ve got you covered (with lace):

Left to right and top to bottom: “Kennedy” by Modern Trousseau, Monique Lhuillier Spring 2012, next two gowns Legends By Romona Keveza Spring 2012, “Ivanka” by Monique Lhuillier, Watters Spring 2012, “Escalante” by Watters and Monique Lhuillier Spring 2012.

What do you think? Will you be donning sleeves for your own wedding? Have your been inspired by Kate’s classic look? Let me know! Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.

“Promise me you’ll never forget me, because if I thought you would I’d never leave.” –Winne the Pooh

Two years ago, I thought writing my first post on the Southern Weddings blog was a difficult (and downright daunting!) task. Lucky for me, you were the most gracious and patient of readers, and helped ease me into my first job out of college. (Thank you!) Writing this post, on my last official day in the SW office, though, is another beast, entirely. While I’m excited for the changes (and significant student debt) law school promises, I can’t help but be sad to think my time in this very special office is coming to an end. Since my husband assures me laughter is the best remedy, join me on a trip down memory lane as I relieve some of my favorite – and happiest – times at Southern Weddings. As Emily so eloquently says, it’s been real, y’all!

Anyone remember this gem? If you’ve been following us from the beginning, you likely remember Emily’s and my “Southern Introduction” on the SW blog. Emily and I both started work at SW Mag, barely a month out of college, back in July 2009. After only a week in the office, Lara treated the SW newbies and our handsome beaus to a welcome dinner in Chapel Hill. With literally hundreds of snapshots, photo shoots and iPhone pics now under our belt, I believe this was the first time Em and I were ever photographed together. Aww!

It wasn’t too long after that Emily and I got to work on what would be our first issue of Southern Weddings. After months of hard work, long hours and frequent infusions of sugar for this candy lover, V2 hit the stands. I can’t remember being so proud of a finished product. It seems y’all loved it just as much!

We oversaw countless shoots for V2, and met some incredible vendors in the process, but it was this portrait session of the two of us that topped my list. The SW office (not so jokingly) refers to these pictures as our engagement shoot. Emily is such a diva! (Wait ’til you see the wedding pics.)

Hard work is nice and all, but it was the post-V2 celebrations I loved the most. If you know our office even a little bit, you know we are serious about our Smilebooth sessions. This candid from our Launch Party at Bridal Bar Atlanta sums it (and us) up quite nicely.

In between photo shoots and Smilebooth vogueing, I did manage to squeeze in a bit of work.

A very little bit of work. (Just don’t tell my boss, okay?)

I thought the transition from college student to working girl was big, but the winter and spring following the publication of V2 brought some momentous changes of their own. I accepted a proposal from my college sweetheart, (reluctantly) started planning a wedding and dove headfirst into what would be the biggest and best issue in Southern Weddings history.

Of course, it wasn’t all work and no fun. Kyle, my now-husband our resident social butterfly, sure enjoyed himself at all of our office outings.

Though it’s common knowledge around the SW office that I hate (loathe, despise, break out in hives at the mere thought of) having my picture taken, I spent a happy day in front of Millie Holloman’s lens. We love her!

This series, also by Millie Holloman, doubles as Emily’s + my “wedding photos.” Don’t judge us.

And then there was that time I got married. As much as I dreaded the planning process and prided myself on being an atypical bride, I have to admit my wedding day was, in fact, the best day of my life. See our official posts on the wedding here, here and here.

While I definitely feel like I hit the relationship jackpot in marrying Kyle, I also was lucky to have a troupe of my nearest and dearest friends serve as bridesmaids at my wedding. Emily, a lovely bridesmaid herself, actually was the inspiration for the stunning black dresses the girls wore!

The day after my wedding, Lara presented me with an advance copy of SW V3. Best wedding present ever? I think yes! (I sure do like that big screen T.V. from Kyle’s parents, though…)

There are a whole lot more memories (and pictures!) from my two years at Southern Weddings, but when you get right down to it, what I’ll miss most, of course, are my co-workers and the times we’ve shared. (Cue the Vitamin-C “Graduation Song,” circa 2000.) I love this shot of us from Christmas 2010! There couldn’t be a better foursome to help pick up where I’ve left off.

And then there’s Lara and Emily, without whom I would not have landed my first job (thank you, L!) and this blog would not exist (you’re the best, E!). Lara, I’ll miss your charisma, energy and and indomitable go-get-’em attitude. (I’ll also miss the endless supply of candy you funneled my way. Think we can work out some kind of mail order candy system?) I feel lucky to have had had the opportunity to learn from you and to challenge myself to become a better individual and businesswoman. Watching you continue to transform your life and your business from afar will be my pleasure! And Emily, I’m willing to bet not every girl is lucky enough to have a co-worker become a true friend. We’ve often joked that I’m the yin to your yang, and after thinking about well and seamlessly we’ve worked together these past two years, I now appreciate how accurate that description really is. You are graceful and poised, genuine and talented – and I can only hope some of your lovely qualities have rubbed off on me. Spending time with you has made me better, and knowing you is a privilege!

Last, but oh-so certainly not least, thank you! For welcoming me to the blog and this fabulous office two years ago, for waiting patiently while Lara showed me the ropes, for taking part in my wedding planning process last year and for loving Southern Weddings just as much as we do – thank you! I feel honored that so many of you have shared your own wedding plans and questions with me and that I had the privielge to take part in one of the happiest times of your lives. You can bet I’ll be following along from the law school library, with SW bookmarked as my go-to guilty pleasure during study breaks – and hopefully sending a few updates of my own along the way. (They do have study breaks in law school, right?)

xo,
Katharine

I know, I know: April showers bring May flowers and all that good stuff, but this spring has brought plenty of other changes to the SW office. Lara is busy growing a human, for one, we’re moving to a brand new office and soon we’ll be expanding our team! (So much for a few measly showers and flowers, huh?)

The past few months have been especially busy and exciting for me, too. Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving Southern Weddings for the land of law school and student debt. (Trust me: it’s scarier than it sounds.) After nearly two years with Lara, Emily and the SW crew, it’s hard to imagine my day-to-day without them or this beautiful blog, but we’ll save the sappy post for tomorrow, okay?

Though my time at Southern Weddings sadly is coming to a close, I couldn’t be more excited to announce our new Ad Director. We scoured the blogosphere and reviewed scores of resumes looking for the perfect gal to take over the advertising reigns, but in the end realized she’d been right under our noses the entire time. Yes, folks, I’m happy to say the new Southern Weddings Ad Director is a familiar (and friendly!) face to most of you.

Please join me in giving a good old-fashioned “howdy” to Whitney Davis, Southern Weddings Ad Director extraordinaire! Whitney has been an integral part of the SW team for the past two years, and many of you have followed her transition from college intern to editorial assistant and, now, to our new director of advertising. There are few people who know the SW brand, community and sponsors as well as Whitney, and I couldn’t dream up a better person for the job. The fact that her initials are W.E.D. is just further proof that Whitney was born for this industry!

Her best attribute, though? Girlfriend can work a Smilebooth like it’s her job – which, as a member of this fun-loving team, it kind of is.