Hello, ladies + gents! Now that we have our super-fab team photos back from the amazing Millie Holloman, we thought we’d do some proper introductions! Some of us you’ve already met, some of us you may be meeting for the first time — but after this little Sit a Spell series, we hope you’ll feel like you know us even better! You’ve already met Nicole, Sierra, and Marissa, and now it’s Whitney’s turn! Whitney is poised, funny, kind, and quite fashionable — you’re all in for a treat! — Emily

Hey y’all! I’m just delighted that you’ve stopped by, and I’d love to tell you a bit more about me, myself and I! I’m the go-to gal for anything and everything ad related. See those gorgeous banners along the right side of your screen? I’m lucky enough to work with each and every one of those vendors. The print advertisers are fabulous, too! Pull up a chair, sit on down and grab some lemonade. Let’s begin!

1. I was the champion of the Idaho History Bee in 4th grade. Though I’m a Southerner at heart, when it comes down to it, I’m a transplant. I was raised in the good ol’ state of Idaho and I didn’t move to North Carolina until I was 16 years old. Ask me anything about the potato state and I’m sure that I could answer. State bird? The Mountain Blue Bird! Most famous Native American? Sacajawea! The best part of winning that bee was the trophy in the shape of Idaho. It’s still hanging on my wall.

2. I over-exaggerate. A lot. When it’s hot outside, it’s about a million degrees. If there’s a snow storm, we will never be able to go anywhere ever again. So, I’m a bit melodramatic and I have a flair for extremes, but it certainly makes life more interesting. By the way, the commute from my house to the office is about 20,000 hours.

3. In a previous life, I was a classical singer. Really. I took voice lessons for 12 years and competed in several voice competitions. I was obsessed with musical theater and took part in local productions of Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz and Fame.

4. I drive a little white convertible and she has a very distinct personality. Her name is Shelby and we have had a long love-hate relationship. Some days, she is beautiful and agreeable and other days she just doesn’t want to do a thing. I honestly find myself talking to my car trying to coax her into behaving. I swear it works.

5. Last year, I got four Snuggies for Christmas (and Snuggies were not on my list). My family and friends all separately decided that I was in need of a Snuggie (or four). Maybe it is because I’m extremely cold-natured? Maybe I just look like I’d love a blanket with sleeves? Now, I am the proud owner of a pink Snuggie, a blue Snuggie, a Carolina-themed Snuggie and a leopard print Snuggie. I have a Snuggie for every mood!

6. Bees are attracted to my hair. I don’t know if it’s that bright red shade that lures them in or if it is the scent of my shampoo, but I cannot walk outside without a wasp bee-lining (get it?) straight for my head. It’s made for many uncomfortable outdoor experiences.

7. I’ve been to 48 states. Every summer when I was growing up, my dad would pack all of us into an RV and take us around the country. From east to west, north to south, I’ve seen it all. Which two states am I missing? Alaska and Hawaii, of course. They’re very hard to drive to.

8. I am terrified of trash. I will clean the bathroom and scrub the floors 10,000 times (there’s that exaggeration again) before I’ll touch the trash can. I’m a bit of a germaphobe and I will do just about anything to get out of taking the trash out.

9. I’ve been to Disney World more than 20 times. My grandfather and my uncle have both worked at the happiest place on earth since around the time I was born and my family takes a trip down to the sunshine state almost every year. I’ve met Mickey so many times that I bet he knows me by name.

10. In ten years, I hope to have a beautiful flat in a big city (maybe Atlanta?). The cars will bustle by stories below as I sit happily in front of a fireplace next to my future hubby. Maybe there will be a few rugrats and a cute puppy. For now, I’m just so happy to work with the women of Southern Weddings. Y’all, these girls are amazing!

Read more about me here!

Do we have something in common? Introduce yourself in the comments below!

I’m really excited about today’s How-To! I’ve been fixin’ to do a feature on bow ties for awhile, and since we’re giving away a couple of snazzy Forage bow ties this week, I thought this was perfect timing!

Illustration by Katie Rodgers via Pinterest.

Belles and beaus, I’m here to teach you how to tie a bow tie. There are some of you who have known how to do this since you donned your first seersucker bow in your cousin’s wedding when you were six. Others of you, like me, never had a pressing need to learn. That’s right ladies, it’s good for you to know, too!

Image credit: Upper French via Green Wedding Shoes

The period between your engagement and your wedding day is the perfect time to hone your bow tying skills, lest you end up like these guys.

Image Credit: Bobbi + Mike

I’ll admit, I was one of those guys just a few weeks ago. Though I wasn’t a groomsman preparing for my friend’s wedding, I was sitting at my desk in the Southern Weddings office with my laptop in front of me trying to learn. Whitney and Sierra will tell you this is a true story, since they laughed at me while I did it. The happy news is that I can now tie a bow like no one’s business! I enlisted Sierra’s brilliant design skills to bring you a step-by-step of the process. But before we get to that, let’s do a quick rundown of the different types of bow ties that you have to choose from.

The Butterfly Bow Tie. This bow has a wing span of 3 inches to 3.5 inches. It can look too big for you, but if you’ve got a wider neck span or a larger face and chin, this might be your guy!

Image Credit: Ashley McCormick

The Classic Bow Tie (A.K.A. the thistle or semi-butterfly bow tie). This is the bow you envision when you think of bow ties! With a wing span around 2.5 inches, it’s perfect for any event and suits any face shape and neck size.

Image credit: Bella Grace

The Batwing Bow Tie (A.K.A narrow bow tie). Elegant-looking and thin, there’s a bit of debate over whether this style is more formal or less formal than the classic bow. It has a wing span of 1.5 inches to 2 inches and, although it may look like a one long piece of fabric, it’s tied the same way as the classic bow.

Image credit: Pierrepont Hicks

The Pointed End Bow Tie. It’s exactly as it sounds! For a spin on the usual shape, the pointed end bow is also appropriate for formal occasions.

Image Credit: The Cordial Churchman and Forage

Now that we know what’s what, pick out your favorite bow and let’s tie it!

Need to remember this for later? We’ve got you covered! Sierra made us a fab downloadable PDF with illustrations that walk you through the steps. Print it out and with some practice, you could look as dandy as this guy.

Image credit: Paul Johnson (See more of this wedding here!)

Want more tips and tricks? Check out our past How-To’s.
Biscuit Bar
Send Your Invitations

Tell us about your bow tying experience in the comments below!

Y’all know that down here in the South, bow ties are near and dear to our hearts. We never tire of seeing handsome groomsmen donning our favorite striped, seersucker, madras or gingham bows. That’s why Forage bow ties were the perfect fit to start off this new giveaway column, our aptly-named Southern Fab Finds. This time around, we’re bringing you more than just great products we’re bringing you items that resonate with Southern culture and items that are made right in your backyard by vendors who know firsthand what it means to live below the Mason-Dixon line.

Forage knows bow ties! We’ve been fans of theirs for quite some time and love how they hunt down the best fabric to make their bows. Therefore, each bow tie they make is part of a limited edition. One lucky winner will receive two of their chambray ties!

To Enter: Go to the Forage site and tell us which bow tie your sweetie would look smashing in!

Win: Two Forage solid chambray bow ties for those dapper men in your wedding.

The past two months have been full of amazing giveaways. I love reading all of your responses and seeing how much these fab prizes would mean to you. It would be so hard to me to choose a winner. Thankfully, we leave these things up to fate and use a handy-dandy random number generator. I’m excited to finally announce the winners!

We featured Jess Wainer’s one-of-a-kind mini bud vases. I’m a fan of how each vase is hand-made and completely unique, just like your bridesmaids!

We asked you to tell us how your bridesmaids have made your life fun and full. Reading over your comments made my day! Winner, Courtney said,

I consider each of my bridesmaids to be the sister I never had. I have my best friend who I can tell everything (matron of honor), the other best friend who has always wanted the best for me and cheered me along to finish my dreams (maid of honor), the friend who I am most like-personality wise, the friend who is sentimental and wants to make sure my wedding is my dream’s vision, the friend who is always happy and bring happiness to people when they are down, and the friend with whom I fight with like sister’s about mostly everything but still can look at each other and know that at the end of the day we are always there for one another. My bridesmaid are a collection of friends from lifelong friends to sorority sisters to college roommates. It was a tough decision picking who I wanted in the wedding party, but in the end I knew that these girls have always had my back and I couldn’t imagine not standing up on the most important day of my life without them!

Fine & Fleurie knows a Southern girl needs her pearls. I was so excited to feature a giveaway with their beautiful Swarovski pearl necklace and bracelet bridal set. Any bride would look lovely in it!

We asked you to tell us about your favorite piece of heirloom jewelry or, if you didn’t have one, why this set would make the perfect heirloom. Winner, Shannon said,

My favorite (and only) piece is from my grandmother, and is her college ring! I like to think of her attending classes way back in the 1920s when I wear it.

Over here at Southern Weddings, we’re big fans of photo booths. We know you love them, too, which is why this giveaway from Say Cheese! Paper Props was so perfect. Their mustache and bow tie props are adorable. I’d be happy to sport one of them in a photo booth!

You guys told us all about your favorite photo with your sweetie (those were some cute responses y’all!). Winner, Courtney, told us,

My favorite picture of my fiance and I is a picture of the moment we met. We met at a “mixer” that his fraternity threw for my sorority, October 2, 2008 (I still have the invitation). We were talking about how we were from the same hometown (Chickamauga, GA) when one of his fraternity brothers came by and snapped a picture of us. Not many couples have a picture of the moment they met, so we are lucky. Now almost 3 years after that picture was taken we are getting married. We are getting married on August 20, 2011 in our shared hometown of Chickamauga, GA. (This is a very small town. We both grew up there all of our lives and never met. I went to the City school and he went to the County school. We also had mutual friends and never met til we joined Greek Life.)

Congratulations, y’all! Winners, I’ll be getting in touch with you soon, so be on the lookout for an email from me.

Keep an eye out for more giveaways in the future!

I’m loving the soft colors in Heather + Sam’s reception. Light pink blooms backed by mint and seeded eucalyptus were made at home in blue mason jars. They look even more darling on top of burlap table linens and vintage lace doilies! The Southern details kept on comin’ with good eats and a cake buffet! Multiple sweets options? We like. But what sticks out most to me in this wedding is Heather’s most memorable moment. I adore that she remembers the post-wedding bliss that hit her as she and Sam walked back the house after the reception. Thanks again to Our Labor of Love for sharing this lovely wedding.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our ceremony and reception location, The Hill, was definitely full of Southern charm with its sunken garden and various restored historic antebellum homes. The decor was also very Southern – burlap table cloths, blue ball mason jars and vintage lace doilies. And let’s not forget the food! We had a bit of North vs. South for the appetizers (since I grew up in Pennsylvania), which were pierogies and fried green tomatoes. The highlights of dinner included smoked beef brisket, pulled pork with apple BBQ sauce, tomato bread pudding, and cheese grits – yum!
Describe your wedding cake: Sam and I opted to have a cake buffet rather than the traditional tiered wedding cake. Two cakes were white velvet raspberry flavored, two were Spanish lemon and one was chocolate. For the chocolate cake, the baker was able to print Sam’s family crest onto edible rice paper as a surprise.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Probably the DIY projects. I had very lofty aspirations, especially with the save the dates and invitations. Despite the fact that we had an almost two year engagement, I waited until the very end, when we finally had a concrete vision, to work on most of them.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? We are so, so happy that we splurged on the photography and cinematography. Heidi Geldhauser from Our Labor of Love and Andy Jackson of Portal Films do such beautiful work and they created so many tangible memories of our day that we will cherish forever.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Sam said that his was seeing me for the first time in my wedding dress while walking down the aisle. Mine would have to be at the very end of the night. Sam and I were staying in another house on the property and I remember walking hand in hand down the gravel road in the pitch dark, tired and sweaty from dancing all night, perfectly content and so unbelievably happy in that moment to finally be married.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? One of our favorite lines was, “In the name of God, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love.”
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? In my husband’s words, we are looking forward to “going through the adventures of life as best friends”

Photographer: Heidi Geldhauser of Our Labor of Love // Videographer: Andy Jaskson of Portal Films // Planner: Diana Ryan of Consultants Unlimited // Ceremony venue: The Hill (Epting Events) // Reception venue: The Hill (Epting Events) // Florist: Epting Events // Wedding Cake Baker: Cecilia Villaveces Cakes (via Epting Events) // Caterer: Epting Events // Paper Products: DIY by the bride // Bride’s Dress: Anne Barge, Purchased from Kleinfeld’s // Bride’s Veil: Anne Barge, Purchased from Kleinfeld’s // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Lula Kate via Bella Bridesmaid // Hair and Makeup: Ariane Turner of Pretty Girl Group // Wine Box: Mike Pendleton of MP Custom Made (etsy shop here); Lid design by bride, laser etching by MP Custom Made // Fingerprint Tree: Bleu de Toi // Groom’s Suit: Brooks Brothers