Holy moly, y’all! After a big week of proofing V4, we’ve finally sent that baby to print! There have been lots of dance parties in the office lately, so you’ve got a lot to look forward to! Of course, we had so many pretty features on the blog this week, too. As Lara said, “gorgeousness abounds!”

We love starting our Mondays with a Southern Spotting. These giant boxwood monograms are impressive and beautiful! Can I have one in my front yard?

We love a tradition ’round these parts. This week, Marissa and Sierra partnered up to teach us all about the Sorority Sing. How much fun does that sound?

Southern Bride of the Month, Lori told us all about her upcoming nuptials with her hubs-to-be, Sean. Her favorite part of wedding planning? Thinking of all the details that represent their relationship and personalities!

One of my favorite parts about fall is the state fair! It’s no surprise, then, that this state fair-inspired shoot from Southern Fried Paper stole my heart.

Marissa had a difficult time making decisions for her dream Southern wedding (or shall we say vow renewal?), but with some help from Emily, her inspiration boards look perfectly classic and pink. We think it’s very “Marissa!”

This week’s featured Real Wedding Gallery was a beach beauty! Check out Katie + Clark’s gallery here!

We love Real Weddings!

Victoria + Rusty’s Ford Plantation wedding was a Southern beauty! We love how many significant details the couple included. Take it all in here and here.

We’re so impressed that Victoria + Michael’s sweet garden wedding not only looks beautiful, but does so in 95 degree weather! See it here and here.

Announcements are Fab!

Who likes diamonds? If you’re local to North Carolina and near Lexington, the Sheila Bayes Diamond Dash is tomorrow! Register here for the chance to win a beautiful diamond after competing in fun events around town.

We love all paper goods here at Southern Weddings, but we’re particularly big fans of letterpress. We jumped for joy when Annemie at Megapixie Photography passed along this crazy-good offer at Parklife Press: 20% off any order started before October 7. Check out her blog for more details and don’t be scared by the week deadline — you don’t need to finalize anything yet.

Have a terrific weekend, my dears!

Y’all! This might have been the hardest post for me to work on… ever! As many of you know, I am already married (to the love of my life) and had my own Southern wedding. When I planned my own wedding (almost three years ago) I knew exactly what I wanted: classic Southern style, light pink accents and, for BDK’s contribution, men in tails + bow ties! Needless to say, I nixed the top hats and white batting gloves.

My taste hasn’t changed much since then. I still love classic Southern style and light pink, however, looking at gorgeous Southern weddings everyday doesn’t help my decision making skills! Poor Emily took a billion inspiration images (fifteen of which were dresses) and turned them into the great boards you’ll see below – thanks, Em!

Image credit from left to right and top to bottom: Emily Ley Paper, Studio Cabrelli via SMP, Christine Farah, Corbin Gurkin, A Bryan Photo, Tec Petaja, via Style Me Pretty and Yan Photography.

Tell us the basics. Where do you want to get married and when? How many people would you invite? Well, let’s just start by saying this is my dream vow renewal (I wouldn’t want to give BDK the wrong signal, now would I?)! I would love to renew my vows at the amazing Cathedral in Downtown Mobile where I grew up, however I am IN LOVE with the amazing outdoor cathedral from this Tec Petaja wedding. Since I need to plan around baseball season, I’d go with a lovely winter wedding with a small group of our closest family and friends.

What’s your design inspiration and color palette? I am completely obsessed with the image of the Bible and pearls from A Bryan Photo. It’s actually the background on my computer! I love the soft, feminine feel and the meaning behind it. I’m also inspired by classic Southern style with a bit of ballet shoe-colored accents. Think Grace Kelly/Audrey Hepburn with a slow Southern drawl.

What details and traditions would you include in your ceremony? Since this would be my vow renewal, I’ve always loved when the bride and groom meet half way down the aisle and walk to the altar together. Such a powerful message in just a few short steps. I would also be sure that the Bible verses that were read at our wedding were read at our renewal.

What dress would you wear? Um, herein lies quite a problem! I love SO many dresses that I absolutely cannot pick just one! Since this is my dream wedding, and in my dream I can wear as many dresses as I want, I would wear (in no particular order!): Amsale Coco, Amsale Dahlia, Justin Alexander 8483, Watters Escalante and then a gorgeous custom Chaviano Couture mini-dress for the getaway. I do have to add that IF I had to choose just one, I would say the Justin Alexander would win!

Image credit from left to right and top to bottom: First two images and last two images A Bryan Photo, plate with cameo and monogram napkin images Martha Stewart Weddings, cake by Amy Cakes and photo by Amy Rae (see more from this shoot here!), Kristin Vining and The Nichols.

What would your flowers look like? Like Nicole, I love giant, fully bloomed peonies. For my vow renewal, I’m leaning toward a fluffy all white bouquet, even though I do also adore that light pink color palette! I do know that I die for long and clean estate tables with low and fluffy arrangements with LOADS of tea light candles. Who doesn’t look stunning in candlelight?!

What details and traditions would you include in your reception? I absolutely love the idea of displaying generations of family bridal portraits, it’s just so sweet and personal. I would have large estate tables below bands of string lights enveloping family and friends while they dined on mixed vintage china (preferably heirloom!). Dancing and more dancing! Have you ever sung at the top of your lungs along to Journey at a wedding? It’s pretty fab, I’m not going to lie! Oh, and I’d monogram everything!

What food would you serve? I’m a big fan of good Southern comfort food. I’d love to serve macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, mini pot pies, grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken & biscuits. My reception would say we’re formal, but like to have fun!

Where would you honeymoon? In a private bungalow in Bora Bora! They have see-through glass floors, y’all!

What’s most important to you about weddings? God and love. Weddings, as gorgeous as they may be, are truly about two people being joined together as one to share, grow and love for the rest of their lives. Weddings are just the beginning of a crazy wonderful adventure!

What do you think, ladies? Should we begin planning a vow renewal for Miss Marissa? :)

P.S. In case you missed a post…
Nicole’s Dream Southern Wedding

Yeehaw, y’all!!!!  As we say here in the South, we’re as happy as hogs in slop right now!!  You may remember last week when we announced that we sent our print files off for proofing.  Well, after many rounds of color proofs and edits, our next gorgeous issue is now 100% DONE!  I just gave final approval to our printer to let the presses rip!  WAHOOO!!!  Make that tea extra sweet today, and enjoy some pecan pie with us!  Time to celebrate! 

Huge thanks again to everyone who made V4 happen.  We can’t wait to share all of the goodness with you when V4 launches on newsstands October 25th!  Want to win the first copy of V4, hot off the press?  Enter to win HERE.  Want your copy delivered right to your door?  Pre-order V4 HERE.  Happy Thursday, y’all!

There are so many gorgeous Southern wedding ideas to be gleaned from Victoria + Michael’s celebration! Not the least of which, is how to still look graceful and elegant in the sweltering Southern summer heat. Step one, I gather? Choose a light-as-air Delphine Manivet gown. It also helps to have good-natured guests like those of V + M, who will still pull Christmas crackers and don crowns even in 95+ degree heat. Thanks to Amber Karson Events for planning, and Brian Tropiano for capturing, all of the gorgeous pink and gray details!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: My family is British, and at Christmas, our table is set with Christmas crackers that contain a joke, a trinket and a paper crown that you pull apart with the person sitting next to or opposite you. We had our wonderful calligrapher write guests’ names on silver Christmas crackers and we used them as place settings. It was joyful to look around at dinner and see friends and family celebrating with paper crowns on their heads.
Describe your wedding cake: Michael and I really wanted pies at the wedding, so we decided to have a small cake, mainly for us to cut, and a number of our favorite pies (apple, blueberry and strawberry-rhubarb) for guests. At our tasting, we nearly changed our mind because the raspberry-cream cake that Windows Catering made us was amazing. We ended up sticking with the pies, though. However, shortly after the cake cutting we got pulled away to take photos and didn’t get to have more than a bite of cake. We’re planning to order some for our first anniversary to make up for it!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The late-breaking news that it wouldn’t just be hot, but that it would be the hottest day in the Washington area in over a decade. Having to adjust on the fly to make sure guests were as comfortable as possible at our outdoor wedding and that the ceremony could proceed as planned was a challenge. Thanks to our great wedding planners, who knew exactly how many industrial-sized fans we could plug into each outlet and who came up with the wonderful idea of handing out chilled towelettes, some late purchases of extra parasols and fans, and the great attitude of our guests, we managed.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Brian Tropiano, our photographer, was amazing to work with and captured the particulars and the spirit of the wedding.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? It was so touching having our friends and family play such an important role in our ceremony. Good friends and family did readings and both Michael’s mother and one of the groomsmen and his girlfriend sang us songs.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to a honeymoon early next year that will take us from winter in Washington to a romantic getaway in Paris followed by an island vacation in the Seychelles.

Photographer: Brian Tropiano Photography // Event Design and Planning: Amber Karson Events // Venue: George Washington’s River Farm // Florist: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, Ltd. // Catering: Windows Catering // Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy // Musicians: Sage String Trio // DJ: Bialek’s // Dress: Delphine Manivet from Lovely // Bridesmaid Dresses: Joanna August // Rentals: Perfect Settings // Transportation: Sunny’s Limo

Victoria + Michael’s wedding is dreamy, garden perfection. Their pink invitation suite goes on my list of favorite paper products with it’s watercolor treatment and white calligraphy. Even their stamps set the tone for their wedding at George Washington’s River Farm, where greenery and flowers were abundant. Victoria carried an impressive bouquet of textured blooms down the aisle to meet her beau, dressed in a handsome khaki suit and delicate boutonniere. The couple combated a scorching hot day with parasols, fans, chilled towels and drinks. We think it makes their ceremony even more festive! Big thanks to Brian Tropiano Photography for sharing this lovely wedding!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. It was the height of March Madness and I was wearing a Kansas University basketball jersey. Michael was impressed and it sparked a conversation in which we discovered our mutual love for college basketball.
Describe the proposal. Michael booked me a stress-relieving massage at the Mandarin Oriental after a tough few weeks at work and then surprised me again with news that we were staying over and having a romantic dinner out that same night. After dinner, Michael took me to the balcony of the club floor on which we were staying and surprised me with a table setup with champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries. He then astounded me again by dropping to a knee and proposing in the shadow of the Washington Monument.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, sweltering and fun.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I went shopping in New York with my mum, my future mother-in-law and my brother’s fiancée. The moment the dress went over my head and fluttered down to the floor, I knew it was perfect. The Delphine Manivet gown was unlike anything else I tried on. The lace was timeless but totally modern and the dress was comfortable and light – a fact that I was so thankful for when our wedding day turned out to be incredibly hot. After I found the dress, all the other wedding details seemed to fall into place.
Describe your wedding flowers: I collected a page or two of wedding blog posts that I admired and sent them to my planner early in the process. She quickly picked up on what I was going for and described what it was that I liked about the photos of flowers I sent: lots of texture! Our planner set us up with a wonderful florist and the bouquets and table flowers turned out perfectly.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our wedding was on a gracious farm on the banks of the Potomac that was once owned by George Washington. It’s now the home of the American Horticultural Society and has beautiful meadows mapping a path down to the river. In addition, I asked my Mum to bring to the wedding a few handkerchiefs given to her as a child by her grandfather. One, rimmed in pink roses, I gave to Michael and the other I used to wrap the stem of my bouquet. Incorporating elements and actual mementos from generations past and upholding family traditions is both very Southern and very timeless.

Photographer: Brian Tropiano Photography // Event Design and Planning: Amber Karson Events // Venue: George Washington’s River Farm // Florist: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, Ltd. // Catering: Windows Catering // Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy // Musicians: Sage String Trio // DJ: Bialek’s // Dress: Delphine Manivet from Lovely // Bridesmaid Dresses: Joanna August // Rentals: Perfect Settings // Transportation: Sunny’s Limo