sending...
Y’all, if there is just one thing we could have you take away from months (or years!) of reading this blog, it would be this: the marriage is always, always more important than the wedding. Yep, we LOVE pretty details. We do, we can’t help it! And we know you probably do, too!
What we’re trying to say is, no matter how much inspiration we provide for the gorgeous centerpiece, the exquisite wedding gown, or the picture-perfect favor, what we do to help you plan a meaningful wedding day that honors the right things and lays an unshakeable foundation for your marriage will always be infinitely more important. And that’s why we’ve created the Sweet Tea Society, to remind us all what’s truly important in weddings. This is what we believe:
We don’t do this perfectly all the time — no, ma’am! But we try harder every day to make this who we are and where our heart is, and we would be honored if you’d join us! Feel free to snag a badge if you’d like to become a member of the Sweet Tea Society, and keep an eye out for a few new blog features we’ve got in the works!
Won’t you join us?
P.S. Kudos to Brooke from Curious & Company, who designed and illustrated our badges and the top of our manifesto! Nicole did an amazing job laying the rest of it out!
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Damaris Mia {Le Magnifique}, May 17, 2012 2:12 pm reply I'm not from the South, however, I've always wanted to visit - I'd still like to place a badge on my blog. Where do you girls want it linked back to? :)
Emily, May 17, 2012 2:36 pm reply Hi Damaris! We would love to have you, Southern or not! A link to www.iloveswmag.com or www.sweetteasociety.com would be wonderful!
Annie, May 17, 2012 2:39 pm reply Oh my gosh, I absolutely love this idea! Beautiful centerpieces and dresses are great, but I hope that everyone can look back on their wedding and think of the wonderful emotions they felt because of the people and history involved. Hurray for Sweet Tea!
Diana, May 17, 2012 3:14 pm reply This is such a beautiful idea! I am getting my badge now! Would love to be a guest blogger on any of the topics surrounding the wonderful society so please don't hesitate to ask!
Caroline, May 17, 2012 3:32 pm reply this is cute but..picking a wedding date around the SEC schedule is going against the idea that the marriage is more important than the wedding. get married whenever you feel it is right, not so your husband can watch football. if the MARRIAGE is meant to be, then your husband shouldn't care if he can watch a game or not.
Emily, May 17, 2012 3:53 pm reply Hi Caroline! Agreed! We went a little Southern tongue-in-cheek there. I think in context, the overall point still comes across strongly! :)
Emily, May 23, 2012 2:25 pm reply Caroline: I would definitely say SEC (specifically, Kentucky Wildcat) basketball is more important to schedule around ;)
Peggy Sherwood, June 4, 2012 1:34 pm reply Emily: This is soooo true for us that bleed blue.....all the weddings I attended during the SEC and NCAA Championship games had lounges with the KY Wildcats playing on the big screen. I kept thinking that maybe their first dances should have been to the UK fight song! Thankfully there was some bourbon or sweet tea being served up!
Leigh Pearce, May 17, 2012 4:04 pm reply So in love with this!! I've already printed this out for our inspiration board in the office. Keep up the great work, SW ladies :)
reina, May 17, 2012 4:20 pm reply I ADORE this. I keep saying this to clients - the marriage, the promise and your relationship is SO much more important than the wedding - the chargers you choose, the lighting you pick, or the peonies you can't have are INSIGNIFICANT in the light of a blessed marriage. I wan to be part of this NOW! :) xo
Desiree, May 17, 2012 5:32 pm reply The reason why I so passionately love Southern Weddings, why I follow the blog, why I follow the editors, why I keep coming back for more...is because y'all are more! I've been married for almost 3 years now, I'm not planning my wedding anymore! Sure, I'm a wedding planner, but I have millions of resources to choose from. There are mountains of blogsites out there boasting the most beautiful details, the most gorgeous locations, etc. I think I can speak for a lot of your readers when I say, Southern Weddings is more than just a wedding blogsite. It's about all the details in your manifesto. I'm just glad y'all figured out what we've known all along. ;) great job!
Lisa, May 17, 2012 7:00 pm reply This perspective and mentality is my favorite thing about Southern Weddings! Thrilled to grab a badge and join in! :)
beka, May 17, 2012 9:34 pm reply Oh, ladies...how bad would it be if I went out and snatched up a husband just so I could join the Sweet Tea Society?! Maybe I'll stick to being an honorary single supporter for now :) But honestly, I agree with the other comments - this is why I LOVE SW! Thanks for keeping things real and in proper perspective. Your work is so appreciated!
Sarah Bush, May 18, 2012 1:14 am reply THIS is why Southern Weddings is my favorite wedding magazine/wedding blog. OBSESSED with this!!! Thank you so much for for always going above and beyond the typical wedding blog, and reminding us what it's really all about. PS. Our wedding falls on the second weekend of the 2013 SEC football schedule. We will have a TV at the reception :)
Meagan, May 18, 2012 7:07 am reply I picked my wedding date around Florida football! :)
Stephanie Creekmur, May 18, 2012 10:03 am reply I am absolutely IN LOVE with this! So beautifully written! I am not a bride, nor am I interested in being one, but I am still a frequent reader of this blog. I love that you cater to weddings in the south but its so much more than that - you embrace the charming culture and your content is enjoyable even for those of us who aren't planning a wedding! Thank you! :)
Emily, May 18, 2012 10:45 am reply Stephanie, your comment just made my heart happy! Thank you so much for that!!
Lauren, May 18, 2012 12:10 pm reply This couldn't have been more perfectly timed for me! I'm single, but I have several friends who have invested lots of time and money into their weddings (and so have I), only to now be experiencing the rough patches that come with the first years of marriage. This is such an encouragement and a good reminder for when they confide in me. Thank you!
Layla Mayville {Simply Savannah Events}, May 23, 2012 4:43 pm reply I'm not from the south but moved here and live in Savannah, GA. This is sooooo great!! I love sweet tea and everything that goes with southern hospitality! Newest member :)
:: Introducing { Sweet tea society } :: | :: My sweet love ::, May 24, 2012 5:50 am reply [...] for your marriage will always be infinitely more important. And that’s why we’ve created the Sweet Tea Society, to remind us all what’s truly important in weddings. This is what we [...]
Nikki, May 24, 2012 3:41 pm reply I LOVE this! I totally had to pick my wedding date (and unfortunately wait until next spring) due to UT football season! But I could never be that girl I curse who puts a wedding on a game day. Love love love it!
Tanya Malott, May 25, 2012 2:49 pm reply Glad to see you making a statement in the right direction. I think you are on the front edge of the next big trend. As a wedding photographer of 20+ years, I am a little sickened by the detail driven, fauxtography, styled shoot insanity created by wedding blogs and magazines. Enough already. Styled portraits and color palettes are NOT what weddings are all about. We have lost the people, their real emotions, and the meaning of it all under a pile of THINGS. I'm actually working on a book born out of this same frustration.....that we are all getting just a bit too carried away with the pretty pictures and forgetting the real meaning of marriage and connection.
Emily, May 28, 2012 10:14 pm reply So glad to see our sentiments resonated with you, Tanya!
Ruth @ My Love Wedding Ring, May 29, 2012 5:14 pm reply Such wise words!! Weddings are such a big thing it can be easy to lose perspective, but the long haul is definintely the more precious part of the marriage...
Kelly Cummings, June 1, 2012 12:53 pm reply I love it, every little bit! Until I met my husband I never ever would've thought I'd pick our wedding date based on what team Alabama was playing that weekend and where (being a Tarheel born and bred and not caring for football at all before then), but we sure did! That weekend Alabama was playing Kentucky at Kentucky. Haha. I'm all about every bit of this, and I'd love to have a glass of sweet tea on a porch with all y'all! :)
Kristina, June 1, 2012 6:10 pm reply This is a lovely idea! Great job ladies! lookin' forward to it!
What is a budget savvy bride? | The Budget Savvy Bride, June 6, 2012 3:15 pm reply [...] end that your lifetime of marriage is more important than your wedding day.(a la Southern Weddings Sweet Tea Society- LOVE [...]
Some True Words | Tallahassee Wedding Planner - Shannon Reeves Events, June 6, 2012 3:37 pm reply [...] I’m a lover of pretty things too, but think that this – created by the lovely ladies of Southern Weddings – comes at a perfect time. It’s like a friend snapping in your face and bringing you [...]
Marie, June 8, 2012 8:06 am reply I found this through The Budget Savvy Bride and I adore it! I am a marriage coach and started my business with pre-marital counseling and I LOVE seeing such an influential blog take the time to remind us what the pretty stuff is all about :) Thank you!!!
Naomi, June 12, 2012 11:29 pm reply I love this! Makes me want to move back to the south...just a little bit. Love the concept and the name. I miss my "sweet tea'!
Making Things Happen - Ashton Events, July 18, 2012 11:49 pm reply [...] client to feel well loved, appreciated, and understood throughout the planning process. Similar to this amazing new manifesto- we are all about the relationship we build with our clients. We believe that [...]
Ana Primera, January 28, 2013 4:45 pm reply congratulations! I love this blog, it's great!