Y’all fell in love with John and Samantha when we featured their wedding on Monday, and so we’re especially happy to be back with their wedding film by Andrew Vanover today! I loved seeing their ceremony and downhome Southern reception come to life, and I think you will, too. Enjoy!

P.S. More wedding films for your Saturday morning viewing pleasure.

I know summer just started, but I already feel like it’s moving too fast! July is just a few days away y’all! I’m heading to Virginia this weekend for waterside fun, music, parades and crab races. What are you up to?

After shining the spotlight on the Kentucky Hot Brown in our Southern Delicacies post, we’re all looking to plan a field trip to Louisville.

Summer in the South ain’t nothin’ without a few barbecues! We rounded up the essentials for a weekend cookout in our next installment of our Summer in the South series.

Ceremonies are the part of weddings that stick to our hearts most dearly, so Emily’s back with more details about hers. This week, it’s all about music and readings! Read more here.

We want YOU in Southern Weddings V5! If you’ve read our Sweet Tea Society manifesto, you know what we believe. Now tell us what you believe and you might be published in our next issue! See details here.

Banana pudding is a Southern Delicacy we’ve yet to tackle, but Emily’s Southern Spotting will hold us over until Marissa can indulge us with the history!

Days in the Southern Weddings office are often packed with gorgeous wedding images, print prep and sweet tea. Spend the day with me in our Sit a Spell series.

Real Weddings make us smile

Samantha + John’s casual wedding was full of community-made charm. We love how their lakefront “I do’s” reminded us of their cute proposal story. See it here.

Ellie + Breck’s wedding weekend was full of Southern events to greet their far-traveling guests. We love how they achieved a homey feel. See it here.

Christine + Josh’s summer nuptials have us swooning over the classic details. Their chalkboard family tree is amazing! See it here.

Before you go, take a look at this adorable photo shoot Anna Paschal Photography did for her V5 ad! (New office mascot? I think so.) We can’t wait to see the finished product in print! Vendors, want in on the V5 action? Email marissa {at} iloveswmag.com to join the family!

Let’s give a shoutout (and giant hugs) to all the belles and beaus out there who are saying “I do” this weekend, including our Southern Bride Blogger, Kelsey. Congratulations, y’all!

Have an amazing weekend, friends!

Y’all have seen us dream up weddings and bridal showers for each other, but our life together in the Southern Weddings office consists of more than just the pretties we present to you on the blog! (We’ve been known to indulge in an office party now and then.) Sit a spell with me as I walk you through a typically day for Southern Weddings’ Art Director.

Left: A view of the bulletin board above my desk, which usually holds memories from office parties and photo shoots, paper inspiration and little reminders; Right: My favorite orange desk tray corrals my to-do lists, meeting agenda and the adorable “How to Tie a Bow Tie” chipboard from Launderette.

9:00 I walk into the office, drop my lunch into the fridge and, on the days that she’s up, I say good morning to Miss Gracie. Then I head upstairs to Southern Weddings headquarters where I’m often met by a pile of mailings. This week, it’s some gorgeous invitation samples from Smock and a giant box of goodies for a Making Brands Happen client!

9:10 After I sort through everything, I sit down at my desk and take my shoes off (I’m not sure if this increases productivity, but I’m a proponent of it). I log in to the blog to make sure everything’s posted correctly and the site is running properly and then I check my email. I answer the ones in my inbox and then send out a bunch to vendors we’re working with for another V5 feature to make sure we’re all on the same page.

9:30 Team Meeting time! Since Emily’s working from Connecticut this week, Lara and I Skype her into the office and then put Marissa on speakerphone. We’re total pros at the whole mobile office thing, except we still can’t figure out group Skype.

Left: Our virtual team meeting with Emily on Skype and Marissa on the phone; Right: my desk on the days I work from home. This week, I opened up Photoshop and Illustrator to put together our Summer in the South barbecue post!

10:30 The team meeting is over and everyone’s been updated on V5 features and then some. (Poor Marissa broke her toe!) Lara and I sit down and start building the InDesign document that will become our next issue! Emily sends over our story budget and now we start to see how the magazine will flow. (Hint: SO MUCH AMAZING.)

11:00 There’s only so much we can do before we pick selects from photo shoots and Real Weddings so Lara and I pull up the images we’ve gotten in so far and begin to narrow down the ones we want to place in the magazine.

12:00 We have an absolute squealing fit over a Jonathan Canlas wedding we took for this issue. Seriously, y’all will die. I wish I could tell you more, but you’ll just have to trust me – it’ll make you happier than a pup with two tails.

12:30 I start worrying because there’s no way we can narrow down the images from this wedding. I don’t think y’all would mind if we made this issue bigger than the last, would you?

Left: Rough sketches of a graphic for a blog side project; Right: Flipping through old issues to see what styles we want to update for V5. Yes, that’s my mason jar of water on the side! (I promise it’s not moonshine!)

1:00 We break for lunch, so I grab my food from the kitchen and then head back to my desk and start editing interviews for Real Weddings that are going up in the next two weeks. I almost tear up reading one of our brides’ vows to her new hubby – a constant job hazard, but oh-so-sweet! It’s pretty quiet in the office this week since Em’s in Connecticut and our intern, Emily Alice is on vacation, so I put on some music. I’ve been trying to create the perfect country music station on Pandora, but their new Country BBQ summer station is perfect! Plus, it reminds me of this post.

1:30 I spend the rest of the day working on blog graphics and prepping posts like this one. (Which means I’m wandering around the office taking photos of the paper messes I’ve made so far.) Emily’s got some Real Wedding submissions that she’s torn about, so I look through the photos with her. Sometimes we squeal over super-cute details and gush over gorgeous florals. (Hint: Farm animals are a big plus. Don’t tell Lara that’s how I make my decisions.)

3:00 We’re cooking up some awesome new features on the blog and there are still some graphics that need tweaking. I hop into Illustrator and mock up some options for the team to look at.

4:00 I get an email from Emily telling me how sad she is that she’s missing out on the chocolate tasting we’re doing for Taste TV. (Lucky for me, that means I get to take her place!)

5:00 It’s time to head home! I jot down a list of things that I need to take care of the next morning and then pack up my things. Usually, Emily and I say goodbye to Lara and Grace and carpool home. This week, I head out by myself and stop by the grocery store for some Sweet Tea ice cream, my new obsession.

And that’s my day, y’all! In just a few weeks, I’ll be living in the computer glow of V5 layout (and dying over the gorgeousness). Candy, sweet tea and puppies are welcome during this time.

Want more behind the scenes? Check out our “In the Office” posts here.

Banana pudding is a Southern Delicacy we have yet to tackle, but I’d say we’re about due, wouldn’t you? Perhaps Marissa will indulge us with a bit of history in a future column! In the meantime, enjoy these diminuitive scoops of this old-school Southern favorite. Yum!

Thanks so much to Landon Jacob for sharing!

P.S. Banana pudding instead of wedding cake

Landon Jacob is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Doesn’t Christine look so very Gone with the Wind in that first image? I’m swooning over plenty in Christine + Josh’s sweet summer nuptials, starting with her fabulous Southern style. From C’s classic lace gown and edge-detailed veil to the magnolia leaves in her bouquet and the romantic ceremony outside of The Reserve at Oak Bowery, I couldn’t dream up a more beautiful wedding. Make sure you pause to admire their chalkboard photobooth towards the end of this post – I mean, the family tree detail? SO fun, and such a great way to incorporate family heritage and tradition! Big hugs to Ms. Tiffany at Lucky Photography for sharing this beauty with us!

One of my favorite moments – a quick prayer with Christine and her ‘maids before the ceremony.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I’m one of those people who doesn’t shop well with others. But since it was for my wedding dress, I wanted my mom and sister to be there. I’m from the Mississippi coast, so we shopped around Mobile, Alabama with no luck. I easily tried on about a hundred dresses and just couldn’t find the right one. I went back to Auburn empty handed and a little frustrated. While surfing the web, I came across a beautiful lace gown that was absolutely perfect. I called a local salon to see if they had it in stock and they did! I was so excited to see it in person; I drove over there even with class beginning in 30 minutes! When I got to the salon, the salesperson persuaded me to try it on and it was perfect. It was funny to be sharing such a big moment with a stranger, but I couldn’t help it. I had found my dress without argument. The best part was that I got it for 50% off and with a free veil!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided to not do a “first look,” but if you ask any of the crew or wedding party, we kind of cheated. I saw him the morning of, before I left for the spa and again walking around the grounds to check on the setup. He didn’t see the dress, though, and I’m glad for it!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We didn’t write our own vows simply because there are too many good ones out there already. How do we compete with that? We had traditional Catholic vows. Our ceremony was a perfect combination of family traditions. Not only was it a perfect combination for us, but our families and friends all enjoyed it as well.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We did a “hands ceremony.” I really cried the first time I read it. It was just too perfect.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The ceremony music was all classical piano versions of popular songs. The prelude was a mix of Beatles music with the processional being “All You Need is Love.” I walked with my father to “Here Comes the Bride” and we receded to “Wedding March.” The piano really helped to create a classic and light atmosphere. The reception was a lot more upbeat! We started with our first dance to “I Cross My Heart” by George Strait, I danced with my father to “I Loved Her First” by Heartland, and Josh and his mother danced to “In My Life” by the Beatles.

Isn’t this bridal party a cool sip of water? The gray and cream tones are so light and refreshing for summer!

There’s that chalkboard photobooth backdrop I was telling you about – isn’t it too cool? We’ve long been fans of Dana Tanamachi’s work, and love this DIY project inspired by it!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Our wedding cake had four tiers of traditional, wedding cake with a butter cream and raspberry filling. The groom’s cake was a rich chocolate cake and with a peanut butter cream filling! It was themed, like a lot groom’s cakes in the South; the cake depicted a sandlot with a bride and groom cake topper of the groom pitching to the bride!
What was Southern about your wedding? We love Southern culture! It was no surprise that we married outside a beautiful plantation decorated with magnolias, hydrangeas, and small vintage details.

How did the two of you meet? Technically, Josh and I first met when we were neighbors at Auburn University. Josh, my roommate and his roommate brought a huge TV to my condo. It swallowed my console table! When I heard all the grunting from carrying it up three flights of stairs and into my place, I got curious and came out to see the main attraction. The three of them were sitting on the couch admiring their work and the gigantic discoloration of the screen. We were formally introduced and that was that!
Describe the proposal. I was driving back to Tuscaloosa to see Josh after a couple months working in my hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We had made plans to have a formal date together that evening. Little did I know, everyone else was looking forward to it, too. The festivities started as I was getting ready for dinner. I had several missed calls and suspicious voicemails granting me a “wooooonderful” evening. With some suspicions in the air, we were off to a dinner both of us really enjoyed. When we got back to the house, I instantly wanted to get in my pajamas. However, Mr. Charming distracted me with dessert. He had made peanut butter pie for us to enjoy and my suspicions began to grow again. We ate pie at the dining room table and he chose the seat next to me rather than the one across. Not letting my thoughts ruin the surprise for myself, I started a common topic on the house work. Josh went on and on about all the things that the house still needed only to conclude that it needed me. At that point, he asked “Will you marry me?” I was so stunned that the moment was really happening, that I put the ring aside and just sat there crying and holding his face. Eventually, he reminded me of the ring and I was more than happy to put the heavy bling on my hand. He couldn’t have done better.
In what month did you get married? We married in June.
How many guests attended your wedding? We had roughly 100 guests.
Describe your wedding flowers: I was looking for a clean and classic look. The florist and I chose a pallet of whites, greens, and silver. My bouquet was filled with hydrangeas, white roses, magnolia leaves, dusty miller, eucalyptus berry, and more.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Oh goodness! I think the most challenging part was delegating. I’m not a control freak, I promise! But it was surprisingly hard to hand over some of the projects and responsibilities at the end. I don’t understand why because I had the best help and a lot of it came out better than what I could have done myself!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? Our wedding was right on budget! It ranged in $10,000-$25,000.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? My best splurge was really two things. A lot of the DIY projects added up to an amazing atmosphere, so I’d say the best splurge was on project supplies like drapery fabric for the altar and MDF for the photo booth. All the overlooked details really added up to be not only a great design, but also a great expense.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment on the wedding day was taking pictures after the ceremony. All the formalities were over and the pictures show just how much fun we had!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? The best advice I have is actually something my dad would say. It’s the five P’s: proper preparation prevents poor performance. I’m sorry it’s corny, but so true! Give yourself time to research what you both really like and how to accomplish it within your budget/timeline! Prep as much as you can early so there won’t be any stress the week of. The best elements of the wedding were a group effort and planned early!