UPDATED: NEW DEADLINE AUGUST 15TH!


Hi friends! As y’all know, preparations for our next print edition — a.k.a. V5 — are well underway (we’ve got another shoot tomorrow!), and we want you to be a part of it. Photographers, brides, planners, designers and anyone else interested in submitting content for us to consider: please follow these easy directions and make sure to read our helpful FAQ page for editorial guidelines. We’re so excited about V5 and can’t wait to see what y’all have up your sleeves!

REAL WEDDINGS We are looking for the best of the best in real Southern weddings for print. Y’all know we love what you love – great photography, inspiring love stories and lovely details. To be considered for a Real Weddings feature in print, the wedding must have taken place in the southeastern United States. Photographers, please email 20-25 good web-quality .jpg attachments to our Creative Director, Emily Ayer, along with the following information: couple’s name, wedding date, wedding location, and any vendor information you have (names and websites). We only accept digital submissions. Brides, please ask your photographer to do the above. Please note we do have a strict exclusivity policy and cannot share work that has been featured on another blog or in another publication, and we would prefer that print submissions not be seen anywhere online, even the photographer’s blog or Facebook. Please title your email V5 REAL WEDDING.

EDITORIAL SHOOTS We loved the editorial shoots we featured in V4! Check them out in our gorgeous Editorial Galleries! If you have shot or created something wonderful that you think our readers would love, send preview images to Emily for review.

BOUQUETS In every issue we assemble a gallery of stunning bouquets. Send low-res previews to howdy at iloveswmag.com for review. Please attach the images individually to the email, or embed them in the email. Please do not send zip files. Please include the photographer’s name in the file name. We do allow bouquet shots to have been previously published online. Please title your email V5 BOUQUETS.

RINGS We love a little bling, and we know you do, too! In every issue, we highlight the most creative, Southern ring shots around. Check out a little taste from our last issue below. Please send low-res previews to howdy at iloveswmag.com for review. Please attach the images individually to the email, or embed them in the email. Please do not send zip files. Please include the photographer’s name in the file name. We do allow ring shots to have been previously published online. Send low-res previews to howdy at iloveswmag.com for review. Please title your email V5 RINGS.

EPIC IMAGES Y’all know we love great photography in print! Have an image you think has that Southern wow factor? We take a good number of single shots – details and portraits and Southern environmental – from all over the world to fill our pages and story elements. Send low-res previews to howdy at iloveswmag.com for review. Please attach the images individually to the email, or embed them in the email. Please do not send zip files. Please include the photographer’s name in the file name. We do allow epic images to have been previously published online. Please send a max of five images and title your email V5 EPIC IMAGES.

PRODUCT SUBMISSIONS Have a Fab Find, a product or paper good that you think our readers would adore? Please first send a digital submission – just a photo of the product plus a short description (why would our readers gobble it up!?) – to howdy at iloveswmag.com for review. If approved, we’ll request a physical sample. Please title your email V5 FAB FIND.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the high volume of submissions, we unfortunately cannot respond to all inquiries, though we will do our best! If your wedding or shoot is chosen, we will email you to request an interview from the couple and additional details. If you have not heard back from us on a Real Wedding submission within four weeks, we welcome you to submit your work to another publication. Other image submissions may take us longer to reply to as we have to fit them into stories, etc., as our publication date gets closer. Submissions deadline: AUGUST 15.

Have a question? First, read our submission guidelines. We take a lot of time to detail these out so you know exactly what to send. Next, read the Twitter series Lara wrote last year on how to get published for a few quick tips. Study our blog and print editions to know exactly what we’re looking for. Have other questions? Jumping out of your seat excited? Leave a comment here and help us spread the word! We can’t wait to see what you all cook up!

P.S. Want to get in on the V5 AD ACTION? You have till August 1 to confirm your space with Marissa!

Today’s wedding is special to us, not just because it’s meaningful and lovely, but because it took place in our neighboring city, Durham! Erika + Jon knew right away that they would get married in Erika’s mother’s back yard. The decision just “felt right” and another venue never even occurred to them! According to the bride, “With all the memories that we share in that yard, that house, that neighborhood and that town, there really was no other place that could have compared. Choosing a look or style for the wedding wasn’t quite as easy… so, I didn’t.” The hodge-podge of elements that E + J used put the groom at unease at first, but we think it came together marvelously! We’re sending out big thanks to Oh, Darling Photography for sharing this wedding with us.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Ugh, wedding dresses are the worst, right? They’re heavy, they’re uncomfortable, they all look the same and they’re so expensive. I swore to myself that I’d find an interesting dress that was comfortable, affordable, and had straps so I could dance all night and not bat an eyelash. Turns out, that doesn’t exist. After scouring the internet and even a few bridal boutiques, I settled on the next best thing. I bought a 1950s eyelet dress off of www.poshgirlvintage.com without trying it on. I worked with a seamstress to rework the bodice so it would fit me better. Comfort aside, it was all I ever wanted. It was lovely — right for the environment and right for me.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We didn’t write our own vows mostly because we’re lazy but also because we’re secretly traditional. The old fashion vows are pretty good and they’ve certainly stood the test of time.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Jon’s mom is an elementary school librarian with a reading voice so sugary-sweet it’ll give you a toothache. She has a gentle, Southern tone that I could listen to all day, so she was a shoo-in for the reader position. We let (read: forced) her to choose the literature herself and she picked the perfect thing. She read Mark Twain’s letter to his fiancé Olivia about their wedding day and it made me melt.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Michael Cumella, our Antique Phonograph DJ, chose our processional and recessional songs from his library of frisky 78s. They were early 1900s tunes that were perfect for our garden-like wedding. Walking down the aisle is already an awkward moment, and having a romantic or somber song would have only amplified that for me, so I shook it up a bit with a silly song. I opted for “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Wanna Do It)” by Al Jolson for my down-the-aisle-stroll. We danced our first dance to Beirut’s “Elephant Gun” because we both love it and we never got sick of it. After much debate, my dad and I settled on “Unforgettable” by Nat & Natalie Cole. That was a good choice because we could easily sway along to it without much need for steps or fancy moves.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I call it DDIY, Delegated DIY. I have the privilege of being surrounded by a ton of truly talented, patient and inspired people. My amazing Aunt Laura spontaneously free-hand-lettered the chalkboard menu, my brother-in-law Owen designed our logo from his home in Japan, my sister-in-law revealed her hidden lettering talent when she offered to paint all the directional signs, my best friend and co-worker Theresa designed the incredible carnival cut-out, and my mom and her friends hand tied all the ribbon dancers. I’d have the say that the ultimate DIY was more of a DIN — Do It, Neighborhood! In the week leading up to the wedding, my mom posted on the neighborhood Listserv that two local lovers would be tying the knot in her backyard. She explained that people from all over the country would be visiting her home to celebrate and she wanted to show her friends and loved ones what spirit and community her neighborhood has. She asked our friendly neighbors to collect any blooming flowers from their yard and drop a bundle in the mason jars that she would be leaving on her front porch overnight. When we woke up in the morning of the wedding, the jars on the porch were filled with the most incredible array of flowers, every different kind and color imaginable. It was like Christmas morning. We used the flowers all over, in various spots. They were like little tufts of love and support scattered around. There is amazing spirit in Durham.

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? I LOVED the Phonograph DJ, Michael Cumella. He came all the way from NYC to DJ our wedding in North Carolina and I think it was worth every penny. Having sounds from the early 1900’s emanate from those great big horns really set the mood like nothing else could. It was quirky, it was fun, it was entertaining and original and the responses from the guests confirmed our decision. The splurge with the most lasting impact was the photography. Having a great photographer to capture your day just the way you remember it is priceless. Though I’d say that the photographers were less of a splurge and more of a necessary expense.

How much do you love this next set of photos? I can just feel the warm air and the clinking of glasses as the toasts are made!

In what month did you get married? April
How many guests attended your wedding? 110
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Jon and I agreed that wedding cake is overrated so we went with pie. My mom, apparently, was not keen on this idea so she surprised both of us with the most incredible wedding cake imaginable. Jon’s last name is Ham, so my mom commissioned Sweet Flamingo Cakes to sculpt an anatomically perfect ham out of carrot cake and frosting. Not only was this thing a masterpiece that could fool the naked eye, but I heard it was tasty, too. (I wouldn’t know cause I gorged myself on coconut cream pie from Once in a Blue Moon Bakery all night.)
What range did your wedding budget fall into? I think we were in the middle of $25,000 and $50,000. It was totally worth it.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? At about 10pm, the gods relented, the skies opened up and the water of a thousand oceans came pouring down on the dance floor. Hot summer rain fell, off and on, for the rest of the night, but the dancing never stopped. At one point, Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” came on and the whole wet wedding party hollered “you can plan a pretty picnic BUT YOU CAN”T PREDICT THE WEATHER!” in unison. It was amazing.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? My advice to women planning weddings is to do what you like, have fun and ignore the rules. Don’t fall for the idea that you can only have flowers as centerpieces. You can put whatever you want in the middle of that table. Anything. We had a crate full of toys, trinket and magic tricks because that’s what I like. As for the venue, our decision was based primarily on feelings and memories, but there were some practical elements that played a small role. We wanted a wedding that could go on all night (we didn’t want to be forced out of a venue at ten), we wanted a cozy-homey feel, and we wanted a place that had some sentimental significance to us. Fortunately, my mom’s house matched all the criteria, so we got lucky there. But the advice remains the same: do what you like.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We’re heading to Japan in September for our Honey-plus-one-y-moon. The plus one is Jon’s brother who lives in Japan… not a baby.

Oh, Darling Photo is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Get it? Teal party, like a tea party that’s teal?? Teal with a pop of hot pink, to be exact :)

I was so inspired by the bright bridesmaid dresses in our real wedding post from a few weeks back that I decided to craft an inspiration board around them. Though this palette isn’t for the faint of heart, with a heavy dose of sophisticated neutrals, it could be quite perfect for the vibrant Southern gal (and her beau). I’m imagining just the faintest touch of tea party elements, paired with more modern touches like an ombre cake, to set the scene. What do you think – would you go for a palette this bold?

Tea cup photo by Eric Kelley via Snippet & Ink, hot pink heels photo by Wayne and Angela via Style Me Pretty, teal and white striped gifts photo by Beaux Arts Photographie, teal bridesmaid dress photo by Pasha Belman via Southern Weddings, pretty pink lounge set-up photo by Steve Steinhardt (styling by Beth Helmstetter) via Southern Weddings, coral charm peony photo by Lisa Lefkowitz via Style Me Pretty, teal and white Dauphine Press wedding invitation photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat, pink ombre cake photo by Lisa Lefkowitz via Style Me Pretty

P.S. A teal + hot pink wedding

Good morning, belles! While we hope many of you are celebrating with your families today, we wanted to take a minute to share a few of our favorite father photos to honor the wonderful men in all of our lives. Enjoy!

Images by Cyn Kain, Michelle Pattee (via Snippet & Ink), Nancy Ray, Scott Hopkins Photography, and Vinicius Matos via Junebug Weddings

Images by Nancy Ray (first two), Anna Kirby, Chenin Boutwell via Moment Junkie, Stephen Devries, KLP Photography, and Scobey Photography

Images by Jemma Coleman, Stephen Devries, Dixie Pixel, Sean Flanigan via Junebug Weddings, and Stephen Devries

I’m sure all the dads out there can appreciate that second to last one :) See you back here tomorrow, friends!

P.S. More sweet dads

Cyn Kain, Nancy Ray, Scott Hopkins, Anna Kirby, Stephen Devries, KLP Photography, Scobey Photography, and Dixie Pixel are all fabulous members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

I love the feeling that Friday brings around. You look back on the week and feel productive, but you look forward to the weekend as a wonderful reward for getting up early five days in a row (really a feat for some of us) and cranking your mind cogs. This weekend, I plan on painting a wall on my apartment and reading a few good books on my balcony. What are your plans?

For our new readers, we want to welcome you to the Southern Weddings world! Take a look around our site and our features in Emily’s fab tour.

We’ve been hosting some pretty fab giveaways lately, if I do say so myself! See who won here!

June’s Southern Bride of the Month, Kelly, is a woman with an infectious enthusiasm for all things wedding! Her pink and green plans are too adorable.

Marissa is back with our Sit a Spell series and dreaming up a citrus bridal shower for me using my favorite color, orange!! Who else is drooling over her juicy ideas?

We love Real Weddings!

Mariangelix + Steven rocked our socks off with their colorful, vintage wedding and surprise bowling alley reception! See it all here.

Jillian + Marcus’s barn wedding combined the tried-and-true elements we love with uniquely Southern details. See it here.

Sigrid + Bart’s pink wedding was a huge family effort. We love that S + B tied the knot at her family’s home! See it here.

Yahoo!

Have you joined our Sweet Tea Society yet? We believe true love always wins. Read our manifesto here and grab a badge for your blog!

Say howdy to some of our newest Blue Ribbon Vendors! Sending hugs to Bella Flora, Caroline Joy, Events in the City, Flaire Weddings & Events, Georgia Ann’s Paperie, Jonathan Connolly, Mi Amore Foto, Michelle March, Posh Petals and Pearls, and The Sugar Suite!

Before you go, take a look at this amazing photo by Kelli Kano. Lynn + Stefan’s first look just makes my heart melt. See more of their wedding on Kellie’s blog.

Let’s give a giant hug to our Southern Bride Blogger, Mindy and all you other belles who are getting married this weekend!! Congratulations!

Have a fab weekend, my dears! And Happy Father’s Day to all of our wonderful dads :)