For a refreshing summer treat, there’s almost no beating watermelon. It’s juicy and refreshing on a hot day, and perfectly packable for impromptu picnics and road trips. Here, a few of our favorite finds and recipes inspired by this Southern summer fruit.

Gents will look dapper in a watermelon pocket square ($75)

Watermelon mojito pops make a good end-of-meal treat

Pretty emerald earrings – pair with a pink dress! ($130)

Serve watermelon balsamic cubes to start your meal on a refreshing note

A pair of pretty watermelon-inspired necklaces: green ($118) and pink ($260)

For a juicy lip, try Sephora Glossy Gloss in 06 ($10)

Pretty sandals with a coral pop ($88)

Jelly watermelon slices would be super cute at a dessert bar or as a favor ($24.50 for 5 pounds)

How fun would this be for cocktail hour – watermelon slices soaked in tequila and sprinkled with salt?

Want more Summer in the South? Check out our past posts!
A day at the lake
A Weekend Barbecue
Summer Essentials from A Southern Lady
Beach Getaway Essentials
Summer escapes

As a Charlotte native, Izzy + Lane’s wedding is extra special to me. Their museum reception took place at one of the most notable landmarks in the city and although I may be biased, I think these images from The Schultzes accurately depict how the couple transformed the Mint Museum from a beautiful building into a space brimming with Southern hospitality and family heirlooms. After all, only the most thoughtful of hosts will provide nourishing donuts and milk to late-night partiers.

My three sisters, sister in law, mom and I all went to NY Bride in Groom in Charlotte to look for dresses. We each pulled a few dresses that we thought I should try. The dress my mom picked out was the first one I tried on. It was “Adela” by Pronovias. I went to a few other shops to try on more dresses but I couldn’t help thinking back on Adela. It was really special that I fell in love with the dress that my mom chose. It had cap sleeves and lots of lace. I couldn’t wait to wear it!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We did! This was something we had experienced as guests at other weddings and we knew we wanted to do it so that we could get our photos taken before the ceremony. We are so happy we made this decision. The photos are some of our favorite from the entire day. It was such a special time for us to be only with each other and to exchange gifts. Even though he saw me before the ceremony, it was still great seeing him while I walked down the aisle too — so emotional!

Choosing the music was one of our favorite parts! For the processional, all 15 bridesmaids and 11 groomsmen walked down to “Cannot Hide my Love” by Enter the Worship Circle. At the climax of the song, the doors opened and I walked down, too. It was sung by some really special friends from college. The recessional was amazing. My twin sister and a gospel ensemble from University of South Carolina sang “Many the Miles” by Sara Bareilles as the entire bridal party exited. We stood in the back of the church dancing and singing until they were finished. It made everything feel so joyful.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We didn’t write our own vows, but our pastor was great about integrating our thoughts into the ceremony. We wanted her to make it clear to all of our guests that we are who we are because of them. Without us becoming who we are today, we would not have never fallen in love with each other and been able to start this journey in life together. We are so grateful for our family and friends.

I + L took a new spin on honoring their parents marriages. We are blown away by the display of their mothers’ wedding gown in their reception foyer. It was the newlyweds’ favorite detail and one that we’ll always remember, too.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? All of the food at the reception had a Southern flair. We had pimento cheese, BBQ sliders, shrimp and grits and a grilled cheese bar. When the bridal party entered the reception, we changed into cowboy boots so we could bust a move on the dance floor. We also gave out Krispy Kreme Donuts and cartons of milk as guests were leaving the reception.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Lane and I met at Furman University where we went to college in South Carolina. He was on my “brother hall” and I was one of his freshman advisors. We were friends for three years in college but it didn’t spark into a romance until my first year in graduate school. We spent the next three years driving hours to be together!
Describe the proposal. Lane had recently moved to Mississippi and came back to visit Charlotte, where I was living, for the weekend. We decided to go to his family’s lake house, which has been a really special place throughout our relationship. Sitting out on his back porch overlooking the lake, he got on one knee and popped the question! We then went to my family’s house in Charlotte to celebrate with our family and friends.
In what month did you get married? March
How many guests attended your wedding? 300
Describe your wedding flowers: I realize I’m biased, but Lynette from the Bloom Room went so above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined. My bouquet was filled with garden roses, hellebores, ranunculus, dusty miller and astibe. It completely matched the colors and feel we wanted for the wedding. The reception had several long tables and Lynette did a perfect job filling the tables with beautiful flowers including herbs and succulents. They were displayed in great pieces of pottery and glass. The flowers made the wedding.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Having worked at Edible Art of Charlotte during high school, we knew we were going to want a cake from them. We got almond and coconut flavors and the cake was rough iced with buttercream. Our florist added some fresh flowers to the outside. It was perfectly simple and delicious!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? During the entire wedding planning process, Lane and I were living in Mississippi while my family was in Charlotte, where our wedding would be, busy working on the details. Without my twin sister as our wedding planner, we may not have had a wedding! It was definitely difficult not being there to help stuff envelopes, make runners, and meet with vendors, but we were constantly in communication. Thank goodness for picture messaging and unlimited minutes on the cell phone!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Having put so much time, money and energy into the wedding, we are so glad we splurged on our photographers and videographers. Both the Schultzes and Caravan did an amazing job capturing our day. The wedding only lasted a day but now we will have these memories forever!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The first look!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Lane and I are currently living in Cleveland, Mississippi working in jobs that we love. We are looking forward to enjoying our first year of marriage with the newest member of our family, a rescue dog named Rye.

Rise and shine, valentines! It couldn’t be anything other than a wonderful week when we’re starting out by sharing something as lovely as these Sarah Seven wedding gowns.

I think the one above is my favorite from their new Spring 2013 collection – isn’t the bodice gasp-worthy?

Sarah Seven creates dresses that are “vintage inspired but decidedly modern.” Perfect for Southern belles, don’t you think?

She uses natural fabrics, silk, wool, linens, and cotton voile as well as recycled vintage fabrics in her creations, and she also splits 5% of all sales between several charities, which we love.

Love these beautiful gowns as much as we do? Texas brides, be sure to stop by the Sarah Seven trunk show at Serendipity Bridal in Austin on July 27 and 28! I’m jealous y’all will get to admire these beauts in person.

I couldn’t resist including that last little number – wouldn’t it be amazing for the right bride? Fingers crossed she’s one of you! :)

You can see more of Sarah Seven’s designs on her site right here. Happy shopping!

I think that every week I tell y’all that it’s V5 madness in the office, but every week, even more amazing ideas keep popping up! We’ve been swapping ideas, logistics, inspiration boards and Etsy finds like crazy! In the middle of all of this, we had to give a huge hug (and blog post, of course) to Miss Emily Ayer, our amazing Creative Director who has been with us for three years! Happy SW-versary, Em!

Aside from our going-to-be-giant V5, we’ve been cooking up some other fun features. We’re thrilled to introduce our General Store, a collection of the exact products and details y’all want for your weddings!

Summer always means a summer getaway! Take a look at our little round-up of the best escapes below the Mason-Dixon in our latest from our Summer in the South series.

Speaking of summer things, aren’t lawn games the best? Y’all know how much we love cornhole, so we’re thrilled to partner with SC Cornhole Game to giveaway three full sets! Enter here.

We may be smack in the middle of V5 work, but that doesn’t stop us from having an in-office contest! Check out our Southern Doin’s and join us! We get points for activities like eating red velvet ice cream :)

Real Weddings are our true loves.

Whitney + Sam’s New Orleans wedding helped us gain perspective on what’s important in a wedding and in a marriage. See their Southern shindig here.

Allison + Scott blew us away with their sentimental mountaintop ceremony. See their gorgeous view and read their love story here.

Malloree + Jordan’s wedding was steeped in faith, love and community. See their barn wedding here.

Hooray for good news!

Did y’all catch our first Sweet Tea Society Sunday edition? Check it out here and become a member of the Sweet Tea Society here.

Y’all know how we’re paper fanatics over here at Southern Weddings. We love that Jam + Toast is running a fab giveaway for some adorable invitations! Enter their sweepstakes for $150 toward a custom wedding order. See their Facebook for more details.

Have a terrific weekend, lovelies!

Happy Friday, friends! And it is a happy Friday, indeed, because we have an awesome Minted giveaway to ring in the weekend!

As many of you know, we are big fans of Minted at Southern Weddings. I even used one of their designs for my save the date! We love that they source their fresh, modern pieces from independent graphic designers – a great way to support small business owners!

We also appreciate that they’re super into customization – they’ll switch out fonts, switch up the layout, and custom match colors, among other things. Love! In addition to wedding invitations and save the dates, Minted also offers lots of coordinating goodies, including address labels, pretty patterned backers and envelope liners, and coordinating place cards and programs.

All of that’s great news for those of y’all who still need some paper goodness for your wedding, but the even better news is that we’ve got a $200 gift certificate to give away!

Click here to be taken to the giveaway entry form to be entered to win a $200 gift certificate toward a Minted wedding suite! Be sure to enter by August 3rd!

And tell me: Have y’all ordered something from Minted? Do you love them as much as we do? So far I’ve used them for my save the dates, personal stationery, and Christmas cards, and I’m now itching to get my hands on this art print!