Hello again, friends! You already saw our Halloween costumes of years gone by, but we just had to pop in with a little pumpkin update. We took a mini break from work to carve one very special SW pumpkin (complete with bow tie, naturally!), and thought we’d show you the results!

Our creativity was fueled by Callie’s Biscuits (cinnamon is the office favorite!). Seriously, y’all, those things are out of this world!!

Happy Halloween, friends!

Happy Halloween, y’all! Just a few short days until V5 arrives. Until then, feast your eyes on today’s gorgeous wedding!

Hannah + Christian’s North Carolina nuptials were stylish and fresh… and involved twinkle lights at their ceremony! (I know you love this, Nicole!) But beyond the gorgeous decor (by our awesome BRV members Cheryl Holmes + Fiore Fine Flowers) and ridiculously stylish mix-n-match mint bridesmaid gowns is family, tradition and really awesome music! I also love her take on wedding planning. She says: Enjoy it! Do what you want to do, even if other people think it sounds crazy. However, do take other people’s advice, especially your mother’s. Moms are the absolute BEST! Yes, Hannah, moms ARE the best!

So is photographer Eric Boneske for sharing this lovely day with us!

How fun are Hannah’s shoes? They’re like a pastel disco party for the feet!

Hannah described their wedding as “eclectic and soft,” and I’d have to agree. I also have to gush over this little doll in a tutu! What an adorable flower girl!

What a dapper group of gents. I love how Hannah + Christian tied in the mix-n-match menswear by having only the groom wear a complete suit!

We both love music so much that choosing the perfect songs was important. We chose “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips (and no, not the one from American Idol!) to walk down the aisle. For the recessional, we chose the song “All Day and All Night” by The Kinks. I love songs from that British Invasion era, and I wanted something that sounded like a giant celebration!

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The barn tables! They were so beautiful and made the flowers pop. Plus, I hate table cloths, and this way, we didn’t have to use any!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: DELICIOUS! It was a beautiful cream color and was designed to look like each layer was a balancing act, like Alice in Wonderland!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met at a mutual friend’s house. We were 17!
Describe the proposal. A simple picnic at the cove by the beach.
In what month did you get married? August
How many guests attended your wedding? Around 200
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: It was not too difficult. It was the third dress I tried on
Describe your wedding flowers: eclectic and soft
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The barn tables with the flowers and of course, the music!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our food was very Southern. We had blackened mahi, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese all the good stuff!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Picking the perfect music was very difficult for me. I love music so much. The problem is that I love music that isn’t well suited for a wedding. Walking down to my favorite band, The Arctic Monkeys was not an option. However, if it were just up to me, I might have done it!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Seeing Christian at the end of the room, waiting for me to meet him at the altar.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Enjoy it! Do what you want to do, even if other people think it sounds crazy. However, do take other people’s advice, especially your mother’s. Moms are the absolute BEST!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Who knows! We would love to travel, move to an exciting new place, and make a difference.

Fiore Fine Flowers and Social Butterfly Events are fabulous members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

With Halloween falling in the middle of the week, it’s hard to know when to don your costume! Happily, since we’re just rehashing the good old days, we’re going with plain old Wednesday :) Marissa thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite costumes over the years, and since I’m never one to turn down opportunities to dig out ridiculous childhood photos, I gladly obliged!

Lara: My favorite Halloween costume was being a pumpkin last year when I was nine months pregnant with Grace! I wore a giant orange sweatshirt and green pants and a green hat :) I know, that’s not from my childhood, but it was still fun. As a kid, I loved dressing up! Here I am as a cowgirl, y’all!

Emily: I kid you not, my favorite Halloween costume of all time was Scarlett O’Hara in the third grade. I was obsessed with the fact that the dress came with a bonafide hoop to put in the skirt, and I adored that choker like none other. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know who Scarlett O’Hara was at the time, but man I loved her style. Other notable favorites from my childhood? Queen Frostine from Candy Land (accompanied by the Candy Kid, Lolly, and Mr. Mint) and Cinderella (my three best friends were Ariel, Belle, and Snow White – we liked to dress as a group :) Please note that both of those costumes required a hoop skirt, as well.

Kristin: I am pretty sure this wins for my sweetest costume in 29 years of Halloweens. Seriously, a Hersey Kiss? For having a mama that didn’t love Halloween, I have to give her a big high five for this sweet handmade costume. My favorite part was definitely getting to wear ‘big girl makeup” – get a look at those extra rosy cheeks. I am contemplating bringing it back this year and dressing up to answer the door for trick-or-treaters. Stay tuned.

Marissa: Sadly, due to hurricane damage to our home, I don’t have photographs of my favorite costumes, but I’ve sure got the memories. My mother is quite the craft lady, and amazing with a sewing machine, so my childhood costumes were nothing short of theatrical. In true form, I can’t decide, so I’ll pick two as my favorite. My first choice is from when I was four years old: my mom made a full-on princess on a horse costume. It was legit. My legs where the horse’s legs, and there were mock legs for the princess’ legs made of tights filled with quilt stuffing and complete with toe shoes with ribbon! My second favorite costume was the year I was an Azalea Trail Maid. Yes, in third grade I was mini Azalea Trail Maid, and it was awesome! I so even wore the giant hat (and I’d do it again, if they’d let me!).

Possibly the only one who will be dressing up this year: Grace. Still deciding between being a pig and a cow.

Nicole: My favorite Halloween costume was a tie between Jasmine and Pocahontas. I was ridiculously obsessed with both movies growing up and my parents graciously let me live that through. Of course, we lived near the mountains in Virginia when I was a kid, so our Halloweens were freezing! I spent most of the night with my jacket covering my costume! But that’s okay, because I’ll admit that I used to wear them around the house during play time post-Halloween.

What do you think, readers? Any other former Scarletts or hoop skirt afficionados? What was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?

Goodness gracious, V5 is coming in 14 days!

Hey y’all! It’s Alexia again, here with another bow tie giveaway! V5 is being printed as we speak, and we just can’t wait for you to see it! To celebrate its release we’re giving away two ties this week! Congratulations to last week’s winners, Laura and Missy. Don’t miss your opportunity to win one of these dapper ties, y’all!

To Enter: Leave a comment below naming your favorite bow tie.

Win: Two winners will each receive the bow tie of their choosing!

Good luck, y’all!

It’s been a few days since Kat Harris’ work graced our blog in the form of Bridal Market goodness, and that’s just too long for our taste! We’re happy to have her back and sharing a little Southern Meets New York City shoot she and Jackie from Merci New York whipped up to share with y’all. We hear from lots of gals who grew up down South, moved away later in life, and find themselves planning a wedding that blends their past and present (and looking for ideas), so we hope these details will provide a bit of inspiration for any ladies who find themselves in this pickle!

To start, I couldn’t resist including a few behind the scenes photos – you know how we feel about those, and Kat does such a lovely job with them!

Love the neutrals + bright red pops these ‘maids are sporting perfect for a fresh fall feeling!

Let’s talk accessories for a minute, shall we? The monogram bracelet is by Max & Chloe, the bride’s earrings are the “Georgina” by Madame Mathilde, and her sash is the Serena cluster sash. For the bridesmaids, the dotted tights were a nice little gem of a find from Forever 21, the beaded sash is from Jannie Baltzer, and that cute little python platinum clutch can be found here.

Now on to the yummies: caramels, mini pies, hot NYC pretzels, and, of course, a liberal amount of whiskey all tied up with seersucker and striped trimming. As the gals behind this shoot said, “We realized that Southern Style and East Coast Style have quite a bit in common, including classic silhouettes, that All-American preppy flare, and delicate and elegant femininity. We also know that both East Coasters and Southerners love their whiskey, so put together a DIY Whiskey Bar for our ladies!”

Love it, y’all! Thanks again to Kat, Jackie, and Molly of Glitter and Rye for pulling everything together!