And we’re back! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of our Bridal Market adventure! I’m so excited for this post, as it has one of my favorite shows in it! Can you guess which before scrolling down?

Don’t you love these backstage snaps Kat captured before the Reem Acra show? Y’all know my makeup junkie self would have died over all that makeup! I also love that Kat was able to snag a shot of the run of show photos. So neat!

The Reem Acra show is always one of my favorites because it’s always so couture, and this year was no different. Models weaved in and out of a small two-roomed venue donning innovative headpieces made of pleated tulle and lace.

The Reem Acra collection featured scalloped necklines, and narrow column silhouettes accentuated by bursts of tulle. We also saw embroidered illusion necklines, cascading organza and intricate beading.

Oh dear sweet Amsale! There are not words to describe how much Kristin and I died over this collection! We kept hitting each other (chicly, of course!) as each dress came down the runway. The Amsale collection is a “celebration of American couture”, and boy did we want to celebrate.

The streamlined silhouettes and “less is more” approach to classic style was right up my alley. These gowns featured luxurious fabrics (oh that silk organza!), pleated skirts, and my personal favorite, BIG bows! The Fall 2013 Amsale collection has classic Southern written all over it!

Before the Monique Lhuillier show we were so thrilled to have a few minutes to chat (and snap a pic with) our sweet friend Christy from Junebug Weddings. Isn’t her black and white dress so stylish?

Onto the ever-stunning Monique Lhuillier show! Monique described this collection as a fairytale, “a dream-like state with a very ethereal feeling.” We couldn’t agree more! The collection was full of illusion necklines, lace cap sleeves and of sheer romantic tulle. The collection was feminine and full of sparkly glamour. I also loved how Monique weaved in the subtle blush color without going overboard.

Stay tuned for more Bridal Market adventures as we’re just getting started! BIG huge thanks to Kat Harris for photographing all these beauties for us!

P.S. Which is your favorite gown so far?

Just 22 more days until V5 arrives! Y’all are going to love it!

Happy Monday, dear readers! Y’all are in for a treat to kick off your week! As you may know, last weekend, Kristin and I packed our chicest black flats and our fully charged iPhones and hit the Big Apple to preview some of our favorite designers’ newest collections. We saw way more lace than should be allowed in one weekend, and gushed over each and every piece of it! Join us as we share these beauties from behind the lens of our awesome photographer, Kat Harris!

We kicked off our Saturday morning with our first show, the Romona Keveza Collection! Even the venue (the St Regis Hotel) was glamorous! Inspired by the traveling tale of James Bond, the collection paid homage to the luxurious lifestyle that is Bond’s signature. We saw the classic Romona lace gowns, but we also were delighted to see lots and lots of color, from lime green to Romona red to classic navy. We even saw pink + peplum!

We then rushed to snag a cab and headed to Pier 94 for the Claire Pettibone show! We were greeted with gourmet cookies and fabulous swag bags filled with hand-painted goodness from our friend Kristy Rice.

Yes, I am holding my iPhone and Kristin is holding her iPad. We were all over that Insta/Tweet coverage for y’all! We didn’t want you to miss a thing!

The Claire Pettibone show always feels like I’ve been transported to another land. A glamorous land of flowers and lace! Claire’s show was effortless luxury mixed with sun drenched colors, and embroidered embellishments. One of the most striking parts of the collection was the incredibly intricate backs. Not only were the gowns gorgeous from the front, but the backs were equally, if not more, beautiful!

I’m so glad Kat was able to sneak backstage and snag a few behind-the-scene shots of the amazing hair at Christos! Talk about the Southern bump! These ladies took big Southern hair up a notch, and I couldn’t have loved it more!

Y’all, I have to tell you that the Christos Collection may have contained my and Kristin’s very favorite back of any dress at Market (the fourth one down in this post)! French lace, an embroidered keyhole back with a giant lace flower/bow — oh my stars!

We actually couldn’t help but swoon over this entire collection! It was filled with soft silhouettes with airy tulle layered with French Alencon lace. We also loved the sheer tops with petal appliqués transforming the strapless gown into a modest illusion neckline.

The Kenneth Pool Collection was up next, and it took quite a dramatic spin on classic gowns! We saw lots of glamour with this one! Form-fitting sheaths were met with exuberant volume with the KP fit and flair gowns. Rich satin took the place of demur lace and crystal beading made for a luxurious finish to each dress!

Woah! Imagine, that’s just a portion of all the fabulous gowns we saw on Saturday (I know, woe is me)! All images from our amazing photographer Kat Harris. Thanks so much, Kat!

Check back soon because this is just the beginning of all the gorgeousness you’re going to see this week. Now let’s play the favorite game — tell me your favorite gown from the post, or, if you can’t decide, choose one from each collection!

Oh y’all. As you’re reading this, we’re hunkered over a giant table in the office and reviewing our color proofs for the magazine. There are only a few short weeks before V5 is in our hands. As you might have noticed, our countdown has started and pre-orders are piling up! Haven’t placed yours yet? Take a look at our shop here.

Just as soon as we thought we’d seen it all, y’all knock us off our feet. This monogrammed veil blew us away!

October’s Southern Bride of the Month, Melissa shared all the details of her Charleston wedding and cracked us up with her adorable proposal story.

Y’all know we get passionate about football in the South. Once we posted our SEC wedding round-up, we had to follow it with an ACC round-up, too. Take a look here.

We’re giving away bow ties from our prop closet! V5 isn’t on stands quite yet, but these colorful ties might give you a preview of some of the dapper patterns our gents have worn. Enter here.

Marissa + Kristin spent a long weekend in New York getting a preview of designers’ amazing new bridal collections! Check out this post for a little preview of the pretty that’s coming to the blog!

We just love our Real Weddings!

Sarah + Keith planned a pretty pink wedding inside a rustic Texas cotton mill. We love how the textures complement each other! See it here.

Erin + Brian’s succulent and cotton-filled wedding was the perfect way to celebrate their adorable love story. See it here.

Big congratulations go out to all the ladies and gents getting married this weekend!! Have a spectacular time, y’all!

Happy weekend, friends. See you on Monday!

Ahh! Just twenty five short days until V5! Y’all are going to flip!

Well hello, sweet readers! Kristin and I are back from quite the whirlwind trip to the Big Apple for Bridal Fashion Week, and boy do we have a lot to show you! We hope you enjoyed our Tweet/Insta coverage over the weekend, we sure loved sharing it with y’all!

While our amazing photographer, Kat Harris, works on the gorgeous images of fabulous gowns we thought it would be fun to do a little behind-the-scenes Instagram sneak peak! So grab yourself a cup of coffee and a bagel, and let’s head north to NYC!

Top to bottom and left to right: the fabulous New York skyline from our hotel window, Kristin and I snagging a cup of coffee before heading to our first show, we barely made it to the second show before changing into our flats (y’all, my Tieks were the perfect Market shoes – not a blister in site!), a little BTS of our hotel room during a late night work catch up session, our super sweet fruit gift from Miss Lara (thank you, L! We loved it!), after the shows we pulled on our yoga pants and tennis shoes and walked around the block for a bit of pizza to refuel! De-lish!, up and at ‘em for day two KNW and I donned our chicest black to weather the NYC chill, we stopped between shows for a little street style session with the super talented Kat Harris.

Top to bottom and left to right: Ridiculously gorgeous hand-painted run of show and iPhone cover by SW friend, Kristy Rice had us excited for the Claire Pettibone show, while going through our press packet for Romonoa Keveza we were thrilled to to see a little SW love, delicious snow cones at the Loverly Lounge – they’re even wedding cake flavored!.

One of the great things about Bridal Market is getting to see some of our favorite industry friends! Left to right and top to bottom: the amazing Summer Watkins from Grey Likes, the incredibly talented Kellee from Loverly, and former SW editor herself Miss Whitney Davis (you know what we say: once an SW girl, always an SW girl!).

And of course what you’ve been waiting for! Gorg-eous gowns, and lots of ‘em! We died over this hand beaded (in Birmingham, Alabama!) top from Southern girl Heidi Elnora, this subtle silver hue was the perfect something blue from JLM Couture, oh heavens, y’all – this bow from Heidi Elnora had our Southern hearts skipping a few beats, and this one-shoulder asymmetrical lace fit and flair was so major from Ines Di Santo.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our crazy weekend! Stay tuned because next week we’ll have lovely detail images from our fab photog Kat Harris. She even snuck backstage at a few shows to get some super fun BTS shots for y’all!

All images my iPhone, and with the help of sweet Kat!

Yippee!! Just a few more weeks until V5 arrives!

Erin + Brian might have shared their first kiss on a fifth grade class field trip to the planetarium, but they had no idea they would reconnect years later. Brian even brought Erin back to the same planetarium to get down on one knee and ask her to marry him. (Aww!) Though the two were so ready to get married that they considered tying the knot at city hall, they stuck it out and used their seven-month engagement to create a barn-side wedding full of DIY details and family heirlooms. We love the combination of soft cotton and succulent plants throughout their big day and the fun projection they played against their tent at the reception. Big thanks to Morgan Trinker for sharing this one with us!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. My mom and I planned an entire weekend in Birmingham to find my dress and had dress fittings scheduled at 3 different stores. I knew what type of dress I was looking for, so that helped as we walked into our first appointment at The White Room. We were both shocked when I picked the second dress I tried on. I put on a third dress, but I was dying to put the second one back on. That was the easiest part of planning our wedding!
Did you decide to do a “first look”? We did not do a first look. It was very important to Brian that we see each other for the first time as I was walking down the aisle. The expression on his face as I was walking toward him was so worth the wait.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We had two groomsmen and two bridesmaids read a passage from “This Momentary Marriage” by John Piper as Brian and I “planted” a tree. They read pages 55-57. It was long, but filled with great words every new couple should hear!
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We had string instruments and a pianist playing for the ceremony. It was beautiful! I walked down the aisle to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri and walked back up the aisle to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. Our first dance was to”You and I” by Michael Buble

One of my favorite Southern details from the wedding was the actual venue! Hampstead Farms was the perfect location to celebrate our marriage. I loved how naturally beautiful the growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers looked around our tent, and the gorgeous red barn was the perfect background to every photo. I am also obsessed with crafting and creating, so I love that many Southern weddings now include DIY aspects, which helped me add personal details to our big day. I handmade our save-the-dates, invitations and RSVP cards using paper from Paper Source and custom made stamps from Antiquaria. I also put together the aisle markers using burlap bows and twig wreaths, made the ring bearer pillow, and put together the wedding favors with the help of incredible friends and family. My sweet groom and his brother also made the tree candle holders which were used on the reception tables. Throughout our engagement, I was collecting lanterns and cake plates. I also had many sentimental items used that day, like my baby bonnet which was wrapped around my bouquet, and my grandmother’s doilies, which were used on several different tables.

I am terrible when it comes to flower names, but that’s where pinterest and my incredible florist came in handy. I showed them several pictures of succulents, garden roses, and ranunculus, and asked them to make wild bouquets with similar flowers and add lots of greenery. I was blown away! We had a great mix of succulents, lambs ear (my favorite), branches, and several other flowers. They also built our centerpiece flower boxes for the reception, and they turned out even better than I imagined!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We actually had five cakes and some Greek desserts. Peggy McKinney made our two-tiered white wedding cake with buttercream frosting, and our one-tiered cakes in peanut butter fudge, strawberry, and key lime. My Aunt Jeana made her homemade pineapple upside down cake (Brian’s favorite). Brian’s mother (who is Greek) and some of the Greek women from church made some other desserts like traditional wedding cookies and baklava.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. In the fifth grade, my family decided to send me to Forest Avenue Academic Magnet School. I was assigned to Mrs. Rodopoulos’ class which just so happens to be the same class Brian was in that year. I didn’t notice Brian right away — It wasn’t until a little friend of mine leaned over in math class one day and asked if I liked Brian as a boyfriend. I said no at first, but once I found out that Brian liked me, I quickly changed my mind! We became boyfriend/girlfriend that day and permanent four-square buddies. Later on that year, our class took a fieldtrip right down the street to the Gayle Planetarium. I was so excited to sit next to Brian and watch the show. Finally, right before the show was over, Brian planted a big kiss on my left temple, and HARD! It almost knocked me out of my seat! We walked around Oak Park after the show with the rest of the class, and I could not stop smiling. My first kiss! :) We lost touch after middle school, but we would run into each other occasionally throughout high school and college. In December of 2010, Brian texted me saying, “I had a dream that we went on a date last night.” I had no idea who it was because I didn’t have Brian’s number in my phone anymore. We talked back and forth for a while until I finally said yes to a date. A few nights later, Brian pulled up to my house having no idea what to expect of the night. I was shocked at how handsome Brian had become, and even more shocked at how perfectly that night went. We laughed a lot, talked about the past, and couldn’t believe that after all this time, we were hanging out again. We have been inseparable ever since then.
Describe the proposal. (From the groom) As Erin was getting ready for a “family photo shoot” with her grandmother, a vintage Studebaker pulled up at the front of the house. A chauffeur knocked on the door and whisked Erin away to the Gayle Planetarium, where I first kissed her 14 years ago. I heard the car door shut and my heart stopped. What were my lines? Where is the ring? She found her way to me and my heart began beating hard. “It’s for her, it’s always been for her,” I thought, “Every beat, every breath. I need this in my life forever.” I dropped to one knee and said, “Under these stars is where I first kissed you, and under these stars is where I want to start the rest of our lives.” It was as easy as that. We took our old seats and just stared at the stars reminiscing on things past and things to come.
In what month did you get married? September
How many guests attended your wedding? About 125
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Patience! Brian and I were so ready to be married that our 7 month engagement felt more like 2 years. We mentioned city hall several times during our engagement, but we stuck it out and it was so worth the wait. Having our wonderful family and friends there to celebrate the beginning of our lives together was the best part of our wedding day.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Our photographer! Our wedding pictures are the only thing we get to physically keep from that day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to capture those sweet moments. Morgan Trinker is creative, talented, and just a genuinely happy person to be around. I highly recommend her to any bride!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Walking down the aisle. The look on Brian’s face was more than words could ever describe. The love he feels for me and shows me every single day was displayed in front of all of our family and friends in that moment. It felt like we were the only two people there, and I couldn’t stop looking at him. All of time, money, planning and crafting. that went into the wedding doesn’t even compare to that one moment that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Enjoy it. The planning process can be so tedious at times, but some of the sweetest moments come during your engagement. The bridal showers, engagement parties, and gifts from family and friends are such a fun part of planning a wedding. Live in the moment and celebrate this exciting time with the people who mean the most to you.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Buying a house! We are currently looking for our first home together, which is both exciting and exhausting at the same time. We are eager to find a place of our own and start our own little family down the road.