Can y’all believe it? V5 is on it’s way! Pre-order your copy here.

As far as pink weddings go, I am always a fan. However, I love that Sarah + Keith juxtaposed the pretty pink blooms and soft details throughout their wedding with the rustic McKinney Cotton Mill. Those giant planters overflowing with hydrangeas set in front of the distressed brick wall of S + K’s ceremony just kill me! I’m sure that for guests, however, the pretty decor was overshadowed by Sarah’s sweet processional (as it should). Her dad, in his military best, walked Sarah down the aisle to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and I bet there was nary a dry eye in the place! Big hugs to Krystal Akin for sharing this wedding with us!

I LOVE the lotus pods that were included in Sarah’s bouquet — they’re a pretty but graphic pop of green in her romantic blooms.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Since the surprise was busted and I was moving to Houston from my hometown in McKinney in November, my mom and I decided to do a little “pre-shopping.” I’d always heard how hard it was to find a dress, so I certainly didn’t expect to find it on my first trip. I tried on three dresses before the shop owner suggested I try the beautiful dress they had on display in the front. When I came out of the changing room, my seven-year-old brother goes, “WOW!” and he hadn’t even said anything all afternoon. It was great having my little brother and mom there!

Who else is a fan of Keith’s cotton boll boutonniere? Dapper, indeed.

For Keith, an Aggie, a Texas A&M groom’s cake was a must! We think it would make a fine addition to our SEC Wedding Round-Up!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We went against tradition and I had a chocolate bridal cake and he had a vanilla groom’s cake. Although I only got a bite of each one, the chocolate with chocolate buttercream and raspberry filling was delicious. It was beautiful, with the light pink sugar roses on white fondant. I loved Keith’s because it had the Texas A&M logo on it in maroon and white. I can’t wait for our one year anniversary so that we can get our topper! Luckily, the bakery we chose makes us a fresh topper for our one year.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Keith and I met the first day of tenth grade. The first class we had together was a computer class and we had to do a “first day of class” activity requiring us to go around and find out different things about our classmates. I found out that Keith was from Canada and he had just gotten back from living overseas in Paris. I had a huge crush on him from day one! Turns out, we had a lot of classes together and started going out at the end of that year!
Describe the proposal. It was Keith’s last year of college. I had graduated early, nine months before. Being old fashion as we both are, he asked my dad for permission. Unfortunately my dad didn’t get the message that it was that special time and he certainly wasn’t ready for it. Keith called several times to no avail. Finally, my dad asked me if I knew why Keith kept calling him and my mom and I had to spell it out for him, that it was probably Keith asking for permission! After finally getting my dad to call back, set up a day to meet and eventually asking my dad, my dad actually ruined the “surprise.” He wanted to pray over this proposal and union with my entire family. Fast forward two weeks. I went down for a weekend to see Keith in College Station (home of the Texas A&M Aggies). A&M has a cute tradition that if you walk under the century tree on campus with someone, you will marry them. If you propose under the tree, you will be married for a lifetime. On November 4th, 2011, Keith told me he left something on campus and he needed to go get it. I didn’t understand that he was going to propose or why he wanted to go to campus right then. As we neared the tree, I finally understood and it was a wonderful proposal!
In what month did you get married? June
How many guests attended your wedding? Approximately 150 people
Did you decide to do a “first look”? No, I am very old fashioned and didn’t want to ruin the surprise of the first look. Keith agreed and definitely didn’t want the first look down the aisle to be ruined, either.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Our parents walked down the aisle to “Have I Told You Lately” played by Vitamin String Quartet. Our bridal party walked down to “Here Comes the Sun” played by Vitamin String Quartet (as you can see, I was a little obsessed). I walked down with my dad to “Wonderful Tonight” played by Vitamin String Quartet. “Wonderful Tonight” is one of my favorite songs by Eric Clapton because Keith was always trying to get me to like his music and this one I really loved. Our first dance was “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” by Landon Pigg.
Describe your wedding flowers: I loved the pastel, romantic flowers with lots of texture. My florist captured all that I wanted and more! There were soft pink peonies, green lotus pods, green lisianthus, ivory ranunculus, soft pink spray roses, ivory sweet peas and seeded eucalyptus. In contrast to the dark browns and rustic theme of the Cotton Mill, I think the flowers looked beautiful with their light colors and blooms.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Everyone’s different expectations was the hardest thing for us to overcome, including our own.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000 – $25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The venue, for sure.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When the officiant went to announce us, he accidentally announced us as “Mr. & Mr. Driedger.” There is a really funny picture of us laughing really hard at this announcement.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Relax and realize that the most important thing is that at the end of all the planning, you will be a Mrs. despite any of the hang-ups and bang-ups.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now we are both working jobs that we love and we look forward to buying a house soon!

Hey y’all! My name is Alexia, the intern here at SW! When I am not in class at UNC Chapel Hill (Go Heels!), I am soaking up all kinds of Southern goodness here in the office, especially as we prepare to get V5 to news stands throughout the South. We just sent our files off for color proofs on Friday and are doing our very last set of edits this week. I can’t wait for y’all to see all our gorgeous print features!

To celebrate our biggest issue yet, we are giving away two ties from our prop closet each week to two very lucky winners! Congratulations to last week’s winners, Tonda W. and Emily L.! To enter in this week’s giveaway, just leave a comment below telling us which bow tie or neck tie is your favorite. Only four more weeks till V5 comes out, so get ‘em while the gettin’s good!

To Enter: Leave a comment below telling us which bow tie or neck tie is your favorite.

Win: Your choice of tie from the Southern Weddings photo shoot prop closet!

Good luck, y’all!

Judging by the impassioned comments on our first football wedding round-up (celebrating the SEC, of course!), y’all take your football seriously! Not that we had any doubt, but still. Since Marissa’s in NYC at Bridal Market, the task of writing our second football round-up fell to me (not exactly sure how that happened…). Though I historically would not have classified myself as a football fan, I have developed a deep appreciation for the sport and its culture after watching the entire series of Friday Night Lights last year. (Goodness, don’t even get me started on that show!) I also know a thing or two about the ACC, since I married a diehard Duke fan and have been a fan-by-association for the last seven. I’ll try not to let that color my narrative :) Let’s get started!

Top to bottom: Amy Arrington, My Glass Slipper, Photographs by Sabrina, Scott Hopkins, Melissa Ragan, Amy Arrington

Clemson University
Nickname: The Tigers
Mascot: The Tiger and the Tiger Cub
Colors: Clemson Orange and Regalia
Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member (1953)

Next, my favorite – Duke!

Top to bottom: Luster Studios, Walters & Walters, and Logan Jarrard

Duke University
Nickname: The Blue Devils
Mascot: The Blue Devil
Colors: Duke Blue and White
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member (1953)

Let’s head down South to FSU!

Both by Paul Johnson via Southern Weddings

Florida State University
Nickname: The Seminoles
Mascot: In addition to Osceola and Renegade (see below), Cimarron the horse
Colors: Garnet and Gold
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Joined the ACC: 1991

Fun Fact: FSU lays claim to what might be the most dynamic tradition in college football (in fact, it’s almost too dynamic-sounding to be believable, but it is!) At every football game at Doak Campbell Stadium, a student portraying the famous Seminole Indian leader, Osceola, charges down the field riding an Appaloosa horse named Renegade and plants a flaming spear at midfield to begin every home game. Whoa! FSU graduate Bill Durham envisioned the idea of Osceola and Renegade while still a student and sought and obtained the approval of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Osceola’s regalia is designed by the tribe, and Durham and his family supply the beautiful Appaloosa horses who portray Renegade. Make sure you YouTube this one if you’re not familiar with it!

Next up: Georgia Tech!

Natosha Ledbetter and The Decisive Moment

Georgia Institute of Technology
Nickname: The Yellow Jackets
Mascot: Buzz the yellow jacket and the Ramblin’ Wreck
Colors: White and Old Gold
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Joined the ACC: 1979

Fun Fact: The Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech is the 1930 Ford Model A Sport coupe that serves as the official mascot of the student body. The Wreck is present at all major sporting events and student body functions, and its most noticeable role is leading the football team into Bobby Dodd Stadium, a duty which the Wreck has performed since 1961. The Ramblin’ Wreck has been the target of several pranks perpetrated by rival schools — the University of Tennessee once provided the Wreck with an unsolicited new paint job, and the University of Georgia has stolen the Wreck on at least two occasions. The official Ramblin’ Wreck is considered the only “true” Wreck, and no backups or replacements exist.

On to Maryland!

Peter Bang and Roberts Photographers

University of Maryland
Nickname: The Terrapins
Mascot: Testudo the diamondback turtle
Colors: Red, White, Black, and Gold
Location: College Park, Maryland
Joined the ACC: Original member

Since we couldn’t find anything for the Hurricanes, we’re going to move on to UNC! Two from our team graduated from Chapel Hill, so it holds a place in some of our hearts… though not in mine! Ha!

Top to bottom: Martha Manning (yes, that’s Kristin!), Carisa Chee, Lime Green Photography, and Graham Terhune

University of North Carolina
Nickname: The Tar Heels
Mascot: Rameses, a live Dorset ram. A stuffed ram makes appearances as well :)
Colors: Carolina Blue and White
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Continuing right down the road to NCSU!

Cyn Kain

North Carolina State University
Nickname: The Wolfpack
Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf, who are stuffed wolves, and Tuffy, a live Tamascan dog
Colors: Red and White
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Nothing for the Cavaliers, but it’s easy to find beautiful weddings that took place on UVA’s campus, like this one and this one!

Up next: Virginia Tech!

Charlotte Geary

Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Nickname: The Hokies
Mascot: The Hokie Bird, a turkey-like bird that grew out of the former Fighting Gobbler mascot
Colors: Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Joined the ACC: 2004

Last but not least, Wake Forest!

Marissa Moss

Wake Forest University
Nickname: The Demon Deacons
Mascot: Demon Deacon
Colors: Old Gold and Black
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Joined the ACC: Original member

Tell me: Where does your alliance lie? Have you been to or will you be representing your alma mater at your wedding?

Amy Arrington, Scott Hopkins, Graham Terhune, and Cyn Kain are fabulous members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

I always love chatting with brides who choose to get married in the winter, which is just one reason I’m excited to introduce Melissa to y’all! Please join me in making her feel welcome! (Also, be sure to check out her intriguing question at the end — I know I’ll be chiming in!)

Hi! What’s your name?
Melissa Vause (here’s my blog)

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Stephen Feetham

Landon Jacob Productions

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Stephen and I met during his first year as a grad student, and my last year as an undergrad, at USC. He was teaching a lab that I had begrudgingly signed up for in order to graduate. The first day of class, I immediately noticed him, and was so glad I’d signed up for “Weather and Climate.” I had a crush on him the entire semester and made a lame attempt to flirt, but he didn’t seem interested. Being a moral teacher’s assistant, he paid me no special attention, and I earned that “C” fair and square!

Once the semester was over, we continued to talk, and got to know each other a little better over the next year. Finally, we set a time to hang out, and my best friend went with me to a favorite local bar to meet up with Stephen and his friends. Continuing with my impressive flirting skills, I asked him if he wanted to watch season one of Lost. It actually WORKED and we watched every single episode together. On St. Patrick’s Day 2010, we had our first “real” date, and we’ve been together ever since.

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Starting around Christmas 2010, Stephen and I joked and flirted with the idea of getting engaged. One particularly hot summer night, he mentioned that we should get a blender to make milkshakes. My response? “No, people put blenders on wedding registries.” Taking the hint, we never got a blender… not even a cheap one. We joked about the blender for months, and talked all the time about how much we wished we had one, but instead, we just held out and made our milkshakes with a spoon.

On December 6th, Stephen came into the room with a giant smile on his face and a cold glass in his hand. He had made me a peanut butter banana milkshake! I looked inside the glass and thought, “This looks rather emulsified.” I squinted my eyes and asked, “How did you make this? Not with a spoon…” He proudly declared that he’d bought a blender, then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was perfect‼

Landon Jacob

When’s the big day?
December 1, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
My home town of Charleston, SC! I may be partial, but this city is hands down the MOST beautiful place to live. It is rich in culture, heritage, and good ol’ Southern hospitality.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Stephen and I love downtown strolls together, and I think we chose venues that encompass all things historically beautiful. The ceremony will be held at St. Luke’s Chapel in the heart of the downtown area, and the reception will be held alongside the Cooper River, at the newly renovated Harborside East. It’s stunning inside and out and has the BEST view of the peninsula you could ever imagine. Harborside East is also right under the famous Cooper River bridge, which houses the nation’s third largest 10k, a race Stephen and I have run together with my family for the past three years.

Beautiful Charleston, as captured by Virgil Bunao and Joey + Jessica

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Pinterest and SW Mag, of course!! I am such a frugal McDougal; I refuse to pay for anything I can do myself. Those two places and Green Bride Guide have inspired lots of crafts and projects. Stephen and I pride ourselves on being a green household, and anything you will find at our wedding is either upcycled or recycled! Blue Planet Green Events has been a wealth of information, too!

How have you involved your “community” in the wedding planning process?
Our families and my bridesmaids have been so helpful the past ten months, especially my mom. You would think a year to plan a wedding would be enough time, but you’d be surprised how quickly it sneaks up on you! After I designed and printed the formal invites, my mom spent countless hours with me cutting, sticking, gluing, and addressing them all. She has also done a lot of the leg work running around collecting vintage items for the reception! My MOH has been extremely helpful, as well, collecting over 1,000 corks and over 50 wine bottles from local restaurants out of which Stephen and I will create our centerpieces.

On the left, Melissa’s inspiration for her bouquet (from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo by Simply Bloom). On the right, her inspiration for the gents’ boutonnieres – they’ll be made from fabric leftover after the bridesmaids’ dresses are hemmed!

What part of wedding planning, if any, has made you the most anxious?
Finding a baker! I’m not much of a cake person — years of eating Funfetti cake and canned icing are probably to blame :) I had originally planned to have an old friend make our cake because it was NOT a priority in our budget. However, I started feeling anxious about the hundreds of different flavors and fillings there are to choose from, so I attended a wedding expo with my MOH and ran across a very small, local bakery. With one bite, McKenzie’s Bake Shop changed my mind about cakes. Forever. She is as sweet as pie, and so great at what she does, that we now go to her for every event that needs dessert, as well as the occasional Monday that simply demands a cupcake.

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Oddly enough, picking a wedding gown! Years of shamelessly browsing wedding dresses in college (before I even had a boyfriend!) was not enough to prepare this bride for actually choosing a gown of her own. I love lace, I love beading, I love fluff, I love asymmetry… I just. Love. Wedding dresses! And no, I don’t think I have ever missed an episode of Say Yes to the Dress!

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
A few years ago at the annual Flowertown Festival in Summerville, a catering company, Cricket & Kyle (family-owned and formerly run out of a church kitchen), had a booth of the most DELICIOUS crab cakes I’ve ever had in my life. Growing up on the beach, Stephen and I both have high expectations for our seafood. Based solely on their crab cakes, we promised the owner that, whenever we got married, we’d have him cater! I carried his business card in my purse for TWO YEARS, and he was one of the first vendors we booked once we got engaged. Lucky for us, we found out at our tasting that he can dish up more than just amazing crab cakes, and I must say he has a mouthwatering spin on shrimp ‘n grits!

from Bon Appetit

We’re also really excited about our photographers! When Stephen and I moved to a house in Columbia, we got to know a nice couple down the street from us, who just so happened to be the talented photography duo Landon and Jordan of Landon Jacob Productions! I have been a HUGE fan of their work ever since, and it’s been kind of an unspoken agreement that when we were ready for a wedding photographer, we’d have to look no further than outside our living room window. When we got engaged, I think Jordan was just as excited as I was!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Oh golly! I am example no. 1 of “the girl who bought two dresses.” Two weeks after getting engaged, I brought my mom, aunt, cousin, and MOH dress shopping with me on my birthday. We quickly breezed through the first two stores in Charleston before heading to NY Bride and Groom in Charlotte. I had one set style in mind, and didn’t really try on anything else. I ended up falling in love with a beautiful beaded fit and flare lace dress, and we bought it that day.

But I didn’t stop looking. Something was missing, so I continued to browse dresses in the hopes of either dismissing or validating my initial dress decision. Eight months later, I was STILL looking, and dragged one of my bridesmaids to go with me to try on yet another dress I’d spotted in a magazine. I ended up hating it on, and was this close to settling on my first dress. On the way out, however, my bridesmaid pulled a dress off the rack and begged me to try it on, simply because we both thought it would look ridiculous! It was a giant ball gown, champagne in color, and the exact opposite of anything I had ever tried on.

I put it on, and my heart stopped beating. I immediately started crying, and knew this was the dress I wanted
to walk down the aisle in. I love it so much and can’t wait to put it on again!

We love the choices of these two brides, just two of the many featured on our Southern Styles board! (Left by Phindy Studios, right by Belathee Photography)

Do you have a favorite online shop you’d love to tell us about?
I am in love with Jenna Lou Designs and I would be remiss not to mention her! She creates, among many other items, custom clutches. She designed the clutches for my bridesmaids and personalized them with a hand-stitched patch on the inside!

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Sticking to a budget! As much as I would like to splurge on vendors, we have done as much as we possibly can ourselves. The stationery was a big one. It’s so easy to get caught up in spending a lot of money on save the dates, invitations, and calligraphers, but I am handy enough with graphic design and was able to design and print both our save the dates and the formal invitations myself. The bridesmaid flowers, groomsmen bouts, centerpieces, and wedding favors will all be DIY, as well. Luckily, we have completed nearly all of our planned projects, and we hired day-of-coordinators to pull it all together for us!

Another one of Melissa’s DIY projects – paper flowers made out of old maps to decorate their cake!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Stephen for the first time as I walk down the aisle. I have loved him since the moment I laid eyes on him. The several seconds it will take to walk towards him will feel like an eternity; it’ll be hard not to start running! One of our readings sums up my emotions perfectly.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I have two major pieces of advice. 1) The wedding is not just about you and your fiancé, but your families as well. Appease and be flexible. 2) Try on more than one wedding dress style! Even if you think you have a clear idea of what you want, try everything else on anyway. This is the only time in your life you have to try on wedding dresses… don’t sell the experience short by limiting yourself to one style. Who knows, what looks ridiculous on the rack might turn out to be the dress of your dreams!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
What is one thing you wish you’d done in planning for your wedding that you didn’t get around to?

Thank you so much for joining us today, Melissa! We’re excited to see how everything turns out in December! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

P.S. Check out all our past Southern Brides of the Month here!

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

Wait, what’s that?

Yes, the official V5 countdown has begun!! Place your pre-order here!

I know I say this often, but just as soon as I think I’ve seen it all when it comes to monogramming, one of you lovely ladies comes along and knocks my socks off! I instantly knew we had to feature this beauty as soon as I saw it:

Katelyn James

Adore!! Particularly if you have a more simple wedding gown, I think this could be such an amazing detail to add a polished look to your ensemble. What do you ladies think?

P.S. You can see more from this wedding on Katelyn’s blog here!