Happy Friday, friends! I am very proud to announce that Emily and I made it through the entire week without completely demolishing the bowl of treats Lara left us before jetting off the the Making Things Happen 2012 Tour. Oh yes, there’s still plenty left to fuel our last edits on V5!

We started off the week with part two of Emily + John’s minimoon. This time, they took us along their visit to the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia. It looks positively cozy!

We want to share our pre-launch excitement with you! Every week until V5 hits news stands, we’re giving away two bow ties from a V5 shoot! Enter here.

September’s Monthly Round-Up was full of fun details, gorgeous dresses and the sweetest photos. See what our highlights were here.

Marissa and Kristin are heading north! They’re jetting off today to search for the best and most Southern designs and collections debuting at Bridal Market. Will you be there? Say hello!

Fall and football are in full swing, so we couldn’t resist rounding up some SEC-inspired wedding goodness!

Real Weddings are Gooder Than Grits!

Dianna + Garjae’s whimsical garden wedding was full of little surprises and big joy! See it here.

Yahoo! Good News!

We’re just pleased as punch to introduce you to the newest gal on the SW Team, Kristin! She’s been amazing as our Blue Ribbon Vendor Director and we can’t wait for you to get to know her better. Sit a spell with her here.

Did you hear! Pre-orders for V5, our fifth anniversary issue (and biggest and best one yet), are open! Head on over to this post to get the skinny on what’s new this time around and to place your order.

Speaking of V5, we’d love to see you at our V5 Launch Party!

A giant hug goes out to our belles and beaus who are getting married this weekend, including Southern Bride Blogger Danielle! Big congrats also go out to our former Southern Bride of the Month, Mignon, who said “I do” to Thomas in August. See more of their wedding on Graham Terhune’s blog.

Happy weekend, friends!

Hi friends! I’m so happy to be formally introducing you to the newest member of the Southern Weddings family – Mrs. Kristin Winchester! Kristin joined us in July (after getting married in June!), and has been tearing it up with our Blue Ribbon Vendors ever since. We’re so thrilled to have her on our team, and are pleased as punch for y’all to get to know her a bit better! — Emily

Hi y’all. I couldn’t be more excited to sit a spell and share a little bit about myself – the newest gal in the SW office. Grab a big glass of sweet tea or freshly squeezed lemonade (or mix the two for a yummy Arnold Palmer) and let’s get started.

Nancy Ray

1. Confession: I make my bed every day. My day doesn’t feel right unless it starts off with a freshly made bed. I love the feeling of turning down the covers in the evening before crawling inside, something I inherited from my grandmother. (Note: I’m the first one up in the household so this responsibility falls to my beloved husband. Amazingly he has obliged and pulls up the covers each morning. Bless his soul!)

2. I have a crazy, big, loud and amazing family. I definitely get my competitive nature from them since we find an excuse for friendly competition at most holidays (i.e. full-contact Easter egg hunts, post-turkey backyard croquet – and my favorite – the annual Christmas Cookie Competition). The CCC winner gets a lovely pink plastic tiara and bragging rights for the year. I am a proud 3-time winner, but sadly finished in second place last year.

3. I completed the United States Marine Corps Mud Run in September of 2010. For a girl that doesn’t really get dirty too often, this was a big personal feat. Our team was named ‘Pearls & Shades,’ because I would show up to our training runs in my giant sunglasses and pearl earrings; my teammates found this get-up to be hilarious.

Martha Manning — stay tuned for more from my wedding on the blog soon!

4. The kitchen is my favorite room in any house. I love cooking, baking and just hanging out. My dream house has a kitchen complete with granite counter tops, plenty of comfy seating, two ovens and a fireplace. Any time you’re in the area and want to pop on by for supper, let me know!

5. I’m a Tar Heel born, I’m a Tar Heel bred and I have a deep love for my alma mater and college sports in general. I bleed Carolina blue, and I love to tailgate in Chapel Hill during football season. This is handy, since my husband works in collegiate athletics — sadly, not at Carolina, but it still means I get to attend my fair share of college sporting events and take ‘vacations’ to bowl games, ACC Basketball tournaments and Final Fours.

Martha Manning

6. I love holidays, potentially to an unhealthy level, making any excuse to decorate and dress for the occasion. Think pencils, crayons and red apple centerpieces for back-to-school (even though I am not in school and have no school-age children… or any children, for that matter) and pink and red outfits for the ten days leading up to February 14th. I just purchased my 4th of July dress for 2013 last week – a full ten months in advance (it was on clearance!!).

7. I love colleges and find great delight in visiting college campuses. If I am traveling to a new town that has a college/university nearby, I’ll do my best to visit, explore the campus grounds and make a stop by the student store to pick up a cup/shirt/etc. branded with the name of the school.

8. I feel that olives taste like rubber tires, and I have determined that they are a very polarizing food – you either love them or hate them. While I am not a very picky eater, there are a few foods that fall into the ‘no thank you’ category for me. Olives, plain milk and cooked carrots top the list of ‘foods that I try to avoid.’

9. The beach is my happy place. Just give me a floppy hat, a beach chair, and a good book – I’ll be set for days. There is something wildly comforting about the sand, sea and salty air.

Martha Manning

10. In 10 years, I plan to still be madly in love with my handsome husband, the proud mama to 2-4 kids and potentially own a dog (who will be named Murphy, after the campus building where KPW and I met in 2004). All of this greatness will take place in a house with an enormous front porch, where I will happily spend my mornings and evenings in between running errands, volunteering for a great non-profit organization, and continuing to dabble in the wedding world.

You can read more about me here!

Do we have something in common? Introduce yourself in the comments below!

Happy Monday! Grab a tall glass of sweet tea, y’all, and sit a spell with us. September flew right on by, but we did manage to catch some of it on our iPhones! Take a look at what the Southern Weddings gals have been up to in and out of the office.

1. Emily and John got their marriage license! (And got married shortly after, of course.)

2. Marissa ate the most delicious biscuit from The Flying Biscuit! Yep, that’s the name — do any of y’all have one of these near you? They’re the best!

3. When Marissa saw this bumper sticker, she knew it was right up Lara’s alley. Lara loves boiled peanuts almost as much as chickens!

4. I traveled to Asheville with my sister to take a look at venues for her wedding next year!

5. The clubby at the ballpark gave Marissa these. “He’s an enabler, but I like it!”

6. Lara went on vacation to our Honeylist destination, Watercolor, with four generations of Southern women!

7. In Marissa’s family, baby name planning is big business. She and her mother-in-law took some time to check out all the names on the family tree. “No baby yet, but we have to plan ahead!”

8. Emily’s sweet handwritten vows!

9. Emily admired her new view once she arrived back at work. We quite like it, too.

10. Emily and John cheered at a high school football game… even though they know no one in high school. “I blame Friday Night Lights!”

11. Lara did a lot of V5 layout at her desk.

12. Grace played peekaboo with me while was trying to work on layout : )

13. Grace spotted a puppy!

14. Emily and I were delivered cold Cheerwine to refuel for a night of layout!

15. The view from my desk now includes candy and Pantone swatches.

How was your September? What were the highlights of your month?

See what happened in past months:
August
July
June
May

Y’all know we’re in the thick of V5 print preparations. Not a day goes by that we don’t squeal over something new and exciting that we’ll soon be able to share with you! This week, we just started planning our V5 launch party. Holy mackerel there’s a ton of awesome coming your way! Also awesome? This week’s blog posts.

Since we can’t share V5 with you quite yet, we figured it was the perfect time to release the digital edition of V4 and reminisce over our favorite features.

When did September get here? Take a look back at our favorite details from August’s Real Weddings in our Monthly Round-Up!

Take a look at what happened behind the scenes at Southern Weddings with our Instagram recap!

Sit a spell with Emily as she takes you through a day in the life of Southern Weddings’ Creative Director.

We love our Real Weddings

Megan + David’s cotton-themed wedding was a nod to heritage and proof of their fun-loving spirits. See it here.

Alison + Brent’s Texas wedding had a touch a whimsy and some killer florals. See it here.

Marielle + Michael’s winter wedding was full of DIY projects. We fell in love with their theme and their venue. See it here.

Emily + Michael’s intimate and relaxed fall wedding made us feel warm and cozy. See it here.

Remember our Southern Bride of the Month, Elizabeth? She and Mike tied the knot in May! Take a look at the rest of her classic black and white wedding on Elizabeth Anne Designs, photographed by Paul Johnson. (P.S. Don’t y’all love her dress?)

Have a great weekend, y’all! Big hugs and congrats to all you belles and beaus saying “I do” this weekend!

After another fun photo shoot on Wednesday, we’re both really excited to get V5 on stands for y’all and a little tired from resisting the urge to try on every pretty wedding dress that came in. I think we all need the weekend to recuperate from that effort :)

I think a Southern Delicacy like some Boiled Peanuts is on the menu for next week. Team meeting snack food, anyone?

Summer in the South means really good music, right? We asked for your help rounding up the best music festivals the South has to offer.

With just a few weeks until she says, “I do,” Emily walks us through her DIY experiences and offers some practical advice for incorporating those projects into your own big day.

What do YOU love about the South? Do y’all like deviled eggs like Emily does? We’re asking y’all for help as we prep V5 for it’s debut on news stands! Leave your answer here.

Sit a spell with Marissa and she walks you through her (fairly unconventional and often hilarious) day as our Ad Director.

We love Real Weddings!

Liz + Brett’s New Orleans wedding left us positively smitten. A passed-down vintage veil, second line and monogrammed tambourines spell out a good time! See it here.

Ali + Austin created a joyful wedding filled with moments that will have you reaching for the tissues! See it here.

Nicole + Rob’s barn wedding was a preppy take on the rustic setting. We love their green and blue color palette and Nicole’s stunning bridal portraits! See it here.

Caitlyn + John’s barn wedding incorporates one of my favorite colors and boasts an elegant reception setup. See it here.

Before you go, take a look a Kelly + Drew’s darling wedding! Y’all might remember Kelly as June’s Southern Bride of the Month with a killer pink and green inspiration board. Weren’t you dying to see how it all turned out? See more from their big “I do’s” on Kristine Neeley’s blog!

Have a fun weekend, friends!