Like Sophie + Brian’s wedding yesterday, today’s is perfectly appropriate for this week. Vanessa + Jonathan met at a horse race in 2007. When the time came to plan for their big day, only a Derby-inspired fete would do! In true Southern fashion, the bride and groom kindly asked their guests to don hats and bow ties for the big day, and then offered some true Southern hospitality in the form of mint juleps and bourbon after the ceremony! We couldn’t be more in love with the couple’s style and about shed a tear when we read about their handfasting ceremony!

Big thanks to Landon Jacob – these images are to die for!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
We met at a horse race, which was the inspiration for the wedding. We were at a mutual friend’s tailgate at Steeple Chase, in March of 2007. I followed him around like a puppy, smitten at first look, and he was too busy catching up with friends to notice me! Later at a party that night, he noticed me because I picked up Guitar Hero, played a song on expert and beat it.

After dating for 5 years we knew that the proposal was coming. On Thanksgiving in 2011, my female relatives and I decided to go looking at dresses for fun! I was given one rule: I had to try every dress the girls pulled for me. After nearly 40 dresses ranging from princess ball gowns to sheath gowns, my sister pulled my dress. It was stunning and everyone was speechless. I knew that was the one because I didn’t want to leave without it! We bought the dress that day, and thank goodness Jonathan proposed 4 months later!

We did a first look because we wanted to have a special moment to ourselves before the wedding. It was a good decision because we were able to appreciate each other and the importance of the day before everyone else was fighting for our attention. We also got a lot of great shots of the two of us before the ceremony!

Describe the proposal. 
We had plans set for a romantic weekend after Valentines day in 2012. Jonathan planned to propose at a restaurant that I was excited to try. We had a crazy night Friday and didn’t end up in bed until early Saturday morning, so I cancelled all of our plans! Jonathan panicked and decided to act on the spot. While I was getting a bath ready for our dog, Zoey, he got the ring and the dog. When I turned around, he had Zoey in his arms, and the box in Zoey’s paws. He asked me to marry him and I was so thrilled I almost flooded the bathroom!

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We had one reading used in tandem with a special ceremony called Handfasting. Jonathan’s family roots are Irish, so we used this celtic ritual before saying our vows as a nod to his family heritage. Our minister used a cord that Jonathan and I made to bind our hands while he read, “These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.” We didn’t let go of each others hands until after the pronouncement of marriage.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Choosing what to do with our tables! I was afraid the estate tables looked old and not timeless, but the round tables didn’t fit well in the space and made us question the table design. Going with the estate tables was the best idea for the venue space and the table design was perfect. We scattered rose petals across all the tables, mixed in with lanterns and candles and mirrors.

Our whole wedding was Southern-inspired! We met at a horse race so we asked guests to wear hats and bow ties! We used horseshoes to attach escort cards to and served mint juleps during the cocktail hour. Our dinner was fried chicken, shrimp and grits, BBQ sliders and sweet tea — the quintessential Southern menu!

In what month did you get married? April
How many guests attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We used “Give Me Jesus” for the walk of the grandmothers and mothers, Air on G String for the entrance of the bridal party, and Cannon in D as I entered. During the ceremony, we had an Irish jig, a butterfly jig, play during the handfasting ceremony. We recessed to the Irish jig again.

Describe your wedding flowers. 
My flowers were beautiful! The bouquets were white and all different textures. We used roses, hydrangeas and peonies.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. 
Our cake was so delicious! It was a three-tiered round cake with cream-colored fondant and pearls on each layer, and a bunch of sugar roses that were dyed the same color as the bridesmaids’ dresses. Each tier was a different flavor of strawberry cream cheese marble pound cake, lemon citrus cake, and white chocolate cake!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
The handfasting ceremony, it has so much meaning to us and it meant so much to us that Jonathan’s father was able to be our minister and marry us.

What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
The venue. The wedding would not have been the same if we had a different venue. It set the perfect tone and was formal enough inside the house that we didn’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate it.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
Walking out of the balcony for my entrance and looking down to see Jonathan and all of our close family and friends there for our wedding day. I will never forget how special that moment was for me!

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
There is no such thing as planning too far in advance! Get as much done as soon as you can, I thought I kept up with the plans and suddenly two weeks before the wedding I was running around feeling so unprepared that I could barely appreciate the rehearsal and the people.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
We are looking forward to buying a house this year! We have to save for a few months, but we are so excited to buy a house we can grow our family in.

Claudia + Brad’s engagement was a sweet and intimate moment — just the two of them surrounded by a beautiful lake and mountains. I love that looking through these images from Paperlily Photography is reminiscent of their proposal story! It was by far the newlyweds’ favorite detail of the day. “My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it,” said Claudia. For me, there’s something calming about their surroundings that makes their “I do’s” seem like they were meant to be and a part of the world’s grand romantic plan!

Like most gals, finding THE dress was top on the wedding planning to-do list, and I knew just the place to go. Fabulous Frocks of Atlanta is owned by a dear friend of mine that I have gotten to know through working in the wedding industry (I’m a makeup artist). Both the shop and the dresses are beautiful and it would be a bonus to have someone I trust help choose the perfect dress. My mom, sister and best friend took a trip to Fabulous Frocks with me. About four dresses into the process, I found the winner. It was a delicate, flowing Claire Pettibone that couldn’t have fit my vision for my dress any better.

Describe your wedding flowers. 
Sherry of Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio is a close friend and one of the most talented floral designers, so we knew exactly who we would come to for flowers. Flowers were really important to me and I trusted Sherry to bring my vision for soft, beautiful, organic-looking bouquets and arrangements to life. I really loved that each of the bridesmaids’ bouquets were unique, and each arrangement on the tables was different and in an array of pitchers, jars and vases that we collected and now have in our home.

Music was extremely important to us for both the ceremony and reception. We are big fans of bluegrass and knew that type of music would be unique and appropriate for our riverside wedding in the hills of North Georgia. Our band, The Whiskey Rebellion, played some fiddle tunes during the ceremony and accompanied Meredith, Brad’s childhood friend who is also a talented musician. She sang “For the Beauty of the Earth” as everyone was seated and then “Amazing Grace” for the processional. It was so special to us to have such a dear friend be a part of the ceremony in that way. Our first dance was to “Not With Haste” by Mumford & Sons. The dather-daughter dance was to “Find Your Wings” by Mark Harris and the mother-son dance was to “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor.

The setting of our wedding felt like heaven to us. Our family friends offered their beautiful piece of land on the Soque River to use for the ceremony and reception. My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it. We both envisioned our wedding being outdoors in the mountains of North Georgia, but this setting far exceeded our expectations with the beautiful view of the water, the open grassy fields and the giant trees lining the river.

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
The music for the ceremony and reception was so important to us, so we were definitely open to spending some money in that area. We love live music, especially bluegrass, and we thought that a bluegrass band would be different and fun and fit the laid back vibe of our wedding.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
The ceremony was so precious to both of us, and the sweetest moment of it was when our pastor had us both turn around and face all of our guests just to see who all was there for us and would be in our lives for a very long time. It was such a neat moment to soak in the beauty and love that surrounded us.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? 
Our riverside wedding couldn’t help but be Southern. We had a bluegrass band, beer was served in an iced-down canoe, bales of hay provided seating, food was served by food trucks and our getaway car was a 1940 Chevy. All of these details made the wedding feel very much like us. Nothing was stuffy or stiff. We just wanted to have fun and enjoy everyone and wanted the same for our guests.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Enjoy every single bit of your engagement. The parties. The planning. And enjoy every bit of it together. I know a lot of people say that the “wedding is for the bride.” It meant so much that Brad was interested in the details of our wedding and that we planned it as a team. Of course, we had tons of help from family and friends or there would have been no way that we could have pulled it off during our five-month engagement, but I felt like Brad and I were in the planning together and it made the big day that much more meaningful.

There is a bakery in Athens (where we both went to college) that makes the best cakes. We didn’t really have to decide where we would get our wedding cake. The harder decision was what flavor we would have. Since we couldn’t decide on a single flavor, the best we could do was narrow it down to our favorite six. It was one of the best decisions we made.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
 We met online! Not actually, but kind of. Our mutual friend had been trying to introduce me to Brad for a while. After weeks of hearing about this great guy, my friend “introduced” us via group Gchat. Ah yes. Just how I had always imagined meeting my husband — in a “chatroom” while I was at work. I was so excited to finally get to know this guy I had heard all about, and luckily, he totally exceeded my expectations. I remembered telling my sister half joking, half totally and completely seriously, that this guy is my soulmate. Understandably, she didn’t really believe me since Brad and I still hadn’t met in person at that point. After a couple of weeks of emailing and instant messaging, we finally had plans to get together. I knew both of us were just a wee bit nervous about this meeting. There was a lot of build up because we had both already spilled our guts to each other, had a lot in common, and made each other laugh, but the real question was: are we attracted to each other? Thankfully, that was not an issue. We clicked! Hurray! We instantly became best friends and knew very quickly that we would be in each other’s lives for a very long time.
Describe the proposal. The day we got engaged was the day after our nephew was born. I was so caught up with this new addition to the family and wasn’t even thinking Brad was up to something when he took a random Wednesday and Thursday off. I figured it was just to be with the family and love on that new baby boy. After we left the hospital Wednesday, Brad suggested that we spend the night at his parents’ lake house. I was all in, yet still clueless as to what he was up to. The thing that was so strange to me was Brad was adamant about running back home to grab his swimsuit and contact case. I couldn’t understand why on earth we couldn’t just buy both on our way up to the lake. Little did I know, someone had to get a pretty piece of jewelry from the house. So the next day, we lounged around on the dock and just enjoyed being together. It didn’t feel any different that any other day. Even when Brad sat on the arm of my chair and was playing with my hair and saying all sorts of lovey, sweet things, I didn’t have a clue that this day was going to be one I remember forever. But as soon as he knelt down and reached into his pocket, it clicked. Something we had been waiting for was about to happen. Once I knew what was happening, I cried, like uncontrollably, and for a while. It was the sweetest, most surreal moment. We were together, just the two of us, surrounded by the beauty of the lake and mountains and were so filled with joy that we were one (big) step closer to spending the rest of our lives together. I remember in that moment wishing we could freeze that moment and stay there for a long time. It was precious. But we had to head back to Atlanta that evening, and I was surprised to be greeted by our closest family and friends at the restaurant where we had our first date to celebrate our engagement. Oh what a happy, happy day.
In what month did you get married? 
October 2012
How many guests attended your wedding? 
225
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Doing a “first look” really wasn’t an option for either of us. We both always imagined seeing the other for the first time at our ceremony, and it was well worth the wait and build up.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Not getting stressed! I have the tendency to stress, even about small stuff –even if it should be fun! I won’t lie, I worried throughout the planning more than I wish I had. Everything came together better and more beautifully that we could have imagined, so I should have just kicked back and chilled out.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Finally living life together! It is so much fun to wake up, drink coffee, live our day, and then come home to the same place. There is no more running around trying to mingle our uncertain schedules together. We know where we are going each day and that’s fun. And best of all, there is no more wedding planning! On a more serious note, we can’t wait to discover how to mesh and meld our life together as a married couple. Every single day we discover some small thing we love and appreciate about each other. We can’t wait to learn more about each other while growing old together. That’s the good stuff.

Gertie Mae’s is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Today’s wedding took place in December, but it’s proof that winter weddings can be full of bold, beautiful colors (so you know it’s got my stamp of approval). I actually forgot this wedding was in December until I re-read Lauren + Michael’s interview! Their festive spin on traditional holiday colors is like a jolt of energy, just like these images from Landon Jacob are. Like true Southerners, Lauren + Michael made sure all of the wedding weekend events could be in downtown Columbia, the place they call home and where they fell in love. Despite their short four-month engagement (“We were ready to be married!” says Lauren), their big day is full of details that served as wonderful treats to their guests who came to celebrate (and plenty of actual treats, too). Big hugs to Landon Jacob Photography for sharing this sweet day with us!

I was really unsure of what I wanted for wedding flowers. I knew that I did not want the more traditional bouquets and centerpieces.  I wanted flowers that would pop and be a beautiful accent against the emerald green in the bridesmaids’ shawls. I saw an inspirational shoot that Jordan from Landon Jacob Productions had done where the colors were reds and corals.  I loved how there were so many different types of flowers, but how they truly blended together beautifully.  When I showed Sarah from Fern what I had in mind, she orchestrated beautiful bouquets, as well as incredible centerpieces!  The main flowers that were used were poppies, anemones, ranunculus (one of my favorite flowers!), peonies, tulips, and jasmine bay leaves.  My absolute favorite idea that Fern had was to include pomegranates in the bouquets and in the centerpieces.  The pomegranates were something I had never seen in a bouquet, but they were phenomenal!  It was perfect for the time of year that we had our wedding, and really added so much to each bouquet.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I made my first appointment at Bella Vista in Columbia.  I did not expect to find a dress in my price range, but still wanted to look.  Due to the short timeline, I had to buy a dress off the rack as there was not enough time to order one.  We picked out several dresses.  I know it doesn’t work this way for most people, but the first dress I picked out and tried on was honestly the one!  It did have one strap that I wanted to take off, but other than that, I loved it.  I wanted to be sure, so we looked at one other store, but nothing compared to this dress.  It was nothing like I thought I wanted, but I fell in love with it!
Did you decide to do a “first look”?  We did!  Landon and Jordan from Landon Jacob Productions suggested doing a first look, and allowed us to see many pictures of “first looks” that she had photographed.  After also talking with friends who had done a first look, we decided that it was what we wanted.  Our biggest concern was that it would take away from the moment when I walked down the aisle, but it actually built the excitement!  Another reason that we chose to do a first look was because we were concerned with losing light for pictures.  Seeing each other prior to the ceremony was great for us.  It gave us time together and calmed some nerves!  We would absolutely recommend it!

We wanted to choose songs for our ceremony that represented the ultimate purpose of our marriage: God’s display of His constant and perfect love for us through Jesus Christ.  I walked down the aisle to “Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go” by Ascend the Hill, which was a wonderful correlation of marriage and our relationship with God.  We chose to take communion with our guests as “Resurrection (He Lives)” by Joel Davis.  We had two extremely talented friends perform the music for our ceremony.  They played an original song as we walked back up the aisle.  We danced to “That’s Where It’s At” by Sam Cooke as our first dance.

I love this shot, below!! Even more than the sweet, happy kiss the newlyweds are sharing, I adore the faces of the guests behind them.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My favorite moment of the day was when we had our first look.  There was so much anticipation, and I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.  But once I saw Michael, it was like none of that mattered.  I was right where I wanted to be!  We had a few minutes to ourselves and I felt so calm and peaceful, but mostly excited!  I was reminded that I get to marry my best friend! We got to laugh, cry, and be silly together. It was great!

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Our black and white striped tablecloths!  It absolutely made that room!  We loved 701 Whaley from the beginning, but with the high ceilings and large windows, we wanted to find something to really pop in that room.  Jessica suggested looking into black and white tablecloths, and it was the perfect addition!  They were classy, yet simple!

The biggest challenge that we faced was the timeline.  We chose a shorter engagement (four months).  A lot of people thought we were crazy, but we were ready to be married!  The biggest detail with a short engagement was the venue.  We looked at a lot of different options, but due to the time of year and short timeframe, we ended up having to be flexible on the date.  We were blessed with being able to have our ceremony at Main Street United Methodist Church and our reception at 701 Whaley.  We loved it!  We wanted all of our events (rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, ceremony, reception) to be in downtown Columbia, and it worked out!

We felt so blessed to have our friend, Gwyn Marie Pevonka make a chalkboard mural for the reception.  She did an amazing job, and it was a fun personal touch!  We are so grateful that she offered to make that for us!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding? I really wanted to have barbeque at our wedding.  I love barbeque, and felt like it was the big Southern thing that I wanted.  A friend of ours had used Fancy That! Catering and suggested that we try it out.  I went and had one bite of their barbeque and didn’t need to look any further!  Fancy That! was great to work with.  They provided lots of options in our price range.  Along with the barbeque, we had baked chicken, green beans, a mashed potato bar, macaroni and cheese, fruit trays, and cheese and crackers.  It was amazing, and the perfect Southern addition!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We had a last minute change of plans with the cake, but ended up with a beautiful DIY cake by Jessica from Parkside Wedding Studio. I ended up choosing a small, round, two-layer white cake.  Jessica then decorated the cake with flowers from the wedding and edible gold flakes.  She did a better job decorating than any bakery I’ve seen by far!  For the guests, we ordered chocolate and vanilla sheet cakes.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met in the fall of 2005 at Anderson University.  I was a freshman, and Michael was a junior. Michael led an organization on campus that I began to attend in order to get to know people.  We became friends and served together in the organization which led to many trips together alongside friends.  When Michael graduated in 2007, he moved to Columbia, SC (my hometown) to help with a new church.  The lead pastor of the new church was actually the husband of my best friend. When I graduated in 2009, I moved back to Columbia, unsure of what my next steps would be.  We remained good friends while there.  People often made little jokes that we should date which we both continually blew off.  We insisted that we were just friends.  It wasn’t until the summer of 2011 that anything started between us.  We went on a trip to NYC over July 4 with another friend.  I was planning to move to NYC, but on that trip, I felt like it wasn’t the right time.  Coincidentally, it was there when I first realized that I had feelings for Michael.  Yet, it wasn’t until January 2012 that Michael worked up the nerve to ask me on our first date.  Technically, you could say I asked Michael to go to a work function with me first and he said, “yes,” but refusing to be outdone he then immediately asked me on a date for the weekend before.  We still debate over to who asked whom on the first date!
Describe the proposal. Michael did a phenomenal job making our proposal incredibly special for the both of us!  For months, he had me thinking that he was on a different time line, so I had no idea that it was going to be as soon as it was.  In September 2012, Michael and his family invited me to go to the opening game of Clemson University’s football season at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta against Auburn. The night of the game, Michael asked me if I would like to get a very early breakfast the next morning with my best friend who had moved to Atlanta — like 6 am early.  At first I thought it sounded a little strange, but shrugged it off and told him that would be fine.  The next morning on our way to our very early “breakfast,” I fell asleep in the car.  When I woke up, we were pulling up to the airport.  I asked him what we were doing and he said, “We’re going to New York for the day!” He had me fooled for months because we had talked about how fun and spontaneous it would be to go to New York City again, but just for the day. A proposal never even crossed my mind. We got to New York around 9:30, and took a taxi to the Upper West Side to have breakfast on the patio at Fred’s, one of my favorite little restaurants in Manhattan.  After breakfast, we walked around and then decided to go to Central Park. Central Park is my favorite place in Manhattan and, coincidentally, also the place where I first thought, “I think I like Michael!”  Knowing this, he took me on a walk for the “perfect view of the city.”  We didn’t find it, but we did find a beautiful meadow to sit in.  Pretty soon after we sat down, Michael told me that he had a gift for me, and he pulled out a Bible.  I had mentioned many times that I wanted a new Bible, and was so appreciative.  He told me that he wrote something in it, and at this point I start putting the pieces together.  As I frantically flipped through the Bible, he took it from me and turned to Ephesians 5 and read a portion of it, explaining that he wanted to commit the rest of his life to loving me and our family in the same way that Jesus has loved us.  He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  Without hesitation I said, “Yes!”  We looked around, unsure of what to do next and were stunned that the world was still going on around us.  After calling several friends and family, we spent the rest of the day walking around the city, going to Brooklyn, and finally taking a flight back to Atlanta that night.  His parents were waiting to celebrate with us when we got back to Atlanta.  It was so much fun and could not have been more perfect!
In what month did you get married? December
How many guests attended your wedding? 250
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Relax and enjoy being engaged!  It will all get done, and what doesn’t get done no one will even notice.  Being engaged is so much fun, but can be stressful.  Just take things one day at a time, and decide what are the most important things.  And remember, you are marrying your best friend!  That’s the most important thing to work on — your future marriage.  The wedding details will come together!
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We don’t have any big plans, just learning to be married and love each other well!

If it’s one thing we know about weather in the South, it’s that Mother Nature is unpredictable. We’re basking in the warmth of our 80 degree weather this week, when just a few days ago it was sleeting! That’s why we absolutely understand why Melissa + Corey’s biggest challenge for their November wedding was the weather. Just a week before their “I do’s,” their wedding site was covered in snow! As these sunny images from Katelyn James show us, their dream wedding weather came to fruition, allowing the couple and their friends and family to celebrate outdoors, with the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. We’re all positively loving Melissa’s big, joyful smile and the little ways she and Corey symbolized their bond in marriage.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. Four days after we got engaged, I helped Corey move to New York. That weekend I was totally excited yet also totally bummed to have just said goodbye to my fiancé until I would move to New York with him after the wedding. As a way of getting my mind off missing him, my mom suggested we try on dresses. I thought I would want to shop around more, but the first boutique and the fifth dress in, I knew I had found the one. Not to mention — it was on sale. All of its perfect, ivory, laciness.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Corey and I did decide to do a first look and could not have been happier with the decision. I was influenced to have a first look by our photographer, Katelyn James. Katelyn was my roommate in college and I had been stalking her blog since the beginning of her business. I had seen the special, intimate moments she was able to capture in such spectacular images, and I knew I wanted that moment too. Now, five months after our wedding, that is one of the clearest moments of the day — those few moments to pause and take in each other and what would lie before us in the hours to come.

Describe your wedding flowers. My wedding flowers contained many fall colors that I used as my “pops” of color since the bridal party suits and dresses were all neutral tones. There was deep yellow from the sunflowers, burnt orange in cockscomb and amber red from dahlias. Some of my favorite texture pieces were green tric and hypericum berries.

Oh, y’all! I just love the look the father of the bride and the groom are sharing below!

Did you write your own vows? We did write our own vows and my favorite line Corey said to me was, “I promise to talk to you, to draw you into my life and vision, and to wash you with my words of praise, affirmation and gratitude, that you might live securely in my love.” My favorite that I said to him was, “I promise to talk openly to you, to confide in you first, before all others. I promise to be your best friend.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? During our ceremony, we had Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 which explains that a cord of three strands, including me, Corey and the Lord, shall not be broken. We then braided three strands of rope together to signify our unity together through Jesus.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. To honor my mom, I walked down the aisle to Pachabel’s “Canon in D.” My bridesmaids entered to “Ashokan Farewell” from a Civil War soundtrack by Evan Stover, Jay Ungar, Matt Glasser, Molly Mason, Russ Barenberg. One of my bridesmaids sang “Lead me to the Cross” by Hillsong while we took communion. And we exited to “Lover of the Light” by Mumford and Sons. We entered our reception to “D Bag Rag” by the Avett Brothers and our first dance was Matt Hires’ “You Are the One” sung and played by a bridesmaid and her husband.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our favorite detail of the wedding was the location at Khimaira Farm in Luray, Virginia. Our ceremony had the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains and then our reception was in the event barn on the same property. We loved that our guests did not have to travel between sites and had the beautiful scenery to compliment the perfect warmth inside the barn and cool November evening as the sun set outside.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. My wedding cake was beautifully crafted by a family friend. It had a simple ivory white cream cheese frosting with hand crafted icing flowers and was set on a wooden base. We also had authentic, homemade Amish pies made by another family friend.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Corey and I met as Ropes Interns at a Young Life camp in New York the summer of 2010. We spent the summer operating high ropes courses, zip lines, rock climbing walls, and giant swings and became great friends. I would swear that I did not have feelings beyond friendship for him throughout the summer (although he did for me!), but by the end of the summer, I was a smitten kitten. We are both originally from Virginia, however, he had to return to college at ASU in North Carolina and I had to return to CNU near Virginia Beach. We dated long distance for two years until we both began working and living in Richmond, VA.
Describe the proposal. While living in Richmond, Corey was offered a full time position on staff at the camp we met at in New York. The opportunity to manage the Ropes and Mountain Bike Department there was a dream come true for him and I fully supported it, but his acceptance of the job further pressed the question in my mind: “When is he going to propose?!” We only had two weeks from his acceptance to his moving to New York, and he had planned EVERY minute of every day for us to say goodbye to friends and family before he moved. I was so mad. I wondered when I was going to get time with him?! But, he had the whole thing planned. On our way to our goodbye day with his parents, Corey surprised me by taking me on a hike to one of our favorite spots. I honestly had no clue — I was just elated to get time alone with him! But once we reached the top (and once the lingering Boy Scouts left) Corey pulled his laptop out of his backpack. He played a video of him asking my father’s permission, and then got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Between the tears and squeals I managed to get out a “Yes!” but then he had me quickly moving back down the mountain. When we reached the trail head, both of our families and closest friends were waiting to celebrate with us!
In what month did you get married? November
How many guests attended your wedding? 200
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? One of my favorite Southern details of our wedding was that it was outside in a field. We didn’t need elaborate decorations, we just trusted nature to give us the perfect backdrop. We also incorporated Southern tradition as my bridesmaids and I wore cowgirl boots. I let all of my girls use their own boots they already owned and let them select their own neutral toned dresses to give a soft, more casual, Southern look. The guys did not wear jackets over their vests to achieve the same look. We also kept with the Southern tradition by serving sweet tea, smoked barbeque, and a variety of pies.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Our biggest challenge was not having control over the weather for our outdoor, November wedding in the mountains. Two weeks before our wedding, the site was covered in snow, so I knew our rain plan would be fine — but I desperately wanted the dream outdoor wedding. We needn’t have worried. Our whole wedding day was in the 70s!
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Our ceremony and reception site really was our biggest splurge and I am SO happy that we picked it! It was the first place we visited and I knew from the first moment I got out of the car that it was the place for us.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment was during our first look and then at the reception when Corey and I got a moment to step away alone. Both times we made each other pause and take mental snapshots of the day, made each other soak it all in. The whole day goes so fast — but both of those times were truly memorable and helped us to capture the feeling of both before and after we were Mr. and Mrs.!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Enjoy the process. Wedding planning can go by almost as quickly as the wedding day itself, but there is no need to rush through it. One thing that helped me to do this was to invite friends or family along for whatever I needed to do. It was way more fun and so much less stressful than doing it by myself! I also think being willing to ask for help and involving those people who you care so much about makes the whole experience that much sweeter too. Lastly, be deeply thankful. We were blown away by the love and generosity of all our friends and family throughout the process and still don’t think we could thank everyone enough.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? As a couple, we are looking forward to our present future on Young Life staff in New York and seeing where else God may lead us from here.

I love how Sara + Dom chose to separate the dinner from the dancing portion part of their celebration. (And oh my, what a celebration it was!) Tara and the team at Lowndes Grove worked together to create a dinner party feeling through estate tables, romantic chandeliers and low floral arrangements, then utilized modern lighting and a fun lounge area to create an upbeat space for dancing and more celebration. I love how ecstatic these two look in Liz’s photos!

Thanks again to Liz Banfield for capturing S + D’s soiree!

Dom is a big collector of matchbooks, so we had custom matchbooks made with our married monogram!

Did you have a cocktail hour? If so, what was it like? Our cocktail hour was fantastic.   As you entered the house, you saw a gorgeous old-fashioned champagne tower.  There was also an oyster bar, cheese trays and delicious shrimp and grits in edible spoons.

One of the biggest hits was a soup sampler we served as part of dinner.  There were three different soups served together that people could not stop talking about: gazpacho, curry crab, and split pea.  The split pea and gazpacho were served cold, so they were also refreshing.

I’m smitten over these chargers – the cut-out detail is simple yet ornate all at the same time. I can see pairing them with my grandmother’s vintage china for an Easter brunch!

We always knew we wanted to separate the dinner and dancing portions of the evening.  We wanted dinner to feel like a dinner party and then we wanted to create a much more upbeat atmosphere for the dancing part of the evening.  The two spaces were adjacent to each other and as dinner ended, the dancing tent with the dance floor and lounge floor was unveiled for all to see.

I saw the idea for mini cakes in Vogue, and could not wait to re-create it!  I thought the idea of having individual cakes for everyone was so different, and also delicious.  We had three different flavors: carrot cake, caramel, and chocolate.  The cake tower that held them all looked perfect.

As soon as Kristin and I both saw Sara’s getaway dress we absolutely flipped! This girl is ready for a party!

We had rented an old Rolls Royce that had to cancel at the last minute so we ended up with a vintage green Lincoln coupe convertible and it was even better!  We left through the house doors and ran through the sparklers to the car and drove off to everyone cheering.  We went for a ride around the battery before heading to our after party.  It was an amazing feeling to drive around the battery as every car we passed by honked and people were wishing us well.  We were just trying to take it all in and enjoy the best night of our lives.

And please enjoy this film of the day from Joel Serrato!

Tell us a bit about your first dance. We danced to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.  We went back and forth on many different songs as we wanted as we wanted something that was a little upbeat.  “Stand by Me” turned out perfectly.
Favorite design element of your big day: My whole idea for dinner was to have the feeling of an intimate dinner party surround by friends.  That was executed with the long tables, lit candles, and the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the tents.
What was the funniest moment?  What was the scariest? Our funniest moment was when one of our friends was dancing on the stage with the band and jumped up and came down into a split.  The crowd could not believe it and when he showed up at our brunch the next day, the room gave him a standing ovation for his incredible dance moves.
What was Southern about your wedding? The location, the plantation, the food, and the specialty cocktails.