Born in Alaska, but raised in Alabama, Marissa is a true Southern girl at heart. She can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon then with her family cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Roll Tide, y’all!) She’s married to her college sweetheart, Brandon, a bow tie clad professional baseball player. Being a baseball wife has made her no stranger to travel (or watching too many baseball games). She can squeeze more than a weeks worth of clothes in one small carry-on, which is quite a feat for this chronic over-packer! Culinarilly challenged, “just add water” mini-muffins are Marissa’s answer to gourmet cooking. She loves of classic wardrobe staples, bargain shopping and anything with a bow on it!
 

Hometown: Mobile, AL
Alma Mater: Florida Atlantic University
Major: Journalism with a minor in Psychology focusing on Public Relations
Birthday: February 4th
Favorite food: My Mom’s homemade poundcake.
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite non-wedding blog or site: Currently, Design Darling by Mackenzie Horan. This is one of my newest favorites, and her love for pink, navy, and monograms is right up my alley! Oh, and Matchbook Magazines’s Daily Spark!
Favorite part about working at SW: The SW ladies! No, really, these women are amazing! They challenge me to grow and better myself everyday.

Let’s get deep:
You would be surprised to know: I am quite the handy-gal! I’ve redone kitchen cabinets, laid wood flooring and even rewired a vintage chandelier!
I am committed to: My marriage, my family and my faith.
I love: God, my husband, my family, bargain shopping and Alabama football. (Roll Tide Roll!) I am also slightly obsessed with anything monogrammed. OK, completely obsessed!
I know: that “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
My motto: “Always choose life!” I can’t remember where I originally read this, but I love what it represents. In every situation you have a choice – I strive to always choose life. I’m a glass half full kind of girl! I also really love “work hard and be nice to people.”

A little behind-the-scenes trying on LulaKate dresses at Bridal Market.

If Brandon and I ever renewed our vows…
________ would shoot my wedding. That’s such a hard question because I absolutely love the photos that our photographer, Sara Kauss, captured. They’re completely us and truly show just how much joy we felt on our wedding day! But, I must admit I adore Bryan Johnson’s work!
Ashley Baber would help me pull all the details together.
My late maternal grandparents would be VIP guests.
I would wear Heidi Enlora’s Rubie Joe for the ceremony “Aspen” by Amsale for the reception and then this amazing LulaKate as my getaway dress! Let’s face it, I’m a bit of a dress-addict!
We would hold the ceremony at the amazingly beautiful Cathedral in Downtown Mobile. The columns alone makes me weak in the knees!
Lindsey Regan Thorne would get me prettified. This girl knows big Southern hair!
Carissa Solomon from JL Designs would make my gorgeous bouquet.
We would eat a potluck of all our homemade favorites; from my mom’s from scratch pound cake to my father-in-law’s backyard deep-fried turkey injected with Cajun seasoning! Yum!
My cake Neither Brandon nor I actually like cake, (I know, I know sacrilege!) so I’d go with a giant cheesecake or ice cream cake!
Our first dance song would be “On a Night Like This” by Dave Barnes. It was the very first song Brandon played for me on our first date and our real first dance song, so it holds a really special place in my heart.
Guests would then dance to a little “Sweet Home Alabama” for good measure!
We would honeymoon in Bora Bora in a private bungalow! Oh yes, in my fantasy wedding I’m going big league!
My china pattern would be a mix of the vintage china that my grandmother left to me and Pickard Signature Collection “Monogram.”
 

In a nutshell:
Big wedding or small wedding? Small.
Band or DJ? Band
Camping or glamping? Glamping! Have you seen this girl without a blowdryer? It’s not pretty!
Cake or pie? Warm pumpkin pie with a scoop of Cool Whip on top! Yu-mmy!
Breakfast or dinner? Dinner.
City or country? Country, for sure!
Mountains or ocean? Ocean.
Seersucker or gingham? Seersucker all the way!
Boots or sneakers? Tory Burch ballet flats.
Night owl or early bird? Early morning.
French fries or milkshake? Hushpuppies, please!

Photo credit from top to to bottom: Nancy Ray, Amy Paulson, Kat Harris, and Sara Kauss,