I promised there would be multiple opportunities to step into our pages this year, and here’s another one!

We’re headed down to the Savannah/Hilton Head area on Wednesday, May 8. For this particular shoot we’re looking for several gals, and we would love to encourage all hair/skin colors to get in touch! This might sound totally crazy, but we’re also looking for several Mama age ladies, so if your mom is particularly gorgeous and up for an adventure, have her apply, too!! If chosen, we will need you to be available on site from about noon – 8pm. We might start later or end earlier, but want you to be prepared!

If you’re interested, please send an email to howdy (at) iloveswmag.com with the subject line V6 Hilton Head Model Call. Be sure to include a recent headshot (no need for professional photos, we just want to see your lovely face!), a few candids and your height. We promise it’s going to be a blast!

P.S. Not in South Carolina? Don’t fret! Over the next few months we will be posting opportunities in the Santa Rosa Beach, FL, area, the Fort Worth area, and outside Atlanta, among others!

Have you taken our 2013 survey yet? Thanks, y’all!

We’ve been celebrating our fifth birthday all week, and though they haven’t been a focus, our advertisers are a huge part of our family and growth! We are so proud to work with such kind and talented people, and we love sharing them with you. Today, I’m introducing you to a few of our new Blue Ribbon Vendors!

Hot Dog! Photo Booth’s name is almost as fun as the images their booth produces — almost. Hot Dog! is based in North Carolina and prides themselves on custom backdrops, props, and print layouts for every event.

As a wedding stylist and creative director, Lindsey Zamora’s job is to “make things beautiful.” I can imagine her loose, natural style makes Texas brides as happy as it makes me!

Loft Photographie is made up of Two Texas girls with two passions – to create beautiful art out of the people and places they photograph, and to bring glory to God while living out purposeful days. Sounds pretty perfect!

Mrs. Vintage Rental Boutique has some of the loveliest, most varied inventory I’ve ever seen — New Orleans brides are lucky to have her!

With a wealth of experience both inside and outside of the wedding world, Premier W.E.D. has a long track record of bringing their motto — “we turn fantasies into memorable realities” — to life. They are based in Nashville.

Robin Lin Photography is based in Chapel Hill, NC and has a clean and polished style. I also love that they pride themselves on enhancing your day and helping out in any way.

Sarah McKenzie has a relaxed, easy, friendly style that makes sense when I read more about her goal for each wedding: to get to know her brides and grooms on a personal level. She is based in Houston, Texas, but loves traveling for destination weddings.

Sperry Tents truly speak for themselves — those snapping flags, dramatic peaks, and gorgeous wooden poles say more than I ever could! They have offices based in Virginia and South Carolina but travel all over the Southeast.

On their wedding days, all of Stephanie Parker’s clients have one thing in common: a flawless, natural, gorgeous look. She is based in Richmond, VA!

Alabama brides are so lucky to have White Dresses Boutique! This adorable shop is located near Huntsville and carries fabulous lines like Marchesa, Hailey Paige, and Anna Maier.

Still on the hunt for your perfect Southern vendors? Check out our whole crop here! Vendors, if you’re interested in applying, please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!

The best images tell stories, and they make you feel something. It has been our enormous privilege to see and share so many breathtaking images over the past five years, and we’re delighted to review a selection of our favorites today. Selection, because we just couldn’t narrow this category down to ten…

From Nicole: This one gives me warm fuzzies. I am most looking forward to spending quality time with my sister before the ceremony for her own big day, and always think of this image when I imagine it. I love this one, too! Photo by Rylee Hitchner from Holly + Chase’s wedding.

Lara loves this one so much she made it a full-page image in V5. I love the hint of a smile you can just see at the edge of the frame, and all that glorious tulle. Photo by Lauren Larsen from Hailey + Rhet’s wedding (here and here).

From Kristin: This image of our own Emily Thomas took my breath away when I saw it for the first time. I think she looks magical. The light and the way the veil is flowing make for an unforgettable moment. She is the nicest, guys. Photo by Tanja Lippert from my wedding (here and here).

From Marissa: There is just something about this image that makes my heart sing! I remember sitting in the office in Chapel Hill and Lara showing me this shoot for the first time, and I just couldn’t get over this image. Photo by Amelia Lyon from this editorial.

Marissa also loved this capture, calling it powerful and touching. Photo by Cassidy Brooke from Natalie + Shobie’s wedding.

We published this wedding and image around the same time I hired Tanja for my own wedding, and I remember getting giddy every time I looked at. She is amazing, y’all! Photo by Tanja Lippert from Paige + Adam’s wedding (here and here).

From Marissa: “I love how this image represents everything that the South is about: family, friends, food, and the tradition of sharing life together.” Photo by Joey + Jessica from this editorial.

It doesn’t matter how many times I see this image, the utter joy on this father’s face never gets old. For me, it sums up so much of what a wedding day is about. Photo by Robyn Van Dyke from Ali + Austin’s wedding.

I still think that the images from Katharine’s wedding are some of the most beautiful and timeless we’ve ever published. The anticipation captured in these two is so memorable for me. Photos by Bryan Johnson from Katharine + Kyle’s wedding (here, here, and here).

From Lara: “This shot captured my heart. There is such a quiet intimacy between the newlyweds as they enjoy their glowing reception.” Another photo by Bryan Johnson, from Catherine + Ben’s wedding (here and here).

This one is a favorite of Lara and Marissa. The joy, energy, and movement is contagious! Photo by Jonathan Canlas from Annie + Jimmy’s wedding (here and here).

Finally, Nicole described this photo as “what all celebrations should look like,” and I tend to agree. Photo by The Nichols from Stacy + Adam’s wedding.

Belles, do you have a photo that sticks out in your mind from over the years? We’d love for you to share!

Have you taken our 2013 survey yet? Thanks, y’all!

Oh my, this post makes me so happy! It’s been my pleasure to work with some amazing women during my time at Southern Weddings. I know they’ve worked their way into all of y’all’s hearts, too, so we thought it would be fun to check in with our “SW alums” on the occasion of our five-year anniversary!

This girl! Katharine and I started working at SW just days apart, and for our first two years, we were inseparable. I know her witty writing, timeless style, and love of candy have not been forgotten among the SW faithful! A little update from Ms KTW herself:

My handsome groom and I have navigated a few big changes and celebrated a number of milestones (most notably our first and second wedding anniversaries!) over the past couple years. Kyle and I loved being classmates so much in college that we decided to brave business school together. Our biggest lesson so far? If a marriage can survive graduate school, it can survive anything! We finish our MBA program this May, and I’m especially grateful to share another graduation with my best friend. In June, I’m making my first big move since 2009 to work as an internal consultant for Bank of America at company headquarters in Charlotte. Kyle will graduate from medical school in 2014, then plans to join me in the Queen City as a healthcare consultant for McKinsey & Co. In our free time, we enjoy blazing through our Netflix queue (me), performing at karaoke bars (him), and running the Duke trail (us).

P.S. For those of you who remember my candy addiction, my current favorites include gummy frogs, fruit runts, bottle caps, and Germany raspberries. Yum!

You know we love us some redheads around here! Happily, as you’ll see, we still have a healthy dose of Whitney in our lives!

So much has happened since my last day at SW! As many of you know, after four years at Southern Weddings, I decided to make the big move to New York City. Sometimes, though, the world has different plans. After 8 months in the city, I made my way back down to North Carolina to be close to my loved ones after a family emergency. My time in New York made me realize how very lucky I was to have grown up in the South, and if I had to move away to make that discovery, that’s okay! Now, I’m working as an event planner with A Southern Soiree and also handling the social media for Making Things Happen. I live in a pretty little yellow house in Raleigh with a cute new puppy, and I’ve never been more content.

Our office’s average style quotient definitely went down a few notches when we said goodbye to Sierra, and I think our sweetness levels did, too. We miss our favorite sorority girl, but are so proud of the life she’s made in Tennessee!

The week after graduation, I moved to Nashville and have been working as a news and features designer at Gannett’s Design Studio (small world – I put Lara’s mom, Celia’s column in the Pensacola paper!). In my off time, I shadow at Sony RED Entertainment, a promotions/distribution division of Sony Music (ran into former Bachelor contestant, Kacie B., at one of Jason Aldean’s #1 parties!) and work as an extra in for ABC’s Nashville (any of y’all watch??). Living in Music City, I go to plenty of shows (The Black Keys and Band of Horses are next on my list) and have been training for my first half marathon at the end of April.

Now, onto the gals that are still here!

On April 1, 2008, I was launching the SW blog and magazine at our very first launch party! Looking back at these images, it’s surreal to me. To go from that day 5 years ago, to this is just… it leaves me speechless.

On April 1, 2008, I was a junior in college. I had already been accepted to my summer internship at The Knot, and was probably nervously searching for housing in the city! John and I had been dating for a few years, and though I had my Martha Stewart subscription, I was just starting to discover wedding blogs…

In April of 2008, I was engaged to my now darling husband, and happily planning my very own Southern wedding. I was working as a corporate Account Executive for a cluster of radio stations in the Miami Market (and wearing all black suits, pearls and high-heels everyday!). I actually have the attached photo framed in our home, as it’s one of my favorites! This is BDK and I headed out for St. Patrick’s Day in 2008. As you can see by his outfit, it’s one of his favorite holidays! ;)

In April 2008, I was in Charlotte, attending my senior year of high school. I had just finished up a theatre show called “General Gorgeous,” where I played a superhero’s wife (ha!) and was managing our annual musical, “Cinderella” in addition to working on the senior issue of our school newspaper. I was also probably shopping for prom dresses :)

On April 1, 2008 I was weeks away from a milestone birthday and Kyle and I had just purchased plane tickets to fly to San Antonio for the NCAA Final Four. Our sweet Tar Heels were set to play that upcoming weekend and we decided to drop everything and travel to Texas. Unfortunately the games didn’t go as planned, but I was able to cross two things off my forever goal list – visit Texas and see the Tar Heels play in a Final Four.

Have you met our office mascot, Henrietta? Since she came to us in 2012, she was probably pre-egg in 2008. (Which would be… chicken?)

Wherever y’all were in 2008, we’re glad you’re here now! And this seems as appropriate a time as any to remind you that if you have some sweet graphic design skills, we think you should apply to join our team!

As you’ll see this afternoon, we’ve featured 546 real weddings over the past five years. Unsurprisingly, it was quite a challenge to narrow all of those down to get our top ten favorites of all time!! There are SO many beauties we had to leave off our list, and we definitely admit that many of our favorites were chosen for sentimental or personal reasons, as you’ll see below! Speaking of personal weddings, there are three that will always hold a special place at Southern Weddings — the three staffer weddings we’ve featured over the years: Katharine’s (here, here, and here), mine (here and here), and Kristin’s (here).

From oldest to newest, our ten all-time favorites:

Chelsea + Tec were a natural, unanimous pick, as they graced the front of our very first issue. Our cover couple will always have a special place in our hearts! We love that they showed us weddings could be relaxed and beautiful at the same time. You can see more of Chelsea + Tec’s wedding on Jose’s blog here.

Says Lara, “Hands down, Catherine + Ben’s celebration from V1 is my favorite. It’s still as stunningly beautiful today as it was years ago, and Catherine is now a dear friend!” While I was researching for this feature, I stumbled across a post written by Bryan Johnson when we featured Catherine + Ben’s wedding on the SW blog, and it was neat and funny to see early impressions of SW! You can also see our original posts on C + B’s big day here and here.

Nicole chose Victoria + Nishan’s wedding because it contained the VERY FIRST wedding image she can ever remember saving to her computer, long before Pinterest existed. She loved how the bride described their style as “refined elegance with a focus on nature,” and their vined tent installation stole her heart immediately. You can see our original posts on V + N’s big day here and here.

Ceara + Nate’s wedding was my first pick, as I remember very clearly how much it captivated me. In fact, I even wrote a post about it on my personal blog back before I worked for SW! I was captivated then by the juxtaposition of tuxedo elegance and a country environment – something more common now, but the first time I had ever seen it! I actually re-built C + N’s posts with larger images just for this occasion, so be sure to go take a peek here and here!

Says Nicole, “Kristin + Kincaid’s wedding is so very “Texas” with the perfect punch of yellow. I still think about this wedding all the time and how it’s fun, relaxed, celebratory and beautiful all at the same time — just how I like my weddings. You can see their celebration online here and here.

I kind of had to include Lindsey + Tyson’s wedding as one of my picks, because I can distinctly remember emailing Lara that I would “die” if she didn’t accept this wedding for V3 publication. Considering I staked my life on it, it had better be one of my favorites! I still love all of the refined peachy details and beautiful photography by Kate Headley. You can see all of L + T’s wedding here and here.

Rounding out our V3 picks (a popular issue for favorites!) is the wedding of Ali + Matt. Kristin loved the “house and home” themed reception, complete with a pie bar and quilts sprawled out in the garden, which seemed to her comfortable and subtly romantic. You can see all of Ali + Matt’s wedding here and here.

Says Marissa, “I love the mixture of classic details and a rustic locale in Natalia + Levi’s wedding. It feels warm and home-y with just the right amount of glamour. And of course, Natalie’s Southern bump is perfection!” You can see all of Natalia + Levi’s wedding here and here.

Says Kristin, “I am sure it is no surprise that this bright, preppy V4 wedding is one of my favorites. The fresh and warm colors mixed with a million tiny details stole my heart. I even emailed Calder Clark after seeing this wedding to try to track down the green and white fabric that she used for the table runners. I wanted to make curtains for our house out of that delicious fabric. Seriously – the invitation suite, the cake, the bow ties – I loved it all.” See more from Becky + Cameron’s wedding here and here.

Our final and newest wedding was chosen by Marissa, who said, “I know Whitney + Clarke’s wedding is newer, but it’s by far my favorite we’ve ever featured. I absolutely am obsessed with Whitney’s dress, the location, and the perfectly placed monograms. When I think about a classic Southern wedding, I see this in my dreams! No lie!” With that kind of an endorsement, we had to include it! You can see the rest of W + C’s wedding here and here.

So, what do y’all think? Did we include one (or more?) of your favorites? Like I said, there were so many we had to leave off this list, so I think Ashley + Steve (here + here), Stacey + Adam, Jennifer + Kyle (here + here), Jeni + Nate (here + here), and Natalie + Wade (here + here) should get honorable mentions!

Be sure to leave a comment with your all-time favorite SW wedding, and/or instagram a pic for this week’s contest!