Y’all have been such a hoot to get to know with our Sit a Spell Series! We’d love to bond a little more, so over the next few weeks, each of us will be giving you a look into our dream wedding — what our inspiration is, what we’d want to wear, and the great Southern traditions we’d love to include. Next up? Sierra’s Southern wedding!

It’s started: My friends are already asking me what type of wedding I want to have. And man, that is a good question! I feel like working for a wedding magazine and blog, you start to like many different things — things you would never have considered before. You’re exposed to so much that you could really go in a few different directions for your own wedding. Oh yes, and those friends? They’ve also begun teasing that they’re not inviting me to their weddings because they won’t be as nice as those featured on SW (I’m sure they’re only joking about the invite!)

When putting together these boards, I told Emily that I wish I could wait until after the V4 real wedding posts went out on the blog, because they were ALL I could think about for my inspiration! (I particularly loved Katie + Max, Camille + Mark and Jodi + Kurt’s!).

Now I just need to find a dapper Southern gentleman! Any suggestions?

Image credit from left to right and top to bottom: Braedon Flynn, Clary Photo, Jill Thomas, Vue Photography, Spindle Photography, Leila Peterson via Wedding Chicks, 1313 Photography

Tell us the basics. Where do you want to get married and when? How many people would you invite? I would like to get married near the beach but not on the beach (that way, family and friends could head over and have some fun during the wedding weekend – no sunburns, please). Current possibilities are Charleston, Savannah or Wilmington. I would guess 100-150 people and in the spring or early summer.

What’s your design inspiration and color palette? I based my color palette off a combo I saw somewhere that included tan, a soft yellow, peach, coral and light blue. My dream wedding would be light, fun and crafty. In the office a year or so ago, we went around and defined what we thought each person’s wedding style would be for a branding exercise. The girls said they pictured something natural for me, and I agree. I don’t want anything too over the top.

What details and traditions would you include in your ceremony? Ideally, I would love for my wedding ceremony to be in a church or on the grounds of a plantation with a beautiful altar setup. The men would certainly be wearing bow ties. There would be a bluegrass band, Southern-inspired programs, and I just loved the monogrammed handkerchief idea in V4!

What dress would you wear? I am completely devastated that Priscilla of Boston is closing because I wanted to wear a Priscilla of Boston gown. They seem to be perfect for Southern brides — not too crazy and very classic. Would it be absurd for me to buy one about three years in advance? Generally, I like dresses with a little bit of lace and/or beading, but with an overall elegant aesthetic. I don’t want to have a dress that wears me, you know?

Image credit from left to right and top to bottom: Jessica Lorren, Jose Villa, from Martha Stewart, Jen Huang via Style Unveiled, dress by Ivy & Aster, Jenna Walker via Style Me Pretty, Our Labor of Love

What would your flowers look like? My current favorites include: gardenias, tree peonies, clematis, hellebores, tree peonies, tulips and billy balls. The bouquet could be something simple, like fluffy, white peonies or a yellow and pink combo like Jen Huang’s photo above. For the table setting, I would like colorful arrangements similar to those in Katie + Max or Camille + Mark’s wedding.

What details and traditions would you include in your reception? There would certainly be a live band and dancing. I love the custom bottle labels in V4′s Southern Meets Nantucket shoot by Trent Bailey. I would also include a fun groom’s cake!

What food would you serve? Like Marissa, I’m a big fan of Southern comfort food. There would be chicken, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, pinto beans and most importantly, a blackberry cobbler from the Dutch oven. I also loved the chicken and waffles from V4! We tried to put lots of Southern food into the issue.

Where would you honeymoon? We would honeymoon in the Caribbean, somewhere tropical and warm. I am literally envisioning scenes from The Bachelor. Does anyone else watch that show?! Emily and I are super fans.

What’s most important to you about weddings? The celebration of love. It’s possibly the only time in your life that you will have all of your friends and family together in one spot to just let loose and celebrate well, you!

What do you think, ladies?

P.S. Want to check out our past dream weddings?
Marissa
Nicole

Welcome to the third installment of our Southern Hospitality feature! Each month, we pick a Southern city and an expert host. Our host shares their favorite items custom to that city that would be perfect packed into a welcome bag for family and friends at a weekend wedding. Just one more perk of attending a destination wedding!

Pack your bags, y’all, because this month, we’re headed to Austin, Texas! Courtney Caplan and Sarah Miller of Caplan Miller Events were our guides, and together with the whole Caplan Miller team, they did a fantastic job of assembling a goodie bag as big (and beautiful!) as the Texas sky!

Do we have any Longhorns that love Southern Weddings?

A. Whole Foods Gift Card for lunch at the store. Whole Foods started in Austin, and their flagship store located downtown is the perfect place for guests to grab a bite to eat!

B. El Milagro Tortilla Chips. They’re made right here in Austin! ($1.95)

C. Guero’s Salsa. Guero’s Taco Bar is an Austin favorite for great food and live music. Their famous salsa makes the perfect addition to any Austin bag! ($2.69)

D. Tito’s Vodka Mini Bottle (50 ml). Tito’s Vodka is made right here and is a staple at all local bars and restaurants. ($7.59)

E. Austin Nuts Deluxe Nut Mix in the Texas Container. Austin Nuts is known for their unique dry roasting process and has a wide variety of delicious options! ($22.99)

F. Austin TX Button. An Austin button or magnet would be an easy add to a city-themed tote. ($1.00)

G. University of Texas H2Orange Water Bottles. A portion of all sales of this water go to scholarship programs at The University of Texas. ($12.99 for a pack of 12)

H. Texas Bluebonnet Seeds. Visitors to Austin can take a little piece of Texas with them! The bluebonnet is the Texas state flower, and a wonderful and lasting gift. ($1.44)

I. Sweet Leaf Tea. Sweet Leaf Tea is brewed right here in Austin, where the company began!
($19.44 for 12-pack)

J. Tiff’s Treats Two Cookie Box. This cookie delivery service started in Austin and is a favorite of locals and visitors! ($3.00)

K. Keep Austin Weird Tie Dye T-shirt. The Keep Austin Weird campaign supports local businesses and has become an Austin staple. ($19.99)

L. Tickets to Antone’s Nightclub. The first club that opened on famous 6th street in Austin still hosts a variety of live music acts. ($10.00)

M. Kerby Lane Pancake Mix. Kerby Lane Café is one of Austin’s most popular restaurants. Open 24-hours, they serve breakfast around the clock and are famous for their pancakes! ($4.99)

N. LiveStrong Wristbands. Austin is home to Lance Armstrong and his Livestrong foundation. All proceeds from the sales of this bracelet go to support Livestrong programs and services for cancer survivors. ($1.00)

O. Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook. No trip to Texas is complete without a little education in Bar-B-Q! This is one of our favorite cookbooks on the subject. ($12.97)

P. Longhorns from Lammes Candy Co. Local candy company Lammes makes these appropriately named Longhorns, a local favorite. ($29.65 for 12 oz. box)

Q. Salt Lick Original Bar-B-Q Sauce 12oz jar. Sauce from one of Austin’s most famous Bar-B-Q restaurants! ($19.95 case of 3 bottles dry rub and sauce)

The girls at Caplan Miller joined forces with the talented Lauren Cunningham of The Creative Parasol, who designed this adorable Austin tote for us! Simply download the overlay here and take it to your local screen-printer. Thank you, Lauren!

From the Austin area and have additional suggestions to add to our tote? What did you love about Austin if you’ve visited before? Have a city in mind for future posts? Comment below and let us know!

Check out past totes:
Nashville
Atlanta

Welcome to the second installment of our Southern Hospitality feature! Each month, we pick a Southern city and an expert host. Our host shares their favorite items custom to that city that would be perfect packed into a welcome bag for family and friends at a weekend wedding. Just one more perk of attending a destination wedding!

This month, we’re featuring a city near and dear to my heart: Atlanta! Much of my extended family lives in the area, and there is a huge Georgia (UGA) vs. Georgia Tech rivalry among my relatives… my grandparents are such super fans, they own a bulldog. (Can anyone else relate?!)

This month’s expert was our good friend Carlee Sizemore of High Cotton Event Design, who I had the pleasure of working with at a V4 shoot in Charleston this summer. Below are Carlee’s picks for an Atlanta tote bag — we know you’ll love them!

A. Atlanta letterpress postcard. Include a postcard stamp so guests can easily pop them in the mail from their hotel! ($3.50 each)

B. Tickets to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world. (varies)

C. Atlanta Coasters featuring famous Peachtree landmarks. ($8 each or 4 for $29.99)

D. Georgia Cutting Board. We love the state-specific designs! ($40)

E. Sublime Donuts, a true Georgia treasure with flavors like chocolate banana fritter (available Elvis style), chocolate wildberry and Nutella (varies)

F. Atlanta Kitchens: Recipes from Atlanta’s Best Restaurants. For the foodies. ($21.90)

G. Gift Certificate to The Varsity, which boasts of being “the world’s largest drive-in”! (varies)

H. Tickets to the World of Coca-Cola tour. Only appropriate when visiting the birthplace of Coke! ($16.00)

I. A copy of Gone with the Wind. This classic by Margaret Mitchell is partially set in Atlanta. ($9.49)

J. SweetWater Brewery tickets — a glimpse inside one of Atlanta’s favorite homegrown brewing establishments. (Tours are free, but $8 gets you a souvenir SweetWater pint glass and six tickets for 5.5oz samples of SweetWater’s brews)

K. Emily G’s Jam of Love ($8.00). An Atlanta favorite, featured in the V3 wedding of Ali + Matt (see here + here!).

Carlee joined forces with her talented friend Joni of Chocolate Butterbean to create THE cutest Atlanta peach tote. Simply download the overlay here and take it to your local screen-printer.

From the Atlanta area and have additional suggestions to add to our tote? What did you love about Atlanta if you’ve visited before? Have a city in mind for future posts? Let us know!

Check out past totes:
Nashville

While some good picks have been made thus far for our favorites from V3, my favorite spreads were in the Southern By Design feature, where a trio of our favorite wedding bloggers took a fresh look at our beloved Old South. One thing I’ve learned about the wedding industry? It takes a TON of collaboration and support to put together beautiful weddings (and features!). These V3 spreads show that when talented bloggers and vendors combine creative forces, something magical and inspiring can be created.

The first shoot was Southern Meets Southern California, as imagined by Jen from Green Wedding Shoes. I loved the mix of Southern and Southern California charm.

Talk about a table setting! Green tomatoes, raw cotton and magnolia flowers meet succulents, organic cotton and intricate lace, complete with an orange grove backdrop. I also loved the “Hint of Mint” bar, where guests could create a custom cocktail, and the bouquet was a definite crowd-pleaser in our office.

The second shoot was dubbed South Carolina Cool, as imagined by Emily and Joy from Once Wed. I love this shoot because of its streamlined design sense. It also used the most unique items… old engines as centerpieces and washers and nuts for napkin holders. Who would have thought this up on the regular?

The third shoot of the trio was Southern Meets Brooklyn, as imagined by the ladies of 100 Layer Cake. As a college student with many friends that recently graduated and moved to NYC, I loved seeing a shoot that imagines a couple taking the same path. You may have moved elsewhere, but you’ll always be a Southerner at heart.

Best part of this shoot? Hands down the serve-yourself biscuit bar, featuring clover honey and strawberry pepper jam. Yum! See some of our tips for putting together your own biscuit bar here!

Want to see more of V3? Check out Emily, Nicole, Marissa and Whitney‘s favorite features:
Joey & Jessica’s Cover Shoot
Amelia Lyon’s “Sweet Love”
Jose Villa’s “Something Blue”
Jose Villa’s “Up, Up and Away”

You can also scroll through the editorial gallery or see the complete issue we recently released as a taste of the Southern Weddings Trilogy!

We’re starting a new feature round here called Southern Hospitality which I know y’all are going to just love! Why? Because it focuses on different cities and states across the South (hopefully yours!). How it works: Each month, we pick a Southern city and host an “expert” in that area. The expert will select their favorite items that give a taste of what the city is all about. These items will go in a customized tote to make the perfect gift bag for friends and family to enjoy upon arrival for your wedding weekend. A perk for attending destination weddings!

This month, we featured one of my all-time favorite cities and hometown, Nashville, TN! Holler if you’re from Music City USA! The Nashville “expert” was our good friend Amber Housley of Sweet Life Designs. Below are Amber’s picks for a Nashville tote bag. She chose everything from Loveless’ Cafe Butter My Biscuits Gift Pack (famous secret biscuit recipe you can make at home along with apple butter) to a bottle of Jack Daniel’s with glass bottles of Coke (since us Southerners know that Coke always tastes best in a glass bottle! – or Lemonade to make either one of these famous recipes: Jack and Coke or Lynchburg Lemonade) to tickets to a backstage tour at the historic Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry!

A. Hatch Show Print Ladies Cowboy Tee ($20), B. Southern Artisan Chocolate ($5.99 each), C. Bluebird Cafe Gift Certificates (varies), D. Loveless’ Cafe Butter My Biscuits Gift Pack ($19.95), E. Bottle of Jack Daniel’s ($19.99), F. Spirit of Nashville Shortbread Tin’s with Willa’s cookies and Spirit of Nashville Postcards ($14.95). G. We Are Nashville Decal ($4), H. Handmade I Love Tennessee State Necklace in Silver ($55), I. Tickets to a Backstage Tour at the Historic Ryman Auditorium ($17), J. Plantable Music Note from Country Music Hall of Fame ($3.99), K. Blackberry Wine from Belle Meade Plantation Winery ($19.50) and Meet me at Belle Meade Plantation Recipe Book ($19.95), L. Tickets for a Dinner Cruise on the General Jackson Showboat down the Cumberland River and past downtown Nashville ($87.95).

Okay, these really make me want to plan a trip to Nashville. I mean a showboat. Any takers?

Amber also created an overlay to go on your Nashville tote. There are two options: You can download a PDF of just the design with no customization or you can download a PDF with room to add the couple’s name and date (example left). Either way, you can download the print from our site and take it to your local screen printer!

From the Nashville area and have additional suggestions to add to our Nashville tote? What did you love about Nashville if you’ve visited before?

Have a city in mind for future posts? Let us know!