Welcome to Fat Tuesday, y’all! Our longtime readers might remember me professing my unending love for all things Mardi Gras last year, but I’m so happy to be sharing the love with all of y’all joining us more recently, too!

Growing up in Mobile, Mardi Gras was a big part of our February (don’t tell, but I even like it better than Valentine’s Day!), and though I’ll be spending Fat Tuesday in Arizona, I’ll be doing my best to track down a king cake even in the dessert! Because of my far-from-NOLA current locale, I’m even more thankful I get to celebrate with you ladies on the blog! So grab a MoonPie (best served after a stint in the microwave for 7 seconds), and let’s go over a few Mardi Gras traditions you might never have heard of!

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Let’s start with Krewes. Mardi Gras wouldn’t happen without them, as Krewes are the groups/organizations that put on the balls and parades. Each Krewe meets throughout the year to discuss and build their floats in secret, and on the day of their parade, they ride wearing masks. Some Krewes have been around since the 1800′s, while others have been in existence for just a few years; in some, membership is limited to only relatives of previous members, and in others, anyone who can pay the membership fee can join.

Each Krewe holds their own parade leading up to Mardi Gras, each with a unique theme, and two Krewes — Rex and Zulu — hold parades on Fat Tuesday itself. Aside from a captain, each Krewe has a royal party headed by a king and queen (which I’ve always wanted to be!) that preside over the parade and floats.

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Oh Mardi Gras colors, you’re so ugly and so fabulous all at the same time! Purple, green, and gold is the official Mardi Gras’ color palette, and can be seen on everything from costumes to beads. In true Southern form, even the colors themselves have symbolic meaning: purple stands for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.

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Beads are still the most popular throw from floats, but doubloons have a history of their own, too! When we moved out of my childhood home, I can remember finding boxes full of these brightly colored coins – boy, did we have a collection. Originally used as currency, today’s doubloons are two-sided coins thrown from the parade floats (keep an eye out for them — these sucker can be dangerous!). They are imprinted with the Krewe’s name, emblem, and founding date on one side, and the current year and theme of the parade on the other.

Krewe doubloons are highly collectable and can create quite a ruckus in the crowd!

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I know quite a lot about Mardi Gras traditions, but The Golden Nugget is new to me! Originally thrown by the Zulu Krewe, these coconuts are thought to be the most sought-after throw in any Mardi Gras parade. In the early 1900’s, Zulu members threw coconuts (yep, just plain old coconuts) from their floats as a cheaper alternative to glass beads. Today, the coconuts are drained and hand painted either in gold or black and white.

Don’t be scared, my friends! In 1988, the City of New Orleans banned Zulu riders from throwing the coconuts from the floats and demanded the “throws” be handed to the crowds, making them even harder to catch and all the more valuable to spectators!

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Although I’ve never seen this next tradition in person, I can imagine it is a fantastic show! The Flambeaux tradition dates back to the 1800′s when New Orleans did not have electric street lights to light the night parades. Traditionally, the Flambeaux walked in front of the floats holding large torches, and put on their own show in front of the riders, dancing and doing tricks with the torches. Today, a few Krewes still roll out at night with the Flambeaux leading the way.

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Last, but certainly not least, we have Mardi Gras balls! Similar to my love for debutante cotillions, the Mardi Gras ball is one of my favorite aspects of Mardi Gras! Each year, Krewes host elaborate formal balls during Mardi Gras season. This is the time when kings and queens are first introduced, and the queens get to wear the most fabulous costumes! The queens’ stunning gowns, sparkling tiaras, and over-the-top collars are still my very favorite part of the Mobile Carnival Museum!

The original Mardi Gras balls were such important social affairs that Krewes had the invitations die cast in Paris and sent to New Orleans – fancy! Today, some Krewes still hold private invitation-only balls, while others have started allowing anyone to purchase tickets.

Well, now that I’m WAY too sad that I’m not spending today in Mobile (or Nola!), tell me: What’s your favorite Mardi Gras tradition? Have you ever caught a golden nugget?!

Want to learn more? Check out last year’s Traditions + Inspiration, Inspiration Board, and Color Palette Finds!

I don’t know about y’all, but the weather in North Carolina this week has been gray and dreary. Since there’s no hope of getting outside, the next best option is to do something sweet and crafty indoors, which is where this project comes in!

Handmade anything adds such a personal touch to celebrations big and small, which makes me love this easy DIY from Gray Harper even more.

So sweet, and so simple! Andrea and co fashioned these as guest favors filled with grits, but they could also be darling as embellished drink holders for bridal party members at the reception. They could also be fun for a bridal shower, bridesmaids’ brunch, or girls’ weekend!

Your Instructions:

1. Cut an 8 x 8 inch piece of fabric and fold it as shown, first in half, and then in half again. Sew along the unfinished edge.
2. Rotate the seam to the middle. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and sew again along the short unfinished edge. Move the seam to the middle again.
3. Cut a small piece of fabric (mine was 2 x 4). This will become the middle of your bow tie. Fold it in half lengthwise and sew along the open edge, then move that seam to the middle as well.
4. Wrap your “middle” around the middle of the tie to see how tight you think it needs to be. Slip it off and sew it closed in that spot, making a small loop.
5. After sewing the middle piece closed, squeeze it back into place in the middle of the tie. It should be fairly tight. You now have your bow tie!
6. Adhere the burlap ribbon and bow tie to the Mason jar using your glue gun, and enjoy!

All photos by the lovely Jade + Matthew Take Pictures!

Gray Harper is a delightful Southern Weddings advertiser!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, my friends! And on Friday, we sure had a reminder that winter is sticking around for a few more weeks (freezing rain, ick). This inspiration makes me pretty happy with exactly where we are in the calendar right now, though, with touches of cranberry red for V Day and icy white and blue for winter. Kudos to Vine & Light for the lovely photos!

Our goal was to create an inspiring editorial session that captured winter elegance in an unexpected and modern way. We pulled together a muted color palette of icy blue, ivory, forest green and cranberry. The white muslin fabric throughout the design pulls from white snow, the greyish blue from icy water, and the brown recycled kraft paper from bare trees. Because of the earthy color palette, it seemed fitting to do hand lettering with a very light and free hand. The antlers were used throughout to frame different components tied in the wintery earthy feel, as well.

Love this cascading centerpiece in a vintage urn!

Gorgeous metallic china supplied by Dishie Rentals!

I am obsessed with this dress by Ines Di Santo. Fun fact – the dress was shipped directly to us from the designer. It was pulled right off the runway at bridal fashion week and sent to Solutions Bridal for the shoot! These are the first photographs of this gorgeous dress outside of the runway photos. I was in wedding heaven! I love the lace detailing and tulle overlay. So dreamy. And Josh from Willard Randall did a fantastic job styling our groom to keep up with our bride’s gorgeous look – I loved the grey and on grey layering.

Thanks again to Vine & Light and all the other talented ladies and gents who brought this shoot to life!

We don’t share too many vow renewals with y’all, but we couldn’t resist this one. A wedding, after all, is about celebrating the life you live together and the life that lies ahead of you. For Adis + Victor, the family they created and the love they’ve shared for thirty years made crafting a vow renewal look effortless and full.

“Having our four children there to witness the love we share for one another was pretty amazing,” said Adis. She married Victor thirty years ago, after being introduced to him over the phone. Though they had never met in person, they talked every day for two years. As soon as they met, they instantly became boyfriend and girlfriend and were married just a year after. Their vow renewal, photographed by Diana Marie Photography brings to mind a dozen things I think we all hope for in our marriages, like joy, a youthful spirit, mutual admiration and a big, happy family.

I can’t get over how beautiful this family is! I love Adis’s summery white dress, too. The hints of lace are the perfect amount for an outdoor vow renewal, no?

Describe the proposal: It was at a restaurant and I was wearing a white dress, ironically. As he was nervously about to pop the question, he accidentally spilled his wine glass all over me. We both laughed it off and I immediately said yes.

What do you love most about each other? (From Adis) I love how he keeps me grounded and puts things into perspective; to not sweat the small stuff. (From Victor) I love how she has such a young spirit about her and a contagious laugh.

What have you learned over your years of marriage? Learning to compromise and choosing your battles. And learning to not have arguments but to have productive discussions.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew the type of dress I wanted: something comfortable and knee length. I had a family friend make the dress so it was exactly what I wanted.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Knowing that we were marrying the person we felt that we were meant to be with.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your renewal? The biggest challenge was staying in budget.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? We had 3 different musical acts that we splurged on. Music and dancing are very important to our family.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Learn to enjoy the planning along the way and try not to get over stressed. Remember why you are having a wedding in the first place.

Southern blooms hold a special place in the heart of the South. We’re lucky to boast the most beautiful flowers, from sweet honeysuckle to romantic wisteria. And you can bet your tail that we take great pride in the flowers of our birth states, as they never fail to remind us of home. It’s only appropriate then, that in each of our issues, we highlight the bouquets that represent the South in subtle but meaningful ways. We’re loving the way this came together with the help of Haute Horticulture’s floral design, Annabella Charles’ great photo eye and pretty calligraphy from Natalie Chang.

While the blooms in these bouquets speak for themselves, part of the fun is coming up with a creative way to wrap them. We loved the idea of using a white pleated ribbon on the gorgeous arrangement above. After a fruitless online search, we just made one ourselves!

We couldn’t resist tying off the strawberry fields-inspired bouquet below with a matching bow tie from Mo’s Bows. Oh-so-Southern, indeed!

Y’all know monograms are our thing. We flipped when we saw this sweet embroidered charm from Daydream Stitching.

If you’re looking for more Southern blooms, pick up a copy of V5 here or take a peek at our Pinterest Board dedicated to them!

Which one is your favorite?