I was so blown away by Alise + Conor’s movie-like love story. It’s an epic reminder of how powerful love is and how quickly it can work its magic. Giant thanks to Paula O’Hara who shared this wedding with us!

In July of 2010, my best friend and I decided to go traveling through Europe together. The first country on our trip was Ireland. On our last night there, naturally, we decided to go to a pub. Within minutes, I locked eyes with a handsome guy across the room and he came over to talk to me. I was instantly smitten with Conor’s accent and good looks. I never thought I would see him again, as my friend and I flew to London the next day. A few days later, to my surprise, he sent me a Facebook message. My friend and I continued on our journey, visiting England, France, Italy, and Spain, while Conor and I sent messages back and forth to one another. We returned to Ireland on the last leg of our adventure to fly home a few days later. I spent those last remaining days with Conor. We knew we had something pretty incredible, but we also knew the probability of us actually working out was pretty slim. We made promises to Skype and email each other any chance we got until we saw one another again.

So, as you probably guessed, things worked out! We Skyped and emailed each other any chance we got, and I flew back to Belfast in October for two weeks. Those two weeks were definitely the major turning point in our little love story. We fell crazy in love with each other. We would find any way to make the distance between us work.

I was to fly out from Atlanta to Belfast on December 26, 2010. There were snowstorms all along the East Coast and my flight was cancelled. I was so sad. Conor was adamant, though, that I get on the next flight. He called the airlines and rebooked another flight for me. I arrived in Belfast the next evening, luggage lost and exhausted from my trip. When we got back to his apartment, Conor wanted me to open my Christmas presents. Even though we had only been together for five months, he had written “our story” since the night we met. At the end, it said how he felt for me, and that he had to ask me a question that could change our lives forever. When I looked up with tear-filled eyes, he was down on one knee, asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. We choose to wait a while to get married as we had experienced such a whirlwind romance with one another. We flew back and forth every couple of months for over a year and finally tied the knot in April of this year. We chose to get married in Atlanta, because that’s where I’m from and also because I just moved to Ireland! Our wedding was a combination of happy beginnings and heartbreaking goodbyes — very emotional in many ways to say the least. It’s been an amazing experience, one that I only ever thought happened in films and fairy tales.

Did you write your own vows? We choose to compose our vows from many different vows we saw online, just picking and choosing what we liked here and there. Our vows sounded like the ones that have been used for centuries, though. We liked that the idea of reciting the same vows that many amazing couples have said to one another throughout the years, the same ones our parents and grandparents said to one another.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 1 Corinthians: “Love is patient” and the Apache Marriage Blessing.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Our ceremony was a very traditional ceremony. I walked down the aisle to “Bridal March” by Wagner. We had two solos, “Ave Maria” and “The Prayer.” After we said our “I do’s,” we walked back up the aisle to “The Wedding March.” Our first dance was to “No Other Love” by Chuck Prophet. We wanted something different and original that not many people had heard of.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? (From the bride) The most memorable thing for me was Conor’s speech. Those words were the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard in my life and he saying how he felt in front of our dearest family and friends was just surreal and so moving. (From the groom) After wondering all your life what the woman you are going to marry will look like walking down the aisle, seeing Alise was amazing. After all of those months of being apart, it was very surreal to finally see it coming true.

Describe your wedding flowers: I will be the first to tell you that if I was a picky bridezilla on any level, it was with the flowers! I knew exactly which ones I wanted and what colors. I spent months trolling wedding blogs for floral inspiration. Let’s face it, when else do you get to spend that much money on flowers? I wanted a very soft color palette and a dreamy, wildflower look for the table centerpieces. I choose anemones, peonies, dahlias, succulents, garden roses, David Austen roses, heather, lavender, Queen Anne’s lace, dusty miller, scabiosa pods, and seeded eucalyptus, just to name a few.

Alise + Conor’s tagged favors rank among my favorite details from this wedding! Mini + witty = love!

A few of our favorite details were the jam jar favors I handmade with my dad and sweet grandma. My grandma was not able to attend the wedding due to her health, so making those had very special meaning as well as stemming family tradition. The table settings were also a favorite. We handmade the woodland ornament place card settings, and strung together the lavender with ribbon, as well as printed the thank you cards in the napkins.

I have a feel we’re going to have a group swoon-fest over A + C’s chair decor! Lush pink ribbon and wreath initials aside, you can do no wrong with some Johnny Cash embroidery.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Most of my details had Southern or Irish ties to them. I wore my mother’s veil and my great-grandmother’s brooch on my sash at the reception. All the tablecloths were lace with burlap table runners. We served sweet tea at every guest’s place setting. All of the antique pieces we used were passed down from my grandmother, aunt, and mom. We had old mason jars everywhere. The jam was homemade using my grandmother’s recipe that’s been passed down from her grandmother. We served mashed potatoes, had old milk bottles and The Varsity peach pies, Krispy Kreme donuts, as well as old Coke bottles.

In what month did you get married? April
How many guests attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I didn’t know what style I wanted and decided to be very open minded. I knew I wanted to wear my mother’s veil so the stipulation was that the dress had to look good with the veil. I tried on probably more than 50 dresses! I finally went into Sweet Elegance Bridal in Decatur, Georgia and I found three dresses there that I couldn’t choose from. I flip-flopped back and forth between those for a couple of days and finally choose “the one.” I loved it because it was classy, timeless, all lace, and had a cathedral train!
Did you decide to do a “first look”? We decided against a first look, just because we’re traditional like that.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: We opted to save money and have a dessert station instead of a huge wedding cake. We still had a small, amazing wedding cake, but we also had The Varsity peach pies, Marlow’s Tavern apple pies, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, Krispy Kreme donuts, shamrock-shaped shortbread, mini cheesecakes and different chocolates. Our cake was amazingly delicious. One layer was a coconut Funfetti cake, the second layer was a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, and the third layer was vanilla lemon cake with fresh strawberries as the filling. All had a vanilla almond buttercream icing.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? As with many couples, we were on a tight budget and I have very expensive taste. My mom always told me, “You have champagne taste on a beer budget.” She’s so right! I decided to take on every DIY element I could get my hands on! I definitely put myself under a lot of stress with that, so I enlisted the help of my very talented and dearest friends to help me out. Our wedding was truly a labor of love and it wouldn’t have turned out so beautifully without the help of all our family and friends! Also, my husband-to-be living over 3,000 miles away made for a stressful situation in itself. He was an amazing help, though.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? Definitely the photography! We wanted images that were going to be timeless. I knew I wanted our engagement shoot in Ireland and once I laid eyes on Paula O’Hara Photography, I fell in love with her work. She puts her heart and soul into everything she photographs and strives with every shoot to tell the couple’s story. After she shot our stunning engagement photographs in the Irish countryside, I tried so hard to find a photographer in Atlanta that would compliment those. I couldn’t find one in our budget and it was actually cheaper to fly Paula over. She agreed to shoot her first international wedding for us, and made us such a happy couple by taking that leap! She’s a dream to work with, very non intrusive, and makes you feel at ease in front of the camera. The way she captured our wedding day is remarkable — the aesthetics, the personal documentary style, the details, the emotion, and all the in-between moments. We couldn’t be happier with our photographs!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? If I could offer any advice to brides to be, it would be to think about what’s really important to you. Many times throughout our engagement and planning, we wanted to call it off and just elope because it all became very overwhelming. Now, we are so happy we didn’t. Being surrounded with all those people who love you both so much and are so happy for you is an amazing feeling and a very special experience! Your wedding day only happens once and is a reflection of you both as a couple, so make it as personal as you want. Don’t stress over the things that are out of your control. As much as you try to plan out your special day, it never goes exactly according to plan, but it will still be beautiful and perfect. On the day of, try to steal a few minutes with your groom to walk around and see everything you’ve been pouring yourself into actually come to fruition. Also, BE PRESENT. That was the best advice I got before my wedding day and I’m so happy I listened. Take in every moment, detail, emotion and all of the love that is surrounding you both. It will fly by and you’re only left with those sweet memories! (And awesome pictures, if you’re lucky!)
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Since I recently moved to Belfast, we’ve just been enjoying our newlywed life together. It’s wonderful knowing we don’t have to get on a plane to leave one another and that we can just relax and enjoy doing the simple everyday things together. Since the wedding, I’ve become a budding wedding stylist. I’m trying to bring creative, fresh ideas to the brides-to-be on this side of the Atlantic! I’m also trying to start a wedding blog for Northern Ireland as there is definitely a market for one! We weren’t able to afford a honeymoon because of all of our wedding costs, flights, shipping, and visa expenses, so we’re saving up for that and hopefully will be able to go by next year around our first anniversary.

A few days ago, Emily sent me an email saying I would die over this wedding, and she couldn’t be more right! Today I get to combine two of my favorite things – gorgeous Southern weddings and Alabama football (I know, lucky duck!). Lindsey + Michael honored their alma mater and their relationship with fun-filled celebration in the Zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium! Beyond their reception taking place at such an incredibly cool location, their cream and gold color palette made for classic formal Southern style at it’s best! High fives and Roll Tide to fellow Alabama girl, Kelly at Spindle Photography, for capturing all the awesomeness that filled Lindsey + Michael’s wedding day!

P.S. Don’t miss Lindsey + Michael’s highlight film by Hampton Road Studios, seen here!

Details weren’t as important to us as the overall feel of the weekend. It was important to me that the bridal party enjoyed themselves and felt like they were a part of something really special. The girls had a great morning listening to music, having mimosas, and getting their hair and makeup done in the bridal suite, and the boys got to kick back and catch up over cocktails and lunch at Innisfree. The day was meant to feel classic, formal, and fun for the guests. The vendors did a great job of transforming the Zone at the stadium into a cream and gold ballroom with draped tents, chandeliers, lots of candlelight and all white flowers. Guests could dance to Motown under twinkle-lighting, have dinner with friends and family, or mingle over cocktails on the balcony overlooking campus.

Describe your wedding flowers: Gary at Jester’s Flowers did an outstanding job. I gave him no specifics other than everything had to be white. The result was a mix of vintage roses, hydrangeas, and calla lilies. It was tasteful, classic and, of course, beautiful.

I instantly loved the quality of the materials and the construction of all of the Amsale gowns, but I especially loved the look of the tulle and satin Calista gown. It was formal, yet easy to dance in, so it was a must.

Gosh, I was not sure I can swoon more over this wedding, and now their adding adorable pups! I’m a goner!

During the ceremony and after the vows, turning around to face the crowd and being blown away by how many people were there for us. You could really feel the love in the room!

Perhaps the most Southern aspect of our wedding was the atmosphere. We wanted everyone to feel welcome and have fun. At the rehearsal dinner, speeches were limited to encourage mingling instead of tears. The ceremony was light and uplifting. The reception venue is a place that holds great memories for many of the guests. The band played music that appealed to both the young and old. We also knew that as long as we had fun, our guests would also.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: The bride’s cake was almond liqueur-soaked with buttercream frosting and gold fondant lace trim. Mary’s Cakes and Pastries ordered special materials and put lots of time and patience into the cake. The final product was gorgeous, and sat under its own canopy draped tent and golden chandelier. The groom’s cake was a chocolate ganache reproduction of the Coaches Trophy (the National Championship football trophy) with a white chocolate football sitting atop. Mary’s reproduction was spot-on. We had fun cutting the cake, and guests had fun posing with it. Plus, it was delicious. It was devoured in an hour!

The theme for food was “fancy Southern food.” Many of our friends and family are not from the South and we wanted them to experience a great-tasting (and filling) Southern meal. Dinner was served all night using stations. The menu included fried green tomato BLT’s, crab cakes, boiled gulf shrimp, marinated crab salad, pimiento cheese tarts, a full grits bar, smoked chicken with white BBQ sauce, and a beef tenderloin station. After guests enjoyed the full bar for a few hours, mini grilled cheeses were passed around.

I can’t think of a better way to end the night then with some Alabama shakers! Congratulations L + M, and a big ol’ Roll Tide Roll!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met in 2005 during our freshman year of college at Alabama at a fraternity party. Our sense of humor completely clicked. We went on a dinner date the next night and have been together ever since. There never really was a point where we decided “this is it.” We have known from the start.
Describe the proposal. Michael took me down to the beach on May 13 of 2011 for what I thought was a Mother’s Day weekend trip. On the way to dinner one night, he pulled into a parking spot and pulled out a ring. Our friends and family were waiting on a catamaran in the bay to celebrate with us. We spent the afternoon cruising and then celebrated all weekend at the beach with our friends.
In what month did you get married? June
How many guests attended your wedding? 400
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I went to about 10 different stores in Atlanta and across Alabama but did not find anything that I wanted to buy. I am petite, very hard to fit, and extremely picky I finally took a trip to Bridals by Lori in Atlanta because I knew they had a large selection.
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We didn’t do a first look. Neither of us are sentimental! We had already seen each other in our attire before the wedding day. When I did my bridal shoot, Michael put on his tuxedo and we took pictures at our house, with our dogs, and around the UA campus. This was one of the best decisions we made. Those have been some of our favorite pictures so far and we would never have been able to get them on the actual wedding day.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Ephesians 4:1-16. “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” It was fitting because it is uplifting and inspirational.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The Lamb Family Violin Ensemble played the ceremony with piano accompaniment. Az Izz danced and sang a fun mix of Motown and R&B at the reception. They also played our first dance song, “You are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge was turning the Zone into a ballroom, for which our vendors deserve all of the credit. Specialty lighting played a large role, as it allowed us to transform of the venue’s fluorescents, which don’t allow for good pictures or ambiance, and give the room a warm, candlelit look.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? A great florist and decorator. The best will create the best for you!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Also, the little moments with our family and close friends were the best part of the weekend. Most of them are spread across the country and we don’t get to see them often. Having our friends by our side made what could be a nerve-wracking experience a lot of fun. We were sad to leave them at the end of the night! The biggest surprise was seeing the finished product after a year of planning. We weren’t overly specific with our vendors. I had no idea how the church or the Zone would look until that day. Needless to say, our vendors came together and created something that exceeded every expectation.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Everyone has a different idea as to what makes the perfect wedding weekend, and that’s OK. The bride and groom set the tone for the weekend. If you both feel good about what you have put together and enjoy yourselves, your guests will too.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? The greatest time of the year in Tuscaloosa is right around the corner! Roll Tide!

Kristin + JJ had just two and half months to plan their wedding, but for a couple who has spent most of their relationship long distance, it was the perfect amount of time to pull together the details and say “I do.” The newlyweds filled their outdoor ceremony and reception at the Whitford Plantation with old Southern hymns and sentimental bluegrass. It was the Avett Brothers’ music, after all, who helped Kristin + JJ fall in love. We’re sending out big hugs to Scott Piner who shared this wedding with us!

Since we had only 2.5 months to plan the wedding, I knew I would not have much time to find a dress and that I would have to buy my dress right off the rack and cross my fingers for a very quick seamstress to do any needed alterations. No pressure. While calling many bridal salons in the Raleigh area, my girlfriend and I encountered many shops that would not even consider having me look at their dresses because of my time constraint. Almost defeated, we called one of our thought-to-be long shots and to our surprise, the shop manager answered and graciously welcomed us to come and see their sample dresses that day. The first dress I tried on was an ivory Chantilly lace gown by Vera Wang. I tried on several dresses after, but none compared with the first gown’s blend of the vintage ivory lace with contemporary lines. So I purchased that flawless sample dress for less than half of the marketed price because it was from a previous year’s collection.

How cool are those feather bouts? They were made in memory of Kristin’ grandfather and in celebration JJ, the family’s newest hunter.

Did you write your own vows? No way!! We both felt the same way when we asked each other about the possibility of writing our own vows. We both know how we feel about one another and there was no way either of us could verbalize those thoughts when we were so emotionally charged.

Describe the proposal. We had just finished lunch when I was making brownies for JJ to bring to work. I overheard JJ playing the guitar in the office. I put my brownies into the oven walked with my coffee in hand to sit by JJ and listen to him serenade me. He began to play and sing my beloved ballad by the Avett Brothers; and by this time I had begun to harmonize with his handsome voice. After we finished the song, he crawled over to me and we embraced. The moment was perfect, except that I felt his heart pounding very hard in his chest. As I withdrew to ask him if he was okay, I saw him holding a box out to me and then he asked me. I said yes and we embraced again. I love that our story was low key and involved all my favorite things: baking, coffee, music and my love.

I’m crazy for the antique vases and blue bell jars filled with delicate flowers that K chose as centerpieces.

My most favorite flower is the hydrangea. I have admired them since childhood, when I used to watch my grandmother water and tend to her huge hydrangea bushes in New Jersey. Instead of ornate arrangements we wanted an understated, fresh look. We chose to use a mixture of hydrangeas in blues, greens and whites along with drosophila for added texture and bells of Ireland for height all arranged in the colored canning glass jars JJ and I collected over the two months leading up to the big day.

Describe your wedding cake: Originally, I found myself drawn to the texture and structural designs of a fondant cake, but we were unwilling to sacrifice flavor for design. Our baker, Ali, helped us attain both with a very simple design of a smooth European buttercream frosting while getting the desired texture with simple dots of all sizes and rows of beading.

A sparkly dress and loose hair definitely spell “magical getaway” style to me!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Our relationship was a subject of much prayer, faithfulness of true friends and grace of the Lord. Two and a half years ago, we met through our married friends Lindsay and Bryan. And what do any two married people do when they have two single friends? Try to get them together. Unfortunately at the time, JJ lived in Lake Tahoe and only came home to visit periodically. We met at a couple of times at laid back dinner gatherings with bunches of friends, not getting much time to speak one on one. In fact, one of the first times I really spoke to him was when I was drilling a hole in his nail that he crushed in the garage door the morning prior. Shortly after this, JJ left for a voluntary deployment overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Coast Guard. He emailed me once in the first part of his deployment to fill me on his well-healing nail bed and then returned home during his mid deployment break. During his break, I saw him a couple times at Bryan and Lindsay’s, and we actually were able get to know each other a little better. He returned for the rest of his deployment for the next five months and we exchanged emails getting to know each other. We became and remained friends alone, though. I did not see him until four months after he returned from his deployment, but even through life’s twists and turns, we still ended up at a very familiar place — in Lindsay and Bryan’s backyard laughing and talking by the fire. One night, the boys were playing some familiar songs on the banjo and guitar when JJ started to sing and play my favorite love ballad by the Avett Brothers. Listening to him play and having learned his heart, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him by my side.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fresh, serene and intimate.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I couldn’t really name just one detail of the wedding that I could call my favorite. Rather, all the crafts that we incorporated into the ceremony and reception truly made our celebration personal. Some of those crafts included the colored glassware we collected, the fan programs, the votive favors made with sea glass from beaches in Hawaii and sand from Atlantic beach, the Chinese lanterns that JJ and our crew hung the day of the wedding, boutonnières I made from duck feathers that JJ and Bryan had captured together, the veil that I bedazzled by gluing 300 Swarovski crystals onto, the flower girl basket I made and decorated, the wreath that hung on the front door to the plantation, and finally, the family pictures of both our parents and grandparents that we displayed at the entrance.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Both JJ and I tend to migrate to a style that seems to be a marriage of contemporary lines with a vintage feel. It was only natural for that to be tone of the wedding. With my affinity for my mom’s antique aqua canning jars, I chose to use a mixture of them for the centerpieces with simple hydrangeas, wild flowers and candles for the centerpieces. In memory of my beloved grandfather and in celebration of the new addition of a hunter to my family, we used of duck feathers for all the gentlemen’s boutonnieres. Even the music reached into the Southern pocket. The ceremony music was a collection of old Southern hymns played on an acoustic guitar, while the first song JJ and I danced to as a married couple was a folk bluegrass favorite by the Avett Brothers. Another Southern touch was the fans we made and gave to guests to cool themselves with during the course of the outside service. One of the largest Southern elements was the backdrop for our wedding ceremony and reception, the beautiful Whitford Plantation. The plantation is a beautifully grand and historic structure with spacious grounds that were owned by a Confederate colonel John Nathaniel Whitford.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Our biggest challenge for sure was planning the wedding in 2.5 months. This was mainly due to finding an available venue. Our families are of utmost importance to us and we wanted to make sure that all our families were going to be able to come and be a part of our celebration. Looking back, we both would not want to do it any differently. I believe we would literally pull our hair out if we had to spread planning a wedding over any kind of extended period of time.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I think the most memorable moments of the wedding day were all the little times of respite between JJ and I, when we had a second to take in the fact that the day was actually here. 

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are looking forward to being in the same town. Our relationship, including the first two and half months of marriage, has been long distance. We have been commuting three hours to see one another, so it will be awesome just to be able come home to one another.

Each time I start working on a Real Wedding feature I am completly smitten + surprised! It’s like unwrapping an awesome Christmas present — minus the mess of paper! Kim + Mark’s celebration at the King Plow Art Center definitely fall under the smitten catagory!

I’m a traditional girl at heart, but I think I could change my ways for Kim + Mark’s modern twists on classic style! I love how they took an iconic Southern detail like mason jars, and added a fun twist by having them displayed in a hanging installation. Totally unexpected, but completly gorgeous! And don’t even get me started on those glorious dangling glass globes of light and Kim’s short frock! Lots of love to Ms. Ali Harper for doing such a fabulous job capturing this romantic soirée!

How fun is the typography in this invitation? I could see Miss Nicole sending something like this out to her future guests.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I was not looking forward to going wedding dress shopping. Atypical of most ladies, I don’t like to be fussed over. My best friend Robin is my go-to for an honest opinion. She is also, in my eyes, an expert, having worked at Vera Wang in New York. Kelly’s Closet was our first stop. It was great! The sales consultant asked me to go through the racks and pick what I liked. I had always dreamed of an all lace dress, but I also liked the idea of a tea-length dress. I tried on a total of eight dresses and quickly narrowed it down to an all-lace strapless dress or the tea-length dupioni silk dress, both by the same designer. They were so different and both flattering. At the end of the day, it was the tea-length dress that felt just right. I felt very free, very pretty and I loved it. The feeling of my wedding was easy and light-hearted and I felt that the tea-length dress reflected that. We left Kelly’s Closet and canceled the rest of my wedding dress appointments for that day and went out to toast success with a glass of prosecco.

My wedding flowers may have been my absolute favorite thing, including the incorporation of the balsa wood flowers and the festival lights would be my favorite detail of our wedding. There is something about festival lights that make a space feel magical. I wanted them to be creative and organic. I wanted ranunculus and peonies. I wanted spray roses and tea roses, but no standard roses. I wanted them to be wild, but polished.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I love the idea of a beautiful outdoor ceremony and reception on a warm summer evening, but sometimes that is a little risky with the threat of rain. We opted for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception. With all of the flowers and the lights, I hoped to transform the rustic art gallery into a warm and festive Southern night. Details like the mason jars used in the hanging installations are so iconic of the South. The delicate fans and paper parasols evoked that playfulness and whimsy that I associate with the South. My sister-in-law, who is a resident Charlestonian, said that the night reminded her of an outdoor Charleston wedding, which was my goal.

I’m dying over this gorgeous installation! Such an innovative twist on the ever-amazing string twinkle lights!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert: I love the look of beautiful sweets on display and wanted something different than a towering white cake. I fell in love with simplicity and uniqueness of a trio of freesia cakes in the Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes book. I adjusted the colors to my palette and opted for piped ribbon roses in place of fresh freesia. I subbed one of the cakes for the Robin’s Egg cake (also in Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes). The large one was almond cake with vanilla bean buttercream. One of the smaller ones was peanut butter and chocolate and the other was chocolate and mint. We added small baskets of French macarons in caramel and almond vanilla bean on the cake table, because they are some of my favorite sweet treats!

Kim is a girl after my own heart, she believes in love at first sight, even if she won’t admit it! Mark and I met at work. I liked him from the moment I saw him, and I don’t really believe in that sort of thing. He was moving on to another job and I was disappointed. I was quickly promoted to his position, though, and we were paired together for his last two weeks in order for him to train me. By the end of those two weeks we were dating and have been together ever since.

Describe the proposal. I returned to school last June for pre-dental hygiene and Mark was determined to take a vacation before I went back. He had mentioned in the past that he thought that proposing on vacation was the way to do it, so I was suspicious. I was on the lookout, but no signs were apparent. Little did I know that my mother and Mark had made multiple trips to the jeweler to have my ring made. On our second night in Mexico, Mark and I took a walk on the beach. Mark asked me to look at the sky because he bought me a star. He pointed out a star and said, “but it isn’t as sparkly as this star,” and in his hand was a diamond ring. He asked me to marry him and I was so excited, I don’t even remember saying yes. It was a perfect proposal and unexpected.
In what month did you get married? May
How many guests attended your wedding? 115
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We did not do a first look. I wanted the sign of me in my dress to be a complete surprise to. It was the one thing that I wanted to be completely traditional.
Did you write your own vows? We did not write our own vows. I was convinced that I would get very nervous and my mind would go blank. Also, I can be shy and prefer to share my most intimate feelings in private.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The processional was the instrumental version of “In My Life” by the Beatles. When I walked down the aisle, they played “Forever” by Ben Harper and the recessional was “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. Our first dance was “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? My biggest challenge was trying to accomplish my decor vision within my budget.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? I am so happy that I splurged on my custom cake topper.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Dancing at my reception and looking around at all of my family and friends belting out Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” I felt very loved and supported. It was great to see everyone having so much fun!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? I would suggest that when planning a wedding, the bride should take a lot of care in choosing her vendors. She should make sure that they share and appreciate her vision. Also, create a day that reflects you and your style. Try to relax and have fun.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? I am still working on getting into Dental Hygiene school, which may include moving. Mark and I would like to buy a house, but that most likely won’t happen anytime too soon. We rescued a wonderful dog this past week.

Ali Harper is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Directory!

The way Mike proposed to Christie is similar to my dream proposal — simple, heartfelt and a little nod to how far they’ve come. I just adore that Christie was lucky enough to be able to wear the ring that was a part of Mike’s family for generations. How special is it know knowing that the ring on your finger was also a part of many love stories before yours? In my opinion, their gorgeous blue wedding was just the icing on top of the cake! We love these images from Tracy Timmester — especially how she makes biscuits look so buttery and delicious, even on a computer screen.

Check out more of Christie + Mike’s wedding in their video by Thomas Bowen right here!

Raise your hand if you love Christie’s bouquet ribbons! I adore the colors and textures. It matches perfectly with her flowers!

There was no question about who I wanted to do my wedding flowers. Holly Chapple is an amazing artist and I am so blessed to call her a friend. It is so important to let your vendors have the creative license to do what they do best: design. I asked Holly for pretty, soft, romantic flowers and let her take it from there. What we ended up with was so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. They were lush and romantic with tons of hydrangeas, cabbage roses, and delphinium.

I wanted finding my dress to be a really special day, so I decided to only take my sister and my mother with me. We found the dress at the same shop (Betsy Robinson’s) where my sister found her dress. I fell in love with how elegant it was and the detailing on the flower. Before we were done, I had to add one signature touch – the ivory satin ribbon tied into a bow in the back made the dress perfectly me!

Both Mike and I felt strongly that we wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I was walking down the aisle toward him; that moment is so powerful and special. I am so happy we stuck to our guns on not seeing each other before the ceremony. Our guests got to share in the genuine emotion of the moment we saw each other. When I got to the end of the aisle, we were both all smiles.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We love the beauty and tradition of the Catholic ceremony so we used the traditional vows. Our absolute favorite part is where we promised “to love and honor each other all the days of our life.” We really try and live that vow every day.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Sirach 26, 1-4. 13-16 This has been one of my favorite Bible passages my whole life. It sums up who I hope to be as a woman and as a wife. Philippians 4, 4-9 — This reading reminded us that God is at the center of our lives and should be at the center of our marriage. The Gospel was Matthew 22, 35-40 — My absolute favorite reading. When it all comes down to it, all we need to remember is to love God with our whole hearts, minds and souls – and try and love each other in that same way. It’s simple and profound.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The most important aspect of our wedding was that Mike and I wanted our guests to walk away from our wedding feeling like they were treated to the best Southern hospitality and are surrounded by lots of love! I knew that I wanted to focus on making sure our guests had the best experience for our wedding weekend. We chose a location that would be great for our big families and vendors who we loved as artists and people. That Southern hospitality began with our welcome bags. We included a personal note in each bag and stuffed them with two family favorites, candied pecans and Grandma’s lemon pudding pound cake, both baked from scratch in my mother’s kitchen! When guests arrived at cocktail hour, they were treated to our “Southern Charmer” cocktail (a champagne mint julep) and shrimp and grit fritters. Dinner included a candied pecan salad with goat cheese and red wine-braised short ribs with home-style mashed potatoes and cornbread. The late night Biscuit Bar was perfect for all of our guests who had literally been on the dance floor for hours. Our personalized signs helped guests load up fresh biscuits with all their fixings. I also wanted to honor all the special women in my life in some way, so I wore a little memento for them on the wedding day. My engagement ring was an heirloom from women in Mike’s family, I wore my great-grandmother’s earrings, carried a handkerchief hand-embroidered by my grandmother, my pearl necklace and bracelet were gifts from my mother, and my sorority badge was pinned to the inside of my dress.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. The amazing organist at my church agreed to learn the Wedding Processional from the Sound of Music AND he brought in a trumpeter to make it extra special for my entrance. There was not a dry eye in the church! That movie was very special to my grandmother and me. We used to watch it together all the time when I was a little girl and it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear how regal and beautiful the song is. Our first dance was set to “Making Memories of Us” by Keith Urban. The song talks about everything we want in our marriage – to honor each other’s families and to spend a lifetime together making incredible memories. My father-daughter dance was extra special. My dad and I danced to Josh Turner’s “I’ll Be There.” The lyrics of that song perfectly express what every parent hopes to be for their child, and what my dad and mom have meant to me over all these years. Mike and his mother’s song was “Young at Heart” by Frank Sinatra which perfectly captured their playful and fun relationship!

Whoa. How delicious does C + M’s biscuit bar look? We’re not surprised that it was a total hit and C + M’s favorite detail of the wedding.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Mike and my brother Kevin have been friends for years, but I never got a chance to meet Mike. I remember when I finally did run into him at a golf course, I spent almost a half hour joking around with him and thinking how funny he was! My brother ended up setting us up on a date, and after that, Mike and I were pretty much inseparable. (You know you have a great guy when your baby brother gives it a thumbs up!) Mike is funny, kind, and makes me so happy, so of course I was thrilled when he decided to propose!
Describe the proposal. On our first date, Mike invited me over to his house and cooked me an amazing meal. Over the hours that we spent talking, I started to realize just how kind, funny and sweet he was — not to mention a fabulous cook! For the proposal, he recreated that first date and then we took a walk around the neighborhood. He got down on one knee right at the spot where we had shared our first kiss and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. He gave me a beautiful ring that has been a part of his family for generations. I am so honored to wear that ring and to be a part of such an incredible family!
In what month did you get married? March
How many guests attended your wedding? 171
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: The wedding cake was absolutely delicious! We went with two flavors, Viviacious Vanilla and Caramelicious. Most guests had a slice of each because it was so yummy!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Mike and I have so many special people we wanted to share our wedding day with, so keeping the guest count down without leaving out important friends was our biggest struggle. We decided to remove a few design elements in order to make sure that we could accommodate all of those people in our budget. In the end, we were so honored to have so many of our friends and family travel in from all over the country to be with us on our wedding day.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? We were in the $25,000-$50,000 range.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The band! We had the BEST TIME EVER dancing at the wedding thanks to Snackbar Jones. The energy they brought to our celebration made all the difference in the world I really don’t think I have ever seen a dance floor that packed for every song of the night. Our guests left raving about how awesome the music was.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We had the most amazing toasts at our wedding. Mike’s brother, my sister, and my dad were sweet and so funny! My dad had saved a Father’s Day gift from my childhood – I gave him a book of coupons good for a hug, a kiss, and a silly dance. At the end of his speech, he ripped out the coupon for the silly dance and traded it in for our father-daughter dance. I will never forget that moment!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? The best advice I can give is to hire a wedding planner! I have no idea what I would have done without the support of the planning team. My family was able to spend time with me and Mike instead of having to run around to check on the details and put out fires. Consider your planning team an insurance plan for one of the most important expenses and days of your life!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are having so much fun settling into our new home together and getting used to calling each other husband and wife! We can’t wait to start a big family and are so excited for all the fun milestones to come.