Kelly + Corey’s wedding blows me away in so many ways. Yes, it’s indeed a lovely affair, but it came together under the sweetest but challenging situations. Kelly is in the Air Force and Corey is in the Army. Though their proposal was a very welcome and loving surprise, it also occurred right before Corey departed for his station in Korea! Despite the distance, K + C put together a wedding that boasts the most meaningful details and traditions (don’t forget to read about Kelly’s dress!) — and looks darn fun to boot! We are so grateful for Amy Arrington, who sent this lovely our way.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
My wedding dress was one of my favorite parts! My mom wore the same dress that my grandmother wore when she got married in 1960. I grew up saying I would never wear that dress! When it was my turn to get married, I was overcome with sentiment and knew that I was going to wear their dress. It didn’t quite fit me, so I took the dress to TK Designs in Atlanta and had the top of the dress remade. The skirt is still the original, and they used the same type lace from the skirt to create the top. I was so proud to wear my grandmother’s and mother’s 53-year-old dress and wouldn’t have had it any other way!

My bridesmaids were SO wonderful. They made my wedding planning process so easy, and my day-of so peaceful and calm. (They were running around like crazy people dealing with issues left and right! I had no clue!) They actually helped me do my own baby’s breath bouquets. They also decorated everything the morning of, while I was getting my hair done. The only flowers I had done professionally were two large ceremony arrangements and my bridal bouquet. I wanted something simple, green, and white. My florist did exactly what I had in my head and everything was simple, yet beautiful. I also wrapped an old family handkerchief around my bouquet for my “something blue.”

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Yes! At first, Corey and I wanted to do everything very traditionally. However our photographer told us reasons it may be beneficial. We thought about it and realized that it would create an easier transition to the reception by having pictures before. We also wanted to have that one moment alone on our crazy day. I am so glad we decided to have a first look because it truly did calm my nerves for the rest of the day!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. 
We did the traditional song for the entrance, Canon in D, then the traditional Bridal Chorus when my Dad and I walked in. When we walked out, the traditional Wedding March played! These were all very important to me since I wanted a very traditional church ceremony. However, to make it more personal, we had everyone stand and sing “In Christ Alone” together so that we would be a reminded to live out a Christ-centered marriage. We had our extremely talented friend Marleigh sing “Amazing Grace” to remind us of how powerful the grace that God has given us truly is.

Did you write your own vows? We did! This was probably my favorite part of the ceremony. Corey is a wonderful writer and much better with words than I. His vows were so romantic, poetic, and intentional. Mine were more light hearted and fun. It totally described our relationship and people got to see who we really were by doing this. At the end, Corey said, “You are my moon, my love, my life.” Our big thing has always been the moon since we have always had distance between us. We both know that no matter where in the world we are, if we look at the moon, the other person could be looking at the same moon. We carried this over to the reception and danced to Frank Sinatra’s, “Fly Me to the Moon” for our first dance.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We had our good friend Alix read Romans 12 because it is an important reminder of how to love as an action, always! The pastor who married us was my youth pastor in high school. He made the ceremony so light and fun. Everyone was laughing one second, then crying the next. It truly was such a personal ceremony and we received many compliments about how it was so “us.” That’s exactly what we wanted!

I believe that in the South especially, we have such a pride for our military. The fact that we had such a traditional and military wedding is what I believe made it a Southern affair. We had a traditional saber arch that we walked through, and all the military men wore their dress blues. The ceremony was at the oldest Methodist Church in Savannah and the reception was at the Savannah Yacht Club right on the bay. These two venues truly encompassed Southern charm. We also had a trolley bring all of our guests back downtown after the reception to continue the fun! Savannah, Georgia, is one of the most charming and quaint towns you’ll ever visit. There was no way our wedding wouldn’t be a Southern celebration having it there!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
Corey is in the Army, and I am in the Air Force. Anyone who knows anything about the military knows this causes for some issues with being able to see each other. I was finishing up nursing school during the planning process and Corey was living in Korea. He saved up enough leave to take a month to come home, get married, and return to finish his tour. I would say my biggest challenge was not having Corey physically there to help with things. He proposed to me and then left for Korea one week later!

Corey and I are not huge fans of cake and pretty much put the task on the bottom of our list. I actually just went to Publix and asked them to create two cakes, one vanilla and one chocolate. We could not have been happier with that decision and we saved a ton of money by doing so! The cakes really turned out beautifully and tasted great, too! No one could believe that they were from Publix! We also included a Korean tradition in our cake toppers. In Korea, when a couple gets married, they receive wedding ducks that resemble peace, fertility, and faithfulness. Apparently ducks are one of the few animals that mate for life and never take a second partner. We loved adding in something from the culture where Corey is currently living.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
Corey and I met through the best man at our wedding, Mark. Mark and Corey were roommates in college. Corey visited Mark one summer and I got to know Corey better that week. We decided we liked each other and continued talking. I was quite non-committal but that summer when I went to my ROTC boot camp, Corey pursued me through the most beautiful, eloquent letters and I knew then that there was something different about this guy!
Describe the proposal. 
Corey had just finished flight school and was getting ready to leave for his first assignment in the Army in South Korea. As excited as we both were about this endeavor, it was also very sad since we would be separated. I was convinced we were not going to get engaged before he left, but one week before his departure date, he did it! We were visiting his parents in Savannah, Georgia, and he decided to take me on a walk on the beach. We had our first kiss at a certain lifeguard stand two years prior (almost exactly to the day!) where he got on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring! My best friends were hiding in the sand dunes taking pictures and ran out and surprised me afterward! Corey also had a big engagement party planned back at his parents’ house where all my college roommates and friends and my parents were waiting to surprise me again! It was a wonderful day.
In what month did you get married? 
March
How many guests attended your wedding? 
250
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
There were so many things I loved! One thing I loved was surprising Corey with an ice sculpture of the helicopter he flies, the Chinook. Corey is more than obsessed with planes and loved this! Another detail that truly made Corey and I feel like we were a prince and princess was having the Model A driven by my grandparents as our getaway car. My grandparents collect Model A’s, and ever since I saw those cars, I knew I wanted one in my wedding. They hauled the car all the way from Oklahoma to Savannah and made my wedding day complete! It was so wonderful to get in the car after the ceremony and drive around downtown Savannah and have all these people wave at us like we were royalty! It was a dream come true for sure!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
One of the most important things to Corey and I are people. We love being around people and we both are very social. I knew that having a lot of guests come to the wedding would mean that I couldn’t spend as much on decorations or other things. I really do think that having all our friends and family be invited was more important than anything else I could have spent money on. The other thing that was important to us was the photography. I couldn’t have asked for a better photographer and am so happy to have spent the money on Amy Arrington! (She and her husband are incredibly talented and actually very reasonable for what you receive!)
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
It is so hard to choose just one moment. We had the most unique and hilarious speeches from our bridal party. My maids of honor did a rap that was so funny! Corey’s best man, Mark, had one of the greatest speeches of all time. We really have such talented and funny friends. Corey and I go on and on about how much we loved seeing all of our friends and family enjoying time with one another. The DJ was so great, and the dance floor was covered the whole night! We saw pure happiness in so many people and realized how blessed we are to have such wonderful, supportive people in our life.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Have fun! I actually miss the planning process because it really can be so fun! Choose things that you really care about and focus on those. Find a cheaper and easier way to handle things that aren’t as important so that you can spend more on the other things! Stay organized and rely on your mom or bridesmaids to help you, especially with day-of events. I was made fun of for this, but actually had schedules for each person with where they needed to be at what time. I didn’t have or need a wedding planner because of the help I got from all my girls and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
Corey and I are mainly excited about living in the same time zone! I am stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. Corey will be stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs starting in July. People think we’re crazy for getting married when we knew we would be apart, but it’s what was meant to be! We believe we have a love that can conquer anything and if this is the hardest thing we have to deal with then I think we’re doing OK! We look forward to the time we actually get to live under the same roof. Until then, there’s lots of traveling in our future!

Amy Arrington is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Oh y’all! I’m so excited to share today’s Real Wedding with you. Not only is our bride absolutely cute as a button, but she is talented, and just as much a doll as she looks. Yes, it’s true, I know her! Today’s bride is one of our darling sponsors, and the owner of the fantastic accessory line MOLLYGEEdesigns! Oh yes, and Justin’s new wife!

I knew when I clicked into Molly Gee + Justin’s wedding that I’d be in for a real treat. Together with their uber-talented planner Kendall Poole (another fabulous sponsor!), and the creative styling direction of Lesley at Tulip, MG + J created a glamorous but comfortable celebration for five hundred people. Five hundred people — talk about a big ol’ Southern wedding! I’m sure Molly Gee took her own advice when she said, “If the wedding doesn’t flow exactly as you planned, you are still marrying the one person you care the most about!” Exactly!

Big hugs to B. Mo Foto for sharing this sweet day!

Even though I work in the wedding industry, I had no idea what my dream dress would be! I fell in love with two completely different styles: a cafe Watters ruffled ball gown and a blush Allure lace and tulle mermaid style. I chose Allure and added my own tulle straps and beaded sash. I also styled the dress with a tulle veil and organza flower clip from my collection. What was supposed to be my farewell dress turned into my reception dress as well once the dancing started. I wore a 1950′s vintage tulle and lace tea-length party dress that I happened to find in Austin, TX for $40! I added my Russian netting headband and glittery gold heels as well.

Did you decide to do a “first look”?
 Yes. Justin and I both wanted to have all our photos taken before the ceremony and to relieve ourselves of those initial wedding jitters. I loved having a quiet moment with Justin to take in the day. Our first look is when it began to ‘feel’ like our wedding day.

My bouquet was wild and unstructured, composed of dusty miller, agonis, cafe au lait dahlias, antique lavender roses, pink astilbe, amaranthus, and thistle.  The stems were wrapped in a nude-toned antique lace. Each bridesmaid carried a different bouquet, but all had the same unstructured, wild feel.  Each bouquet was composed of a combination of dahlias, pink protea, thistle, caramel roses, and gold-painted seeded eucalyptus. Nude-toned lace and gold ribbon accented each bouquet.

I am having a serious swoon-fest over this simple pew tie! That lace is perfection!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding.
 Since our ceremony was not held in a church setting, we had complete control over our music choices. Each song was very thoughtfully chosen and our amazing musicians made our day even more special. They were able to adapt to any song with their mix of acoustic guitar, cello, and mandolin. Prelude songs included Chris Rice’s “Untitled Hymn,” Tom Petty’s “Wildflower,” “Amazing Grace,” Alexi Murdoch’s “All My Days,” and “On Eagle’s Wings.” The wedding party walked to The Beatles’ “In My Life,” and then, my dad walked me down the aisle to an acoustic guitar version of Sondre Lerche’s “Family Theme.” It was a beautiful transition from the wedding party to my entrance. Our first dance was to The Arctic Monkey’s cover of “Baby I’m Yours,” which is totally us! Instead of hiring a DJ or band, we used a Spotify playlist and sound system for our reception. It was perfect, and we were able to include all our favorites!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Fresh Cut Catering created a delicious display of Southern comfort foods complete with a mashed potato bar and all the fixings (Justin’s main request!), and of course we had mint tea and cranberry punch.

The centerpieces were modern white vessels filled with wild arrangements of dahlias, pink protea, antique roses, thistle, and astilbe accented with gold-painted eucalyptus. The tables were accented with items such as mid-century brass candlesticks, rose-colored candle votives, silver mercury glass, and wooden tree stumps for a rustic touch.  White lace tablecloths adorned each table.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There are so many wonderful details, it is hard to narrow down! I loved the overall decor of romance with a touch of vintage, especially the candlelit aisle for the ceremony. A beautiful dusty rose pink chandelier hung above and a draped cream curtain with tree branches on each side stood behind us.

I love the little painting of Molly Gee + Justin – what a fun piece to have in their home after their big day!

The bride’s cake consisted of a center, two-tiered cake, and two small cakes on each side, all in a textured buttercream icing. The cakes were a mix of traditional wedding cake, strawberry, and carrot cake. The cake topper was a set of white lovebirds, and blush dahlias decorated the sides. Justin’s cake was a rich Dutch chocolate, complete with chocolate shavings, strawberries, and a decorative W. Surrounding the cake were photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days as well as Arsenal premier soccer league memorabilia (Justin’s favorite team!).

The most memorable part of the reception was the dance party, and Justin and his brother even started a dance off. The photo booth was also a blast — I handmade each decorative prop. The photos that came from the booth are very special. We even applied custom ‘Molly Gee and Justin’ labels to every beer and wine bottle (with the help of our friends) for a special touch!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. The Lord’s plan for our lives is so much greater than our own. Justin and I met a few times throughout college and shortly after. Just after graduation, I moved to New York to pursue a career in fashion, which is where I started my wedding accessory business. Around the time I decided to move the business to my hometown in Mississippi, Justin was making his move to Barcelona, Spain. I still remember seeing Justin for the first time in years and thought he was so good looking! When he said he was moving out of the country in one week, I was a little disappointed. When he moved back months later, I made the first move and gave him my number. I wasn’t pushy but showed my interest, which is when he took over from there.
Describe the proposal. 
It didn’t take us long to fall in love and know this was a serious relationship that was meant to last forever. Justin and I first talked about marriage in the spring of 2011. We knew we loved each other very much, but also wanted to be sure we were established in our professions before making such a big decision. Looking back, I now know that Justin wanted his main surprise to be the timing of the proposal. So, when he said sometime in 2012, I believed him! On December 23, 2011, my sister called to say she needed me to babysit my nieces while she finished last minute Christmas errands. She seemed flustered, but I figured it was just stress from a long ‘to do’ list. I called Justin to tell him my plans, and he mentioned taking me out to dinner that night. We decided he would pick me up at my house once I was done sitting. I take my dog, Fern, with me most places. So after babysitting, I parked in my garage, unloaded Fern and my other belongings, and headed inside. My first reaction? “Oh no! My Christmas tree lights exploded everywhere!” Fern tore through the foyer ahead of me, sliding on the dozens of candles that were set up and generally making a mess. I dropped my bags and just stared at Justin (who was on one knee) from across the room. He had to ask The Question from a distance, and finally said, “Can you please walk over here?” I, of course, said yes! It’s fun to find out the little details afterward, isn’t it? Justin requested my sister’s help in getting me out of the house for two hours, but in the end, only needed about 30 minutes to get everything set up! (He watched Christmas Vacation on my TV while waiting with his car parked down the street!) My sister relaxed at my parents’ house while baking Christmas dishes… not running errands!
In what month did you get married? October
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
We were on a tight budget and had to be very careful about spending. It was difficult to narrow down our must-haves and things we could live without. In the end, everything turned out perfect and we didn’t even notice some of our cut corners. The reception was a blast and the most important part was that we were now married and celebrating with family and friends!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
Photography and Videography. With this documentation, we are able to relive all the details and emotions of our ceremony and reception! Save the Date video: http://vimeo.com/41858697 Wedding Video: http://vimeo.com/61850876
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
I remember Justin telling me he was going to dip me during our first kiss…well with the emotions of our ceremony I completely forgot and when the time came for our kiss, the dip was a special surprise to say the least!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
We all want our day to be perfect and it’s understandable to focus on making that happen! Even through all of the planning and decisions, remember it is only one day of your life. If the wedding doesn’t flow exactly as you planned, you are still marrying the one person you care the most about!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
Justin and I now own our first house and are spending time in the yard this spring, planting flowers and making it our own special space. We have set goals for travel in the next few years and just overall enjoying our first year of marriage! As for adding to the family, we have talked about getting a second dog so our pup, Fern, can have a best friend.

Kendall Poole and Molly Gee Designs are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Like Sophie + Brian’s wedding yesterday, today’s is perfectly appropriate for this week. Vanessa + Jonathan met at a horse race in 2007. When the time came to plan for their big day, only a Derby-inspired fete would do! In true Southern fashion, the bride and groom kindly asked their guests to don hats and bow ties for the big day, and then offered some true Southern hospitality in the form of mint juleps and bourbon after the ceremony! We couldn’t be more in love with the couple’s style and about shed a tear when we read about their handfasting ceremony!

Big thanks to Landon Jacob – these images are to die for!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
We met at a horse race, which was the inspiration for the wedding. We were at a mutual friend’s tailgate at Steeple Chase, in March of 2007. I followed him around like a puppy, smitten at first look, and he was too busy catching up with friends to notice me! Later at a party that night, he noticed me because I picked up Guitar Hero, played a song on expert and beat it.

After dating for 5 years we knew that the proposal was coming. On Thanksgiving in 2011, my female relatives and I decided to go looking at dresses for fun! I was given one rule: I had to try every dress the girls pulled for me. After nearly 40 dresses ranging from princess ball gowns to sheath gowns, my sister pulled my dress. It was stunning and everyone was speechless. I knew that was the one because I didn’t want to leave without it! We bought the dress that day, and thank goodness Jonathan proposed 4 months later!

We did a first look because we wanted to have a special moment to ourselves before the wedding. It was a good decision because we were able to appreciate each other and the importance of the day before everyone else was fighting for our attention. We also got a lot of great shots of the two of us before the ceremony!

Describe the proposal. 
We had plans set for a romantic weekend after Valentines day in 2012. Jonathan planned to propose at a restaurant that I was excited to try. We had a crazy night Friday and didn’t end up in bed until early Saturday morning, so I cancelled all of our plans! Jonathan panicked and decided to act on the spot. While I was getting a bath ready for our dog, Zoey, he got the ring and the dog. When I turned around, he had Zoey in his arms, and the box in Zoey’s paws. He asked me to marry him and I was so thrilled I almost flooded the bathroom!

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We had one reading used in tandem with a special ceremony called Handfasting. Jonathan’s family roots are Irish, so we used this celtic ritual before saying our vows as a nod to his family heritage. Our minister used a cord that Jonathan and I made to bind our hands while he read, “These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.” We didn’t let go of each others hands until after the pronouncement of marriage.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Choosing what to do with our tables! I was afraid the estate tables looked old and not timeless, but the round tables didn’t fit well in the space and made us question the table design. Going with the estate tables was the best idea for the venue space and the table design was perfect. We scattered rose petals across all the tables, mixed in with lanterns and candles and mirrors.

Our whole wedding was Southern-inspired! We met at a horse race so we asked guests to wear hats and bow ties! We used horseshoes to attach escort cards to and served mint juleps during the cocktail hour. Our dinner was fried chicken, shrimp and grits, BBQ sliders and sweet tea — the quintessential Southern menu!

In what month did you get married? April
How many guests attended your wedding? 150
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We used “Give Me Jesus” for the walk of the grandmothers and mothers, Air on G String for the entrance of the bridal party, and Cannon in D as I entered. During the ceremony, we had an Irish jig, a butterfly jig, play during the handfasting ceremony. We recessed to the Irish jig again.

Describe your wedding flowers. 
My flowers were beautiful! The bouquets were white and all different textures. We used roses, hydrangeas and peonies.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. 
Our cake was so delicious! It was a three-tiered round cake with cream-colored fondant and pearls on each layer, and a bunch of sugar roses that were dyed the same color as the bridesmaids’ dresses. Each tier was a different flavor of strawberry cream cheese marble pound cake, lemon citrus cake, and white chocolate cake!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
The handfasting ceremony, it has so much meaning to us and it meant so much to us that Jonathan’s father was able to be our minister and marry us.

What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
The venue. The wedding would not have been the same if we had a different venue. It set the perfect tone and was formal enough inside the house that we didn’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate it.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
Walking out of the balcony for my entrance and looking down to see Jonathan and all of our close family and friends there for our wedding day. I will never forget how special that moment was for me!

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
There is no such thing as planning too far in advance! Get as much done as soon as you can, I thought I kept up with the plans and suddenly two weeks before the wedding I was running around feeling so unprepared that I could barely appreciate the rehearsal and the people.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
We are looking forward to buying a house this year! We have to save for a few months, but we are so excited to buy a house we can grow our family in.

Sophie + Brian’s Kentucky wedding is especially appropriate for us to feature today since it’s Derby Week! Even more fun is the fact that S + B actually met in the show jumping circuit as junior riders. Though they weren’t snug as a bug at first, sparks eventually flew and the horse industry led them down South to Kentucky! For Sophie + Brian, their wedding was a way for them to showcase the food, landscape, hospitality and history of the area that they fell in love with. That sounds like the perfect way to honor your life together and start a marriage, doesn’t it?

We’re dolling out hugs to Honey Heart Photography for sharing this lovely day with us!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
It was a slightly disastrous and stressful, actually. I had wanted to go to New York City for dress shopping with friends but my schedule made that challenging. I tried a few bridal shops here in Florida. One was particularly nice but had a small selection. I went in a few times to peruse with friends. When my mother was in town, we went back in and purchased two dresses. But as soon as I bought the dresses, I knew they were wrong and wanted to exchange them. I couldn’t sleep all night and called the next morning to find out the return policy was store credit only! Long story short, I returned those dresses, and after a lot of stress and a few sleepless nights, found two fun, beautiful dresses for the wedding. The first was an off-white sweetheart strapless dress with a draped sunburst bodice. The second was a Reem Acra Ready to Wear I had seen in store in black that I had them make in white for me. It was more of a romantic party dress and less of a princess ball gown to enjoy the evening festivities in.

Oh! The light in the next two shots is so dreamy! High fives Honey Heart Photography!

We did a twist on traditional vows, but did not each write our own piece. We were too shy for that! Instead, we spent time creating fun-loving words that related to our love and our relationship ” I, Sophie, choose you, Brian, as my best friend and the love of my life. I choose you to embark upon this great journey of marriage with me. You are my soulmate, my companion and my confidant.  I take you today to be my husband my teammate and my true love now and forever.  I love you.”

We had two readings and a Wedding Blessing at the ceremony. The first reading, “Love” by Roy Croft was read by my sister-in-law, Irene. The second reading ,”To Love is Not to Possess” by James Kavanaugh was read by my husband’s aunt Bettina. The officiant also read an anonymous wedding blessing that we loved. It read, “May the love you both feel for each today, grow and deepen as each day passes. May you know what it is to be a couple, and yet remain the individuals that brought the other to you. May your days together bring you great joys and much laughter. When sadness arrives, as at times it will, may the bond that you share and the promise you make to each other be enough to pull you through. Above all, may you always be friends; true friends. The kind of friends who are honest, and faithful, and loyal. Such friends can share lifetimes.”

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding?
 Neither my husband nor I are actually Southern (though maybe he would disagree because he was born in Aiken, SC). We had moved to Lexington from the Northeast the year before the wedding and fell in love with the area. We wanted the wedding to include all the things we loved about Lexington: the landscape, the natural beauty, the hospitality, the history and the cuisine.

Describe your wedding flowers.
 The wedding was mostly all white and cream tones, with natural accents, woods, metals, and greenery. The flowers were a reflection of that.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I loved the simple ambiance and décor, but of course, the photo booth was a little bit of extra fun.

The wedding cake was the easiest decision we made during the entire planning process. We knew we wanted a simple white butter cream style cake, and we went to a few local bakeries trying cake and flavors. Martine’s Pastries was the clear winner. We both loved white cake and pistachio cake so we did half and half with simple butter cream fill. That was easy! We also had a Valentine’s ice cream bar and hot Spaulding’s donuts (both are local Lexington shops).

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
We both competed on the show jumping circuit as junior riders. We even had the same trainer for a period. We always knew each other but were never close. Brian was a bit older and we had different friends. Then, one year he seemed to take quite an interest in me, and we began to spend more and more time together. I guess the rest is history.
In what month did you get married? 
September
How many guests attended your wedding? 170
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Yes, we decided on a “first look.” We are pretty low-key and chose to do the majority of the photographs prior to the wedding. The pre-ceremony lighting was beautiful. It was the perfect opportunity to get good shots. Post ceremony, we were mostly done with pictures and could get right to the fun stuff. We do not consider ourselves very traditional anyway so that decision was an easy one.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We had a string trio for our ceremony. The prelude was “Such Great Heights,” by The Postal Service. The processional was “Caribbean Blue” by Enya. The bridal processional was to “Here Comes the Sun,” by The Beatles and the recessional was to “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Our first dance song was “By Your Side” by Sade.
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on?
 Our band “Jesse’s Girls’ from Atlanta and the hair team from Marie Robinson Salon in New York City.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
 To be honest, it’s all kind of a blur now! But just being relaxed and enjoying the whole day while it was happening was memorable.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding?
 Don’t over-think it or stress too much in all the planning and the details. Its just one day in your life. Enjoy it!

Claudia + Brad’s engagement was a sweet and intimate moment — just the two of them surrounded by a beautiful lake and mountains. I love that looking through these images from Paperlily Photography is reminiscent of their proposal story! It was by far the newlyweds’ favorite detail of the day. “My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it,” said Claudia. For me, there’s something calming about their surroundings that makes their “I do’s” seem like they were meant to be and a part of the world’s grand romantic plan!

Like most gals, finding THE dress was top on the wedding planning to-do list, and I knew just the place to go. Fabulous Frocks of Atlanta is owned by a dear friend of mine that I have gotten to know through working in the wedding industry (I’m a makeup artist). Both the shop and the dresses are beautiful and it would be a bonus to have someone I trust help choose the perfect dress. My mom, sister and best friend took a trip to Fabulous Frocks with me. About four dresses into the process, I found the winner. It was a delicate, flowing Claire Pettibone that couldn’t have fit my vision for my dress any better.

Describe your wedding flowers. 
Sherry of Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio is a close friend and one of the most talented floral designers, so we knew exactly who we would come to for flowers. Flowers were really important to me and I trusted Sherry to bring my vision for soft, beautiful, organic-looking bouquets and arrangements to life. I really loved that each of the bridesmaids’ bouquets were unique, and each arrangement on the tables was different and in an array of pitchers, jars and vases that we collected and now have in our home.

Music was extremely important to us for both the ceremony and reception. We are big fans of bluegrass and knew that type of music would be unique and appropriate for our riverside wedding in the hills of North Georgia. Our band, The Whiskey Rebellion, played some fiddle tunes during the ceremony and accompanied Meredith, Brad’s childhood friend who is also a talented musician. She sang “For the Beauty of the Earth” as everyone was seated and then “Amazing Grace” for the processional. It was so special to us to have such a dear friend be a part of the ceremony in that way. Our first dance was to “Not With Haste” by Mumford & Sons. The dather-daughter dance was to “Find Your Wings” by Mark Harris and the mother-son dance was to “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor.

The setting of our wedding felt like heaven to us. Our family friends offered their beautiful piece of land on the Soque River to use for the ceremony and reception. My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it. We both envisioned our wedding being outdoors in the mountains of North Georgia, but this setting far exceeded our expectations with the beautiful view of the water, the open grassy fields and the giant trees lining the river.

What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
The music for the ceremony and reception was so important to us, so we were definitely open to spending some money in that area. We love live music, especially bluegrass, and we thought that a bluegrass band would be different and fun and fit the laid back vibe of our wedding.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
The ceremony was so precious to both of us, and the sweetest moment of it was when our pastor had us both turn around and face all of our guests just to see who all was there for us and would be in our lives for a very long time. It was such a neat moment to soak in the beauty and love that surrounded us.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? 
Our riverside wedding couldn’t help but be Southern. We had a bluegrass band, beer was served in an iced-down canoe, bales of hay provided seating, food was served by food trucks and our getaway car was a 1940 Chevy. All of these details made the wedding feel very much like us. Nothing was stuffy or stiff. We just wanted to have fun and enjoy everyone and wanted the same for our guests.

What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Enjoy every single bit of your engagement. The parties. The planning. And enjoy every bit of it together. I know a lot of people say that the “wedding is for the bride.” It meant so much that Brad was interested in the details of our wedding and that we planned it as a team. Of course, we had tons of help from family and friends or there would have been no way that we could have pulled it off during our five-month engagement, but I felt like Brad and I were in the planning together and it made the big day that much more meaningful.

There is a bakery in Athens (where we both went to college) that makes the best cakes. We didn’t really have to decide where we would get our wedding cake. The harder decision was what flavor we would have. Since we couldn’t decide on a single flavor, the best we could do was narrow it down to our favorite six. It was one of the best decisions we made.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
 We met online! Not actually, but kind of. Our mutual friend had been trying to introduce me to Brad for a while. After weeks of hearing about this great guy, my friend “introduced” us via group Gchat. Ah yes. Just how I had always imagined meeting my husband — in a “chatroom” while I was at work. I was so excited to finally get to know this guy I had heard all about, and luckily, he totally exceeded my expectations. I remembered telling my sister half joking, half totally and completely seriously, that this guy is my soulmate. Understandably, she didn’t really believe me since Brad and I still hadn’t met in person at that point. After a couple of weeks of emailing and instant messaging, we finally had plans to get together. I knew both of us were just a wee bit nervous about this meeting. There was a lot of build up because we had both already spilled our guts to each other, had a lot in common, and made each other laugh, but the real question was: are we attracted to each other? Thankfully, that was not an issue. We clicked! Hurray! We instantly became best friends and knew very quickly that we would be in each other’s lives for a very long time.
Describe the proposal. The day we got engaged was the day after our nephew was born. I was so caught up with this new addition to the family and wasn’t even thinking Brad was up to something when he took a random Wednesday and Thursday off. I figured it was just to be with the family and love on that new baby boy. After we left the hospital Wednesday, Brad suggested that we spend the night at his parents’ lake house. I was all in, yet still clueless as to what he was up to. The thing that was so strange to me was Brad was adamant about running back home to grab his swimsuit and contact case. I couldn’t understand why on earth we couldn’t just buy both on our way up to the lake. Little did I know, someone had to get a pretty piece of jewelry from the house. So the next day, we lounged around on the dock and just enjoyed being together. It didn’t feel any different that any other day. Even when Brad sat on the arm of my chair and was playing with my hair and saying all sorts of lovey, sweet things, I didn’t have a clue that this day was going to be one I remember forever. But as soon as he knelt down and reached into his pocket, it clicked. Something we had been waiting for was about to happen. Once I knew what was happening, I cried, like uncontrollably, and for a while. It was the sweetest, most surreal moment. We were together, just the two of us, surrounded by the beauty of the lake and mountains and were so filled with joy that we were one (big) step closer to spending the rest of our lives together. I remember in that moment wishing we could freeze that moment and stay there for a long time. It was precious. But we had to head back to Atlanta that evening, and I was surprised to be greeted by our closest family and friends at the restaurant where we had our first date to celebrate our engagement. Oh what a happy, happy day.
In what month did you get married? 
October 2012
How many guests attended your wedding? 
225
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Doing a “first look” really wasn’t an option for either of us. We both always imagined seeing the other for the first time at our ceremony, and it was well worth the wait and build up.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Not getting stressed! I have the tendency to stress, even about small stuff –even if it should be fun! I won’t lie, I worried throughout the planning more than I wish I had. Everything came together better and more beautifully that we could have imagined, so I should have just kicked back and chilled out.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Finally living life together! It is so much fun to wake up, drink coffee, live our day, and then come home to the same place. There is no more running around trying to mingle our uncertain schedules together. We know where we are going each day and that’s fun. And best of all, there is no more wedding planning! On a more serious note, we can’t wait to discover how to mesh and meld our life together as a married couple. Every single day we discover some small thing we love and appreciate about each other. We can’t wait to learn more about each other while growing old together. That’s the good stuff.

Gertie Mae’s is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!