How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Danny and I both grew up in North Carolina, attended UNC-Chapel Hill, graduated in the same year (2008) and never knew each other. He moved to Stamford, CT to work for GE Capital and I moved to Manhattan to work at The Wall Street Journal. One evening in February 2009, he met his friends (Janus and Carter, his best men) at a bar in New York, and I was already there in the booth with the boys and a few of my girlfriends. Janus and Carter still argue over who actually introduced us. He sat across from me, and the rest is history…

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
One of my college roommates got married on May 19th of last year in Edisto Island, SC. My family decided to make it a beach week after the wedding to celebrate my birthday. I had my suspicions of an engagement, but I did not expect the creativity he brought to it! After we were finished eating my birthday dinner on Sunday, Danny asked me to help him with a cake they had bought for my special day. I went inside and he told me to grab the napkins. Then he decided I should just bring out the cake. I went over to the cake to close its box, and that’s when I read, “Lauren, Will You Marry Me?” I of course freaked out and turned around, and there he was on one knee. It’s a pretty incredible feeling, and I can’t tell you how surprised I was! He had the cake made at the local Piggly Wiggly (hilarious!) and kept it a secret with my dad and brother from Thursday until Sunday. They knew not to tell my mom because I would break her instantly. She’s a terrible liar.

When’s the big day?
Saturday, June 1st

Where might you two be tying the knot?
The French Protestant Huguenot Church in Charleston, SC

A classic inspiration board from Snippet & Ink that’s guiding Lauren’s style!

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
I am in love with Charleston. It has such a juxtaposition of old and new: a rich Southern history and amazing new restaurants and bars with a college feel. Our church is crazy beautiful, and I didn’t even get to see the inside when I chose it. I knew from the outside and the location in downtown that it was exactly where I wanted to get married. The reception venue is the historic rice mill right on the water. The inside is dark wood floors, a beautiful dark wood wrap around bar and tall windows that let in a lot of light. It has a perfectly-sized dance floor and a little outdoor space so guests can enjoy the view of the water.

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
I like really clean and simple, so my wedding is a lot of white, gray, pops of Carolina blue and turquoise. There’s green in the flowers, but overall they’re clean and white.

In looking at Lauren’s Pinterest board, I love that she’s pulling inspiration from interiors and sources outside of weddings always a great idea! (Bedroom by Armonia Decors and living room by Katie Rosenfeld)

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
My wedding planner, Ellen Robinson from WED. She has made my life so stress free!

How have you involved your “community” (friends, family, etc.) in the wedding planning process?
My mom’s group of friends from my hometown are throwing my bridal luncheon for me, and Danny’s sisters are helping with the rehearsal dinner at Magnolias. I’m usually not great at delegating, but with this project I knew it was way too big to take on myself!

Lauren was also inspired by this invitation set from Dauphine Press. So pretty!

How has the budgeting been? What’s your best budgeting tip?
Ahem… I wish Danny was answering this question. It’s been a little difficult, and I’m so happy I have him to rein me in and really apply his Excel knowledge :) My best budgeting tip is hire him to help you! He’ll keep you in line.

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! It was the fifth dress I tried on at Hitched in Georgetown. It’s Amsale, and it’s named Lauren. Meant to be? Perhaps. My mom went with me, and we tried on her dress to see what it would look like after 20+ years. Needless to say it was a miss. She’s a little shorter, and got married in the 80′s. It made for a good time. I have sewn part of her dress in the lining of mine and am wrapping part of her veil around my bouquet.

Lauren loves this clean + smooth updo I think it will look perfect with her gown! (Photos by Hyer Images)

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
The food! Low country boil and pimento cheese sandwiches? Yes please!

Do you have a favorite independent store you’d love to tell us about?
Maddison Row and Cacky’s Bride + Aid in Charleston have been amazing! A bug ran into me and died on the left top of my dress during my bridal portrait, and they tacked a pleat and were able to hide it. They’re also being so great and letting me keep my dress at their store so I don’t have to bring it back and forth from DC!

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
Best part is seeing this event you have thought about for most of your life come together. It’s kind of indescribable. The worst part would have to be the technicalities of who you can/cannot invite and staying within budget. Both can be a little stressful at times!

Tell us about planning with your fiancé. Has it gone smoothly? Is he more involved, or hands-off?
Involved and amazing. Danny has been a trooper and when he says he wants something particular I listen. There haven’t been many things we disagree on.

Decor + rentals Lauren loves with a clean + preppy feel (photos by A Bryan Photo)

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Danny and being surrounded by our friends and family. Also, all the dance moves. My dad loves to dance at weddings, so I know it’s going to be epic.

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We’re going to St. John and I haven’t really planned much of that. Lots of relaxation!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Enjoy the entire process. Sometimes I take a step back and think, “this only happens once and I need to appreciate this moment.”

“This only happens once” such a good thing to remember, right, ladies? Amen. Thank you for joining us, Lauren! If you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

WED is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Concept-A Photography

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
When I first moved to Atlanta in fall 2009, I was waiting a few months for my job to start and living with my brother, who traveled all week for business. Since I didn’t know anyone else, I decided to get out and explore Atlanta and all its different neighborhoods on my own. I met Josh at a sushi restaurant in Virginia Highlands about a month into my time in Atlanta. I thought he was so cute and so nice! We were pretty much inseparable after our first meeting. A few weeks later, we took our first trip together, to Savannah (where we are now getting married!), and that’s when we both knew it was love!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
By the summer of 2011, Josh and I were pretty serious and saving up money for our future plans. We talked about getting engaged first and then buying a house, sometime that fall after his sister’s summer wedding. We started looking at houses “just to get an idea” early that summer, and found the house of our dreams on our first trip! We looked at about 15 more houses, but there was nothing else like it. We decided we couldn’t pass it up, even though I had really wanted to be engaged first. On August 28, 2011, the day after the previous owners moved out, we went over to the house with champagne to walk through our empty house and celebrate being homeowners. Josh proposed on the front porch then carried me over the threshold, so we were engaged before moving into the house after all!

Concept-A Photography

When’s the big day?
April 20 (2 days!!)

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Gorgeous Savannah, GA! The ceremony will be at Christ Church Episcopal, and the reception will be at the Mansion on Forsyth Park.

The Mansion on Forsyth Park by Anna and Spencer

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
It was really important to me to be married in an Episcopal church. I also love the history of Christ Church founded in 1733, the first church founded in Georgia, with the current building built in 1840. We feel very lucky to be getting married there. I also love the ballroom in the Mansion very classic, with crystal chandeliers and gold leaf! And there’s even a chandelier in the marble courtyard for the cocktail hour! We both especially love the Mansion’s central location across from the big fountain in beautiful Forsyth Park, which is filled with azaleas and Spanish moss.

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
It’s going to be a very pretty, very classic Savannah wedding! At first I was going for a very elegant/ understated look, with champagne, ivory, and blush hues, but I’ve progressively added more sparkle and brighter pinks to the mix, as well. We’ll have champagne linens and bridesmaid dresses, tons of pink flowers, lots of the color gold everywhere (both in the Mansion ballroom décor, and in our details) and lots of candlelight. We will also have an awesome jazz band that’s originally from Louisiana (like me!) and a big white cake with magnolias on it. Our ceremony and most of our reception details are pretty traditional, but everything we’ve chosen is very meaningful to us, as well, and an expression of our love for each other. I think (hope!) our guests will feel that a lot of love for them went into the planning as well. I can’t wait!

Caroline Ghetes via Ruffled

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I think what’s most inspired us is the city of Savannah itself… we want our guests to get a feel for all of our favorite parts of the city at our wedding our church in one of Savannah’s old squares, our reception in Forsyth Park, and an awesome jazz band, shrimp and grits and oysters at the reception! Other Savannah details include pralines and taffy in the welcome bags, transportation in a Savannah tour trolley, and before the wedding, a ladies’ lunch in City Market, a beer-and-oysters brunch for the men on River Street, and drinks at our favorite Savannah pub!

Blush rosette linen photo by Teran Photography and monogram uplighting photo by Patricia Lyons

How have you involved your “community” (friends, family, etc.) in the wedding planning process?
Josh’s mom and sister, my sister, and my sister-in-law (brother’s wife) all live in Atlanta, and have been so helpful to me at all stages, from traveling to Savannah to visit our venues, to making drink stirrers on craft days, to stuffing welcome bags and tying ribbons around 90 satin napkins! We’ve also planned for our good friends to have special parts in the wedding.

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Yes, it took us months to make up our minds between the Mansion and a smaller venue (our favorite Savannah restaurant), so I had two different weddings sketched out in my head -— the big ballroom wedding and the intimate restaurant wedding -— while we were still deciding. Once we decided to pull the trigger and go with the ballroom, I was able to dive into planning and develop that vision into the wedding we’re going to have. We are both so happy we decided to go for the wedding at the Mansion, and the wedding we’ve planned truly is going to be the wedding of my dreams. Also, generally, as time has gone on, I’ve gotten less stressed about making every detail unique and creative, and just had more fun picking out things that I like and that will enhance our guests’ experience. At the beginning, I wanted to incorporate every cool idea I saw online into our wedding, whether it really fit us and our wedding or not. I got a hold of myself, though, and reined in my wedding craziness to focus on us and only choose details that meant something to us and fit with our wedding.

Two of Sarah’s favorite bouquets: from Elizabeth Anne Designs on the left (photo by Photographix), and from Martha Stewart Weddings on the right

What part of wedding planning, if any, has made you the most anxious?
Sticking within budget, definitely! I dream a little bigger than we budget, but Josh has kept me grounded and helped us stick to a monthly payment plan. We succeeded at staying on-budget, and the closer we’ve gotten to the wedding itself, the more I realize that many of the little extras won’t really matter and that no one will miss the things we don’t end up doing.

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Videography. We booked our photographer 14 months before the wedding, but just booked a videographer one month before the wedding because I couldn’t stop wondering whether we’d regret it!

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
The way we incorporate our family and friends into both the ceremony and reception. We’re having just our sisters and brothers as official bridesmaids and groomsmen (which is three on each side with Josh’s dad as best man), but I’m having my close friends walk down the aisle to music at the beginning of the ceremony and play other roles in the wedding. I’m also doing a few things to honor my mom, who passed away a few years ago. And at the reception, we will have a family picture table and meaningful songs for family played.

Beautiful table design by Laurie Arons (photo by Meg Smith) via Style Me Pretty

How has the budgeting been? What’s your best budgeting tip?
I wasn’t the best at it, but Josh helped me a lot and we did stay within budget. I’d say to get a good idea of your budget and make the big decisions before deciding on smaller expenses and details, and that details related to guest comfort are more important than details that look pretty (i.e., for us, trolley to transport guests and welcome bags stayed in the budget, but professional calligraphy ended up getting cut). And if you have a long engagement, wait to buy jewelry for your dress—I ended up with two sets I’m not wearing! And, since other brides end up doing the same thing I did, Ebay is a great source for accessories, even if you don’t want to buy used. I got both an unworn designer headpiece and a designer bolero for a fraction of the cost!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
It was the first thing I did! I might have been googling wedding dresses even before we got engaged and might have found a picture of my dream dress. I thought it was out of budget and might not be available anymore, since it was a 2008 design, so was planning to look for something similar. But, shortly after I got engaged, the designer had a trunk show in town. I called, and they had the dress, and for a better price than I’d thought! My sisters and mother-in-law made me try on another dress first at the salon, and many other dresses after, but my dress was the second dress I tried on and it was perfect! I bought it right away, even though everyone told me to look around more, and I haven’t seen any other dress I’ve liked as well since!

Two of Sarah’s favorite hair styles: photos by Matt Edge on the left and Jose Villa on the right

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
I’ve honestly really enjoyed the whole process I love pretty things and details, and as a complete romantic, I’ve enjoyed having a year and a half to dream about the day I marry Josh. The best part has been that the planning really does allow the most wonderful day of my life -— when I’ll marry the man of my dreams to last longer than just a day with all the planning and anticipation. The hardest part for me personally has been wedding planning without my mom, who passed away a few years ago. Not having her at this important time really makes me miss her sometimes. But my mother-in-law has stepped in and been a great help to me with a lot of the traditional mom-tasks, and my family and friends have been great, too.

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
It’s okay if not every detail about your wedding is 100% unique, creative or blog-worthy, and while pretty details are important to the bride, they really aren’t so important to everyone else. It’s important to focus on your guests’ comfort, if you have to choose where to spend your money, and more important than anything is to focus on the love and the marriage that is the reason for the day rather than all the details of the event.

Definitely a guest-pleasing detail: Sarah and Josh’s magnolia wedding cake!

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We are taking a mini-moon, a few days after the wedding just to decompress in the mountains. We’ll take an extended tropical island honeymoon later this winter; it gives us something else to look forward to!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
A few things! Our german shepherd mix, Miss Mae, will be staying at the hotel and taking family pictures with us. I’d love for her to make an appearance at cocktail hour, but she might jump up on people, and that might not be appreciated (she is about 40 lbs). For those who’ve been to weddings with dogs, what have your experiences been? Is this cute, or annoying (or both)? Also, married readers, what is one thing I should make a point to do on the wedding day? Is there anything you’re really glad that you did that day to make it even more memorable, or anything you regret that you didn’t do? Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Sarah! We wish you all the best this weekend!! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Our February Southern Bride of the Month is squeaking in just under the wire! I know y’all will love Jen, and will enjoy as much as I did reading about some of the smart planning decisions she and Nick have made. (I especially liked their plan for setting priorities see below!) Let’s give this lady a warm welcome!

Hi! What’s your name?
Jen Welch

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Nick Rueter

Vue Photography

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We met during our freshman year of college at Vanderbilt University. My close friend from home joined the same fraternity as Nick. When I stopped by to hang out with him, Nick always seemed to catch my eye. We went on our first date the day before school started our sophomore year, and the rest was history. Our introduction has become even more meaningful, as that friend will be serving as Nick’s best man at our wedding!

Vue Photography

When’s the big day?
June 22, 2013 – four months to go! I always knew I wanted a summer wedding since my favorite flowers are hydrangeas, and I wanted them to be beautiful and in season for my wedding!

Blue hydrangea inspiration from Brian Kraft and Martha Stewart Weddings

Where might you two be tying the knot?
We are having both the ceremony and the reception at The St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Nick and I have celebrated many special occasions at The St. Regis over the past few years, so the venue was already meaningful to us. We knew we wanted to have the ceremony and reception at the same location and wanted to keep things indoors to spare our guests from the brutal Atlanta heat. The St Regis was the first venue we visited after we got engaged, and while we considered a few others, we concluded rather quickly that the elegance of the St. Regis would be the perfect backdrop for our wedding!

The gorgeous lobby of the St. Regis Atlanta!

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
I’ve always wanted a black tie wedding, so I knew the style and theme would need to feel very formal and sophisticated. At the same time, I want to give everything a contemporary edge. I love the color blue, so we have looked for ways to incorporate that with French blue bridesmaid dresses, navy ink for our invitations, blue hydrangeas for bridesmaid bouquets, and blue lighting for the reception. We also loved the idea of having our wedding ceremony in a dimly lit ballroom surrounded by candles to make the event feel very special and intimate!

Ceremony inspiration via Wedding Style

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I am very lucky to have my Mom in Atlanta with me to help with a lot of the details. She has an amazing ability to keep me focused on my vision when I get indecisive. My mom also was smart enough to hire us a wedding planner right away, and Lindsay Pitt of Toast has been very helpful with navigating and refining my hundreds of ideas. I am also very lucky to have eight wonderful bridesmaids, several of which recently got married and have been a huge help by sharing advice they learned from their big day.

What part of wedding planning, if any, has made you the most anxious?
We are so excited to see all of our guests during the wedding weekend, so we are trying to allow for as much time as possible with our friends and family. When we started working on the timeline for the weekend, we realized how quickly the whole day, and especially the evening, will go by, and we were worried we wouldn’t have a chance to talk to every guest. To try and alleviate some of that anxiety, we decided to try and get all of our guests together after the rehearsal dinner to celebrate the wedding weekend prior to the big day! We are also considering doing a first look so we can join the cocktail hour and start celebrating with all of the people who are so important to us as soon as possible!

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Definitely the invitations! I always knew I wanted to do a calligraphy letterpress invitation, but I have been very indecisive regarding whether to stick with a traditional style or to incorporate some more modern elements. We are working with hi note for all our stationery and they have been fabulous at listening to our ideas and turning them into actual concepts, not to mention that they have been very patient with me considering I’ve changed my mind at least ten times! I am still going back and forth on this part, but have to make a decision pretty soon.

Calligraphy invitation inspiration from Bella Figura

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
Probably the most important aspect of a wedding, to us, and the one that we’re most excited about for our own wedding, is the food. We want the food to match the formality of the event, but also want it to be fun and to showcase some Southern ingredients. It was also important to us that the rehearsal dinner menu complement, but not duplicate, the wedding menu. We’ve worked very closely with the chefs at these venues to create menus that we are truly excited about.

Dressed-up Southern comfort food inspiration from Whitney + Clarke’s wedding (photo by Patricia Lyons)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! I ordered it back in July and it should come in sometime in the next few weeks. I worked with Susan at Joan Pillow, who made the process as stress-free as possible despite how difficult a decision this was for me. I had always dreamed of wearing a Monique Lhuillier gown, so I went in to Joan Pillow right after we got engaged and thought I had found “the one”. Lucky for me, there was a Monique trunk show a few weeks later, so I went back to order it, but I ended up falling in love with a different gown from the new collection! It is the complete opposite of the gown I was planning to order the first day. I ended up ordering the gown from the trunk show and can’t wait for it to arrive in a few weeks, as I know that will make this all feel very real!

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
I have always admired the way a big Southern wedding can still feel intimate and personalized. While I always knew I wanted a big black tie affair, it was also important that the whole event reflected our personalities and that each guest would walk away knowing we were involved in every detail of the night. I think Southern weddings feel very special because Southern brides pay a lot of attention to the details, especially the delicious Southern food they usually serve their guests!

Tell us about planning with your fiancé. Has it gone smoothly? Is he more involved, or hands-off?
Nick has been very hands on and has made efforts to attend every wedding-related meeting, even if just for the support. Nick has also contributed some great ideas of his own, including an incredible idea for a way to personalize our cocktail hour. It will be a very fun surprise for our guests and make our cocktail hour very unique! I feel incredibly fortunate to have a fiancé who is involved and brings a different perspective than I have to every decision.

Reception table and lighting inspiration from The Studio B Photography and Ira Lippke Studios

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
When we first got engaged, we focused on the venue and the photographer right away. We saved the band for later, and I wished I had known how quickly great bands can book up. We have a fabulous band, Simply Irresistible, but I wish we had booked them right away and avoided all of that stress!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but more than anything, I’m looking forward to getting married! I think it’s important to remember that a wedding and a marriage are two different things. While I’m ecstatic about the wedding we have planned, in the end, a wedding is just a fabulous party. What I am most excited for are the vows that we will say to each other on that day, and the fact that I will have my best friend by my side for whatever life throws at me – the good and the bad. We’re incredibly lucky that both sets of our parents have been married for over 30 years, so we have great role models for a successful marriage!

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
This is one of the most exciting parts, since Nick and I LOVE to travel! We’ll be spending our honeymoon in the Seychelles, with a few days in Dubai on the way back. A few weeks after we got engaged, Nick took me out to dinner and presented me with a slideshow on his iPad for two different honeymoon itineraries. I decided that Seychelles and Dubai was the combination I was least likely to visit outside of a honeymoon. We are so excited to relax at a gorgeous hilltop resort and spend a week hopping around to all the islands to visit beaches, scuba dive, and enjoy delicious food!

Vue Photography

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
At the beginning of our wedding planning, we all sat down and discussed what was most important to us. I wanted to make sure that Nick, my parents, and I all had the “final say” in the area of the wedding that was the most important to each of us. For Nick, that was the food, for my mom it was the calligraphy, invitations and desserts. For my dad it was the band, and for me it was the flowers and décor. It’s been nice to have set these priorities early and to have someone “in charge” of making the decisions for each of these categories.

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
Yes! We are really debating doing a first look. Nick and I both want to show respect for some of those “wedding traditions,” such as that moment when the doors open and the bride and groom see each other for the first time. However, the idea of a first look is starting to sound more appealing – we would have a chance to take beautiful photos next door to the St. Regis at the gardens at the Atlanta History Center, and more importantly, we could join cocktail hour and spend more time with our guests. What should we do? Is it more important to preserve that special tradition of not seeing each other until the ceremony and capture that moment around our friends and family, or should we have that moment in private and get the opportunity to take gorgeous photos outside and then have more time with our guests later? Help!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Jen! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Hello, ladies! I am SO excited to introduce you to our first Southern Bride of the Month for 2013! I know after reading just a few sentences of her interview you will fall as in love with spunky, sassy, and oh so Southern Sarah Jane as I have. In fact, she reminds me a bit of our dear Marissa just sub in the Kentucky references for Alabama ones :) Please enjoy!

Hi! What’s your name?
Sarah Jane Boyson

What’s your fiance’s name?
Brad Calvert, or Emmett Bradford when he’s in trouble :)

Vue Photography

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We met at one of our favorite local restaurants which was hosting a benefit for autism. I had a girlfriend visiting from Southern California, and Brad was there with one of his buddies who I’ve known for years because we work in the same industry. Jason stopped by our table to say hello, and immediately hit it off with my friend! As a result, we were thrown together for the remainder of the weekend, and by the time it was over, Brad and I had fallen hook line and sinker! We’ve been blissfully together ever since, and still marvel that we never met before that night, as Lexington is such a small town, and we know so many of the same people. God’s timing is such perfection!

Vue Photography

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Brad is a die-hard UK Wildcat fan, and I bleed Volunteer Orange! The UK/UT football game always takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and when it’s a home game for Kentucky, our tradition is to go to the game together. He patiently takes relentless punishment from his friends for walking into the stadium with me, as I wear so much orange that you could probably see me from space! I also can and do sing every verse of Rocky Top whenever the appropriate occasion arises (Brad would say that is never). 2011 was the magic year for the Wildcats, and they won the matchup with Tennessee for the first time in 27 years. He proposed that weekend – I’m still trying to decide whether he wanted to commemorate their historic win, or balance what he knew would be a tough loss for me with a wonderful memory! I’m choosing to go with the latter :)

Vue Photography

When’s the big day?
May 19, 2013!!! I seriously am incapable of typing that date without multiple exclamation points, I am so excited. Even though we got engaged in November of 2011, a May wedding date was utterly non-negotiable. Peonies are my favorite flower/obsession, and I was willing to wait any amount of time to have the Big Day when they’re plentiful. I felt a little squeamish about pulling off the wedding in just 6 months, so we elected to pull the trigger for 2013. Actually, it’s been one of the decisions that I’ve been most grateful for, as we’ve been able to take the planning process in bite sized pieces and really enjoy just being engaged.

Ohhh peonies… from top to bottom, photos by Gabe Aceves via Southern Weddings, Adam Barnes via Southern Weddings, Charlotte Jenks Lewis via 100 Layer Cake, Jonathan Canlas via Southern Weddings, Cyn Kain via Southern Weddings, Corbin Gurkin via Style Me Pretty, and 13:13 Photography via Southern Weddings

Where might you two be tying the knot?
The first thing Brad said when we started talking “wedding”, was that he’d like to say his vows with sand in his toes. Weather permitting, the ceremony will take place on the sugar white sands of Carillon Beach, just off 30A in the Florida Panhandle. One of the things I love most about this venue is that it requires so little in the form of decoration. Because the sand and water are so spectacular, additional decor becomes merely gilding the lily. White benches and crepe myrtle branches for an alter are all it will take. The wonderful thing is that frees up additional budget to use elsewhere! Just don’t ask my Daddy how he feels about going barefoot, he is appalled. Mama has already activated the prayer chain for perfect weather, so I have no worries on that score… I swear, that woman has a direct line!!

Paul Johnson Photography from an SW Carillon wedding

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
I knew we would pick one of the communities on 30A for the ceremony and reception, but Carillon was the runaway pick! Mama, Brad’s mom Vi, my sister/best friend/matron of honor, and two of our close friends made the trip to Florida to find the perfect place. All it took was just one look at the Carillon Meeting House, with it’s whitewashed feel, exposed beams, and indoor merged with outdoor space and we were goners! I don’t think you could easily get the six of us to agree on what to put on a pizza, but Carillon was unanimous. The inclusion of darling Avis Glenister as wedding planner was the ultimate cherry on the sundae!! There isn’t much I haven’t relied on her to do, including sneaking out to the ceremony site on April 19 to bury the bourbon! Girls, she is a trooper!

The Carillon beach walkover (photo by Rae Leytham)

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
From the beginning, we wanted our day to be very intimate, fun, and memorable. We want it to reflect who we are as a couple, but also be the kind of classic affair that will stand the test of time. The colors are inspired by the “Emerald Coast” in the minutes just before sunset, the pale blues and greens of the water, the shimmer and taupes of the sand, and the faint pinks and washed out fuchsias of the pre-sunset sky. The bridesmaids will be in long Amsale chiffon dresses in the palest blush color, and the guys will rock khaki suits. The palette will be carried throughout the reception, with a mix of modern vintage, mercury glass, and distressed/driftwood elements. I love contrasts in both texture and formality, so there will be plenty of that. One of the things I’m most excited about are the cocktail tables next to the outdoor dance floor with petal covered linens that will be lit from underneath, giving them an ethereal glow as the sun sets (thank you, Pinterest!)

Sarah Jane’s cocktail table inspiration, via Brides of Oklahoma (photo by Chris Humphrey)

How have you involved your “community” in the wedding planning process?
I honestly had no idea how many unbelievably gifted women I have in my life until I started planning the wedding! It came as no surprise that my sister Melia would be the number one resource for ideas and inspiration, she is known far and wide for her impeccable taste and talent for all things aesthetic. My friend Kristy Yowell is the graphic designer for Cardinal & Straw fine paper goods, and she has put together a paper suite for us that is nothing short of stunning! Mama has perfected the use of the phrases “that sounds wonderful” and “let’s do it”. I don’t know what I would do without her in my cheering section!

Sarah Jane and Brad’s pretty in pink save the date by Cardinal & Straw

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
From moment one, photography was my number one priority! Brad and I had visited 30A for vacation the year before we were engaged, and I came across an absolutely gorgeous photo taken by Genya Garrett of Vue Photography while we were there. When I got home, I googled her, and stumbled upon her blog. Adjectives fail me when I try to talk about her images, they are just indescribably beautiful!!! Knowing that no other would do, I got in touch with her the day after I got the ring! Seriously, I would have scheduled our wedding for a Tuesday, if that were the only day she was available. From her first exuberant e-mail, I was convinced that we would be fast friends.

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
We are both crazy about fireworks and would have loved to have a display at the conclusion of the reception, but we soon realized that due to the zoning restrictions at our venue we would have to have them set up in some sort of raft out in the ocean! Needless to say, that one didn’t make the cut!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Omigosh, I LOVE LOVE my wedding gown! On our way down to Florida to select the venue, we stopped in at Joan Pillow in Atlanta to do a little browsing. For a couple of years now, I’ve been crushing on Monique Lhuillier’s incredible confections, and I fell equally in love with two of her gowns that day! Not only two different dresses, but two which could not have been more different in fabric, silhouette, and vibe!! Susan, the world’s best consultant, told me to go on down and select the venue, and I’d immediately know which one to choose. We went on our way, nailed down venue etc., and I was still completely torn between them! I waited as long as I could to schedule a return visit, just hoping time would help me make up my mind, but had made no progress by the order deadline so we packed up and headed back to the ATL. Mama, Brad’s mom, and my sister/MOH piled into the car, and both of my sweet bridesmaids made the trip (one of them flew down from NYC and back in the same day, just to be there for me!) Y’know what’s funny? When I finally got both dresses back on my body, it wasn’t even close! As soon as I saw “the one” hanging in the fitting room, I got giddy!

Amsale bridesmaid dresses by Divine Light Photography, including the exact designs Sarah Jane’s ‘maids chose!

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
Pretty much everything! As a rule, I adore everything remotely Southern, and will forever hold the opinion that nobody does weddings and parties better than the South! We can’t wait to incorporate some of our favorite Southern details into our day… We’re topping the salad with fried okra instead of croutons. We’ve also decided to bury a bottle of bourbon (a tradition that I first read about on Southern Weddings) and we’re adding touches of cotton to the arrangements and bouquets. Because we’re choosing to tie the knot outside of our “old Kentucky home” state, we’ve really worked to add a few details that remind us of where we come from. We’re doing a Kentucky-themed cocktail hour, with mini hot browns, cheese straws, benedictine and, of course, bourbon! Vineyard Vines has perfect ties for the guys and dads – they have both horseshoes and mint julep cups! Of course, the opportunity to take the next big step in our lives with God’s blessing, surrounded by our nearest and dearest amid all their love and affection is truly the ultimate Southern tradition!

Do you have a favorite Etsy or independent store you’d love to tell us about?
I’ve got to take the opportunity here to make a shameless plug for one of my incredibly talented friends! I just happen to be lucky enough to have met the owner/designer/creative genius behind the children’s clothing line a La Modish. All of her designs are based on vintage children’s clothing patterns from the 50s and 60s, which she then pairs with wonderful, unexpected fabric combinations. She has somehow agreed (it might be because of all the begging) to custom design dresses for my flower girls. She has just begun to design a line of the most adorable infant peep toe slingbacks – I kid you not, I die!

An a la Modish design! (Photo by Erin Roth)

Tell us about planning with your fiance.
Brad is an absolute gem to deal with… he DOES have his opinions, but generally tells me to choose exactly what I would like. I have a feeling he goes this route because it saves him the lengthy sales pitch that he would inevitably get, and end up capitulating anyway. He did draw the line at wearing seersucker, and I know when to pick my battles! Fortunately, Daddy stepped up to be the seersucker standard bearer, as I’m not at all sure we qualify as a Southern wedding with it absent!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I’m looking forward to every single solitary second! This sounds kind of cheeseball, but even though I’m neck deep in all the specifics and details of the day, what gives me the most happiness and serenity is that we’ll begin our lives together on that day. We hope to throw a really great party that our friends and family will enjoy; but even if nearly everything goes wrong, I’ll still be Brad’s wife at the end and that’s the very best part!

Vue Photography

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I’m pretty much the last of my friends to get married, and all of them told me at the beginning that I should keep an open mind when shopping for the dress. Every single one of them told me that I’d likely end up with the exact opposite of what I thought I would choose. THIS IS GREAT ADVICE! If I hadn’t been open to trying on a dress that my sister, who knows me better than just about anyone on the planet, pulled off the rack – and met almost none of my criteria – I would have missed out on my sartorial soulmate!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
Can I ask two? First off, we’ve been considering requesting an “unplugged” ceremony, indicated by a small, gently worded sign as guests enter the ceremony site. Both photographer and videographer have expressed the frustration that comes with nailing the “money shot”, only to have an iPad hoisted by a guest ruin it. With two photographers and a videographer on hand for the ceremony, I feel like they’re going to have enough of a challenge staying out of each other’s frame of reference without the additional obstacle course of phones, cameras, and iPads. What do y’all think? Is it rude to ask people to stow their devices just for the ceremony?

Second, does anyone have a super terrific recommendation for a waterproof mascara? I’ve never had good luck with the waterproof formulations, but I’m guaranteed to need one on the Big Day! I get teary at weddings where I don’t even know the folks getting married, so I’m pretty sure that my regular stuff will not survive the day intact! Thanks so much for any suggestions.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Sarah Jane! It has truly been a pleasure. Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Adam Barnes and Cyn Kain are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Amanda Marie Photography

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We have been together for three years now but it always feels like longer because of our long-standing friendship. Bret and I were long time family-friends. It’s actually kind of a crazy web of connections, but simply put, Bret’s aunt and uncle are my parent’s best friends.

We grew up in a close-knit community and went to high school together; Bret was two years ahead of me in school but at the time we were just great friends! We both dated other people and never considered there might be something in store for us. Bret went to school at the University of Missouri-Columbia and two years later I headed South to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. We had stayed in good contact throughout this time and much to my surprise, Bret began his pursuit of me from afar. In 2009, my freshman year at TCU, he asked me to join him on a date back home over that Thanksgiving break. I was kind of hesitant and actually declined his offer! Bless his heart! We laugh about this now because I was a little stubborn in the beginning. That next month, Bret asked once again and this time I took him up on dinner and a movie. We had so much fun and everything seemed so easy and natural. We have been together ever since!

Amanda Marie Photography

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
I was supposed to be doing a photo shoot with my friend Amanda (She is also my wedding photographer!). It was a rainy evening and we went down to an old train station in downtown Fort Worth. We walked in, and I was expecting to see another girlfriend of mine, Annie, there to help with the shoot as well. I didn’t see her anywhere, and things began to seem a little bizarre. Amanda began rambling about how neat the building was. As I searched around for Annie, I noticed a man standing up from a bench across the room. I recognized his walk, and his build. When I heard him say, “Hello beautiful!” it hit me that it was Bret. Y’all, this is where you have to laugh, because instead of a swept-off-my-feet-by-his-sweetness reaction, the first thing I said to him was, “What are you doing here?!” Poor thing! I was so confused!

Bret was not supposed to be in town until the following day to celebrate my birthday, so I was not expecting him at that moment. He took me into his arms and I felt his heart beating faster and faster. Though I was in shock, it all started to sink in. After saying the kindest words and bringing tears to my eyes (and his own!) Bret got down on one knee and asked for me to be his wife. The best part? Amanda snapped pictures of the entire thing! Sneaky, sneaky!

Amanda Marie Photography

When’s the big day?
January 12, 2013 It’s coming up so quick! Bret and I are definitely lovers of the summer season, and we had always envisioned exchanging nuptials in the warmer months. However, Bret had the itch to propose pretty early in October of 2011, and I still had a year of school 600 miles away. We didn’t want to have a 20 month engagement just for the sake of a summer wedding, so we set the date for the soonest we could following my graduation. I was not the biggest fan of this decision in the beginning, but once we got going on the plans I fell in love with the idea of a celebration in the winter!

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Our hometown of Liberty, Missouri! It is quaint with a strong sense of community while still being just 20 minutes north of some incredible venues in downtown Kansas City. There was no other place more perfect than the place we were raised!

Madi’s inspiration board. Fun fact – I designed it! Madi wrote into our “Ask the Experts” series last January and we put together three posts helping her bring Southern warmth to the winter months!

How did you pick your ceremony venue? What do you love most about it?
When we knew a winter wedding was in the works we had to start looking at indoor venues. The ceremony site was a quick decision. Bret and I will exchange vows at his family’s home church, Liberty Christian Church. This spot is very dear to both of us as it is where we first met back in junior high youth group and where we were both baptized. It is so neat to us that both of these big steps in our walks with the Lord will be taking place under the same roof! And how about those stained glass windows! I love!

Main Street Studios

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
I have adopted the term “Rustic meets Romance” throughout our planning process. Still, I want a very classic style, so the rustic elements are minor. We also have a strong Southern theme going with the use of cotton as a floral element and burlap runners on our tables. More than anything, I want the warmth and feeling of Southern hospitality to be the biggest takeaway for our guests… no matter what the temperatures are outdoors!

Burlap reception details (Kristyn Hogan via Southern Weddings) and cotton boutonnieres (Melissa Schollaert via Southern Weddings)

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I am a wedding blog nut… and always have been! Southern Weddings has stood as my first daily blog visit for the past four years! I can’t get enough! The “Emily Plans a Wedding” has also been beyond helpful! Thank you, Em!

Bret and I also seem to have been to a wedding just about everywhere in this past year… 8 total! I have taken many photos and mental notes throughout this exciting season of life to use for our big day.

How have you involved your “community” (friends, family, etc.) in the wedding planning process?
I don’t know what I would have done without my mom during this time. She is truly amazing! I’m planning from states away, and I know that without her, none of my plans would be executed! She has been so gracious to give of her time in order to help Bret and I have such a special day.

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
It’s so funny how when you begin the planning process, the ideas you once had change considerably. When I first envisioned my wedding, I pictured a summer’s eve, an old wooden barn and bright florals, boots and bow ties, fireflies and moonlight. When thinking of when and where we would wed, it seemed like a celebration outdoors was the only option! (Maybe it is because all of the beautiful outdoor ceremonies I had swooned over on Southern Weddings!) Even as a church-goin’ girl, I just never considered exchanging vows in a church. When BRS proposed in October, with my graduation date set for December of the next year, we knew our dream of a summer wedding just was not in the cards. No way did we want to embark on a 20 MONTH engagement! Summer of 2013 quickly turned into January 2013. Kansas City winters bring quite the chill and snow fall is no surprise ‘round those parts, so a winter wedding date meant no outdoor venue.

Unknown

What part of wedding planning, if any, has made you the most anxious?
I am very Type-A and as an aspiring wedding and event coordinator I have worked on the other side of many weddings. This sounds so ridiculous, but what has made me the most anxious is the feeling that something will not go according to plan. And from all I’ve learned, not everything will go according to plan! This day will definitely be a test of my patience, but I will be sending up many prayers that I will give up all control to the Lord on that day. No matter what goes off-kilter, I will still be Bret’s wife when it’s all said and done!

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Haha! Let me start by saying I’m glad the decision was finally made. I asked Bret if there was anything in particular that he was adamant about having a say in. He said food (of course!) and what the gents would wear. I gave a big sigh of relief when he wanted to tackle these two items, because in all honesty, he is better in the kitchen than I am, so I trust his judgment on our reception meal. Also, it was my thought that guys really had limited options as far as what they wear for their wedding. This black tux or this black tux… right?

Wrong. Bret, showing his most stubborn side, refused to wear a traditional black tux. He didn’t want to be “boring” or do “what everyone else does”. (His words, not mine!) He also believes that renting a tux never results in a good fit for every guy, and with our budget, buying the tuxes was out of the question. We seemed to be at a crossroads. When it came down to it, though, I wanted for Bret to feel as though his voice was heard on this topic, and I wanted him to have the freedom to choose his attire for the day just as I had been able to. Together, we proceeded to throw around the idea of charcoal gray or navy suits instead… and we threw it around for a period of 3 months. Three months!!! Navy eventually emerged as our final decision. Bret was thrilled, and I was just thrilled to be finished with that decision!

Handsome groom and groomsmen in navy (Sean Curtin Photography)

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
This will probably sound so crazy (and this just shows you how blessed I’ve been to be able to have most everything we’ve wanted) but I still wish we could rent chivari chairs or even wooden folding chairs! Our venue comes with a basic black chair which is fine… but I think everything could look much more polished with some wooden or bamboo chairs! How silly is that?

One major budget bonus that Madi was lucky to get – custom-designed invitations by Paperfinger for FREE! (Shown above, though with a different backer!) Read the whole story here!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
I found my gown very early on, and that is one detail that has remained a secret! I am very open about my planning process through my blog and in conversations with friends, but that is one thing I really wanted to save as a surprise for the day. I can tell you that I love it! It’s very classic and perfect for me!

One very important accessory I am so excited for is my veil! I fell in love with Katharine’s cathedral length veil with lace detail when I first saw it a couple years back. My very talented aunt offered to make this accessory for me, so we have gathered pictures for inspiration and set our hearts on recreating something similar to what Katharine wore. We are using a gorgeous ivory vintage French lace. I am giddy!

The inspiration, Katharine’s veil. (A Bryan Photo via Southern Weddings)

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
There is just a raw feeling of intimacy in a Southern wedding even if your guest count is 200+! Maybe it’s the strong ties to tradition, or the warmth of Southern hospitality. Maybe it’s the love between a Southern bride and groom and the blessing they received from their parents to join their lives together. Whatever it is, it’ll steal your heart and you won’t look at a wedding, or more importantly a marriage, the same again.

Tell us about planning with your fiancé. Has it gone smoothly? Is he more involved, or hands-off?
He has definitely been more hands-off, but only because he is focused on work and also doing a full renovation on our first home! He and his brother own a business where they buy homes and renovate them to rent them out. They came across a home for us, and Bret has been hard at work preparing it for our move-in just after the wedding.

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
Engagement isn’t always a blissful time. It has actually been a much harder time for Bret and I than we imagined… but at the same time, it’s been good for us. It has challenged us to be real with one another and pushed us to look past the silly arguments about the guest list or the food selections and remember why we fell in love in the first place.

Amanda Marie Photography

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
The ceremony… hands down! We are both very emotional, but not the kind of emotional that’s scared to be emotional, if that makes sense? Bret and I are both really excited to exchange our vows, sweet words and make that commitment to one another in front of the Lord, our families and dearest friends. I can’t help but think those moments will be so surreal and magical!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Put the most focus on preparing your relationship for marriage, not preparing yourselves for a wedding. (This is advice I probably needed to take many times throughout our planning instead of getting so caught up in the design and details of that one day.)

Oh! But on the planning front, create an email address specifically for wedding related communication. Use this email address for all contact with vendors and anyone involved in the planning process. There were too many times information would get lost among all of my school and work emails… I wish I would have heard this piece of advice earlier on! I hope future brides can put this one to use!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
My biggest hope is that I am able to soak in each moment on the wedding day. Any suggestions on how to make the most of every moment and not get caught up in the schedule of the day or rushing through the moments? Thanks y’all!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Madi! It has truly been a pleasure. Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Melissa Schollaert is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

A few of Lauren + James’ engagement photos by Lacey of Scobey Photography

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
It was last December, and James and I had been together for 5 years. At this point we had been talking about marriage for a while, so I knew it was coming but not when. So when he suggested we drive up to Athens to go to dinner, visit our favorite brewery, and walk around historic North Campus, I was a little suspicious. We hit terrible traffic on our way up, so we were afraid we wouldn’t have time to stroll around campus at all, but luckily we made it to town just when the sun was starting to set. If you aren’t familiar with North Campus – it’s full of gorgeous old magnolias, historic buildings, and a beautiful fountain next to the field where UGA played their very first game. After what seemed like hours (but was only about 15 minutes) walking around campus, we were standing by the fountain just talking. Then he got down on one knee – and admittedly I don’t remember what he said (I’m sure it was very sweet and romantic). I do remember that I said YES! It was the perfect proposal – just the two of us.

Lauren’s engagement ring photographed by Lacey for Scobey Photography

When’s the big day?
December 8, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
The Old Courthouse on the Square, Decatur, Georgia. Decatur is such a sweet little town, sort of a mini-destination just outside of Atlanta. It has everything guests could want, including all of the wedding events, so once they arrive for the weekend they can just enjoy themselves! (And no cars needed!)

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
We’re holding both the ceremony and reception at the Old Courthouse on the Square. I’ve known for a long time that I didn’t want a ballroom wedding, but I just fell in love with the marble, tall ceilings, and huge windows at the Courthouse. It’s a perfect blank canvas that still has lots of personality. And I sort of love the fact that we’re having a “courthouse wedding,” even though it’s a very traditional ceremony.

The Old Courthouse on the Square (photos by Woodland Fields and Michelle Scott)

Tell us a little bit about the wedding you’re planning: style, theme, feel, colors?
This may sound like an oxymoron, but we’re planning a wedding that is both formal and fun; “Southern vintage” is probably the closest to a true theme.

Our colors are navy and ivory, with accents of sage green and champagne. Even though it’s technically a “winter” wedding, we wanted to keep a warmer, less “icy” palette.

Who or what has been most helpful and/or inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Not to be stereotypical – but Pinterest! I also love looking at blogs (ahem – Southern Weddings) for photos and inspiration. We’re attending about 8 weddings this year, too, so I’m getting some tips on what to do (and maybe a few things to avoid) firsthand!

We love Lauren’s color palette! How we’re envisioning it… (Photos by Jose Villa with flowers by Amy Osaba, Patrick Moyer and Jennifer Dery via Elizabeth Anne Designs)

How have you involved your “community” (friends, family, etc.) in the wedding planning process?
One of the most exciting parts was getting to involve my sister (who isn’t quite so passionate about white dresses and flower arrangements as I am) in the wedding through design. She’s an amazing artist, and designed my invitations herself from scratch. She’ll also be helping me with some of the DIY elements, like our chalkboard program and menu board.

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Yes and no. Some of the vendors I’ve been in love with from the beginning and that has only grown – my caterer Sun in my Belly, my florist Maria from Amy Osaba. The main thing that has changed is my original idea of a more rustic wedding, maybe in a barn – obviously the Courthouse is a far cry from that, but I love it!

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Napkins! That’s the silly detail I’m wrestling with now – but honestly, most of the most difficult decisions have been some of the smallest in the grand scheme.

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
James and are incredibly passionate about food. He’s a beer rep (keeps our house very well stocked!) so the bar was key, too. Luckily, we found Sun in my Belly immediately from a recommendation from my boss. As soon as we met them and tasted their locally-sourced menu, we were sold! We carefully chose a menu to reflect our backgrounds: the cocktail hour will feature Middle Eastern food in honor of James’ father’s Lebanese and Egyptian family, and dinner will be incredibly Southern (think fried chicken and mashed potatoes). We’ll only be including craft beer and spirits as well – some from the US, some from abroad.

With a beer rep groom, you know the drinks will be good! Lauren loves these Pimms Cups and this clever sign (photos by Jose Villa and from Martha Stewart Weddings

How has the budgeting been? What’s your best budgeting tip?
The hardest part was determining a budget in the first place. I obviously haven’t ever planned a wedding before, so my mom and I had NO idea what things would cost! The best tips I can give: lots and lots of research, and use spreadsheets to keep track! Also, don’t be afraid to ask – for example, we have coffee service with dessert for a fifth of the usual price, because we asked our caterer about other options for serving (rather than the fancy and very expensive silver carafes).

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
A videographer. Having someone capture all the little moments that photos can’t show would be so amazing, but it’s just not something we could justify in the budget.

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! I actually bought it in January – it’s been sitting in my closet for months, since the designer accidentally rushed the order! I went with just my mom, and we didn’t cry when we found “the dress,” but it was such an amazing experience to share with her. Of course, it’s nothing like what I thought I’d pick!

Lauren loves sleek updos, and so do we! (Photos by Cristina G and Raquel Reis)

Do you have a favorite Etsy or independent store you’d love to tell us about?
Clark and Charola at Tough and Twisted do amazing work – we ordered personalized, handforged bottle openers for our groomsmen gifts (can you tell beer is a theme yet?). They just came in and are incredibly cool.

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We’re sort of doing a dual honeymoon! Some of our good friends live in San Francisco, so we’re spending a few days there on our way to Hawaii! The “real” honeymoon is seven days in Maui at an amazing resort there.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Be organized, and only try to do one big thing at a time. There were definitely stressful moments, but the fact that I kept very detailed spreadsheets of every vendor contacted and every one that had been booked saved my sanity. It also meant that I could keep track of the budget constantly. (I recommend Google Docs, because you can share and collaborate with any vendors, or your parents or anyone else helping plan and pay for the big day).

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
What color napkins should I choose?? But seriously – I’d love to know what one detail of your wedding is the most special to you. Maybe I’ll get some inspiration!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Lauren! I’m so glad we got to know better! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Scobey Photography is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

I always love chatting with brides who choose to get married in the winter, which is just one reason I’m excited to introduce Melissa to y’all! Please join me in making her feel welcome! (Also, be sure to check out her intriguing question at the end I know I’ll be chiming in!)

Hi! What’s your name?
Melissa Vause (here’s my blog)

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Stephen Feetham

Landon Jacob Productions

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Stephen and I met during his first year as a grad student, and my last year as an undergrad, at USC. He was teaching a lab that I had begrudgingly signed up for in order to graduate. The first day of class, I immediately noticed him, and was so glad I’d signed up for “Weather and Climate.” I had a crush on him the entire semester and made a lame attempt to flirt, but he didn’t seem interested. Being a moral teacher’s assistant, he paid me no special attention, and I earned that “C” fair and square!

Once the semester was over, we continued to talk, and got to know each other a little better over the next year. Finally, we set a time to hang out, and my best friend went with me to a favorite local bar to meet up with Stephen and his friends. Continuing with my impressive flirting skills, I asked him if he wanted to watch season one of Lost. It actually WORKED and we watched every single episode together. On St. Patrick’s Day 2010, we had our first “real” date, and we’ve been together ever since.

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Starting around Christmas 2010, Stephen and I joked and flirted with the idea of getting engaged. One particularly hot summer night, he mentioned that we should get a blender to make milkshakes. My response? “No, people put blenders on wedding registries.” Taking the hint, we never got a blender… not even a cheap one. We joked about the blender for months, and talked all the time about how much we wished we had one, but instead, we just held out and made our milkshakes with a spoon.

On December 6th, Stephen came into the room with a giant smile on his face and a cold glass in his hand. He had made me a peanut butter banana milkshake! I looked inside the glass and thought, “This looks rather emulsified.” I squinted my eyes and asked, “How did you make this? Not with a spoon…” He proudly declared that he’d bought a blender, then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was perfect‼

Landon Jacob

When’s the big day?
December 1, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
My home town of Charleston, SC! I may be partial, but this city is hands down the MOST beautiful place to live. It is rich in culture, heritage, and good ol’ Southern hospitality.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Stephen and I love downtown strolls together, and I think we chose venues that encompass all things historically beautiful. The ceremony will be held at St. Luke’s Chapel in the heart of the downtown area, and the reception will be held alongside the Cooper River, at the newly renovated Harborside East. It’s stunning inside and out and has the BEST view of the peninsula you could ever imagine. Harborside East is also right under the famous Cooper River bridge, which houses the nation’s third largest 10k, a race Stephen and I have run together with my family for the past three years.

Beautiful Charleston, as captured by Virgil Bunao and Joey + Jessica

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Pinterest and SW Mag, of course!! I am such a frugal McDougal; I refuse to pay for anything I can do myself. Those two places and Green Bride Guide have inspired lots of crafts and projects. Stephen and I pride ourselves on being a green household, and anything you will find at our wedding is either upcycled or recycled! Blue Planet Green Events has been a wealth of information, too!

How have you involved your “community” in the wedding planning process?
Our families and my bridesmaids have been so helpful the past ten months, especially my mom. You would think a year to plan a wedding would be enough time, but you’d be surprised how quickly it sneaks up on you! After I designed and printed the formal invites, my mom spent countless hours with me cutting, sticking, gluing, and addressing them all. She has also done a lot of the leg work running around collecting vintage items for the reception! My MOH has been extremely helpful, as well, collecting over 1,000 corks and over 50 wine bottles from local restaurants out of which Stephen and I will create our centerpieces.

On the left, Melissa’s inspiration for her bouquet (from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo by Simply Bloom). On the right, her inspiration for the gents’ boutonnieres – they’ll be made from fabric leftover after the bridesmaids’ dresses are hemmed!

What part of wedding planning, if any, has made you the most anxious?
Finding a baker! I’m not much of a cake person years of eating Funfetti cake and canned icing are probably to blame :) I had originally planned to have an old friend make our cake because it was NOT a priority in our budget. However, I started feeling anxious about the hundreds of different flavors and fillings there are to choose from, so I attended a wedding expo with my MOH and ran across a very small, local bakery. With one bite, McKenzie’s Bake Shop changed my mind about cakes. Forever. She is as sweet as pie, and so great at what she does, that we now go to her for every event that needs dessert, as well as the occasional Monday that simply demands a cupcake.

What wedding-related decision have you been the most indecisive on?
Oddly enough, picking a wedding gown! Years of shamelessly browsing wedding dresses in college (before I even had a boyfriend!) was not enough to prepare this bride for actually choosing a gown of her own. I love lace, I love beading, I love fluff, I love asymmetry… I just. Love. Wedding dresses! And no, I don’t think I have ever missed an episode of Say Yes to the Dress!

Which part of your wedding have you been most intentional about planning?
A few years ago at the annual Flowertown Festival in Summerville, a catering company, Cricket & Kyle (family-owned and formerly run out of a church kitchen), had a booth of the most DELICIOUS crab cakes I’ve ever had in my life. Growing up on the beach, Stephen and I both have high expectations for our seafood. Based solely on their crab cakes, we promised the owner that, whenever we got married, we’d have him cater! I carried his business card in my purse for TWO YEARS, and he was one of the first vendors we booked once we got engaged. Lucky for us, we found out at our tasting that he can dish up more than just amazing crab cakes, and I must say he has a mouthwatering spin on shrimp ‘n grits!

from Bon Appetit

We’re also really excited about our photographers! When Stephen and I moved to a house in Columbia, we got to know a nice couple down the street from us, who just so happened to be the talented photography duo Landon and Jordan of Landon Jacob Productions! I have been a HUGE fan of their work ever since, and it’s been kind of an unspoken agreement that when we were ready for a wedding photographer, we’d have to look no further than outside our living room window. When we got engaged, I think Jordan was just as excited as I was!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Oh golly! I am example no. 1 of “the girl who bought two dresses.” Two weeks after getting engaged, I brought my mom, aunt, cousin, and MOH dress shopping with me on my birthday. We quickly breezed through the first two stores in Charleston before heading to NY Bride and Groom in Charlotte. I had one set style in mind, and didn’t really try on anything else. I ended up falling in love with a beautiful beaded fit and flare lace dress, and we bought it that day.

But I didn’t stop looking. Something was missing, so I continued to browse dresses in the hopes of either dismissing or validating my initial dress decision. Eight months later, I was STILL looking, and dragged one of my bridesmaids to go with me to try on yet another dress I’d spotted in a magazine. I ended up hating it on, and was this close to settling on my first dress. On the way out, however, my bridesmaid pulled a dress off the rack and begged me to try it on, simply because we both thought it would look ridiculous! It was a giant ball gown, champagne in color, and the exact opposite of anything I had ever tried on.

I put it on, and my heart stopped beating. I immediately started crying, and knew this was the dress I wanted
to walk down the aisle in. I love it so much and can’t wait to put it on again!

We love the choices of these two brides, just two of the many featured on our Southern Styles board! (Left by Phindy Studios, right by Belathee Photography)

Do you have a favorite online shop you’d love to tell us about?
I am in love with Jenna Lou Designs and I would be remiss not to mention her! She creates, among many other items, custom clutches. She designed the clutches for my bridesmaids and personalized them with a hand-stitched patch on the inside!

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Sticking to a budget! As much as I would like to splurge on vendors, we have done as much as we possibly can ourselves. The stationery was a big one. It’s so easy to get caught up in spending a lot of money on save the dates, invitations, and calligraphers, but I am handy enough with graphic design and was able to design and print both our save the dates and the formal invitations myself. The bridesmaid flowers, groomsmen bouts, centerpieces, and wedding favors will all be DIY, as well. Luckily, we have completed nearly all of our planned projects, and we hired day-of-coordinators to pull it all together for us!

Another one of Melissa’s DIY projects – paper flowers made out of old maps to decorate their cake!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Stephen for the first time as I walk down the aisle. I have loved him since the moment I laid eyes on him. The several seconds it will take to walk towards him will feel like an eternity; it’ll be hard not to start running! One of our readings sums up my emotions perfectly.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I have two major pieces of advice. 1) The wedding is not just about you and your fiancé, but your families as well. Appease and be flexible. 2) Try on more than one wedding dress style! Even if you think you have a clear idea of what you want, try everything else on anyway. This is the only time in your life you have to try on wedding dresses… don’t sell the experience short by limiting yourself to one style. Who knows, what looks ridiculous on the rack might turn out to be the dress of your dreams!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
What is one thing you wish you’d done in planning for your wedding that you didn’t get around to?

Thank you so much for joining us today, Melissa! We’re excited to see how everything turns out in December! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

P.S. Check out all our past Southern Brides of the Month here!

Landon Jacob is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

From their engagement session with Nathan Westerfield… see more here!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Josh and I love to take weekend vacations, and travel together whenever possible. This particular weekend, we decided to visit Asheville to tour the Biltmore and visit a city we’d heard so many good things about. I had absolutely no idea what the weekend had in store, as we had never even mentioned the word “engagement,” even though we had been dating for almost two years!

After an amazing tour of the Biltmore, we went for a walk around the grounds and ended up at the top of a hill overlooking Bass Pond. We sat down for a few minutes, and while I enjoyed the view of the gorgeous fall trees, I eventually got bored and suggested we walk a little more. Josh patted the ground, and asked if I could just sit next to him a bit longer (he was sitting in grass while wearing khakis and a blazer this should’ve been a dead giveaway that something was up!). We didn’t say much while sitting there, other than “I love you,” before he turned to me and said, “Well, will you marry me?” (I thought I was about to have a heart attack, y’all!)

I immediately began crying and laughing and said, “Are you serious?” and then “Yes!”, followed by him explaining that he had had the ring for an entire month and how he had talked to my family about proposing, which made me cry even more. We were able to sit there together, alone, for a little while longer, and those will forever be some of my favorite moments of my life.

When’s the big day?
September 1, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
West End Church of Christ in Nashville

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
First, I wanted everything indoors. I wasn’t willing to gamble with Tennessee weather! We picked West End Church based on my love for a long center aisle. Also, the sanctuary is a gorgeous Tiffany blue color!
We chose the University Club because my parents’ reception was at there thirty years ago, and Chef Nick is a Southern food extraordinaire! We will have fried green tomatoes, chicken and biscuits, shrimp n’ grits, and all kind of good fixin’s at our reception!

Rachel loved this idea we shared for labeling food, and we love the sound of her Southern fixin’s! (Photos by Dave Lapham via Southern Weddings and Ingalls Photography)

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Most definitely Southern Weddings! I have folded pages, circled, highlighted you name it from every issue, and the blog is on my daily iPad reading list!

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
My mom. She deserves most of the credit!

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
We are big music lovers and go to the Bonnaroo music festival every year, so that was important to us. We meticulously chose our music and I can’t wait for our first dance together!

A sweet embroidered patch Rachel is thinking about adding to her gown (photo by Melissa Schollaert)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
I had a really difficult time finding a dress. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I tried on just about every dress in Nashville, but I never had ‘a moment’ with a dress, like I had always dreamed of. My phrase throughout the process was “I didn’t settle on a man, and I refuse to settle on a dress!”

I had applied to be on Randy to the Rescue, and had been through about four interviews to be on the show when it happened… I was helping a friend of mine find her dress, and we went into Olia Zavozina’s shop. She and I both found dresses there that night! I called my mom, she picked up my grandmother, and I knew after their reactions I had found “The One”! I can’t give too much away yet, but it’s a custom-made strapless ball gown with a sweetheart neckline. It was an amazing experience, and well worth the wait!

Since we obviously can’t show you Rachel’s dress, here’s a peek at her color scheme! Love the fresh navy + green! (Photo by Ashley Hoskins via Style Me Pretty

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Nathan Westerfield, our amazing photographer! We interviewed about ten others before deciding on him, and I know he will capture our wedding perfectly! He is one of the most talented wedding photographers I have met, but he is also down to earth and listens to my ideas, which is important to us!

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
The traditions, monograms, the pearls, seersucker, heritage, the flowers, bow ties, the food, the huge bridal parties, the use of lace, burlap, doilies, groom’s cakes… you name it, I love it, and I want it in our wedding!

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
Sigh. Plum Pretty Sugar robes, but with eleven bridesmaids, it was way out of our budget to outfit everyone. I’d highly recommend them to any other bride with a smaller bridal party, though!

Wedding cake and groom “cake” inspiration! (Photos by The McCartneys via Style Me Pretty and via Tara Guerard Soiree)

What has been the best part of wedding planning?
Some of the best parts for me have been creating and crafting some of the personal details. I drew our wedding program by hand (complete with map!) and handmade our ring pillow, among many other things.

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Our biggest challenge so far would have to be managing our large wedding party 24 people in total! We are blessed to have so many friends and family, but coordinating them all has been a small challenge. Thank goodness for our wedding planner! Also, it was a challenge to find a good weekend that didn’t conflict with the SEC football schedule! (Go Vols!)

A perfect photo opp for state-proud couples like Rachel and Joshua! (Photo by Kristyn Hogan)

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Our first look. Just thinking about it makes me tear up and get chills! This is one tradition I don’t mind breaking, because I am so excited to have a moment together that’s just ours. Josh is looking forward to his “groom’s cake” pie bar. Also: me bawling my way down the aisle with my dad (it’s inevitable). Of course, we are both excited for the part where we say “I do”!

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We’re headed to Saint Lucia, y’all! We are looking forward to a week of relaxation, with some exploring and snorkeling sprinkled in.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I have passed along the Little Borrowed Dress site to every bride I can! If you are like me and want to save your girls some money, check it out. For $75, they can rent a floor length dress in any color, which is what we are doing: the Hillary Jane dress in navy.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Rachel! Best wishes this weekend!! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Melissa Schollaert is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

A fun shot from Molly Gee and Justin’s engagement session by Beth Morgan!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We met a few times in and after college through mutual friends, but we didn’t really make the effort to get to know each other until the summer of 2010. Separately, we had set big plans for our lives outside of Mississippi, but in the end, the Lord led us back to our hometowns to follow a different path together.

What did you do on your first date together?
Both of us were on tight budgets, so when Justin said he wanted to take me out on a date but couldn’t afford an expensive dinner, I suggested milkshakes and popcorn with a rented movie. We watched Young Guns (not really sure how we came to that choice!?). A few weeks later, I asked him to be my date for filming a friend’s music video. We showed up to the shooting location (a cabin in Mississippi!) and had to dress in 1920’s fashion and pretend to play instruments.

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
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, and 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!

Molly Gee, Justin, and Miss Fern! (Photo by Beth Morgan)

When’s the big day?
Friday, October 12, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
The ceremony and reception will be held at The South, a refurbished warehouse in Jackson, MS, owned by the talented Wendy Putt of Fresh Cut Catering and Floral. Justin and I love the space and its endless possibilities. It is definitely a blank canvas and we have access to so many great antique furniture pieces stored in the building.

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
If Pinterest were a person, I would hug her! I have to admit, when I was first engaged, one of my first thoughts was, Yay! It’s now definitely acceptable to start pinning the heck out of wedding photos! Also, thank you, thank you to Southern Weddings for your ultimate wedding planning checklist in V4! I have notes and check marks covering the pages!

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Since I work in the wedding business, I have always tried to stay very neutral with my personal wedding preferences, although it’s hard not to have an idea of what you want and don’t want. I have stayed with a vision of mostly neutrals, complemented by small pops of color. I love both rustic and modern styles, so we have tried to find a happy medium throughout the planning process.

Molly Gee’s inspiration board!

We’re guessing you’re planning to make your own wedding accessories. True?
Of course! I plan to wear the Daisy (a tulle birdcage veil), the Delphinium (a braided rhinestone sash), and for the reception, possibly the Wisteria (a tulle flower hairpiece). The bridesmaids will wear a mix of hairpieces, necklaces, and sashes. Even Justin and his groomsmen will wear a mix of MollyGee designs bow ties and ties!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I’m looking forward to marrying this wonderful man and celebrating with all of our family and friends! On my wedding day, I want to put all the headaches of planning aside and just enjoy! Justin is also VERY excited about his groom’s cake! He is Arsenal’s number one fan, and the cake will be in the shape of the team’s crest.

Two awesome groom cakes we’ve featured in the past: an alligator (photo by Stephen DeVries) and a ham (photo by Oh, Darling!)

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
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!

Thank you so much for playing along, Molly Gee! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Stephen DeVries is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Brett Price

Are either of you on Twitter, or do you have a blog?
I have a blog, Hello Seester! I also have a Twitter account.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
A mutual friend introduced us to one another the day before classes started our freshman year of college at Belmont. We immediately hit it off, he asked me to go for a walk that evening (which resulted in me missing the first mandatory RA meeting on my dormitory floor!), and we’ve been college sweethearts ever since!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
A couple of years into dating, Drew and I decided we were in it for the long haul. From that point forward, he kept promising me, “We’ll get engaged the fall of 2011.” May rolled around and we went ring shopping for the first time. As soon as August 21st (our fourth dating anniversary) rolled around, I was waiting for it. I kept getting so discouraged every time I went out with Drew, because I expected it at every turn. By the time October was over, I was convinced it would never happen.

When he asked me to go on a dress-up date on a Thursday mid-November, I was suspicious, but cautious. Drew stopped by my office midday to get something out of my car, and I slyly had my coworker ask him if he was going to propose (little did I know, she was already in on the surprise!). After he left, I drilled her, and she told me he still hadn’t asked my father for permission. I was so upset! I totally believed her, so for the rest of the night I was completely off-guard. He made the sweetest video slideshow for me chronicling our entire dating relationship and showed it to me after I had gotten dressed up for our date (in the first dress I wore on a formal date with him freshman year). It wasn’t until the second-to-last slide, which read “Drew and Kelly went to their friends’ weddings and always dreamed of having their own…” when I finally started to realize what was happening. The last slide was his proposal. I caught him in my peripheral vision getting down on one knee and my mouth fell open. I was in shock for a good five minutes, and then I laughed, screamed, and sobbed with glee. Then he told me he’d videotaped the whole thing! We have an entire hidden-camera video of me waltzing in, bragging about my hairstyling abilities, and genuinely responding to his sweetness. I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal – especially since he got me SO good! You can check out our video here.

Brett Price

When’s the big day?
Saturday, July 21st, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
A little barn in my hometown of Pleasant View, Tennessee, called The Livery Stables.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Guest retention and convenience were important to me, so we picked a place where we could do both the ceremony and reception (without losing people in-between). What really sold us was the “feel” of the venue, too; one of my most favorite Nashville locations is Belle Meade Plantation, and The Livery Stables reminded me of Belle Meade’s Carriage House with its barn doors, wooden pillars, and equestrian theme. It’s cozy, homey, and not in the slightest stuffy. The second Drew and I walked in over Thanksgiving weekend, we knew it was “the one.” Not to mention – it’s completely air-conditioned! No sweating at the wedding for this July bride!

The beautiful pink and green inspiration board that Kelly put together!

Were you totally that girl who planned her wedding from age 5, or not so much?
Oh, absolutely. One of the first questions I ask people I’m getting to know is “How do you envision your future wedding?” (or “What was your wedding like?” if they’re already married!). Needless to say, no one was surprised when I decided to go the wedding planner career path :) I’ve always considered what my colors will be, what silhouette I’ll wear, what details I’ll want to incorporate. I used to bookmark every wedding I liked in my “Favorites” folder, or link to them on my Facebook – you can only imagine how delightful it was to discover Pinterest last year!!!

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Pinterest has been the best way for me to organize my ideas, but wedding blogs and magazines (ESPECIALLY Southern Weddings) have been a wealth of inspiration throughout everything. It’s also been lovely working weddings, because you see so many fabulous concepts and how they play out in real life!

Kelly loves this raspberry limeade for a pink signature drink (photo by Karen Mordechai from Sunday Suppers)

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
My event designer (also affectionately known as my Wedding Fairy Godmother – every bride needs one!!!), Hillary Yeager, has been my saving grace since day one. (She even knew I was getting engaged before I did!) I’ve worked with her on multiple events and projects throughout my 2+ years at StudioWed and A Delightful Day. When we got engaged and were faced with a real-world budget (to reconcile with my fantasy-world wedding dreams), Hillary so graciously offered to let me work off my wedding flowers by helping her around her floral studio, Brocade Designs. Since then, her role has morphed into my paper goods designer, décor sourcer, sounding board, personal inspirer, and now even dessert bar-creator! She’s helped me with everything from picking out the perfect linens to booking a gourmet coffee caterer (after we made the last-minute decision to scrap a full meal in favor of a coffee-and-desserts reception!), researching scrumptious pie recipes, and designing the most stunningly gorgeous invitation suite I could dream of. Not to mention, I consider her a dear friend and adore her company!

Another gorgeous invitation suite Kelly loves, this one by Hardink Calligraphy

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Completely! As I mentioned before, I was one of those girls who had her ENTIRE wedding planned out before she even tried on an engagement ring. The issue with dreaming out every single detail (down to the pale yellow seersucker napkins) was that I was giving myself nowhere to be flexible. Turns out, our dream date (September 29th) conflicted with Drew starting a new job at a CPA firm in late August. Our dream venue was completely out-of-budget when we realized how much their in-house catering would cost (especially since catering was/is NOT a top priority). Even our colors (buttercream yellow and dark chocolate brown) would’ve been completely washed out in our neutral-toned wedding barn. I gave myself a little time to mourn my wedding dreams, but then gave myself liberty to create new ones (with my future husband’s input – so important!).

A new color scheme means beautiful pink blooms and fun gold stirrers! (Photo on left by Jessica Lorren via Style Me Pretty; photo on right by Beaux Arts Photographie via Santa Barbara Chic)

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
I think the one thing that has stayed consistently consistent throughout planning has been my value in the documentation of our day. I anguished over finding the perfect photographer (there are so many fantastic ones out there!) for WEEKS after we got engaged. One of the biggest blessings and curses of working in the wedding industry is your awareness of all the talented vendors out there. I definitely put the most pressure on myself to find the right photographer and videographer to perfectly depict our day. I’m huge on documenting moments in life – I was always the annoying preteen sporting my loud blue camcorder wherever I went, and my favorite college class was Creative Non-Fiction (in which we wrote our own memoirs). I want to be able to relive every moment from our wedding day and show it to our grandchildren. We are so thrilled to be working with Kristine Neeley Photography and McNeal Wedding Films – not only are they “friendors,” they’re immensely talented, and I know they’ll portray our day in a way that genuinely depicts Drew’s and my relationship and excitement at spending the rest of our life together!!

Monogrammed bouquet wraps that Kelly loves (photo by Kate Headley via Southern Weddings)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Choosing my wedding dress was the very first thing I did after getting engaged! I had PRAYED that Drew would propose in time for me to attend The Bride Room’s Third Annual Super Sale (a fantastic sample sale held once a year at the most lovely Nashville bridal boutique!). I knew it would likely be my only chance to get a designer dress. Fortunately, Drew popped the question 10 days before the sale. I had enough time to peruse their dresses on a normal day (per their suggestion), see what else was out there in other stores (nothing could compare!), and go to the sale! I was the first bride to find her dream dress that day – it was so meant to be!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Oh my goodness, I couldn’t pick a favorite! We have been so blessed to work exclusively with “friendors” (friend-vendors!) on our big day – how incredible is it to have a personal relationship with each and every person contributing to the most important party of your life! However, I will say I am perhaps the most excited about our wedding cake. I am a complete and utter cake snob, so I have meticulously tasted each and every slice of wedding cake I’ve come in contact with over the past few years. When it came to deciding who would make our wedding cake, there was literally NO QUESTION that Juanita Lane of Dulce Desserts would be our baker. Her cakes are made from the highest quality ingredients, gorgeously constructed, and her buttercream is TO. DIE. FOR. To give you a little taste of our wedding cake, here are the flavors (you’re going to die): chocolate chip cake with coffee buttercream, European butter cake with raspberry buttercream and lemon curd, and pistachio cake with pistachio buttercream and a thin layer of chocolate truffle ganache. TELL me you’re not drooling right this minute!!

Some of Kelly’s dessert inspiration! (Photo on left by Katie Lewis via Style Me Pretty, and photo on right from Martha Stewart Weddings

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
Drew and I are both born and raised in the South. I grew up watching Gone with the Wind and hand-churning peach ice cream on my grandparents’ back porch. Southern weddings aren’t a far cry from Southern living on a daily basis: it’s all about hospitality, family, tradition, and having a good time. It is our ultimate goal to throw the best party of our lives (thus far) as we celebrate joining our lives together permanently. We’ve invited family and friends from all walks of life, made it a point to pay homage to our upbringings and the generations that came before us in as many ways as we can, and we anticipate dancing ALL NIGHT LONG.

Tell us about the one that got away. Is there one dream thing or vendor you wish you could have fit into your budget?
The first time I went dress-shopping I fell madly in love with Monique Lhuillier’s pink “Candy” gown. While I did strongly consider eloping or having a very small brunch wedding to accommodate the dress (and eventually used it for inspiration when I changed my color scheme), I decided it wasn’t the wisest move for me to toss out everything JUST for the dress. I am one zillion percent happy with the wedding dress that ended up being “The One,” but if I could have fit it in the budget, I’d LOVE to wear Candy as a getaway gown!

The pink dress of Kelly’s dreams, and another dream-worthy bouquet (photo by Ryan Ray via Wedding Chicks!)

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
That it would, indeed, be possible for us to have the wedding of our dreams without eloping or having to seriously compromise anything that was TRULY important to us. I was so stressed out the first month dealing with a budget, vendors with booked-up dates, and the uncertainty of it all I should have known it would work out, all in God’s great timing! Oh, and one last thing – it’s totally NOT worth it to get your teeth professionally laser-whitened. Doing that has been the most physically painful experience of my entire life. Brides – take heed! If you’re going to go to the extremes for white teeth, do it EARLIER than the day (or week!) before the wedding! It would be awful to grimace in all those pretty photos!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I am looking forward to SO many moments on our wedding day. I CANNOT wait to peek around the corner of the barn on my family’s property to do my First Look with Drew. I can’t wait to sob through my wedding vows (it’s inevitable). I can’t wait to see ALL our friends and family all united in one place, for one occasion that’s once in a lifetime. I’m also pretty thrilled to be announced into our reception as Mrs. Andrew Dellinger!!!!

More lovely pink and green details that are inspiring Kelly (signature drink from A Cup of Mai!)

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize! Don’t be afraid to adapt your priorities after you initially set them, but keep your eye on what’s actually important. You don’t have to follow the cookie-cutter mold for everything. It’s YOUR wedding. Make it your own!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
How do you keep yourself present at every moment of the wedding day? I’ve gotten to this point between showers and bridal portraits and all of these exciting events that have been planned for months where everything feels surreal and flies by because I can’t believe it’s actually happening. I don’t want to miss a second of the wedding because I’m so busy thinking, “What is going ON?!” How do you shut your brain off and simply be the bride?!

Thank you so much for playing along, Kelly! For more from Miss Kelly, be sure to check out her astounding collection of 124 Pinterest boards right here! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Graham Terhune

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Thomas and I both went to college at UNC, and while we had a lot of mutual friends and lived in the same apartment complex, our paths never crossed until the spring of our junior year. I was out with some friends one night and got separated from the group. Luckily, I ran into another friend (now bridesmaid!) who was headed over to a party at Thomas’s apartment and offered to walk me home since we were headed in the same direction. Instead of going home, though, I went to Thomas’s party, where we met for the first time. A few nights later, Thomas very chivalrously saved me from the advances of some less than desirable gentlemen, and won my heart in the process. We’ve been inseparable ever since!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
We got engaged on June 19, 2011. I had moved home for the summer for work and went back up to Chapel Hill for our friends’ wedding (the bride was the same friend who had introduced Thomas and me 4 years earlier!). That Saturday morning, while I was getting ready for the wedding, Thomas snuck back to his house in Durham where he decorated his entire place in orange flowers – my favorite color! The morning after the wedding, we stopped by his house before he took me to the airport. When I opened the door, I saw all the beautiful flowers, but I still wasn’t sure what was going on. He had made a trail of love notes and rose petals leading from the living room to the bedroom, with the final note lying on the bed in the middle of a heart made out of roses. I read each note along the trail—tearing up more with each one and beginning to understand what was about to happen! When I turned around after reading the last note, Thomas was down on one knee! It was beautiful – I’m actually not sure I ever said yes because I was crying so hard!

Graham Terhune

When’s the big day?
August 4, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
We are getting married in Birmingham at my childhood church, the Cathedral Church of the Advent, and having the reception at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to have the ceremony at The Advent. I have been going there since I was born and think is it such a stunning and majestic church. It has the most beautiful stained glass windows and a nice, long aisle so I can fully take in the excitement of the ceremony as I walk to meet Thomas at the altar! The museum was an easy choice too – I love how open and clean the space is. There is a beautiful staircase that descends in front of a large, floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the museum garden where Thomas and I will make our grand entrance into the reception as husband and wife – I think I am most excited about that tableau! It is also just across the street from The Advent, separated only by a park. I love the idea of our guests not having to travel much to get to the reception – no time for the celebration or excitement to dwindle!

The Birmingham Museum of Art, where Mignon and Thomas’s reception will be!

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Thomas has been my biggest source of inspiration. He has been so unbelievably patient and understanding throughout the entire planning process and really helps me remember what our wedding is all about – getting to spend the rest our lives together! Getting to talk to him and discuss our relationship and future together helps remind me of what we as a couple are truly about, and it is that expression of love and individualism that I really want our wedding to convey. He keeps me grounded and excited which is the best inspiration a girl could ask for!

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
My mother has been amazing throughout the entire wedding planning process! I honestly don’t think I could have done any of the planning or coordinating without her! Because I was in school in North Carolina while trying to plan a wedding in Alabama, she had to take on a lot of the responsibility of contacting and meeting with vendors. She has done an incredible job and has been completely gracious every step of the way – we have somewhat different tastes and ideas about how things should look, and she has always deferred to my choices in making decisions to ensure the wedding is everything I envision. She’s been incredible!

Pretty hairstyles that are inspiring Mignon! The photo on the left is by Ai-ling Chang via Whimsical Wonderland Weddings (updo by Tiffony Simpson of Ony Salon) and the one on the right is by Christina Watkins.

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
The pictures. I want to make sure that I remember every last detail of the day, and I think pictures are the best way to do that. I also think that pictures allow a couple to convey the wedding’s uniqueness and personality that they’ve worked so hard to create. I have spent countless hours thinking about the timeline of when various pictures need to be taken, where certain shots should be, and who needs to be included in each photo. It’s exhausting, but I want to make sure that each moment is captured! Of course, having an amazing photographer definitely helps, and I have complete faith that our photographer will get plenty of priceless shots that will make it all worth it!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
My dress was one of the first decisions I made! My mother and I found it last summer, maybe just two weeks after I got engaged. It was one of the first dresses I tried on and even though I tried on a lot of other dresses, I kept going back to that one. When I tried it on, Mama and I both got teary eyed – it’s just perfect! It’s from the Grace Kelly collection and is everything I wanted in a dress – elegant, (hopefully) timeless, and not overly flashy. I don’t want to reveal too much, because I want it to be a complete surprise to the groom.

Floral inspiration that’s inspiring Mignon! The photo on the left is by Jennifer Lindberg (bouquet by Stems Custom Floral) and the photo on the left is by Aaron Delesie (arrangement by Flower Wild).

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
My photographer, Graham Terhune. Graham is a close friend of ours, and I am so excited for him to capture our wedding day. He is great behind the camera, but more than that, he is one of the kindest and most down-to-earth people I know, which makes everyone he shoots comfortable and at ease in front of the camera.

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
The tradition. I love that there are certain elements of the big day that Southern brides have been doing for centuries! For my wedding, I am wearing my grandmother’s garter that all the other women in my family have worn – it’s tradition!

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
I love LovliDay Wedding Designs and Family Trees. Jessica Steury, the shop owner, was so easy to work with and made an amazing vintage movie-style poster for us to use at the entrances to the reception. It is the perfect touch to tie together the Old Hollywood feel of the reception that we are going for!

Another pretty bouquet favorite of Mignon’s, this photo by Bonnie Berry via Elizabeth Anne Designs

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Managing the stress! You don’t realize until you are planning your own wedding just how many things there are to coordinate and consider. It is definitely overwhelming at times and managing that stress has been a huge challenge for me – especially since it came during my last year of law school!

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
The longer the engagement, the more time you have to change your mind and obsess over things. A short engagement not only means that you get to be married sooner (!) but also that you have less time to stress and fret over the details.

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
There are two moments in particular that I can’t wait for: (1) Our first look when I get to see Thomas for the first time in our wedding attire and (2) Our first dance – sharing that moment as husband and wife with all our friends and family looking on – I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it

Beautiful first dance captured by Jonathan Canlas via Southern Weddings

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We are going to Northern California for our honeymoon – neither of us has ever been to that part of the country before. We are spending three nights in Sonoma, then driving down the coast to Monterrey for a few nights and then finishing up the trip in San Francisco. Thomas and I love nature and food, so hopefully the trip will be filled with both of those things!

Question for y’all: What would you like to see us ask our Southern Brides of the Month? Is there a particular question we’re not asking that you’d find interesting or helpful? Please comment and let us know!!

Thank you so much for playing along, Mignon! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

P.S. Ready for more? Check out these posts:
Another Birmingham Southern Bride of the Month
Another Birmingham wedding in an art gallery
Graham Terhune’s wedding!

Graham Terhune is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

A Bryan Photo

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Mike and I went home to Birmingham for a friend’s wedding in June. The night before, he took me to my favorite restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill (Frank Stitt). I ran into an old friend in the ladies room who asked if we would get engaged soon. Little did I know after enjoying the most savory, French inspired Southern meal, Mike started talking about his love for me and asked me to be his wife. The proposal was so Mike – simple and sweet! This all happened after we ordered dessert and by the time it came I was so excited/shocked that I couldn’t eat! Later on after our engagement, the restaurant sent us the menu from June 17th and we had it framed with pictures from that evening.

When’s the big day?
May 12, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
We will be marrying at Point Washington United Methodist Church in Santa Rosa Beach, FL with the reception following at Watercolor Inn & Resort.

Point Washington United Methodist Church (photo by Jacqueline Ward)

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
All of my favorite childhood memories were spent during the summers on the Gulf Coast. My mother is a member of Point Washington UMC. It is the most intimate, sweet little white chapel. I knew I wanted to have the ceremony in a church and it is perfect. Mike and I visited several reception venues; however, Watercolor Inn & Resort offered a beautiful Inn Green space off of the beach. We liked the ability to have both an outdoor space with a big tent and indoor AC for the Northerners. AC was a big concern for those people!

The Watercolor Inn Green, tented for a wedding (Paul Johnson Photography)

Were you totally that girl who planned her wedding from age 5, or not so much?
I had friends who made wedding inspirational books in college – I was never that obsessed, but I was definitely focused on finding the right person in due time. I’ve always enjoyed wedding magazines like Southern Weddings and Martha Stewart Weddings. It was fun to think about and imagine! I found my wedding dress in a magazine about a year before I got engaged.

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
PINTEREST!! I joke that I may be one of the last of my Southern friends to marry but I’ve been able to plan my wedding with Pinterest which has been amazing! I’m a very visual person so being able to create boards to organize my thoughts and ideas has been very helpful. Pinterest assisted me in clearly sharing that vision with all of our vendors.

One of the wedding ideas Elizabeth collected on – yep – Pinterest (Paul Johnson via Southern Weddings)

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Not necessarily. I envisioned a very vintage, elegant wedding from the start. I wanted the Watercolor Inn Green to feel like a garden by the ocean. Most importantly, I wanted it to be a day focused on our love and to celebrate our family and friendships.

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
We definitely invested more in serving quality food and beverage. Mike and I both love seafood and as part of the cocktail hour we will be having a raw bar with oysters, gulf shrimp and blue crab claws.

Pink astilbes are one of the flowers that Elizabeth loves, and we can see why! (JAC Photography and Lane Dittoe)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
I went to several shops in the DC area but never had a “say yes” moment. In August I made a last minute call to Kleinfeld and got an appointment without knowing it would be the same weekend of Hurricane Irene. I ended up going to NYC via Amtrak, finding my dress and returning in the same day! I discovered the Monique L’Huillier dress I admired in a magazine was discontinued but Kleinfeld miraculously had it in the back! I knew it was the one immediately after putting it on. It was the only dress I tried on at the store!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
We’ve worked with some great vendors so far. A Bryan Photo did our engagement photos and we couldn’t be more pleased with his impressive work!! Mike and I were especially excited when we did our cake tasting with Confections on the Coast. Rhonda has an amazing portfolio of cakes and is designing ours to mimic my dress. We are doing 4 different flavors – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and key lime (1 for each tier). The sketch is beautiful and I can’t wait to see it in person!

Elizabeth and Mike are having a cake inspired by china and lace – love these inspiration images she rounded up! (Both from Martha Stewart Weddings)

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
I think all Southern weddings have a special focus on family and friends. Before meeting my fiancé, I didn’t realize that most Northern weddings are a sit down dinner. I appreciate the majority of Southern weddings I’ve attended are “strolling” so that you can spend time with those you enjoy most and dance as much as you want!

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
I would highly recommend checking out the HeidiDevlin store. She makes the most beautiful pillows! I purchased a customized one for our reception lounge. I think it will be a very special touch to the big day! I also purchased a great burlap banner from the funkyshique store.

A burlap banner from funkyshique!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Seeing Mike for the first time when the church doors open!

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
We will be spending two weeks in Hawaii. After a long flight we’ll land and stay
in Oahu for 2 days. Then we travel to Maui for several days then Kauai. I can’t
wait to explore the islands, hike, and snorkel (my favorite)!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Stay calm and delegate tasks nicely to your groom when necessary. Enjoy this exciting time together!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
For those that are married, do you have advice on how to take advantage of time during the wedding day? I’m scared it will all go by so fast and I’ll regret not doing something. Also how did you stay relaxed the day of?

Thank you so much for playing along, Elizabeth! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Hi, y’all! March’s Southern Bride of the Month is Ali, and she’ll actually be a familiar face to many of you! We featured her and her fiancé Eric’s Gator engagement session awhile back, and you can see all the photos here! I’m so happy to have had the chance to learn more about this athletic duo and their wedding enjoy this month’s interview!

Hi! What’s your name?
Ali Peek

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Eric Wilbur

What do y’all do for a living?
Eric is a professional football player and I am a sports writer/reporter.

Anna Kirby via Southern Weddings

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Eric and I met the summer after our freshman year at the University of Florida. We were introduced by our mutual friends and bonded over our shared love of Florida Gator sports (and all sports, for that matter!). By that fall we were dating. Over the next three seasons, I became Eric’s biggest cheerleader. (Other than his Momma, of course!)

I knew I had found the perfect guy for me after Eric’s Valentine’s Day surprise in 2006. He told me to dress warm and be ready at my house at 7pm. He picked me up, blindfolded me, and drove me to his secret location. He carefully guided me through what seemed like a maze of steps and hallways. When we reached our destination, Eric removed the blindfold. We were standing on the 50-yard line at Florida Field! Laid out in front of us was a picnic blanket, candles, champagne, steak and lobster. Anyone that knows me knows this is basically my vision of heaven on earth! Eric has spent the last few years attempting to top that moment…so far, it hasn’t happened – ha!

Two of Ali’s bouquet inspirations! (Photos: Katie Lewis via Style Me Pretty and Haley Sheffield via Southern Weddings)

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
I feel like this story wouldn’t be complete without first sharing with everyone how Eric asked my Daddy permission to marry me. I also need to tell you that Eric (and my Dad, for that matter) never miss an opportunity to win… at anything.

On Christmas Day, Eric and my Dad slipped out to walk three holes on the golf course behind my parents’ house. Eric and my dad have a great relationship. They also compete in everything. Whether it’s golf, beer pong, Wii or anything where score can be kept, they compete. So, of course, this day was no different. They had decided to have a “best of three” competition. Eric won the first hole and my dad won the second. The usual trash talk took place on the walk to the third hole. As my Dad lined up in the tee box, he told Eric “There is nothing you can say to break my concentration.” As he went to swing his club, Eric asked, “Can I marry your daughter?” My Dad turned to Eric laughing and said “touché”. My Daddy went on to win the third hole and he gave Eric permission to marry me.

On May 20th, 2011, Eric and I were packing up the car to head to Tampa to watch my little brother James play. We were running late (as usual!) and I was in a hurry to get on the road. Eric told me he forgot something, and ran back in the house. After five minutes passed, I went inside to see what could possibly be taking so long. I found Eric holding our new baby kitten, Mason. “Don’t you want to say goodbye to the kitty?” he asked me. I said “yes” and began kissing on the kitten. It took a full minute or so before I even realized that Eric had placed his great-grandmother’s ring on the kitten’s collar. As soon as I saw it, my eyes welled with tears and Eric dropped to one knee. He popped the question and I said, “YES!”

Let’s see the ring!
My engagement ring is a beautiful 15-carat aquamarine that belonged to Eric’s great grandmother. I had gushed over the ring years earlier, and Eric and his mom remembered. I feel so blessed and honored to have such an amazing piece of family history resting on my finger. When we say “I DO,” it will be with his great grandmother’s wedding band. Eric will be wearing his Daddy’s wedding band. It is inscribed on the inside with his parents wedding date and ours.

When’s the big day?
Our big day is April 21st, 2012.

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Eric and I are tying the knot at the gorgeous St. Leo Abbey, the heart of St. Leo University. The Abbey was built in 1881 and is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. After our vows, we will be heading over to the Lange Farm just a couple miles away to continue the celebration. It is acres and acres of rolling hills and moss-covered oak trees and a fully operational horse farm.

Photo of St. Leo Abbey by Stephen Dohring

I had actually always dreamed of getting married at this huge Catholic Church in the center of downtown Tampa, but when I started visiting venues right around the church, everything just seemed so cookie cutter. I casually mentioned getting married on a farm to Eric, but he was not that thrilled with the idea. I even called the Lange Farm, only to find out they were booked during the time frame we wanted to wed. After a few weeks of fruitless efforts, I received a call from the Lange Farm letting me know they had a cancellation on April 21st, our dream wedding day. A quick drive over to Tampa to tour the property confirmed my feelings and completely won over Eric.

Ceremony decor ideas: baby’s breath wreath and mason jars with baby’s breath for every other pew! (Photos by Mi Amore Foto via Emmaline Bride)

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
In a word, family. I want our wedding to reflect not only where Eric and I are headed in our relationship with each other, but also where we have been. We are both so lucky to be blessed with amazing families and they have made us who we are. Both of our parents have been married for more than 30 years, and all of my grandparents are nearing the 60-year mark. That’s a huge legacy to live up to.

The last few years, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on how lucky I am to be a part of such a big family (the oldest of 7 children!) and at 27, to still have all four of my grandparents. A few months after we got engaged, both of my grandfathers had some health issues, and I had so much heartache over the thought that maybe I wouldn’t get to spend my big day with all four of them. This resulted in many sleepless nights and tears. In a way, I felt selfish, because all of Eric’s grandparents had passed by the time he was 10 years old.

Then, on December 16th of last year, our world changed. We had just arrived in Tampa because the next day, my aunt was throwing a joint engagement party for my sister and her fiancé and Eric and I. We hadn’t been home ten minutes before the phone rang. Eric’s father was being transported to the hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack. We immediately ran out the door to the car to drive back to Orlando and straight to the hospital. We prayed the whole way that Eric’s dad would be okay. When we were about 20 minutes from the hospital, Eric’s mom called us and asked us to pull over on the side of the road. We did and she told us that Eric’s Daddy had suffered a massive heart attack and didn’t make it. During all the time I had spent worried about my 85-year-old grandparents, it never crossed my mind that Eric’s 57-year-old dad, his best friend and hero, would not be with us. In the week after Eric’s Dad’s passing, my outlook on our wedding changed. As I watched my future husband give the eulogy at the funeral and listened to him describe the type of husband and father he was hoping to be one day, I realized the details didn’t matter. We could get married at the courthouse and I would still be happy. I’m still a stickler for the details, but I have a whole new respect for what’s really important; cherishing every moment with each other and our families.

More baby’s breath ideas: Leo Patrone via Style Me Pretty and Madalina Lesan Photography (boutonniere by Holly Chapple) via Emmaline Bride

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Yes. When we first started looking for venues, I pictured a formal affair in a giant ballroom. I thought about long gowns, elaborate flowers and lots of glamour. The more places I toured, the more I realized this vision was so not me!

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
Financially, we are the most invested in our food. Our caterer, Anthony from Stone Chef Catering, Inc. has created an amazing menu filled with delicious Southern foods. We are serving Peach Bourbon glazed chicken, prime rib, a mashed and sweet potato bar, green beans, cornbread, crab cakes, two different kinds of mac and cheese, sweet tea and lemonade. Personally, I am the most invested in the DIY projects that Eric and I have dreamed up. We bought a pair of 10 foot tall French doors that we sanded and painted white. Our seating chart is going to be printed on the windowpanes. We bought three pairs of old shutters, painted them white and then antiqued them. Then, I rolled 100 clothespins in gold glitter and will use them to pin up wedding pictures of all of our relatives. My future mother-in-law got her whole school to save old jars and we have spent the last few months covering them in burlap, lace and twine. We’ve made over 200 of them! They are going to be used for flowers and candles on all of our tables at the reception. I’ve scoured garage sales for milk glass, teacups, picture frames and lace doilies. I hope all of our guests can see our personalities and our family history in our ceremony and reception.

Mason jar DIY from Notes on a Wedding and floral hay bale photo by Kim Box Photography

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
After searching online for wedding gown options and some window browsing, I knew I wanted a Watters & Watters dress. I went on Watters website and found 6 dress shops in Florida that were supposed to have a sample size of “the dress”. As I started calling the shops, I eventually found out that only ONE actually still had the dress in the store. The one dress shop that did have the dress was Vocelle’s Bridal Shoppe…in TALLAHASSEE!! Not only was I at least partially afraid that the store would somehow sew garnet and gold thread into the dress…but Tallahassee is a 5 hour drive from Orlando! I eventually got on the phone with the stor eowner, Kristen Vocelle. I knew the name, but I wasn’t 100% sure it was the same Kristen Vocelle who was a Tri Delt with me at UF. Sure enough, it was!!!

At this point, I was beginning to think this dress might be my fate. What are the odds that one of my very own gator girls had a wedding dress shop in Seminole Country?! But, I still had to decide if I was going to make the drive all the way to Tallahassee. I was explaining my dilemma to my future mother-in-law, and she had a solution! She was driving just past Tallahassee the upcoming week to pick up her grandson from camp. She told me I could hop in the car and we’d go look at the dress. I was in!! I called my sister and MOH, Gabbie, and asked her to come along for the ride. As I expected, I LOVED “the dress.” But now I had a different problem: Kristen had introduced me to another dress that I was also in love with! I did finally decide on a winner, but y’all are going to have to wait until the big day to see which one I picked. I know my fiancé secretly reads Southern Weddings, and I wouldn’t want to give him any hints!

Family photo display idea via Style Me Pretty (photo by Chris and Adrienne Scott), burlap chair decor via Hey Gorg (photo by Hailey Erickson)

What do you love most about Southern weddings?
“We don’t become Southern. We’re born that way.” Probably my favorite quote of all time. Since I was lucky enough to be born into a family that loves God, each other and SEC football above all else, I think I’d be doing everyone an injustice if my wedding didn’t celebrate those things that we hold dear. I hope our guests leave full, tired and sweaty from dancing and oozing with happiness (and pie).

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
I come from a very large family. When I say large, I mean 7 children, y’all! I have 16 cousins on my Dad’s side and 12 on my Mom’s… that’s just first cousins! So, working within a budget with what turned out to be a massive guest list was definitely a challenge. I have certainly learned the meaning of “thrifty” and have surprised myself with negotiating skills I didn’t even know I had!

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
A couple weeks ago, someone sent me the quote; “A wedding is a party, not a performance. If at the end of the day, you married the one you love, then everything went perfectly.” This could not be truer. As much as I want the perfect wedding, what I really want is to spend the rest of my life with Eric. So no matter how smoothly (or not smoothly!) our wedding day goes, it’s still a win in my book. In the beginning, I think I got so caught up in the wedding, that I missed the bigger picture. I’m not praying for the perfect wedding anymore, I’m praying for the (almost) perfect marriage!

Burlap banner via Hey Gorg (photo by Hailey Erickson)

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I cannot wait until those church doors open and my Daddy walks me down the aisle to my best friend. All of our family and friends being there to watch is just the icing on the cake!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Everything is negotiable. I think that sometimes brides don’t end up with what they truly want because they are either too afraid to ask or they accept the first number given by a vendor. Don’t be afraid to do a little negotiating! The worst someone can tell you is no. But, they just might help you build the wedding of your dreams at a price your Daddy likes.

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
I want to find a few subtle ways to honor my father-in-law on our wedding day. My future mother-in-law already gave me his embroidered Florida Gator game day polo and I have had “Gator Dad #10” cut out in the shape of a heart and sewn into the inside lining of my wedding dress. But, I want to find some other ways to make his presence felt. Any ideas?

Thank you so much for playing along, Ali! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

P.S. One year ago, our first Southern Bride of the Month feature was posted!


Anna Kirby and Haley Sheffield are fabulous members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Kimbrali Photography

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Meaghan: We met in Rome 8 years ago.

Christopher: We actually met on the bus ride to the airport, but Meaghan doesn’t remember that.

Meaghan: Our school offered a trip to Italy and France for 8th and 9th graders that we both signed up for separately. I remember Chris making quite the effort to carry my Mom’s and my shopping bags around, loading our luggage onto the trains, and even protecting us during a confrontation with a homeless man on the metro!

Christopher: Little did Meaghan know, I thought she was beautiful and really started to like her.

Meaghan: However, it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I really fell for him. We remember spending free periods together on the decks by the lockers, hanging out on the weekends in big groups, and going on double dates with my best friend and her beau. Eventually I worked up the courage to ask Christopher to the annual Sadie Hawkin’s Dance.

Christopher: After going to a local football game one night, I asked Meaghan to be my girlfriend when I dropped her off before her 10PM curfew.

Meaghan: We fell in love pretty fast and the next 7.5 years of our lives have been amazing! I taught him to play tennis…

Christopher: and now I can beat her!

Meaghan: …we both ended up at Tulane University on scholarships, we grew towards the Lord together, we went on vacations and mission trips, and we have made the best friends we could ever dream of having.

Kimbrali Photography

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Meaghan: On a beach trip with our friends after Mardi Gras last March, the two of us went on a night-time walk along the shore. Chris sneakily had our friends set up a blanket with a bottle of Veuve and champagne glasses a little ways down the beach. I remember thinking that the blanket had to be for another couple and wondering why we were walking towards it. When we got close to it, he got down on one knee and said the most beautiful words about our relationship, our future, and me. I was sobbing so hard that I don’t remember most of what he said, but I do remember him telling me I could adopt as many babies as I wanted, which is something very close to my heart!

Christopher: Actually I said “lots of babies”… not “as many as she wanted,” because then we might end up with 100 babies! Thankfully she said yes! I was only nervous because I hadn’t had a chance to shave off my Mardi Gras Mohawk!

Meaghan: We spent the next 30 minutes alone under the stars sipping champagne and talking about how far we’ve come and what the future holds. This was the calm before the storm.

Christopher: I planned the proposal this way, knowing that 14 of our best friends were back at the beach house.

Meaghan: All of our friends were gathered around a bonfire on the beach when we walked up and announced our engagement. It was pure chaos, tears, screams and joy until the wee hours of the morning.

The chapel where Meaghan and Christopher will be married!

When’s the big day?
June 2, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Lafayette, Louisiana

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
About a week after Christopher proposed, we called our school, the Episcopal School of Acadiana, to book the chapel. It is a beautiful space with big wooden beams, floor to ceiling windows, and exposed brick. Mossy oak trees, outdoor lockers, classrooms in barns, broken down school buses, and cane fields is where it all started, and we’ve always said we would go back there to get married!

After the wedding ceremony, the reception will immediately follow at the my childhood home! After over 50 birthday parties, dozens of family holiday dinners, 11 blow out Christmas parties, two graduation parties and endless nights in the pool, we thought we would add a wedding to the list of festivities we’ve hosted at the house!

Meaghan told us she loves gold shoes and coral flowers, so we picked this inspiration out just for her :) Photo by Lauren Kinsey, styling by Shelby Peaden, and florals by Myrtie Blue via Wedding Chicks

Were you totally that girl who planned her wedding from age 5, or not so much?
Christopher and I have been dating for 7.5 years, so I’ve been waiting/planning to marry this man for 1/3 of my life! However, I would say that my real obsession began in 2008 when I was a freshman in college. Big lecture classes really accelerated my devotion to wedding blogs! I can’t say that I keep up with 25 like Madelynne, but I stay super consistent with about a dozen beautiful blogs!

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
God has felt so close to us during our engagement that we haven’t needed much besides him! Through the blessings of such amazing friends and family, receiving pre-marital counseling while we were missionaries in the Dominican Republic, and feeling like everything is secure and wonderful in our lives, we are so thankful for this God-given peace!

Meaghan is hoping for a moment like this at her wedding (photo by Brooke Courtney from this post)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes! I found my dress at Wedding Belles on Magazine Street with help from the most wonderful consultant, Katie. My mom and I made a few appointments all over the city on a beautiful Saturday in May. I had probably tried on a few dozen dresses that day, but when I slipped on this dress, it was just perfect! It is candlelight in color, an a-line silhouette, with a sweetheart neckline and beautiful lace sash! We all know it’s bad luck to share a picture of the dress before the big reveal, so I guess y’all will have to wait and see it in June!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Okay, so this is where it gets really Cajun! As I thought about our menu, I couldn’t imagine paying a caterer to make jambalaya when in reality, nobody can make it better than Christopher’s mom… and I would never dream of ordering somebody else’s crawfish etouffee when clearly, we all want Christopher’s grandmother’s secret recipe! Slowly, word got out, and the rest of his family wanted their infamous Cajun recipes to be a part of the limelight! So, our menu will be mostly family cooking! However, we knew we needed someone to manage the chaos and fill in the holes in our menu, and we are so thankful to have Joey’s Catering on board to really polish off the menu and take the stress out of it for us!

Delicious Southern food from Camille + Mark’s reception (photos by Gina Zeidler)

What is Southern about your wedding?
Born and raised in “Cajun-country” and spending the last four years of college in New Orleans… Louisiana pride is a huge part of my identity. By beau lives to duck hunt, cheer for the Tigers and the Saints, praise the Lord on Sundays, and make his mama proud. Nothing makes me happier than slaving all afternoon over a gumbo for my friends, spending the day on St. Charles at the parades, and coming home at the end of the night to my college house decorated with wreaths, sorority paddles, and the women I love. Our wedding will be a reflection of all of those things, plus the Cajun/New Orleans culture that raised us and brought us together. My 78 year old nanny who helped raised me is in the wedding party, our dance with Chris’ parents will be to Zydeco jams, there will be chandeliers in the oak trees of my backyard, and my dad will probably be walking around with a pitcher of his best batch of Old Fashioneds (a recipe given to him on his grandmother’s death bed). I’d like to think of our wedding as “classy-Cajun”… which to me, is the best kind of Southern elegance there is!

Meaghan’s been busy collecting family wedding photos to display at the reception, just like we did in V4! (Photo by Katie Stoops)
Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
I am so proud of this one. After years of browsing blogs, I always knew that my bridesmaid’s dresses would be the hardest decision to make. I wanted my ladies to look beautiful and stay cool during my hot Louisiana summer wedding while still avoiding the “bridesmaid-y” look. After actual WEEKS of searching on Etsy, I found it. I came across Lana Stepul and this stunning linen backless dress with pockets and a bow. She found the most perfect coral-pink linen that will match my bouquet and look great on all 8 my ladies!

Inspiration for the gents’ attire by A Bryan Photo via Southern Weddings

If you had to pick three top priorities for your budget, what would they be and why? Are your fiancé’s priorities different?
Meaghan says guests (I want EVERYONE to be there!), music (I just want to dance all night!), and photography (I want classic pictures we will love forever!). Christopher says food (My mama spoiled me with the best Cajun cooking Louisiana has to offer!), friends (I don’t want to leave anyone out!), and honeymoon (after studying non-stop during my first year of dental school, I am ready for some time off with my boo!).

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Getting ready with my best friends, dancing with my daddy, and calling Christopher my husband for the first time!

Meaghan has gorgeous long, and she’s planning to wear it down and loosely curled! We love this inspiration from Abby Jiu (via SW) and Melissa Schollaert (via SW)

Any plans for a honeymoon? Where do you want to go and what will you do?
This was Christopher’s contribution to the wedding planning and I have to say, he did a pretty amazing job! We are flying to Barcelona, Spain the day after our wedding to go on a 12-day Mediterranean Cruise! We are stopping in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Malta!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Stick to your guns! We went into the planning process with a lot of ideas that were a far stretch and super unique to us as a couple. When we shared these ideas, a lot of vendors told us we were crazy. We kept going until we found people that shared our vision, loved our drama, and were excited to be working with us! We are so happy that we didn’t conform to the cookie cutter wedding and that Christopher and I are really making June 2nd a celebration of OUR love!

Meaghan wants the existing furniture and cozy lighting at her home to create ambiance, and we love this inspiration image! (Photo by Steve Steinhardt via Southern Weddings)

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
For those of you who have been in weddings or have any experience coordinating, how long does it take for everyone to get down the aisle? I have the most beautiful song picked out but it is only 2.5 minutes long. Do y’all think that Is that enough time for grandparents, parents, the bridal party, and myself to all get down the aisle?

Thank you so much for playing along, Meaghan! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Shelby Peaden Events is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Engagement photo by The Reason

What do y’all do for a living?
Joe is a senior marketing analyst, and I’m an intensive care registered nurse.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
The older Southern boy with bright blue eyes, polo button downs, and a perfect frat swoop had always caught my eye, but since he was a year older than me, I could only wish. Joe and I both played basketball and always knew of one another, but he was the starting varsity lead scorer, and my JV status didn’t really compare.

However, my junior year, Joe and I both had weight training during the same period, and began developing a relationship past his perfect hair and eyes! Not only was Joe everything I could imagine in a man, he also has such an amazing family. Before Joe and I started talking, I had already said yes to go to prom with one of my good guy friends, who also happened to be best friends with Joe. However, that didn’t stop Joe, who managed to figure out what we were doing after prom and asked my best friend, now maid of honor, if he could also come to her house! I am so lucky to have found my soul mate so early in my life; God truly blessed me with this man and his family.

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
First off, I am the world’s worst person to try and surprise. Almost every attempt Joe or my Momma have ever made to surprise me, I’ve figured out! But this time, Joe and Momma had been scheming for a month or so about our perfect day.

On December 12, 2010, I woke up really early for work. My Momma also works at my hospital in the same unit, and she was with me that day, but she didn’t let on at all, even when she had to leave in the middle of the day to let Joe into my car!

I finally ended my stressful day around 7pm, and began the freezing journey to my car. When I first saw my car, I saw something hanging from the seat, and I freaked out, thinking someone had broken in! I called Joe, but didn’t get an answer. It was so cold, I decided to just go look in. When I made it to the window, I saw a piece of paper with an address and “Go Here” written on it (in Joe’s unmistakable writing). I put the address into my Garmin and began following the route. Well, somewhere along the first mile, I hit a detour button, and it started taking me somewhere else! I called Joe again, but he still didn’t answer! When I “reached my destination” and it was a gas station in a not-so-good section of Atlanta, I really hoped something was wrong and reprogrammed the Garmin. I finally reached the right address – the W Hotel in Buckhead – but after 45 minutes, when it should have taken me 10! I found out later that Joe was getting so nervous that he broke my ring box in half from opening and closing it so much!

When I pulled up to the valet, he opened my door and said “Elizabeth, we have been waiting for you,” and led me to the front desk where he handed me a key, led me up the elevator, and then to our door! When I opened the door, all I could see were rose petals and old ticket stubs lining the floor. As I walked into the first room, Joe had set out all of the old cards and keepsakes I had given him over the last five years. When I rounded the corner, Joseph was there with the (deformed) ring box, down on one knee, proposing. All I said was, “Of course!” I wish I could remember all the sweet things he said, but it was so overwhelming! After we got to spend some time together, both of our families and two of my best friends met us to celebrate at the hotel bar!

Anna K Photography

When’s the big day?
March 24, 2012

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Our ceremony will be at Duluth First United Methodist Church and our reception will be right around the corner at Sugarloaf Country Club.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Joe’s family has been members of Duluth First United Methodist Church since Joe and his brothers were little. The church is not only absolutely gorgeous, with huge stained glass windows and a bright red front door, but the traditions and occasions his family has shared there make this location so special. We are also happy that our YoungLife leader from high school will be marrying us!

Our reception venue, Sugarloaf Country Club, was the easiest decision we made. Joe and I have grown up there sharing numerous holidays, family birthdays, and Wednesday night suppers.

Sugarloaf Country Club

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
My Momma is not only my best friend, but has come up with the best, most unique ideas for our wedding. As a surprise to me, she decided to make a cuff bracelet for me to wear on our wedding day that incorporates my “something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue.” For months she has been collecting vintage and new cream and white beads, and each bead is then attached by hand. It is a masterpiece that I will forever cherish!

Dramatic hydrangea inspiration (design by Caplan Miller and photo by Brian Fitzsimmons)

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
My overall vision has remained constant: I’ve always wanted a very vintage, Southern, swanky yet formal combination. We will have a yummy grilled cheese station, hydrangeas everywhere, lace doilies mixed with lots of vintage crystal, long dresses, and black tie attire. Over time, however, things have shifted as we got more realistic about which aspects are most important to us and which DIY projects I would actually be able to complete.

Another grilled cheese station by The Reason! See more here!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Yes, my dress was checked off the list very early on! It was the very first dress I tried on, a Vera Wang. My Momma and I both were shocked, thinking there was NO way the very first dress could be the one. So, we decided to keep all of our reservations just to make sure. We tromped all over boutiques, including Bridals by Lori and Priscilla of Boston, and finally surrendered to the first gown, since not one other dress compared.

Some of Elizabeth’s hair inspiration! (on left unknown and on right by Hair and Makeup by Steph)

Also, last January I was so lucky to win a custom getaway gown by Chaviano Couture right here on the Southern Weddings blog! Annette has already started taking apart my Momma’s wedding dress to incorporate her lace into my gown. I am beyond excited about seeing the final product; Annette is so talented and passionate about her designs! This is a piece I hope to pass down to my children.

Annette’s sketch!

My eight amazing bridesmaids will be in black Allure gowns – simple and classic. (See them here!)

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
I purchased my wedding sash from Little White Dresser. I also had custom silhouettes made by KO Two Wedding Creations. Her design is a spitting image of us and she worked with me to create a logo I love.

What has been the best part of wedding planning?
There is nothing better than being able to spend extra time with my eight bridesmaids, seeing the generosity of all our family and friends that have hosted showers for us, table time with my almost-in-laws, watching the look in my Momma’s eyes as I try on my wedding dress, and looking outside at my Dad sawing away on his workbench for more of my DIY projects. These special moments would never be possible without Joe picking me to be his wife!

Atlanta welcome bags (photo by Melissa Schollaert) and ruffled chair decor (photo by Phyllis Lane)

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
THE GUEST LIST! Joe and I have had such a challenging time cutting our numbers. The only time my stress level rises is when dealing with our color-coded excel spreadsheet to cut more numbers! We are happy with our final count, but hoping the whole “15% won’t come” thing is accurate!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
I am most looking forward to getting ready with my best friends, and then having my Momma fasten that last button on my dress. I get chills thinking of that moment! Sticking to Southern tradition, the first time Joe sees me will be as I walk down the aisle. That second is something I hope to forever remember. I can’t wait to see the look on that man’s face!

Photo by Dixie Pixel via Ruffled

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Start your guest list first thing, as your venue and budget depend on it!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
Pictures are SO important to Joe and me. Does anyone have any advice on how to balance getting the most pictures, but not missing out on your own wedding?

Thank you so much for playing along, Elizabeth! Readers, if you love Elizabeth’s style and would like to see more of it, you can check out her Pinterest board right here! If you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

Meet a few more Southern Brides of the Month:
Alissa, planning a destination wedding in sunny Rosemary Beach
Kelly, planning a Savannah wedding with a heartfelt favor
Megan, planning an at-home wedding with fabulous paper details

I am SO excited to introduce November’s Southern Bride of the Month to y’all. Madelynne was a familiar face to the Southern Weddings ladies already, since she’s one of our lovely readers who comment the most (we love when you join the conversation!), and then she completely captured us when we read about her darling engagement story and fabulous wedding plans. I hope you enjoy! And married ladies, make sure you take a minute to answer Madelynne’s question at the end as an engaged lady, as well, I’m interested to hear your answers, too!

Hi! What’s your name?
Sarah Madelynne Miller (on Twitter here)

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Corey Wayne Moulton (on Twitter here)

What do y’all do for a living?
We graduated in May from Auburn University (War Eagle!) and are both working as Intern Architects in Atlanta, GA.

Hi, friends! I am so happy to introduce our October Southern Bride of the Month! Megan is getting married in less than two weeks (!!), but was kind enough to pause last-minute preparations long enough to answer a few questions. I hope you enjoy her interview I know I sure did!

Hi! What’s your name?
Megan Ferguson

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Nico Evers Swindell

What do y’all do for a living?
I like to say I am a stay-at-home actress. My dad does not think that’s funny. But for real, we both are actors and live in Los Angeles.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Three years ago we were both living in New York City and had several mutual friends. I had heard that Nico was cute, from New Zealand and an actor and thought to myself, that sounds terrrrrible. I had never dated another actor – there can only be so much crazy in one relationship. But luckily, Nico came to my Christmas Party and we ended up having a smooch! We’ve been together ever since.

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
We flew from Los Angeles to New Zealand to visit Nico’s home last December. I had chatted about and thought about a proposal probably every day for the previous few months EXCEPT for the day it happened! We had gotten off of a 12-hour flight, made it to his home, and I was a wee bit cranky and jet lagged when Nico just asked. Very simply and sincerely. I said yes, and then he ran around the corner to get the ring, which was hidden in a piece of china on the kitchen counter! Because NZ is so far away, we couldn’t call friends or family for at least six hours, so we had it all to ourselves for a whole evening.

When’s the big day?
October 29, 2011

Where might you two be tying the knot?
At my parent’s home in Thomasville, Georgia

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
I love all of our vendors! Mae Mae Paperie made heavenly save the dates & Rifle Paper Co made the most magical wedding invites on the planet! I can’t wait for the Flashdance team (Smilebooth, Sharkpig and the Human Jukebox) Betsy Dunlap’s calligraphy makes me so happy. Hugh Acheson from Empire State South is cooking up a feast for us – this bride WILL have two pieces of fried chicken thank you very much! Christian Oth Photography will make me look pretty by hook or by crook.

Hi, friends! I am so happy to introduce our September Southern Bride of the Month, because she’s a regular around these parts! (In fact, her Ask the Experts question was featured here, and I know it’s helped many people since!) I hope you enjoy getting to know Lori and her fiance Sean even better I know I did!

Hi! What’s your name?
Lori Caroline Moot (Soon to be Buck!)

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Christopher Sean Buck (He goes by Sean)

Are either of you on Twitter, or do you have a blog?
I do have a blog, which I started shortly before Sean and I were engaged. It has served as a great way to stay connected with far-away friends as well as share the adventures of wedding planning!

The Belle Meade Plantation (photo by Betsy Butler)

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Our ceremony and reception will both be held at Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee. We are getting married in the garden and celebrating afterward in the carriage house.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Belle Meade Plantation was actually the first placed we looked. Sean had attended several charity events and weddings there previously, and recommended I take a look. We really wanted to find a location at which we could hold both the ceremony and reception. It was love at first sight! It is the epitome of Southern, and everything we wanted in a venue.

Unfortunately, they were booked until the next November when I initially went to tour. Sean and I had agreed we really wanted a fall wedding, and neither of us were willing to wait another year. We continued looking, and found other places that worked. We were close to making a decision when I got a phone call Belle Meade had a cancellation for October 15, 2011! Sean and I scrambled and signed the papers within days.

Mason jars with monogram flags photo by Patricia Lyons via Southern Weddings, burlap flower arrangements photo by Three Lights Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
My friends and family have been amazing! From my mom volunteering to make all of the ruffled burlap runners for the reception, my friends spending countless hours sprawled out all over the townhouse working on various projects, to my grandmother and great aunts making buckeyes (buckeyes in honor of the Bucks! My mom gets all the credit) for our guest gifts, to friends volunteering to help with set-up on the day of, I have been so overwhelmed by everyone’s willingness to step up and help. We are so blessed to be surrounded by a group of such amazing people.

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
Hmmm… The first thing that comes to mind is the details! I’ve worked hard (along with my awesome wedding planner, Liz of Chic Nashville Weddings love her!!) on planning and creating and am really invested in all of the little things coming together. However, ultimately I just want the evening to be an enjoyable and memorable time with our family and friends! It’s easy to get caught up in the details; of course I want my tables to look just the way I’ve imagined and want the food to be delicious and all of our candles to stay lit (yep, something I have legitimately thought about). But really, it’s about celebrating our life together and spending time with those we love (and love us!).

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
First, I cannot wait to see Sean. We are going to do a “first look” before our ceremony, and I can only imagine what it will feel like to walk down the aisle to meet him. I am looking forward to spending a few quiet moments together before what I can only imagine will be a wonderfully exciting but whirlwind of an evening! Secondly, I am looking forward to my mother helping me into my dress and being alongside me as I get ready. I would not be where I am today without her and am so blessed by our close relationship.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
First of all, start all of your DIY projects EARLY! Those cute monogrammed flags you want to make for your straws? They will take more than an hour or two to create, print, cut, and attach. I speak from experience! Secondly, enjoy every single second of your engagement. There are times I have wished time away because I was so ready to be married. Three weeks out, I wish I could slow the clock, because I want to enjoy every bit of life as an engaged couple!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
What is your best advice for the day of the wedding? Also, this is broad, but I’d love for you to share what you would do differently OR exactly the same!

Thank you so much for playing along, Lori! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

The Southern Bride of the Month header was designed by our Assistant Art Director Sierra, with illustration by Curious & Company!

Hi! What’s your name?
Alissa

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Blake

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Blake and I met after he had recently moved to Nashville and started working at the company I was with. It was love at first sight (well, maybe for him!). Funny enough, our desks were pushed together so I could be his “mentor,” and we even shared a stapler. After several attempts to get me to go to dinner or see a movie, I finally gave in. I was quickly attracted to his handsome good looks and Southern charm!

The waiter brought us one dessert menu and handed it to him. He then highly recommended that we try the special dessert of the night – the carrot cake. Blake took a look at the menu, and said that that sounded good to him. I immediately asked what else they had (having never been a big fan of carrot cake). Blake again looked at the menu and said it looked really good to him, like his Mom’s recipe, and that we should try it. He then handed me the menu and scooted off his seat. This is what the menu said:

“Karat” cake: This isn’t your typical carrot cake, but more of a birthday request of Blake’s. To end this day in a special way, will you please answer “yes” on his birthday?

I really was in shock for a couple minutes, and had to read the menu again. He had really surprised me! I never would have guessed he would have done it on his birthday, which made it perfect. We then went to meet “some of his work friends” to have birthday drinks, and to my surprise, he had part of the rooftop reserved and all my friends were there to surprise me!

When’s the big day?
October 1, 2011… we can’t wait!!

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Rosemary Beach, FL

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
I used to work at Faccio Bridal in Franklin, TN (BEST bridal salon ever, I might add). A couple of our brides were married down in Rosemary and brought pictures back to show us. I remember thinking, “Hmmm, I need to remember this place for when it’s my turn.” Once I was officially engaged, my Mom and I drove down to check it out, and I fell in LOVE. Rosemary is gorgeous; you feel like you’re in a European beach town. From the architecture to the posh boutiques all along the cobblestone streets, this place stole my heart!

The ceremony will be on the Western Beach. I chose the beach because I love the simplicity of it, and we really want the focus to be on the actual marriage ceremony. The look will be very natural – having a bamboo arbor draped with ivory linen and wooden benches for our guests to sit upon.

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
Yes, Lila Frances – I am so excited to get my Mrs. Pettit hanger!

If you had to pick three top priorities for your budget, what would they be and why? Are your fiancé’s priorities different?
Mine would be dress, photographer, and caterer. Blake’s are band, cake (the boy has a sweet tooth), and booze (he also likes to have a good time!).

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
I would have to say planning a destination wedding. We have only gone down to Rosemary a couple times during the engagement, and I do think it would have been easier to have planned a wedding in the city where we are living. But, I wouldn’t change anything, because then we wouldn’t be getting married in the best place ever!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Two things. First, seeing Blake’s face when I walk down the aisle (I’m thinking there are going to be some tears). I am so excited to be marrying my best friend, and I know it’s going to be the best day ever! Second, dancing with my Dad. I am definitely a Daddy’s girl, and I know it will be a very special moment for both of us. Plus, he has been practicing around the house, so I want to see what his moves are made of!

Hi! What’s your name?
Lauren Ashley Hunt… soon to be Lauren Hunt Brogdon!

What’s your fiancé’s name?
William Blake Brogdon, but he goes by Blake

Our cab pulled up in front of those huge steps and we started looking for a place to sit. It was just as wonderful as the article had described- the sun was setting, there were not too many people around, and there was a saxophone player on the street serenading everyone with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I had only climbed up one or two steps, when I felt Blake pulling at my hand, so I turned around and he was down on one knee! The moment I had been waiting for for almost a decade was finally here. I’d like to say I held it together, but I was crying like a baby as Blake gave the sweet speech he had prepared.

When’s the big day?
August 20, 2011- the ten year anniversary of when we first started dating in high school!

Where might you two be tying the knot?
University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Our reception is at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
We both grew up going to church at UCC. My great-grandfather was the head of the art department at TCU and actually painted the designs on the rafters when the church was first built. It is such a beautiful space with so many memories for us. I’ve also heard it has the longest aisle in all of Fort Worth.

Hello there, readers! June’s Southern Bride of the Month has a plethora of fabulous details to share with you, so let’s get right down to it, shall we? Make sure you read Alison + Cal’s engagement story, too it’s a long one, but super sweet!

Hi! What’s your name?
Alison Pierce

And who’s your handsome fiancé?
Cal Oxford II

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Cal and I first met while working for the same company a few years ago. He and I worked in a close-knit office and were involved in a few clients together. Honestly, I thought that he was just too good to be true, so I was a bit hesitant at first! Cal has the biggest heart and completely perfect manners. He is the definition of a true Southern gentleman, which has become so rare!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
It was such a surprise! I knew that it was coming at some point, but I did not expect it at all when it happened! Cal’s grandmother was celebrating her birthday and wanted more than anything to travel with the family to Nashville and see a show at the Grand Ole Opry. Now, being from Tennessee and loving Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, this was right up my alley! We had spent a weekend in Nashville a few months earlier and completely fell in love with The Patterson House, a fabulous place for cocktails, and decided that we would see a show at the Opry and afterwards go to The Patterson House for drinks as a family. It was all set and I was so happy to be a part of the birthday weekend!

Little did I know that Cal and his amazing sisters had been working overtime all week to set up the perfect proposal! Cal called The Patterson House a week earlier to tell them his plan and ask for their help. After he finished, the woman on the phone laughed at him and asked if he realized how busy the weekend is for them – he was crushed! But before he could hang up, she stopped him and said that she thought it was really sweet and that they would be on board. That started the ball rolling. During the show at the Opry, I noticed that Cal’s family was very quiet and I just assumed it was because they weren’t big fans of country music. Regardless, I was tapping my toes and having a great time! We left and I could not understand why everyone was hightailing it out of the building! They told me that we had a reservation and that we were going to be late. Little did I know that The Patterson House does not take reservations…except for this special situation.

Once we arrived, Cal’s sister nearly broke her neck trying to jump out of the car so fast, and I took off running after her. She hadn’t been there before, and I thought that she might need some help! She was actually trying to lose me so she could get inside and make sure that everything was set up correctly and that a special, select menu was handed to me. I later learned that Cal’s oldest sister worked with The Patterson House to create a special insert that would be placed in the middle of one menu…my menu. Well, of course I caught up to Cal’s sister and luckily was handed “my” menu. I start flipping through while the rest of the family was still settling in and Cal had not even sat down yet. I did not understand why he was still standing by the side of the table – I was ready to get the party started! Before I knew it, I had completely flipped right past the special insert and started talking about some drinks near the back of the menu! Unbeknownst to me, everyone was on the edge of their seats and Cal’s sister asked me to flip back to the middle of the menu. It was then that I saw it: “Featured Cocktail… Alison, Will You Marry Me?” I threw the menu down and covered my face in complete shock! I peeled my fingers away from one eye and saw Cal down on one knee with tears in his eyes and a beautiful emerald ring. Of course I said yes, and there was not a dry eye at the table! Family is so important to both of us, and having Cal’s family with us for such a special moment was just wonderful! His grandmother had a super fun birthday and we had an amazing weekend!

When’s the big day?
We are getting married on September 10th, 2011. There were a few options for catchy wedding dates this year and 09.10.11 was our choice!

Where might you two be tying the knot?
We will be having both the ceremony and reception outside at Cal’s childhood home. We wanted to be somewhere that felt real to us, and nothing feels more real than home.

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
Two items have provided inspiration from the very beginning of planning the wedding: cotton bolls and the altar that Cal is building. Those two items were decided on first and have been a consistent theme throughout.

Cotton inspiration images from Jasmine Star

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
Our families! We are all very hands on and everyone has been so wonderful to help with ideas and projects. We absolutely could not have done this without the support of our families!

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
The suffocating Georgia heat has changed our vision just a bit! Originally, we wanted to have an uncovered reception with lovely strung lights and hanging Mason jar lanterns, but decided very quickly that we just can’t do that to our guests in early September! A tented reception with lots of fans is what we have planned now. Although, I secretly wish every day that a cold front will come through that weekend and that we will be able to cancel the tent…shhhhh!

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
Definitely the food and drink! Cal and I are complete foodies and want our guests to enjoy delicious Southern staples like shrimp and grits and ham biscuits from Gayla Grubbs at Mill Towne Gourmet, classic Southern desserts with a twist like mini peach pies and red velvet cake balls from Lauren Chekanow at Sugar Style Events and creative cocktails including the “Tennessee Tickler” made from Ole Smoky Moonshine! Although the wedding will be in Georgia, there will definitely be a Tennessee presence!

Cheese straws and ham biscuits! (Biscuit photo courtesy of Southern Living)

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go?
I was so focused on other details that I waited until the very last minute to go dress shopping! I was so lucky to have one of my best friends with me and she ended up being more help than I ever could have imagined. I had a very good idea about the type of dress I wanted, but once I was trying them on I was completely overwhelmed. In addition, I was running a fever and didn’t even realize it! With the no-nonsense, tough decision making ability of my sweet friend, we were able to decide on the all Spanish lace La Sposa Lituania and I could not be happier!

Alison’s Lilly Pulitzer rehearsal dress and gorgeous emerald engagement ring!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
I love all of my vendors! They have all truly been wonderful to work with! We are completely anchored by the expertise and guidance of our planner, Ashley Baber. That woman never sleeps! We feel so secure knowing that she is behind everything. In addition to our food and dessert gurus, Jessica with Something Borrowed Vintage Rentals is providing us with the most amazing church pews and other beautiful vintage items, Blake and Jeff with Peachtree Tents and Events are providing the tent and rentals that we need, Anna from Anna and Spencer Photography is our photographer, Tortoise and Hair are performing a few very special songs during the ceremony and family friends The Party Time Band, will be getting everyone moving on the dance floor all night long!

Vintage church pew inspiration from The Found Blog

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
Etsy has become a new addiction! It was such a pleasure to work with Rachel from Benign Objects on our custom wedding invitations. They turned out beautiful and Rachel was just wonderful!

Custom pieces from Benign Objects. Fun fact: Rachel’s wedding was featured in V3!

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
The best part of planning the wedding has been the time Cal and I have spent laughing together while working on projects (although, I know that sometimes we were delirious!) and high-fiving each other when we come up with new and even better ideas. The worst part has been staying focused on completing tasks when we really just want to lie by the pool! That has been so tricky lately!

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
Having a full time career! Working while planning a wedding is exhausting! Time management and updated to-do lists are crucial and even then you are mentally drained. Just last night, I wasn’t sure what was fueling the words that were coming out of my mouth. Honest to goodness, what energy was left to put those sentences together that I was speaking?! Beyond working, creating our save the dates was quite a challenge. We cut wood from the yard where the ceremony and reception will be held and had to trim that wood down to equal sized rounds. Needless to say there were numerous trips to the local home improvement store and many late nights cutting and sanding the rounds and finding the perfect box for them to be mailed. We were never sure that the save the dates would work out, but we were determined!

Milk glass inspiration and Alison + Cal’s handmade save the dates!

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
There is so much I am looking forward to! I am most looking forward to seeing Cal’s face when I walk down the aisle. I get chills just thinking about it! My mother is my best friend and matron of honor and Cal’s father is his best man, so having them there beside us will be a special moment that we will never forget. We are also very excited to dance the night away with our family and best friends and to send them off with homemade peach jam and beer and cider brewed by Cal and me!

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Start early and plan very little the week of the wedding. Things change and your vision evolves throughout the process, therefore you are always adding more to the list. The more you get done upfront, the more time you have to lie by the pool!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
We cannot decide on a first dance song! Are there any suggestions that would fit with a Southern, vintage wedding?

Thank you so much for playing along, Alison! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

The Southern Bride of the Month header was designed by our Assistant Art Director Sierra, with illustration by Curious & Company!

Hi! What’s your name?
Megan

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Brandon

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Oddly enough, a girl from New York and a boy from DC ended up at the same tiny college in Chattanooga, TN. We would see each other around the softball fields at school but never actually spoke to one another. Brandon remembers my braces. I remember when he actually had hair on his head! We were never in the same circle of friends, so it took us years to finally meet.

After graduation I was offered a job teaching second grade and spent the summer planning for my first real classroom. Brandon and I were both with friends at a local Chattanooga Lookouts game when we were introduced. It wasn’t love at first sight. In fact, we both had our hearts in different places at the time. That summer, however, Brandon basically became like another roommate around my house. The turning point in our friendship was when he met my mom. She spent a week helping me set up my new classroom, and at the end swore he liked me. Moms are always right about these things!

From that point on, things had changed. We never spent another day apart. And he spent many of those days asking me to be his girlfriend. And even though it took some time, saying yes was the best decision I ever made.

When’s the big day?
May 29, 2011

Where might you two be tying the knot?
Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington, FL

Image of Eden Gardens by Pure7 Studios. See more from this wedding here + here!

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
We knew we wanted to choose a venue that would offer a warm Southern welcome to our families traveling from up north. I had been to Eden Gardens years ago for a friends wedding, and found myself comparing each venue we looked at to it.This is the venue of my dreams. We will be getting married under a huge moss-draped oak tree, and celebrating, in true outdoor fashion, under strings of white cafe lights.

Image credit: Jose Villa via Snippet & Ink

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I am a wedding blog stalker! Even before Brandon and I got engaged, I was saving pictures to my wedding folder of all the colors and ideas I loved. Southern Weddings features the most beautiful weddings, and saving pictures of centerpieces, cakes, dresses and decor was such a great place to start.

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
It’s amazing how much people are willing to help with wedding projects. Our families and friends have been so supportive of our ideas, that many of them have stepped up to the plate to take things off our hands. For example, last weekend my aunt and grandmother went to a farmer’s market and basically bought out 30 pounds of ripe organic strawberries to make jam for our wedding favors. A lady from our church is making us wooden signs. My roommates helped me make banners, table numbers and even stuff our invitations. We really are so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love us.

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Being realistic about our budget has definitely evolved my wedding vision. Along the way there have been many times where I’d have to stop and ask myself, “Do I need this? Is this a non-negotiable?” Some things fell into the “worth the splurge” category, and others didn’t make the cut.

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
My mom and sister flew down from New York to go dress shopping with me. I had no idea what I wanted. I didn’t even bring any pictures with me! The girls at Solutions Bridal are amazing! They selected six dresses for me to start with, but by the time I tried on my second dress, I was sold! I will be wearing a Marisa 737 gown and it was made for me!

I knew what my bridesmaids would be wearing, however, way before I had a clue what I would put on: navy Amsale dresses in six different styles. They are fabulous!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
I am so excited about our caterer, Dine by Design. The owner, Kim, has been so helpful throughout the entire planning process. Brandon and I wanted fun food, that put a Southern spin on comfort food! Dine by Design is knocking this one out of the park! You might wanna sit down for this. Macaroni and cheese on a stick, two-bite burgers, garlic mashed potatoes, grits, and my dream-come-true biscuit bar just to name a few.

Image credit: Anna Robin (see more from this V3 shoot here!)

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
Etsy is addicting. By Invitation Only made our gorgeous invitation suites. We got so many compliments on them! And Weddingcollaborator made our adorable flower girl dresses.

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
The best part of this planning process would have to be how invested my groom is! Brandon isn’t much help when it comes to color palettes and flowers, but watching him eat six pieces of wedding cake and hug our cake vendor was priceless! He even picked out our wedding song in the middle of a pet store. He heard a song playing over the speakers, pulled me in to dance with him in the middle of the dog food aisle, and told me he found our wedding song.

What do you wish you would have known at the beginning of your engagement?
I wish I had known how much work goes into a true outdoor wedding. Since both our ceremony and reception will be outside, we will be renting everything from spoons to stoves. I had my wedding goggles on when the planning began. I only saw the possible challenges I wanted to see, and now I truly see how much work and how many details are going into the event.

Image credit: Leslie Woodard

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
Become a blog obsessed bride like me, and enter as many contests and giveaways as possible! It doesn’t hurt! And you’ll be so excited and overjoyed when you finally win something. I even won a free wedding website through Wedding Window!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
It feels like there are a hundred gifts to buy before our wedding arrives. There are no shortage of suggestions for bridal party gifts, but what will you be giving your groom, parents and readers?

Thank you so much for playing along, Megan! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

The Southern Bride of the Month header was designed by our intern Sierra, with illustration by Curious & Company!

Hi! What’s your name?
Kelly

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Robert

What do y’all do for a living?
I am, believe it or not, a wedding planner! Rob works as a civilian for the Army specializing in logistics.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
It was February 2007. I was a Zeta & Rob was an SAE, and our sorority and fraternity were paired up together for Homecoming. Against my will, I was nominated for the Homecoming pageant. Rob was doing a lip sync skit competition with a bunch of other people, and we met one night during practice. I remember he was wearing Nantucket red shorts, New Balances, a hooded sweatshirt, and this tacky Alabama sweatband around his head – and I still thought he was cute!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Well, I went on to be crowned queen. Now fast forward to the Homecoming pageant in February 2009. I went with a bunch of my sorority sisters to cheer on the girl from our chapter, and Rob came too, claiming he hadn’t seen any of his fraternity brothers in a while (at that point he was working on his masters). We sat separately in the theater. After the “talent” portion was over, the guy onstage who had just finished singing (coincidentally, one of Rob’s fraternity brothers) said, “Can I have Kelly Walsh onstage, please?” I was all, “Hmm, this is odd -maybe it’s for old Homecoming queens?” Being a good sport, I got up – and saw one of Rob’s fraternity brothers in a suit standing in the aisle. He asked me to come with him, which made me really nervous – like, OMG, what is going on?! Then, as he took me down to the stage, I saw another of Rob’s fraternity brothers in a suit with a dozen roses. By this point I was SO nervous because I knew something was going on! He took me to the center of the stage, where Rob came out in a tuxedo, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him in front of about seven hundred people. He opened the box, and inside was his grandmother’s emerald cut engagement ring. I couldn’t have been more surprised, and of course I said yes! It was so amazing to have all of my sorority sisters and one of my biological (also sorority!) sisters there to share in the excitement!

When’s the big day?
June 18th, 2011

How did you pick your ceremony and reception venues? What do you love most about each space?
Rob and I didn’t know where we wanted to get married, just that it had to be somewhere in the South, and somewhere outside with amazing views. My wedding planner, Melissa, recommended our reception venue, which is a private home on the river in Savannah. I love it because it gives us more flexibility to do what we want, versus having to work within a time frame or stick to a preferred caterer.

Hi! What’s your name?
Katie

What’s your fiancé’s name?
Nathan

Are either of you on Twitter, or do you have a blog?
Yep! I have a blog that I keep promising myself I will update more frequently, but life always gets so busy! I don’t necessary write in order, just what I’m thinking or feeling at the time. Here it is.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
We almost didn’t meet at all, actually! We both attended the same college, Elon University in North Carolina (not too far down the road from the SW office!). My sophomore year, however, I was thinking about transferring, and he had only recently transferred to Elon from UNCC. We were both convinced by different people to attend a recruitment night for the campus business fraternity. Throughout the meeting I kept thinking, “Wow, that guy is cute!” and “Dang it! I wish I had worn a cuter outfit!” Turns out I wasn’t the only one noticing people that night!

Now tell us alllll about the proposal.
Our proposal story is simple and sweet. A walk in downtown Charleston with friends turned into one friend “forgetting” his wallet and taking the other friend with him to retrieve it all in a secret mission to give us some time alone. We were at Waterfront Park, and I remember wondering why Nate was so fidgety! We sat down on a bench overlooking the water, and the air was that thick mix of the savory smells from King Street restaurants, the scent of the blooming jasmine, and the salty brine of the water. If you’ve been to Charleston, you know that smell well!

Is it terrible that I don’t remember what he said to me when he proposed? Oops! He did get down on one knee, though, and said he couldn’t imagine his life without me in it. A group of tourists walking by erupted in cheers when I nodded yes. Good thing I said yes, right?! Ha!

When’s the big day?
May 1, 2011. We’re getting so close!

Where might you two be tying the knot?
A gorgeous historic home in downtown Charleston.

Were you totally that girl who planned her wedding from age 5, or not so much?
You know? It’s funny, because I have always loved everything wedding I’ve been collecting magazines for years now. I loved pouring over the pages of beautiful brides, and noticing how different all the weddings were, yet until I met Nate, I didn’t really have any concrete ideas of what I wanted. I guess when you meet the right guy, it just sort of falls into place!

Who or what has been most inspiring in the wedding planning process?
I have gathered inspiration from so many places for this wedding so many, I’ve lost track of what ideas I’ve gotten where! The inspiration sites, the wedding blogger sites, and treasure hunting in antique shops have all yielded great finds. More than anything, though, Nate has been my biggest inspiration. He is my sounding board for ideas, and pulls me back in when I get too far up in the planning clouds. I always keep in the back of my mind, “Will Nate like this? Does this reflect who we are?” It makes decision making SO much easier!

Who or what has been most helpful in the wedding planning process?
Definitely a who for this one! I absolutely could not have made it this far without our planner, Sara. She is beyond amazing, and more importantly, has become a great friend with a killer fashion sense!

Has your vision for your wedding changed or evolved over the course of your engagement? If so, how?
Has it ever! We don’t have the same colors, venue, or even the same city that we started out with! It wasn’t until we found our current venue that things really started taking shape. The house was built in the 1800’s large white columns, wide porches, a beautiful curving staircase, and the coolest wrought iron gate leading to the backyard. When I saw it, I thought, “It’s like my grown-up secret garden!” And a little bit of “Where’s Mr. Darcy?” With that, the wedding really began to unfold.

Above: Katie’s inspiration board!

Which part of your wedding are you most invested in?
Southern gals love good food, so having the stick-to-your-ribs, clean-your-plate kind of food was a big priority. BBQ pork? Mac and cheese? Vidalia onion coleslaw? Yes, please!!! Oh, and the pie bar, man oh man, I absolutely cannot WAIT for the pie bar.

Besides the food, I’d have to say the ceremony. It is, after all, the reason for the day. We aren’t reciting our own vows (I figured I would leave that to the expert, our reverend!) but I’ll cry anyways, I just know I will. And wouldn’t you know that I am one of those unlucky people with the ugly cry face?!

Have you picked your dress yet? How’d that go? What will you be wearing on the big day?
Still can’t believe it to this day, but I found my dress on the first day of looking! I’ll have to bribe Nate not to go look this up, but it’s the Lauren dress by Modern Trousseau. All lace with a sweetheart neckline and godets at the bottom; it flares when I twirl! (Hence there will be much twirling at the wedding.) Funny side story with the dress: When I first heard its retail price at my local boutique, I knew that it was absolutely out of my price range. Thinking my chances small, I emailed someone directly at the showroom in Connecticut and told them my sad, sad, sad (did I mention sad?) story. To my astonishment, the director called me, and before I knew it, he had sold me the dress AT COST, and even let me pay it off over several months. The point is, don’t be afraid to ask you never know when a serendipitous event is headed your way! OK, I guess there are two points, because the folks with Modern Trousseau are an amazing bunch! Thanks, y’all!

Who is your favorite vendor you’ve booked so far?
Our photographers! I seriously heart Joey and Jessica. They are such a fun couple to be working with, and Joey is responsible for me finding the best shrimp and grits I have ever had, so he earns extra brownie points. I love that they shoot on film; the resulting photos are stunning! We were so excited for them when they made the cover of SW, and it reaffirmed that we had made a great choice.

Do you have a favorite Etsy store you’d love to tell us about?
I have a major crush on our cake topper, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Krista over at BentBranch. The pair of felted lovebirds she sent us get a huge “awwww” from me every time I look at them! She went back and forth with me for days until I was completely happy with the chosen fabrics. Thanks, Krista!

Oh, and if you would like to channel your inner Elizabeth Bennett, head on over to Brookish for all things Mr. Darcy. I bought a dishtowel which will be making an appearance at the wedding! Too cute.

What has been the best part of wedding planning? The worst part?
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off, shall we? The worst part has definitively been struggling with the budget. Finding that balance between wants and “nope, not happening” is so, so hard! No way around it. As my mother has always reminded me, I have “champagne tastes on a beer budget.”

The best part has been the outpouring of kind words and support from friends and family, from people wanting to know how they can help, to people just wanting to say how excited they are for us! I’ve been soaking it up as much as I can. I really have enjoyed planning this wedding so, so much!

What has been the biggest challenge so far in wedding planning?
I can’t be the only one in this boat, but sometimes I just get tired of our wedding! Of course I am beyond excited about it, but when you’re looking at the same stuff day in and day out, sometimes you just need a break. There have been several times over the last eight months that I have had to close the computer, step away from the glue gun, and just spend some time with my sweetie. Those breaks always get me excited again and ready to resume the planning.

What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
The moment after we say I do and have rushed back up the aisle. I want a moment for just the two of us, to bask in the awesomeness of being married.

Any advice you’d like to pass along to fellow brides?
I am such a control freak, I admit it. But heed my advice: learn to let the little things go. This wedding has given me a much needed lesson in sifting out the important, “focus all my energies on this” items from the “if it’s not perfect, no one will care” items. I sent my invites off yesterday, and when I got to the post office, they were out of the love stamps I had been envisioning for months. My response, after a deep breath in and out? “OK, king and queen stamps it is!” See? I am getting so much better!

Now it’s your turn to ask for advice – is there anything you’d like to poll the SW readers on?
Two things, actually! Where should we go on our belated honeymoon? We are thinking somewhere in Europe! Also, already-married ladies, any advice for calming the nerves on our wedding day? I tend to react to big events like this with a gurgling stomach and major anxiety. I could use some tips!

Thank you so much for playing along, Katie! Readers, if you’d like to apply to be a Southern Bride of the Month, check out this post for all the details! If you’ve already emailed me, you’re still in the running for future months!

The Southern Bride of the Month header was designed by our intern Sierra, with illustration by Curious & Company! A big thanks to Lauren of I Love You Much, who took Katie + Nate’s engagement photos and sent them our way!