Moms are the backbone of the South, don’t you think? Strong, gracious, graceful, loving, wise, and usually perfectly perfumed, they gave us our best recipes, our first lessons in hospitality, and, if we were lucky, our most deep-seated sense of security and self-worth. One of the most wonderful parts of a wedding day is getting a chance to publicly honor our mothers. Here, in honor of Mother’s Day, a few of our favorite photographs to remember these moments by.

Cyn Kain, Tanja Lippert, Live View Studios, Bamber Photography

Bamber Photography, Sarah McKenzie, Jo Photo, Graham Terhune

Bamber Photography, Aaron Snow via Christina Leigh Events, Elaine Palladino, Loft Photographie, Elaine Palladino

Amalie Orrange, Renee Sprink, Loft Photographie, Renee Sprink, Paige Jones

Loft Photographie

Go hug your mama today, belles! And happy Mother’s Day to all of our mamas reading — we know you’re out there! :)

Amalie Orrange, Bamber Photography, Christina Leigh Events, Cyn Kain, Elaine Palladino, Graham Terhune, Jo Photo, Live View Studios, Loft Photographie, Paige Jones, Renee Sprink, and Sarah McKenzie are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Hello, belles! Nicole and I have spent the last two days in sunny (thank goodness!) South Carolina shooting an editorial for the next issue. It’s been a V6 whirlwind around these parts, actually – we wrapped a shoot in NC last week, we have another scheduled for next week, and are just diving into planning two others for June! You won’t hear a peep of complaint from our lips, though — it makes us positively giddy to piece together beauty we know will eventually make it onto the printed page!

Before too much time gets behind us we wanted to give y’all a little peek at what we’ve been up to. We were lucky to have Graham Terhune on hand to snap behind-the-scene shots on the actual shoot day, but our instagrams will have to tide you over until V6 debuts!

Like so many of our photoshoots (yesterday’s, too!), this joint was the first stop of the day:

We were thrilled to have the chance to work with Katie Stoops again, of course. You may recall she photographed our Williamsburg and Richmond features from past issues!

That’s our intern Jessica up there with Katie, Nicole, and me!

Happily, shoot prep always leaves pretty — and tasty! — extras around the office. Don’t mind if I do…

I’ll leave you with my favorite snap from the day: This was Ms. Katie taking photos of the pretty we had created, but doesn’t this scene look worthy of capture, too? Such an amazing field of clover — we had never seen anything like it!

That may be the last sneak peek you get from our first V6 shoot, but we have more surprises for you! Before you get too antsy with anticipation, we have a fun giveaway for y’all! Our good friends at High Cotton happily gave us a couple of boys bow ties to use for some special gents in this shoot. We couldn’t wait to do a V6 giveaway!

To enter, leave a comment below telling us about the best biscuit you’ve ever tasted and which bow tie you’d love to win. Will it be the Red and White Mini Dot bow tie or the Nantucket Seersucker Stripe bow tie? Tell us before this giveaway closes at midnight on May 22.

If you’re not already, be sure to follow us on Instagram as we spend the summer prepping for V6! We’re here: Southern Weddings, Lara, Emily, Nicole, Marissa, and Kristin.

P.S. Vendors, interested in joining in the fun? We’re working with lots of sponsors already for V6, and would love to have you, too! Email Marissa (marissa at iloveswmag.com) or fill out this form for more info.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After three nights in tropical mountain paradise, we were certainly sad to leave Montpelier. The happy news, though? Our honeymoon wasn’t over! After a short trip down the mountain and around the island, we arrived at Nisbet Plantation Beach Club.

John likes to do research, and Nisbet immediately popped up when we started to look at Nevis. And for good reason — it’s the Caribbean’s only historic plantation inn located directly on the beach, and the only hotel on Nevis directly on the beach. Nisbet has been awarded the AAA Four Diamond Award every year since 2007, and in 2012 they were named Conde Nast Traveler’s #1 Resort in the Caribbean. Their Trip Advisor reviews are also impressive, to say the least.

Nisbet bills itself as “not ultra fancy and opulent, just private, romantic, and personal.” John and I definitely found that to be an accurate description. All of Nisbet’s buildings are a buttery yellow color, giving the whole resort a warm and friendly feeling right from the start. We checked in at reception and picked up our complimentary drink (alarming in color but yummy – tasted like pineapple!), then were shown to our cottage.

The decor was comfortable and clean, and definitely had a Caribbean feel to it. We really liked the attached sunroom and patio just outside our front door, and used both every day.

36 cottages are sprinkled across Nisbet’s 30 acres, and though there wasn’t as much vegetation to break them up as at Montpelier, they still felt very private. Bonus: less vegetation meant better people watching!

We alternated between using the air conditioning and leaving the plantation shutters wide open — with Nevis’ constant breeze, both were great options! This was the view from our patio — as you can see, we were steps from the beach.

John and I really liked the flexibility of being so close to the beach — if we wanted, we could make four 30-minute trips in one day and not be inconvenienced in the least. We enjoyed exploring the coastline, and took full advantage of the resort’s snorkeling equipment and beachside hammocks.

I wouldn’t say Nisbet was a snorkeler’s paradise, since there weren’t any terribly impressive reefs, but we enjoyed paddling around :)

We did manage to tear ourselves away from the beach long enough to enjoy the other amenities Nisbet had to offer, including croquet (fun!), tennis, and the hot tub. Technically the hot tub was at the beach, too, since it was right at the water’s edge :) We saw the most perfect sunset from our hot tub perch one evening after everyone else had turned in to get ready for dinner!

Speaking of dinner… we greatly enjoyed all of our meals at Nisbet! We started each day with a stunning view and yummy food at Coconuts, which is right on the beach and next to the pool. There was fresh fruit, cereal, pastries, yogurt and more to choose from in addition to cooked-to-order items off the menu. I chose banana pancakes three out of four days :)

We opted to skip lunch most days in favor of afternoon tea, which was served on the terrace of the Great House from 4-5 each day. Tea consisted of individual pots of tea (we tried the highlighted special each day — lemongrass, basil, and honey and lemon) as well as scones, sandwiches, cookies, and cake. YUM! I was so sad to leave tea behind when we headed home. We also made a little cat friend at tea: Henry, Nisbet’s official greeter!

We ate dinner in the Great House three out of four nights. Each dinner was three courses, and there were generally three choices for your starter, four choices for your entree, and four choices for dessert. Each meal included an amuse bouche, as well. John had the “Taste of Nevis” option each night (including things like curry, snapper, and jerk chicken), and loved each one. The food was unpretentious, but delicious.

On the Thursday night of our stay, we joined our fellow guests as well as many visitors from other resorts for Nisbet’s weekly Caribbean Beach BBQ. The evening began with a cocktail party, then continued with a surf-and-turf style meal cooked to order, and concluded with dancing to a local band on the beach under the stars! In my mind, this was about as “traditional Caribbean” as Nevis got, and it was just the right amount for us!

Probably the thing that stuck out the most to us about Nisbet, though, was the staff. By our first breakfast (less than 24 hours after we had arrived), everyone from the hosts to the waiters to the owners seemed to know our names, and always greeted us with a warm smile. We saw many guests launch into long conversations with the staff, but there was no pressure to engage if you were looking for a quiet meal. This, I think, is the reason most guests return to Nisbet year after year — guests are truly treated as family. We actually rode to the water taxi on our last day with a couple that had been coming to Nisbet — not just Nevis, Nisbet — for 15 years, and aside from the gorgeous surroundings, they said that warmth was the reason.

If you’re looking for a friendly but private honeymoon with all the perks of a Caribbean beach vacation and none of the drawbacks, I can’t recommend Nisbet Plantation highly enough. Be sure to check out more info on their website, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

Tell me: What was your number one criteria for your honeymoon? Location? History? Activities? Food? I’d love to hear!

Seven months and a few days after our wedding, John and I set off on our longest trip together to date. Our honeymoon destination? Nevis — a tiny island in the Caribbean that neither of us could pronounce (for the record: KNEE-viss), that no one we talked to had ever heard of, and that I thought sounded a bit like a skin condition. Despite this somewhat uncertain beginning, the end result was clear: Best. Decision. Ever.

John and I split our week away between two resorts on the island: Montpelier Plantation and Nisbet Plantation. Montpelier, and, actually, Nevis, had originally caught our eye in a post from our friend Meredith Perdue. If Meredith, a bonafide globe trotter, was describing her experience there like this (“It was, without a doubt, the most memorable (and delicious!) dining experience I’ve ever had”), we knew Montpelier was worth a second look.

Of course, Montpelier has plenty to recommend it aside from a personal recommendation. It’s a member of Relais & Chateaux, a distinction given only to the most charming and exceptional properties around the world, and has received AAA’s Four Diamond award.

Despite such high expectations going in, we were not disappointed. From the minute we pulled into the property and caught sight of the massive tree outside reception that grounds the whole property, we were a bit in awe. Luxury, seclusion, attention to detail, intimacy — all perfect descriptors for Montpelier.

Meredith Perdue

There are just 19 rooms on Montpelier’s 30 acres, and all are nestled into lush vegetation, making any neighbors seem very far away indeed.

Our room had a gorgeous view out over the water, and we enjoyed sitting on our back porch and watching the sun set before heading to dinner every night.

The room itself was beautiful, with dark wood floors and furnishings, airy white walls, and a high peaked ceiling.

Montpelier definitely has a European air to it (and, in fact, many of our fellow visitors lived overseas), and everything is permeated with a quiet sophistication. This is not loud and raucous Caribbean, it’s rest and relaxation Caribbean. Aside from one other couple who appeared to be about our age, the guests were definitely a good twenty years older than us, so if you’re hoping to find other honeymooners to pal around with, Montpelier might not be your place.

The quiet suited John and I just fine, though! We ate breakfast on the terrace every morning with a beautiful view of Mount Nevis, the large mountain in the middle of the island. This was our walk to breakfast:

Just beautiful! We kept busy (if you can call it busy…) by lounging by the pool (SO gorgeous!)…

…venturing down to Montpelier’s private beach (it was pristine, and we had it to ourselves the entire three hours we were there!)…

…and hiking nearby Saddle Hill with Ziggy, the yellow lab belonging to one of Montpelier’s owners.

We also loved just walking around the property, delighting in the gorgeous flowers, the cavorting goats (they’re all over Nevis!), and the plentiful hammocks.

With only three nights at Montpelier, we knew we wanted to take advantage of every dining opportunity possible (see Meredith’s review above), so we stayed on property for all of our meals. The first night we actually had the incredible experience of dining in the Mill Privee, a 300 year-old sugar mill that’s been preserved for modern use.

From Montpelier’s website

The Mill serves a prix fixe menu of five courses, and though some of the selections were things I never would have picked out myself, they were all delicious. Our favorite was the fish course, which was a pan-seared salmon wrapped with spinach over a shitake mushroom ragout and cilantro foam. We were dining by candlight with just two other couples, and it’s a night we will not soon forget. Here’s a peek at the Mill from the outside:

Meredith Perdue

The next two nights we ate at Restaurant 750, on the terrace of the main house, and we also ate lunch each day at Indigo, the casual poolside restaurant. Each meal was as delicious as the one before it! Because it’s so expensive to bring things over from the U.S. and because Nevis is so naturally abundant, everything possible, from fruits to fish, is sourced from the local environment. Aside from tasting great, that meant we got to try lots of local specialties, like yellow watermelon!

If you’re looking for a sophisticated, stylish getaway with a European flair for rest and relaxation, Montpelier Plantation is a perfect pick. It was easy to see why many of our fellow guests were on their third, fourth, or fifth trip back to the property! The staff is warm and knowledgeable, and clearly takes great pride in what they do. As they should – Montpelier is an amazing place to honeymoon, and one John and I would both heartily recommend!

For more details on Montpelier, be sure to check out their website. I’d be happy to answer any questions in the comments about Montpelier or Nevis, as well!

Finally, be sure to check back this afternoon for the scoop on Nisbet! In the meantime, I’d love to hear — where did you honeymoon, or where are you planning to honeymoon?

All photos are my own except where noted!