Emily says I have to be nice to the Gators when I write this post, but y’all don’t know how hard that is! (Just kidding… but not!) My hubs actually thinks I should have declined to write this post (yes, we are THAT big of Bama fans!). I, on the other hand, am happy to write it — Florida is at least in the SEC! Clearly college football love (and allegiances!) run deep in the South!

Also, today’s handsome groom-to-be is a professional football player, so how could I turn down writing a post about a fellow pro athlete’s wife? After all, it’s not an easy life, and we have to stick together!

Oh, and can I please just talk about how stinkin’ adorable these two are?! When their photographer, Anna Kirby, suggested Ali and Eric take their engagement photos at The Swamp (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) they literally jumped at the idea! Ali says their engagement pictures “reflect our shared love of our family traditions, our university, and football.” Putting aside our allegiances, this lovely bride is a girl after my own heart! (AND, I want her cowboy boots!)

What’s your favorite college football team? Would you take or did you do your e-session (or your whole wedding) at your alma mater? How will you be incorporating your team into your big day?

P.S. Roll Tide, y’all! This is just one of the ways we incorporated college football into our wedding day!

P.S.S. Love e-sessions? Be sure to tune into our Facebook every Friday where we feature exclusive engagement sessions each week!

Do you ever have those days when you realize you need more words in your vocabulary? I, for instance, get in the habit of saying “awesome” or “perfect” when I could be saying things like “jaw-dropping” and “impeccable.” (Confession: I just used a thesaurus for that last word. That’s how bad it is! They don’t even pop into my head!)

Today, I could have used the word “sweet” to describe Holly + Chase’s wedding, but when I sat back and broke it down, there was much more to the feelings I have about their Alabama wedding. Looking through these photos from Rylee Hitchner makes me feel like I’m home. You know, that feeling you get when you know exactly how long it takes for the water to get hot, where the glasses and spoons are, and the sound of the back door creaking as your friends walk in.

Don’t you feel right at home in these photos? I love that good family friends of Holly + Chase let them use their home to host this wedding. It was also the spot where Chase popped the question, making it one of the couple’s favorite details. “Not only was the home a warm, charming and picturesque piece of art in itself, the family that lives there are the kindest of friends, and their home had truly been a haven to us both at different points apart and then together as we began to fall in love.”

We love how Holly described the Southern elements of her wedding. “I think what makes the South so iconic is it’s preservation of a sense of real community and that was a shining theme in our wedding. More than the beautiful Alabama home, more than the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the background, more than the homemade biscuits and cornbread, the most important Southern element was the way our families, friends and neighbors banded around us, offering their creative talents to make our wedding beautiful.”

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Having known each other for about five years, I don’t know that we would have started dating if we hadn’t bumped into each other several times in the span of a couple days. After those few, fortunate run-ins in the summer of 2010, we ended up spending tons of time together right before Chase left for a summer in Ireland and before I moved to South Carolina for a new job. While Chase was overseas, I made the decision to move to Uganda for six months and, no hard feelings involved, knew we probably wouldn’t date. Somewhere in those fall months before I left, we found ourselves talking all the time anyway. We fell fast, making for a very long six months apart while I was in Uganda! Chase flew to see me for 7 days in March, I got home in May and we were engaged in June. It was the best kind of whirlwind!
Describe the proposal. After I returned from Uganda, I started working at a local shop back in Alabama. Saturdays were usually slow, and one Saturday in particular it was so slow that my boss gave me the afternoon off. When I got off work, my friend suggested that we, along with some other friends, ride out to our friends’, the McMurtrie’s, house to pick blueberries, even though they weren’t quite in season yet. I was glad we were going to our friend’s house because Chase had planned to fish on their pond that afternoon. When we arrived, my friends ran out to the blueberry bushes while Robin McMurtrie and I walked out to the pond where Chase and Robin’s husband Tommy were fishing. When we got there, Tommy excused himself and Robin followed. Chase had slyly captured my Bible and read me a passage of scripture that he and Tommy had been talking about and then told me to read a note he had left me between the pages. It was a little note scribbled on a small piece of notebook paper telling me a few things he loved about me. Then, he told me there was another note in the front page. I flipped to it and saw Chase had crossed out “Holly Hereth” and written “Holly Stephenson?” From there, Chase was on one knee! We walked back to the house where friends and family were waiting to surprise me and to celebrate!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Simple, effortless and joyful!
In what month did you get married? October
How many guests attended your wedding? 200
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Well, it was the first one I tried on! I didn’t have much of an idea of what I wanted besides the fact that I wanted something simple with lace. I didn’t even know what to look for on the hanger. My mom actually found my dress. When I tried it on, it just felt like me. After putting on just two others, I was ready to put the first back on. I loved the simple fit, the low back and the scalloping lace over the shoulders.
Describe your wedding flowers: My wedding flowers were actually one of my favorite surprises of the wedding! A sweet friend of mine, Lindsay Rae, offered to arrange them for me. Being such the creative spirit that she is, I knew I could I send her a few photos of bouquets and let her run with it. She made the most beautiful, spilling bouquet for me and the sweetest little arrangements for my bridesmaids, not to mention the boutonnieres for the fellas and the table arrangements.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: Our wedding cakes were made by all kinds of loving hands! My friend Grace made the biggest portion of the cake, a delicious spice cake with cream cheese frosting roughly smeared to hold the layers together. Days before the wedding, I started to get nervous that there wouldn’t be enough, so my friend Cassidy helped me make a chocolate stout cake to add to the mix. The cakes we put on display were small and simply decorated with foliage from the landscape. We served guests slices from sheet cakes that no one ever saw!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? I think the biggest challenge came in remembering that the purpose of our wedding was to marry each other. Of course I wanted the day to be lovely, but letting go of my ideal in a lot of areas shifted my focus and let me enjoy the beauty, charm and sanctity of it all. After all, have you ever enjoyed something you’re micromanaging? Probably not.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? Less than $10,000.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Dancing with my bridesmaids right before we walked down the aisle to Motown in our dressing room, and then dancing with Chase to the same songs at the reception.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Forget every wedding you’ve ever been to, and don’t think about the resources you don’t have. If you have a bride, a groom, a pastor and a few friends or family members who love you, you have everything you need to make the sweetest, most magical and meaningful wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We now live in Nashville where we eat chocolate ice cream every night, listen to all the live music we can afford and love being married! We’re most looking forward to going to seminary in a few years, traveling together and eating big Saturday breakfasts every Saturday for the rest of our lives!

Photographer: Rylee Hitchner Photography // Planner: Lindsay Rae (lindsay@lindsayraedesign.com) // Venue: McMurtrie Home // Florist: Lindsay Rae (lindsay@lindsayraedesign.com) // Wedding Cake Baker: Grace Henderson, Cassidy Gibson // Caterer: Lyn’s Gracious Goodness // Rentals: Mullins Special Occasions // Linens: Barron’s Rental Center // Lighting: Steve Metz // Bride’s Dress: Jessica by Robert Bullock from The Something Blue Shoppe // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Hairpiece from Out of Hand // Bride’s Shoes: Sundance Catalog // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Modcloth

Out of Hand is a member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Do you love this wedding? You might like these, too:
Ashley + Ross’s simple white + kraft wedding here and here.
Meredith + John’s Alabama farm wedding here and here.
Meghan + Chris’s homemade farm wedding here and here.

A few weeks back we received a note from one of you sweet readers. She wrote:

“My fiancé recently lost his father (and I lost my wonderful father-in-law-to-be). I am trying to think of the best way to honor him during our wedding ceremony this September. I would love to hear y’alls’ ideas, as well as your reader’s ideas. Thanks so much!”

Of course! We love helping our readers out whenever we can. The community surrounding a couple is so important throughout their life, but especially when planning a wedding, and finding meaningful ways to honor and remember friends and family members is often an important part of wedding planning.

My family is actually very small (not to fret, I married into a very large, very Southern, and very amazing one), and both of my maternal grandparents have passed away. When I married my sweet husband, I wore the pearls that my grandmother had worn on her wedding day over 50 years before. When my sister got married this past year, she chose to honor our grandfather by having his photo placed in a small frame, and pinned to her bouquet.

My handsome grandfather. Image credit: Sara Kauss.

The ceremony is a great place to honor loved ones who have passed away, because it’s naturally a more solemn and sacred part of the day.

Some couples choose to light candles in memoriam. Others choose to place a single rose (or their favorite flower) on the pew where they would have been seated. We thought it was so sweet when recent bride Suzanne included a single white rose in her orange tulip bouquet to honor her father, who had passed away.

Photos by Amy Arrington (see more here!)

For this particular couple we think it would be lovely to to include the groom’s late father’s monogram inside his jacket.

Photo by Lisa Poggi

We also like the idea of choosing a special reading or singing a particular hymn that was a favorite of his. These are great options especially if you’re worried about the overall tone of the ceremony being sad, because only the people who it matters to will realize the true significance of the detail.

Along those same lines, we also like the idea of using a scrap of a favorite jacket or piece of clothing for the ring bearer pillow, a handkerchief, or the groom’s pocket square. If you have a larger amount of fabric to work with, you can have a custom tie made through a company like Tie Crafters. Or, simply have the groom wear one of his father’s favorite accessories, like a tie or cuff links.

Madras bow tie photo by Gabe Aceves (see more here!)

However you choose to honor their memory, we think the goal is to make the addition a positive and loving part of the ceremony.

Readers, do you have any additional ideas of how to remember a loved one during your wedding? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

Welcome to the fifth installment of our Southern Hospitality feature! Each month, we pick a Southern city and an expert host. Our host shares their favorite items custom to that city that would be perfect packed into a welcome bag for family and friends at a weekend wedding. There’s nothing like Southern hospitality, especially at a destination wedding!

If you couldn’t tell, we’ve been trying really hard lately to drive those winter blues away. From our Bright Winter Beach feature (board + palette finds) to our Lemon Squeeze Citrus feature (board + palette finds) to yesterday’s Sunny Bridesmaid Inspiration, we’ve got you covered for those cold, gray days. As for me, I’m counting down the days until my cruise to the Bahamas in March. Bring on the sunshine (and hopefully by then, the swimsuit body?)!

And the sunshine keeps coming! Today, we’re headed south to Florida’s Emerald Coast, an area stretching from Pensacola Bay to Panama City with a number of popular destination wedding locations dotted along the way. Who better to serve as our Emerald Coast expert than our friend and wonderful wedding planner, Victoria Volpone of Carillon Weddings? I hope you’ll enjoy her picks below, perfect for every fun-in-the-sun wedding!

A. Personalized Aqua Ball Cap. These are on the pricier side, so consider including them just in your bridal party’s totes. ($24.00)

B. Neon Rubber Sunglasses. Customize with your own text! ($1.22)

C. La Fresh Sunscreen SPF30 Travel Wipes. ($9.99 for 30 count)

D. Salt Water Taffy from Panama City Beach. If you’re feeling really clever, pick out flavors that match your wedding colors. ($7.00 for 7 oz)

E. Florida Citrus. A tangerine, clementine, or orange is the perfect refreshing treat. (price varies)

F. Gift certificate for coffee at Modica Market. Modica is the adorable grocer on the town square in Seaside, which some may recognize from The Truman Show! (price varies)

G. Paper Parasol. These are perfect for strolling along the beach, or shading the sun at an outdoor ceremony! ($6.95)

H. Old Navy Classic Flip-Flops. ($2.50 each if you buy 2 or more!)

I. Gummy Alligators Candy. ($6.98 for 12 packs of 2.25 oz bags)

J. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar Crackers. ($31.97 for 72 count)

K. Bike Rental Pass from Sunny Days Bikes & Kayaks. ($20.00 for single speed beach cruiser)

L. Custom Beach Wedding Stickers ($5.00 for 24 count)

We paired Victoria’s expert picks with a custom tote design from another Florida resident, Emily Ley, who grew up in Pensacola! Want one? Simply download the overlay here and take it to your local screen-printer. Thank you for the fun, bright design, Emily!

From the Emerald Coast area and have additional suggestions to add to our tote? What did you love about this area if you’ve visited before? Have a city in mind for future posts? Comment below and let us know!

Check out past totes:
Nashville
Atlanta
Austin
Richmond

Carillon Weddings is a Southern Weddings sponsor!

I like to believe in fate. Do you? It makes everything a little more romantic, and it’s stories like Suzanne + Sean’s that seal the deal for me. (Just read their interview for details!) Their South Carolina wedding was full of fun and sweet details that are so completely Southern, like those screen printed linen bags, bike rides down the street and the serene white chapel. I love that Suzanne’s bouquet of orange tulips included a sentimental note. A single white rose was included in the bunch to honor her father who passed away.

Can we pause for a moment and marvel at this beautiful church? I love that the couple chose to decorate the interior with simple white and green florals that don’t distract from the church’s natural beauty. We can see why Suzanne described the ceremony as “a dream.”

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. I was out in California with some friends visiting my sister. We went out one night and ended up meeting Sean and one of his friends at a bar. We talked for a while and planned to meet up again during the trip but never did. When we were on our way home back to Michigan, we ended up on the same connecting flight to Phoenix! At this point we decided it must be fate and we all exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. We remained friends for a few years until finally realizing we were meant to be together.
Describe the proposal. We were down in Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina visiting Sean’s family and they arranged for us to go out on a dinner boat. It was really windy, but we sat on the front of the boat and had a four course meal. It was delicious! Just before they were going to bring out dessert, Sean got down on one knee and popped the question! I, of course, said yes!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I always knew I would wear a mermaid style gown. When my mom and I went dress shopping, I started to give up toward the last dress of the day and figured I would just try on the ball gown to make my mom happy. Little did I know that it would change my mind completely!
Describe your wedding flowers: My bouquet was made of orange tulips with a single white rose to honor my father who passed away.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Whimsical, unforgettable, fun.
In what month did you get married? April
How many guests attended your wedding? 88
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The late night snack! We had mini burgers, French fries, and milk shakes!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning the wedding in six months! Luckily we had a planner and family willing to help!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $50,000-$75,000
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When they opened up the doors to the chapel; Sean was standing at the end and the sun was glowing all around me. It was like a dream.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Enjoy every second because it goes by so quickly.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are closing on our first house this week!

Photographer: Amy Arrington Photography // Planner: Kelli Corn, Wedding Design Studio of The Inn at Palmetto Bluff // Ceremony venue: Waterside Chapel on the May River // Reception venue: The Inn at Palmetto Bluff // Florist: Sue Burden // Wedding Cake Baker: Custom Cakes // Caterer: The Inn at Palmetto Bluff // Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals // Linens: Cloth Connection // Paper Products: Gunther Gifts // Bride’s Dress: Oleg Cassini // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: David’s Bridal // Bride’s Shoes: Mystique // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal

If you like this wedding, you might like these:
Amanda + Brent’s blue and white wedding here and here.
Tara + Steve’s orange and pink wedding here and here.