For us, March was all about the arrival of springtime and we took to Instagram, filling it up with #SouthernDoin’s. Temperatures are warming up here in North Carolina, so I predict even more springy goodness for April! Here’s what we were up to last month, in and out of the office.

1. Emily’s Great Day mug and lots of to do lists filled her desk as she prepared for V6 shoots!

2. Lara, Ari and Grace took advantage of the warmer temperatures and visited the belted goats at Fearrington.

3. Kristin celebrated family birthdays at Lexington BBQ with some seriously delicious Southern delicacies.

4. Marissa took her office outside in order to pretend it was the South!

5. I added some very cool new office supplies to my collection: 80′s Glam Sharpies!

6. Kristin traveled to the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, NC, to cheer on the Tar Heels with her hubs, Kyle. (Go Heels!)

7. Lara and I worked on fun shop goodies and new projects.

8. I went to Downtown Raleigh for First Friday and came across this gem. It’s North Carolina inside a mason jar on a onesie!

9. Marissa and her handsome husband attended a Spring Training team BBQ for the Padres.

10. Lara did some painting for her shop!

11. Receipts times two from Emily’s Easter weekend. “Paying for the person behind us in line is one of my favorite traditions,” she says.

12. Marissa celebrated spring with a little floral bow business! Too cute, we say!

13. Kristin and Kyle drove down to North Carolina for Easter weekend. “I was bouncing off the walls of the car on the way down the mountain,” said Kristin. “I was so excited to spend time with my sweet family!”

14. Emily made a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake for Easter dinner dessert. According to Em, it was as good as it sounds!

15. Polka dots + pink nails made working on tax prep with Lara so much more fun for Marissa! At least, that’s what she told herself :)

16. Lara, Emily and Gina hosted a successful Making Things Happen conference with some amazing ladies!

17. With warmer temperatures around the corner, I picked up my first strawberry plants with my dad!

18. Lara and Ari celebrated 7 years of marriage! Yay!!

What did y’all do in March? What were the highlights of your month?

I love how Sara + Dom chose to separate the dinner from the dancing portion part of their celebration. (And oh my, what a celebration it was!) Tara and the team at Lowndes Grove worked together to create a dinner party feeling through estate tables, romantic chandeliers and low floral arrangements, then utilized modern lighting and a fun lounge area to create an upbeat space for dancing and more celebration. I love how ecstatic these two look in Liz’s photos!

Thanks again to Liz Banfield for capturing S + D’s soiree!

Dom is a big collector of matchbooks, so we had custom matchbooks made with our married monogram!

Did you have a cocktail hour? If so, what was it like? Our cocktail hour was fantastic.   As you entered the house, you saw a gorgeous old-fashioned champagne tower.  There was also an oyster bar, cheese trays and delicious shrimp and grits in edible spoons.

One of the biggest hits was a soup sampler we served as part of dinner.  There were three different soups served together that people could not stop talking about: gazpacho, curry crab, and split pea.  The split pea and gazpacho were served cold, so they were also refreshing.

I’m smitten over these chargers – the cut-out detail is simple yet ornate all at the same time. I can see pairing them with my grandmother’s vintage china for an Easter brunch!

We always knew we wanted to separate the dinner and dancing portions of the evening.  We wanted dinner to feel like a dinner party and then we wanted to create a much more upbeat atmosphere for the dancing part of the evening.  The two spaces were adjacent to each other and as dinner ended, the dancing tent with the dance floor and lounge floor was unveiled for all to see.

I saw the idea for mini cakes in Vogue, and could not wait to re-create it!  I thought the idea of having individual cakes for everyone was so different, and also delicious.  We had three different flavors: carrot cake, caramel, and chocolate.  The cake tower that held them all looked perfect.

As soon as Kristin and I both saw Sara’s getaway dress we absolutely flipped! This girl is ready for a party!

We had rented an old Rolls Royce that had to cancel at the last minute so we ended up with a vintage green Lincoln coupe convertible and it was even better!  We left through the house doors and ran through the sparklers to the car and drove off to everyone cheering.  We went for a ride around the battery before heading to our after party.  It was an amazing feeling to drive around the battery as every car we passed by honked and people were wishing us well.  We were just trying to take it all in and enjoy the best night of our lives.

And please enjoy this film of the day from Joel Serrato!

Tell us a bit about your first dance. We danced to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.  We went back and forth on many different songs as we wanted as we wanted something that was a little upbeat.  “Stand by Me” turned out perfectly.
Favorite design element of your big day: My whole idea for dinner was to have the feeling of an intimate dinner party surround by friends.  That was executed with the long tables, lit candles, and the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the tents.
What was the funniest moment?  What was the scariest? Our funniest moment was when one of our friends was dancing on the stage with the band and jumped up and came down into a split.  The crowd could not believe it and when he showed up at our brunch the next day, the room gave him a standing ovation for his incredible dance moves.
What was Southern about your wedding? The location, the plantation, the food, and the specialty cocktails.

Sara + Dom knew they wanted to get married in Charleston and after seeing Lowndes Groves Plantation, they instantly felt that this venue would be perfect location for their big day. I tend to agree! With the help of Tara Guerard and her Soiree team, S + D worked to create an elegant wedding that is so effortlessly chic, I can’t get over it! Sara said, “We really wanted to maintain the Southern plantation feel, but to add modern touches, too.” Mission accomplished, doll!

Big hugs to the very talented Liz Banfield for sharing these gorgeous images with us.

Looking to make your own Charleston welcome tote? Check out our tips (and free download!) here!

Oh my beautiful paper! I’d like to lay this out on my coffee table and just stare at it all day!

Y’all! A monogrammed bouquet wrap, say what?! And did you spot the personalized boxes each bridesmaids’ bouquet arrived in?

My mom and sister came to NYC for the weekend for the search for my gown. We looked all weekend, and I tried on so many dresses at so many different boutiques.  I considered several dresses, but when I put on the strapless beaded gown by Amsale and saw my mom tear up, we all said that was it.  My favorite thing about it was the beading detail and scalloped bottom.  It really had everything that I was looking for.

For the bridesmaids, I knew that I wanted each girl to be able to pick her own style in the grey color I had chosen.  My sister and I tried on every single bridesmaid dress line out there, and felt that the Monique Lhullier line was light and airy and had enough styles for each girl to be happy.  Each girl’s dress ended up reflecting her own personal style.  I let my sister have a different dress as the maid of honor, and she had her dress designed and made in NYC.  I could not believe how perfectly her dress complemented the other bridesmaid dresses.

Briefly describe your wedding flowers:  They were fresh and spring-like. We had all whites with hints of grey and lots of texture. All of the bouquets were wrapped with ribbons that were custom monogrammed for each individual.

A mama’s girl myself, I’m especially smitten with this sweet way Sara honored her mother.

My mom, who helped with the entire wedding process from start to finish, walked me down the aisle, which was a very special moment of the day. 

Now that is a chuppah!

Tell me a bit about the wedding ceremony. We chose to have my uncle be our officiant.  In the weeks leading up to our wedding, he reached out to all the members of our wedding party and had them each share their favorite story about us.  He then weaved all of these stories into the ceremony, which gave it a very personal and intimate touch.  It was incredible.  I was so impressed.

What was the most memorable or touching moment about your wedding day? My husband giving a wonderful toast as dinner finished.  He gave a special thank you to each important member of our family and ended the toast with special words for me.  It was an incredible speech.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party.  We talked throughout the party, but then when Dom asked for my phone number, he got my name wrong! I soon learned he is terrible with names but on that night I was not sure I would hear from him again.  I was wrong. We started dating and we both knew early on we had something special.  We dated for three years before getting engaged.
Describe the proposal: We went to Jackson Hole for my birthday because we both love to ski and our first-ever trip together was to Vail, Colorado. Ski trips hold a special meaning for us.  We got there mid-day and got our ski stuff together so we would be ready early the next morning.  We got back to the room and there were flowers all over, which I thought were for my birthday.  I turned around and he was on one knee in front of the fireplace proposing! I could not have been happier.  My sister and other friends also joined us on the trip later that day and they had no idea Dom proposed.  When we saw them, we were able to share the news with them in person, which made the whole night even more special
Tell me all the basics of your wedding! Our wedding was in the spring in Charleston, SC at Lowndes Grove Plantation. We knew that Charleston was the most likely place we wanted to get married as I had been visiting there for years after my mom relocated there eleven years ago.  When we saw Lowndes Grove Plantation in person, we knew we had found the venue that could host the type of wedding we envisioned.  It wasn’t until we met the team at Soiree that we knew we had all the pieces to the puzzle. We knew that they would be able to create the vision we had for the entire event.  They surpassed anything we had even expected.
Three adjectives that describe the day are:  Spectacular, elegant, intimate.
What was the weather like on your big day? Cloudy but the sun broke through
How many guests attended your wedding? 136
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  Why was this design special to you as a couple?   We really wanted to maintain the Southern plantation feel, but to add modern touches, too.  We saw photos of a wedding in Italy that was both formal and intimate at the same time and we felt that really went well with the vision we had for our wedding.
How did you spend the morning or afternoon before your big day?  I spent the morning getting ready with my mother, mother-in-law, sister and best friends. I had given my bridesmaids robes as part of their gift and we all lounged around in our robes and relaxed to having lunch and drink champagne while getting our hair and makeup done.  My sister had little surprises for me, like a pin to wear on my bouquet and a hanger with the wedding date that she had ordered for my wedding dress.  She thought of everything and I could not have gotten through the day without her.
Who participated in your ceremony? We also had a close friend Dom went to college with do a reading from the book Tuesdays with Morrie, which is a personal favorite of both of ours.
Did you write your own vows? We wanted the ceremony to be very personal, so we wrote the entire ceremony, including all of our vows.  The entire ceremony from start to finish was beautiful.
Were there any family traditions you included in the ceremony? Yes, in Jewish ceremonies you break the glass at the end of the ceremony to signify the frailty of life and to show that as the glass shatters, it is permanent – the same as our marriage.  Dom broke the glass at the end of the ceremony. 

Y’ALL. Before we even get into how much I love this wedding, can we just talk about how adorable these little sheep are??

I had to get that out of my system. As soon as I saw the images in this post, I emailed Marissa and squealed about the furry farm animals to her! Though it’s a huge plus, it’s not the only thing we love about Casey + Craig’s wedding. Casey actually said she had trouble figuring out exactly how she wanted the wedding to look within their five-month engagement. “I had always wanted to get married, but for some reason I always skipped the wedding and dreamed about the marriage itself. Which is good, but not so much for wedding planning!!” Thankfully, Casey’s friends gave her a lot of advice. However, to me, it feels like the couple made each decision based on what they like, not what matched their inspiration board — and I kind of love it. The result feels elegant and easy. Big hugs to Landon Jacob Photography for sharing this one with us!

These invitations kill me. The bold black calligraphy is so fun! After searching fruitlessly for invitations that she loved, Casey actually drew out the invitations herself and then took them to a local printer. I also love Casey’s pick for her bridesmaid dresses. They’re romantic and flow beautifully, but her bridesmaids will probably rock them for multiple other occasions!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
I found my dress at Evelyn’s Bridal in Lugoff. It was the second place I visited, and I’m so glad that I did. They were extremely patient with me as I tried on dress after dress after dress. I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for, which made starting difficult, but they were so helpful! The dress I ended up loving was unlike anything I’d seen, but still so simple and classic. The bow was definitely a selling point for me because it was different from all the lace that’s in style right now. The buttons also went all the way down the back, which I found so romantic and sweet.

Describe your wedding flowers. 
I love flowers, but I really wanted to keep things simple and classic, so I wanted a lot of greenery and just a few white flowers for contrast. There were white tulips and hydrangeas and magnolia leaves everywhere. Honestly, my favorite of all the flowers was my bouquet. I wanted something less structured but still very pretty, and Jordan really delivered — I loved it!

I die!!! Too cute.

We did decide to do a “first look” and it was honestly my favorite part of the day. I stayed with the bridesmaids at Old McCaskill’s Farm in Rembert, about a 15 minute drive from the ceremony site, so everyone popped over for pictures beforehand and it made the transition from ceremony to reception seamless and easy (the ceremony was done on one side of TenEleven Galleria and the reception on the other). After all of those were finished, Craig stuck around for five or ten minutes and we got to just be still together and enjoy a few minutes of calm before things got crazy. It was such a sweet moment for us to get to enjoy each other’s company while engaged for one last time. It definitely helped to ease both of our nerves before the ceremony. I was originally concerned that it would take something away from how special my walk down the aisle would be, but I think it actually added some excitement and comfort and reminded me of how completely ready I was to be this man’s wife. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s considering it!

What was Southern about your wedding? 
One of the biggest Southern things about our wedding was the food at our reception. In the South, we’re big on comfort and hospitality, and as a couple, we wanted everyone to feel welcome and warm and comfortable. So we had a coffee and hot chocolate bar, a mashed potato bar (with regular AND sweet mashed potatoes — seriously my favorite ever), and parmesan-encrusted chicken with macaroni and cheese bites, which were perfectly warm and cheesy and AMAZING.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. 
As people were arriving, we had Travis and Ashley sing “Forget Me Not” by The Civil Wars, one of my favorites. Mothers and grandmothers walked to “Where the West Wind Blows” by Green River Ordinance, which was very light and sweet, two things I really wanted the music to convey about our relationship. We have so much fun and are definitely goofier than subdued, but there have been such sweet undertones to our relationship from the beginning. I really felt like the music we chose for the ceremony reflected that well. I walked down the aisle to “I Am Yours” by Bethany Dillon, which was meant to be a reminder that even though from the ceremony on, I’ll be Craig’s, I belong to God first. We walked back up the aisle to “Gone, Gone, Gone” by Phillip Phillips. For the reception, we had the bridal party introduced to “Sexy Back” and we walked out to “Ignition (Remix),” which was some of the most fun I had! Our first dance was to Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young” — it’s always been a song we love, but it grew a lot in sweetness as we realized how applicable it will (hopefully!) be in 40 or 50 years. I loved our first dance. It was appropriately sweet but still upbeat and so much fun!

I LOVED my wedding cake! I had such difficulty discerning how I wanted my wedding to look. I really struggled with wanting to make sure it wasn’t too “pinterest-y,” but I also wanted it to be sweet and cute and very much inspired by who we are as individuals and as a couple. That said, choosing my cake was an absolute breeze. I had seen a picture of a petal cake that I loved, so we basically replicated it with different flavors for each tier. The bottom was vanilla with cream cheese filling, then marble with chocolate filling, the third tier was lemon with lemon filling, and the top was vanilla and cream cheese. I LOVE all things lemon, so that third tier was really all for me, but I also loved giving our guests some options to choose from. I was so pleased with how it turned out. The stand was a big thing for me, as well – I didn’t want anything too big or shiny because I thought the cake itself would be much more beautiful on its own. We found a round pre-cut piece of wood from Lowe’s and stained it dark brown — it was absolutely perfect.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
We met at the beginning of summer 2011, when we had the same group of friends from church and hung around each other all summer. We never had much of an individual friendship until the smoke detector went off in my house with super high ceilings — while I was in the shower! I couldn’t get it to stop and couldn’t reach the detector without jumping from a chair, and he was the only one to answer my phone call and come to the rescue. He’s super tall and fixed it with ease, cleaned my blood off the ceiling (because I had somehow cut myself trying to turn it off) and then sat down and began asking me about myself. That was really when I decided that I thought he was pretty cool. We were friends for a few more months, and then one night my roommates and I had everyone over to watch a movie. One by one, everyone left except Craig, and he and I ended up on opposite sides of the couch talking about everything from our families to broken bones to the things we wanted to do in life. Before I knew it, it was 6:00 in the morning. So he promptly left and I got a few minutes of sleep before my exam that morning at 8:00. We both just found each other so interesting, and he began texting me throughout the day and calling me pretty much every night and we’d talk for hours and hours. One of those nights, he called and said he wanted to pray about pursuing me as his girlfriend. We started officially dating a little while later, and exactly a year to the day after he told me he wanted to pursue me, he asked me to be his wife!!
Describe the proposal. 
I was SO convinced it wasn’t happening that I didn’t catch on, though I should have guessed what was happening. Earlier that day, I had lunch with a friend and I specifically said that I knew it wasn’t happening because we had “plans” with his sister after our date, and that just didn’t seem very indicative of a proposal to me. However, that night I met him at his apartment where we ate dinner that he had prepared. Afterward, he told me there was a “part two” to our date, so we went to his car and he blindfolded me while I sat in the front seat (howwww did I not know?!) We drove for what seemed like FOREVER, and then finally parked. He carried me on his back for a few minutes. When he finally put me down and took off the blindfold, we were in the middle of Williams-Brice Stadium, our alma mater’s football stadium, which seats more than 80,000 people. It was empty but the lights were on, so it was one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life. His speech was short but sweet. We had saved saying “I love you” for engagement, so getting to finally hear those words was the absolute best. I had always said I would never cry, but I bawled like a baby. Then he blindfolded me again and took me to my best friend’s house, where all of our closest friends and family were gathered to celebrate with us. It was the BEST. I loved getting to share one of the best moments of my life with those people I care about most.
In what month did you get married? 
February
How many guests attended your wedding? 
175
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
I asked Craig what his favorite detail of the wedding was (just out of curiosity) and his reply was, “You! Your dress, seeing you — you were my favorite thing.” (The perfect answer, right?!) But when all is said and done, I agree with him. There were so many special and fun details that I loved. The mink I wore was my great-grandmother’s and the chandelier in the ceremony space — oh that chandelier, I fought SO hard for that thing! All I wanted was a crystal chandelier for that window, and we couldn’t find one for what we thought was a reasonable price. We found a working chandelier and spray-painted it an antique bronze. My sweet dad drilled holes and we strung thin pieces of wire through them to connect the crystals, most of which had been a part of my great-grandmother’s crystal chandelier. The venue was another favorite. As soon as we walked in, we both said, “Yup! We’re getting married here!” It just had such a warm and relaxed feel, which was something we really wanted. But however much I am in love with all of those things, on the day of the wedding the only person who was there to me was Craig. Seeing him and being with him, that was my favorite part. Because once the wedding is over, your marriage is what’s important and I just felt (and still feel!) so blessed to even know him, much less get to spend my life with him.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
Staying with my bridesmaids at Old McCaskill’s Farm! It was such a pleasant and relaxing experience. And the LAMBS!! They had the sweetest lambs that we got to take pictures with; getting to play with them was one of my favorite parts of my wedding day.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? 
When I think about my wedding day, I automatically picture myself on the porch steps with Craig after our first look was done, hugging and giggling and repeating over and over, “We’re getting married today!!” It was definitely my favorite moment of the whole day.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? 
Don’t get too caught up in the details. I think weddings now are great because they’re less traditional and give the bride a chance to make things more personal, but I also think that lends itself towards putting a lot of pressure on her to have a very detail-oriented day; I know I definitely felt that. But in reality, the day is SUCH a whirlwind that those things you thought were important just aren’t anymore. No matter what things look like, you’re getting married!! And that’s the whole point.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
Right now, we’re living in Columbia and learning how to be married, which has been so much easier than we thought, and the most fun I’ve ever had! We’re still praying about where the Lord wants us to be and looking forward to growing together in Him as a couple and individually. I just know I’ve already learned so much about God’s grace and patience through the way Craig loves me and patiently cares for me, and it’s so great! Marriage has been the BEST.

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

Vintage LP prints via Unabashedly Prep

As lovers of Lilly and everything her colorful, carefree patterns represent, we wanted to take a minute to honor the life of Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau. You can read more about her incredible story here and offer up a memory here.

All photos by KT Merry. See more + credits here.

“Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink.” — Lilly Pulitzer

KT Merry is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!