It has been a busy start to the year! We haven’t given y’all a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the SW gals in awhile, but we’re happily sharing a few glimpses from our time in and out of the office today. As Kristin says, February was the time of love and birthdays.

1. Marissa posted her favorite new shirt from Petal Boutique. It’s business in the front and a party in the back, she says!

2. I pulled out my Pantone swatches to do some color matching for a new product in the shop. Can you tell which print I was working on?

3. Kristin and the SW gals celebrated sweet Marissa’s birthday with a dance party and a cupcake. This is one of K’s favorite pictures ever. (Thanks Kat Harris!)

4. Lara launched her brand new site! See it here y’all.

5. Marissa’s suitcase was a bit over packed for her trip out west, so this Southern girl had to wear her winter coat through the airport!

6. Emily has been loving her tending list and notepad from the new Lara Casey shop.

7. Emily and John celebrated Valentine’s Day with dinner at home and a first viewing of their Inkspot long-form wedding film.

8. Valentine’s Day was delicious in the office thanks to a treat from our intern, Jessica. She gave us heart-shaped biscuits and jam!

9. Kristin and Kyle celebrated Valentine’s Day with a picnic on the floor of their living room using a quilt made by Kristin’s great aunt (a gorgeous wedding ring quilt, oh my stars)!

10. Marissa and her husband got a big laugh out of their last name being on the Padres pronunciation guide for Spring Training. (It’s pronounced “close,” not “clo-ess.”)

11. Grace surpassed walking and started running — a lot!

12. Emily was very happy about our closet overhaul and organization day. It now houses all of our pretty new prints!

13 In addition to their wedding film, Emily and John also received their disc of wedding images from Tanja. She included some gorgeous prints with hand-cut mats.

14. Kristin shared her love story with our amazing readers! Yay!!

15. We had plenty of exciting staff meetings this month as we reviewed our January goals and discussed ideas for V6!

16 Kristin spread some love to celebrate Emily’s birthday and sent a pile of goodies to The Birthday Party Project. (See Emily’s post on it here.)

17. We all appreciated the Southern charm dripping from the lovely cotton wreath on Lara’s office door.

18. My boyfriend and I watched our rival alma maters play against each other in basketball. The Tar Heels won. :)

Tell us: What did you do in February? What were the highlights of your month?

It’s clear from the start that Chrissy + Tate’s wedding is different. From their Dixie Gin venue to their terrarium centerpieces and deer skull-flanked sweetheart table, we love how these newlyweds weren’t afraid of going a little outside the box with their ideas.

“Shortly after we got engaged, Tate’s dad said, “We’re really excited to see what y’all do for your wedding. We have a feeling it’s going to be really…different.” We’re not a run-of-the-mill pair, and we weren’t shy with adding in our taste and personality into the day. People came up to us throughout the night saying, ‘This is the most unique and fun wedding I’ve ever attended! I cried during your ceremony more than at my child’s!’”

We might have shed a few tears of our own, especially after seeing Chrissy + Tate’s sweet-as-pie dance photos. Be prepared, y’all!

Tell us a bit about your first dance. We danced to “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. I’ve been a fan of his since high school, and the first time I heard that song, I knew I would dance to it at my wedding. Luckily Tate also loves the song and agreed! He doesn’t realize this, but I purposely snuck it into a playlist on one of our first road trips to see if he’d react at all to the lyrics. I remember him reaching over to squeeze my hand after it played and I thought, “Yes!!!” During our first dance, every guest gathered around us in a circle. It was really lovely.
What song did you use for your Father-Daughter dance? We danced to a cover of “Baby Mine” from Dumbo. There wasn’t a dry eye in sight.

What was the design inspiration for your reception? When coming up with a design concept for the reception (and the wedding overall), I tried to think of it in the same way I would decorate our home. Lots of texture, depth, variety, and a homey, vintage feel. Our families and friends were so helpful with setting up the day before, it could not have happened without them!

What advice would you give to someone planning his or her wedding? Planning a wedding is very time consuming. I felt like I had two full-time jobs! Know that everyone wants to help you, and chances are, if you ask, they will. When dress shopping with your Mom (or anyone, really), keep in mind that she may have imagined you in a gown that is completely different from what you would like to wear. Try on a gown of her choice anyway, if for no other reason than to see her smile. Etsy is your new best friend! Not everyone will be able to attend your wedding, but try not to take it personally. Don’t be afraid to take risks! Our save the dates were magnets with the two of us making ridiculous faces and the caption, “Things are getting serious.” At first our families were apprehensive, to say the least. As everyone received theirs in the mail, they called our parents laughing, saying how much they loved having such a cute picture on their fridge!

I’m not much of a flower girl and the venue had so much character that I didn’t want to distract from its natural beauty. Rather than traditional centerpieces, we made terrariums filled with moss and succulents and placed them on a tree stump in the center of each table. We bought house numbers from a home improvement store and glued them to bricks for table numbers. To help the space feel lush, we found squares of moss online and used them as placemats, as well as a moss aisle runner for the ceremony. We also filled blue mason jars with cotton burs, and placed flameless tea lights inside to create a soft glow. Our place settings had gold charger plates topped with a dinner and salad plate made from bamboo and simply folded floral napkins that Tate and I made as a DIY project. We also used the tables as an opportunity for a unique guest book activity: wedding Mad Libs! On a trip together to upstate New York, we played Mad Libs for hours. It is yet another example of how we added bits and pieces of moments in our relationship into our wedding day. Everyone filled out the cards while they waited their turn for dinner, which also made for a fun activity.

Heather of Social Bites of Ruston made us an absolutely delicious white cake with vanilla icing. Of the two of us, Tate has the sweet tooth, so I left choosing a cake up to him. Cake tasting day was probably his favorite day in the whole process! We also found the cutest cake topper on Etsy. It’s a giraffe bride and groom and is a nod to an inside joke we share about giraffes. It was another small way we were able to incorporate our personalities into the day.

Where did you sit? Our head table was a tufted settee surrounded by candles and family heirlooms with two vintage TV trays we found online as a table. It was very comfortable and really cute! The deer skulls on the wall behind us were back from Tate’s hunting days – we have one on the wall at home, too.
What kind of food did you serve during cocktail hour and dinner? Amanda and the staff at Flour Child Fine Foods made the best meal I have ever had at a wedding. For hors d’oeuvres, we had champagne marinated shrimp with spicy remoulade, assorted cheese, and crudités served in cucumber cups. For dinner, we had fried chicken and waffles, pulled pork sliders, bacon-wrapped quail over truffle mac and cheese, cheese grits, a mixed greens salad, and freshly made strawberry lime mojitos. At the end of the night, they brought out individual cups of French fries. It was all absolutely scrumptious!
What was the scariest moment? Tate’s mom warned me early on that no matter how much you plan, something will go wrong at the wedding. With that in mind, the scariest moment was probably when my friends sent me a text saying the bus we hired was 45 minutes late, and a large group of people had to beg the hotel to bring them in their airport shuttle. Luckily, the hotel agreed and everyone made it on time. In general though, our shuttle rental was not reliable, which was frustrating.
Did you toss the garter or bouquet? I completely forgot about purchasing a garter, so we only did a bouquet toss. It was fun! Ironically, the two friends next to my friend who caught the bouquet are now engaged.
Did you include any Southern traditions in your wedding? We had a Groom’s cake, and Tate’s dad was his best man. Tate and his fellow Ole Miss graduates gathered in a circle and yelled Hotty Toddy.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when planning your wedding? Living in another state was tough as it wasn’t easy to see how it would all come together until it actually did. We rented a storage unit and would ship items there in advance, which was really helpful. When marrying in another location, I really recommend getting there at least a week ahead of time to make sure everything is good to go.
What range did your budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where? Rather than have a gift registry, we registered for our honeymoon. Let me tell you, it was so much better than a new blender! We spent 16 days traveling through Southern Italy and it was nothing short of incredible.
Best advice anyone gave you on planning a wedding? Invest in a great photographer, as they are worth every penny. I immediately flipped upon seeing Courtney Dellafiora’s work online. Her talent, style, and eye as an artist is so unique—and you can tell photography is her calling. We were so happy she was available on our wedding day! She captured all of the emotion and moments beautifully. We first saw the wedding photographs while on our honeymoon and we both gasped — they are stunning. We cannot thank or recommend her enough.

Chrissy + Tate’s wedding was one of the very first that we accepted to feature in V5, which gave us plenty of time to get to know their big day. Trust me when I say there is a lot to take in. There isn’t any detail of their big day that escapes without a story behind it, which is how we like it in the South. These two know just how to celebrate a marriage — with plenty of “them” infused in the details and an unplugged ceremony, in which guests were asked to completely turn off their cell phone and refrain from taking photos. It helped guests focus on the vows being said and allowed their photographer to take plenty of unblocked and beautiful shots.

We are so grateful for Courtney Dellafiora who shared this wedding with us and for C + T for sharing their adorable love story (Really, y’all, their proposal story is a must read!). Stay tuned for more sweet photos in Part 2!

Tell me all the basics of your wedding!  I am from North Carolina, Tate is from Mississippi, we met in New York, and live in California, so we decided to split the difference and get married just outside of Shreveport, Louisiana. Tate has a larger family, and I wanted to have our wedding close enough for his grandparents to attend.  Why Shreveport?  The venue.  When researching locations online close to his family, I came across a wedding at the Dixie Gin and was instantly smitten. It had so much beauty and character, and my gut told me it was the place. After talking to Lauren, one of the owners (and nicest people in the WORLD), I was even more convinced. We got the chance to visit Shreveport the November prior to the wedding, and as soon as we pulled up to the Gin, we both agreed it was just perfect. Everyone thought we were nuts to get married in a city where neither of us had been or lived (and I have to admit it was quite a leap of faith) but it was well worth the risk.  We chose mid-May because it fell in a time on the calendar when the entertainment industry has a lull, the weather wouldn’t be too painfully hot, and because the date was available.

Groom’s favorite detail of the wedding: (From the groom) Our shoes! I bought a vintage pair of bowling shoes online, and Chrissy had a custom pair of heels designed to look like mine. It was a nice reminder of where it all started for our relationship.

Describe your bouquet. One of my friends took up floral arranging as a hobby and as luck would have it, she’s a total natural. She made all of the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party, as well as my bouquet.  She lives in NYC and I was in LA, so we exchanged a bunch of emails with links and pictures to make sure we both had the same vision. My bouquet was a mix of cotton, succulents, dusty miller, seeded eucalyptus, ranunculus, hydrangeas, and craspedia. The bouquet was wrapped with a doily made by my fraternal grandmother. The cotton used in my bouquet and throughout the wedding was hand picked by my Mom! She scoured North Carolina during harvest season and asked farms if they wouldn’t mind her picking some of their cotton. Thank goodness for Southern hospitality, because everyone said yes!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress.  I wore a full-length lace gown with cap sleeves and a keyhole back by Paloma Blanca. It was the fourth dress I tried on, and the whole store sighed “aww!” when I walked out of the dressing room.  I thought it was a setup! I ended up trying on about 50 gowns over a few months, but kept thinking of that one. It was surprising how emotional gown shopping was, I just didn’t expect to react so strongly to a piece of clothing, you know? Looking at my reflection I suddenly realized “oh wow, I’m a grown woman!”

Describe the proposal: On our first date, we met up for drinks and then went to a party thrown by two of our friends at a loft in Brooklyn. The hosts are two really creative people and at the end of the night, they had everyone write their name and address on an envelope and put it in a hat. The hat was then passed around and we all drew out an envelope with the name and address of another person at the party, and we were all instructed to send that person a letter. The following year, we were back in New York City for a friends’ wedding, and Tate blocked off an evening for just the two of us. I didn’t know the agenda, but it turned out to be a night of “greatest hits.” We went to dinner at the first restaurant at which we dined together, then grabbed a drink at the bar in which we met on our first date, and then headed to The Gutter for a round of bowling. We were having a great evening together, and coincidentally had the whole place to ourselves. Just before the last frame, Tate darted away saying he was going to get something from the bar. He came back, bowled his turn (he won), and the music suddenly switched from 80’s hair band music to a song called “Terrible Love” by our favorite band, The National. I joked; “well, you beat me but at least now they’re playing The National,” to which he replied, “I know, because I asked them to.”  He then said he had something for me, and pulled it out of his pocket.  I stared in total disbelief — it was the envelope from the party on our first date with my name and address.  Inside was a letter he read aloud, explaining how he excited he was that night to finally be out on a date together, and that he was thrilled when he pulled my envelope out of the hat. At first he was going to write a letter asking me on a second date, but finally decided to hang onto it for a rainy day, saying, “I think I knew even then that this day would come.” He continued reading as the music swelled, concluding with “you are my life and my love and I hope and pray you always will be.” He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the definition of romantic.

Chrissy’s bridesmaids’ dresses are some of my favorites! I was thrilled when she shared where she found them.

“I came across Sohomode one night when browsing Etsy, and loved the designs. They all had the same flattering retro silhouette but were made with a vintage fabric of your choice. Each bridesmaid selected fabric within a certain color family, and I thought everyone looked smashing!”

The ceremony was really powerful. We had a playlist of Vitamin String Quartet playing covers of modern music leading up to the ceremony, and that helped set the mood that ours would be a traditional wedding with a twist. Rather than a more customary song for the processional, we both agreed on “Terrible Love,” as it’s kind of an anthem for our relationship. Plus it has a nice rhythm, great lyrics, and eventually gets so loud you feel it in your gut. The entire wedding party walked out individually as it played, and I followed. Both of my parents escorted me down the aisle, and having them both by my side was really special. Before the three of us walked out, all of a sudden it just hit me “Whoa, this is our wedding!” and the next thing I knew I was standing next to Tate. The ceremony itself is one of the few things that felt happened in real time. Tate has a childhood friend who is a Pastor and he led the ceremony. We had two friends who gave lovely and touching speeches, and said traditional vows as well as our own. We’re pretty open with our emotions, whatever they may be, and were both alternating between crying and laughing the whole time. There was a funny moment when we almost kissed, and both of us said “Oh no! I can’t kiss you yet!” and everyone laughed. I know it sounds cheesy, but something special was in the air that day, and everyone could feel it. The ceremony was a series of very profound, honest moments. It was just lovely.

Did you try anything new or untraditional? In the months leading up to the wedding, I decided I wanted to surprise Tate with something unique during our ceremony. When he was little, he was in the hospital and a puppet came in to visit and entertain him.  Ever since, he’s been a fan of puppets and his face lights up like a kid when he sees them. With this in mind, I decided to make sock puppets for each guest attending the wedding to wear on their hand as they cheered and clapped at the end of the ceremony as we made our exit. I locked myself in our spare bedroom for a number of weekends and made over 100 puppets by hand. Half were grooms that looked like Tate, and half were brides that looked like me. They were really detailed so it was quite an undertaking! At the end of the ceremony, our pastor instructed everyone to open the paper bag in front of them and put the item inside on their hand to welcome the happy couple. As all of this was happening, Tate looked over with a smile and said “What did you do?” and I just giggled and shrugged. Suddenly, bride and groom puppets started popping up throughout the crowd, and everyone cheered—it was a really sweet and funny moment, and I loved seeing him so happy.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.  We met a few times through work before actually meeting in the real world. The first time was in the spring of 2008. I was working at a network during pilot season, and Tate came in to audition. I remember noticing a cute floppy-haired guy sitting in the waiting area eavesdropping on one of my conversations (he later admitted this was true). A year later, Tate was in The Philanthropist on Broadway, and a friend of mine from college was an understudy in the same show. She and Tate lived in the same neighborhood and became buddies. Tate and I direct met at her birthday party one night in Brooklyn. We continued to hang out with groups, but were both totally oblivious to the fact that we were interested in each other for about a year. (Yes, a year!) At that time, I was working on The Good Wife for CBS, and Tate starred in one of the episodes. In the spring of 2010, we both attended the wrap party for the first season, and afterward, went bowling with friends at this amazing vintage bowling alley our friends own in Brooklyn called The Gutter. The whole night, we kept high-fiving each other — like, excessively high-fiving — and it finally dawned on both of us that our crushes were mutual. Our first date was a week later, nine months later we moved to Los Angeles, and here we are today!
What is a time together you will always remember? Tate’s apartment had a bad habit of flooding in heavy rains (gotta love New York!). One day, we came home to his place after grabbing lunch during a downpour and sure enough, water was everywhere. We immediately went to the store and bought supplies to clean up the mess and spent about six hours cleaning while singing along to music, laughing, and telling stories. At the end of it all, we were covered in mud and grime but still smiling. Later, we both admitted to falling in love that day. If we could still have fun and work well together when things weren’t so great, then it was meant to be.
Tell us about your beautiful engagement ring and how/why your husband (or the two of you!) chose it: Tate proposed with his mother’s engagement ring, but knew I also had diamonds belonging to one of my grandmothers that I wanted to incorporate. On the recommendation of a friend, we had a custom ring designed at this amazing little jewelry shop in Brooklyn called Elleven.  It’s truly special as it symbolizes the blending of our lives and families: the center stone from his mother, side stones from my grandmother, and additional new diamonds symbolizing the life we’re making together.
How many guests attended your wedding? About 115. We had an extra table for “anyone else who shows up” and people did!
Tell us about your invitations. One of Tate’s friends does branding and design, and he helped us create a really unique logo and layout for the invitations. I then used the same fonts and logo to design and word the rest of our invitation suite, as well as the Mad Libs and wedding programs. The invitations became a larger DIY project than either of us anticipated. Tate has the patience of a saint, and spent hours printing, cutting, gluing, and labeling — he was a one-man assembly line!
How did you spend the morning or afternoon before your big day? (From the bride) I spent the day getting ready with my friends and bridesmaids. Another of my closest friends is ridiculously talented with makeup, and she did both that and my hair.  It was so nice having someone I trusted and knew well there with me all day, rather than a total stranger. In one corner I was getting ready, in another corner the bouquets were being finished, in another corner friends were laughing and telling stories, family and friends flowed in and out of the room — it was really lovely and relaxed. (From the groom) The morning of the wedding, I discovered someone had ran into my Mom’s car in the middle of the night. It was parked on the street in downtown Shreveport and they completely bashed in the trunk – and we had planned on driving away in it at the end of the night. I spent the morning talking to the police, then ran some last-minute errands, had lunch with friends, and started getting ready. We actually ended up driving away in it anyway at the end of the night, and it was pretty hilarious seeing everyone gasp as they saw the trunk!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? To Tate, I said, “When we had our second date, you expressed some concerns about starting a relationship. You said ‘I’m really bad at dating’ to which I replied ‘well, that’s all right because I’m a DISASTER!’ I’m happy to say we were both wrong” Tate said to me, “You’re the perfect height for me to rest my chin on your head. We fit like the two leftover puzzle pieces in the box. We don’t fit the puzzle, but we fit together.”
Were there any family traditions you included in the ceremony? My sister had a ring passing ceremony during her wedding and I found it very touching. We included that as a part of our day as well.
Did you do a first look? Yes, and I am so thankful we did! Having a few minutes with just the two of us was really special. It all goes by so fast, and having some time together before everything started helped keep us grounded.

Pink + sparkly Kate Spade dancing shoes, a perfect Southern bump, a custom monogram, lush pastel peonies… oh my heavens, y’all, I’m in heaven! Pink sparkly heaven! Angelica + Colby’s romantic Texas nuptials were filled with some of my very favorite wedding details, but classic and romantic didn’t always describe A + C’s relationship. In fact, Colby told us, “If someone had told my wife that she would be marrying me after we first met, she probably would have punched them.” We’re sure glad that after awhile the two reconnected for a more amicable time, and of course, this sweet day. Plus, I don’t actually believe Colby: check out his face as Angelica comes down the aisle. That’s one smitten kitten!

Big hugs to Jake Holt for not only capturing all the pretty details, but also such awesome moments (dying over the thumbs up shot!).

If I had these Kate Spades, I’d wear them to the grocery store! Scouts honor!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. 
If I said it was the first and only dress I tried on, you’d think I was kidding, but I’m not! We had gone to Joan Pillow Bridal “just to look.” I browsed the dresses and saw one I liked. “This will do,” I told my mom. Since we had some time to think about it, she told me that if in a month I was still dreaming of that dress, it was mine. A month later we made an appointment, tried the dress on, and ordered it! It was the perfect dress for me, my body, and my dream wedding. My consultant at Joan Pillow was told me I could try more dresses on for fun if I wanted! So I did, just so I could say I tried on more than one!

Angelica, your Southern bump rocks my world! Pure Southern hair perfection!

Describe your wedding flowers. 
They were perfect! I wanted a romantic, spring look and what we got was 100 times better than what I ever expected. The peonies were full and fragrant, the roses were perfectly bloomed and the orchids, ranuculous and hydrangeas were the perfect shade of pink! My bouquet was exactly what I wanted — full of peonies, roses, and rhinestone-studded stephanotis all wrapped up with a tulle tutu! I had saved a photo of this bouquet from Southern Weddings before Pinterest and my florist made it better than I could have imagined! All the arrangements were large, full and soft — perfectly accenting the ceremony and reception.

Y’all, Angela’s pink tutu bouquet inspiration is right here! Gorgeous!

We love that Angelica brought a photo from Southern Weddings to her florist, but I’d have to say this floral goodness below is out of control!

Come on, Colby’s expression is absolutely my favorite detail of this wedding! A-dor-a-ble!

Did you decide to do a “first look”? We did not do a first look. All during the planning, Colby had insisted on seeing me for the first time when I walked down the aisle in my dress. I knew it was his day too, so we skipped the first look. He is very traditional when it comes to certain things and this was a non-negotiable! It was so wonderful walking down the aisle and seeing him as happy as ever. The raw emotion was 110% worth it, but it was SO hard not telling him about and showing him my dress!

Did you write your own vows? 
I wanted to recite traditional vows and Colby wanted to write our own, so we compromised by combining different traditional vows, written in our own words. I just think there is something so romantic about reciting vows that people have been using to unite themselves in marriage for years and years, but thought it was so “us” to make them our own.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? 
We had two readings during the ceremony. The first one was E.E. Cummings’ “I Carry Your Heart.” We had asked my dear cousin Michele to pick something to read and she said if she were to have had a reading at her wedding, this would have been it! We also had Romans 12:9-12 read during the ceremony. Colby’s cousin Tucker read in on behalf of his sister Jennifer who couldn’t be there because she had just completed a bone marrow transplant and was in North Carolina healing. (She’s now cancer free!)

There were a lot of family heirlooms used throughout our day. The alter was an antique hutch that my great grandparents had when they were young; I had it refinished for the wedding, and now it’s our favorite piece in our house! We also used a cake knife that everyone in my family used at their weddings. I wore my great grandmother’s necklace that all the girls have worn in their weddings, and carried my grandmother’s handkerchief with me down the aisle. My something blue was a sorority tradition, and Colby changed bow ties and into a white dinner coat after the ceremony. We also served individual Frito pies as our late night snack!

The cakes were delicious! The wedding cake was a Chambord-soaked yellow cake, with vanilla mousse and fresh raspberries. It was SO good. I hope the cake tier we have in the freezer tastes half as good as it did on our wedding day! The groom’s cake was a traditional red velvet cake that was an absolute replica of the Rolling Stone’s “Let It Bleed” Album. The Stones are Colby’s favorite band, and other than not having a first look, this was the only other non-negotiable! The Four Seasons Pastry chefs make a red velvet that you dream about.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. My mom really wanted to dance down the aisle to “Brick House.” She has a funny sense of humor! We had classic selections instead, though. I walked down the aisle to “Moon River” by Henry Mancini. It was just one of those classic romantic songs that sounded beautiful performed by strings. During the ceremony, my brother and cousin performed “Your Song” by Elton John. My mom picked it out, and since then, I hear it all the time! The recessional was “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. It was especially fitting since it had rained the entire week leading up to the wedding. Our first dance was to “It Had to Be You” by Frank Sinatra. It’s such a classic love song and fitting for our big band during the reception.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. 
(From the groom) Classic romantic stories do not apply to us whatsoever. In fact, if someone had told my wife that she would be marrying me after we first met, she probably would have punched them. Well, maybe not punched, but she definitely would have given them the stink eye. When I was relocating back to TX, we were introduced at a local Houston watering hole by mutual friends who were dating at the time. I was seeing someone, and she was wrapping up her college career. It wasn’t really a set up to begin with, but I was a bit of a jerk, and she made it very clear that I was acting as such. At the end of the evening, we went our separate ways. Six months later on my 25^th birthday, I had finally moved back to Texas and found myself freshly single (as in,  we broke up on my birthday) and hanging out with the same mutual friends in Austin. Angelica was also in attendance, and while she was still convinced I was a bit of a pompous jerk, she knew that I was in the middle of a quarter-life crisis and was extremely compassionate. She helped me through a pretty bad birthday weekend. Over the remainder of that summer we stayed in close communication and began dating. The rest, as they say, is history.
Describe the proposal. 
I was supposed to fly to Dallas with my boss for a day trip to go shopping for clients. We got to the airport, and right as we’re about to go through security, my boss turned to me, handed me a sealed envelope and said, “This is where I leave you. Colby is waiting for you.” I went to find Colby and was shocked. I didn’t pack anything but he assured me that everything was okay, that I had luggage, and that my mom was on her way to Austin for the weekend to watch our dogs. He promised no more surprises, and I was so relieved and happy. On Saturday morning, we had a lovely brunch at Farmer Brown and then walked all over the city. Colby kept saying, “Let’s go over there and take pictures,” which I found weird since he really doesn’t like getting his picture taken. Later, we walked down to the water at Baker Beach and it’s at this point when Colby starts texting someone and checking his watch. It was getting a little annoying, so I said to him, “Why do you keep checking your watch? Is something magical going to happen at 4pm?” Apparently so. A few moments later he looked at me and said, “You know how I said no more surprises? I lied” He got down on his knees and said, “I have something to ask you. Will you marry me?” I’m bawling at this point and he’s smiling from ear to ear. Of course I said yes! He pulled the most beautiful ring out of his pocket and put it on my finger. I turned around to see some people walking over. It was my best friend Carmen and her dad with cameras! Colby had them in on the surprise, too!
In what month did you get married? 
May
How many guests attended your wedding? 
120
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: 
For me, it was the sequined linens and our custom monogram. The linens were something that I had dreamed about for so long, that when they arrived and I saw the room come together, it was magic. Our monogram was splashed all over the wedding and now, our home. It’s traditional, but fresh. For Colby, his favorite detail was his Rolling Stones-themed grooms cake and the home-brewed Honey Basil Wheat Ale that he brewed as our favors! It was a huge hit!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? 
Keeping all the families happy (also known as the battle of the bride’s side versus the groom’s side). I won’t go into detail, but make sure that when you talk to each side of the family, that you make sure they know the wedding is about you and your fiancé, and the joining of two families, not anything or anyone else. We had a few moments of sheer insanity a week out and it was really hard to look past that. Luckily for everyone, we decided not to run off and elope! The wedding went on blissfully and even if certain people decided not to speak to us the entire weekend of the wedding, it was perfect!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? 
$25,000-$50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? 
Lighting and our videographer. We waited until about two weeks before the wedding to add lighting and it really transformed the room. I couldn’t have imagined our reception without it! Our videographer was amazing. At the end of the day, you’re left with photos and video. Photos are amazing, but seeing and hearing the day is even better!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Colby’s favorite moments are a tie between seeing me walk down the aisle and leaving up the stairs in a swarm of flutter-fetti while everyone cheered for us. For me, if was standing in front of all our family and friends saying our vows. It was such a special moment.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Relax, don’t procrastinate, go with your instinct, and if you can afford to do something you really love, splurge. You’ll regret it if you don’t. Also during planning, stop every now and then to remember WHY you are getting married. Planning has a tendency to get carried out of control. Once a month or so, Colby and I would go to the ceremony site and talk about how excited we were to be spending the rest of our lives together.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? 
2012 was a BIG year for us! We got married, settled, and uprooted! In December we moved to the Bay Area for Colby’s new job. For now, we are enjoying being married, traveling and exploring our new home! Starting a family is in the future, just not anytime soon. We have our hands full with our two dogs right now!

Since we’re talking about new things today, I first wanted to mention that our sidebar is looking pretty fancy all by itself! We did a tune-up over the weekend to offer a better mix of options for our delightful advertisers, and we’re so pleased with how it turned out. As always, if you’re interested in advertising with SW, just email Marissa or fill out this form!

Now, it occurred to the SW ladies a few days ago that we’ve never formally introduced y’all to our new shop! Not that we’re that formal over here, but we do like to keep up with some niceties, and proper introductions for something this exciting only seems fitting.

The pieces in our shop are lovely, I’d say there’s no question about that. But, what we’re most proud of is how they fit so perfectly into our heart and mission — love for the South, love for love and marriage, and love to lead couples toward rich, full lives. We’re not just doing this to do it, we’re doing it because we couldn’t be more excited about it!! I think the mission will become even more apparent as we roll out new goodies, but I hope y’all can see even now where we’re headed!

Today, I’m going to highlight a few of my very favorite products quicker than two shakes of a lamb’s tail. First up is the South print. Right now we’re stocking it in pretty pink, metallic gold, and the loveliest shade of teal. It’s Hardink Calligraphy’s work that graces this letterpress beauty, which you may recognize it from the pages of Southern Weddings V5!

Next up is our “Vows” print, which is also pulled from the pages of V5! Lindsay Letters penned this gorgeous reminder of our wedding ceremonies. I think this one would be perfect for a bedroom, whether you choose it in metallic gold, perfect pink, or pool and gold. This one also makes a stunning wedding or shower gift — I think it’s okay to go off-registry in this case! :)

The newest additions to the Southern Weddings gang are these darling goodies from Belle & Union. We featured Meg’s Southern phrase cards in V5, and when we approached her about selling them in our shop, she was thrilled — she said she had gotten so many requests from you all post-publication, but wasn’t able to fulfill them since she doesn’t do retail! Right now we have eight of her letterpress cards in stock (they’re available in sets of three, too!), and three of her oh-my-word-cute Southern tea towels.

That’s all for today, but don’t be surprised if we pop back in soon with more introductions! Until then, enjoy the shop!

Elizabeth Hardin is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!