WHEW, weddings dresses, Y'all blew up the comments section on this one! The final tally was 1,844, far more than any other giveaway we've hosted, and split pretty darn evenly between our three equally-deserving finalists. We take this as a testament to Brion Hopkins' talent, as well as the desire of our readers to give in a meaningful way to Haiti Relief.
Without further ado, our winning couple is Sarah and Ryan! They wrote:
"We are getting married in an intimate evening ceremony in the stables of the Belle Meade Plantation, with an elegant 'barn party' reception to follow in the carriage house. The ceremony will highlight the natural beauty of the wooden stables, with magnolia garland, numerous candles, and an iron and candle chandelier. The wedding attire will have an earthy, vintage feel. The flowers will be a lot of greens, ivories, and some winter berries. The reception will feature a bluegrass band playing in the carriage, Strapless Bridesmaid Dresses, house, and will be decorated with a ceiling strung full of lights. We're using antique harvest tables to display the buffet of home-style Texas and Tennessee favorites, as well as winter desserts, including large jars full of cookies with small burlap sacks stamped with horses, hearts and 'I Do' for guests to take as favors. The tables will be filled with candles as well as vintage vases and apothecary jars full of winter flowers and berries. We also plan to have baskets displayed of pine cones, clementines, and berries. And, in the hallways, vintage benches with cozy plaid blankets draped across them."
Congratulations to Sarah and Ryan! I know Brion is excited to work with you, and the SW ladies can't wait to see your wedding! Thank you to everyone who entered, and most especially to our three final couples. We (and we know Brion, too) really wish we could have declared all of you joint winners.
Readers: stay tuned for more great giveaways in the next few weeks! We've got some fairly fabulous things in the works as we gear up for the next print edition and celebrate, Strapless Bridesmaid Dress, a big milestone...
Oh. My. , wedding dress, Wedding heaven! If there ever were a spring wedding to end all spring weddings, Aimee + Brad’s Florida celebration – held at the popular Village Green at Carillon Beach and photographed by Vue Photography - would be it. Airy blue frocks from Bari Jay (loves his b’maids gowns in general and these high-necked beauties in particular), paisley neckties and heaps and heaps of soft florals from Noveau Flowers – lovely, lovely! Emily thinks the bride looks like an angel in her flowy Matthew Christopher gown, what with the feather accents down the back and all. If nothing else, Aimee + her hubby sure do look happy to be newlyweds! And yes... there's more!
How did the two of you meet? Brad and my brother, Matthew, are firefighters together for Coweta County. Brad asked Matthew for my number, which my brother surprisingly gave him quite freely. (I have a very over-protecting brother!) Brad called me, and here we are! After our first date, I knew I would spend the rest of my life with him!
Describe the proposal. Brad and I were, Floor Length Flowergirl Dress, sitting on the beach at Saint Andrew's on June 2nd, 2009. Brad looked at me and, out of nowhere, said, “Lets get married!” I said, “Of course!” Brad told me to pick a date right then and there. So here we are... happy as we can be!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Magical, whimsical and breathtaking.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Brad's favorite detail was when he saw me for the first time standing in the walk-over before I came to see him! My favorite detail was when I was standing in the back of the church waiting to walk down the isle and taking in every moment that was about to happen on my perfect wedding day.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: We found the sample dress of my dream gown three before our wedding and I was dying to try it on! I had to get a second opinion, so called my grandparents. My Pop got teary eyed when I came out of the dressing room, and I knew for sure it was the one. The best part was that I was able to keep the dress a secret until the wedding.
Describe your wedding flowers: My bouquet was brimming with white jonquils, snowberries, white lilac, stars of bethlehem, vernocia, circuma, scabiosa and chammomile wrapped in ivory ribbon. I used my grandmother’s broach to hold the wrap together. My mom, Brad's Mom and my Nana carried sterling silver tussie mussies, which were engraved as a gift from us. For our centerpieces, I used blue mason jars I had been collecting since Brad and I got engaged.
Vue, V-Neck Flowergirl Dress, Photography made us very, very happy with their sweet-as-sugar images from Aimee + Brad’s Florida wedding. We wanted to bask in the spring-ness of the couple’s special day for a little longer, so we have a few more shots from the Carillon Beach celebration for you (and me, obvs) to enjoy. Townsend Catering coordinated the savory spread for the outdoor soiree, and Confections on the Coast masterminded the dreamy blue + white wedding cake. Visit the photographer’s original blog post for even more fun details here!
Describe your wedding cake: We wanted one cake so we went with different flavors for each of the four layers. Our cake was quilted and had some Southern charm to it as well. The blue matched my blue mason jars perfectly!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? I have two! The first was when I saw Brad on the beach before our wedding; he was speechless! Also, being given away by my father was an unforgettable experience; I didn't think he was going to let me go!
Did you write your own vows? If so, Mother Dresses, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? I wrote most our vows. My favorite verse was, "I promise to love with you and to laugh with you through good times and bad, through times of much and times of little. To be a comfort and a safe haven in your life, to hold you close, to listen deeply when you are sad or angry, to learn compassion with you, to never take you for granted, but always give thanks for your presence, as our lives unfold together."
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? I would say starting a family is next on the list! And I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my soul mate and best friend.
Congratulations to the happy couple, Mother Dress, Aimee + Brad!
Like the, Tea Length Flowergirl Dress, ladies of SW, St. Clair Photography is a big fan of film, and their talent clearly shows in Danielle + Nathan's lovely wedding. Though located in Hamilton, New Zealand, the gorgeous estate (Sarnia Park) where the reception and ceremony took place have the same feel as a true Southern plantation (Drayton Hall in Charleston pops immediately to mind). The highly-edited details this couple chose to include would be equally at home at a Southern soiree, I think! The bride's dress is by Temperley London, and the delicate florals were put together by Flower Concepts. More soon!
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Rachael, who worked with Nathan. On the day that he got his new job, he was out celebrating at the pub all afternoon, and we met in the local pool hall where I hung out a lot with Rachael. I took his number but didn't want to give mine, as I wasn't looking for a boyfriend at that time. At some insistence from Rachael, I called him later the next week and arranged to go on a “proper date” with him at a little Italian restaurant. He was nervous, which was cute, and I was late, as usual, and we got on like a house on fire, V-Neck Flowergirl Dresses, Plus he let me eat both of the desserts I ordered for us, which is definitely one way to win over a keen dessert person!
Describe the proposal. We were on holiday in Madrid, and I didn't realize Nathan had a ring in his backpack. We were wandering around a beautiful secluded garden in the Casa de Campo and Nathan kept trying to get me to sit and rest in the shade with him. I was too hot and in desperate need for a drink of water, so I was very uncooperative and basically ruined the moment. He ended up waiting until after we'd had our siesta and a cool shower before asking me a simple “Will you marry me?” over dessert at the restaurant.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The rose petal aisle and the after-dinner indulgence table filled with goodies!
Tell us about finding your wedding dresses: I had looked in a few different places around London, but there wasn't anything in my price range with wow-factor, so I ended up at a boutique in Notting Hill that I knew was going to be out of my budget. There were so many gorgeous dresses that were “my style,” and then I tried on the Long Jean Dress and knew it was the one!
There, weddings dresses, were too many great details from Danielle + Nathan’s New Zealand nuptials for a single post, so we wanted to show off a few more of our favorites, including more shots of the swoon-worthy Sarnia Park. Another highlight? The dramatic silhouette of the bride’s embellished Temperley London gown. (Love the cutouts, love the jewels, love love love the dress’ glitzy 1920’s vibe). Other faves? A a crisp three-tiered cake, the sophisticated spread from Kerr and Ladbrook and Jason Wright St. Clair’s photography. Natch.
Describe your wedding flowers: I wanted really prominent flower arrangements, so I picked a few varieties I liked (stargazer lillies, phalaenopsis orchids, peonies and chrysanthemums) and gave my color palette to the florist. I desperately wanted peonies for my wedding, but kept getting told the season would be over in January. Luckily, my Mum found a grower with late-blooming varieties, so we had those coolstore freighted up to Hamilton and refrigerated until the week leading up to the wedding. I also secretly wanted a trailing bouquet rather than a round bunched one, but my Mum kept telling me I wasn't tall enough! My florist made me a trailing bouquet of phalaenopsis orchids and asparagus fern that was just perfect!
Describe your wedding cake: We had a, Quinceanera Dresses, three-tier square cake with white icing and icing pearls, topped with a fresh pink peony cake topper that was similar to the girls’ bouquets. It was simple and elegant and had three different flavors to suit everyone!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When we had the Bridal Party pictures, the two flower girls were playing with the leftover petals from the aisle and we joined in! We got some really fun candid shots and had a great time running around the garden with our shoes off!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? Yes we wrote our own vows. They were short, sweet and heartfelt. It was a surprise to each of us what the other person was going to pledge. Nathan's were very romantic, and mine were more cheeky. I think everyone loved my words of wisdom from Kung Fu Panda: “Together, we are pure awesomeness.”
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Next, we'd like to continue our travels around Europe. So long as we're together I don't mind where we are, because we always have fun!
Congratulations, Danielle + Nathan! Enjoy your glob-trotting, Party Dresses, as newlyweds.
Warning: wedding dress, Anar + Dale’s Alabama celebration at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort and Spa is not your grandmother’s Southern wedding. But it is all kinds of awesome, in large part due to Karen Wise’s brilliant images from the three-day event. The stunning – literally can't-take-my-eyes-away stunning – bride wore a custom sari from Ensemble Mumbai in India and carried a lush bouquet of pink lilies. As a professed sugar addict, I’m a little hung-up on the couple’s gilded, too-many-tiered to count confection from Olexa Bakery. Other office loves? The groom’s dramatic entrance atop a white steed and the authentic Scottish bagpiper who serenaded the newlyweds. This (Indian/Scottish) Southern wedding planned and produced by SJS Events may well be one of the most vibrants blends of culture we’ve seen yet!
Describe the proposal. Dale surprised me with a trip to Paris. I was so enamored with the hotel and the city. I thought for sure he would propose later that night, but I never could have expected what was to come. We had a driver waiting to take us to a historic chateau in the French countryside, where we rode in a hot air, A-Line Bridal Dresses, balloon and Dale proposed – in Hindi! Although we’ve both have been to Paris, the city seemed romantic in a way I’d never experienced. We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating in Paris and going to a fabulous dinner at the Alain Ducasse Restaurant.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Triumphant, passionate and hilarious.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There really wasn’t just one detail that stood out, but the fact that all our family and friends were there celebrating and mixing cultures is what we appreciated most. Everyone was dancing, whether the DJ was playing Indian music or American music. The party went on well past midnight and we were so happy to see everyone having a great time.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom, aunt and sister spent a week shopping with me in Mumbai. We had little information and a million stores to visit. Thank god for my friend who worked at India Vogue. She guided me to a few stores and on the very last day of our trip, I found what I was looking for. It was a custom-made piece that they altered in the color and style I wanted. I was supposed to go back for a fitting several weeks later, but the terrorist attacks in Mumbai disrupted our plans. I had to trust on the designer, but was so happy that it turned out exactly as I had hoped, especially in such a short period of time.