Northern Girl, Southern Wedding

NGSW Spotlight: Abbey & Dick

Abbey & Dick live in Virginia Beach and got married in the Outer Banks. I love the way they really had fun with the setting and emphasized the beach elements with DIY touches throughout the reception -- including the cake! The flowers are gorgeous, mixing soft and bold colors together. So many wonderful moments -- you can tell this one was a lot of fun. Read more from the bride below!

Dick and I are laid back, beach loving, outdoorsy people. We wanted our wedding to reflect that and take place at or near the beach with nature all around us and our guests.  We also love throwing parties and wanted our guests to feel like they could let loose and have fun while enjoying some great food, drinks and dancing with us. Guests could stroll around the house prior to the ceremony enjoying some cocktails and for dinner we served Oysters and a BBQ buffet that was delicious! 

 

The two of us love visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina and once we chose The Wild Horse, the home we rented for our wedding, the beachy and nature centered decorations came from there. We used alot of seashells and starfish, along with flowers and raffia.  My sister-in-law created the starfish arch for the ceremony as well as all the vases. My cousin from Chicago made our wedding cake and the starfish topper.  We owe the rest of our decorations and ceremony programs and centerpieces to our dear friends and family that spent the week with us prior to the wedding having "craft time" which involved alot of wine, hot glue guns and laughter!

The Wild Horse is located in the 4 wheel drive section of Corolla where actual Wild Horses roam.  There are no roads and you must drive on the beach to get to the secluded home located on 20+ acres next to a wild life refuge. The beauty of nature was our main decor element. The chapel inside the home where we chose to have our ceremony was all windows and french doors which were opened up and it felt like we were outside. The weather was beautiful with the sunshine and ocean and along with the wooded soundside views, this was a dream come true. 

 

I loved waking up and going for a walk with my future husband to help calm the nerves and have some alone time with each other.  The ceremony is something I will never forget either.  I did not think I would be the one who was nervous. My heart was pounding and I mispoke my vows and ended up "giving him my freedom" which made both of us and the entire chapel laugh so much!  It felt so good to laugh with my husband and everyone of my family and friends that I love so much, that I wasn't even embarassed. It made it more like "us".  Our first dance together was also a favorite moment, my husband's a really good dancer!  I certainly can't leave out the Old School Rap Dance Party we had at the end of the reception. It was the best dance party I've ever had!

Take time to enjoy the planning process and laugh with your friends and family. If something is missing or doesn't turn out quite like you wanted, don't worry no one will notice but you, and maybe you won't notice either.  If you can afford it, hire or recruit (at least) a day of wedding planner.  One of my dear friends from college stepped in as mine, and I could not have done it without her.  Total lifesaver!  Try and enjoy your special day because it goes by so fast!  Remember to laugh with your future husband and know that the most important thing is that you are together and in love and this is the first day of your new life together. 

 

Vendor Credits:

Ceremony venue -  The Wild Horse
Reception venue - The Wild Horse
Bride's attire - Local boutique sale
Groom's attire - Polo
Photographer - DeAnna Casey Photography
Wedding coordinator - Traci Jancasz - "my dear friend"

Caterer: Currituck BBQ 
Cake - Sarah Wilson - "Northern Cousin"
Music - DJ Bruce "I do" Entertainment
Florist - The Embellishers

 

NGSW Spotlight: Jen & Billy

Time for another real wedding! This one is so much fun; you don't just feel the love, you feel the absolute joy! Jen is a southern girl (hello, Dallas!) who got married at the New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI. This wedding has so many sweet details -- gorgeous location, beautiful flowers, bespoke jewelry -- but my favorites have to be the ever-present smiles of the bride and groom.

What was your wedding day vision? Were you going for a certain look or feel?

We definitely wanted something simple, classic, and easy-going.  We wanted it to feel like a really fun party. Our location was such a formal environment, at least inside, that we wanted everything else to be much more laidback.  The yacht club interior is a gorgeous old mansion that is classic New England – so we felt it was important to keep everything else more in tune with our personality. We tried to incorporate (and yes that also means USE) our friends as much as possible - a friend officiated the wedding, another friend was the DJ, and my mother’s friends did the flowers.  We had cupcakes instead of a large wedding cake.  We did passed apps, a risotto station and an antipasto station instead of a formal sit down dinner. 

We were also incredibly thankful for the gorgeous weather we had – as it allowed us to host cocktails on the lawn overlooking the Newport harbor.  

What was the one decor element that you felt brought that vision to life and why?

One thing I knew I had to have at the wedding was an old fashioned photobooth – it wasn’t going to add anything to the décor per se, but it sure did make for a fantastic night for guests and a super fun album for us. 

When I started to look at overall styles for the wedding – I fell in love with a photo of Eva Mendes from the Golden Globes a few years back. She had a stunning white column dress with the most amazing turquoise and diamond statement necklace.  I honestly think the wedding started with this idea of a big turquoise necklace.  It might not be considered décor – but it really brought everything to life for me. 

Favorite part of the wedding day?

It’s hard to narrow it down to one part – but there were three moments that stand out.  1) we did photos BEFORE the ceremony.  And our “first look” photos are so fun to look back at – I wasn’t nervous at all about the day, but that moment took me by surprise.  2) our vows.  We wrote our own. They were short and sweet but they were personal and special. I cried. And I don’t cry!  3) the speeches.  We have the greatest friends ever and their toasts were funny, touching, and perfect.

Advice to fellow brides?

Make sure your wedding reflects you and your husband to be.  Also remember the closer you get, the more chaotic it will be and the less you can do about it.  Sometimes you just have to force yourself to go with the flow.  It’s a day of celebration – it should be FUN!  Don’t get hung up on the little details because most people won’t even notice.

 

• Ceremony venue: New York Yacht Club, Newport, RI
• Reception venue: New York Yacht Club, Newport, RI
• Bride's attire: Nicole Miller (dress), Charles David (shoes), custom necklace
• Groom's attire: J.Crew (suit), Banana Republic (shoes), Paul Smith (socks)
• Photographer: Kendall Pavan at Zenobia Photography Studios – Greenwich, RI
• Wedding coordinator: The bride and her mother 
• Cake: Mad Hatter Bakery - Newport, RI
• Music: DJ Baron
• Florist: Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Sayles Livingston Flowers; others by Jen's mom and friends
• Invitations: UnlessSomeoneLikeYou.com (Leslie Hamer)
• Programs: Wedding Paper Divas
• Other rentals: Photobooth Planet - Mystic, CT
• Hair: Jenny Kay - Middletown, RI
• Make-up: Jenny Kay - Middletown, RI 

NGSW Spotlight: Beth & Chris

Today I present to you NGSW's first "real wedding" spotlight. I completely adore this wedding celebration -- so many romantic and easy touches, perfectly welcoming and Southern. The bride and groom live in Portsmouth, VA and the wedding and reception took place in Norfolk at The Hermitage - a gorgeous outdoor venue on the water. Such a lovely couple!

What was your wedding day vision? Were you going for a certain look or feel? 

I have always been a tomboy, and more specifically, the type of girl who hadn't really thought about her ideal wedding day. When we first got engaged, I thought that we should elope and go out for a fabulous dinner with family--I'm really into food. But as it all began to sink in, and I spent more time on cute wedding blogs, my vision changed. I've always loved the art nouveau, turn of the century sort of aesthetic when it comes to design (even my engagement ring is an Edwardian era antique), but as an individual, I'm very laid back. The "look" for the wedding sort of played off the look of the venue--an old house surrounded by gardens, while the "feel" of the wedding was more relaxed-Southern-charm. I wanted something vintage but also a little bit "backyard wedding." I wanted it to feel like "us"--and like the people we loved had thrown us a pretty little party.

Good food+classic venue+laid back attitude = backyard vintage.

What was the one decor element that you felt brought that vision to life and why?

I didn't decorate much at all. The house on the water and the big magnolia trees sort of provided the atmosphere I was going for.  I collected old bottles and jam jars from local antique stores and originally planned on doing the flowers myself. I wanted a "handpicked from grandma's garden" look.  While I ended up hiring a florist to create that look, the final result had that "undone" feeling that I really wanted. (Do-it-yourself looks so easy on the internet--not so much during grad school finals). 

Besides decor, I really loved that our cake and desserts were prepared by the women in our family. I made salted butterscotch oatmeal cookies, Baus's grandmother made 100 individual banana puddings, and our mothers made cake -- chocolate, lemon, and almond. So it kind of was a backyard family party.

 

Favorite part of the wedding day?

Besides marrying the man I love :) We kept it small and all of my favorite people were there.  It felt intimate, but fun. And we picked a playlist of oldies that made me very happy.  And I ate shrimp and grits and macaroni and cheese and banana pudding and it was glorious. 

Advice to fellow brides?

We had a very limited budget, and it was overwhelming to look at bridal magazines and websites that seemed to be screaming that I needed favors and save the dates and place cards and a bunch of other junk. I could have easily been swept up in that and spent a bunch on money on stuff that, ultimately, for us, wasn't important. I would tell brides to take some time to talk to your partner and ignore that pressure to have a magazine-perfect wedding. Do what makes you happy. (Arguments with mom about veils--so not worth it.)  It's only one day--a very important day--but one day nonetheless. There is no such thing as "perfect" so aim for fun and happy.  Let people help you and try to relax. 

Vendor Credits:

• Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Hermitage http://www.hermitagefoundation.org/index.asp
• Bride's Attire: Watters http://watters.com and JCrew flats
• Bridesmaids: J. Crew
• Headpiece: Twigs and Honey on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/myrakim
• Groom's Attire: Men's Warehouse 
• Photographer: Deanna Casey http://www.deannacaseyphotography.com/
• Music: iPod playlist created by the bride & groom
• Florist: New Leaf http://www.newleafghent.com
• Make-up: Lolen Daugherty