From the Bride... My bridal advice: Hire people you trust & adore! When you meet them, you’ll know. My first great hire was my mother Donna. She saw my vision from day one brought it to life. While out of town visiting a friend in Baton Rouge she called me and informed that she had taken it upon herself to visit venues while I was gone and found one worth a second look. We went back the day I got home from vacation and I fell in love. It was grand, beautiful and quite ceremonial, but really just a big mansion begging for a great house party!

Stay true to yourselves. Once I created the concept of comfortable formality, things seemed to fall into place. My dress had traditional lace and beading through the bodice, however the skirt was comfortable, bohemian layered cotton batiste. My florals were the comfort, which balanced the convention of the estate. Loose white and ivory blooms with branches and lots of greenery barely tied together. I decided on neutrals for a classic yet easy feel, our bridal party all wore greys with pops of sandy tones. We had a cello/guitar duet play instrumental versions of meaningful pop songs. The ceremony started with the girls walking to “We’ve only just begun” by the Carpenters, my parent’s first dance at their wedding over 40 years ago. Then my dad and I walked to meet my beloved, during Paul Simon’s, “Something so right,” a song that somehow always seemed to capture the unspoken nature of our eight-year friendship. We switched things up with a fun d.j. for the rest of the party. Friends & Family played yard games and mingled during cocktail hour, and when we were announced I had the DJ surprise Cody with one of his favorite obscure German pop songs, Küssen Verboten-- listen, it’s catchy & one you’ll strangely enjoy it. It brought a smile to his face I’ll never forget.

Keep mental snapshots, photos will never capture the day the way I remember it… holding Cody’s hand looking up at him as my uncle starts to recite the words of our traditional ceremony, and thinking, “this is really happening?!” The charmingly eloquent toast from my normally straightforward father, the sleep over with my best friends the night before, dancing with my new husband in front of everyone as if no one was there and finally standing in the back yard eating cake and crying tears of joy wishing the night would never end. Those are the moments that carry the meaning… I told you I focus on the feel!
At the end of the day I married the love of my life, our favorite people were cheering us on and we all had a ton of fun… ultimate success!

Photographer: Brett Heidebrecht | Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone | Floral Design: Plum Sage Flowers | Invitations: Opulent Design & Events | Shoes: Jessica Simpson | Bridesmaids Dresses: BHLDN | Bridesmaids Dresses: Nordstrom | Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal | Catering: Three Tomatoes Catering | Event Planning: Julie Lundy Event Design | Hair: Jessica Danko | DJ: A Music Plus | Grooms Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Ceremony & Reception: Castle Cliff Estate | Rentals: Event Rents | Veil: Claire Pettibone | Venue: Castle Cliff Estate