A classic at home Southern wedding just can’t be beat and when the Bride and Groom can’t stop smiling like these two? Well, it doesn’t get much better than this and we’re loving every moment. Kristin Sweeting captured them all for us to soak up so if you need a little pick-me-up, head to our Vault gallery pronto! You will not be disappointed!
From the Bride… It is difficult for me to pick out a favorite part of the day – everything truly was magical for me – but if I had to distill it down to two favorite memories I would choose the Second Line from the church to the reception and sitting down to dinner. The Second Line was an absolute blast – we loved getting to walk out of the church as husband and wife, get to congregate with our wedding party and parents, and take the moment to just be excited together. When the band started up and started marching, it was fun to see the eyes of our surprised guests and get to get in the party spirit. I’ll never forget how big the smiles were or how gleeful I was during that walk – all I saw was Ross as we got to lead the church of our people to the reception!
Sitting down to dinner was a personal favorite moment because it offered the opportunity to get to take a moment to look around and soak in the wedding.Throughout the planning of the wedding, I had my heart set of being able to assign our guests to tables and have everyone sit down for dinner. Ross and I both grew up in families where getting together for dinner was a special time to reconnect and enjoy each other. My vision was that dinner during our wedding would feel like a giant dinner party where we could introduce our families and friends and continue to build our community. Since we grew up in different cities and went to different colleges, Ross and I had many friends who had never met, so we were excited to get to see people form new friendships. When Ross and I sat down for dinner at the head banquet table, it was a joy to look across the yard and see our friends and family laughing over a glass of wine or deep in conversation over their plates.
This sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but we wanted the wedding to feel formal and comfortable at the same time and, ultimately, we wanted the wedding to glorify God and celebrate the wonderful community that Ross and I have been blessed with. Our faith is very important to Ross and I, so we were very intentional about making sure that the ceremony was not just a celebration of us, but celebration of God – whether it be from having a string quartet play hymns as our guests were seated or special scriptural readings, we did not want the sole focus to be on us.
In terms of the reception, we wanted the wedding to be a joyful, fun, and traditional celebration filled with Motown music, cocktails, tasty food, and some surprises. My favorite parties make you feel like you are welcome when you show up dressed to the nines and when you’ve kicked your heels off for the night. Something that I consider sacred is sitting down to dinner with those that I love – Ross and I constantly host people at our home for dinner, brunch, or just a glass of wine and we wanted everyone to feel the magic of a good meal with good friends. Since the wedding was outside at my parent’s home, we tried to utilize the variety of spaces to spread out the parts and make every stage (cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing) seem special. We had seating areas and bars (and a bourbon bar!) spread throughout these areas, so that guests could feel comfortable if they were dancing or chatting or enjoying each other.
We felt so joyful and loved the whole day and wanted our people to feel that way as well!
Photography: Kristin Sweeting Photography | Floral Design: In Bloom | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Chef Matt Gallaher: Owner of Knox Mason | Calligraphy: Sarah Tate Creative: WildWood Paper Co | Band: The Malemen Show Band | Bride's Dress: WToo
