Today I am so excited to share the sweetest southern wedding sent in by this gorgeous Alabama bride. There are tons of darling heirloom details, my favorite being the vintage sewing table altar with a quilt made by the bride’s great-grandmother. Such a lovely idea and great way to incorporate some family treasures.
Our ceremony and reception took place at Robert Trent Jones at the Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A beautiful venue overlooking the Tennessee River with a magical white staircase, large veranda with a high wooden ceiling, and a roomy clubhouse with a double sided fireplace and large windows. We were so fortunate to find a venue that combined my love for the water and Brenton’s long-time love of golf, so we knew that it was the perfect fit.
I had served as designer Heidi Elnora’s Wholesale Operations Manager and “Right-Hand Man” for over two years and so picking out my wedding gown was one of the easiest things during the planning process. From the moment that Heidi had designed the Vivienne Beau, I knew it was the one for me. At New York Bridal Fashion Week, when the model stepped out in it, I instantly teared up and got the chills because without a doubt, it was my gown. At my bridal appointment, Heidi asked my mom, my grandmother, and I to look through the gowns and pick out whatever we wanted for me to try on. Heidi also picked out a few gowns that she thought would work well, and that she wanted me to see myself in. I loved every gown I tried on, but just like the feeling I got when I met my husband, you know when you have ‘the one’. Heidi knew how much I loved to sew and how much I love my family. She asked me at my first bridal fitting if I would like to hand appliqué heirloom lace to the back of my gown to really make it my own. I collected lace from my mom, grandmother, and great grandmother as well as lace from Heidi’s lace collection. It was so special to me that I got to create something on my wedding gown that had so much meaning to it.
For our color choices, we selected a color pallet of soft pastels (mint, blush, light champagne) mixed with earthy colors (forest green, navy, charcoal, berry, mustard) all tied together with little pops of metallic gold and silver. Our color palette derived over the course of planning, and were incorporated throughout different elements of design such as our invitations, florals, and attire. I love color, and I never wanted to limit myself to a set amount of colors to design around.
I wanted the wedding to be a reflection of the two of us and of our families. We incorporated so many sentimental elements throughout our wedding that added such a unique and personal touch to the day. In lieu of a traditional altar, we opted for a heirloom sewing machine that had been passed down in my family, adorned with a hand sewn quilt that was given to my grandparents from my great-grandmother on their wedding day.
One of the most memorable moments would have to be walking on the veranda, down the magnificent white staircase, and seeing Brenton’s face for the first time. I intentionally found and looked at each of my family members in the eye as I walked down the aisle. My mom and both of my grandfathers joined us at the altar so that they could all be a part of the giving away of the bride. After Brenton and I were left alone at the altar, we joined hands and he said “You look so prettiful”, which is an inside saying between us, and it instantly calmed me. We had asked our preacher to ask our guests to “just be” during the ceremony, to just exist, and not feel like they need to record every moment on their phones or cameras. We said traditional vows, and 1 Peter 4:8 was read. When I think about our ceremony, I remember how at peace I was with the huge step that we were taking. Nothing had ever felt so right.
The majority of our wedding was created and designed with DIY and handmade details. I’m very detailed oriented and my background is in design, so this was a dream to get to create an endless amount of things for our wedding!
My advice for brides planning now is to make it your own. The personal and sentimental details that we added to our day made it that much more special. I never wanted the day to go by fast, so we made sure to take moments to just look around and admire all the love that was being given to us by countless friends and family members. Also, remember to eat! We were so glad that we made sure we sat down to eat our meal and enjoy the time with our wedding party before the reception festivities began. Let your choices for the day be authentic to you as a couple. Planning is not easy, but in the end it is all worth it.
Photography | Stacy
