Auburn Bride: Kate

Meet Kate.


Kate is a sweet friend of mine and she is marrying another great friend of ours named Jack! They are the cutest couple ever and they just ooze with joy and fun! Jack was sweet enough to let us in a little during his ring shopping and proposal planning. It was so fun to see him glow with love and excitement. Jack and Kate are getting married March 26, 2011 in Auburn, AL. Can I get a War Eagle??

Check out the great vendors they are using:

Church: St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church

Reception: Fountainview Mansion

Rehearsal Dinner: Auburn University Alumni Center
Hotel: Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center
Caterer: Terra Cotta Catering- Billy Lee (334-821-3656)

Ring: Charlotte's Jewlery, Sales accociate- Autumn

Organist: Dr. Bruce Murray (professor of reading education at AU!)

Dress: Priscilla of Boston (Ivory Silk Faille)

Bridesmaids: Priscilla of Boston Vineyard Collection (pewter floor length crinkle chiffon)

Wedding Photographer: Alea Moore Photography (whoop whooooop!!!! Alea did my wedding photos too. She and Kim are super fabulously creative and wonderful and fun)
Engagement Photographer: Little Acorn Photography (Remember them from our first feature post??! Love them!)
Invitations: Fine Stationery
Flowers: Village Floral
Key Colors: Pewter and cream with hints of peachy-orange

Q&A with Kate...

How did you choose to get married in Auburn?

Auburn is the ideal location for our wedding. We met and fell in love as undergrads at AU and absolutely adore the campus and town. St. Michael's Church is where my parents were married in 1984. I am close to my priest there and felt strongly about having the ceremony officiated by him. Auburn is also the half way point between Newnan (my hometown) and Montgomery (Jack's hometown). I always knew I would get married in Auburn!

What has been your favorite part about planning a wedding?

The details. I am finding ways to add a little quirkiness to the reception while keeping it traditional and classy. There are so many DIY options to make your reception more unique and personal to your individual personality! I am having fun scoping out websites and antique shops to find little items that will add some fun to the party.

What is one sneak peak fun detail you can give us about your wedding?

We have a fun travel theme that will show up everywhere from the save-the-dates all the way to the guest favors!

What has been the toughest part about planning so far?

BUDGET and timing. Of course budget is barely a word in my family's vocabulary anymore because it is a total "runaway train" as my mother would like to call it. She has a "whatever" attitude about it now because whatever you think things will cost, go ahead and tack on about 30% more! It is so hard to think that allllll that money is for 1 night; however, it is going to be the best night of my life! So it is going to be worth it. I am also the oldest and only girl so I definitely have that working in my favor!

The timing has been a little bit of an issue as well. Our engagement is 7 months long (which I thought was average, but apparently not). Booking vendors had to be done ASAP because some couples are engaged for 2+ years, making it impossible for brides like me who don't have all that time to get vendors. I was extremely lucky to book most of my top choice vendors! But I am certain that if we had waited even a few weeks later, they would have been all booked up before we could call them! Also the time is flying by and there seems to be so much to do, but in so little time!

I am very glad that we aren't having a super long engagement because I am so ready to be a wife!

Enjoy these photos of Kate, Jack and the rinnggg!






How cute are they, seriously? Y'all be on the look out for some more details about their wedding festivities in the coming weeks and months!

In the meantime...check out their wedding website!

Warrrrr Eagle, Hey!

River Region Bride: Meredith

Meet Meredith.


Meredith and I know each other from Auburn and she is a Montgomery native. She moved to East Asia with Campus Crusade last year and came back engaged to the man of her dreams!!! It is an beautiful story for sure. Y'all are going to enjoy hearing from her and learning some details about her river region wedding. We have her vendors listed below and then some great question-answers below that.

ENJOY!!!

Fiance: Rush Stuart (Auburn grad from Marietta, Ga and basically the most amazing man in the entire world!)
Ceremony: First Baptist Church, Montgomery
Reception: The Ballroom at Alley Station (managed by Partner's Realty)
Rehearsal Dinner: 129 Coosa
Bridesmaid Luncheon: The Young House
Dress: My Mom's! (But Bridals by Penolia's is making some much needed adjustments... You know the 1970's full sleeve removal)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Ann Taylor
Key Colors: Midnight Blue (accents scattered throughout are green, cream, and white)
The Rings: Brown and Company of Roswell, GA (my engagement ring diamond is actually Rush's late grandmother's in a new setting)
Florist: Elizabeth Fritz
Caterer: Jenni Weller Catering
Cake: Peggy McKinney
Photographer: DiAnna Paulk
Bridal Party Transportation from the Church: Trolley by Capital Trailways
Get-away Vehicle: Montgomery Pedi-Cab
Invitations: Costco
Embossed Napkins: Kwik Kopy Shop
Hotels for Guests: Embassy Suites and The Renaissance

1. Tell us about how y'all met and about your engagement.
We are both Auburn grads, but somehow we missed each other all for years of college, so the first time we met was while serving with Campus Crusade for Christ in East Asia. Everything started as just a very simple friendship, but by February I had completely fallen for him. Thankfully, the feeling was mutual! We had a short vacation time to travel when our East Asian college students went home for Spring Festival and Rush asked me out for our first date on a beach in Malaysia. Our first date was in Phi Phi Island, Thailand. It was such a beautiful way to start our relationship! God is so good!
Rush proposed on May 21st. We lived in different parts of the city we served in so we met in a central location and had dinner at Pizza Hut (honestly, it is the finest dining you can get on that side of the world). We then went back to my house. There were really not a ton of really great date night locations so Rush and I spent a lot of time in our relationship just walking on our campuses and talking and that is exactly what we did that night. We were walking around campus when we turned a corner and I saw rose petals and candles. We walked over and I saw a note with my name on it. Rush had actually written a prayer about us and our future marriage. I read the sweet prayer and then he popped the question!

2. What has been the hardest part about wedding planning?
Being organized. You just don't realize how many little details, long emails, spreadsheets, and lists you have to keep up with when planning a wedding!

3. What has been the most fun part about wedding planning?
The most fun part has definitely just been planning things with Rush! I absolutely love having his advice and learning more about his tastes and opinions. Since I am living at home now, this has also been a really sweet time to spend with my family since Rush and I are planning on returning to East Asia long term. Wedding planning is a joint effort for sure!

4. What have been some of the pros/cons of the wedding planning process in Montgomery?
Pros:
1. Being from Montgomery, I've been able to piggy-back on the incredible ideas of some of my high school friends! Most of my vendors were recommended because my friends used them recently and they did a great job at their weddings.
2. The newly revived downtown area is awesome for weddings! There are wonderful hotels, venues, and churches!

Cons:
1. Feeling like there is a lack of compiled vendor information for the area. (Thank you Emily for starting something so good!)
2. Knowing that a fall wedding somehow interferes with everyone's football schedule. Only Southern brides can commiserate on this unique con.
3. Very few reception sites available for a large guest count.

5. Do you have any advice for river region brides?
Relax. Have fun. Don't feel like you have to live up to weddings that you have seen in the past. Focus more attention on your marriage for a lifetime than on your wedding for a day!

Some fab photos of this great duo:

[saying yes!]

[east asia. campus in the background. engagement setting. amazing]

[so happy to be engaged!]

[the ring]

[calling their families over skype to tell them the wonderful news!]

[engagement photo]

Thank you so much, Meredith! We can't wait to see the wedding photos!!! Best Wishes!