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Southern Wedding

Simply Southern Wedding Part II

Southern Mother of the Groom


Parties and Showers

The Wedding Raising: Planning Ahead

The Wedding Raising: Implementation

Baby Showers


Brooke at Andrews

 

Brooke and Mike

A Simply Southern Wedding          
Part
III: The Wedding Raising
Planning Ahead 

  Brooke and Mom


We found the perfect dress at Andrews Bridal Shop in Dothan, Alabama. Mary Andrews is a dear friend and designer.

 

Since this would be the last wedding we would "throw", it was our youngest daughter marrying, I really wanted it to be a truly southern family and friends event.  While a wedding is the celebration of the sacramental uniting of two people, for the mother of the bride it is also the humbling and rewarding dependence on dear friends who come together offering the support of their friendship. Knowing it was not possible to accomplish all of the ideas I wanted to create in the garden I had weeded, watered, edged, mowed and planted, battling drought, water restrictions, blisters and poison ivy, I decided to throw a "wedding-raising." Barn-raisings used to be commonplace. Their purpose was to accomplish a single goal in a very short time and the activity bonded and nourished friendships as a byproduct. Using "barn-raisings" as my inspiration, I issued the invitation to a "wedding-raising." Fortunately, among my friends are some of the most gifted designers in Dothan.

 

III. Preparation--I created several charts in preparation for the wedding in an attempt to organize the orchestration of this event. 

A.  Plan Ahead:  Plant for the future Real preparation for having a garden event begins with the first landscaping plan one has for their garden.  My mother in law began the preparation by including evergreens, sasanqua, and magnolias.  Fortunately I had added plenty of pittosporum, magnolia, palms, ivy and aspidistra which now grew in the yard from which we could gather more of what we needed. Swamp daisies, Mexican petunias, sasanqua, coral vine, goldenrod, and roses (Knockout and tea) grew in abundance.

B.  The Garden plan:  Our home consists of a Monterrey style colonial home set on hill with a two acre lot.  In the six months between when our daughter and her fiance set the date for their wedding, I think I crawled over all of those two acres pulling weeds and planting flowers.  Then came the drought and the water limitations and there went my dream for a lush garden.  However, the basic bones of the garden showed through with enough beauty to be welcoming to our guests.  In designing the garden for the wedding, I drew up a basic outline of our garden.  In my mind I envisioned the way it would eventually look and the pictures included here in the plan show how well the "envisioning" evolved.

Back yard  Garden Layout for Reception 

Entrance                                                                                                                 

 North Iroquois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entrance/back gate

1

 

Bench and pots entry

Rose garden

2

Boiled Peanut Area

3 Smoking area

Eric Newman will offer his special cigars for a "Smoker"  Decorate as a "Man Cave"



 

Arbor 1

                            Entrance/gate

4 Garden Area

 

 

2 Arbor

 

Ribbons on children’s swing

 

 

 

12 1n 13 tables under oak

                                                                        1 long  Table

Tall blue wine bottles with flowers

 

 arbor                                         Croquet set up                                               

                                                                     2 Table 4

 

      Main entrance into courtyard area

                                                      Arbor 4

 

 

 

      

   3   Arbor

 

                Playhouse


 

 

Gazebo

 

 

 

Mickey Minnie Mouse Wedding Cake

 

Children’s table

Greenhouse
 

 

 

 

Closets

Music System         

 

 

 

Heart wreath above gazing globe

 

 

 

 

 

Long     Music System

camellias floating in bird bath

 

 table  9 Bistro Table    8 Bistro

for                              Table 

 

party          Tent in center28 chairs      

                  

      10 Bistro table   11 bistro table

 

 

Ping pong
Buffet           Silver epergne with 24 pink roses      

Floral chandelier

Epergne with 2 doz roses

Coffee Bar

 

 

 

Patio              7 Table (4)6 Round Table
with ext. 8

                 Sofa and chairs

 

Sweetheart table

Unity Candle decoration

bridal

 

 

3 Table 4

 

 

 

Pool area

4 Table 4         5  Table 4     

 Entrance to Library  blessing tree

 

Flower Bed BEM

Sunroom  Bar 

We opened the windows on both sides of the sunroom and wound up with 2 bar tenders and  double access to the bar.  Mums in tall wine bottles

Entrance                                                                                                             Entrance                                                             Memory Tree outside Library door

 

 

 

Small bouquet in bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playroom

 

12 pink roses Dining room

Roses in epergne

 

 

Small bouquet Entry Hall in 12 pink roses in pink brides basket

Living Room

 

 

Wedding Cake

 

 Grooms Cake


Library white roses in brides basket

 

 

Front door

 

 

 


Balcony Garland centered above front door 12 roses center 12 on either wide with ivy garland

The Zen of Bubbles

 

 

Here in the front walking up to the house, there will be a garland with central flower arrangement and two  flanking arrangements above the front door.  The brick walk will have water-filled glass jars as luminaries.  The central flowers will probably be camellias and sasanquas from our yards. 

 North Cherokee Avenue


        C.  What do we have/What do we need?
I then set about figuring what I had to use and where I would acquire other items I would need.

 We have: 3 patio tables with 4 chairs each

3 bistro tables with 6 chairs

1 kitchen table with 6 chairs (Back patio table )

2 head chairs from dining room (Sweetheart Table)

13 card table chairs for attendants tables

3 bridge tables

6 game table chairs

 2 Children’s Table   use picnic table to serve.  Use Beatrix Potter for sitting.

Table

From where?

Cloth

Flowers

Chairs

Who responsible?

Sweetheart table

Small glass table

Sharman

Candleabra from Bayou  Bride’s bouquet

Chairs from dining room

Sharman

Bridal party

Loftin’s

Pans and Petals

Bridesmaid’s bouquets and candles

Loftin’s

Sharman

Tables 12 and 13

Pew buckets

Sharman

 

 

 

Tables 9-11

Dancing area

4 Pew Buckets

4 P and P

Pew Buckets and candles but filled with hydrangea and fern

Loftin’s

Sharman and Mike

Tables 3 – 7

Patio pool

Glass Engagement

Sharman

Engagement glass vases and candles

Loftin’s

 

Table 1and 2

Blue bottles and flowers

Sharman

Blue toile table cloth

 

 

Buffet outside

Also altar arrangement

24 Red roses in epergne

P and P

 

 

 

Coffee Bar

 

 

 

 

 

Sunroom/Bar

Use tall blue wine bottles with flowers for decoration in this transition room.

 

 

 

 

 

Playroom

 

 

 

 

 

Dining room

Epergne

 

1 dozen antique white roses in Grandmother R epergne

 

 

Brides cake

Round table in center of living room with jeweled table cloth  provided by Pans and Petals

 

P and P

Arrangement back on fern stand (cut glass vase with hydrangea and calla lilies)Pink hydrangea and white calla lilies

 

 

Groom’s Cake

 

 

 

 

 

Library table

home

n/a

Bride’s basket ( 12  roses)

n/a

 

Children’s table

 

 

 

 

 

Arbors

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

3 Gates

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balcony

 

 

 

 

 

Stairs

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

Lamp post

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

Mail box

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

Saw horses

Tulle and bows

 

 

 

 

Christmas lights along fence and arbor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cut pictures out of magazines and from websites to give us ideas. 

        D.  The Schedule

I set up a schedule of the flowers that had to be done and when. 

To be done

Floral arrangements for inside of house

 

 

Wednesday, October 24

Limes,hydrangea and callas in cut glass

 

Altar and living room

 

Green apples, hydrangea and cannas in cut glass

 

Altar and Living room

 

Burson epergne

2 doz white roses/fern

Playroom

 

Ramsey epergne

1 doz  roses /fern, pineapple, coral vine, lorapetalum

Dining Room

 

Pink brides basket

 

Entry hall

 

Silver brides basket

 

Library

 

Pewter cupid guest bath

 

Guest Bath

 

Yellow paperweight entry hall

 

Entry Hall

 

Arrangement below mirror in cut glass bowl

 

Entry hall

 

Arrangement in cut glass on hall tree

 

Hall tree

 

 

 

 

Friday afternoon

Headpieces and baskets

 

 

 

Lily

Floral headpiece 12 roses and ivy

Flower girl Basket

 

Mary Elle

Floral headpiece

Rice bag basket

 

Mallory

Floral headpiece

Rice bag basket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Morning

Tussie Mussies

 

 

 

Sharman

3 roses, ivy and baby’s breath in wet oasis inside of tussie mussie.

 

 

Arloa

 

 

 

Allene

 

 

 

Sylvia

 

 

 

Mary

 

 

 

Mother

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Afternoon

Calla lily bouquet

 

 

 

Brooke

1 doz calla lilies wrapped with floral tape and then wrapped with 2 " white satin ribbon.  Pearl top pins extend from top to bottom extending down.

 

 

 

 

 The hydrangea bouquet was tied exactly like the calla bouquet was tied.  Remember to condition well--crush the stem and keep in ice water until needed.  Refresh with ice water.

 

Hydrangea bouquets

3 hydrangea

 

 

Cecily

 

Tied with blue ribbon

 

Andrea

 

Tied with brown ribbon

 

Amanda

 

 

 

Christie

 

 

 

Lauren

 

 

 

Elizabeth

 

 

 

Collette

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday afternoon

Headpieces and baskets

 

 

 

Lily

Floral headpiece 6 roses and ivy.  Measure head and connect pipe stems to secure roses.  Use smaller roses than these.  Secure with wire and then cover with floral tape.  Next time I do this, I will use tiny sweetheart roses and make sure there are no thorns or pieces of wire that can escape.   While this is beautiful, it was uncomfortable for my little flower girl.

Flower girl Basket

 

Mary Elle

Floral headpiece

Rice bag basket

 

Mallory

Floral headpiece

Rice bag basket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corsages

 

 

 

Paulette Clardy

 

 

 

Elizabeth Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cake cutters

 

 

 

Boutennieres

 

 

 

Rusty

 

 

 

Mike, the Groom

 Stick wire through neck of rose and then wind around stem.  Cover with floral tape and then cover with 1" white satin ribbon.

 

 

Ron

 

 

 

Joe

 

 

 

Ben

 

 

 

Drew

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

Bryan Hall

 

 

 

Lee

 

 

 

Kabin

 

 

 

Michael

 

 

 

Duncan (ring bearer)

 

 

I had the best of intentions, but unfortunately time became a serious issue as we got down to the wire and some of those items I had intended to make did not get made.  Fortunately, I had prioritized them and what needed to be done was done.

Brooke and her bridesmaids dressed in her bedroom and prepared to walk down the stairs I'd always envisioned a bride walking down, out of our home and into a life on her own. 

 

 

Arrangements for the inside of the house were created the day the flowers arrived.  This antique epergne makes a beautiful dining room arrangement.

 

 

You can learn more about the cigar company of the Newman family, Lyris, Eric and Drew, at their website: http://www.cigarfamily.com .  They have begun a very important mission in the Dominican Republic you really should become aware of.  I am so proud and happy I am for my dear friend, Lyris Bruce Newman, her happiness with the fine man she married, the fine son she has raised, and the contribution she has made to making the world a better place.  I sit here with tears in my eyes, thanking God for my wonderful friend. 
 

A. G. Branch--BuzzOff Mosquito (334 797-2960)

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Copyright 1996  These are my own working genealogy files that I share with you.  The errors are my own.  But, perhaps they will give you a starting point.  All original writing is copyrighted.  Webmaster

Copyright 1996  These are my own working genealogy files that I share with you.  The errors are my own.  But, perhaps they will give you a starting point.  All original writing is copyrighted.  Webmaster

Copyright 1996  These are my own working genealogy files that I share with you.  The errors are my own.  But, perhaps they will give you a starting point.  All original writing is copyrighted.  Webmaster