Somebody pinch me! Southern Weddings is featuring Lauren & Chad’s wedding today, and I am positively elated to share this elegant, truly Southern, wedding with you. Dustin, from Sunglow Photography, captured the day brilliantly!

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Lauren & Chad met at Texas A&M for grad school, after graduating from Auburn & Oklahoma State, respectively, and love all things Southern.  Lauren is an agriculture professor at Werner in Lake Wales, Florida, and she really wanted to incorporate Florida’s natural vegetation in the decor.

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Their ceremony was perfect- and you simply have to go read about Chad’s charming response to the vows. I couldn’t stop giggling through my teary eyes!

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As you’ll see, we used loads of Florida oranges and gobs of Magnolia leaves under the huge oak trees at the Rocking H Ranch in Lakeland, Florida.  The whole day was picturesque, and the Southern details were such a blast to highlight! Seersucker, lace, mason dixons are only a few.

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My two favorite details were:

(1) the “Orange you glad you know” fun facts we included on the backside of the directions to the reception, which we tied onto oranges and handed to guests as they left the ceremony.

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(2) the escort display! I loved painting the vintage metal so it looked like a vintage Florida Oranges sign, and then covered the whole sign with magnolia leaves with magnets on the back. It was so fun to watch guests take their leaf, and wait for the big reveal!

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It is such a privilege to get to work with amazing clients like Chad & Lauren. They were an absolute joy to design and plan with- and I am so grateful that they trusted me throughout the planning process! And a huge thank you, to Southern Weddings, for the feature!

As always, I would be remiss to not thank the amazing team of stellar vendors that made this wedding day so wonderful:

Photographer: Sunglow Photography / Videographer: Indie Atlantic Films / Planner and Paper Products: Ashton Events / Ceremony Venue: Westminster Presbyterian Church / Reception Venue: Rocking H Ranch / Florist:Taylormade Wedding & Event Flowers / Wedding Cake: Hands on Sweets / Caterer: Puff ‘n Stuff Catering / Rentals: Premier Party Rentals / Lighting: Tampa Lights / DJ: DeLeon Entertainment / Linens: Kate Ryan Linens / Rentals: Dishie Rentals / Bride’s Gown: “Dari” by Rivini / Bridal Salon: Solutions Bridal Designer House / Bride’s Veil: Solutions Bridal Designer House / Hair Stylist: PhD Salon / Makeup Artist: Sarah Phillips Makeup Artistry / Bride’s Shoes: Macy’s / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Angelo / Men’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse / Bow Ties: The Belle and The Beau / Additional Vendors: Harrison School of the Arts String Quartet