This Southern Charmer Wedding Has A Wedding Dress Story You’ll Love!
With a crisp autumn feeling in the air, this gorgeous wedding at Pebble Hill Plantation simply exudes a charming Southern flair, from the elegant wedding letterhead to the classic stylings of the front lawn ceremony and garden reception. But really caught our attention was the bride's unique story about finding her perfect dress for the big day.
The full story is just a scroll away, but don't forget to take in all the fabulous Fall inspired wedding decor and those stunning deep burgundy bridesmaid dresses. You can see every last image of Ryann and Matt's wedding day in the full gallery thanks to the talents of Davy Whitener Photography.
Once Upon A Dress Story...
From the Bride: The first time my mother, sister and I went dress shopping we all fell in love with a Lazaro ball gown and I almost purchased it that day. My mother absolutely loved it! However, I wasn't 100% sold on the dress due to the color. The next time we went shopping I tried on another Lazaro fit and flare dress and was wowed by it. Even though it was a little out of my comfort zone the dress was gorgeous and I bought it that day.
Fast forward to my final fitting, weeks away from the wedding, I pretty much had a mini panic attack while in my dress. I was having second thoughts and something kept pulling me towards the ball gown look. My mother passed away unexpectedly in April of last year. It was an extremely difficult time, especially leading up to the wedding. I knew she loved the ball gown.
With just a few weeks before the wedding, it was impossible to order any designer dresses so, I looked through some ball gown dresses on David's Bridals' website and one stood out to me. It's like I was drawn to it. I made an appointment and my sister and I went shopping, again. As soon as I tried it on I knew this was what I was going to wear. I felt my mom in it. I knew she would have loved that dress. I took both dresses with me just in case I changed my mind... but ended up wearing the simple pleated ball gown instead of my (expensive) designer dress... go figure! My mother was the reason Matt and I met in the first place, so the least I could do was wear a ball gown for her!
The Perfect Day
As soon as we toured Pebble Hill for the first time, I knew this was where I would marry my other half. The plantation is simply breathtaking. Fall is our favorite season so we decided on an October wedding. I’m originally from Georgia and Matt is a Florida native. Pebble Hill acted as the perfect half-way point for our families.
The wedding day was a dream come true. We were going for a southern romance feel and I think our planner pulled that off beautifully. I loved our colors and all the burgundy hues. I think our favorite part was the carriage ride after the photographs on the way to the reception. Getting that moment alone as husband and wife, and getting to see a different side of Pebble Hill was so special.
The food was excellent and I loved how we could customize our menu, even had a late night crape bar to pay tribute to our French heritage. All in all, it was my dream wedding, and to have all of our closest friends and family there to celebrate it with us was what mattered most.
Advice for all
For the Brides - Don't buy a dress after only trying it on just once. Take pictures, sleep on it, think about it. Don't feel pressured and just go with your heart! Also, during your wedding, you will not notice all the small details you spent hours, weeks or months stressing over. Don't sweat the small stuff and try and be in the moment during your day, it goes by so fast!
For the Grooms - Offer your advice during the planning process, even if she doesn't take it.
For Both - During your wedding day, try and take a step back or escape together if even for a brief moment to just be alone and take it all in. One of our favorite parts of the day was our carriage ride to the reception, those peaceful 10-15 mins before the craziness began was so special.
- Cakes & Catering: Cake Me With You
- Cakes & Catering: Catering Capers
- Event Planning & Design: Keith Watson Events
- Favors & Gifts: Le Petit Sweet
- Groom & His Men: JoS. A. Bank
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Aysia Sylvia, MAC Artist
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Krysta Michaels, Beauty & Grace
- Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Amplify Entertainment
- Paper Goods & Calligraphy: After Awhile Crocodile
- Photographers: Davy Whitener
- Venues: Pebble Hill Plantation