Ten Things I Love About The South

This week my job has me placed in Louisiana and not only is this my first visit to this beautiful state but I am falling more in love with it every day! The girls here tell me I'm in the "deep South" now and that my home of North Carolina is just "the South". I guess I didn't know there was a difference till today! For those of you who don't have the blessing of living anywhere in the South, I thought for today's post I would do something fun and introduce you to why I love the South. So here you go, here's my list:

{One}

SEC Football: If there is one thing you learn about me today it's that I love me some football; I could seriously watch it all day! My junior year of high school I fell in love with the South Carolina Gamecocks and to this day cheer for them every game. When I was in college my school didn't have a football team, which allowed my love for the Gamecocks to grow even more. To make the game of football even better, put two SEC schools up against each other and you have my attention for hours!

{Two}

ACC Basketball: In my humble opinion, there is no better conference than the ACC when it comes to basketball. Who can deny the biggest rival in basketball being Carolina vs. Duke? Well growing up I have always been a Carolina Tarheel fan. Carolina is where my dad and boyfriend both attended undergrad and I love the atmosphere of being in the "Dean Dome" on game days!

{Three}

Our Southern Drawl: No where else in the world can you say "y'all" and get away with it! It is just something about Southern dialect that makes my heart smile.

{Four}

Southern Plantations: Words cannot describe my love for Southern Plantations...but pictures can!

{Five}

Four Seasons: I am quickly learning in my travels that it really is true when people say some parts of the country "don't have" all four seasons. I love experiencing snow in the winter, beautiful flowers in the spring, ice cream days in the summer, and sweater days in the fall. 

{Six}

Pearls: I am sure that you've heard it before but almost every girl in the South owns a set of pearls. I am a little obsessed with mine in the fact that I wear my pearl earrings probably 5 days a week! But hey, I mean they go with any outfit :-)

{Seven}

Sweet Tea: No explanation...all I can say is when I landed in Louisiana after spending the last two weeks in Philly, first thing I got was a large sweet tea.

{Eight}

Food: Chick-fil-A, Cookout, Bojangles: If you ever visit North Carolina, you must go eat at these three places. Yes, they are all considered fast food but your life will forever be changed. Chick-fil-A is quickly expanding around the country but Cookout and Bojangles will forever be a southern staple. 

{Nine}

Pace of Life: While I love big cities, I don't know if I could fall in love with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Here in the South we take things a little more slow, and as I like to say I just love looking around at life. Families and communities mean the world to us southerners and play a huge part in our upbringing. 

{Ten}  

"Bless Your Heart":  Only in the South will this phrase be heard. And really the phrase says it all!

What are some of your favorite things about where you're from?

A Southern Wedding

There is something about a wedding that just makes my heart smile! I love the way a groom looks at his bride and I love the way that two families become one. Two weeks ago Josh and I were blessed to be part of the wedding party for our dear friends Shelby and Kellan. Josh went to high school with Shelby but I did not get the chance to meet these two wonderful people until December 2010 when we traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a UNC bowl game. It was an instant friendship and one that I will forever cherish and hold close to my heart. 

Kellan proposed to Shelby in May of 2012 in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. When they asked Josh and I to be part of their special day we could not have been more excited! Not only are Shelby and Kellan very grounded in their faith but they have spent their entire time of dating and engagement long distance...just like Josh and I. To see the two of them become one and celebrate the day with them was something I will never forget. I loved all the little details of this Southern wedding that was held in North Augusta, South Carolina and hope you will enjoy them as well! 

Josh and I at the rehearsal dinner. The beautiful pennants were individually cut out from fabric by Shelby's mom and sewn together by another bridesmaid, Larkin! Mixed with lights, they made for the perfect ceiling decor. 

All the bridesmaids wrote Shelby a letter to let her know how much she meant to each of us. We had her read the letters right before she put on her makeup and of course we all cried together!

One of my favorite details in every wedding is the dress. Isn't Shelby's beautiful? I had the honor of being in the fitting room when Shelby tried this dress on for the first time and realized it was "the one"! She could not have looked more beautiful! 

Not only were the bouquets beautiful, but I loved that Shelby randomly had Dogwood flowers placed among the pink roses. A wonderful reminder of her home in North Carolina. 

Shelby's something blue and something old. The pearl necklaces belongs to Kellan's sweet grandmother. 

Waiting for the right time to go out for her first look!

I have never seen a first look in person until I saw Shelby and Kellan have one. Three of us bridesmaid's could not stand to miss the moment so of course we found the closest window and crammed in! I started crying the moment I saw Kellan wipe tears from his eyes when he saw his beautiful bride! 

We took bridal party pictures at the beautiful Rosemary Inn in North Augusta. 

Seriously this moment made me bawl like a baby. After Kellan's grandmother saw Shelby at the church she asked me if I would take her to find Kellan. The minute she saw her grandson all dressed in his suit this beautiful moment happened and I just had to document it! 

With Shelby moments before she walked down the aisle. I am seriously in love with our bridesmaid dresses. Not only were there ruffles around the full collar but the dress had pockets!  

Now this was original! For their cocktail hour, Shelby and Kellan had a sno-cone truck come and make sno-cones for all the wedding guest on their way to the reception!  

Don't y'all just love the way a groom looks at his bride during their first dance?

Of course I had to sneak in a picture with my handsome boy! The groomsman wore gray suits with navy blue ties! 

Kellan performing a beautiful song that he wrote for Shelby!

To the bride and groom: thank you for allowing Josh and I to be part of your special day! We are so blessed for the friendship we share with you both and look forward to seeing Christ work through your marriage in all the years to come! We love you both!

What aspects of a wedding do y'all just love to pieces? Oh, and Happy Saturday!