McInnis/Cornett Wedding 04.05.08

One of the easiest ways to show just how you can personalize your wedding is by showing you the most personal one I have on file- my own! Of course I planned this wedding and I believe it is a great example of blending the traditional with the personal!

We were married at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in downtown Chattanooga on April 5, 2008. The reception was held at the Walden Club. As with any wedding, budget was a factor. Fortunately, with a lot of creativity and a love of the simple things, we were able to have a completely elegant wedding without sacrificing our children's college funds.

Having your wedding in a venue that already fits your personal design aesthetic can save you lots of money from the start- because you are accenting a beauty that is already there, not trying to create something elegant on top of an unflattering decor. We put two simple arrangements of baby's breath (pictured below) on the sides of the altar. As aisle markers, we marked every few aisles with delicate paper cones filled with baby's breath and accented it with a simple satin ribbon.

Especially when arranged with other flowers, baby's breath tends to bring up memories of the 1990's. Thankfully, this cheap and abundant-in-any-season flower takes on an absolutely elegant and simple look when done all on its own!

Our attendants were absolutely wonderful! We had 9 bridesmaids (and 1 junior) and 8 groomsman. The beautiful flower girls and adorable ring bearer stole the show!

I always dreamed of having all white flowers, so it was only natural that the bridesmaids would have white rose nosegays (smaller than a bouquet, but the same idea). Instead of baskets with petals, I opted for my flower girls to carry small versions of the bridesmaids bouquets for a modern twist.

The men looked handsome in their black tuxes, and my girls were radiant in black corset dresses. When picking your bridesmaids dresses, comfort is always something to think about, but pick a dress that makes each bridesmaid look fabulous (classic color, and a corset to suck it all in) and compliments every body type (strapless and A-line) and you might just become the most popular bride ever!

My bouquet was a mix of white hydrangea and white roses with a delicate satin ballerina wrap. To personalize my bouquet, I tied a small diamond ring from my father's side of the family, and wrapped my grandmother's rosary around the flower stems. Since my father and grandmother couldn't be with me that day, it was a way to keep their memory near- without doing some sort of uncomfortable grand gesture.

I'm glad I didn't get a 90-lb. bouquet that has been popular with brides in the past few years. It was my wedding day, I didn't want to lug around flowers that weighed more than my luggage for the honeymoon!

The cake was by Kimmee's Cakes in Red Bank. She did an exceptional job, not only on the way the cake looked, but also how it tasted! We chose an almond cake with almond icing and a strawberry creme filling on the bottom layer.

The ribbons pictured here are part of a New Orleans tradition. (My family is from New Orleans, and my husband and I both embrace the New Orleans culture as our own.) Basically, on the end of each ribbon is a silver charm which has been inserted into the cake by the baker. Each charm has a special meaning (diamond ring- next to be married, baby rattle- next to have a baby, Eiffel Tower- you will be well traveled, etc. etc.) You pick certain people to do cake pulls (you can do single women, your bridal party, or hand-select people, which is a great way to honor special people). Each selected person grabs a ribbon and pulls, and her fortune is told! This idea is also very popular to do at Bridal Showers.

It really is the tiny details, and the meaning behind those details, that make your wedding day special. These engraved champagne glasses were given to us as bridal shower gifts, along with an engraved cake cutting knife. Our favors were small monogrammed tins filled with Jordan Almonds (to pay homage to the groom's Greek heritage and to symbolize that marriage is both sweet and bitter.) Also, we rode a horse-drawn carriage from the church to the Walden Club- very romantic and worth the extra splurge!

For our food selection, we had serving stations for a more laid-back party feel. We had the stations split up into three distinct styles of food. First, we had Greek food, again for my husband's side of the family. Then we had Southern food because we are both from the South and that is where we will be starting our lives. Last but of course not least, was Italian food because we had traveled to Italy the prior summer.

Aside from the open bar, we also had a special signature drink- The New Orleans Snowball. It was something I made up from a pretty common drink, but it gave yet another twist on the personalization of our day! Down to the last detail, we made sure the wedding was all about us!

Another New Orleans tradition, known as a a second-line dance, was one of the things that guests will remember most about our wedding. Basically, the father of the bride leads the dance with the bride carrying her signature white umbrella, and everyone follows with their white linen napkins in hand. It's the perfect way to get people out of their seats and on the dance floor!

Paying tribute to the separate cultures from which you came is a great way to make a magical and unforgettable wedding! Why be the one millionth bride of the year to serve a selection of chicken or fish when you can have serving stations that blend you and your honey's own unique style? Why not make all of your guests say "Wow! That is so THEM!" at every turn?