The Fairhope Inn

Nov 21 2016

A Southern Wedding Tradition ~ Charm Pull

The southern tradition of a charm pull was originally called ribbon pulling. Wedding charms date back to Victorian times. There are typcally 12 charms attached to ribbons. The charms are placed in the bottom layer of the wedding cake with the ribbons fanning out around the perimeter of the cake.

Each charm has a specific meaning or prediction of the future.

Ring: Upcoming marriage
Heart: New love
Kite: Fun and leisurely life
Fleur-de-Lis: Love will blossom, prosperity
Four Leaf Clover: Lucky in life
Anchor: Adventure awaits
Red Bean: Good luck
Star: Wish comes true
Thimble: Spinsterhood
Hot Air Balloon: A life of travel and adventure
Butterfly: Eternal beauty
Wreath: Contented life

Source: weddings.lovetoknow.com

Southern Wedding Tradition-Charm Pull

Bridesmaids, family members or friends are usually asked to participate in the pull. The cake pull takes place right before the cake is cut. After the pull the charms are normally kept as gift by those who participated. The charms can be ordered from many online sites such as Etsy. Tell us if you have participated in a charm pull and which charm did you receive?

Wedding cake by: Couture Cakes

Jul 26 2015

Saffold and Brian

There is nothing that says “classic” like a little navy and white, and those were the beautiful colors chosen by bride Saffold for her May 23 wedding to Brian. As a catering and event manager for one of the most well-known catering companies in the South, I knew this bride would have every detail covered, but she was effortlessly relaxed and a true joy to work with!

The white hydrangea bouquets she chose were oh-so-Southern, and provided an elegant accent to the bridesmaids’ navy dresses. The navy and white straws took the color combo all the way to the bar, where they were placed in the happy couple’s signature drink, the “yellow hammer.” Also at the bar, Sweetwater 420 beer was offered to guests as a personal touch and nod to the special place where Saffold and Brian met – the Sweetwater 420 Festival in Atlanta. In fact, it’s even where Brian proposed…while on the Ferris wheel. How sweet is that?

After taking top-secret dance lessons, the bride and groom surprised their parents with a choreographed first dance to Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing,” which was a big hit. Departing on a golf cart, the bride and groom were showered with bubbles and well wishes as they left to begin their new life as husband and wife.

For more details, take a peek…

How Everything Came Together
Rehearsal Dinner: The Grand Hotel
Ceremony: St. James Episcopal Church
Reception: The Fairhope Inn
Rentals: SOHO Events and Rentals
Reception Music: Ising Show Band
Photographer: Renaissance Portrait Studio
Florist: Southern Veranda
Cakes: Publix Bakery-Fairhope
Transportation: Gulf Coast Tours

May 22 2015

Mary and Clay

Lovelies, we’ve all heard the adage that a little rain on your wedding day is good luck in a marriage, so let me be the first to say that Mary and Clay should have decades of wedded bliss ahead!

The Big Picture

I truly had my work cut out for me when this beautiful couple’s late April wedding was hit with a storm that not only brought torrential rain showers, but thunder, lightning, and dangerous wind gusts resulting in an unraveling reception tent, power outages at the church and the hotel where the guests were staying, and downed trees in the roadway.

But fear not…through it all, Mary stayed focused on the purpose of the day – to marry her beloved Clay. And somehow, even though Mother Nature had concocted an enormous recipe for disaster, all the essential details fell into place. In fact, the lack of electricity lent itself well to an unexpectedly romantic atmosphere created at the church through candlelight and the last few rosy rays of post-storm sunlight coming in through the window panes. The vows were still exchanged, all of the guests made it safely through the littered streets to the reception, the cake was cut and by the end of the night the storm was long forgotten.

All the Details

With families on sides of both the bride and the groom living out of town, all but one of the couple’s guests traveled to Lower Alabama to see them wed. As a special thank you, upon arrival to their hotel guests were treated to a gift bag filled with Mary and Clay’s favorite hometown goodies: beef jerky from Clay’s native Texas, and iced sugar cookies from Mary’s favorite bakery in Indiana. Additionally, the couple arranged for transportation to all events throughout the weekend to ease the burden from their visitors.

For the rehearsal dinner, everyone was invited to indulge in a true low country boil prepared by the bride’s brother-in-law, Chef Will Hughes, and hosted at the home of Dr. and Mrs. William Sullivan in Fairhope. And for dessert? A surprise visit from an ice cream truck (nostalgic music and all) – a fabulous frozen surprise for kids and adults alike. To top off the feast and the night, guests were invited to enjoy a bonfire, cocktails and s’mores, at the Grand Hotel.

In every element of the wedding, the couple incorporated their most important value: family. From Mary’s custom cathedral-length veil with flower embellishments sewn on from her mother’s wedding gown, to the bride’s chosen processional song (“When Irish Eyes are Smiling” – the same song played when her parents exited the church at their own wedding), to the “Czech Wedding March” played at the reception – a tradition from the groom’s family, every detail was wrapped up in meaning and love.

Take a look…