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Whats a gal to do when her hubby is a navy man and she has a deep love of gorgeous southern weddings, merge the two naturally!  Hannah Smith & Chris Rowland crafted a dreamy wedding day with a vintage nautical touch on the sprawling grounds of The Ribault Club.  Married under a tremendously amazing giant oak tree, hand made chandeliers & crystals swayed in the wind as the couple said their vows.  More traditional nautical inspired elements filled the decor, everything from anchors, wood lanterns, monkey knots & netting.  Even napkins got the royal navy treatment, being presented in a tall sail like manner!  Naturally only a palette which included navy would do with Hannah & Chris selecting coral as the perfect feminine counterbalance.  Even though its only the very beginning of March, the Mother of the Year award {or at very least the very top of the short list} goes to Anne Smith, mother of the bride.  I dont know what Anne’s background is, but Anne created every floral detail you see, the bouquets, centerpieces, even boutonnieres to stunning perfection!  As if the florals weren’t a huge task in and of themselves, would you believe Anne also did the cake!?  Beautifully frosted in a buttercream whipped texture style, the cake was adorned with the very same gorgeous flowers that punctuated the wedding all while being displayed on a spool of thick gauge twine, I die!  The idea of a vintage take on a nautical inspired wedding is perfection to me, add in deep navy & vibrant corals along with each wonderful element, not to mention that giant oak, and now I am just getting weak in the knees!

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Novella of the Bride…

Wedding Buzzwords ~ Nautical, Vintage, Elegant, & Southern
Specialty Cocktail ~ Groom’s Cocktail – Goombay Smash + Bride’s Cocktail – Watermelon Pucker

Chris and I met four years ago through mutual friends. I was a senior in high school, and he had just been stationed in Jacksonville, FL with the Navy. We dated for two years before he was sent on his first deployment. He came home 6 months later and proposed. His deployment got extended, and he left a few weeks after we got engaged. He returned just two months before the wedding!

Our wedding had a vintage nautical theme.  I saw the Ribault Club online a few years ago, And when we got engaged we visited the club and just loved it! It has an elegant, vintage, old southern feel.  We had lots of wooden lanterns as well striped table runners, and lots of anchors! There were chandeliers hung from the tree out back where we had the ceremony. We also exited the wedding in a vintage 1964 Rolls Royce.

A Little Help From Their Friends ~ My mother did all of the floral arrangements, bouquets and boutonnieres. She also made the wedding cake and cake favors, as well as doing all of the table designs. She made the chandeliers that hung from the tree as well. She put in so much time and effort to make sure our day was everything we pictured.  My grandmother made the grooms cake and she made my second dress as well.

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “The whole day was better than we could have ever imagined. From our first look, to our outdoor ceremony, and our Rolls Royce exit, we couldn’t have had a more perfect wedding.

Vendor Love

Venue: The Ribault Club | Wedding Dress: Sweetheart Bridal | Bridesmaid DressesAlfred Sung | Hair: Tracey Ott | Makeup: Kendra Chaney Makeup | Groomsmen’s Attire: Michaels Formalwear | Invitations: Less Ordinary Designs | Lighting + Rentals: Luxe Party Rentals | Florist: Anne Smith {Mother of Bride} | Caterer: RSVP Catering | Baker: Anne Smith {Mother of Bride} | Wedding/Event Planner: Fleur De Lis Event Consulting | Photographer: Britney Kay Photography