Hey y'all! I recently went on a super fun girl's trip with my mom and maw maw to my favorite city, Charleston, SC. My friend and fellow blogger, Wendy, told us about a home and garden tour that was being held in the holy city in April. As fate would have it, I had a long three day weekend the weekend of the tour. We immediately started planning our trip! I had been looking forward to the trip for so long, so when it was time to leave I could barely contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to kick off spring in Charleston!
We woke up early in the morning to head down south. Earlier in the week it had been almost 80 degrees here in WV, so you can imagine how surprised I was to travel through SNOW on my way to Beckley. I met my mom and maw maw there, and we traveled together the rest of the way.
By the time we arrived in Charleston, the weather had gone from cold and snowy to breezy and sunny. We were greeted by a perfect 70 degree temperature and a very large pineapple fountain! I mean did you even go to Charleston, SC if you didn't get pictures in front of the pineapple fountain?! After a quick photoshoot and a lap around the Waterfront Park, we headed to Market Street to explore the Charleston City Market. Mom and I bought some books and cookbooks. My cookbook was published by the Charleston Junior League, and it was first published in the 1950s. They've only published it a handful of times since then, so when I found that out, I HAD to purchase it. To my disappointment, the recipes (called receipts in the cookbook to keep the language traditional) are very old, unique recipes and not really anything I would make for a weeknight dinner. Also, the recipes are for large groups of people. I guess if you and 300 other people ever want to come to my house for punch, I've got us covered! By the way, I'm not exaggerating. The cookbook has recipes that serve 300 and some even 600 people LOL Lesson of the day: Always skim a cookbook before you buy it. Despite it not being practical, I'm still happy to add it to my cookbook collection!
After shopping at the market, we headed to a local hotspot for dinner. I've eaten at Poogan's Porch several times, but this was my mom and maw maw's first. Obviously, we ordered (two) servings of the famous mac and cheese to go with our dinner. It was amazing as usual!
After dinner, we were absolutely exhausted, so we headed to the hotel. After resting up, we were raring to go to the tour the next morning. Our hotel had a great breakfast available, so that is where we ate. The cinnamon rolls were to die for! The tour didn't start until 1:00, so we headed to King Street to do a little shopping. Naturally, we went to the Lilly store, Palm Avenue. My sister Kelly's birthday is coming up soon, so we all got her a little something from there! I can't wait for her to open her presents. I had to get myself a little something too. I found an adorable off the shoulder top in different shades of blue. I can't wait to wear it with white pants soon!
There was a local Farmer's Market down the street from Palm Avenue, so we headed that way to check it out. It was so fun! They had music, food trucks, fresh produce, and lots of other vendors there. It was at Marion Square which is a park area in the city. People were hanging out on the lawn, eating, and shopping. The whole area was buzzing with so many people just enjoying the event. I loved it!
After checking out the Farmer's Market, we started the tour. The tour was self guided and at your own pace. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the sites we visited. The homes we went into were houses that people live in currently and have remodeled/renovated/restored. One of my favorite homes used to be a stable. It was so beautiful. My favorite part was the kitchen because the floors were brick. It was so unique, and I loved how she worked with the old parts of the stable. We also toured a home that was only built a few years ago but was made to look historic. That house was a real show stopper! We had a great time looking at all of their decorations as well.
By the end of the day, we had walked over 5 miles. We were exhausted! After a few "accidents" like mom almost twisting her ankle (she caught herself by slamming into the door of a house along the street) and maw maw thinking she had lost her phone (while she was talking to pawpaw on it), we just needed to stop what we were doing and take a break. Y'all we belly laughed over these things when they happened! We ended up stopping at a chain restaurant along King Street and had some fried pickles, fried mac and cheese, and super sweet tea. Just what a gal needs to recharge! LOL We had it in our heads that after we ate and rested, we would be ready to conquer the half of a mile walk back to our car. Unfortunately, all that fried food hit us like a ton of bricks. I felt like I needed to be wheeled out of that restaurant. Our waiter was nice enough to call a bike taxi for us, which was an adventure in itself. The three of us squeezed into the seat and held on tight!
After we got back to the car, we drove around the city checking out the sights. The next morning, we woke up early and headed back to the mountain state. I loved getting to experience yet another fantastic Charleston trip with two of my favorite ladies. I'm already planning for next year's House and Garden Tour! Until next time.. Take care y'all!
Today McComas Video Productions sent me a recap video of our wedding day. Y'all, I am completely blown away! The 27th of this month will be our 6 month anniversary, so this came at a great time. It is like reliving the day all over again. I remember the day of the wedding being so special and fun, but I love it even more getting to look back on this monumental occasion in our lives. McComas Video perfectly captured our day. I can't recommend them enough! When I first saw the video, I laughed, cried, and laughed some more. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!
Sorry for the short hiatus! I wanted to make my next post part two of the wedding series, and I needed to wait for my professional pictures to be finished. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Staci Long did an amazing job at photographing the big day. I am so excited to share some of the pictures from our wedding with y'all. It was such a special day for us, and I have loved going through all of these pictures reminiscing. Enjoy!
This edition of the series includes pictures and some videos of the big day. If you want to see more, you can go on Instagram and look up the hashtag: #gotmeadkins. Also, I have pinned many of these images to my Pinterest board, which can be accessed here: Southern Sundays Engagement and Wedding Board.
The Rehearsal
As I mentioned in the first wedding series blog post, I wore a very special dress to my rehearsal dinner. It was the very same dress my maw maw Ellen wore on her wedding day. I asked Staci to photograph our rehearsal so I could have professional pictures of me in the dress.
I love this picture. My mother and I holding a picture of my maw maw and her mother in the same dress that I'm wearing over fifty years after the picture was taken. It baffles me that I was able to wear this dress. It was a perfect fit and very much "my style." I just love it.
I will cherish this picture forever!
My sweet Nik and Nat. They were the ring bearer and flower girl at the wedding.
My sweet sister in law!
I may or may not have had Nik and Nat pose with Tyler and me in a "family photo." Thanks for letting me borrow your kids for the weekend Tad and Traci! They are too cute!
Professional Pictures of the Venue, Cake, and Decor
Our wedding favors for the guests were white chocolate suckers that looked just like golf balls. I tried to make everything go along with the country club theme.
These are the same champagne glasses that my mom and dad toasted with at their wedding. I am very sentimental (if you haven't figured that out yet LOL), so I loved being able to use these on my special day!
This table was set up in the reception area. The large gold frame holds the seating chart. I named all of the tables after famous golf courses, which also went along with the country club theme.
These are the matches I had made to use during the sparkler exit. They say, "The Perfect Match - Courtney and Tyler." Pun intended.
Wedding Beauty Prep
The Big Reveal
Since I had a very small, intimate wedding, most of the women in my family and Tyler's family had already seen me in my dress when they went with me to pick it out. I decided to not have my bridesmaids come with me to get my dress because I wanted it to be a surprise for some of the guests. I'm so glad I made that decision. We did a reveal for all the bridesmaids, and Staci was able to capture the moment the girls saw me in my dress for the first time. How special!
Ready for the reveal!
The first time all the girls saw my dress
Okay, y'all, my mom was put through a lot for this wedding with planning, errands, and decision making; however, I think the most difficult thing I asked of her was to CUT MY WEDDING DRESS MINUTES BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSED TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE. She cautiously asked, "Are you sure?!" My shoes had rhinestones on the top, so my dress kept getting caught on them preventing me from walking. When I screamed, "CUT IT," she got down on her knees in her black evening gown and went to town LOL because that's what moms do. Note the videographer in the side of the picture. He said this was the first time he had ever shot anything like that before LOL I have no doubts! Leave it to the Grimmett Girls.. can't wait to see this part of the video!
Round two of the cutting took three people LOL cutting the top layer didn't quite "cut it." Again, pun intended. We had to cut more layers during pictures of the bridesmaids or else I was going to fall walking to my groom. It was like a suction cup around my legs with all the tulle and static!
Pictures of the Bridal Party
Tyler and I didn't see each other for pictures before the wedding, but we did get lots of pictures with our bridal party beforehand. I love all of these pictures of my beautiful bridesmaids and Ty's handsome groomsmen!
Have you ever seen a prettier group of girls? Each of these ladies mean so much to me. They are more than friends. They're family. I love each and every one of them and cherish their friendship!
I love this picture! The black, white, and pink looks so pretty together!
My little sister and my cousin sister.. I love these two so much! Little did I know that my sweet cousin was pregnant with a precious baby boy in this picture! I got a text sent to Aunt Courtney on my honeymoon telling me she was pregnant, and I was ecstatic! I cannot wait for little Bo's arrival!
Our signature pose never gets old! We've been doing this since 2008. We have it down to a science now!
Individual Portraits
Look at my handsome groom. He was a trooper that day. I am so lucky to be able to spend the rest of my life with my best friend - someone that is caring, thoughtful, considerate, charming, and makes my life fun and exciting!
I love all of the bridal portraits Staci took of me. Initially, I wanted to do a pre-wedding bridal portrait session of me in my wedding dress, but that would mean I would have to completely get ready with hair and makeup. Also, I was worried I would mess up my dress in some way. It was a good thing I waited and had Staci take a few solo pictures the day of because the bottom of my dress got filthy in an instant! That would've been a mess had I gotten the pictures taken before!
The ring I wore on my right hand is my grandmother Judy's ring. It was the perfect touch to my wedding ensemble. The butterflies on my bouquet were on my mother's wedding veil. I loved incorporating pieces that belong to women in my family into the wedding.
Moment of Prayer
I didn't want to see Tyler before the wedding, but I did want to share a moment with him before we met each other at the end of the aisle to be married. My pawpaw Fred prayed with us for our marriage and our future, and it was one of the most special moments of the entire day. He stood in the middle of Tyler and me while we were separated by a wall. I never saw Tyler, but I knew he was on the other side of my grandfather the entire time. It was the only thing that made me tear up the entire day. Pap let The Lord guide him during the prayer, and it was so heartfelt and meaningful. I am so glad we did this because it calmed my nerves and meant so much to share a moment with two very special men in my life that I love very much!
After all the stress of getting ready, it was time for the big moment. These were taken before we all went upstairs to begin the ceremony. I was surprisingly calm during the last few moments of my single girl life. I was surrounded by women that I love very much, and I knew I was about to marry my best friend.
Also, can we all just take a moment to look at how beautiful my mother is?! I mean really?!?! I pray I look half as good as she does when I'm at my future child's wedding. The great thing about my mom is she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She may be a little sassy sometimes, but she truly has a good heart. I am so lucky that she stood by my side throughout this whole process. I am also so lucky that she didn't strangle me throughout this whole process! LOL
Nat had a quick snack before heading upstairs to begin her duties as flower girl!
The Ceremony
Pictures of the Bridal Party with Tyler and Me
This shot took FOREVER! I had seen something similar on pinterest and wanted to try it. Ours didn't turn out quite the same, but I still love it. We had a large bridal party, and they all couldn't fit in between Tyler and me LOL I love the heads that are popping out on the sides of the picture!
The idea of this shot was that the girls would hold Ty and the boys would hold me while we kiss. It didn't work out LOL
This one is going in the kiss frame my girls made for me!
Family Photos
This one is a framer for sure! We are putting this one and the one of Ty's side with the grandparents, aunts, and cousins in our living room! I know I've said it before, but I just love how the black, pink, and white colors look together in pictures! I may be biased, but I think this is a good looking bunch!
Such a sweet photo of Tyler and me with our grandparents. Doug and Barbara had already headed back to the clubhouse when we took this shot. They are special to us too! We are very lucky to be surrounded by such loving people!
Bride and Groom Pictures
These shots are so beautiful. I love the scenery of the golf course in the background. These moments are so special to me. It was still sinking in that I was married. After the bridal party and family finished taking pictures, it was just Tyler and me. We chatted during the pictures, and neither of us could believe what had just happened. In an instant, both of our lives changed. These pictures were the first time all day we were able to be alone together, slow down, and really take it all in.
This is Tyler's favorite picture of us. It cracks me up!
Heading back to the clubhouse to see our guests and begin the reception. We were starving and couldn't wait to laugh with and enjoy time with our friends and family!
The Reception
I don't think I stopped smiling and laughing the entire time!
Best Man Speech
Maid of Honor Speech
Ashton's Speech - "I remember being at the sorority house when Courtney would pray for God to send her a Christian Republican to marry." Ask and you shall receive, y'all!
Brooke, my sister in law, giving her speech. She introduced me to Tyler, so I have her to thank for all of this!
We had no idea what we were doing here. Tyler thought we needed to disassemble the entire cake before we cut it. I think I had just slapped his hand away from removing that Lilly Pulitzer bride figurine LOL kidding!
Our first dance - Stand By Me
Father Daughter Dance - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Initially, Tyler and I wanted to do a fun dance for our guests, particularly, the Carolina Shag. We were going to dance to Stagger Lee because that is the song they danced to in the movie Shag (one of my childhood favorites). We gave it an honest effort, but it just wasn't happening. We ended up choosing a beautiful and meaningful song - Stand by Me.
Unfortunately, my desire to do a fun wedding dance hadn't gone away. Flash forward to Thursday evening (the day before the rehearsal). Dad and I are in the living room trying to practice our dance to My Girl. It was a little hard to find a good beat to that song that still looked like we were doing a slow dance. I wasn't satisfied. Mom and I started looking up songs for Father Daughter dances, but we had no luck on finding anything. Later that evening, mom and I were on the porch swinging, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Ain't No Mountain High Enough. IT WAS OUR SONG! It had that Motown feel that I love, it was upbeat and catchy, and the lyrics were meaningful to the relationship I have with my dad. In an instant, mom was up on her feet choreographing a full on father daughter dance! It was perfect for us, and I'm so glad I was able to have that special and fun moment with my dad.
Here is a video of our dance that Kelly got with her iPhone. It is a little blurry, loud, and hard to see.. sorry! I love the dance, so I had to post it! Also, please disregard Kelly cheering on our dad in the background LOL
This dance was fun and upbeat, and the lyrics are also meaningful. I'm posting them below:
Listen baby, ain't no mountain high,
Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far; don't worry baby
Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry
Oh baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow,
I'll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how
Oh baby there ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Oh no darling
No wind, no rain
Or winters cold can stop me baby, na na baby
'Cause you are my goal
If you're ever in trouble;
I'll be there on the double
Just send for me, oh baby
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I'll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can
Don't you know that there
Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Don'tcha know that there
Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
Ain't mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Tyler chose to dance with his mom to Mom by Garth Brooks.
Kelly and Ali decorated the getaway car!
The Sparkler Exit
This was exactly how I had envisioned my wedding to end. Tyler and I happily running out to the car under glittering sparklers held by our friends and family. The pictures are beautiful! I do have a confession to make though. This was staged. Yes, I said it. We staged our grand sparkler exit. The band we hired to play the reception was a huge hit, and our friends weren't quite ready for the party to be over at 11:00. Unfortunately, we had only booked the photographer and videographer until that time considering they had been there since about noon that day. We decided to take a break from dancing, stage the exit, then head back inside for more dancing!
This is one of my favorite pictures of the night. We were so happy on this day! Next stop: Jamaica!
The final post in the wedding series will be of our honeymoon in Jamaica! I will be posting it in the next week or so. Sorry it took so long for me to complete this wedding post, but I wanted to wait for our professional pictures to come in. I'm so glad I did because it was worth it!
