Darrell & Ellen's wedding was one for the books for us at Lovegood! This couple was creative and in love. We can't help but share photos from the wedding all the time on social media because we can just not get enough of it. Love!
When we asked Ellen was was her favorite part of the day she responded with, "Our first look was wonderful and I’m so glad we chose to do it. It helped up both remain a bit calmer on that day, plus it was so special having a moment that was just ours. We both said that our vows were such a favorite and special memory from our day. We chose to write our own vows, and though it was nerve-wracking to write and read those aloud (we both cried through ours!), it was just so worth it. Those handwritten vows are something we will keep forever and can reread whenever times get tough. So many of our guests said it was their favorite part of the day."
Check out our mismatched chairs, Parker Tables, arbor, and ceremony rug!
DIY projects for the day Handmade, vintage-inspired wooden herringbone tables built by the groom, Darrell Parker with help from the father of the bride. When I showed Darrell a picture of similar tables that I thought would be the perfect addition to our wedding venue, he quickly went to work drawing up plans for these gorgeous herringbone tables. We were on our way home from Portland, OR where we lived just before the wedding and I recall him drawing and calculating measurements for hours while I drove. As soon as we got home in early October, he got to work. He and my dad used my uncle’s wood shop and set up a sort of assembly line, cutting boards, staining and painting boards, building the table bases, and nailing the varying boards atop the bases in the herringbone pattern. It was an amazing sight, and though I offered little help, I would go often to watch them work because it was such an amazing labor of love. Gold gilded pumpkins by bride and mother of the bride, created to be placed amongst the eucalyptus garland to accent the guest tables. Personal Stories about the Couple We grew up in southern MS, only a town apart but never met until after college. I was living in New York, NY when we met, and Darrell in Baton Rouge, LA. We were both home for the holidays and quickly learned that we had a great deal of mutual friends. Only having met once, Darrell fished for an invite to go Christmas shopping with me around town and after that, we were pretty inseparable for the remainder of our time at home. I left to go back to NY in January and Darrell made a trip up north to visit me. We both moved home that next March and the rest is history! We had been dating for about 2 years when one fall, we decided to gift each other with a trip to New York for Christmas. We hadn’t been back since I moved home 2 years prior. The day before we left, I was working and Darrell was “packing and cleaning the house”. Little did I know, he had traveled to New Orleans that day to pick out a ring and had driven right to my parents’ house to ask their permission. The next day we drove to the airport and boarded the plane to NY. Darrell was pretty nervous, which at the time, just manifested itself more as grumpiness. Worried that TSA would find the ring when he went through security, Darrell rode the whole way with the ring box tucked down inside his boot! As soon as we arrived, Darrell walked me to the site of my old apartment building where he had visited and said it had changed his life and he wanted it to be a place that forever changed my life as well. He popped the question and we called all of our loved ones and walked to brunch to drink lots of champagne! Location and Venue Details Biloxi, MS. All out of town guests as well as the bride and groom stayed at the White House Hotel for the wedding weekend. Wedding and Reception held outdoor at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS. Inspiration Behind the Wedding Day I always say that my beautiful floral headpiece for the wedding day was inspired by Rifle Paper Co., a southern brand of paper goods that The Petalers and I both love. Upon our first meeting, not even knowing that I was a fan, they gifted me with the loveliest Rifle Paper Co. notebook in which to keep all of my wedding details. And I did just that! My floral headpiece reminded me so much of their illustrations. It was perfect for me! We wanted our day to really represent us as a couple, down to the very last detail. We wanted it to be rustic but chic, warm and filled with feelings of love and closeness. We included travel a good bit in the theme, as we are avid travelers, from the music, to our cake topper stating “ You Are My Greatest Adventure”, to our guest book, a children’s book called “Home” which lists so many different types of homes around the world. Of course, the handmade tables I feel were the most personal detail we could have provided our guests. Darrell’s carpentry work is so beautiful, and it meant so much to have his handmade tables there for our guests to surround in celebration. The tables now belong to Lovegood Wedding & Event Rentals, but we kept our sweetheart table as a keepsake from our day. It was so special to us! It means a lot that our beautiful “Parker” tables, as they are now named, can be used and appreciated by brides and grooms in weddings for years to come. The museum in itself added a romantic and whimsical air to the wedding, with its brick courtyard covered in hundred-year old oak trees, right on the gulf of Biloxi. The large stainless-steel vestals, designed by architect Frank Gehry, shone brightly and reflected the most brilliant colors. The ceremony took place right before sunset, and hundreds of string lights twinkled over the courtyard as the sky changed into a deep navy blue. The soft light provided by that October night's full moon was the perfect final touch to the evening. Music Choices I chose to walk down to an acoustic version of “Blackbird” by the Beatles. I just have always felt so touched by the lyrics. “Take these broken wings and learn to fly, All your life - You were only waiting for this moment to arise..” It makes me cry now just hearing it! It just feels to me like saying there are always going to be hard times, but you can get through it. You can rise through it and I think marriage is a lot like that. I think that together, no matter the complications, you have each other and can overcome. Our first dance was to “Moon River”, the classic song but a newer version by The Honey Trees. We have long loved and danced to this song in our home and it just feels so true to us. The lyrics “Two drifters off to see the world, There’s such a lot of world to see..” is Darrell and I to the core. We never stop exploring and travel is our favorite thing in the world. We have lived in 6 different states in 2 years of knowing each other and have loved every minute of it. Advice for Brides Planning Now Enjoy it! It is so easy to get wrapped up in the stress of planning, but keep remembering that none of it is life or death! We were definitely victims to the stress of planning, but for the most part we enjoyed the process. We will always remember our wedding as one of the happiest and loveliest days of our lives where we felt the overwhelming warmth and love of all of the people who have meant the most to us in life. On that day, when the planning is done - RELAX & ENJOY! Try to soak up every little detail and focus and what that day is really about, you and your beloved!
Vendor Love
Photographer: Sully Clemmer Photography Event planner: After the Proposal Florist: The Petaler Co. Vintage Rentals: Lovegood Wedding & Event Rentals Stationery: Silt and Pine by Anna Lora Whitley Venue: Ohr O'Keefe Museum of Art Catering: Lisa Hinson and Judy Mumphrey Cake: Nita Lee Cake topper: BetterOffWed Entertainment: Marcel Lanoux with Nightshift Sounds & Kelsey Moran Celebrant: Rebecca Hilgar Rings: Anna Sheffield Venue Lighting: Southern Events