Being a Bride: McKenzie

Bride Name: McKenzie Fussell
Groom Name: Pearce Fussell
Wedding Date: May 26, 2014
Total number in wedding party: 19
Total guests: 150
Venue: Walkers Landing, Amelia Island Plantation

How you met & the proposal: Pearce and I met in high school. He was that super cute senior I had a mega crush on and I was a freshman. Thankfully I was really bad at math and ended up needing a tutor. My mom hired Pearce for the job. I was obviously thrilled but (plot twist) ended up firing him just a few weeks later because I had THE hardest time focusing and really did need to pass math. The next year we connected again, and a few years later we started dating. His faith in God’s goodness and genuine love for people led me to the conclusion that he was in fact the one.

 He proposed in Nov. 2013 at a Christmas tree farm in Douglas, GA. We were walking around looking at trees when I noticed one of them already had an ornament on it. That was strange but I didn’t investigate much further. I could however, tell that he wanted me to. When I took a second look at the ornament it read, “Marry Me.”I noticed that in addition to the ornament, there was a gorgeous engagement ring on the tree. In the midst of my confusion and shock, he popped the question. How did he know I’d always wanted a Christmas proposal? It was one of the best days of my life! Now every time we visit a Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree, I get to reflect on that happy moment. And yes, I still have the ornament!

What was the best bridal/pre-wedding event you attended, and why? I had two amazing bridal showers thrown by my favorite people. They both made me feel so incredibly loved and I feel like that’s when “it” hit and I realized I was really the bride. My bachelorette weekend was incredibly fun as well! All of my bridesmaids came to town and we did ALL the girly things: they threw me a lingerie party, we lounged by the pool, and I enjoyed every second of relaxation before the big day.  But I think my favorite pre-wedding event was the bridal luncheon for all of my girls and the special women in my life. It brought me so much joy being able to shower them with love and express my gratitude for all they had done for me, right before the wedding. I highly encourage throwing one!

What was something your bridesmaids or family members did for you that made your day or pre-planning experience special? Let me start by sharing this, my MOH was the greatest MOH in the history of MOH’s. Seriously. We joked throughout the planning process that she deserved a new car for all of the work she put into our big day. I couldn’t have done it without her. I was in college at the time, four hours away from our wedding venue (aka our home) so she was a saving grace when it came to site visits, etc. She and my bridesmaids gifted me the sweetest handwritten notes during my bachelorette party, and I still look back on those. I’m a sucker for a handwritten note! They mean so much more to me than material gifts, so it was extra sweet when Pearce wrote the most thoughtful letter for me to read right before walking down the aisle.

What was the best wedding gift you received? One of my sweet bridesmaids, Taylor, gifted me the most beautiful punch set. I love that she chose something so unique and special, knowing I would actually get some use out of it! I love entertaining! I’m actually hosting a bridal shower for my best friend later this month and can’t wait to show it off. I smile everytime I see the set in my cabinet!

What inspired your wedding day (theme/look/feel)? It was Southern and classic with a few preppy and vintage splashes. I love history and wanted our wedding to have that old South feel but still be very comfortable and playful. I think we achieved our goal! The venue was gorgeous without a single decoration up, so we pulled a lot of inspiration from the location itself.

What is something you couldn’t live without for your wedding day? The perfect menu. My dad’s catering company took care of the food which made the day extra special because we were able to customize every detail of the menu. A few food favorites from the big day: our biscuit bar with the most delectable spread of jams and toppings, pulled pork, shrimp and grits, banana pudding, and of course - boiled peanuts during the cocktail hour! It was all kinds of yummy.

What is something you could have lived without/changed for your wedding day if you were to do it over? I definitely would have hired a wedding planner. I decided to go without because I thought hiring a planner would mean giving up some of the “control” we had. I’m rather picky, especially about details so I thought I’d lose the personal touches by hiring a wedding planner. I was wrong! Hiring a planner would have been a huge help!

If you have any wedding décor/planning/survival/DIY tips or tutorials, or money saving suggestions, please share: We DIY’d a ton of things for our wedding but I wouldn’t recommend it. DIY a few things of course, but budget so you don’t have to do everything yourself. There are plenty of affordable Etsy shops, websites, and vendors with great rates. Sometimes a few extra bucks isn’t worth the stress of having another thing on your pre-wedding to-do list. I’m a hobby calligrapher so I enjoyed lettering the invitations and paperie for our big day. If you have a talent yourself (and I’m sure you do!) use it. Oh, and get your friends involved! Our wedding party helped out in so many different ways - one of the groomsmen (who’s ridiculously talented) captured our engagement photos, one of my bridesmaids (also ridiculously talented) sang our first dance song, and everyone else chipped in to help make the big day special. So basically, make sure you’re wedding party is full of talented friends. Kidding, kinda. 

Connect with the Bride
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/winsomeandgolddesign/
Instagram - @McKenzieFussell 
Pinterest - @McKFussell 
Email - McKenzieFussell at gmail dot com
Blog: http://somethinsouthernblog.com/


Interested in being the next featured bride? Email me today for the questionnaire!

Weekend Recap: Amanda's Bach Wknd

Our weekend souvenirs: monogrammed
Tervis, tank top, sunglasses, and temporary
"Bride Tribe" tattoos!

This weekend I went to Lake Oconee to celebrate one of my bridesmaids who is now the bride! Amanda is getting married next month, and I'm thrilled to be one in her wedding, too. We celebrated her upcoming nuptials at the most beautiful lake house that had a pool  {complete with swim-up bar!} and hot tub overlooking the lake.

Once we all arrived Friday evening, we had a pajama party and lingerie shower for the bride after spending a couple of hours in the pool. One of my favorite treats from the weekend was the pink princess popcorn which was popcorn, white chocolate {plus a few drops of red food coloring}, and rainbow sprinkles all mixed together. It was delicious, and was the perfect PJ party treat!

Saturday consisted of an all-day pool party with a variety of the coolest pool floats around. The bride lounged on her white swan, and I tanned on my way bigger than expected giant pink flamingo float. I bought these pink flamingo floating koozies for everyone, too! We had a pineapple, cupcake, everything bagel, beer pong, and pizza float in the pool. It was too fun, and the best way to keep cool on such a hot weekend.









Saturday night we went to Athens for dinner at a sushi/karaoke bar {who knew this kind of thing existed! It was a blast} before hitting the town with our bride-to-be. Even though it was so hot, we had a great time hopping from place to place. My favorite was definitely the rooftop Georgia Theater bar. It was beautiful!

 After Sunday morning breakfast, we cleaned the house and loaded up to head out. I couldn't bear to totally deflate my giant flamingo float, so it road home with me in the backseat with all the seats down, half deflated. I bet all the other drivers were surprised to see a giant pink bird riding down the interstate!

Ladies in Black

Next weekend, I'll be heading to the lake to celebrate one of my besties and bride-to-be, Amanda! We're going to hang out on Lake Oconee with her bridesmaids and our sorority sisters all weekend long. I absolutely cannot wait. I had a blast at my own bachelorette weekend, and can't wait to catch some rays with this crew again.

Saturday evening, we're going out for dinner and all the ladies {besides the bride, of course!} will be wearing black. I don't really have a ton of black in my closet, especially for summer, so it's time to find a new LBD! I can't decide if I want a short dress or a maxi...or something practical that might become work appropriate or something really fun and flirty for a night out on the town. I'm loving all these options, but what are your thoughts and suggestions?

Embroidered Maxi | Strapless Tassel Maxi
Scalloped Halter Dress | Fringe Back Dress
Off the Shoulder Dress | Tassel Mini Dress

Bachelorette Decoration Details

I wanted to share a few of the little crafty details from my bachelorette last weekend! Months ago, after we decided on a beach destination, Kirstie my Maid of Honor, spotted these white drink sand spikes at a Walker Boutique close-out sale. They were blank, and her sister has a vinyl cutter, so we decided to make  monogrammed sand spikes for all the girls as my thank you gift to them! I glittered little wine bottles with Mod Podge, and included striped paper straws. 

Aren't they just precious in my "M" galvanized bucket? We did three different beachy colors for the monograms: pink, teal, and yellow. I think they turned out so cute! 

The girls got my fabulous bachelorette sash from JG Creations by Jenna Green on Esty. Check her shop out here!

Kirstie also did the vinyl for our tank top cover ups. All the girls got pink tanks with white monograms in the top corner, while I wore a white one with my new monogram in a fabulous gold glitter. I'm obsessed with it! 

Kirstie made koozies for everyone too, using her vinyl cutter. While it takes a little more time, I've been in awe of how cost effective it makes all these items! On one side of the koozie it says "Piper's Bachelorette" and on the other it says "Where my beaches at?"

Niki, my matron of honor and soon to be sister-in-law, found these cute decorations at TJ Maxx! I love getting unique paper products and party supplies from the Teej.  

On Saturday night, everyone picked a "nautical name tag" to wear out! I loved how "punny" they were. This was another cool cutter project! I'm so thankful to have such creative friends that are so willing to work hard to make this the best time of my life. I can't believe that trip is already a week behind us, and I've got three weeks left until the wedding. Time flies when you're having fun!

Bachelorette Day Two

Bachelorette day two consisted of plenty of beaching, shopping, and spending time together. Kirstie, my maid of honor, made everyone the cutest monogrammed tanks to use as cover ups, and we got some really cute group pictures on the beach.

Saturday night consisted of another pink party, with the beautiful ladies all in pink dresses, while I wore a cream/gold Mudpie dress. We went to dinner at The Crab Trap on Fernandina, and it was so delicious. We were all really tired from all the fun on Friday night, and since many girls had to leave early Sunday morning, we decided to just head home after our late dinner.

That's really my favorite thing about this group of girls: easy-going, and everyone just wants to hang out and talk! Sunday morning came way too soon, but we packed up, grabbed some donuts, and headed home. Last weekend was exactly what I needed. It was the perfect mix of fun and relaxation, and I feel like I can handle the next 22 days!

Bachelorette Day One

Last Thursday after work, I headed down south to Amelia Island with a few of my girlfriends for my bachelorette weekend. We met some other girls {and my mom!} at the beautiful house that was our home for three days late that evening. After getting settled in, and doing an emergency CVS run for more wine and popcorn, the fun began.

We were worried all week about the weather being questionable, but it ended up being great! Friday morning we got up and headed to the beach just across the street where we snacked and enjoyed my world famous PipeStars in the sand while waiting on the rest of the group to arrive.

The other girls all arrived around dinner, which was fiesta themed, and cooked by my awesome MOHs! After dinner, the girls threw me a lingerie party which was so fun. They made me put on every piece I opened, as I opened it, layering them on top of each other. Let me tell you, that stuff isn't as breathable as it looks!

After the shower, we took some photo booth pictures at the house before walking a block down to a bar we saw hosting karaoke on Friday night. At the bar, we encountered babies, grandpas, and another bachelorette group! It was a lot of fun. I of course sang Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" like always!

After they literally kicked us out {who closes at 11 p.m.?! at a beach?! with people buying drinks?!}, we went to downtown Fernandina Beach and wandered through The Frog {or turtle? I was really bad with my animals last weekend} and The Palace, the oldest saloon in Florida. Half of the group didn't make it quite that far, and headed home to sleep and rest up for Beach Day Two! 

Night One Outfit featuring The Disappearing Veil

Oh heyyyy

Bathing Beauty

Between bachelorette planning, and plotting the best honeymoon cruise there ever was, I've bought a ton of new bathing suits. I may have even gone a little overboard...get it? 

I just couldn't help myself! Target has a ton of new cuties this year, and many that I can mix and match. I also love a good one piece, and I've scooped up two--one from Target, and a Trina Turk from last summer that was an eBay NWT steal! 

At the end of last summer, I picked up a beautiful floral caftan cover-up from Talbots. I really loved it because it was much more dress than cover-up, and was wonderful to wear into beach side restaurants. They don't have anything similar this season, but Target does! 

Top Left | Top Right 
Bottom Left | Bottom Right 

Hot Pink Ruffle

Trina Turk, similar

I've been a long time lover of the one piece, especially ones that have a little extra oomph! Both of these have somewhat of a plunging neckline, but they do keep you securely protected which is important.

I really loved the hot pink ruffle bikini top, and multi color Triangl inspired suit. And I totally think the cheetah print top will work with some hot pink bottoms, even if Christopher finds that combination a little questionable! What do you think?

Check back in this week for a bachelorette weekend recap!

The Bachelorette Weekend Playlist

Click the image to listen to the complete playlist!

Everyone has that one friend who changes the radio station halfway through every song, skips through the Pandora freebies too quickly, and has stacks of CD's in Ziploc bags in every corner of her car. Oh, that's just me?

A road trip is not a road trip without a playlist. Or a mixed tape, or a burned CD. Whatever you prefer.

Bachelorette weekend is here! I'm loaded up with the gal pals, and headed to Florida. While I may not have burned a CD for this trip, I did come up with a list of the most bee-boppity fun singalong dance-party songs I could find that would appeal to all tastes {we are an eclectic bunch}. Also, please excuse my love for middle school dance music...

Weekend Recap: Easter 2016

Have you ever been glad that it's Monday? I hate to say it, but I really am. Not that Easter with my family wasn't wonderful, but let's just say the weekend didn't end on the highest note...

Friday was a great chill day for me. The office was closed, so I slept in, cleaned the house, had lunch with friends, and worked on thank you notes from last Saturday's shower. You can read about how to be an excellent thank you note writer on my friend Wendy's blog, here. I had hoped to get them out sooner, but got them in the mail within a week of the event. I try to do them as soon as possible, otherwise my to-do list just gets longer and longer!

On Saturday, Christopher and I went to one of our pre-marital counseling sessions {in Georgia you get a discount on your marriage license if you go!}, ran errands, then headed to South Carolina for Easter with my family.

We had a wonderful church service at First Baptist on Sunday morning. It was great to see our friends and those who won't be able to make it to our wedding next month one more time before we're a married couple! My mother had made lunch reservations at Victor's in the new Hotel Florence, which was fab! Brunch was delicious, and I love the aesthetic of the space--it should definitely be a stop on your list if you ever make it through Flo-town.

Lunch is unfortunately where my current stresses began: I got a call saying my bank account had been compromised for a couple hundred dollars. Of course this would happen on the week I have to pay for the wedding venue. Luckily, we caught it before a second attempt last night for another large sum. While I know this will be resolved with the bank, it is unfortunately one of those stresses that is just hanging out in the back of my mind constantly.

It was rainy all weekend, and we had to drive home in the rain and spring break traffic. Yuck. I almost had a very bad accident, too--when I was finally able to skid to a stop to avoid someone who had blatantly pulled out in front of me, Christopher couldn't even see the front of their car, it was that close to mine. I was extremely thankful when we finally made it home safe and sound.

Although silly, this morning's frustrations stem from social media. This is a huge part of my job, and my life. I love connecting with friends and family through pictures and stories online. The recent algorithm changes in both Facebook and now Instagram are driving me nuts. I now have to login to a separate website to fully access my blog and our business' Facebook page. Obnoxious! Now, Instagram, otherwise known in my book as the most perfect of all social media outlets, is changing their feed from chronological to show you pictures they "think" you will like. Well Insta, I only follow accounts that I "know" I will like, so I don't need you picking out things all willy-nilly!

Follow me on Instagram @piperellice and be
sure to click the little three dots and "Turn on notifications"
to keep seeing my feed!

I was glad to get to work this morning, finding comfort in my routine and a big cup of coffee. I've already been to the bank to begin the fraud resolution process, and I'm just hoping that it doesn't take the full 10 business days to get this squared away. In the midst of my stress, although minor in the grand scheme of things, I'm reminded of the love and sacrifice Jesus made for us every time I drive by the churches in town that have their Easter decorations standing strong. I'm claiming his peace to make it through the day, and the week.

Follow me on Snapchat @piperellice to see all of our
upcoming beach bash shenanigans! 

On another note, my bachelorette weekend is here! A few of us are leaving Thursday night after work to head to Amelia Island for a long weekend with the girls. I'm super excited, but fingers crossed that the weather forecast changes and the rain stays far away!