If a picture is worth a thousand words, this wedding would be one of the longest blogs in history.  I truly love working with every client’s wedding.  Each one is a sacred honor and privilege to me.  When I met the Richards family from Marietta, Georgia in September of 2009, I knew this family was going to be an absolute delight to work with.  I could sense within each of them a certain zest for life – a “zoie de vivre” that truly celebrates the joy of marriage with a delightful celebration.  My instincts were definitely correct.  From day one, I loved this family.  What a joy they were to work with.

From the bridesmaid’s luncheon to the wedding and reception, the beautful bride, Emily, wished to create an atmosphere of Southern elegance with a sense of drama and elegance.  With Emily and her mother’s keen sense of style and design, they truly ended up with an amazing event that will long be remembered.

The bridesmaids luncheon was definitely one of the most beautiful every held here at Fountainview featuring gorgeous table linens in a raspberry crinkle taffeta fabric and soft pink lamour napkins which perfectly coordinated with the special china selected for the event, Royal Albert’s Old County Roses pattern – a timeless classic which so beautifully mirrored the desire of the client as well as this lovely property.  The table set-up also featured elegant gold charge plates and  an elegant assortment of flowers including roses of Shocking Versilia and Sweet Unique, green hypericum berries, Sarah Bernhardt peonies, hydrangeas, hot pink spray roses, and freesia which added a tantalizing fragrance.

Emily was such a lovely bride.  Not only was she a lovely photogenic bride, she also possessed a joyful and gentle spirit which madeher such a delight to work with.  Her gown designed by Priscilla of Boston was a work of art and a perfect look for this striking and elegant bride. 

Emily chose a dramatic yet classic bouquet of all white featuring the timeless elegance of white peonies and white ranunculus highlighted with green hypericum berries for contrast.  While I generally prefer bouquets with a bit of color, this one changed my mind.  It was the ultimate in luxury and romance.  Emily changed my opinion of all-white bouquets!

The reception was an amazing event featuring extensive tenting and dramatic lighting effects provided by our lighting designers at Auburn Audio.  A fabulous buffet was provided by Christine’s Gourmet making for a perfect evening of celebration.  More photos will be coming soon provided by the couple’s photographers, Bryan and Bethany of Ardent Story.  I can’t wait to see their photos.

Truly, this wedding was one of the highlights of the year at Fountainview  Thanks to the Richards and Cuff families for the privilege of working with you on your magical celebration.  We hope and pray it was everything you dreamed of and MORE!  God bless you all!

It was another picture perfect day as Cayla Clark and Brandon Hicks were married at Fountainview Mansion on Friday, June 11th.  What a precious young couple.  Cayla and Brandon first booked their date in September of 2008 planning on a long engagement to coincide with the education as pharmacy students at Auburn University.  This is becoming more and more popular allowing for more time in planning for the perfect event while keeping education as a number one priorty.  It’s a joy to work with clients over such a long period of time.

Cayla chose a striking and elegant color palatte for the wedding.  All the maids wore gowns of their chosing in a lovely shade of golden yellow.  While the fabrics were slightly different to meet the design of the gowns, each one’s color was identical.  The bridesmaids really appreciated having the flexibility of chosing the exact style they would wear.  They were all gorgeous.  The linens selected for the tables carried out that color palette using a stardust crinkle sheer fabric  in the golden color.  This is a color scheme that had never been done here before and it truly was beautiful indoors as well as out enhancing the the surroundings in a soft and elegant wash of color.

Shortly before the wedding the girls all received their florals – classic hand-tied nosegays of all hydrangeas.  One of the most unique features of the florals was that the bride had ribbon monogrammed with each bridesmaid’s initials making each bouquet very personal.  An especially delightful treat was that one of the bridesmaids, Holly Edwards, is one of our brides for July of this year.  What a joy to have such a great long term relationship with the clients.

The cakes done by Robbin Fowler of Sonshine Cakes wer again a works of art.  The groom’s cake brought in the added dimension of the couples professions in Pharmacy – the mortat and pestel made out of white chocolate.  Once again, Robbin’s cake were a huge hit and a delight for the guests.  Catering by Billy Lee of TerraCotta Cafe rounded out a perfect evening of celebration.

Following the wedding, the couple was whisked via limousine to Atlanta where they boarded a flight the next morning for Barcelona Spain where they boarded a Mediterranean Cruise.  What a great and memorable way to start their new life together.  We wish each of you God’s richest blessing on your new life together.  Thanks for the honor and privilege of working with you!

Lauren Woods and Jeremy Powell were married on Saturday, June 12th at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Auburn immediately followed by the reception at Fountainview Mansion.   St. Michael’s new building is truly amazing.  What a tremendous addition to the worship life of Auburn, Alabama!  What a delightful family!  It was so wonderful to see their keen attention to detail and their complete focus on making their guests feel very special and unique.

The color palette selected was a delicate ice blue with an accent color of  chocolate brown.  Since it was a very warm day, the ice blue color created an illusion of coolness which was perfect!  The delicate color of ice blue looked terrific on each of the maids as well.  Fountainview designed their bouquets featuring soft blue Ideal iris, hydrangeas, stock, crystal white mini calla lilies, and majolica spray roses.  The color palette was soft, romantic, and unique.

The bride’s gown was truly spectacular and suited herso well.  It was elegance personified with rich lacewok and beading.  The simple elegance of the satin jacket created the illusion of vintage elegance.  A description of the gown will be coming from the bride shortly.  It’s so neat to see how each and every bride captures the perfect look for herself which depicts her style and sense of design.

The table settings were some of the most distinctive ones we’ve ever seen here largely because of the bride’s family’s desire to create such a special guest experience.  Each place setting featured custom linens in ice blue lamour with an opened fan bearing the bride’s and groom’s names and wedding dates as the backdrop.  On top of the fan was the custom folded ice blue lamour napkin.  Also on the table were gifts for every guest including lovebird salt and pepper shakers.  Also on each of the tables were memory books for the guests to write personal notes of congratulations to the bride and groom.  The centerpieces were also a delight to work with featuring a 3-part tablescape utilizing clear glass cylinders of varying heights with floating florals, candles, and massed arrangements of stock, iris, and hydrangeas.  Surrounding the tablescapes were votive candles to provide that extra touch of romance.

God bless you both.  Thanks for the joy of working with you and your families!

We are so blessed at Fountainview to work with so many wonderul couples.  I have known the Jahera family since our family moved to Auburn in 2001.  The Jahera’s are members at Auburn UMC where I am also Director of Music.  It’s always such a joy to work with members of our congregation.  It’s like an instant bond of family which we truly strive to create for each and every client.

The ceremony was held in the beautiful historic chapel of Auburn UMC.  An extra special ceremony highlight was that Bo Bice (American Idol runner up a few season ago) was featured soloist.  His wife was a bridesmaid.  What a delight to meet him, his wife and his 3 precious children.  We all did our best not to bother him.  It probably felt great for him to just enjoy being surrounded by family and friends and not mobbed by fans.  He was a delightful gentleman and extremely personal.  I wish I had dared to ask him for a photo but I hated to trouble him.  You’ll have to take my word for it that he was really here.

The bride chose elegant gowns of navy blue taffeta for the maids which provided a sleek sophistication for the large wedding party of 8 bridesmaids.  The chosen accent color was pink and we were honored and privileged to create the florals in every conceivable shade of pink.  The shading was predominately very soft and muted with just a few hints of deeper pink for contrast against the dark backdrop of the gowns.  Florals selected were astilbe, a profusion of roses in many shades of pink, soft pink hydrangeas, Sarah Bernhardt peonies, nerine lilies, dianthus, Queen Anne’s lace, and pink double coneflower.

These were a delight to work with s all the varying shapes and shading worked together so beautifully.  The bride was so helpful in describing exactly what she was looking for and even provided a comprehensive notebook of photos she had collected.  It was a great collaboration resulting in a terrific finished product.

The reception at Fountainview featured several of our favorite vendors: Christine’s Gourmet for catering and the cake by Robbin Fowler of Sonshine Cakes – truly the best tasting cake anywhere!  She is without a doubt our top pick for taste and creativity.

There was not a morsel left of either the bride’s or groom’s cake which is always the case when Robbin has done them.  She is FABULOUS!!!

The reception decor featured ivory damask linens with soft pink organza chair ties or table runners complimented with English garden centerpieces in vintage gold containers to harmonize with the other florals.  The overall look was soft, romantic, and Southern elegance.  What fun they were to create.

The brides bouquet was a gorgeous hand-tied nosegay featuring a plethora of Eskimo roses, blush white peonies, and freesia providing an intoxicating aroma.  I normally prefer more color in the bridal bouquet, but this one changed my mind as all the varying shapes worked so well to provide texture and contrast.  To hear a bride “ooh and ah” when you present the bouquet to her is music to your ears.  What a joy.

The happy couple has left for a honeymoon trip to Maui providing a perfect end to a picture-perfect celebration.  Congratulations Kate and Peter.  Thanks for the joy and privilege of working with you on your special day.  God bless.

Every wedding held at Fountainview is a joy and an honor, but it is especially wonderful when the bride and groom are dear friends.  Our family has been close friends with the Mixon family since our move to Auburn in the summer of 2001.  William and his family lived only about 2 blocks from our family home and he instantly became like the brother our girls never had.  There was nothing William wouldn’t do for our girls.

He’d often be their chauffeur, guardian angel, confidante, and all around friend.  We knew that William deserved someone very special and he definitely found it when he met and fell in love with Laura Aaron.  They were introduced through a friend of Laura’s who “happened to be playing” in the orchestra at one of our Star Spangled performances at Auburn UMC.  The pair visited by phone and ended up meeting in person the first time while both were attending a music educator’s conference.  The romance bloomed from there.  What a fabulous couple.

The ceremony was held at Auburn UMC.  It was a beautiful ceremony – especially the music featuring the organ artistry of Sandra Watwood, a fabulous tenor soloist, an acapella musical group from Troy University and also our daughter, Jacquelyn Cruz, soprano soloist.  What a great service.

Following the ceremony the wedding guests travelled the short trip to Fountainview where they were treated to a great dinner buffet by Christine’s Gourmet.  The weather was absolutely perfect making for a delightful evening under the stars for the happy couple and their guests.

The terrace set up for William and Laura Mixon’s reception. Note how the hot pink chair ties pull in the colors of the plants on the terrace providing a harmonious look to the surroundings.

The groom’s cake was designed and created by William’s Aunt Wendy featuring the LSU football stadium.  What a great job!

Our beautiful daughters – Jacquie and Ashlee enjoying the reception.

William and his beautiful bride, Laura with the bride's parents in the study of Fountainview Mansion. Truly, this was a match made in heaven!

God bless you William and Laura.  We  couldn’t be more happy for you both.  Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day.  We love you!

What an amazing weekend at Fountainview Mansion as Nicole Smith wed Conner Brooks on Saturday, May 15th.  It was again one of those picture-perfect weekends brides dream about their entire life and mothers pray for.  The grooms mother played a pivotal role in the planning process from day one.  One an incredibly talented and creative planner.  She had an incredible eye for creativity and style.

Greetings from the beautiful gardens of Fountainview Mansion.  Truly, the grounds are one of the most beautiful features of this lovely estate.  For three years we have been diligently working to develop the gardens to this level.  Upon our initial ownership of Fountainview, there were no blooming plants whatsoever on the property nor many foundational plantings.

The mansion truly is a work of art accomplished by a wonderful pairing of client and architect, Gaines Blackwell.  The attention to detail has prepared a property of rare proportions.  The grounds had great “bones” but took years to establish after we took ownership.  Clients using Fountainview for the functions choose it largely for the flexibility of having beautiful indoor and outdoor space.  The inside finishing  in many ways was easier than the outdoors.

Once again, the good Lord provided a gorgeous day for a wedding at Fountainview as Shameka King and Jake Mattox were wed on Saturday, May 8th.  The 5:00 ceremony was held in the lush gardens overlooking the pool.  Each wedding I am reminded again just what a beautiful place Fountainview is and how blessed we are to be it’s caretakers.  Also, we are humbled and honored to be caretakers of our bride’s wedding days – one of the most important days in their entire life.  It’s a commitment we do not take lightly.

I love it when a bride is not afraid of bold vibrant color.    The 6 bridemaids wore fabulous knee length gowns in a vibrant pumpkin tone.  The men all wore khaki tuxes with the brilliant pumpkin vests and ties.  The colors were really dramatic.    For the guest table seating areas, the bride chose an accent color of teal for the chair ties which really provided a dramatic pop of color.

Photography was done by Jack and Lisa Bentley of Infinity Photography, Opelika, AL.

We always love working with Jack and Lisa.  They were the photographers for our daughter’s wedding in May of 2008 and we cherish their professionalism as well as their friendship.

The day simply couldn’t have been much better – great weather, great photography, great food by Terra Cottaby chef, Billy Lee, and fabulous warm and lovely people.  Another day of great memories.  God bless you both,  Shameka and Jacob.  We with you both the very best.

You’ll have to forgive me for going on and on in this blog, friends.  But this past weekend was one of superlatives.   Jeramy Woody and his lovely bride, Laurel Wallace were wed on Saturday, May 1st at 6:00 PM.  Fountainview was the backdrop for all the pre-wedding festivities as well.

The Bridesmaids were feted at a lovely Bridesmaid’s luncheon on Friday, April 30th.  They were served a delightful menu in the Fountainview formal dining room – truly one of the most intimate and elegant spaces at the mansion.   Following the luncheon, Laurel’s precious mom arranged massages for the girls pampering them with a leisurely and relaxing afternoon by the pool.  While the girls were being treated like royalty, Woody and his groomsmen were enjoying a challenging round of golf at the Moore’s Mill Golf Course which provided a great time of fun and fellowship for the guys.

In the evening, the entire wedding party (10 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, and 3 flower girls) all joined for rehearsal followed by an elegant sit-down dinner in the Grand Salon.  A delicious menu was prepared by Christine’s Gourmet (www.christinesgourmet.com)  What a great color was selected.  In consultation with the birde and her  mother (what a delight) we desired for this part of the wedding festivities to look completely different than the other parts of the wedding.  We opted for a luxurious and masculine color scheme by using a deep moss green crinkle taffetta linen to the floor paired with black organza chair ties and lamour napkins.  Gracing the tables were dramatic and masculine table arrangements in footed gold urns featuring a monochromatic green color palette with pops of yellow.  The arrangements featured Bells of Ireland, green midori anthurium and yellow oncidium flown in from Hawaii specifically for the event, green hydrangea, curly willow, chartreuse Fuji mums, green calla lilies, eucalyptus and unique mosses.  The overall look was earthy, masculine, and artistic – just what the clients were looking for.

The wedding was a vision of spectacular color.  The 10 bridesmaids wore exquisite gowns in a new shade of Tiffany blue called Bahama Breeze – a perfect name for this gorgeous color.  What a fabulous color!  It looked incredible on each of the gorgeous bridesmaids.  It was further enhanced by the shading of the surroundings with the reflection of the gowns in the cool blue of the elegant swimming pool.  The gowns were enhance by a bold and vibrant selection of florals.  It is so thrilling when a client has a vision for color and is not afraid to use it.  Together, we were able to achieve the wow factor using a plethora of color from pale pink to hot pink, brilliant violet shades, and also pops of yellow.  The bridesmaids carried freeform artistic cascades designed by Fountainview Mansion featuring purple dendrobium orchids, oncidium orchids, nerine lilies, esperance roses, green hydrangeas, shocking versilia roses, ruscus and bear grass.  The gentle movement of the beargrass picked up the gentle flowing of the girls gowns and made from gentle flowing chiffon.

The bride was a vision of lovely perfection from top to bottom as evidenced by these amazing photographs furnished by her photographers – the Bowers from Andalusia, AL.  Her pre-bridal portrait was a hint of the beauty and grace all would see when she made her glorious entrance to meet her groom the day of her wedding.  An amazing thing happened which I shall never, ever forget.  My daughter, Jacquie and I had the unique pleasure of singing for the wedding as well accompanied by the Auburn String Quartet.  We were standing off to the left side of the ceremony sight providing a perfect vantage point to see Laurel’s entrance.  Seeing a bride enter is always an exciting moment, but this time was something we shall probably never see again.  The skies had been in and out of cloud cover for a good share of the day and had cleared up for the most part in the late afternoon.  Just prior to the brides entrance there was a large cloud that blocked the sun for a few seconds.  Just as Laurel entered through the antique gazebo she and her father stood for just a moment as her train was being adjusted.  Just as she was ready to proceed, the sun seemed to create an orb of light which radiated from tips of her toes to the top of her head illuminating her in what appeared to be a heavenly glow of light.  My daughter and I literally gasped aloud.  It was like a transfiguration.  Talk about a radiant bride!  Laurel was as she was bathed in what appeared to be a kiss of sunshine from heaven.  WOW!

Laurel’s bouquet was a custom cascade featuring esperance roses (reminiscent of an old-fashioned cabbage rose), white escimo roses, white dendrobium orchids, and stephonotis trimmed with pearls.  It was a look of refined Classic elegance which perfectly complemented her exquisite gown.

All in all, it was an absolutely delightful series of events from start to finish made even more special by the wonderful people we had to work with.  To both the Woody and Wallace families, thanks for the blessing of working with you on this very special day.  We wish you all God’s richest blessings.

Janice Gibson and Richard Jimmeson were blessed with a picture perfect day at Fountainview for their wedding on Saturday, April 17th.  The 2:30 ceremony was held poolside under a flawless blue sky surrounded by nearly 250 family and friends.  The lovely maids wore exquisite gowns in a mocha/latte color.  The two maids of honor wore the same color gown enhanced by sashes in a beautiful shade of terracotta.  The color of the gowns was smashing on every one of the 8 bridesmaids.

The bride chose a contemporary hand-tied freeform cascade for her florals featuring white dendrobium orchids, golden terracotta cymbidium orchids, gardenias for fragrance and numerous vendela roses and the bride’s personal favorite, leonidas roses, and mango calla lilies.  The colors were unified by the natural color of a fresh green provided by the mini green hydrangeas.

The bridesmaids carried hand-tied nosegays in brilliant shades of chocolate, coral and terracotta.  Floral choices included leonidas and coffee break roses, fern shoots, golden terracotta cymbidium orchids, green hydrangeas, orange queen alstromeria, and mango calla lilies.

The magnificent collonade was further enhanced by stunning florals incorporating all the floral choices of the wedding party in addition to a plethora of bells of Ireland (Canterbury bells), croton foliage, and elegant greenery providing an elegant and romantic bower of color to frame in the ceremony site.

Congratulations Richard and Janice!  We wish you all the best!