Liz & Chaz’s Casual Southern Affair

Wait til you see this gorgeous and fun DIY wedding from Chaz and Liz. In addition to the below, you can read more details on Liz’s blog - there are some great titles like “Flowers, Cakes and Dresses, Oh MY!” and “Cutting Corners while Staying Square” where Liz details out how they thew this amazing celebration on a smart budget.  How can you help but love that? There’s also a heart-felt post where Liz talks about More Important Things Than Centerpieces.

The Glö-Couple:

Liz, a journalist and
Chaz, an editor

Celebration Date & Location:

October 2010
Robert Mills House
Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Tell us how you got engaged:

I was working late, but my boyfriend was persistently texting me about when I would get home. When I finally got home, he told me he’d e-mailed me a new edition of his company newsletter. I always ask to read his work. I babbled on about my day as he nervously waited for me to open the e-mail. When I did, it was a special newsletter full of sweet stuff about us and photos. When I looked over at him, he had the ring. It was perfect for us because we met working on our campus newspaper and bonded over our love of news.

What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you were aiming for with your celebration:

We wanted to have a fun, casual and eco-friendly night that celebrated our love with all our friends and family. We aimed for an elegant, Southern feel, but still laid back.

Any fun twists on tradition?

Here is one of Liz’s blog posts about the fun details of their wedding day (professional photos by Sarah Kobos):

Since I didn’t have a wedding planner or coordinator, coming up with the details that make a wedding a whole lot more than just a party took a lot of originality. I brainstormed what I liked and scoured wedding blogs. Some of the ideas I liked I stowed away on a Tumblr blog. Since we were tying the knot in sleepy South Carolina, we went for a Southern-esque theme.

So, we had quilts. My mom loves quilts. And hay. Bails of hay are really pretty cheap.

We hung a timeline of photos on a clothesline with clothespins along the wall in the carriage house. We made sure to includes photos of us with each of our guests so they felt a part of our day.

On tables we had ranunculus that I ordered online. They didn’t turn out exactly as planned but I actually really like the look. We put them in cans painted with metallic paint and tied with raffia. And tealights.

 

I came across a few weddings on blogs that used cotton. I loved the look and was determined to use a lot of cotton. I succeeded. The cotton was free because it’s South Carolina and my sister-in-law has family that lives on/near a cotton farm. She really helped me pull it off.

So we used cotton on some tables in mason jars.

My amazingly creative mother then made wreaths with cotton and tied wooden letters in the middle.

 

Meanwhile, my handyman father built country road signs.

 

He also made the chalk board bubbles for the “Faux-to booth.”

 

Speaking of the photobooth. Here’s how it turned out.

 

We also had yard games for people to play. One of Chas’ groomsmen got us Bocce and cornhole.

 

And my most favorite detail — the chairs.

 

 

What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design?

We went with South Carolina pride because it’s where we fell in love. After living far away for several years, we miss the South. We played up the Palmetto Tree to incorporate this. We made both in photoshop using free fonts and free brushes.

Now show us your Glövites and Glösite

 

 

If you uploaded your own design(s) – how did you make them?

We made them in photoshop using free fonts and free brushes.

Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
Think simply. The more you plan, the more you have to do. We should have made it even more casual and laidback, but that’s just us. Just be aware that anything you want, you have to actually pull off.

It has to be about what you and your fiancee want. We were pulled in many directions from everyone, but in the end, you want to be happy on your wedding day. Sometimes this means saying, I just don’t like that. I wouldn’t go overboard and become bridezilla. Know when to fight for something and when to cave-in.

When the day actually rolls around, just go with it and don’t let the little things get you down. My niece, our flower girl, was very sick the day of. So she missed out, but we were more worried about how she was instead of that we didn’t have a flower girl and she wasn’t in our photos. My sister-in-law, and matron of honor, and brother had to leave early to take her to the hospital, so we didn’t have an actual wedding toast. No big deal! (My niece is fine, by the way! No worries.) My mother forgot the pretty decorative and personalized napkins I’d ordered. We now have about 400 napkins left over, but it wasn’t a problem. And no one let anything bother them on that day. It was perfect.

The best advice I heard before was that the day go by so quickly that you have to take a minute to enjoy it. I’ll admit this is tough to do, but I tried. Before you know it, it’s over and you aren’t ready for it.

I let my mother and my mother-in-law login to our Glosite to update guest information. They added addresses and contact info. for people we didn’t know. When it came time to write thank you notes, we had all the addresses in one central location, so we didn’t have to ask for addresses again. The site has just kind of helped us keep track of everything: gifts, addresses, who came, etc. And we can access anywhere, so it’s been way better than a spreadsheet.