You guys! First and foremost, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the incredible and amazing job we all did spreading the work about Thistle Farms. I have a second cousin, once removed (yeah, we're SOUTHERN!) who lives in Taiwan. She posted it on Facebook. Someone she knows bought some product on-line! One of my Chicago friends bought a Lip Smoothie. Another reader wants the gift baskets for her maids! This lovely chain of events makes me so happy I could pee. Or SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I think I'll SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'm excited to count up all the comments and tweets and Facebook links! Can't wait!
So now that The Thirty-Something Bride housekeeping is complete, I am SO STOKED to feature this Unfake Wedding. Again, a really weird chain of events lead me to this incredible wedding. One of my high school friends is friends with the bride's sister. My friend commented on a Facebook picture from the wedding of her friend's sister and it ended up in my Facebook feed. Follow that? No matter, all I know is that this is one of the most kick-ass weddings I've ever seen. I think I might want to be this bride when I grow up. So without further ramblings, I'd like to present the latest Unfake Wedding of Abby and Rogan!
The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you?
Um…absolutely
Please share with me the vendors you used.
Photographer Josh Hailey Studio
Band Glen David Andrews Band New Orleans, LA
Reception Venue My sister’s gorgeous yard!
Ceremony Venue A stage/amphitheater/chapel my Dad built in the field next to my sister’s house. He used Cyprus salvage wood from an old tenant house in the Mississippi Delta
Transportation Rock Star Taxi Oxford, MS
Guest Hotel Downtown Inn Oxford, MS
Flowers My Mama’s dear childhood friend, Janie Simpson (jbsimpson68@bellsouth.net)
Dress Vintage Finery - Costumes & Complete Bridal in Orrington, Maine, (207) 825-4142 and the help of my brilliant seamstress, Shirley Maiden, of Maiden Lane Antiques in Manchester, VT 802-362-2004
Accessories My seamstress made the veil, my shoes came from Seychelles Footwear and my stunning necklace was a commissioned piece by designer Eleanore Hayes of Luna Moth Designs.
Hair/ Make-up My hair was expertly tussled by Palmer Brown of Austin, Texas’s Gilt Studio and make-up was of my own hand with the help of a handful of favorites—Chanel’s rouge allure in Passion and lots of M.A.C.’s Strobe Cream to name a few
Men’s Dress Linen blazers from J.Crew and silk-screened ties from Ties That Don’t Suck.
Catering Cocktail hour with cured meats, home-made pickles, Vermont cheese, and local honey from Chef Rogan Lechthaler (aka My Honey). As well, with help from Chef John Stokes of 208 in Oxford, MS- 662-234-0005.
Cake Rather than a cake, we found a Jackson, MS institution in 83-year-old Ms. VanVelkingburg, who made not only her classic vanilla petit fours, but also strawberry and chocolate. I preferred these two-bite-wonders with their SUPER moist cake and thin layer of butter cream icing. She even used our abstract heart/ initial logo to decorate each one.

His shirt says "Grazie, y'all." LOVE it.
Who was your favorite vendor and why?
Choosing my favorite vendor is tricky since I managed to utilize SO MANY close friends and family in the collaborative effort that was my wedding! But, I have to say that the venue was just PERFECT! I COULD NOT have dreamt of a more sublime day, and there is no doubt in my mind that the setting played a huge role in the event.
T30SB Commentary:I had several email exchanges with Abby and in one she said this about her venue: "My sister and her uber-British husband have a fabulous 1860s farm house in Oxford, MS, where my beau and I lived for 7 months together when we were just trying each other on..." I absolutely adore this comment. The thought of dating as "trying each other on" is just so fitting (no pun intended).
Was there a "method to your madness" in choosing your vendors?
In choosing my vendors, I first looked to friends and family. I wanted to create a relationship with most everyone involved in the day, thus, looking within my circle was an obvious first step. Beyond that, I really tried to woo each involved party with our story, a photo or two and by constantly injecting personality into any correspondence, so as to avoid becoming just another customer.
How long did it take to plan your wedding?
We planned our wedding in right around 9 months.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came?
We invited around 250 people to our May wedding with around 170 folks actually in attendance.
What was your budget?
We spent somewhere around $30,000.
Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget?
We did not include the rings or the honeymoon in our budget, because my Mama and Daddy put on the wedding for the most part, whilst we paid for our jewels and our vacation.
Were you over or under budget? By how much?
We actually didn’t start off with a concrete number in mind. We did spend somewhere around where we expected to, though. So, I’d say we were just about on target.
T30SB Commentary: You strict budget brides? Do not get pissed. Do not get jealous. Your wedding will be fabulous.
How large was your bridal party?
Our bridal party was pretty damn southern-ified with 12 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen.

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?
Honestly, nothing that drastic went down ON THE DAY (to my knowledge….or maybe that’s JUST HOW GOOD my people are!). But, the Thursday before the wedding the tent folks broke a water line and water was gushing all over our “aisle.” Luckily, my Dad swiftly turned off the water and we had the plumber there in no time to make the repairs. Wait, wait, but now I’m remembering—The kegs running dry during the middle of the party was the biggest panic. HOWEVER, we sent two gung-ho friends to the gas station down the road with a wad of cash and the party never suspected a thing!
What was you biggest wedding planning crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?
The band we had planned on backed out two months before and I was devastated. But, I had foraged a fantastic relationship with their manager and thankfully, he hooked us up with what turned out to be an even more perfect fit of a NOLA Funk Band than I think even our first choice would have been. And, we got the royal treatment when we headed to Jazz Fest that year too, because the manager still felt so bad that our first choice bailed.
T30SB Commentary: And that's why you need to be sweet to your vendors. Sometimes it's hard, but try.
Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day?
I can’t think of a single thing that was a pain that day.

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?
The biggest waste of money was the idea of was all these cool iron birds we’d bought to use as anchors with organic seed paper to label the food BUT, the project was never completed!
What was the biggest waste of money that you wish you’d passed on?
I can’t think of what we should have passed on…
What did you love that was also the cheapest?
I am STILL patting myself on the back for hooking up the chicken on a stick for part of our late night snack. It was an idea I’d had and then finally followed-up on just a day or so before the wedding. It involved paying $25 extra to have the favorite gas station down the street skewer a piece of fried chicken, fried dill pickle and fried chicken. That was on top of the already low price of around $65 for fried chicken and pickles for $200. We had a friend pick up the hot and salty shish-kabobs-of-sorts at 11pm and they were TO DIE FOR! The Klondike bars, fruit pops and ice cream sandwiches we wheeled out at the same time didn’t hurt the vibe either.
T30SB Commentary: I'm loving this fried-everything beer-run gas station!
What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?
There was an impromptu parade with the band later on in the evening that had my honey and me leading a whole line of folks with the brass band and drummer around to the front of my sister’s 1860s farm house. My groom and I then took to the front porch with the rest of the posse looking on like it was our stage. We slow danced and kissed as the entire crowd sang You Are My Sunshine to us- one incredibly happy couple.
What was the funniest thing that happened?
The most hilarious moment went down when our New Orleans’ Funk-stah, Glen David, worked a hilarious and original chorus into the last song of the late night entitled—Fuckin’ in the Bedroom – and had the entire dance floor rolling. Luckily, the party had formed a little circle around my honey and me with the lead singer/ trombone player so we could embrace our initial embarrassment and then get over it and right back into some good, good saucy dancing and kissing, rousing that crowd right on!

T30SB Commentary: The pics with the parasol and pig? What we have here folks is a "second line." Not familiar?
Second line is a tradition in brass band parades in New Orleans, Louisiana. The "main line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the "second line." The second line's style of traditional dance, in which participants walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air, is called "second lining." It has been called "the quintessential New Orleans art form — a jazz funeral without a body." Source
Now don't think the bride morbid. Second lines aren't just for funerals (although they are most definitely a part of NOLA/Southern tradition). Second lines happen anywhere and everywhere as a form of celebration, whether it be the life of a loved one passed or the start of a happy marriage!
What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?
When the groomsmen got on stage and sang the song that had been written by one of the guys and composed by another (with guitar and mandolin) for us—“She’s One Hell of a Gal and He’s an Okay Guy” it was surely an ugly cry kind of moment.
T30SB Commentary: I think this might be a private (meaning locked) video, but you might be able to see the groomsmen singing here. It's freakin' hysterical.

Just in case y'all aren't familiar - that little glass jar is MOONSHINE. Yes, it still exists. This is a true Southern wedding.
Personal Touches? meaningful additions?
We had hand-made Vermont caramels, which were brought out at the end of the evening, as well as Tennessee’s Moon Pies, hoping that folks would pocket one or two for the road. However, there was no per person favor. As the guests wrote us notes in place of a sign-in book upon arrival, we had family pictures of our grandparents and parents on their wedding day hanging on an old door just behind the entrance.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Port Antonio, Jamaica for the first 3 nights, staying in an eco-lodge and checking out the most untouched/ rural side of the east coast of the island Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. Then, with the car we rented for the week, we drove back across the country to stay 6 nights at a boutique hotel on the cliffs of Negril, The Rockhouse Hotel.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?
If I could do it all again, I would remember to ask about the HUGE special and oh-so-fragrant gardenias that had been ordered for me to wear in my hair once the veil came off. And, I would have made sure that we got a photo with good light in the beginning of the evening with just my immediate family.
T30SB Commentary: The process of featuring this wedding was an interesting one that has randomly introduced me to Abby's sister as well as Josh Hailey, Abby's photographer. In writing to Abby's sister (also a bridesmaid), she shared her favorite moments with me. I thought I'd share them with you too!
- Welcome table with sugar cookies in cool shapes made by a family friend and iced tea and lemonade in front of house while people arrived.
- Sign-in table with photos of their parents' and g'parents' weddings, as well as cards to fill out with things like "always keep your life full of..."
- Gospel choir singing during wedding
- The cones of Vermont lavender hanging on the curly willow branch at the top of the field we threw at them as they left the actual wedding.
- The pig parade/second line down the driveway with the band and the groomsmen carrying the pig on a board.
- Vermont caramels and Moon Pies late in evening.
- 3 antique bath tubs for icing down the drinks--one of the groomsmen got in one at the end of the evening!
- The best chicken on a stick you have ever had (w/pickles and onions) from the local gas station delivered at 11pm.
- Ice cream offered by my 8 -yr-old from a red wagon at midnight.
- Abby, wedding party band and all drinking moonshine from a little glass bottle.
- 3 ft-long sparklers we waved at them as they left in her jeep.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ABBY AND ROGAN!
And many thanks to April, Cristen, Josh and Abby for making this feature happen! So much fun! I just wish I could have showed you ALL the pictures. You want to see them all? Cool. Go here. And while you're at it, check out the photographers blog. It's pretty groovy too.