Southern-Inspired Wedding Tips for a Black Southern Belle

We love Southern wedding inspiration and today we are sharing a few tips from our friends at Borrowed and Blue that will inspire any newlywed bride. These tips are perfect for the Whitley Gilbert bride in your life. If you love traditions and everything southern, use these tips as a guide to help plan your wedding or to just throw a fabulous party with all of your girlfriends during homecoming 🙂

Southern-Inspired Wedding Tips for a Black Southern Belle from Borrowed and Blue

Cherry blossoms, dogwoods, daffodils: spring has officially sprung in the South, which means that wedding season is just around the corner. You probably already have a few dates marked on your calendar—and if one of those is your own big day, congrats! If you’re planning a wedding for the coming months and in need of some ideas for your fabulous, Southern-inspired, affair, look no further. Here at Borrowed & Blue I have access to literally thousand of stunning weddings every season, so here are some of my top tips for how to incorporate the best of what’s around below the Mason-Dixon into your wedding scheme.

What’s a more elegant symbol of the South than a magnolia blossom? Magnolias are spring-blooming trees, so now is the perfect time to incorporate these stately white blooms into your ceremony or reception decor for a dose of natural Southern beauty. If the blooms themselves are too pricey or hard to come by, magnolia’s glossy dark green foliage makes for lovely decoration as garlands, wreaths, or in bouquets. Even just a few cut branches placed in tall glass vases create a striking, yet simple, arrangement.

Photographer: Kelli Boyd Photography

Featured in Hannah & Jake’s Savannah wedding

From Louisiana zydeco to Dixieland jazz to Appalachian bluegrass, Southern musical traditions are as richly varied as the terrain itself. Hire local musicians to play tunes throughout the event that evoke a sense of place, reference cultural roots, and encourage guests to get into the groove. To easily find ceremony musicians, bands, and DJs to perform your signature Southern sound, search on Borrowed & Blue’s vendor directory within our new mobile app: after reading reviews from real brides, contact your preferred picks with a single click.

Photographer: Reese Moore Photography

Featured in Taylor & Tucker’s Charleston wedding

Photographer: Arte De Vie

Featured in Amanda & Edward’s New Orleans wedding

A strictly American-made spirit, bourbon’s strong ties to the South make it an obvious choice for specialty drinks at Southern-inspired weddings. Get creative with standard concoctions to really put your own spin on the boozy fun: frozen mint juleps served in classic silver julep cups would be a welcome way to beat the heat at summer events, while spiked Arnold Palmers combine three favorite Southern sippers (lemonade, sweet tea, and bourbon) in one refreshing glass.

Photographer: Angie McPherson Photography

Featured in Tanisha & Kermit’s Hampton Roads wedding

Photographer: Don Mears Photography

Featured in Karen & Michael’s Charlottesville wedding

Photographer: Michele M. Waite

Featured in Faydra & Paul’s Seattle Wedding

You’ve probably seen a million Southern weddings by now that opt for an informal BBQ spread over a more traditional plated meal. While the (marvelous) world of slow-smoked meats might be common wedding fare at this point, there are tons of other ways to incorporate local flavor into your Southern wedding. Grits station with choice of topping? Brilliant. Pimento cheese in lieu of cubed cheddar—why not? Whether your preference is succotash or sugar-baked ham, hushpuppies or hummingbird cake, let your tastebuds (and your fabulous local wedding caterer) lead the way in finding creative ways to infuse your wedding with tasty Southern goodness.

Photographer: Clay Austin Photography

Featured in Jeannette & Eglin’s Charleston wedding

Priscilla Thomas Photography

Featured in Sarah & Matt’s Charleston wedding

Photographer: Visions Photography

Featured in Morgan & Jonathan’s Nashville wedding

When it comes to creating your perfect Southern wedding—whatever that means to you—perhaps nothing is more crucial than the setting. The white-column grandesse of historic homes, the romance of Spanish moss-strewn live oaks, the simplicity of a rolling meadow filled with wildflowers…whichever landscape calls to you, finding the perfect venue for your Southern affair is key. I’d recommend using Borrowed & Blue’s weddings tool to search for your ideal venue type (plantation, farm, country club) in your wedding destination. The real wedding results will provide tons of inspiration, and you can discover venues and make inquiries directly through the site for the ultimate “see it, love it, book it” planning experience.