This incredibly romantic New Year's Eve wedding has all the details we love about a southern winter wedding! Captured by the incredibly talented Jeff Chao of Chao Photography out of Jackson, Mississippi, the spirit of this couple shines through in these stunning photos. Their magical day was set against the backdrop of the deep south in the middle of winter, the perfect setting for their fairy tale romance! Cheers to y'all Anthony and Lindsay! Thank y'all for sharing your special day with INSPIRATION Mississippi!
{Tell us a bit about y’all’s story!}
Anthony was originally born in Fort Myers, Florida, but his family moved around a lot when he was growing up. Because of that, he claims to be from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. After he graduated from high school in Birmingham, Alabama, he decided to put roots down in Tuscaloosa where he went on to train as an electrician. I grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi and left home to attend Baylor University in 2007. There, I graduated with a history degree in May 2011. That fall, I moved to Tuscaloosa to pursue my PhD in history from the University of Alabama.
Despite the fact that we have been members of the same church for years, Anthony and I did not meet until October of 2015. This was largely because in January of 2013 Anthony had answered God’s call to pursue mission work fulltime and had moved to rural Uganda. Indeed, I had not even heard anyone mention his name until that fall when everyone in my small group began talking about their friend “Anthony” being home. One night in October, our small group gathered for dinner before Bible study and Anthony decided to join us. We passed the entire fall in the same small group without connecting in any particular way. That changed one night in January when our group gathered to talk about the future of the group. Over the course of the discussion, Anthony and I both became impressed at the other’s depth of wisdom, insight, and passion to see our group grow. We ‘noticed’ each other that night, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it. He returned to Uganda the next day.
By summer, Anthony’s time in Uganda had come to an end. He moved back to Tuscaloosa where he got a job as an engineer at Michelin. We quickly struck up a friendship. We both knew that something was building, and finally Anthony asked me to spend New Year’s Eve with him in Fairhope, Alabama. It was to be our first date.
Anthony was originally born in Fort Myers, Florida, but his family moved around a lot when he was growing up. Because of that, he claims to be from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. After he graduated from high school in Birmingham, Alabama, he decided to put roots down in Tuscaloosa where he went on to train as an electrician. I grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi and left home to attend Baylor University in 2007. There, I graduated with a history degree in May 2011. That fall, I moved to Tuscaloosa to pursue my PhD in history from the University of Alabama.
Despite the fact that we have been members of the same church for years, Anthony and I did not meet until October of 2015. This was largely because in January of 2013 Anthony had answered God’s call to pursue mission work fulltime and had moved to rural Uganda. Indeed, I had not even heard anyone mention his name until that fall when everyone in my small group began talking about their friend “Anthony” being home. One night in October, our small group gathered for dinner before Bible study and Anthony decided to join us. We passed the entire fall in the same small group without connecting in any particular way. That changed one night in January when our group gathered to talk about the future of the group. Over the course of the discussion, Anthony and I both became impressed at the other’s depth of wisdom, insight, and passion to see our group grow. We ‘noticed’ each other that night, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it. He returned to Uganda the next day.
By summer, Anthony’s time in Uganda had come to an end. He moved back to Tuscaloosa where he got a job as an engineer at Michelin. We quickly struck up a friendship. We both knew that something was building, and finally Anthony asked me to spend New Year’s Eve with him in Fairhope, Alabama. It was to be our first date.
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{How did he pop the question?}
Anthony says that when he asked me on our first date, he knew that I was going to be his wife one day. So it isn’t terribly surprising that our “formal” courtship was short. One day in May, I had planned to take him on a date to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We were sitting on the beach watching the waves crash against the sand when he suggested we take a selfie with the water in the background. That’s when he dropped to one knee. After the excitement worse down and he put the ring on my finger, he said “if you want a real surprise, you should turn around.” I did and lo and behold our parents were getting out of their cars and walking down the beach. He had them following us all over Ocean Springs so that they could be there when we got engaged!
My engagement ring, by the way, had an amazing story. Anthony more or less designed it himself and commissioned a local jeweler to make it. The diamonds around the outside are collected from rings owned by both of our mothers, grandmothers, and my maternal great-grandmother. Anthony bought the center stone, a London blue topaz, while we were on a mission trip in Uganda.
Anthony says that when he asked me on our first date, he knew that I was going to be his wife one day. So it isn’t terribly surprising that our “formal” courtship was short. One day in May, I had planned to take him on a date to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We were sitting on the beach watching the waves crash against the sand when he suggested we take a selfie with the water in the background. That’s when he dropped to one knee. After the excitement worse down and he put the ring on my finger, he said “if you want a real surprise, you should turn around.” I did and lo and behold our parents were getting out of their cars and walking down the beach. He had them following us all over Ocean Springs so that they could be there when we got engaged!
My engagement ring, by the way, had an amazing story. Anthony more or less designed it himself and commissioned a local jeweler to make it. The diamonds around the outside are collected from rings owned by both of our mothers, grandmothers, and my maternal great-grandmother. Anthony bought the center stone, a London blue topaz, while we were on a mission trip in Uganda.
{How was working with Jeff Chao on your big day?}
I have known that I wanted Jeff to shoot my wedding for a very long time. In fact, he was the first person I called after we confirmed the venue and date! Because Anthony and I decided not to hire a videographer, I knew that our photographer had to not only catch the images of the wedding, but also the feel of the wedding: the emotions, the excitement, the romance, the joy. Honestly Jeff can do that and then some. Some of my absolute favorite pictures are the ones he took of the reception because he captured moments that I wasn’t there to see. When I look back at those photos, I can relive the reception and feel the joy shared by our friends and family as they celebrated with us. It makes me feel incredibly loved. Perhaps one of the most amazing things is that I never noticed Jeff taking these pictures in the first place. He has this gift of just fading into the background, never noticeable and never distracting from the bigger things going on.
I have known that I wanted Jeff to shoot my wedding for a very long time. In fact, he was the first person I called after we confirmed the venue and date! Because Anthony and I decided not to hire a videographer, I knew that our photographer had to not only catch the images of the wedding, but also the feel of the wedding: the emotions, the excitement, the romance, the joy. Honestly Jeff can do that and then some. Some of my absolute favorite pictures are the ones he took of the reception because he captured moments that I wasn’t there to see. When I look back at those photos, I can relive the reception and feel the joy shared by our friends and family as they celebrated with us. It makes me feel incredibly loved. Perhaps one of the most amazing things is that I never noticed Jeff taking these pictures in the first place. He has this gift of just fading into the background, never noticeable and never distracting from the bigger things going on.
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{What theme did you center your wedding around?}
Anyone who knows me knows that I love books and old/vintage things. So these were the items that I naturally gravitated toward when thinking of the “theme” or “concept” for our wedding. We incorporated frames with quotes about love from some of my favorite novels. For example: “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how,” from Gone with the Wind, and “You don’t need scores of suitors. You only need one, if he’s the right one,” from Little Women. After scouring some used bookstores I found an amazing deal of a huge set of old Reader’s Digests which became the focal point of my centerpieces. Then, one day Anthony made a comment about incorporating clocks into the décor since it was New Year’s Eve and our theme, “A Tale as Old as Time,” was created.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love books and old/vintage things. So these were the items that I naturally gravitated toward when thinking of the “theme” or “concept” for our wedding. We incorporated frames with quotes about love from some of my favorite novels. For example: “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how,” from Gone with the Wind, and “You don’t need scores of suitors. You only need one, if he’s the right one,” from Little Women. After scouring some used bookstores I found an amazing deal of a huge set of old Reader’s Digests which became the focal point of my centerpieces. Then, one day Anthony made a comment about incorporating clocks into the décor since it was New Year’s Eve and our theme, “A Tale as Old as Time,” was created.
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{What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?}
I am a very introverted personality, so I was really nervous about being the center of attention for an entire day. This nervousness went away during our first look. Anthony and I were standing in the garden and Jeff was tucked away taking his pictures and I realized that despite the fact that everyone would be looking at us, it was still just Anthony and I doing our thing together, alone in a sea of people. That’s my favorite thing, that the looks we gave each other and the things we whispered when we were together—during our first look, standing at the altar, during our first dance—are ours alone.
{What were some of your favorite details from your celebration?}
My dress, oh, my dress. As an only child I had always grown up dreaming of wearing my mother’s wedding dress, and I was so excited to try it on after I got engaged. Unfortunately it didn’t fit and I was devastated. But after a little work, I found an amazing seamstress who owns a bridal shop in Tuscaloosa. She literally took the dress apart at the seams until it was in pieces and then rebuilt it for my body. I would go into her shop every week or so for fittings and we redesigned specific elements to make it look less dated or to make me feel more comfortable in it. The dress itself is slightly discolored in some places, yellowed and even browned a bit on the train. But it turned 35 years old the year I wore it at my wedding and I can’t imagine finding another dress as elegant, romantic, and beautiful as the one I wore.
Also, the date! It was the one year anniversary of our first date.
I am a very introverted personality, so I was really nervous about being the center of attention for an entire day. This nervousness went away during our first look. Anthony and I were standing in the garden and Jeff was tucked away taking his pictures and I realized that despite the fact that everyone would be looking at us, it was still just Anthony and I doing our thing together, alone in a sea of people. That’s my favorite thing, that the looks we gave each other and the things we whispered when we were together—during our first look, standing at the altar, during our first dance—are ours alone.
{What were some of your favorite details from your celebration?}
My dress, oh, my dress. As an only child I had always grown up dreaming of wearing my mother’s wedding dress, and I was so excited to try it on after I got engaged. Unfortunately it didn’t fit and I was devastated. But after a little work, I found an amazing seamstress who owns a bridal shop in Tuscaloosa. She literally took the dress apart at the seams until it was in pieces and then rebuilt it for my body. I would go into her shop every week or so for fittings and we redesigned specific elements to make it look less dated or to make me feel more comfortable in it. The dress itself is slightly discolored in some places, yellowed and even browned a bit on the train. But it turned 35 years old the year I wore it at my wedding and I can’t imagine finding another dress as elegant, romantic, and beautiful as the one I wore.
Also, the date! It was the one year anniversary of our first date.
{How did you decide on your venue?}
I knew from the start that I wanted the wedding to be in Tuscaloosa, because I wanted to play a large role in planning it, something that’s hard to do from a state away. But ultimately, I had three big criteria for our venue. 1). I wanted the ceremony and reception at the same location. 2). Since we were having a December wedding, it had to be large enough to host everyone inside. 3). I wanted it to be beautiful enough on its own that we didn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to “transform” the space. Instead, any decorations would just “enhance” the space. North River Yacht club met all of those criteria and then some. Their staff was absolutely wonderful to work with and went toward making the day as stress free as possible.
I knew from the start that I wanted the wedding to be in Tuscaloosa, because I wanted to play a large role in planning it, something that’s hard to do from a state away. But ultimately, I had three big criteria for our venue. 1). I wanted the ceremony and reception at the same location. 2). Since we were having a December wedding, it had to be large enough to host everyone inside. 3). I wanted it to be beautiful enough on its own that we didn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to “transform” the space. Instead, any decorations would just “enhance” the space. North River Yacht club met all of those criteria and then some. Their staff was absolutely wonderful to work with and went toward making the day as stress free as possible.
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{What was your favorite part of the wedding planning process?}
In many ways, wedding planning is about managing small, individual details. There’s flowers, bridesmaids dresses, reception centerpieces, mantle decorations. You make decisions that you think will look good together, but there isn’t a guarantee until you see it all together. I think that was my favorite part, walking through the venue the morning of and seeing all these little details merge together into one big picture. I still remember when I saw my bridesmaids get out of the car in her dresses, all with their hair done and carrying their bouquet. They looked better than I could have imagined. It was all just perfect.
In many ways, wedding planning is about managing small, individual details. There’s flowers, bridesmaids dresses, reception centerpieces, mantle decorations. You make decisions that you think will look good together, but there isn’t a guarantee until you see it all together. I think that was my favorite part, walking through the venue the morning of and seeing all these little details merge together into one big picture. I still remember when I saw my bridesmaids get out of the car in her dresses, all with their hair done and carrying their bouquet. They looked better than I could have imagined. It was all just perfect.
Photography: Chao Photography | Venue/ Caterer: North River Yacht Club (Tuscaloosa, AL) |
Bride's Dress: Lady in Lace (Tuscaloosa, AL) | Bridesmaid's Dresses: Azazie| Hair: Shannon Lancaster
Suits: Jos. A Bank |Jeweler: Gillis Jewelers
Bride's Dress: Lady in Lace (Tuscaloosa, AL) | Bridesmaid's Dresses: Azazie| Hair: Shannon Lancaster
Suits: Jos. A Bank |Jeweler: Gillis Jewelers
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