The lovely Elspeth from Southern Living Magazine contacted me recently and was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of Southern Living’s new style guidebook, Southern Living Weddings, to review. I spent most of a weekend car trip reading it and am ready to give my opinion. In a word, beautiful!
As always, Southern Living has its finger on the pulse of everything current, chic and stylish but still with distinct southern flair. My friend Chelsea got married last August and her bouquet looked very similar to this one featured in the book (David Austin Roses).
My favorite real wedding from the book was that of Caroline Estopinal, whose backyard reception was inspired by the one from Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin. Instead of renting china, Caroline and her mom scoured thrift stores and rummage sales collecting assorted patterns of antique china. This was an homage to her grandmother who loved dishes.
Caroline’s cake was another favorite of mine, frosted in an irregular pattern like how she imagines it would have looked had her grandmother decorated it. Such a sweet, sweet tribute!
I’m not planning a wedding anytime soon, but this book will be a wonderful addition to anyone planning a wedding or just daydreaming about someday. I’ve already dog-eared several of its pages for inspiration and I’m sure I will refer to it again. The cover price is $11.99, but it’s worth every penny. Let me know if you pick up a copy and what you think of it! You won’t be disappointed, but act fast because it’s only on shelves until Friday the 22nd!
