Winter Wedding Ideas with Southern Designer Olia Zavozina

When it came to planning a Southern winter wedding, Ally and Logan got it so right! After a sneak peek of how stunning Ally looked in her custom Olia Zavozina gown, I knew this day was going to be a beauty, and Ali Caudill captured it perfectly. The deep purple blooms and the slate gray details Ally and Logan chose gave their day a fresh and romantic feel, and set against the industrial architecture of The Bridge Building, they gave their guests, who had traveled from all over, a true taste of Nashville.

P.S. Logan played baseball on the same team as my husband for a short time, and I had the pleasure of spending time with Ally at a few baseball games--these two are just as sweet as they look!

My wedding dress was a dream! In baseball world, weddings only happen between November-January (off-season), so naturally, I wanted a long-sleeved dress. When my mom and I walked into Olia Zavozina's store, I instantly felt welcome and at ease. The girls working there felt like friends who honestly wanted what was best for me. I probably tried on 10-15 dresses, and I thought I found the one, but then I tried on the last dress we had picked out. I loved the unique pewter lace and it fit great, but it had short cap sleeves, and I really wanted an open back. Olia to the rescue--the girls quickly told me I could pick and choose my favorite pieces of all the dresses I tried on and create the vision I had in my head. We went from there, and my dress ended up with long sleeves, a deep open back, delicate scalloping on the hemline, and ivory silk under that stunning pewter lace. They made everything happen perfectly.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? Logan and I chose to live in Nashville because it was new to both of us and we wanted to start our lives together in a fresh, new place. We wanted our guests, who were traveling from all over, to get a true taste of Nashville. I had been to a charity event at the Bridge Building the summer before we got engaged and fell in love with the building, the gorgeous views of downtown, the industrial architecture, and the bridge, and I knew I wanted to get married there.

My bouquet was made of ivory hydrangeas, ivory garden roses, gardenia, and little touches of silver brunia and dusty miller. The bridesmaid dresses were simple charcoal gray, so their flowers brought in a pop of purple. They were made of ivory hydrangea, dark purple lisianthus, dark purple ranunculus, gray succulents, dusty miller, and silver brunia. With the industrial venue, I wanted most of the decorations to be soft and organic, to balance it out.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We both did a lot of vow research, and then we talked it over together and picked out the ones that were the most important to both of us. We came up with this: "I take you, ______ , to be my ______, loving you now as you are and as you grow and develop into all that God intends. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart; when our lives are at peace and when they are in turmoil, when I am proud of you and when I am irritated with you; in times of rest and in times of work. I will stand beside you wherever life takes us and through everything life brings us. I will honor your goals and dreams and help you fulfill them. I will seek to be open and honest with you. I say these things knowing God is in the midst of them all. This is not the end of a search, but the beginning of a new adventure."

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The food! Our appetizers during cocktail hour were chicken and waffles, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and assorted flatbreads. For dinner, we had buttermilk fried chicken, pulled pork with blackberry BBQ sauce, cole slaw, jalapeño corn bread, garden salad, Tennessee caviar, and my personal favorite, a macaroni and cheese bar. We also played a LOT of country music at the reception. We were in the country music heaven, after all! The Razorbacks were playing LSU that day, so we had the game on during the reception, and WE WON!! So many Arkansas fans were at the wedding, so we all called the hogs together! What's more Southern than SEC Football?

Don't worry too much about the details. At the end of the day, you won't notice all the little things you stressed over--you remember laughing with your friends, getting hugs and kisses from your family, and marrying the man of your dreams. Take deep breaths and let as much of it sink in as possible.

How did y'all meet? Tell us your love story. I've had a crush on Logan ever since the first time I saw him--he was in my first college class and I spotted him across the auditorium. Unfortunately for me, he didn't come to class very often that semester, and he was less than interested in the 17-year-old freshman in his sociology class. We still managed to become friends that semester because he played baseball and I played soccer, so we had mutual friends. We stayed friends while Logan was still in school at Arkansas, but it wasn't until he came back to Fayetteville for his first off-season in 2008 that the sparks finally ignited! After hanging out all night on the tailgate of his new truck, he asked if he could take me to dinner sometime. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine! All it took was him running around the truck to open my door (which he still does) before I fell head over heels for this guy. Fast forward to 2011, I was finally done with soccer, graduated, and ready to leave the college world behind. Logan had successfully climbed through the minor league with the Padres and made a name for himself through his dedication and hard work. We got back together that off-season and have been together ever since. It didn't take long before we started to despise the distance, and I happily packed my bags and left home and my job in Virginia to FINALLY be with the man I love in San Diego.

Tell us all about the proposal! After being in our new home in Franklin, Tennessee for about a month, we finally had a free weekend to go see Arrington Vineyards. Then, it started to rain. I figured we weren't going anymore, but Logan said we apparently had an hour or so gap of sunshine, so we could still go. So, we hopped in the truck and headed to Arrington, sampled a bottle of wine on the patio, and chatted like we would on any other Friday afternoon. Within 20 minutes, the rain had stopped, so we headed up the hill to a cute little swing hanging from a tree. I don't know how long we were up there before, out of no where, Logan jumped up and said, "Okay, I can't take this anymore. I have something I need to ask you," and got on one knee. As soon as I realize what was about to happen, I burst into tears. I heard, "Allison Jane Atkins...something something something... will you marry me?" The "something something something" was no doubt the sweetest words that have ever come out of my reserved Logan's mouth, but I was too busy crying to hear any of it. The next thing I knew, he was slipping a ring on my finger and all I could do was jump up and throw my arms around him. He pulled me away and asked me if I even said yes. I responded with, "Yes, yes, yes, of course!!!"

When did y'all get married? November 15, 2014

How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150

What's next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We're about to head back down to Florida for spring training in February. I've always wanted a big family, so we're probably going to start trying to grow our family in a year or so. We are excited to enjoy married life and spend as much quality time together as we can!

Photographer: Ali Caudill Photography / Videographer: NT Studios / Planner: Lindsay Rothrock of Infinity Restaurant Group / Venue: The Bridge Building / Cake Baker: Dulce Desserts / Caterer: Harding House Custom Catering / DJ: J Clark of Snyder Entertainment / Paper Products: Minted / Bride's Gown: Olia Zavozina / Bride's Headband and Belt: Hannabella Designs / Bride's Veil: Veils of Art / Bride's Jewelry: Nadri from Nordstrom / Hair Stylist and Bridesmaid Makeup: Jenny French of One10 Makeup / Bride's Makeup Artist: Jaclyn Leon / Bride's Shoes: Vince Camuto / Bridesmaids' Dresses: "674" in Charcoal by Mori Lee / Groom's Attire: Vera Wang by Mens Wearhouse / Groomsmen Attire: Calvin Klein by Mens Wearhouse / Ceremony Musicians: Mockingbird Musicians / Photo Booth: Let's Booth It