Mid South Wedding Guide 2k16 by Mid South Wedding Guide

Dear Fans,

Table of Contents Tupelo, MS Wedding

Florist Spotlight

Meet Joanna

Style Shoot 13 Meet Jenn 16 Fitness 17 Meet Tanya 19 Balance In Practice

Cloud 9 Wedding

Valentine’s Day is a time when people show feelings of love, affection and friendship. Many couple get engaged around the holidays and Valentine’s Day. If you are one of the lucky couples congratulations on your recent engagement. At Mid South Wedding Guide, you’ll find inspiration for your unique and memorable wedding. An engagement is a once and a life-time experience. Don’t spend it stressing over wedding details. We have some great news for your wedding planner, vendors, and yourself. Mid South Wedding Guide is happy to announce its newest resource for wedding planning The Wedding Guide Box. Yesterday’s brides prepared for months without getting to see the fruits of their labor until the wedding date. The Wedding Guide Box brides receive a box packaged with samples and treats for each phase of your engagement. From the first box to the last. If you need help planning bridal showers or even bachelor party; we will be celebrating each step of the way with you. Aren’t all couples different? Of course they are, which is why we customize your gift sets for you. Our team carefully crafts these personalized packages to not only suit your style, but also your budget. Did we mention that each month we give away a “grand” prize to a few lucky couples by random drawing? We do register through our website. Now sit back, sample the cake, taste the champagne, and truly smell the roses at MidSouthWeddingGuide.com

Allison Brooke Brigance allison@midsouthweddingguide.com 901.652.1969 For more information about MSWG or Wedding Guide Box email info@midsouthweddingguide.com

How did he propose? To start, we met in college. I think it goes without saying that during my tenure at Ole Miss, I met a lot of good-looking girls. Corinne Vance was the prettiest one I had ever seen. Fast forward to years later, I realized her outward beauty was just a bonus. Turns out Corinne is even prettier on the inside. As that realization developed, it was only a matter of time before I knew she was the one. We dated for several years, most of which was me making sure I was prepared to give her all that she deserved in a man for the rest of our lives together. In the Fall of 2014, I was finally ready for the engagement and could only hope that she was as well. From the beginning I knew I wanted it to be a complete surprise - the southern traditionalist somewhere inside me I guess. Because my new home in Tupelo, Mississippi had been struck by a tornado earlier that year, it had to undergo extensive repair spanning several months before I could move in. By November 2014, a housewarming party was in order. The stage was set.

As Corinne got ready for one type of party, my close friends and family were looking forward to another. So while I prepared for one of the most important nights of my life, she prepared deviled eggs. Everyone in the house knew what was coming; everyone but Corinne. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I made a toast thanking everyone in the room individually for the important roles they had played in my life and past. I closed by thanking Florence Corinne Vance and asking her to be my future. And, thankfully, she said yes.

Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Joanna

One of the most infamous exercise excuses across the board is “I just don’t have the time.” Then you have coaches, trainers, and other health professionals constantly rebutting that phrase, because we can’t imagine not having the time for something that we practically eat, sleep, and breathe daily. But if I’m candid with you, there are days when I also feel like I don’t have time. Or maybe I do have time, but I’m so exhausted and/or ravenously hungry that exercising is the last thing I feel like doing. I have a few clients who, after telling me about their days and schedules, I applaud for even showing up to our sessions. Life gets busy. Especially in our culture, where packed schedules and full agendas are glorified. Yes, I do believe we make time for things that are important. However, as much as we might not like to

Asadmit my dad and I walked towards of the museum, I it, exercise is not always at thethe topfront of ourentrance priority lists. realized that the big picture windows gave Bryan the perfect opportunity sneak a peak before I made it tobetter the isle. One oftomy favorite sayings is “some is always thanEvery none.” girl Evendreams if that some is a mere 5-10 minutes, it is much better than no minutes at all. Will you burn 600 calories? No, but your body stillmoment experience positive to the quick bout of sees exercise serotonin)! This will not only help you feel better physically, but also mentally, giving you momentum to continue making ofwill that when herresponses very soon to be husband her(hello, for the healthy first timechoices. in her dress so I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that he could see me but I could not see him. Dad and I walked through the So for those of you who don’t have a lot of time, I wanted to share one of my quick, go-to workouts that helps me stay on track without taking up a large portion of my day. There’s no equipment redoor and ourdoplace on the isle quired sotook you can this anytime and waiting anywhere!for our music cue when I noticed that Bryan had his head down and eyes closed with the most excited anticipating grin on up his(jumping face I believe I have eversquats, seen.walk/jog, etc.). Set your timer for 10 minutes (or 8, or 5, really just however much time you have). Perform 10 repetitions Spend aand couple of minutes warming jacks, body weight of each exercise and go through all 6 exercises as many times as you can in 10 minutes. The intensity of this workout is up to you. Listen to your body. If you need to rest in-between exercises, take a I then realized that he was waiting to see me. The music began and breather. If you want high intensity, don’t stop andwith rest until the timer hequick lifted his eyes to mine. It was a moment filled complete joygoes off. The goal is to work through these as quickly as possible with proper form! One of the most infamous exercise excuses across the board is “I just don’t have the time.” Then you have coaches, trainers, and other health professionals constantly rebutting that phrase, because we and happiness as I giggled down the isle eyes locked with Bryan’s.

can’t imagine not having the time for something that we practically eat, sleep, and breathe daily. But if I’m candid with you, there are days when I also feel like I don’t have time. Or maybe I do have time, but I’m so exhausted and/or ravenously hungry that exercising is the last thing I feel like doing. I have a few clients who, after telling me about their days and schedules, I applaud for even showing up to our sessions.

- Mrs. Corinne Fikes

Life gets busy. Especially in our culture, where packed schedules and full agendas are glorified. Yes, I do believe we make time for things that are important. However, as much as we might not like to admit it, exercise is not always at the top of our priority lists. One of my favorite sayings is “some is always better than none.” Even if that some is a mere 5-10 minutes, it is much better than no minutes at all. Will you burn 600 calories? No, but your body will still experience positive responses to the quick bout of exercise (hello, serotonin)! This will not only help you feel better physically, but also mentally, giving you momentum to continue making healthy choices. So for those of you who don’t have a lot of time, I wanted to share one of my quick, go-to workouts that helps me stay on track without taking up a large portion of my day. There’s no equipment required so you can do this anytime and anywhere! Spend a couple of minutes warming up (jumping jacks, body weight squats, walk/jog, etc.). Set your timer for 10 minutes (or 8, or 5, really just however much time you have). Perform 10 repetitions of each exercise and go through all 6 exercises as many times as you can in 10 minutes. The intensity of this workout is up to you. Listen to your body. If you need to rest in-between exercises, take a quick breather. If you want high intensity, don’t stop and rest until the timer goes off. The goal is to work through these as quickly as possible with proper form!

The thing I remember most about the wedding is seeing Corinne once she got to the end of the aisle. She had the biggest excited smile! -Mr. Bryan Fikes

The Details:

Wedding Planner | Madge Howell Caterer | Tupelo Country Club Bakery | Creative Cakes – Tupelo, MS Ceremony location | GumTree Museum of Art – Tupelo, MS Reception location | Tupelo Country Club Dance Instructor | Nick Nesmith Decorations | Marilyn Trainor Storey – MS Design Maven Music at ceremony | Black Water Trio & Natalie Pittman (Soloist) Cellist Dylan Howard Music at reception | Party Shot – Clarksdale & Blackwater Trio Wedding Favors | Assorted chocolate truffles Flowers | Marilyn Trainor Storey – MS Design Maven Hair | Mandy (Owner of CVM Salon) – Oxford Makeup | Alex-Anna King (Makeup artist from Amy Head Cosmetics) – Oxford Locations of honeymoon | Boca Raton Invitations | Stovall Collection – Memphis Calligraphy | Beth Hunt Calligraphy Transportation | Classic red Corvette Tux | Reed’s Department Store – Tupelo, MS Wedding Dress | Stephen Yearick couture gown from Low’s Bridal Photographer | Danniel Vassel Photography

Keeping Up With The Vanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s My advice to other engaged couples would be: I would advise everyone else to make sure at least one of them (bride or groom) knows how to drive the manual straight shift get-a-way car! -Mr. Bryan Fikes

Keep your focus on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important. You are about to start a new life in marriage with the person you love! It is so easy to get distracted by all the details and decorations, but those can be remembered through photos and videos. Stay focused on having fun, staying stress free and being as in-the-moment as possible! Because it only happens once and it flies by quicker than you can ever imagine! -Mrs. Corinne Fikes

MEET Natasha Larson Memory of Elegance, Owner What made you start your business? In 2009 I got asked to fill in for a floral lead that was on maternity leave when I worked for a large retailer. I jump on the opportunity and loved it from the beginning. After I got my own shop 3 months later my passion for flowers grew. I spent hours watching videos on YouTube on how to do this and that and learn as much as I could. In 2011 my retailer sent us to a certification class and that is when I fully committed that I wanted to do this full time. I loved it. I wanted more than just my normal 40 hours in the flower shop. So, Memory of Elegance was born! What is the best advice given to you yet? This is a hard one because I love all advice that is given to me by brides or other professional vendors! But my favorite is from my mom – be confident and love what you do! What wedding trends do you see coming for the 2016?

One of my favorites is the floral crown. We have had lots of requests for this for our fall weddings and I am so excited to see brides add this to their weddings!

Also, the deep oranges, purples and reds are always a huge hit but adding them into a flowing cascading bouquet is a trend that is picking up quickly! What are your favorite accounts to follow on social media right now? Karen Tran Events - she’s just amazing overall! Frozen Exposure Photography – they are the most amazing power couple photographers I’ve had the pleasure to work with Denver Broncos – I love me some football What is the coolest thing you have done so far as a business owner? Destination weddings are so cool and I have enjoyed having the opportunity to be a part of one last year. Also, designing for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for their benefit dinner and Top 30 Under 30 here in Nashville.

Balance in Practice What is the best advice given to you yet? The best advice I have been given was to not focus on always pleasing your audience. Sounds silly I know but if I constantly worry about what society is going to think about whenever I post something, I may never have anything down on paper. It is important to write what you are passionate about and how you really feel and not what you think society wants (although if it aligns with what the people want it is definitely a bonus). It is also important to not focus on how many followers you get or how many people "like" your posts, although it is so easy to get caught up on that. Focusing on helping one person at a time is my motto and if I am not reaching thousands just yet I am totally fine with that! What made you start your business? I started this website/blog because I wanted to help people learn the balance between nutrition and exercise when life gets crazy. Balance is such a hard thing to grasp in a world that is constantly moving at such a fast pace. I wanted to write my stories and knowledge down on paper for people to see and hopefully learn from. I wanted people to have someone to relate to and know that they are not alone in all the struggles that they face in trying to find balance. 14

What wedding trends do you see coming for Fall? I am honestly not too sure! My husband and I got married in March, 2015 and I still love seeing all the ideas for weddings all seasons of the year! I know that the rustic theme has definitely been a big one this past year (we followed this theme as well) and I can see it continueing into the next year for sure.

What are your favorite accounts to follow on social media Nashville, TN right now?

Katieon instagram and not all of them I follow allKyle kindsand of people are about health and fitness. Actually one of my favorites @ momastery has nothing to with nutrition and exercise but her outlook on life is amazing and is definitely worth following. I also love @eatingwell, @smpliving, and @skinnytaste. They all have great recipes and beautiful food photography that will make your mouth water just looking at them. What is the coolest thing you have done so far as a business owner? Well since I have just started on this journey I probably don't have the coolest experience just yet. I would definitely say that seeing the people that I have already touched with my words and hearing their feedback on how much my work is changing them has been pretty awesome! My passion is to help others live happier and healthier andI feel like I am finally getting to do that, one reader at a time. http://www.balanceinpractice.com/meet-joanna/

What is trending for 2016?

Photography | Frozen Exposure Photography

Location | Nashville, TN Germantown | Werthan Mills Factory

Attire | New York & Co. Jack Threads

and full agendas are glorified. Yes, I do believe we make time for things that are important. However, as much as we might not like to admit it, exercise is not always at the top of our priority lists. One of my favorite sayings is “some is always better than none.” Even if that some is a mere 5-10 minutes, it is much better than no minutes at all. Will you burn 600 calories? No, but your body will still experience positive responses to the quick bout of exercise (hello, serotonin)! This will not only help you feel better physically, but also mentally, giving you momentum to continue making healthy choices. So for those of you who don’t have a lot of time, I wanted to share one of my quick, go-to workouts that helps me stay on track without taking up a large portion of my day. There’s no equipment required so you can do this anytime and anywhere!

http://www.jenniferdiaz.com/

Spend a couple of minutes warming up (jumping jacks, body weight squats, walk/jog, etc.). Set your timer for 10 minutes (or 8, or 5, really just however much time you have). Perform 10 repetitions of each exercise and go through all 6 exercises as many times as you can in 10 minutes. The intensity of this workout is up to you. Listen to your body. If you need to rest in-between exercises, take a quick breather. If you One of the most infamous exercise excuses across the board is “I just want high intensity, don’t stop and rest until the timer goes off. The don’t have the time.” Then you have coaches, trainers, and other health goal is to work through these as quickly as possible with proper form! professionals constantly rebutting that phrase, because we can’t imagine not having the time for something that we practically eat, sleep, http://www.jenniferdiaz.com/ and breathe daily. But if I’m candid with you, there are days when I also feel like I don’t have time. Or maybe I do have time, but I’m so exhausted and/or ravenously hungry that exercising is the last thing I feel like doing. I have a few clients who, after telling me about their 21 days and schedules, I applaud for even showing up to our sessions

Tanya Wright Macks didn’t plan on becoming a wedding photographer. When she was still a photography student at MTSU in 2002, she got bullied into shooting her first wedding by a couple at school. After that first one, she realized that she had found her calling, and before long, she had created a successful wedding photography business. In 2010, her husband Bobby joined the team full-time, and Frozen Exposure Photography, as it is known today, was born. Frozen Exposure is known for the passion they put into their work, which immediately becomes clear when you look at their portfolio. They recognize the importance of capturing absolutely perfect pictures on your wedding day, as you’ll be looking at them for the rest of your life. They also just really love what they do. Tanya says, “Our favorite part of being wedding photographers is having the honor of being chosen in a crowded field as the ones who get to capture and preserve one of the most important days in two peoples’ lives- the day that they make the commitment to each other to become one.” Choosing your photographer can be an extremely difficult decision, but Tanya’s obvious passion and talent makes it seem much easier. Tanya loves how shooting weddings gives her the chance to “cover a wide variety of weddings styles, culture, and locations, but also to be where the family begins as well.” She truly values the connections she makes with the couples she photographs, and she is often hired to do family portraits for those same couples once they’ve had kids. The relationships she creates with her customers set her apart from other photographers who might not value their customers in a similar way. With Frozen Exposure, you truly get what you pay for, which is why Tanya advises against hiring a photographer just because they’re inexpensive. She says: “The lower the price, the lower the quality of the product delivered. Your wedding day is one of the most important days in your life- please do not choose a photographer based on price!” She also says to be wary of “associate or partner photographers” of wellknown photographers, who lack the education and experience to take quality shots on your wedding day.

If you’re a little torn about where to take photos for either your engagement or your wedding, Tan-

ya recommends downtown spots like Rocketown, Union Station, the Shermerhorn Symphony Center, and the Pedestrian Bridge. She also loves some of the farms that surround Nashville like Birdsong Events, Front Porch Farms, and Cactus Creek Barn. Tanya has also noticed some upcoming trends in wedding photography, such as the “first look,” where you take pictures of the bride and groom before their ceremony. It gives you as a bride enough time to get quality portraits done without having to miss a big chunk of your reception. After all, your wedding is supposed to be a party for you- it’s not as special if you aren’t there for an hour of it! Tanya has also seen a greater call for “organics and naturals, greenery, and fun quirks like having berries or cotton incorporated into the bride’s bouquet.” These kinds of shots can really set your wedding apart, and if you like being outdoors or eating healthy, this style might be for you!

134 N. FRONT STREET Senatobia, Mississippi WE PROVIDE EVENT SPACE FOR WEDDINGS, BABY SHOWERS, FASHION SHOWS, REUNIONS, ANNIVERSART PARTIES, AND BIRTHDAY PARTIES.

Competing vs. Comparing: How To Prevent Yourself From The Negative Affects Of Comparing

Competition is fun isn’t it? It makes things more enjoyable and pushes you to work harder and strive to be better. It can be a fun rivalry between friends, family members, or coworkers. Competition is what makes sports so fun to watch or weight loss challenges so successful. Everyone is aiming for one thing and one thing only, and that is to win.

I am such a competitive person with pretty much everything I do, well except for trivia (I would just rather not embarrass myself). In all other things though, I always want to be the best. I am competitive with my husband when we run, well and with pretty much everything else. We compete on who has the most cavities (I win), who our dogs listen to more (he wins with Huck, I win with Sawyer), or how fast we read a book and who finishes it first (he usually wins at this one too because I get too distracted to finish...surprise, surprise). I get competitive with my Fitbit friends daily with my steps or with my family or friends playing boardgames. When I go to the gym, I am secretly competing with the people in the exercise classes to be the one who is working the hardest. When I am running beside someone on the treadmill, I secretly want to be the one who is running the longest. The truth is I hate to lose. HATE IT. Don’t we all though? Ohhh the struggle. Sometimes we get so caught up in competing that it is like we are never happy with who we are or where we are in our lives. Instead of being happy for the people who tend to be better at some things than we are, we want to be better than they are. This is something that I have really struggled with and still do daily. Social media does not help either. In a world where everything seems to revolve around how pretty your pictures are on Instagram and how many likes you get, I start to think “How on earth am I supposed to compete with all these smart, beautiful, creative people out there?”. It seems impossible. Pinterest makes it even worse with the sensory overload of so many creative people out there with all these amazing ideas and then you realize you have not thought of one of them.

Sometimes we need a reminder of how great we really are. While The reality though is IT IS OKAY! It is okay that you don’t get the you’re away from Instagram and Facebook, write down a list of most likes on Instagram or that you aren’t creating all of these all the things you are great at and all the things you have accomclever ideas on Pinterest (Pinterest is there for you to steal all the plished! Maybe even ask your best friend or husband what you great ideas anyways, right?). are great at or what qualities they love best about you (because sometimes it is hard for us to talk ourselves up). Remember to Competing leads to comparing...comparing ourselves to other stay confident in the abilities that you have. people and their talents. God gave every single one of us different talents and skills. He created us to be different so that we can 3. Choose Praise Over Jealousy all work together with our unique abilities, teaching others and One of the most therapeutic things I do when I start to compare learning from one another. myself to others is to be supportive instead of envious. If ever I We aren’t all created to run a marathon, be a fitness model, do catch myself getting a little jealous on social media, I start to go a motivational speeches in front of thousands of people, create a little “like” crazy to people’s photos. It is way easier to be encoursoftware database, or be an actress on the big screen. Most of aging and admire these people than to try and find something these are pretty crazy to even think about and all of these ideas negative about them. pretty much scare the crap out of me, except for maybe the first one. Let’s all remember that we are all made to be different. We are all experts at something but that does not mean it has to be the same So what do I do to stop myself from turning a healthy competithing. Remember how great you are in all your uniqueness and tion into a comparing battle on my mind? try and be supportive instead of envious of those who may be a little more talented than we are in other areas.

1. Step Away From The Social Media

Social media is a great resource to connect with others and to also learn from them. The problem is that if you are not in the right mindset, it can really affect your self-esteem. We have all been there. That moment you are scrolling through your newsfeeds and see all the best parts of everyone’s life unfolding, watching people eating healthy and working out, all the while you are still sitting in your pajamas chowing down on some donuts. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has a day of pantsless grubbing it’s just that nobody usually posts about it. STEP AWAY FROM THE MEDIA and have a reality check.

2. List All Your Best Qualities

“Be yourself; everyone else is taken” -Oscar Wilde BUT SERIOUSLY....BE YOURSELF! Stop trying to be someone else or be better than someone else. Stop turning a friendly competition into World War III on your mind because you drive yourself mad trying to compare yourself with other people. Comparing steals our joy and it is time that we quit letting it. BE YOU and be proud of it!

http://www.balanceinpractice.com 27

Katie Rogers and Brent McCloud had a gorgeous Cloud 9 themed January 2016 wedding at Hermitage Golf Course, complete with feeding sheep.

Photography | Frozen Exposure Photography

Photography | Frozen Exposure Photography 34