A NOTE FROM LARA
P H O T O S C L O C K W I S E F R O M B O T T O M L E F T: J O D I M I L L E R P H O T O G R A P H Y , N A N C Y R AY P H O T O G R A P H Y , FA I T H T E A S L E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y , L A U R E N K I N S E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y , E M I LY M A R C H P H O T O G R A P H Y
I believe in the joy of marriage. That joy is not a joy of fairy tales, but a joy that comes from giving your all every day, no matter how many times you fail. I believe that loving well, even when it's hard, is always worth it. I believe that a wedding is just the beginning of the very best parts of life—a passage into the good stuff. I believe that hot boiled peanuts, sweet tea, and biscuits can bring people together and remind us of what matters most. I believe that a stronger-than-a-Southern-oak marriage can change the world, and I believe that we—and YOU—are a part of something bigger than us. I do what I do at Southern Weddings and wake up every day fired up about encouraging marriages and meaningful beginnings to married life not because I've had the "perfect" marriage. My own marriage was once a mess and I felt like it was impossible for anything to change, but it did. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was hopeless, and now I know for sure that the best is yet to come. It's not about having a perfect marriage, just like it's not about having a perfect wedding. It's about living and breathing a purposeful relationship, where you keep choosing love. We have truly loved creating these pages for you. We've laughed, cried happy tears as we've poured through these incredible love stories, and we have celebrated what matters most. We invite you to celebrate with us. Whether you commit your heart to your own relationship, support others in loving deeply, or simply pass this special issue on to a friend, we are genuinely grateful for you and are cheering you on!
LARA CASEY
PUBLISHER | EDITOR IN CHIEF instagram @LaraACasey LARACASEY.COM
To read more about the story of how Southern Weddings began, grab a copy of my first book. Make it Happen releases nationwide on December 30, 2014!
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