A Heartwarming Romantic Wedding in Alabama

JORDAN + PHILIP • WELLINGTON, ALABAMA

PHI MU & ALPHA TAU OMEGA WEDDING | 06.17.17

Philip first met Jordan in Nashville during their teenage years at church camp and began dating a few months later. They both attended the University of Alabama where Philip joined the Beta Delta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega and Jordan became a Phi Mu at the Alpha Zeta Chapter. The Beta Delta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega was one of the first fraternities to have a house on the UA campus, moving into it’s first chapter home in 1910. Later, in 1917 they built a secondary house and currently have a chapter house on University Boulevard near the Kappa Alpha Order & Phi Kappa Psi homes. In 2011 the chapter has a huge pledge class boasting of 161 new members — umm, wow! The Phi Mu chapter joined the University of Alabama campus in 1934. They moved into their current new house in 2016 and if you haven’t seen this chapter house before we highly recommend doing a little Google search, it’s pretty breathtaking.

Jordan was preparing leaving for a 9-week mission trip to Kenya, she joined Philip and his family for a beach trip for his parents’ birthdays. Philip’s father asked Jordan to leave the house with his wife for a bit while he had a birthday surprise delivered for her. Of course, she was more than happy to help him out so she & her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Morgan, took Philip’s mother to the store to get her out of the house. Being so distracted, it never occurred to Jordan that perhaps this distraction wasn’t for Philip’s mom at all but actually for herself! Upon returning to the house, Philip’s dad asked Jordan to go help Philip with the final surprise details out on the beach. As she approached the boardwalk she was greeted by candlelight dancing along the walkway and Philip standing at the end surrounded by flowers & holding a rose, behind him the ocean was lapping at the coast. Overwhelmed, she walked towards him crying the entire way. When she finally reached him he embraced her and spoke about the characteristics of her that he fell in love with. She was surprised when he read part of a letter that she had written him on their 6 month anniversary. As he knelt to one knee he told her “I know you are giving your summer to Kenya, but I want you to give the rest of your life to me. Jordan accepted his ring but Philip had one more surprise for her. She turned, expecting to see his family watching the moment from afar but was shocked to find her own family had driven to the beach to witness this once in a lifetime moment. Seriously y’all, could this have been a more thoughtful & perfect engagement!?

Wedding days can make you anxious, not because you are worried about the vows but because there are so many little things that go into planning the day and it is stressful be unsure how it will all come together. This is why we absolutely love first looks. Every couple that has sees one another before the ceremony expresses a sense of relief, and Jordan & Philip felt exactly this way. The nerves and anxiety melted away and they focused on the joy and excitement of marrying their best friend. He recalls being blown away by his bride on their wedding day, that “she was by far the most beautiful and amazing woman I had ever laid my eyes on.” Sometimes grooms are uncertain about seeing one another before the vows, but Philip had this wisdom to share from his experience. “I was overcome with a sense of peace that we had finally made it and we got to not only enjoy the wedding day together but ever day after that.”

As they began to plan their wedding day they knew that they wanted to focus on their friends and family instead of getting caught up in all of the less crucial details. Knowing this, they selected a timeless look for their wedding day focusing on white flowers and overflowing greenery with bits of gold accents. We love the rug that they found to stand on at the alter during their ceremony. How fun is that! As we are so incredibly fond of seeing for weddings, these two chose to have a large wedding party to celebrate what was important to them – their loved ones. Jordan was surrounded by 7 of her Phi Mu sisters and Philip had 7 of his Alpha Tau Omegas at his side.

Their Wedding Day Advice?

“… from the beginning that we were going to just go with the flow. I would also suggest getting an early start and planning for unexpected expenses to arise at some point in the planning process. There are great websites and books that will help a couple lay out a budget and timeline for their wedding.”

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Alex & Sara are a husband & wife photography team partnered with Alex & Katie, who are the cinematographers for AL Weddings. Although they are based in Birmingham, Alabama all of their bags are packed and they are ready to travel to you or with you for your destination wedding! They believe that everything is a little sweeter in the South – which we totally agree with – and traveling is good for the soul. Check their website to see what their upcoming travel itinerary is to see if they are coming your way soon!