Beautiful Brides: Author Beth K. Vogt

My good friend and debut novelist Beth K. Vogt married her hunky military husband after she promised she'd never marry a military man, or have children!


We can talk later about her four kids, especially the late-in-life birth of her youngest when Beth was 41!


Beth write's of meeting her husband: 

I met my husband, Rob, several weeks after I'd broken off an engagement. (Believe me, I had good reason to do so.) The last thing I wanted was to get involved with someone else.

At the time, I was a brown belt in karate and I was preparing for an exam to advance to the next level. I also worked at the karate studio, manning the office.

I arrived at work one day and found a ve-ery cute guy exiting the office. I didn't recognize him, so I asked if I could help him with anything. He said, "No, thanks" and left.

He came back awhile later and watched from the side of the room while I worked out with another instructor. When I went to the office to do something, the instructor set me up. He asked the guy (my future husband, Rob) to sneak attack me when I started working out again.

Soooo ... when I came back out from the office, I faced off with my instructor. (Rob was across the studio, off to my side.) The next thing I knew, this guy took a running flying leap and tackled me.

Yeah, we like to tell people he swept me off my feet.

I'll cut to the chase: We were married less than a year later -- and including my husband, there were four Black Belts in our wedding party and one very in love Brown Belt.

Beautiful Brides: Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

Meet another Belle over on Southernbelleview, Shelling Rushing Tomlinson, humorous non-fiction author and radio host over at All Things Southern. She's sincere, truth and a lover of Jesus!

Shellie writes: One of my favorites memories of our wedding ceremony came as my dad was walking me down the aisle to meet the love of my life.

After all the preparation, all the money, all the time, all the planning and with a church full of folks there to celebrate our union and Phil waiting at the altar, my dad turned to me and whispered, "You can still back out, you know."

 Granted, when I told Phil about that moment later, during our honeymoon, I had to do some fast talking before he could see it with quite the same affection.

I assured him that my dad hadn't changed his mind, that he still thought Phil was a wonderful young man and the "right" one for me. It was more about letting me know that life wasn't on auto-pilot and I still had the power of choice.

Phil understood then, but as time wore on, he and I both came to get the love behind that moment even more. The tenderness of it makes my heart well up even as I type these words tonight.

 What a gift to give your child, or anyone else for that matter. To know that yesterday's decisions do not always have to be today's.

Or as I twittered sometime this afternoon when this post was simmering in my heart, "This isn't just another day. It's your current opportunity."

Beautiful Brides: Beth Webb Hart

I love Beth Webb. I met her when we started blogging at Southernbelleview together. 

She is the classic and timeless southern woman. I love reading her books and blog posts. She's so rich in tradition, history and literature. 

Her wedding veil is no exception.

Beth Webb writes: 

According to Mama she was meandering along the winding corridors of Venice when she stumbled into a lace shop that sold old world veils at a terrific price.

She and one of her best friends both purchased a veil. It was stored in a box at the very top of my mother’s closet for much of my childhood.

I often longed to pull it down and open it up and see the beautiful, delicate lace pattern that I dreamed I would someday wear. And I often gazed at her wedding portrait in the living room of my childhood home – on rainy days when I was in a day-dreamy mood- and imagined what it must feel like to be a grown up, to be engaged to a handsome and devoted chap, to be just about to step into your future.

Well, the day came when I was twenty-six, and I did wear the veil (pictured here - look at my husband's fist- he's nervous!) I felt like a princess. My two younger sisters both wore the veil and it’s stored again in a safe place in the top of a closet in hopes that my daughter, the only girl out of six grandchildren, will also wear it someday.

(RH: Love this story, BW!)

Beautiful Brides: Lisa Wingate

Besides being a fab author, Lisa Wingate is one of my fellow Belles over on SouthernBelleView. Love blogging and associating with this woman.


About her wedding dress, Lisa writes:


One of the neatest things about our wedding was that my dress was remade from my mother's dress.  She is an incredible seamstress, and may hours of tender loving care went into creating that dress.


(RH: That's Lisa on the right in her mother's altered dress.)

Another special event at our wedding day didn't happen during the wedding, but during the reception afterwards.

Being in Texas, where old-fashioned street dances still take place, and family-friendly dance halls still exist in many small towns, we knew we wanted not just a punch and cake reception; we wanted a dance.

We were in college at the time, and so were all our friends, so we imagined that the young crowd would have a great time while the old folks lounged around in chairs and told stories from "back in the day."

We never imagined that the couple who would light up the dance floor all night long would be my grandparents, Vi and Norman Mannion.

I'd always known that my grandparents met at a dance, where my grandfather was playing in the band. During a break, he took my grandmother for a turn on the floor and fell in love at first sight (or first dance).

(RH: Lisa's mom Sharon in the original dress. I love the wide skirt!)

He went home that night and told his mother he'd found the girl he was going to marry... and he did! Fifty years later they were cutting a rug at our wedding while the young folks stood around the edges of the dance floor, clapping and looking on in awe. 

Gram and Gramps knew all the old dances, and when they danced, their bodies may have been older and slower, but they were still perfectly in step, still a young couple at heart, just as in love as that boy and girl who danced that first dance so many years ago.

(RH: Lisa, I love that story!!)

Beautiful Brides: Cara Putman

Cara Putman is a romantic suspense author, a lawyer and one of the most energetic women I know! She's great fun.


Of her wedding, Cara writes:


We’ve all heard about the groom being late to the wedding. In an effort to avoid that with mine, my mom told my groom to arrive at the church at a certain time for pictures.


The morning of my wedding, I was having a great time with my bridesmaids getting ready. I glanced at a clock and realized that if I didn’t rush, I was going to be late for photos. 


My friend Joy maneuvered my hair into position as I swiped on make-up.


After slipping into the dress, I hurry to the church...only to find Eric pacing.


Unbeknownst to me, he decided to arrive even earlier than he’d been told. By the time I arrived, he’d paced the sanctuary for thirty minutes...wondering if I’d changed my mind.


Sixteen years later, I’m glad he waited!


(RH: Me, too!)

Beautiful Brides: Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner is a talented, award winning author and a good friend. Love hanging with Sooz whenever I can.


She writes:


I married my best friend one month shy of my twentieth birthday, which seems incredibly young to me now, but the thing is, Bob’s still the guy I would chose to spend my life with.


My dress was frothing with Chantilly lace and a sizeable train and hefty bow at the back.


The long sleeves were studded with pearls at the cuffs and the skirt swished like waves on the ocean when I walked.


It was a lot of dress, even for a December wedding. But I loved that dress and I loved my simple mantilla veil.


My mom shopped with me the day we found it and it was one of those times when the dress seemed like it could belong to anyone on the hanger, but only me when I put it on. (RH: I love that!)


Bob and I have been married going on 32 years and couldn’t be happier . . .

Beautiful Brides: Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter is a friend, a popular romance author and a girl drummer!!


She writes of her wedding:


You can tell it was the 80s by the peach color scheme and big hair. 


But that’s love shining in our eyes, and true love never goes out of style. :) 


I was on a tight budget, so I bought my gown for $120.00 at a bridal outlet and sewed on the lace, pearls, and sequins myself.