Basket elegant gift wedding

Simply grand

On her wedding day, this teacher traded the three R's of the classroom for ribbons, roses, and romance.

Weddings at their best reflect the charm and character of the couple. For Kelli Ann Eich and Jason Douglas Krause, the ceremony spoke of Southern grace and simple elegance.

It was a wedding made memorable by an abundance of ribbons, roses, and romance. "I just love ribbons," Kelli says. "And I wanted beautiful yet simple things. That's about all I needed to say to our floral designer, Peggy Barnhart, and she just took it from there."

Kelli's bouquet was a tight, symmetrical arrangement of lovely white roses, stephanotis, white freesia, and Queen Anne's lace. With it she carried a linen handkerchief, a gift from the parents of her maid of honor.

The bridesmaids wore shimmery, champagne floor-length sheaths and carried bouquets of roses, freesia, sweet peas, and Queen Anne's lace.

Two flower girls, Kelli's cousin and the daughter of a dear friend, carried rose-covered kissing balls. A third, Kelli's goddaughter, scattered rose petals along the processional path. On their heads were halos of baby's breath and ribbon, and on their dresses, more ribbon tied with a satin rose.

With Kelli teaching school in Florida, it was a challenge to plan an Alabama wedding. "A friend called me from a shop in Birmingham and described several children's dresses over the phone. We narrowed down the choices, and they sent them to me in Boca Raton."

The choice of the wedding dress was a lengthy process. "It took six months and visits to 12 shops to find my dress," Kelli recalls. "As soon as I saw the Ulla-Maija gown, I knew it was the one." Its chapel-length train, an unusual French bustle, and the designer's signature elegant draping won Kelli's heart.

At the reception, understated elegance with creative use of fruit and flowers was key. Greenery wreathed an arched doorway, which was framed by roses knotted onto ribbon streamers. On the reception tables were flickering candles wrapped with ribbons and rosebuds. The groom's table held terra-cotta pots of ivy, stephanotis, and fresh limes. A basket cradled rose petals for guests to toss celebrating the departing couple.

White roses and English ivy adorned the tiered wedding cake made of carrot cake and Italian cream served on a traditional sterling-silver cake stand. An antique cloth from Kelli's grandmother and an antique table round given by Jason's grandmother covered the bride's table. The cake's rolled fondant frosting looked so perfect that Kelli pronounced it "smooth as ice."

Kelli and Jason looked every bit as smooth on the dance floor that evening. They glided to "At Last," sung by Etta James, a meaningful song for the pair.

"We took dance lessons for weeks leading up to the wedding," Kelli says. "We didn't want to be showy, but we wanted to have confidence in front of the crowd."

After a ceremony so special, and so interwoven with ribbons, roses, and romance, there's one more "R" that remains-the remembrance of this simply grand event.

(For more ideas, look for the premier issue of Southern Living Weddings, available on newsstands June 20.)