SOUTHERN VALUES – Ansley Holland and David Binder
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CMC PHOTOGRAPHY
“Timeless. Classic. Simple, but elegant. This is what I was striving for,” Ansley Binder smiles when she thinks back on the day of her wedding. She had very specific ideas. “I didn’t want anything to be too trendy. I wanted to be able to look back at any age and feel that it was perfect. Something that wouldn’t go out of style. I wanted our guests to feel like we had stepped back in time, with Old-South feels. I didn’t want color or an explosion of flowers to take away from the most important part, our love story.”
With these high expectations, the couple had originally planned their wedding to take place on a property that is owned by Ansley’s family in Chipley, Florida. With gorgeous historical homes, a pecan orchard, plenty of Southern charm, and family history, the property was perfect. But then Hurricane Michael destroyed the landscape on the beautiful estate. Just two short months before their planned wedding day, Ansley and David found all their plans had been overthrown.
“I thought for sure we were just going to the courthouse,” Ansley remembers. “But God always has other plans,” she adds with a glint in her eyes. “My older sister was married at Live Oak Plantation, and my mom became good friends with the owner, Bobbie Carroll. So, we called, thinking there was no way our date was still available. We were thrilled to find out the bride getting married that week decided to have her ceremony on a different day! Looking back, sharing this venue with my sister makes it all the more special.”
The venue, with its beautiful mature oak trees and picturesque barn, offered the setting for the fairytale wedding Ansley dreamed of. With flowers and greenery, both fresh and preserved, black and white tablecloths, a simple white rose bouquet, and potted white hydrangeas as focal points, the venue was more than perfect. “I loved the idea of having living, breathing flowers rather than ones that would wither away by the weekend,” Ansley explains.
To set the tone for elegance and simplicity, the bridal party was asked to wear black. “It sounds like such a strange request, and I’m sure some thought it was, but everyone looked so formal and elegant, like they were truly a part of the wedding, not just bystanders,” Ansley says. While the guests wore black, the bride and groom wore white and were personifications of grace and elegance.
Ansley looked truly dazzling in a sophisticated dress. “Just as the theme of our wedding, I wanted something simple yet elegant. Something my grandmother could have worn, or my daughter in the future. Something that would stand the test of time.” She remembers seeing the dress before she was even engaged. “I knew from that second, nothing would ever hold a candle to its timelessness. The Italian crepe material, the high neckline, fitted silhouette, long sleeves, and buttons down the back were truly a moment. It was the first dress I tried on at the bridal store, and I didn’t want to take it off. I felt like Jackie O, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn, all wrapped up into one. When the stylist took my measurements, she called us all to the desk in almost disbelief. The way that the designer made the dress, it had my exact measurements to a T. It did not need alterations, as if it were made for me.”
The ceremony was a dream come true and Ansley remembers the part that was most special to her. “My favorite moment was closing the ceremony with the Lord’s Prayer. I wanted everyone to be involved; I wanted everyone praying for our marriage together. Rather than our pastor closing it on his own, it was truly moving hearing the entire audience praying together. I think about it all the time.”
When she thinks back about the events that led up to David and her becoming husband and wife, she knows that it all was meant to be. “We had grown up knowing each other, but not very well. We went to different schools, but had a few of the same friends. It always seemed like the timing was off until one summer when he asked me to go out to Shell Island on his boat. We honestly hit it off instantly. He was exactly what I had always been praying for. That night when I got home I told my mom that he was the one and that I would marry him. I just knew it in my bones! A few months later, on the 4th of July, and back on the boat, he told me he loved me… talk about fireworks!”
Ansley and David are truly perfect for each other. When she is asked to describe her husband. Ansley grins. “Tall, tan, and handsome?” She laughs and continues, “Totally kidding! David is the epitome of a Southern gentleman. He is the guy in the flannel in Hallmark movies that sweeps the girl off her feet. He’s charming, gentle, humble, incredibly witty, and truly has a servant’s heart. He doesn’t seek to impress others, but ultimately impresses everyone around him with his genuine authenticity.”
Asked to describe herself, Ansley hesitates, clearly uncomfortable to speak about herself. Her bridesmaids come to the rescue and point out her kind heart and that she is the one who always watches out for everyone else, whether it is a friend or a stranger. She knows that her upbringing has shaped her values. “I do take pride in having been brought up in a small town. I was raised in a ‘yes ma’am, no ma’am’ family and have always been taught to treat everyone with respect, love, and equality. In a world that can be so ugly, I strive to find the beauty in the ashes. It may seem like a cliché, but my faith and family are the most important parts of life—and I am extremely proud of my roots.”
The happy couple complement each other in everything. “I think what makes our marriage so special is the well-roundedness of it, if that makes sense.” But Ansley also admits, “We aren’t ‘lovey-dovey’ all the time like the movies showcase. We can go on all of the romantic dates with candlelight dinners, but we can also hold intelligent conversations, talk about our feelings, sing our hearts out in the truck, have fun in the grocery store, or fish on the flats. The kind of stuff you do with a best friend, and that, to me, is what a strong marriage is made of.”
Since becoming husband and wife, everything in Ansley and David’s life has changed and they are successfully pursuing their goals. In just a short time, the events have been a whirlwind. “We’ve renovated a house, sold a house, moved, are building our forever home on a lake, and of course have recently become parents to the most beautiful baby girl, Baylor Reese. It’s been a busy year to say the least,” Ansley summarizes. The future holds much in store for the young couple. “We just started working with an architect to design our forever home. It’s a dream we have had for such a long time, and seeing it come to fruition is surreal for both of us. For now, one baby is all we need, but we definitely plan on a few more, give or take…” she says with the happiest of smiles. The Florida State University graduate had landed her dream job as a first-grade teacher but decided to focus on her daughter for now, “soaking in all of these newborn moments” as a full-time mommy.
Thinking back about their wedding day and when asked what tips they would give to other couples, their insight is profound. “Most guys don’t realize that little girls grow up dreaming of this day. Listen to her, to her ideas, to her thoughts, all of it. Your support will be valued more than any ring you could get her.“ Ansley’s tips for brides: “Don’t sweat the small stuff. I can relate to the frustration of detail more than I like to admit, but when it comes down to it, your wedding is just the first day of the rest of your life, not the rest of your life.”
To the question what makes a marriage successful, Ansley says, “You have to be honest. With yourself and your counterpart. Oh, and never let the honeymoon end!”
The couple likes to thank every single person who was a part of their wedding. “I’ve been dreaming and planning this day since I could walk and talk. Looking back, it truly took my breath away,” Ansley says. “I would like to give my uncle Ashley a very special thank-you. My father passed away a couple of years ago, and it left me heartbroken thinking about even walking down the aisle without him to give me away. It sounds like a sad story, but I know how fortunate I am to have my uncle who has always been a father figure to me. My daddy thought the world of him, and it almost felt handpicked straight from him. I didn’t miss out on being given away or the daddy/daughter dance. During those moments, when most would have cried, I held a smile on my face and in my heart. For that, I will always be thankful.”
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WEDDING PARENTS OF THE BRIDE
The late John Holland & Robin Holland
PARENTS OF THE GROOM
Darcy Binder & Rose Binder
MAID OF HONOR
Kyndall Whitson Smith
BRIDESMAIDS
Janea Holland,
Micah Munson,
Jaclyn Coatney,
Savannah Holley,
Rachel Binder,
Emily Stopka,
Amber Gerard,
Hannah Raffield
MAN OF HONOR
Shaun Herbert
BEST MAN
Brant Marshal
GROOMSMEN
Harris Marshal,
Drake Syfrett,
Bret Shumate,
Mathew Abbot,
Wesley Stone,
Stevie Stopka
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