Charlotte Thompson & David Sizemore
January 1, 2011
Ceremony & Reception: Martine Chaisson Gallery, New Orleans
Photos by: Arden Photography
Charlotte Thompson was planning to go out for drinks on a typical Friday night. It was nothing special, just your typical night out with friends. But little did she know that fate had other plans for her. Across town, David Sizemore, an old friend from school, was also getting ready to go out with his friends for a few drinks. And then fate made a little magic as the two ran into each other for the first time in a long time. The sparks flew… both were single, neither was dating anyone, and both were very interested in the other. Suddenly, an ordinary night became extraordinary. Charlotte got up the nerve and asked David out on a date. Three days later, they went out for sushi at Jinsei and their date has never ended.
Here’s their wedding story:
The Proposal
Charlotte and David were an instant couple. They had been dating about a year when Halloween rolled around. The couple had a fun day planned including a spa day and brunch at Ross Bridge. Charlotte did not know that David had talked to her father in July about marrying her. Since then, he’d gone through lots of rings; trying to make sure he had the perfect one before he popped the question. David had one ring sent in via Fed-Ex to his office in Tuscaloosa but had to drive to Birmingham and forgot the ring. The cleaning staff thought the Fed-Ex box was trash and threw it out. Luckily David remembered the ring and called his father to ask him to put the box away. When he couldn’t locate it, they both realized that the cleaning crew must have tossed the box. Needless to say, David’s dad had the chore of sorting through the dumpster to find that box. He did find it. But after all of that, David decided that wasn’t THE ring he wanted for Charlotte. He ended up having a ring designed to look like an antique ring Charlotte loved. Charlotte would later learn that David had been riding around with an engagement ring in his car for months, waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question. And for some reason, on Halloween 2010, David, totally unprepared, asked Charlotte to be his wife. The couple celebrated at Jinsei, where they’d gone on their first date. Charlotte’s family later teased David that he was going to have to ask her father for Charlotte’s hand a second time stating his consent had expired in the four months it took David to pop the question.
The Wedding & Reception
The couple wanted to get married right away. Since Charlotte is in the wedding business and around wedding planning every day, she did not want a long engagement. Charlotte and her sister own Bella Bridesmaid in Homewood and have been through hundreds of weddings with their customers and friends. Also, Charlotte’s dad was scheduled for surgery and she wanted to have the wedding before the surgery so he could walk her down the aisle. That meant the wedding would have to happen in two months. Yes, that’s right. Charlotte Thompson planned a fabulous wedding in another city in only two months… and much of it over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The couple decided to tie the knot on New Year’s Day, 2011. Since many of their friends were going to have to fly in for the wedding, the couple decided it would be best if they selected a wedding city with lots to offer in terms of entertainment, food, and fun. Charlotte and David both love the food, flavors, culture, and sounds of New Orleans so it was an “easy” decision for them. In fact, many of the decisions brides struggle with were easy for Charlotte. Project Runway alum and BFF Heidi Elnora designed Charlotte’s wedding gown. Another good friend, Arden Ward of Arden Photography would do the photographs. She owns a bridesmaid shop so selecting a gown was a breeze. And the wedding décor and color scheme was also a very easy decision, too, inspired by a pair of peacock blue Jimmy Choo shoes Jenna Lee had just gotten. Thus, peacock feathers and peacock blue were the central design elements used throughout the wedding décor.
The couple planned a big weekend full of fun and celebration for their guests. After the wedding rehearsal, the family gathered for dinner. Since they didn’t have an engagement party before the wedding, the couple rolled all of their pre-wedding parties into one spectacular New Year’s Eve bash. Everyone danced, laughed, rang in the New Year, and toasted the happy couple at a bar rented for the party. Charlotte wore another Heidi Elnora gown for the occasion; a sophisticated one-shoulder gown with a ostrich feather mini skirt, perfect for the setting.
At 7pm the next day, guests arrived at the Martine Chaisson Art Gallery in the Warehouse District for both the ceremony and the reception. The couple said their vows among priceless works of art as 150 of their friends and family watched. The gallery setting reflected Charlotte’s love of art. One of her favorite mementos from the wedding was the art created by friends and family at the wedding, each guest drawing or signing a canvas the couple now has on their wall at home. From the food to the sounds, the reception was authentic New Orleans. The weekend long party continued as they danced to a 10-piece New Orleans style band well into the wee hours of the morning. The reception menu was a combination of Southern favorites and Cajun classics with a large dessert buffet. In addition to her four-tiered wedding cake, Charlotte surprised David with a groom’s cake shaped like his favorite game, Scrabble.
After a honeymoon in Mexico, the couple is settling into married life. Some of Charlotte’s favorite wedding gifts include her Pickard china. It is a family tradition; her mother, sister, and great-aunt all have the same pattern.
Written by: Martie Duncan, Wedding Expert, Food Network Star
