The Sadie wedding suite by Gerald & Joan Design

The founding principles of Gerald & Joan are family, history and the stories that tie us together, so it makes sense that our designs would reflect the people, places and stories that are a part of our lives.

The Sadie invitation is named in honor of Jonathan's grandmother and Gerald's wife. When I think of Sadie, I think of ice cream colors, pretty flowers and sweet fonts. A vintage linen hand towel from the 1950s provided the artwork for the suite, and we paired the suite with green envelopes. As I was putting together the suite, I asked Sadie about her wedding to Gerald.

Here's their wedding story in her words. "On Sunday afternoon, we called the wife of George Rutherford, the circuit clerk, to come down to the courthouse so we could get our marriage license. We were married at a preacher's home in Booneville. We had a little trouble finding a preacher. The one who had originally planned to marry us had the mumps. The wedding took place on Sunday night. My cousin Betty Sue and her friend Anita Geno were our only attendants. My parents thought we were going to church. After we left, my aunt (Betty Sue's mother and my dad's sister) told them we were going to get married. To say the least, my dad was furious.

We spent the night at the old Holiday Hotel in Booneville. It was located where the Overbridge Apartments are now. Gerald was going to school in Memphis, so on Monday we took a bus from Corinth to Memphis. We rented a one-room efficiency apartment in Memphis."

Last June, Gerald and Sadie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They are just as cute as they look. Their love story inspires our own marriage. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.