Church Life

Lara Casey

The Southern Weddings editor-in-chief slows things down and pushes “purpose over perfection.”

Faith Teasley Photography

Chapel Hill, North Carolina | @laracasey

Open an issue of Southern Weddings magazine, and you’ll spot plenty of monogrammed ribbons, magnolia blossoms, mini-pies, and Mason jars wrapped in twine. But the editors often take note of special traditions, favorite hymns, and elements of the wedding ceremony too. Part of the magazine’s Southern identity comes from a focus on family and heritage.

“While we don’t title ourselves a ‘Christian wedding magazine,’ that’s the heart of where I operate from,” founder and editor-in-chief Lara Casey told CT in 2014. “We want [brides] to start thinking, How do I plan for my marriage?”

Casey turned a Microsoft Publisher mockup and a self-run wedding blog into a publication appearing on newsstands nationwide in a couple of years. In the midst of producing seven annual editions of Southern Weddings—as well as coaching women through the project-management program Making Things Happen—she found herself overworked and unhappy. As she recalibrated her life around “purpose over perfection,” her approach to Southern Weddings and her writing and speaking shifted as well.

Now a mother of three, Casey has vocally refocused priorities from work performance to marriage, family, and rest, and encourages brides and fellow businesswomen to pursue a similar balance.

Also in this series

Our Latest

Which Church in Revelation Is Yours Like?

From the lukewarm Laodicea to the overachieving Ephesus, these seven ancient congregations struggled with relatable problems.

Be Afraid

Be Afraid Bonus Episode 3: Scott Teems

Sometimes, there’s safety in numbers.

News

In Appalachia, Helene’s Water Crisis Taps a Global Christian Response

North Carolina churches are seeing people suffering dehydration. Disaster groups that work overseas are showing up to help.

Public Theology Project

The Bible Doesn’t Fit an Information Age

Algorithms strip us of mystery. The Gospels restore our ability to be astonished by the truth.

Wire Story

Evangelicals for Harris Asked to ‘Cease and Desist’ Billy Graham Ad

Franklin Graham says the campaign is “trying to mislead people” by positioning his father’s preaching in contrast to Donald Trump.

Facing My Limits in a Flood Zone

As a minister, I’m used to helping people during crisis. But trapped at home during Hurricane Helene, I could only care for who was in front of me.

5 Lessons Christians Can Learn from the Barmen Declaration

How a wartime confession resisted Hitler’s Nazification of the German church, and why its principles are still relevant today.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube