[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Light pink, olive green[/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]My vision for our wedding was to keep a timeless and traditional feel, while also incorporating elements that felt unique to us. I made all decisions, on even the smallest details, with the intention of everything being cohesive in photographs and representing us so well. From the cake topper, to the music selections, every detail had meaning. I wanted to be able to show our future children these photos and tell them all about our wedding and how personal it was. In terms of design, I did not want to include anything that I did not think would stand the test of time. I wanted everything to look classic, formal, and timeless while still being unique to all the weddings I have been to. When choosing our wedding colors, I wanted to stay with a bridesmaids dress color that would look nice next to black and white, because I knew I wanted the groomsmen in classic black tuxes. I was on the fence about going with creamy white bridesmaids dresses and doing all white florals because I have seen others pull it off so well and I think it is beautiful, but that just didn’t feel like us. I also wanted our wedding to keep some traditional aspects in our wedding, so I wanted to be the only person in a white dress. We ended up going with blush dresses and olive green in other elements of the wedding. I felt like the combination of the two kept the esthetic feminine and masculine at the same time. Our wedding could not have represented us any better. [/field]
[field title=”Proposal Story”]Brent and I met our freshman year of college at South Alabama. When we met, we had almost nothing in common and were both unavailable at the time, but we had no idea how things would change. We did not exchange more than a “hello” from freshman year to junior year. Our junior year, we started nursing school at the same time and became more familiar with each other since I was good friends with Brent’s best friend, Connor. By our third semester, Summer of 2021, we found each other in the same clinical group and I started studying with him and his friends occasionally. One night, all of his friends left us to go pick up dinner while we were all studying, leaving me and Brent alone to talk about our personal lives to each other for the first time; they were somehow gone for hours! Since that night, we were immediately inseparable. We would take drives around Mobile most nights for hours just to talk and share music with each other. We went on our first date on September 10, 2021 to Wintzell’s Oyster House in downtown Mobile. Fast forward, we graduated nursing school in Mobile, and we moved to my hometown, Birmingham, both working as nurses at UAB and Children’s Hospital. We knew that what we had was so special and rare, that Brent was willing to change all of his plans to move home to Ocean Springs, Mississippi and took the leap to Birmingham to be close to me. Ever since we graduated, I dreamed of the day he would propose to me, and I couldn’t wait until forever with him. I was supposed to be going to a co-workers bridal shower with one of my best friends, Taylor. I got ready at my mom’s house and met Taylor at her apartment and she was supposed to be driving us. We got in the car and she had bought a card for us to sign for our friend, along with a gift for her. At that point, I was skeptical of a proposal anytime I was forced to get dressed up, but this really threw me off! We signed the card and she started driving to our friend’s “aunt’s” house in Vestavia Hills. I could tell that something felt off when she started taking wrong turns and seeming really nervous. We end up pulling up to the Temple of Sibyl and I immediately knew what was happening when I looked at her– it was written all over her face. I walk up to the temple and see Brent standing there. He takes my hand and talks to me about all of the dreams we had talked for our life about since our first date, and how this was the start of them. He got down on a knee and pulled out the most perfect ring I have ever seen and asked me to marry him. After I said yes, both of our families came out from hiding and I noticed one of my best friends of 20 years was photographing this moment for us. I will never forget how loved I felt that day when he proposed to me on September 10, 2023, exactly 2 years from our first date. [/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]My gown was apart of Eddy K’s 2023 collection. I originally went to this bridal gown retailer looking to buy a dress from a different designer specifically. When pulling dresses to try on, I told them I really only wanted to look at that designer because I was in love with their dresses for years and could see myself in many of their gowns. When looking through the racks, I pulled only one gown that was not made by that designer and did not really tell anyone that I pulled it; I just wanted to be able to say I tried another one to prove I considered all my options. I tried on all the other gowns and loved many of them. The last dress I tried was this Eddy K dress and when I came out of the dressing room, we all knew it was the perfect dress for me. I was so surprised I did not go with my original dream designer, but this dress fit me so well and felt much more elegant and timeless than the other options I tried. It was a satin mermaid gown with a pleated bodice and buttons to the end of the train. It had a detachable bow that was not too big and flashy, but the perfect addition. I chose a long veil covered in pearls, which matched my pearl covered Betsy Johnson pumps and my Tuckernuck pearl cluster earrings. After our cake cutting and champagne toast, I changed into a short dress because I wanted to be able to move around freely all night, and I LOVED my reception dress! It was a For Love and Lemons dress that still felt formal while being a short dress, with draped puff sleeves, a deep V, open back, and rosettes placed throughout it. All of these details were so perfect and exactly what I wanted, but my favorite accessory was the pink heirloom ring that my mom gifted me on my wedding day. It belonged to my great grandmother, “Big Mama”, and she had passed down to my mom before her gifting it to me. I always loved all the rings that my mom has that belonged to her, and my mom had my favorite one sized to fit me to wear on my right hand on the wedding day. It was so special to have a piece of her with me, because she meant so much to my family, and she was such a fabulous icon that I aspire to be like always. [/field]
[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]My bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by Amsale and purchased through Bella Bridesmaids. They wore a strapless blush gown with a fitted foldover bodice with a wide dirndl skirt with side pockets. It was the most perfect dress for my girls and flattered all of them so well. I loved how formal and unique they were while also giving a southern traditional feel. The girls said they felt so comfortable all night in them and it was perfect for dancing the night away! These dresses were undoubtedly one of my favorite details from our wedding.[/field]
[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]Brent and his groomsmen were styled by Jos. A. Bank. We wanted the groomsmen in classic black tuxes with a cummerbund and black bowtie. We wanted Brent to stand out and wear something different so when trying different styles, we loved him in a white tux jacket with a cummerbund and a black self-tie bowtie. He wore his Datejust 36 Rolex that was gifted to him by his late aunt that he was very close with. I adored every detail of his look and he had never looked so handsome. [/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]After the ceremony, our guests indulged in a buffet style dinner consisting of a spring salad and dinner rolls to start, followed by a choice of braised flank steak with a demi glace and bowtie Alfredo pasta with grilled chicken. On the side, we offered roasted herb potatoes and mixed grilled vegetables. In classic southern style, we opted for the options of water, sweet tea, or lemonade to drink with dinner. The bar was opened after dinner and we offered options of beer and seltzers, as well as Josh Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and Korbel Brut that was offered after our champagne toast. [/field]
[field title=”Florals & Decor”]When designing our florals with Samantha and Missy, they immediately understood my vision and executed it perfectly. I wanted the florals to look different from the traditional all white florals that are popular nowadays, but not too bright and distracting. We went with mostly white florals and pops of blush and greenery to play into the bridesmaids dresses and olive details. They featured some of my favorite flowers consisting of white hydrangeas, white and blush roses, and white ranunculus. My bouquet was all white florals, clean cut and wrapped in a white silk bouquet wrap. The bridesmaids bouquets were slightly smaller than mine and wrapped in an olive green silk sash. Florals were incorporated in our ceremony space at the back of the aisle, where guests entered, in two large urns to mark the start of the aisle. They were also used at the altar, in short white vases standing on pedestals of varying heights. They looked exactly how I envisioned and were the perfect combination of whimsical and elegant. The florals in the reception space consisted of a large, dreamy arrangement in the center of the room in the middle of the long dinner table with bud vases and white and blush candlesticks along the center of the rest of the table. We had round tables with white tablecloths around the rest of the reception space that had a smaller floral centerpieces and shorter white floating candles to dramatize the larger arrangement in the middle of the room. After the ceremony, we used the floral arrangement from the altar and moved it to a spot in the reception space for guests to take pictures in front of during the reception. The outdoor space had high-top tables with short white candles and our guest book table was decorated with a medium-sized floral arrangement in a tall gold urn. We also used blush rose petals to surround our champagne tower for the champagne toast. Every detail was so beautiful and executed so thoughtfully– it was everything I wanted and more![/field]
[field title=”Wedding Cake”]Our wedding cake was an absolute dream. Kathy, who owns Valor Bakery, did a phenomenal job creating the most beautiful cake I have ever seen. We decided on doing a five-layer ivory cake consisting of four different flavors: white almond, red velvet, strawberry, and lemon with cream cheese icing. I really wanted our cake to be very detailed with lots of piping and it turned out even better than expected. We went with a classic, vintage style cake that was absolutely breathtaking and incredibly delicious! We had many guests ask what bakery we used, saying it was the best cake they have ever had! It stood on a beautifully detailed vintage gold cake stand and it was accompanied by a bottle of Prosecco and a pair of stunning Waterford flutes gifted to us by my aunt and uncle. Instead of doing a grooms cake, Brent wanted to do Krispy Kreme doughnuts stacked on an acrylic cake stand. The doughnuts were a HIT and everyone raved about how it was the perfect treat for those that are not huge fans of cake.[/field]
[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]The music was one of the most thought through components of the wedding. Since music was one of the things we first bonded over, we spent so much time going through all the music we used to listen to together when we would take those long car rides sharing our favorite songs- new and old! Since we wanted a wide variety of music genres, we decided to go with DJ Prez of Superior Sound Entertainment. Robert was incredibly accommodating to all of our needs and created the most fun night we and our guests have ever had. He had us come up with a list of songs we wanted played for each portion of our wedding and he added additional songs to match the types of music we enjoy and listen to together all the time. I could not recommend DJ Prez enough for brides and grooms that want their guests out on the dance floor all night. For the ceremony, we did piano versions of some of the songs that mean the most to us. The parents and grandparents walked to Pianofy’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” and Brent and the bridal party walked down the aisle to Pianofy’s “Faithfully”. We both love classic rock and both of these songs represent our love for each other so well. My dad and I walked down the aisle to “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of emotion when the doors opened in front of me at the start of the chorus. It was a moment of my life that I will never forget. Our recessional song was “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley which is one of our favorite Elvis songs and was so fun to hear walking back down the aisle as we were elated to finally be married to one another. During the dinner, we had DJ Prez play some of our favorite songs from the 60s and 70s from Billy Joel to Elton John to Eric Clapton. After the dinner, we were announced into the reception to “Celebrate!” by the Jonas Brothers, my favorite band that I have loved since I was little. Our first dance was to “Heaven” by Bryan Adams which was the perfect song for us to dance to. I remember the first time Brent played that song for me in his car, and us both getting emotional relating it to our relationship. I danced with my dad to “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw which has been our song for as long as I can remember. Brent danced with his mom to “I’ll Be There” which was a really special moment for the two of them. Once the dance floor opened up, we danced the night away to all of our favorite songs with all of our favorite people. We had a private last dance, just us two, on the dance floor and we danced to “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green. It was another song Brent showed me when we first started seeing each other and I loved it so much, I knew immediately when planning that I wanted it to be the last song we danced to together on the best night of our lives. [/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #1″]One special detail from our wedding day that I was so excited about, was us using my grandparents cake topper from their wedding on our cake. They were gracious enough to let us use it on our wedding day and I thought it was the perfect addition to our dream wedding cake. It was an incredibly detailed porcelain figurine of a bride and groom. The bride has dark hair, like me, and wearing a wedding gown with a lace veil attached to the back of her head. The groom has dark hair, like Brent, and is escorting her while wearing a light blue tux. It was so special to have a piece of their sacrificial love incorporated in our wedding day, because they mean so much to me and have made incredible sacrifices for me in my life.[/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #2″]One detail that Brent and I were very excited about, was our getaway car! We said goodbye to all of our guests and pulled off in Brent’s stepfathers white convertible Camero with the top down. His mom and step dad were so willing to drive it all the way from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to Alpine where we got married. When we pulled away, we both looked at each other like “wow that was the best day of my life” and it was only the start of something special! That was such a special detail and I am so thankful that they did that for us![/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Elizabeth Hall Photography | Coordination: Angie G. Weddings | Floral Design: Florals by Samantha and Missy | Wedding Dress: Imperial Formal Wear | Cake: Valor Bakery | Invitations: Mary Grace McDonald | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Catering: Majestic Catering | DJ: Robert Fowler/DJ Prez with Superior Sound | Groom's Attire: Jos A Bank | Groomsmen's Attire: Jos A Bank | Wedding Venue: Ridge Point Events | Beauty: Babes by Heidy | Content Creator: Social by Morgan | Dance Floor: JLT Events | Weddings Rings: Diamonds Direct