This bride is absolutely precious to us and we couldn’t be more excited to share Jessica and Luke’s love story with you today!

 

Tell us about your wedding! When it was, where it was at, and who helped put it together.

Luke and I had our perfect wedding on March 19th, 2016 at 1:00 pm at  Scarritt Bennett Wightman Chapel. Our reception was held at the Homestead Manor Barn at 4:00 pm that afternoon. It was the perfect combination to fit our style.

• Our vendors were amazing in EVERY way-
  • Scarritt Bennett Wightman Chapel—> Ceremony
  • Reception—> Homestead Manor
  • Full Service Wedding Planning, Day of Coordination, Reception Design, and Florals—>Lauren Emerson Events & Design
  • Photography—> Eden Ingle Photo
  • Hair—> JR and Company (Jenna Roberts)
  • Makeup—> Chantal Ingram
  • Dress/Veil—> Fabulous Frocks Nashville
  • Tuxedos—> Street Tuxedo
  • DJ—> Nashville Party Authority
  • Ceremony String Quartet—>Silver Strings
  • Getaway Car—> Matchless Transportation
  • Wedding Cake/Pies—> Triple Crown Bakery
  • Videographer—> Precision Videos
  • Seamstress/Alterations—> Alter My Heart

 

How did you pick your wedding gown?

When I thought of my wedding dress for years (as most girls do), I knew I wanted two things- timeless and lace. As much lace as I could get. Lace has an incredible way of adding such elegance and femininity to a dress, and I had my heart set on finding one with all lace. Also, the off-the-shoulder dress was a style that had captured my eye within the past year, and so I searched for the combination of all three of those criteria- timeless, all lace, and off the shoulder. Within a day after getting engaged, I found myself at Fabulous Frocks of Nashville, knowing that my friend Amy was the person I need to help me find my dress!  I had seen a post on Instagram of a dress that was exactly the type I was looking for. Thanks to Amy’s help and her attention to my dream dress desires,  I found my dress (second one I tried on at Amy’s shop). Rachel with All My Heart helped me add sleeves to give my dress even more of a timeless look and more coverage for a cool March wedding. more of a timeless look. Amy helped me find the perfect lace cathedral length veil to accompany my dress, and the combination was perfect for me.

 

 

 

What is your favorite memory from the wedding day?

Oh man, that is a difficult question. The entire day was full of such unimaginable joy and peace.  I tried to savor each moment as deeply as I could, and my day exceeded every expectation that I had. Every single moment alone with my husband was precious time- from the first look to our time to our prayer by our unity candle to in the getaway car to our first dance. The look on his face filled my heart with such joy and still is engrained in my memory. My favorite memory was our ceremony as a whole (if that can even count :)) . Being able to express my love and commitment to my husband through the vows I had written before God and his people was a moment I had desired for as long as I had dated him.I had been working on writing our vows since early on in dating- I knew that God has placed us together for a purpose, and I had faith that we would end up together. I finally was getting to marry the one whom the Lord had purposed for me and say the words to him that had filled my heart for more than 2 years, and my joy was unexplainable. From there, Luke recited the remarkably beautiful and sincere vows he wrote to me, which utterly astounded me (since writing is not one of my husband’s many strengths). The depth, purpose, and commitment of his love and devotion described in his vows that day still do and will forever resonate in my heart. The unity candle, our private prayer together, our exchanging of rings, and first kiss- all of those moments I will treasure. Each one perfectly adding to the foundational commitment of the marriage we were starting.  The absolute best parts of the day- my heart exploding with love, gratitude and joy that my love story had transpired into a life-long dream finally coming true by marrying my Luke and knowing that I had been granted this precious gift from God of an unconditional, redeeming, and enduring love would continually support me through all of life’s trials, teach me about God’s love for me and better me in every way.

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?

I do not think I would change a single thing about our day. I may have done a different color scheme if we had gotten married at a different time of year, might have chosen to have more pictures in front of Scarritt Bennett. Overall though, focusing on what really mattered on our wedding day- celebrating and confirming our covenant as one- it was that exceeding my expectations and all I dreamed it would be.

 

 

Any advice for future brides?

I would recommend all brides focusing on the big picture- the amazing covenant that you are entering into and your upcoming marriage-rather than the details of planning. Focus your efforts on preparing your heart for this commitment and your upcoming role as a wife instead of getting caught up on the wedding details. You are getting married for the marriage- not the wedding. I chose to hire Lauren Emerson, my wedding planner, so I could focus on the major things, and it was completely worth it. Keep that in mind and all the little details that come up will seem insignificant.

 

Almost 5 months out of our flawless wedding day, all have left of our precious, sacred moments are our sweet memories, our video, and our pictures. As our memories fade with time, our video and photos will constantly bring us back to that day. Our remarkable photographer, Eden Ingle Photo, and our incredible videographer, Precision Videos, were worth every penny. I would strongly recommend a photographer and videographer that suits your taste. Design your day to fit yours and your fiance’s personality and your needs- don’t let the pressure of pintrest or other external things influence your decisions.  Lastly, ENJOY the time of engagement and every moment of your wedding day.  Do anything that will help you remember those precious moments that are so quickly fleeting.

 

 

Congratulations Jessica! We wish you and Luke a lifetime of love and happiness!!

 

xoxo,

 

Fabulous Frocks