Hi Brides! We love to feature our Fab Frocks Brides on the blog and share all the details of the wedding! Today we are so excited to share the details of Lauren’s Southern October Wedding!

The Details

The October wedding took place at Antrim Celebrations in Columbia, TN. Clemmie Grace Designs provided planning, decor, and design for the day.

“From the moment we toured the Antrim, the ladies at Clemmie Grace Designs, along with the owner of the property, Margaret, provided a calm and comfort I knew we would appreciate during the wedding planning process,” Lauren shared. “Patricia and Margot are simply the best; there’s no doubt they have found their calling. They guided my mom and I every step of the way, always providing guidance and support when we needed it most.”

“Aside from being a stunning venue with perfect Tennessee views, I loved being able to spend my entire wedding day on the property,” she continued about the venue.

The bridal party, along with the mothers and grandmothers, gathered at the house at Antrim the morning of the wedding. Artists at LW Salon performed hair and makeup.

Leslie Summers did the bride’s hair, while MB Hair Co & Golden Hour Hair by Jacq provided her hair extensions & color.

“I couldn’t have been happier with the end results of my final look, especially after trying extensions for the first time,” Lauren said. Additionally, @classicjulia did the makeup for the October wedding.

Hannah Claire Co. photographed the day. Meanwhile, Willow and Vine provided the florals.

Lauren’s godmother officiated the “short and sweet” ceremony. In addition, the bride and groom’s good friend Ryan spoke during the ceremony. “Ryan is also the one who introduced Jake and I back in 2018,” Lauren explained.

The bride shared that the October wedding was everything that she could have hoped for. “While our planners and vendors did a wonderful job, none of it would have been possible without the help of my mom.”

Lauren and Jake live in Chicago, while Lauren’s family is here in Tennessee. With that in mind, Lauren’s mom helped with the planning since Lauren was planning from long distance! “She handled so many of the details and decisions,” Lauren spoke about her mom. “I couldn’t imagine going through this without her.”

The bride described the October wedding as southern, thoughtful and beautiful.

The Dress

Lauren shared that the journey to finding her dress was different than she’d imagined. “Looking for a dress was such a fun process and actually took a lot longer than I expected,” she said. “I’m usually someone who knows what she likes right when she sees it, so I originally thought that meant one store and maybe trying on 3 dresses. Turns out, it took 4 stores and close to 30 dresses.”

Luck was on Lauren’s side when she and her mom stopped by the boutique on a November afternoon. We specialize in private appointments, and we take walk-ins when time allows. Lauren and her mom popped by the boutique during a break in the appointments for the day!

“My mom and I walked into Fabulous Frocks on a whim without an appointment, and thank goodness we did. Meeting Rachel couldn’t have been a better experience,” the bride recalled.

“As she was going through how their shop worked, I saw the most beautiful lace dress snuggled on the rack and immediately asked to try it on.”

Rachel pulled the lace A-line by Essense of Australia for Lauren to try. The gown featured a sweetheart neckline, dainty detachable spaghetti straps, and layers of lace for a textured and whimsical look.

“I fell in love and without knowing how to describe it, that was exactly the dress I always imagined I’d wear on my wedding day,” she said. “My favorite part was getting to find the perfect dress with just my mom.”

Lauren paired the Essense of Australia gown with Tecovas boots and a simple tulle veil.

Advice to Brides

When thinking about advice for future brides, Lauren encourages brides to “include everyone you can!”

“One of the reasons we chose our venue was so we could invite anyone and everyone we wanted.”

Although the couple knew that many guests from out of state wouldn’t be able to attend, they wanted to be sure to include everyone.

“Something I heard Summer Pardi (Jon Pardi’s wife) say in an interview was that your wedding is the only time you will ever have this group of friends and family in the same place at the same time,” Lauren said. “That really stuck with me and was exactly how we approached our wedding party and our guest list. If you have to think twice about it, add them to the list.”

The Wedding

After their ceremony, Lauren and Jake joined their guests at the cocktail hour. There, “Lola the beer burro greeted everyone,” Lauren recalled.

“Lola was such a fun addition to our wedding day,” Lauren said. “She carried a basket filled with beers, letting guests take photos and feed her carrots.”

After the cocktail hour, guests headed to the reception. Kathy Ross catered the meal, and Southern Events provided the rentals for the southern October wedding.

The Emerald Empire Band performed at the reception, and Ashley McKissack made the wedding cake.

“The reception was everything I dreamt of,” Lauren said. “It included the most heartfelt speeches, amazing food, great music, dancing, and being surrounded by all of our friends and family.”

The couple ended the night with a private dance to “Tennessee Orange,” while their guests gathered outside for a sparkler sendoff.

Favorite Details

Although Lauren loved her wedding, she shared that her favorite part of the wedding weekend was the welcome party. Her parents hosted this event before the big day.

“They moved from the Chicago suburbs to Thompsons Station in 2020 and part of the weekend festivities was to host all of our guests at their home for the best backyard party in Williamson County,” she explained. “It was so much fun having our families, friends from high school, college, old neighbors and everyone in between be at my parent’s home.”

Guests enjoyed a bonfire, playing card games, and catching up under the gazebo at the welcome party. “It was a blast to experience,” Lauren shared. “My mom made her famous sugar cookies and put together charcuterie cups for everyone, with help from her newest friends in Tennessee.”

Lauren gushed about how grateful she is to her parents for all that they did to make the wedding weekend happen. “The time, effort and passion my parents gave towards the entire weekend were unmatched and meant the world to myself and Jake.”

The couple honeymooned in Hawaii! “It was such magical and perfect place to honeymoon,” she said. “It’s a classic honeymoon spot for a reason.”

The couple explored Maui, Kauai, and Oahu over the course of 2 weeks and enjoyed golfing, hiking, and spending time at the beach and pool. “One of our favorite parts was the Road to Hana and stopping for the famous banana bread at Aunt Sandy’s,” she recalled.

We loved being a part of Lauren and Jake’s southern October wedding! Congratulations to the happy couple!