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Behind the Veil- Ashton’s Nashville Wedding

January 10, 2017

We’re so excited to share another sweet Remnant Fellowship bride with you today! Ashton and Slater were wed on November 19, 2016 at Remnant Fellowship in Brentwood, TN.

 

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

 
I keep looking back at pictures from our wedding day and still cannot believe it was real! Every detail turned out perfect, far better than I ever could have imagined! From the decorations, to the cake, to the reception, every single aspect was like a fairytale. Both the ceremony and the reception was at my husband’s and my church, Remnant Fellowship.  And I definitely don’t want to mention anything else without giving credit where credit is due: The main wedding planning committee at our church, headed up by Gwen Shamblin and Amy Stites, and the team of volunteers made up of other members of the church, were SO gifted at administration, planning, decorating, incredible ideas, ceremony guidance, and time management.  There is no way our wedding could have happened without them!  Volunteer committees like the cake decorating team took a simple Pin of a cake I had on my Pinterest board, and turned it into a beautiful, extravagant, glorious cake that took over 27 hours to make!  And they all helped simply because they were gifted in it, and they wanted to.  That amazed me!  We had a large wedding; nearly 1,000 guests were able to attend, but never once did I feel overwhelmed or stressed.  We didn’t have to reach out to any vendors for catering, decorating, or reception directing, because there was a team available for every single one of those needs; EVERYTHING was taken care of!  There were volunteer teams who handled fireworks at the end of the reception, the dance party, flowers, banner painting, food planning and serving, music, bridal assisting, and so many more components and details that led up to such a beautiful, blessed, and GOD-given day!  We worked with them and many other gifted leaders in the church and they helped us determine the perfect season (Fall), color theme (black, white, gold, and accents of bronze), date (November 19th), menu (ribs, baked potato bar, and a s’mores’ bar, just to name a few items 🙂 ), and music (anything FUN!).  Every decision was prayed over so thoughtfully, and it was so refreshing to have my husband and I, our parents, and our wedding planners all on the same page for what this celebration was going to look like. I look back on all the pictures and am amazed. I never thought I would be able to have a wedding that looked like it came straight from a magazine or a Pinterest photo shoot, and because of the strong community the church has, we got to have something that was all that and MORE, and at a fraction of the cost!  It was so sweet getting to work with people I’ve known for years who were so excited to help in any way they could.  By the time I was ready to walk down the aisle, I had such an incredible peace in my heart, knowing how thought-through and prayed over every single detail was.  We couldn’t have asked for a better venue or wedding team, and it was clear that God’s Spirit was over everything.  I am SO thankful and appreciative, it could not have been more perfect! 

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How did you choose your wedding dress?
Honestly, lots and LOTS of prayer!  I knew I wanted something elegant that fit the formal and regal theme of the wedding, but simple in its own way.  I wanted Slater to love it; and more than anything, I wanted to have NO DOUBT or second thoughts that it was the perfect dress.  A few of my friends had gotten their gowns at the Fabulous Frocks location in Tennessee, and had nothing but GREAT things to say about Amy (the owner of the store), the atmosphere, and the overall experience!  The idea of “designer finds off the rack” was so unique to me, especially when concerning wedding gowns, so I was very eager to schedule an appointment, and I’m SO glad I did.  The entire gown-finding process was VERY blessed from start to finish!  Amy was so reassuring and helpful; she made me, my mother, and my close friends and family who I had brought with me feel so loved and taken care of.  I never felt overwhelmed or rushed.  I also appreciated the variety of all the gowns available, especially when it came to actually picking out my wedding dress.  The funny thing was, I went into the store thinking I knew exactly what kind of gown I wanted; I had pictures and everything!  But when I saw that style on me, it just didn’t look how I thought it would.  I had tried on 7 or 8 different dresses, and I still didn’t have that “WOW, this is the one!” moment I was looking for.  I thought we may just leave that day without anything at all, which was a little discouraging. So, sitting in the dressing room, I prayed for the PERFECT wedding dress.  One that would not only look beautiful and regal and that Slater would love, but that also glorified God!  I knew it was because of HIM that Slater and I had even found each other in the first place.  And I wanted HIM to get all the credit for the ceremony, dress, decorations, and every detail of our love story!  Amy brought in one last dress for me to try on; it was different than most of the other gowns, and she encouraged to try it just to see what it would look like.  I walked out, and it simply took my breath away!  I loved the beaded detail, the feeling of the fabric, the train, it was all gorgeous!  It was made even better when Amy picked out a veil that had lace that blended with the bottom of the dress perfectly.  It was like a dream! I am so thankful!
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What is your favorite memory from the big day?
There are really too many to count!  So many of my friends who have already gotten married told me how fast the whole day would go by, but I didn’t realize how true that was until it was me in those shoes!  Looking back on all the little moments, I’d have to say my absolute favorite was when it actually came time to make the walk down the aisle.  I had already been crying during the prelude music; different musicians from our church had performed absolutely BEAUTIFUL songs, both vocal and instrumental numbers, and when my dad led me to the entrance of the sanctuary area where the ceremony was being held, that’s when it really hit me.  Those few seconds before we started walking, we got to pause and look out at the chuppa at the front, the beautiful hand-painted decorations on the wall, the candles lining the aisle, the entire wedding party, Slater’s and my BEST friends, standing up there beaming with happiness, and during that pause, I could look into the eyes of our friends and family who had been able to attend, and everyone who had helped in making the day possible, and I felt nothing but overwhelming excitement, joy, gratitude, and love.
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Any advice for future brides?
The one word I can think of to pass along to future brides is APPRECIATION.  The minute that I made the decision to slow down and genuinely appreciate those who were helping me plan our wedding: my incredible mom, all the volunteer committees and leadership at our church, our parents, my beautiful, hilarious, and steadfast bridesmaids, and Slater, my husband, for remaining so calm and grounded through every second, I could feel every decision become so much easier and I felt nothing but peace in my heart.  I’ve heard the stereotype of wedding planning being one of the most stressful things a woman will have to do, and that was initially a worry of mine, but Slater and I only had a four month long engagement; and even with that limited amount of time, everything turned out so beautiful and extravagant that it looked like it had taken months, even years to plan out.  I would encourage any bride to really savor every moment of the wedding pictures, getting ready with your bridesmaids, the ceremony, the first dance, and the entire reception.  I would reassure them that no matter what happens, whether your hair is out of place, if you spill mascara on your dress right before you walk down the aisle (like I did – but it got cleaned up in minutes!), if one of the flower girls can’t make it down the aisle, you will still be ending the night with your prince charming, the person that God made PERFECT for you, the love of your life!  Savor every moment – all the months of planning and decision making leads up to a day that is over in a blink of an eye, and it really will be one of the best days of your life!  I am so thankful that in this day in time, where the idea of marriage is so uncertain, Slater and I have been given the opportunity to build the rest of our lives on a foundation that we have learned at our church, a sacrificial love that can remain strong in ANY hardships.  November 19, 2016 was just the beginning; I cannot wait for the many more years to come!
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