Alison and John’s St. Patrick’s day wedding is a perfect example of how to have a classy—not kitschy—holiday wedding. Once Alison picked her floral dress, she and her event planner sister ran with a floral, garden party theme for the event at Daniel Island Club. The floral Jenny Yoo bridesmaids dresses, patterned linens, bouquets and arrangements by Suzanne’s Floral Studio delicate flowers on the cake, and the white iron lounge furniture played up the garden vibes. Since the wedding fell on St. Patrick’s day, they subtly included green ties with the groomsmen, green beer, Irish coffee and green sendoff bubbles. Alison and John certainly had the “luck of the Irish” for their wedding day…despite rain showers all morning, the rain stopped just in time for their first look and Wild Cotton Photography was on hand to capture all the sun-filled beauty that ensued.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
From the Bride: Shortly after we got engaged and before I even started looking at dresses, my mother in law, Betty Lou told me she heard the bridal shop in town, The White Room in Lebanon Tennessee, was having a sample sale the upcoming weekend. She suggested we go but thought it would be a good idea to get a lay of the land beforehand so made an appointment for us the Tuesday before the sale. As we walked in the front lobby my dress was on a mannequin and was the very first dress we saw that day! Betty Lou actually convinced me to try it on and there was no question after that. And to top it off The White Room gave me the sample sale price that day!
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
A truly personal part of the entire wedding process was the fact that my sister, Erin, was the event coordinator. It could not have been more fun to have our nightly chats about how the wedding plans were coming along. Our mother passed away twelve years ago so I feel like planning this wedding with my sister we almost planned it with our mother in spirit as well. We honored my mother with a picture pendant on my bouquet and honored my husband’s family and grandmother by wearing her mink shawl later that night. It was important to us to remember all of our family and friends and celebrate our love with everyone, even if they could not be there.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
It is hard to choose just one part of the day but John and I both really love the time we had together just after the ceremony. We signed the marriage license and then had about ten minutes alone in the bridal suite before getting introduced. I have never felt so happy. Any and all pressure was gone, we were married and ahead was just a fun night with our family and friends. Plus we had a whole platter of appetizers to ourselves!
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
We met in Chapel Hill, North Carolina when we both moved there to attend a residency in general dentistry. As co-residents we quickly fell for each other and as the residency neared an end we decided to make the move back to John’s hometown in Lebanon, Tennessee. We bought a home that we love with our miniature dachshund, Lola and started a life there. In March of 2016, John expressed an interest in getting away for a weekend trip and we came up with Gatlinburg and hiking in the Smoky Mountains. We went hiking early that next Saturday morning when we reached a peak and John took a detour to an even higher spot. I followed to see the view and turned around to find him on his knees! I truly thought I may fall off that mountain! Super glad I didn’t obviously but it was such a perfect moment because it was just us and beautiful.
Photography: Wild Cotton Photography // Event Design/Planning: Erin Dudley at Daniel Island Club // Florals: Suzanne’s Floral Studio // Paper Goods: Minted // Venue: Daniel Island Club // Dress: Pronovias from The White Room // Hair and Makeup: Lashes and Lace // Bridesmaids: Jenny Yoo from Bella Bridesmaids // Groomsmen: Mens Wearhouse // Cake: Daniel Island Club // Rentals: Snyder // Linens: BBJ Linen // Band: Midnight City // Harpist: Lisa McKeachie // Lighting: A/V Connections // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box