How did you both meet?
Ashley went to college with Ben’s sister, Jenny, and they became best friends. Fast forward to after graduation, Ashley went home with Jenny for a weekend and finally met Ben while going out that night. [They] had mutual friends for years and were social media friends but hadn’t met in real life! Ben jokes with everyone that Ashley was pre-approved by his family.
How did the planning go?
Ashley plans corporate events as part of her job and loved every part of planning; she called it her super bowl! It was very different planning a personal event than a customer or employee event – much more emotions and opinions to navigate!
#CeremonyGoals
The ceremony was lakeside and quick so that we could get on with the fun parts! My dad drove me into the wedding in my grandfather’s old orange Chevy for my entrance as my “something old.” My grandpa is no longer with us so it was a special way to incorporate him into the big day. My “something borrowed” was my opa’s (grandfather in German) wedding band. He passed away the year prior and his ring was tied to my bouquet. My “something blue” was a blue gem necklace that Ben’s dad gave his mom after he was born; it also was tied to my bouquet. My mom read “The Art of Marriage” by Wilfred A. Peterson as a special part of the ceremony. The guests also participated in a community vow—vowing to help support us as a couple through the highs and lows of life.
#VendorRaves
The Old Pour Soul (Bar), Courtney Lawhon Events (Month of Coordinator), and Reverie Films (Videography). All three went above and beyond to make sure we were happy, had what we needed and supported us before and after the big day.
Favorite Detail
Our favorite thing about our wedding day overall was the venue! We are big outdoors people and the venue setting captured the perfect backdrop for our big day.
What was the best part of your day?
Ashley: Doing a first look with my grandmothers. They were there at the house to get ready with the girls for the day. Once my hair and makeup were done, my mom and sister (my maid of honor) helped me get into my dress. Both grandmothers walked in with their eyes covered and got a first look at me—I’ll cherish the photos and video forever!
Ben: Having all of our friends and family in one place to celebrate!
Advice from the couple:
Nobody knows what’s planned other than you and close friends and family. If something doesn’t go to plan, just roll with it! Make sure you have a dedicated person to help with wrangling family for photos and know what order they need to happen in. Time spent on photos seem to be the thing that throws off the schedule the most.
Anything you would have done different?
We put disposable cameras on each dinner table for guests to help capture the night, but a lot of them went unused or didn’t get used completely. If I could go back, I would have probably done less cameras and made sure the DJ announced to use them more. We also wanted to have an “unplugged” ceremony and had a sign on the welcome table; but I wish we had made an announcement before the ceremony started and wish we asked a couple people to monitor phones being used in the ceremony. We definitely had a good amount of cell phones out!
