Anyway, so back to our blog! :) Here are recaps from March & April!
March 21, 2015: Sarah & Sam Waling
Sarah & Sam were married at Black Fox Farms in Cleveland, TN. This was our second time at Black Fox, and we were so happy to be back. It is a gorgeous venue, with great landscaping and one of the prettiest barns we have ever filmed in. Sarah's dress was strapless, and it filled out at the bottom. It was covered in lace and sparkle, and she wore a pretty sash around her waist. The girls wore green dresses (in a unique color that we haven't seen before!) and carried pink flowers. Sarah & Sam both glowed that day. They was happy, in love, and filled with God's spirit.
Their love story, as told by Sarah:
"We met in a CMDA bible study at school, and ended up living in local housing for medical students, where Sam would periodically stop by my room to chat or pray for me (first year of medical school was incredibly stressful, but Sam knew that, and he would go out of his way to make sure I was adjusting well). Although I had committed to be single through out medical school, Sam’s vision was bigger for our friendship—he sought counsel on how to pursue this “beautiful woman who had caught my eye”; soon Sam started scraping ice off my car every morning before classes and stopping by to see if I needed my garbage taken out or needed anything from the grocery store. Eventually, he gathered enough courage to tell me his interest in pursing me, and even called my dad (I was 27 at this point, so I was surprised by this man’s pure intentions to honor me and my family). He had prayed for months about this relationship, and had confirmation to move forward, and that’s what he did.
Fast forward one year and a few months (16 months and 6 days to be exact) to Sam proposal. He had our friend Adam join us for what I thought was a spontaneous hike where we would sit on the mountain sing worship songs, pray and talk. We did all those things, but then Adam mysteriously had to leave, and that’s when Sam used that time to tell me what God had been showing him about our relationship and the future of us (this wasn’t out of the ordinary, so I still wasn’t expecting what came next); after about 5 minutes Sam asked me to stand up so he could show me something, and that’s when he proposed. But then we saw bystanders start walking toward our part of the trail, which is usually pretty isolated—as they came closer I saw the faces of my closest medical school friends, our parents and finally my two best friends who had flown in from Boston to be a part of this day. The words he spoke to me and the presence of all those that I loved (with the exception of my sister and brother in law who couldn’t make it) was something I had treasured in my heart if I were ever to be proposed to, but never thought someone would do.
Our relationship has been centered around The Lord, and the Bible, and although we faltered so many times in our relationship, we always find ourselves humbled before Him. Subsequently, our relationship was not without its pitfalls, and in June 2014 just 2 months before our original wedding date, we actually called off our engagement because we knew we weren’t ready; truthfully, I was ready to give up, and had resolved that I was not going to marry this man- I was angry and felt betrayed. But God had such a wonderful plan for us, and friends and family united around us, prayed for us and counseled us through this. We had friends who counsel married couples, and offered to do pre-marital counseling for us; and even committed that we would not have to reconcile to marry, but only to have an open-mind. We are so grateful to these two individuals who allowed us to see the beauty of forgiveness, trials and overcoming adversity, and importantly how to experience and show grace. We knew within 2 months (Sam says he always knew he would marry me), and rescheduled our wedding, at a different location, which was originally my first choice for venues—and when we decided to have our wedding at Black Fox, there were only 4 dates available in 2015, and only one of those worked with our schedule, so it was an easy decision.
Our wedding was beautiful, and we are so grateful for all the vendors and people involved, including the Lemons—who are genuine and considerate and were such a joy to work with on the wedding day. Not to mention, they are incredible videographers and photographers!" -Hey, thanks, Sarah! We are pretty fond of you, too. :)
Favorite part of the day:
"Our favorite part was our ceremony. There was a lot of prayer and consideration. It was essential that it be all about The Lord, and our officiant Josh gave such an awesome message. And then to have my family and Sams join to sing "Wonderful Merciful Savior" was something I had really hoped for, and that was beautiful as well."
We worked with SaraKristen Photography from Athens, TN. Let me tell you, she takes some stunning photos. Please check out her website, especially the Waling photos, and if you are looking for a photographer in the area, consider hiring this sweet lady. Catering was by Ambiance, and they did the flowers, food, and table decorations. Sarah states, "They are an all-in-one package and worth EVERY PENNY!" Bangs and Blush from Knoxville did the hair and make-up. Detour DJ hosted the reception and did a great job! Photobooth was Chattanooga Photobooth, and they had some great props - we had to get in the photobooth too. :) Here is their Intro:
March 28, 2015: Kristina & Matthew Norrell
Kristina & Matthew were married at the Tennessee River Place in Chattanooga, TN. This was our second time at this venue, and it is the perfect place for a classy wedding by the water. They have, at least, two outdoor areas for a ceremony and they have some indoor space too. We have seen a reception outdoors and a reception indoors as well. Kristina's dress hugged her to below her hips, and then it flared out. She wore a sparkly dress around her waist, which I loved. Every girl needs a little bling! She added sleeves to her dress, which came from her mother's dress. Isn't that sweet? The girls wore a natural beige color and carried white flowers with some green mixed in. It was a great day, and you could tell that everyone there loved and supported the couple, especially those in their wedding party who all gave funny and/or touching speeches.
Their love story, as told by Kristina:
"It's crazy how we met actually. It's turned out to have a great ending, and I know God has all the credit for it!! Funny story...we were both kinda embarrassed to tell people but now we thank God daily. One Wednesday I was still living in TN, and I just got back home from church feeling blah about myself. Thinking I was never ever going to find a good guy with morals and that all guys were the same. As I laid in my room a commercial came on TV about Eharmony. At first I laughed out loud and thought people were crazy for going online and meeting people. I thought why not? I will just go on and see what it's all about. All in fun, honestly, I didn't think anything would come of it. The very next morning I got on, and he was the first guy to message me. I looked at his profile and thought oh my word. I was nervous to talk to anyone "online" and scared to but something told me to. We had to answer questions after questions and then about a month later he finally got my number, and we started texting and talking on the phone. Finally, we decided to meet after we figured out each other wasn't crazy. Lol. Crazy thing is he only lived thirty minutes from my aunt who lives in AL, and I would of never knew If I didn't take a chance. We met and went and ate and played putt putt. We hit it off and two years later, he took me to Botanical Garden in Huntsville and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Best day of both of our lives til March 28th 2015 when we became husband and wife!!"
April 25, 2015: Ashley & Jeffrey Ham
Ashley & Jeff were married at St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville, a beautiful church! I was filming a dance recital this weekend, so Casey spend the day with the couple. I was disappointed I couldn't attend this wedding, because Ashley & Jeff both went to the same medical school I did! We all graduated on May 9th, so that means that since they shared a last name at graduation and Ashley's name was before Jeff's in the alphabet, Ashley got to hood Jeff at graduation. It was SO sweet. Anyway, Ashley looked gorgeous on her wedding day. Her dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, and there was sparkle around her waist. The train was beautiful with lace detail. The girls wore long navy dresses and carried pink and white flowers. Ashley has such a sweet spirit, and you can tell it by just watching her "The Dress" video:
Their love story, as told by Ashley:
"Jeff and the boys (Matt, Austin, TJ) sat behind Lauren, Jade, and I from the first day of medical school. We became good friends throughout first year and the beginning of second year, but it wasn't until Lauren planted the seed in our heads that she recognized something between us that either of us thought to pursue anything. After the first basketball game together (orchestrated by Lauren) Jeff started courting me with flowers on Valentine's day, sweet dates for coffee after class, encouraging notes during stressful study months. We started dating in March before the school year ended and then got closer over the summer via phone calls and lots of texting. I fell in love with his family (especially his adorable niece) when they invited me on their family vacation at the end of the summer and was sure that this was something we wanted to last. Being in the same city for third year rotations was the biggest blessing. That year held a lot of ups and downs, but knowing we lived five minutes away from each other made everything better. We were able to go to church together every Sunday, cook meals together at his place or mine, and go to Nashville to spend time with my family often. Jeff proposed (a short version of the proposal story just wouldn't do it justice) shortly before we embarked on fourth year which, for us, involved LOTS of travel and long distance. It wasn't easy being apart for most of the year, but if forced us to make time for each other on weekends off and allowed us to grow even closer!"
Favorite part of the day:
"The beautiful ceremony which was filled with so much love. We absolutely loved having so many family and friends in one place and getting to share our special day. And of course the dance floor was fun too. :)"
MagnifyU Photography took photos that day, and Ashley & Jeff's photos are soooo pretty! Christi Smith did the girls' hair and make-up. Homestyle Bakery made the cake and the DJ was DJ DOUG. Thank you both so much for including us. I hope you both are settled into your new city and good luck starting residency next week!
Favorite part of the day:
"Our favorite part of the day was when when I walked down the aisle, and we both finally got to see each other and the reaction cause we didn't see each other all day. My other favorite part is when we stood on each side of the wall and got to read the letters we wrote toeach other before the wedding."
The groom's sister, Jessica, took photos for the couple. She was super easy to work with, and she is just getting started in the wedding business. Tony Hanes officiated the ceremony and decorated it as well. The bride's mother and grandmother decorated the reception. Their wedding cake was from Publix and was delicious! Here is their Intro!
April 25, 2015: Ashley & Jeffrey Ham
Ashley & Jeff were married at St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville, a beautiful church! I was filming a dance recital this weekend, so Casey spend the day with the couple. I was disappointed I couldn't attend this wedding, because Ashley & Jeff both went to the same medical school I did! We all graduated on May 9th, so that means that since they shared a last name at graduation and Ashley's name was before Jeff's in the alphabet, Ashley got to hood Jeff at graduation. It was SO sweet. Anyway, Ashley looked gorgeous on her wedding day. Her dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, and there was sparkle around her waist. The train was beautiful with lace detail. The girls wore long navy dresses and carried pink and white flowers. Ashley has such a sweet spirit, and you can tell it by just watching her "The Dress" video:
Their love story, as told by Ashley:
"Jeff and the boys (Matt, Austin, TJ) sat behind Lauren, Jade, and I from the first day of medical school. We became good friends throughout first year and the beginning of second year, but it wasn't until Lauren planted the seed in our heads that she recognized something between us that either of us thought to pursue anything. After the first basketball game together (orchestrated by Lauren) Jeff started courting me with flowers on Valentine's day, sweet dates for coffee after class, encouraging notes during stressful study months. We started dating in March before the school year ended and then got closer over the summer via phone calls and lots of texting. I fell in love with his family (especially his adorable niece) when they invited me on their family vacation at the end of the summer and was sure that this was something we wanted to last. Being in the same city for third year rotations was the biggest blessing. That year held a lot of ups and downs, but knowing we lived five minutes away from each other made everything better. We were able to go to church together every Sunday, cook meals together at his place or mine, and go to Nashville to spend time with my family often. Jeff proposed (a short version of the proposal story just wouldn't do it justice) shortly before we embarked on fourth year which, for us, involved LOTS of travel and long distance. It wasn't easy being apart for most of the year, but if forced us to make time for each other on weekends off and allowed us to grow even closer!"
Favorite part of the day:
"The beautiful ceremony which was filled with so much love. We absolutely loved having so many family and friends in one place and getting to share our special day. And of course the dance floor was fun too. :)"
MagnifyU Photography took photos that day, and Ashley & Jeff's photos are soooo pretty! Christi Smith did the girls' hair and make-up. Homestyle Bakery made the cake and the DJ was DJ DOUG. Thank you both so much for including us. I hope you both are settled into your new city and good luck starting residency next week!
