Wedding Date on Aug 27, 2016

From The Bride: Aaron is from a small town called Spirit River, Alberta, just North of Edmonton. I'm originally from a small town called Princeton, NC. Which is just east of Raleigh. We had vastly different upbringings...me being from the South, and him being from..well, Canada. Aside from growing up in different countries and climates, we have both always had a love for music. He came to Nashville to follow his dreams of being a country music singer and songwriter. I came to see if I could make it in the music business by way of Belmont University. Aaron and I first met at a songwriter festival in Key West, FL. At the time, he was an unpublished songwriter and I was interning for a small publishing company. The first time we met, we barely spoke, but six months later, our paths crossed again, when a mutual friend introduced us outside of a bar in Nashville, TN. During our conversation, we put the pieces together and realized, that we had in fact met before. We exchanged numbers, went on our first date, and after that we pretty much were inseparable. Music is and has always been a very big part of our relationship. It's what brought us together. He now writes for Warner Chappell and has a record deal with Warner Music Canada, and I have a full time job as the creative director of a publishing company called Liv Write Play. We have pushed each other to be the best we can be, and that's part of what makes our relationship so great. We both know what it's like to struggle in this town, but we've been there to support each other all along the way and I'm proud of where we are today and the life we are building together. When Aaron proposed, I had absolutely no idea it was coming. It started with a road trip across country for his family's annual camping trip in Pine Pass, British Columbia. It's a family tradition going on 30 plus years. SO yeah, it's a BIG deal. We're talking 80 people with campers and tents...potluck dinners every night, fishing, four wheeling, ect. On the Saturday night they have a talent show which they refer to as "Stars of The Mountain." It's something they've done since Aaron was little. This was my 3rd year in attendance and Aaron had always been asking me to be a part of the show. For the record, I don't sing (except for in the car and in the shower). That being said, he seems to think I can. We decided to sing "Rockin' Years" by Dolly Parton & Ricky Van Shelton. I was so nervous it was all I could think about. On the last leg of the trip, I had him practicing with me over and over again. To make matters worse, we were closing the show, which means I had to sit and watch everyone else while my heart was pounding. We got up to sing and he started playing the first verse, when it got to his line he messed up and decided to restart the whole song. The family was pretty suspicious at his mistake since it was completely unlike him to be nervous, but I too busy being upset with him for making me start over! We made it through the song, and I started to make a beeline for my seat, but he asked me to wait. He said he wrote a song for me that he wrote with two of my favorites writers back in Nashville. He had told me they didn't get a song that day, but turns out they had. He said he was going to play it, but first he had to ask a very important question... At this point I'm starting to catch on. He pulled a ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I was so emotional I could barely speak, but I nodded and finally got out a "yes!" Everyone cheered, and Aaron then attempted to get through his song. Again, I cried through the whole thing. The night ended with fireworks and all of his family there to congratulate us and welcome me to the family. It was absolutely perfect. I'm so glad he chose to ask me in a place that meant so much to him, surrounded by family and friends, and through something that is so personal to us...music. Once back in Nashville, we started to plan the wedding! We knew we wanted our ceremony to be in or around Nashville. Preferably Franklin, TN. With it's lush, green, rolling hills, it is absolutely picturesque. It would be the perfect location for both our families. Although mine is significantly closer, his family was up for any excuse to visit Music City. We also knew we wanted an outdoor wedding; elegant, but a little rustic. Not your typical barn wedding. We found our wedding venue on a home away website. His mom was looking for places for the family to stay, and when she came across Autumn Crest Farm, I immediately fell in love and knew we had to go see it. It was the first and only venue we visited! After picking a location, we decided to hire some help with planning. Aaron is super busy and on the road a lot, I wanted to make sure neither one of us were stressed out with wedding plans. We found Sarah Goude at Regalo Designs, and I can't say enough good things about her and her company! When I met with her first time, she was so organized and so professional, and just an all around great person! Not only is she a wedding planner, but she's also a wonderful florist! Nothing like killing two birds with one stone! I chose my colors very carefully. I chose light/dusty blues because they reminded me of a beautiful blue sky above the rocky mountains. Aaron and I both love the mountains. From Canada to Colorado and everywhere in between. We've spent a lot of time traveling through them, and we've stumbled across some of our now favorite places. Those meant a lot to us, and they were my inspiration. I knew the greenery in our flowers would work well with the blues and create a very natural/rustic look. Although, because I wanted our rustic/outdoor wedding to be unlike any other I've ever seen, and bring in other elements of my personality, I added gold, for a touch of elegance and glamour. I simply couldn't resist! Our flowers were initially to be white and green, but as we got further into the wedding process, I fell in love with this mauve colored rose, and decided to add those into our flowers for a pop of color. I had a vision in my head and Sarah really helped bring that vision together, and comfort me when I couldn't always see how it would turn it out in real life. I can honestly say it turned out better than I imagined. My dress was a Matthew Christopher 100% silk mermaid gown. I had a lot of ideas when I started looking, but the one thing I was consistent about was finding something that was simple and elegant, but different enough to stand out. I wanted to shine in the dress, as opposed to wow, look a that dress. The dress I chose was not the dress I thought I would end up with, but it was absolutely perfect. Understated, elegant, and so me! I completed the look with a birdcage veil, simple solitaire diamond earrings and necklace, and my favorite accessory was the Valentino rock stud shoes! I felt like that added a modern edgy touch! For the bridesmaids, I let them choose...everything! Needless to say they were a little surprised at how laid back I was. I gave them guidelines when it came to their dresses. Which included suggesting a few designers I loved, colors to choose from (blue and gold), and the only true requirement was length - they had to be long. Again, I was pleased with how well it all came together. They chose their own jewelry, shoes, hairstyles, makeup, nail color. They all looked beautiful, and I absolutely loved that all of their different personalities shown through their choices! Aaron wore a black Calvin Klein tux with a white tux shirt and black tie, and his guys wore charcoal suits with a white shirt, no ties, and cowboy boots. The boots were a nice touch, because that's what they are all comfortable in. I don't think I would have gotten them in anything different even if I'd asked. But again it showcased their personalities! As you can imagine, music for the ceremony and reception were very important to us. I wanted the Prelude and ceremony music to match our elegant attire and have that classic feel to it. For the prelude, I chose artists like, The Chiffons, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Merle Haggard, Sam Cooke, Andy Williams, John Mayer, and Chris Stapleton. The wedding party walked out to "Tenerife Sea" by Ed Sheehan, and I walked down the aisle to the romantic instrumental version of "Moon River." I'm a huge "Breakfast at Tiffany's" fan. Aaron and I walked back down the aisle to "You Make My Dreams Come True" Hall & Oates. During the reception, we brought out a lot more country music! Since both of our families are country music fans and we also had a lot of industry people there. Needless to say, there was plenty of two-stepping and line dances! 90's country, mo-town, 90's pop, and even some 80's! We tried to pull out all of the classics! The night ended with those who were still there heading inside the house, where we set up a PA system and passed the guitar around to all of our talented friends and musicians. It was a magical and unforgettable night! Couldn't imagine a better way to start our lives together!