Morgan and Chad decided to make their wedding truly their own by adding many personal touches; Hello Kitty onesies as gifts for the bridesmaids, Chad’s own graphic design of whiskey labels for his groomsmen, a poem the groom wrote for his bride, and Morgan’s mom’s wedding dress turned into a jumpsuit for the happy couple’s exit on a Vespa! Morgan’s gown by Hayley Paige is swoon-worthy to say the least, and the simply stated but gorgeous florals by Enchanted Florist were absolute perfection. We are so lucky that Amilia Photography was there to capture every beautiful moment. And make sure to grab the tissue before you watch the video!
What made the wedding special and unique?
I feel like our ceremony was pretty special. We didn’t see each other until the beautiful chapel doors were opened and I started walking down the aisle. Chad and I also wrote our own vows and didn’t share them with each other. Chad wrote the most beautiful poem that I will remember forever!! I also think the people who attended made our wedding especially wonderful. Our friends and family were amazing on the dance floor. Our venue reps kept saying “we’ve never had a wedding party dance this much!” There was never a lull on the dance floor–it just kept going until we had to leave!!
Tell us about your gown and how you found it!
A few months before Chad and I were engaged I saw a photo of a groom holding his bride in this beyond gorgeous gown. I didn’t know the designer and the photo was in black and white, but the gown just seemed perfect. After I got engaged, I made a few appointments for a weekend when my mom and aunt were going to be in town. Our first appointment was at The Dress Theory in Nashville. I wanted to go there first because I knew they had Hayley Paige and I was super pumped to try on her dresses. I showed Bre (she’s amazing if you’re in Nashville at Dress Theory) the black and white photo and she said “oh I’ll pull that dress for you”. I was SO excited they had that exact dress and it was a Hayley Paige gown. It was the second gown I tried on and the moment I looked in the mirror I had that moment that you see in all the cheesy wedding movies where the bride cries and the dress is perfect. I tried on a few more dresses because why not and then I put the Hayley Gown by Hayley Paige back on and cried happy tears again. That was it. I found my dress in one afternoon, the first place we looked within 30 minutes of shopping. It was PERFECT. I hate that I only got to wear it once!
What were some touches that made the wedding more personal?
I feel like our whole wedding was so intimate and personal. Here are a few that were extra special to Chad and I:
– I gave my bridesmaids Hello Kitty onesies to wear instead of robes. I have a weird obsession with Hello Kitty and all my besties know this about me. I also got them little bracelets with coordinates of the place that was special to us engraved on them. (for example, my friends I met in college got the coordinates of Auburn University on their bracelets)
– Chad designed whiskey labels for his groomsmen. He’s a graphic designer and spent months perfecting his special label for all of his friends.
– Chad and I didn’t have a first look, but it was really important to me to have a first look with my dad and my brother. We are so close and I knew having that special moment with them before all the craziness began was going to be important for my family!
– Our vows were so special and I just start crying every time I see our video and Chad saying his sweet poem!
– Before we were announced at our reception, we got to get in a boat and wave to everyone from the little lake across the Quarry.
– My favorite little touch was my leaving outfit!! My mom really wanted me to wear her wedding dress! She had preserved it for 30 years and it was in mint condition. I wanted to cut it shorter and wear it when were leaving, but I knew Chad wanted to leave on his Vespa. A short dress was NOT going to work on a scooter, so I decided to turn it into a jumpsuit. Only One Tailoring did an AMAZING job turning my mom’s dress into the perfect jumpsuit to leave in. I loved it so much and it was my favorite little touch!
Amilia Photography | www.amiliaphotography.com
What was the most memorable part of the day?
Chad says his most memorable part of the day was driving over the quarry and waving to everyone while we were taking photos. We got to see all the people we love in one place and it was incredibly special! I think the most memorable part to me was when the doors opened and I got to see him standing at the end of the aisle. It’s just such a cool feeling. It’s like a new beginning, but with someone you already love so much!!
Tell us how you met/got engaged.
Chad and I met at Acme Feed & Seed at a 90’s dance party in downtown Nashville. We eye-flirted at the bar and he danced over to me on the dance floor and we ended up talking for about 3 hours that night. He asked me on our first date the next Friday, which was Valentine’s Day, and we ended up on an 7 hour date and from that moment on it was a done deal. We fell HARD and it was so great. There was never any guessing with him. He asked me to be his girlfriend a month later and two years later, we were married!
Chad started out the engagement process by getting our friends to send a group text asking everyone to go to Acme Feed and Seed (where we met) on Friday, August 26. Of course I said yes (because who doesn’t love a good hang on a roof top bar)! He picked me up on his Vespa and drove us downtown and parked close to Acme. We received messages from our friends saying “we’re gonna be late” and “we can’t find parking.” Those little liars!! Chad made an excuse to walk along the river to the Ascend Ampitheatre Park (where you can see all of downtown Nashville). He told me he needed to take photos of downtown for a graphic design project he was working on. So I grabbed his phone and started getting the best angles possible, crouching down and walking all over the park to get my shot. At this point I’m pretty hot and sweaty and I asked Chad if we could go inside. He kinda took a step back, looked at me and said “sure sweetie, but I’ve gotta ask you one question first”. He proceeded to get down on one knee and told me how much he loves me in his sweet, fighting back tears voice. He told me that I’m his very best friend and he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else and ends his tear-filled spill with the classic, “will you marry me, sweetie?” Obviously, I’m shaking and not believing it’s real and screaming yes and we stood up, hugged and kissed…then I felt all these warm hugs snuggling us from behind and he surprised me with our families coming to watch our precious little moment! We ended the night with dinner and celebratory champagne at Flyte, and it was more perfect than I could have ever imagined!
Morgan & Chad Trailer from Phillip Colling on Vimeo.
Photographer: Amilia Photography // Florist: Enchanted Florist // Venue: Graystone Quarry // Videographer: Colling Films // Wedding Dress Designer: Hayley Paige // Bridal Shop: The Dress Theory // Caterer: Chef Penelope // Hair & Makeup: Brynn Boyd // Cake: Desserts by Leland // Bridesmaids Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu // Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse // Jumpsuit: Only One Tailoring