Ashley & Brent's Wedding - Tara Lauren Real Love Tara Lauren

Ashely & Brent’s wedding was a chic contemporary affair that fused their New York, Florida and Nashville roots.

The perfect gown to compliment Ashely’s sleek wedding vibe was our VALERIA gown. Of her VALERIA gown, Ashley said: “The dress that I chose was the VALERIA gown, a very sleek contemporary style. The dress was a total showstopper and I added a slit for an extra personal and modern touch! I have never felt more beautiful than on my wedding day in my stunning gown. I am so happy that I walked into my appointment that day and found my dream dress from Tara Lauren.”

Names: Ashley & Brent

Wedding Date: 04/17/2021

Guest Numbers: 135

Wedding Location: Ozari Nashville, TN

Photographer: Kathy Thomas Photography

Tell Us Your Love Story

How did you meet?

Two and a half years ago, my brother introduced me to Brent. Brent and my brother, Austin, were watching an artist at a local brewery. Austin told Brent, “You need to meet my sister Ashley!” and he called me right then and there, and thrust the phone at Brent. It sounds like an awkward situation, it should have been, but it was quite the opposite. We connected almost immediately, and although I was a tad skeptical at first, it was clear that we had stumbled into something special. Brent lived 4 hours from Orlando, where I was living at the time, so we spent many hours getting to know each other over the phone. We fell very quickly for each other and four months later, we decided to elope at a quaint, albeit slightly cliché, chapel in Nashville.

How did he put a ring on it?

We eloped! Our elopement was our engagement. The idea to elope came as we were traveling from Florida to Tennessee for his sister’s wedding, and for hours we mauled over the decision. We were more than ready to be married after only 4 months of dating and we both began to see the truth in the cliché saying “when you know, you know”.

Where did you draw inspiration from?

A large part of my inspiration came from my travel experiences, along with where I’d lived. I wanted a New York City wedding with a touch of my Florida roots in a Nashville venue. I wanted to pay tribute to all the places I love most, and the groom gave me full creative license to do my thing! The goal was to create a simple, but timeless look. Walking into the venue on our big day and seeing how it had all come together took my breath away. To see what I had envisioned brought into reality, and all of it made possible by the efforts of my friends and vendors, was a truly heartwarming experience. I shared my vision with them, trusted them fully, and they nailed it!

What made the wedding personal to you?

There were several elements of my wedding that made it very personal to me. I asked my Nana, a pastor and one of the strongest influences in my life, to be the officiant. It was also deeply personal to us having our loving families present after a year of quarantine and two years after eloping. Another element that was personal was being able to custom design all the earrings as favors for my bridesmaids, moms, vendors, and guests. Being an earring designer, I knew this was something I wanted to do, but when I actually started creating them and saw how they came out I teared up. I loved being able to gift these women with custom gifts made just for the day.

What were you most nervous or excited about?

My husband is an amazing singer and song writer and he secretly planned to write and sing me a song with his band on our wedding day, which is the sweetest and most romantic thing ever! It didn’t stay a secret for long though because my husband is not good at hiding anything. On the day of our wedding, he told me that he was nervous because he had a raspy voice from so much talking (and celebrating) the weekend leading up to the event. I was so worried he wouldn’t be able to perform so I hyped him up and he
went through with it! There was honestly not a dry eye in the venue.

Now, the most important part – the Dress!

Tell us about your dress?

Katie, the owner of Emerson Bridal was a dream! She put so much into the experience and made it very special. During my first bridal appointment, I picked my 10 favorite wedding dresses, and the majority happened to be Tara Lauren. I had a blast trying them all on and 3 dresses in, I found the one. I tried on all the gowns I had picked out but kept coming back to the 3rd. The dress that I chose was the VALERIA gown, a very sleek contemporary style, and I added a slit for an extra personal and modern touch. The dress was a total showstopper! I paired it with earrings that I designed and created and a capped veil with lace edging. I have never felt more beautiful than on my wedding day in my stunning gown. I am so happy that I walked into my appointment that day and found my dream dress from Tara Lauren.

What stockist did you get it from?

Emerson Bridal, TN

What was your most memorable moment from your day?

The most memorial moment of the day was our first dance together as my uncle sang ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. The moment was so sweet after eloping in a few short months after meeting, and never having had a celebration with family. The lyrics made me laugh because we really felt like we related to “only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.”