Abbie & Taylor’s wedding was a romantic vision of rustic charm set in a barn with enchanting backdrops of lush greenery and white blooms.
Of her MONTGOMERY gown, Abbie said: “After trying on gowns from multiple designers, I knew I was a Tara Lauren bride! The MONTOMGERY gown was perfect – I wore the overskirt for the ceremony and sunset pictures, and took it off for the reception.”
Names: Abbie & Taylor
Wedding Date: 06/05/2021
Guest Numbers: 165
Wedding Location: Shadow Creek Wedding & Events, VA
Photographer: Ray Photography Co.
Tell Us Your Love Story
How did you meet?
We met freshman year of college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We were in the same dorm complex and had multiple classes together, like Calculus 3 where I made sure Taylor stayed awake and made it to class on time for quizzes! Taylor tells me that he went home for the first school break and told his sister that if he was going to date anyone at WPI, it would be me. I didn’t know this, nor did I know Taylor even liked me, until Sophomore year winter break when we started chatting more and bonding over our love of snowboarding and the show Wipeout. We returned to school after winter break and went on our first date which happened to be snowboarding, and the rest is history.
How did he put a ring on it?
After college, Taylor moved to Hoboken, NJ and I moved to Cherry Hill, NJ where we spent countless hours on the Jersey turnpike driving to each other’s apartments. We then spent another year and a half doing long distance when Taylor moved to Virginia for work. In 2017, I moved to Virginia and we finally lived 15 minutes from each other instead of 1.5 or 3 hours! We moved in together in December 2018, and got engaged October 18th, 2019. On that Friday, Taylor asked me to go down to the river by my parents house, which we so often do. Taylor said he wanted to take a picture of me, and when I turned around he was down on one knee. We celebrated on the dock with champagne then came back to the house and both of our families were there to celebrate with us!
Where did you draw inspiration from?
Taylor and I wanted everything about our wedding to be rustic and simple! I always knew I wanted to get married in a barn surrounded by lush greenery and white flowers, and so I ran with that vision. I was so fortunate to work with amazing vendors that saw my vision and made all my dreams come true!
What made the wedding personal to you?
It meant the world to us that everyone traveled from all over the country to celebrate our wedding day with us, so for our escort card display, we hand wrote letters to each of our guests to thank them for being there. Our wedding favors were small bottles of wine from my uncle’s vineyard in Ohio and he made custom made labels that said Gabrielle and Taylor. Also, we had a raw Oyster bar and the fishing nets were from my dads work!
What were you most nervous or excited about?
I was the most nervous about our first dance! We spent nights leading up to the wedding watching YouTube videos and practicing our dance over and over again. When we made our entrance and got ready for our first dance, I turned to Taylor and said “I think I’m going to throw up”, and then the music started! But it was perfect and I had nothing to worry about. It was one of my favorite parts of the day.
We were just so excited to see everyone after such a long pandemic! We had family fly in from all over the country to be there, and it meant so much that they could be with us.
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress?
After trying on gowns from multiple designers, I knew I was a Tara Lauren bride! I originally tried on the FREYA gown, but I was still torn on whether I wanted a fitted dress or one with a flowing skirt. I went home and my sister and I were looking at the other options for dresses on Tara Lauren’s website, and my sister found the MONTGOMERY gown and the overskirt, and I knew immediately that was it, before even trying it on! I went back to The Bridal Room, tried it on, and it was perfect! I tried on the gown in the ivory color, but ended up buying the nude underlay and with the top unlined. When it came in, I fell even more in love with it and just felt gorgeous. I wore the overskirt for the ceremony and sunset pictures, and took it off for the reception. Taylor was so surprised when I took the overskirt off to reveal the fitted gown!
What stockist did you get it from?
The Bridal Room, VA
What was your most memorable moment from your day?
I really can’t pick just one! Walking down the aisle to see Taylor in hysterics was so special. I was trying not to cry as well but then walking down the aisle everyone was crying, so that made it almost impossible. Another really memorable moment was trying to take bridal party pictures as hundreds of cicadas were flying around all of us, and even up some of the bridesmaids dresses! We truly had the best day, and loved dancing the night away with all of our favorite people. I wish we could go back and do it all again!
Vendors to credit:
// Photography Ray Photography Co. // Bridal Boutique The Bridal Room // Venue Shadow Creek Wedding & Events // Florals & Design Event Studio // HMUA MAB Artistry // Caterer Savoir Fare Limited // DJ Black Tie Entertainment //