Ashon and Joe planned a gorgeous spring wedding at Glencliff Manor earlier this year! I absolutely loved photographing their special day, so I invited Ashton to be a part of our “How to Plan a Wedding” blog series. We use this space for our brides to share about their wedding planning journey. If you are a bride planning your own wedding, we hope that you find it helpful!
What was the process like planning a spring wedding?
“We started our wedding planning slow and steady, so we could prevent ourselves from getting overwhelmed. We made it a true joint effort in our planning and had equal say in what was final. It was a fun process that brought us even closer! It made it even more special on the day of the wedding watching everything come to life that we had planned together!”
How did you find your perfect vendor team?
“We knew exactly who we wanted for our venue, photography, flowers, makeup, food, and cake. When it came to hair, video, and our officiant, we had some hiccups. Thankfully, my brother was willing to do our wedding video (and it turned out amazing!). Finally, just two weeks before the wedding, I found a hair dresser, Ashlee Dearing. She was sweet enough to take on our wedding bright and early in the morning.
When Joe and I talked about what we wanted in someone performing the wedding, we knew we wanted someone who was a representation of a Godly marriage, and someone who knew us personally. My best friend’s father, Barry Armstrong, was that person for us, and he was the most perfect choice. He made our ceremony fun, light hearted, and sentimental. We could never thank all our vendors enough for all the beautiful and hard work they put into our day! (Especially Alina Thomas for the GORGEOUS photos we get to look at for the rest of our lives!)”
Tell us how you felt on your beautiful spring wedding day.
“I woke up at 5:30 am because I was so excited! The entire morning, I was completely relaxed. While the ladies were getting their hair and makeup done, I laid back on the couch at the venue with my Starbucks, and just enjoyed the beautiful day and being with my best friends! I felt like an absolute princess when Jessica Reynolds and Ashlee Dearing transformed me into a beautiful bride. And even more so when my mom helped me into my amazing dress! The only time I got nervous was when it was time to walk down the aisle. Once I turned the corner and saw Joe, all of that disappeared, and I was able to enjoy the moment I have waited so long for.”
Are there any special moments you remember from your spring wedding day?
“The entire day was like a dream. The moment I first saw Joe, when I put on my dress, our first dance, the dance with my dad and Joe’s dance with his mom, and my dance with my step-father. But the special moment that I had no idea about, was the dance with my mom that she surprised me with!! I still cannot watch the video without crying.
She came out on the dance floor for our favorite song, Uptown Funk and when the music started messing up, I thought it was the DJ! I looked at the smile on my Mom’s face and thought to myself Wow, she’s handling this mess up pretty well! I’ll just roll with it! Then the song changed to Baby Mine from the movie Dumbo which has always been our special song. I completely lost it at that moment and will treasure our special dance forever.”
How did Joe react when he saw you for the first time?
“He was a little choked up but he held it together really well! He also added a little humor once I got to the end of aisle and said Hey! What are you doing here?! which was another reminder why I was marrying him. He always knows how to make me laugh!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
“I thought I would have post-wedding blues and would be so sad it was all over. However, I’m loving married life so much that I am kind of glad the process is behind us and we can look ahead to a beautiful life together!!”
