Fate took the lead in Hadley + Chris’ love story. The two knew each other in middle school and reconnected after college only to find true love! By remembering hardships and lost loved ones, the couple said some heartfelt vows and not a single eye was dry during their ceremony at Graystone Quarry. Their real Nashville wedding was decked out with greenery and ivory along with lilac and blush accents. Evin Photography captured each detail in it’s beautifully natural form. Scroll down to read more about their love story from middle school up until today straight from bride, Hadley!
Hadley + Chris
Graystone Quarry
6.16.18
From the bride, Hadley: Chris and I met when we were about 10 years old. I had just moved from Chicago to Hopkinsville, KY and started middle school at a tiny little school. He was the grade above me. Since my class had 15 kids in it and his had 30, we were all friends. Chris and I spent a lot of time together throughout middle school and high school but never dated! I did have a crush on him and even made him go to homecoming with me one year, but he wasn’t interested at all! We ended up parting ways and went to separate colleges. We never kept in touch, but ran into each other after we both had graduated college. One date, and we knew- that was it. He moved to Louisville within 4 months, where I was living and going to medical school, and we were engaged 2.5 years later. It was all so easy because we skipped that getting to know each other stage and we already knew each other’s family.
From the bride, Hadley: Being in medical school and planning a wedding in a different city did not sound easy. We decided on Nashville because that’s where my family lives now and his family is about an hour away. I thought it would be terrible planning a destination wedding, but with Graystone Quarry and the team they have, it was a breeze! They are an all inclusive venue, so they provide everything and let me design a Pinterest board and took care of the rest. I wanted an elegant but relaxed wedding – nothing stuffy. And that’s exactly what we got. I wanted all greenery with little color but Chris and my mom talked me out of that and I’m happy they did – the dessert rose and light lavender colors were perfect.
From the bride, Hadley: What makes our wedding so special is that we wanted it to be sentimental and “us.” My father and brother passed away during high school and it was important to me to have them as close as possible during our big day. My godfather officiated our wedding – he was my dad’s best friend and he worked SO hard to make the ceremony perfect. My dad’s other best friend and a close family friend did a reading during the ceremony. We wrote our own vows and Chris couldn’t even get through his (he cried the whole time!). The joke in our family is that he didn’t actually write any–he just started crying to cover that up (haha!). We had a unity candle to represent everyone that wasn’t there. Our wedding party was full of people we have both known since we were 10, with the addition of a few college friends. My brother in law walked me down the aisle to give me away and Chris’ brother and sister in law sang “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele during the ceremony.The majority of our friends came from Chicago, NYC, or KY and we had an entire weekend planned for them, from welcome drinks at the hotel to a catered Sunday brunch at my mom’s house in Franklin. It was a family affair but an elegant one.
Hadley! Thank you for sharing all about your wedding day at Graystone Quarry! You can check out more real Nashville weddings on Nashville Bride Guide!
Sources
Evin Photography/Emily Lindsey and Nancy McEachern/Graystone Quarry/Chef Penelope/Dessert Designs by Leland/Matt G Video/Posh Bridal Nashville – Matty/Enchanted Florist/Designs in Paper/Erin McGee/One10Beauty/Emerald Empire Band/Hadley Burns/Badgley Mishka
