Erica of Bride Brite's Fun Nashville Engagement Session | Nashville Bride Guide

Bride Brite Co-Founder’s Fun Nashville Engagement Session

Filled with vibrant colors and so much joy, we are obsessed with this fun Nashville engagement session. Erica and Ryan, co-founders of Bride Brite, hit up various spots around the city with Sharon Theresa Wheaton to capture the excitement of their new chapter ahead. It’s no surprise that they not only looked stunning, but that their best accessories were their smiles. It was very on brand for this pair — their pearly whites popping like the champagne they broke open at the end of their session. There’s a lot to see and be inspired by with this one. Enjoy some of our favorites below!

How did you get engaged? Tell us about your proposal.

Erica: Back in March 2019 (crazy to think that was almost 2 years ago), my parents were opening up a restaurant in Murrel’s Inlet, SC. We had plans on attending the Grand Opening (before Ryan had plans to pop the question then and there). Side note, though both of our families were going to be there, I was NOT EXPECTING an engagement AT ALL because Ryan’s sister had just gotten engaged two weeks prior! Friday started off as a typical day. Ryan stayed at the Bed and Breakfast to “Study” for a licensing exam he had scheduled for the following month. What I didn’t know was that he wasn’t really studying and there was a proposal to plan! So on Friday afternoon, everyone gathered outside for the speeches and ribbon cutting. My dad and his operating partner gave his speech which was central around the theme of opening restaurants with their “better halves.” In addition, he presented large checks to organizations, as the restaurant’s theme is “Good food, Great Value and Giving Back to the Community.” Everything seemed like an “ordinary” ribbon cutting at that time. My dad invited Ryan up in front of the entire crowd to do the honors of cutting the ribbon. I was still aloof to the proposal. In my mind, I was humbled that my father was including Ryan in on the ceremony. Ryan whispered in my ear to come up with him because he didn’t want to go up alone (which again seemed “normal”). Ryan reached for both of my hands, said my full name, and got down on one knee to ask me the one question that I have been dreaming of since the beginning of our love story. It was perfect!!!

How many guests are you expecting?

Erica: HA! How this answer has changed constantly… At this time last year we had plans for a 350 person wedding in Atlanta, GA. Our original wedding day was scheduled to be May 24, 2020. Well… none of us knew or expected that our reality would quickly change from there. After many nights of tears and big decisions to be made, we postponed our original May wedding. We did launch our new company, Bride Brite (check us out at www.bridebrite.co) instead! 3 Wedding Date changes later, we chose to get legally married in my parent’s backyard on October 16, 2020. We are hopeful to complete the Jewish Wedding and Celebrate safely with all of our family and friends October 16, 2021! Our number though… still being hopeful but holding off on Save-The-Dates until the future of the pandemic is a bit more certain.

What’s your most fun purchase/hire to date?

Erica: If I had to choose one fave hire, my vote goes to my AMAZINGLY TALENTED and FUN photographer Sharon Theresa Wheaton! Great news Nashville Brides… she lives in Nashville! She does everything from engagement, boudoir and weddings (of course). Highly recommend ALL of her services! 😉 And in terms of my most fun purchase… easily my wedding dress! I had the BEST experience with FLO at Bridals By Lori, in Atlanta. There were so many dressed to choose from and it was so much fun to play Bridal dress up. Ironically I said YES to the FIRST DRESS I put on. My Eve of Milady Dress is my dream dress!

What aspect of being engaged has surprised you the most?

Erica: All of the twists and turns we’ve been hit with being an engaged couple during the midst of a global pandemic. I do say constantly.. if we can make it through this- we will be able to make it through anything!

What have you most enjoyed about being engaged?

Erica: I have always known Ryan was “The One” but having a “ring on it” sealed the deal! It’s nice to know that you are planning a life forever with your best friend.

Tell us about your engagement session. Where did it take place?

Erica: We had a BLAST with Sharon and her husband, Bowie! We went everywhere in Nashville from Centennial Park, Cumberland Park, Riverfront Park, Pedestrian Bridge and The Nashville Skyline.

What was it like working with your photographer?

Erica: Sharon and Bowie made our whole photoshoot FUN! TBH, our photoshoot might have been one of my fave days living in Nashville. Sharon made us feel comfortable, gave us great confidence and helped position us initially. She supported my wardrobe changes and helped make all of the locations happen. Her energy is contagious and I love that we were able to start building a relationship with her (as she started to get to know us) during our engagement session.

What did you like most about the session?

Erica: Every location had a story: When we got to Centennial Park, it was an extremely hot day and happened to be the day of a festival. It was absolutely packed and parking was hard to find. I chose to change in the car on our way to the shots of The Nashville Skyline. Chose to wear some acrylic heels.. and almost tumbled down the hill. Lucky for me, my amazing fiance carried me on his back to the photo spot. BEAUTIFUL sunset and luckily Sharon captured it all! When we took pics on Pedestrian Bridge, we witnessed an engagement happening right before our eyes! Started crying (which also made for some beautiful shots lol). And finally our champagne shots ended with some people who were homeless asking for our bottle… some other funny and memorable moments took place that day. I will cherish all of these memories forever!

Would you recommend the photographer and why?

Erica: Sharon Theresa Wheaton is talented and her energy is contagious. She is personable, bubbly and so much fun to work with! I was obsessed with our engagement shoot and I know my husband will love the boudoir shoot just as much as I did (women… this is so empowering!). Working with Sharon for us was perfect as she is Nashville/Atlanta based. Nashville brides (and surrounding areas), I cannot recommend Sharon enough! We chose to hire Sharon for our Minimony this past October and this was easily the best decision made. She captured our minimony beautifully! Both of our families love her and her work! Finally I should mention that throughout the time of being a #CoronaBride, Sharon has been nothing but supportive, understanding and empathetic. I re-scheduled my date based on her availability, because I could not imagine not having her a part of my team. If you hire Sharon, you will be so GRATEFUL that you did. Wedding pictures last a lifetime so you should choose an outstanding photographer who can deliver such quality work!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with NBG readers?

Erica: The last thing I want to share with the NBG community is a personal plug for my company, Bride Brite. While getting ready for my original May 2020 Wedding, I was trying everything to achieve wedding white teeth. I could not tolerate the strips (because my teeth were too sensitive) and the cost to get them professionally whitened at the dentist office was expensive! I challenged my dentist fiance, Ryan, to research a way to create a sensitivity-free solution to teeth whitening. Together, we launched Bride Brite. Bride Brite is an affordable and effective solution to at-home teeth whitening, featuring an LED mouthpiece and 3 brush on pens. I am offering the NBG readers 30% off our already discounted prices using promo code “NBG” at checkout: www.bridebrite.co Thank you so much for checking us out and for following us on Instagram!!

Huge thanks to this duo and Sharon Theresa Wheaton for sharing this fun Nashville engagement session! Also, don’t forget to check out Bride Brite!!

Credits

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Wedding PhotographerSharon Theresa WheatonWEBSITE