If you’ve been following along for quite some time, you may recognize Summer and Russell from their adorable surprise proposal that we featured a few months back. Today, we’re so excited that we get to share their engagement session! When planning on what to do for their photos they wanted to keep things casual, but also have formal photos too. With the help of their photographer Ashton Brooke Photography, they got the best of both worlds! They started off their fun yet elegant engagement session in their home with their pup Rooney making an appearance before heading to Union Station Hotel. Both styles of photos are so beautiful and sure to inspire! But don’t just take our word for it, have a look for yourself!
How did you get engaged? Tell us about your proposal.
Summer: Oh boy! So it was my birthday weekend. We started at Bourbon Steak downtown at the JW Marriot around 5 PM on Saturday. I got ready for what I thought was my “birthday dinner” and honestly, did not have one OUNCE of a clue. He was acting like he always does, just doing house chores and yard work all day. We end up having a great time at Bourbon Steak (of course eating to much…) and we get in the car and are heading towards our house in East Nashville when we take a left and pull into Nissan Stadium. Now, I never really question Russell because everything we do always ends up being something fun or something I’ve never done before. So we start walking towards the river (in heals..) and we get to the spot where he popped the question and had a blanket all laid out, champagne and a cooler already waiting for us. I was thinking.. “WOW he went all out for this birthday!” NO, NOT EVEN CLOSE – I hear movement behind me, turn and see our dog Rooney running towards us with a sign that says “Will you marry my Dad?” I BALLED. I was a wreck.. I mean, sister, I CRIED. We ended up taking photos and having the BEST time. I was SO shocked. Afterwards, the surprises didn’t stop. He planned a party with 50+ of our closest family and friends! Truly, was the best night of my life.
How many guests are you expecting?
Summer: 175 Guest
What’s your wedding budget?
Summer: Our budget was $25,000 and we are definitely trying to stick to it. That’s as long as long as I don’t get to crazy with all the fun things!!
Who have you hired for your wedding team so far?
Summer: Everyone has been hired so far. Our vendors have been a dream to work with – I wish they could all celebrate with us the whole night.
What’s your wedding style?
Summer: Classic Elegance – I love modern vintage so classic elegance just seemed fitting.
What’s your most fun purchase/hire to date?
Summer: Gosh there are so many of them! I loved the catering because who doesn’t love a good taste testing 🙂 But I have made so many genuine friends through the process I would say they all hold a special place in my heart ❤️
What aspect of being engaged has surprised you the most?
Summer: The stress – The stress can get to you but I would just say do what is most important to you and your fiancé and let everything else work itself out. At the end of the day you both are sharing a moment you both won’t forget and those are truly the only two people that matter on this day anyways!
What have you most enjoyed about being engaged?
Summer: How exciting the whole thing has been. Your family is excited, friends are excited, co-workers, distant relatives & so on. It’s been such a fun topic to always bring up and everyone is genuinely so excited for you and your fiancé 🙂
Tell us about your engagement session. Where did it take place?
Summer: Well we decided to do two very different looks – We started with a very casual look inside our East Nashville home. Second look was a more elegant, dressed up look. We took photos in and in front of Union Station in Downtown Nashville and some in front of the Frist Art Museum!
What’s the significance of the location(s)?
Summer: The first location in side our East Nashville home has a significance because we both renovated and started our relationship here so we wanted some casual photos here to remember our journey in our sweet cottage. The second location didn’t have much significance. We both love old architecture and wanted that portrayed in our photos as well.
What was it like working with your photographer?
Summer: Ashton is a DREAM photographer. She truly goes above and beyond for her clients all while being so professional. She was always ready for anything we threw at her and she knew the best angles to get us where we looked our absolute best. She seriously cannot produce one bad photo. I am so thankful that she’s been apart of our engagement, now engagement session and future wedding. She is 100% the best in Nashville.
What did you like most about the session?
Summer: Just the opportunity to be ourselves. I told Ashton my idea of wanting to do an in home shoot and she was completely game from day 1 and that’s all I could ask for. She made us feel comfortable and beautiful all at the same time. We really just cannot say enough about her.
Would you recommend the photographer and why?
Summer: As soon as we met Ashton we knew he was the right person to capture our special day, pictures last a life time and we could not have gotten anyone better. We felt so relaxed with her from the start and we highly recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their special day. Every photo shows the dedication and hard work that she puts into her work and we feel truly honored to have her for our special day.
It’s always a pleasure to share couples multiple times on our site, especially if Ashton Brooke Photography is behind the lens! Thanks so much for sharing your fun yet elegant engagement session with us, Summer and Russell!
