From friends to significant others, LauraBeth + Jack’s love for each other grew over time. The couple would see each other from time to time throughout college, but as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Fast forward a few years to their wedding day, LauraBeth + Jack chose an industrial setting at ONE Cannery Row and kept the decor dark and moody. Britt Renee Photo‘s style was the perfect choice for this aesthetic and you can really feel the emotion of the day! From their emotional first look to the night portraits beneath the city lights, see their full day below!
LauraBeth + Jack
ONE Cannery Row
11.11.17
LauraBeth on how they met: Our relationship was less of a whirlwind romance and more like friendship-at-first-sight, which evennntttuualllyyy turned into an undeniable love. We met my freshman year of college at Western Kentucky University. Jack was in town (he’s originally from Bowling Green where I went to college). His first cousin, who was also my college roommate and sorority sister, introduced us at a small get-together. From the get-go, my roommate was pretty adamant that Jack and I would be a “thing”. And we did hit it off at our first meeting. I noticed right away that he makes me laugh, he’s good looking, kind and respectful, but a relationship was not something either of us were looking for at the time. Over the next several years, he’d pop into town and meet up with his cousins. I was always so excited to be invited along. There was no denying that Jack was someone I was drawn to. In 2012 he was playing professional baseball in California. We talked on the phone for months, getting to know one another on a deeper level through phone calls and texts. When he eventually came back to Kentucky during his baseball off-season, that was pretty much it! We were officially a thing. Throughout our entire friendship-turned-courtship I always saw a kindred spirit- a deeply intelligent and humorous man, who was just opposite enough of me to open my world, and me to open his. Even though it took a while for life to finally bring us a window to be together, I’m so grateful it finally worked out. I genuinely can’t imagine it any other way.
LauraBeth on how they got engaged: January 16, 2016. There was certainly some buzzy energy in the air that morning. I chalked it up to the fact that we were leaving for a trip to Puerto Rico later that afternoon. The morning was unbrushed teeth, coffee, last-minute packing, charging the Go Pro, and confirming details of a kayaking trip we had signed up for in PR. It was no surprise to me when at one point, he called to me from the other room for me to fetch the CS Lewis book he had stowed away in the side pocket of his backpack. He claimed he had written a confirmation number for the kayak excursion on the last page of the book. In my reaching into his backpack, instead of finding the book, I grasped a small box- “Fink’s Jeweler’s” was scrawled in fancy font across the top. There was no denying this was a ring box. PANIC ENSUED. Oh noooo, I accidentally found something I shoudn’t have….yet! In my panic, I threw the ring box from my hand and immediately twisted my body toward the other room, praying that Jack hadn’t seen me commit this crime.
And there he was. Right behind me. On one knee. Actual ring in hand and actually asking me to say yes.
Once I realized that NONE of this was an accident, I melted into his arms, a putty of relief and pure elation. YES!
The Go Pro that was “charging” on the countertop nearby was capturing the whole thing.
As simple as this proposal may seem, Jack put so much forethought into the little details still mean so much to us. I loved that he chose to ask me the most important question of our relationship, right there in our own sacred, little space. In this space, we had the time to revel in the moment and to soak up the excitement about this next step in our lives. After all- from the beginning, through the middle, and to the end- our relationship will be just us two. The intimate proposal also inspired the idea for the private vow exchange at the first look on our wedding day.
LauraBeth on their wedding details: The look I was going for- warm colors, cozy and intimate, vintage touches, industrial feel. The wedding planning process took the better part of a year. I knew I wanted a fall wedding, in the city, and with a “dark, moody, and romantic” theme. My intention was to lean into several different aesthetic vibes without dipping into any overt themes (ex: dark and moody- not gothic, 1920s but not straight Gatsby-themed, fall/winter colors but not pumpkins/pinecones). We made choices that may be a bit unique or odd, but in the end I thought they came together to be exactly what we were looking for! For example, I chose black tapered candlesticks on ornate, gold candelabras, while going a bit lighter with the table cloths, so it brought jusssst enough darkness overall to make the space feel old and enchanting.
Jack and I both are drawn to warmer, industrial-style settings. We wanted the exposed brick of a big warehouse, without losing the warmth, coziness, and intimacy of a smaller venue. From the moment we stepped into space (One at Cannery Row), we knew this was the perfect aesthetic backdrop for the type of celebration we wanted to create. We also focused on ease for our guests. We wanted them to be able to step through the doors of the venue, grab a glass of champagne, and settle in for a great night. For food, we stayed true to our Kentucky roots and served an up-scale southern meal and a custom cake from Dottie Cakes in Bowling Green. Chef’s Market prepped mini Kentucky Hot Browns, shrimp and grits, friend green tomatoes for hors d’oeuvres. For dinner, we included bourbon braised short rib and smoked gouda mac-and-cheese. I had no doubts that Brittany’s photography style would perfectly capture the over-all feel of our day. We loved the candid shots! We also appreciate the way she captured the subtleties- everything from the people in attendance to the minutiae of the decor- her photos were absolute perfection. We look back on our day and are truly blown away by the team of vendors that were willing to work with us. Nashville has some incredible talent! Each vendor went above and beyond to make our wedding day exactly what we hoped for.
What an incredible day! Thank you for sharing all of the gorgeous photos with us, Brittany! You can check out more of Britt Renee Photo’s work here and also be sure to follow her over on Instagram!
Sources
Brittany Houser/Britt Renee Photo/The Cannery Ballroom/Humble Flowers/Music City Tents and Events/Nashville Audio Visual/Tyler Davis/Chef’s Market/Annelise Carey/Stephanie Hoskins – Synergy Salon/Dottie Cakes/Tim Hiber
