Bride: April Robinson, Mergers and Acquisitions Manager

Groom: Josef Robinson, Corporate finance professional

Date of Wedding: 05/26/2012

Location: War Memorial Auditorium, wmarocks.com

Photographer:  Gregory Byerline, gregorybyerline.com

Hair: Tracy Wiggins of Design Interventions

Makeup: Tessa Shaw

The bride on her special day:

“Our theme was contemporary Hollywood glam. We were going for a luxury look that resembled going to a fabulous Hollywood event. Our planner translated our vision perfectly! We wanted to use flowers sparingly, and only where they could be statement pieces. 

“Overall planning was fun (with the exception of the budget tipping the scale). I read a random article in a men's magazine on how to keep your guy engaged during the planning process. The main advice was to pick one night of the week to talk about wedding planning so the guy is not overwhelmed or bored (or just terrified of his blossoming Bridezilla) and that’s what we did. Thursday nights over dinner was our standing meeting time and it worked perfectly. He actually was looking forward to talking, making decisions, and getting updates. Our personalities were ideal for this, as the details we left mostly to our wonderful planner. 

“We had our fair share of hiccups, but met them with our number one weapon in life: laughter! (Because, I mean, what else is there to do a month or so before the wedding when the beautiful outside portion of your venue is being used as the Occupy Nashville sit-in/sleep-in headquarters?!)”

Wedding Style

“My dress went with our theme. And shopping for it went with my life—drama free! I saw the dress in a magazine and immediately fell in love and didn't want to look at anything else. I delayed going to try it on because I was nervous about not loving it as much in person as I did on the page. A 40% off sale spurred me into action. I scheduled an appointment and went alone on a very normal Saturday. I tried on that one dress and my love was confirmed. I purchased it immediately. The entire process took less than 30 minutes, and I was off to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants!

“I added some blinged-out accessories, including a beautiful crystal belt I found online. I loved everything about my look!”

Most Memorable Part of the Day

“The entire ceremony. The violinist, the outside space, the long and dramatic aisle, the grandness of the panoramic view, and the emotion. I'm really close with my pastor from my hometown of Albany, Georgia. He was gracious enough to travel to officiate our wedding. Before marrying, Josef and I had been together for nine years, so it meant the world to us both to have him there. It was beautiful.

“He told a story of the email I sent him requesting that he officiate the wedding and how beautiful and meaningful the words were describing our love. He later read it to a couple contemplating getting married and asked whether they felt that same way about each other, and if not, they should reconsider. I felt Josef clench my hands tighter in his as my pastor relived the story. We ponder on my pastor’s challenge to us expressed through the vows we exchanged sometimes when we’re having a disagreement. We will always remember the fullness of that day.”

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