Outdoor October Forest Wedding
Alex and Ben – October 27, 2023
Alex and Ben’s outdoor October forest wedding at Chapel in the Hollow was a true fairytale come to life! The chapel was adorned in pure white, perfectly complementing our bohemian florals for a touch of rustic elegance. Alex looked absolutely enchanting in her sleeveless dress, featuring an illusion top and a multilayered skirt with a mid-length train. Her draped veil and pearl-covered boots added a unique and magical touch to her bridal attire. Ben was the picture of sophistication in his navy suit with purple undertones, perfectly matching the elegance of the day.
As a symbol of their everlasting love, they exchanged white gold bands during the ceremony. Before the big moment, Alex and Ben shared a special first look, an intimate and heartwarming prelude to their vows. Their journey down the aisle was made even more memorable with two adorable bubble girls preceding the bride, spreading joy and laughter. As the anticipation built, Alex’s father had the honor of walking her down the aisle, creating a beautiful and touching moment for all to witness. The ring exchange was a playful one, as Ben’s four friends handed him the ring box, joking that it was extra heavy—creating smiles and laughter all around. Alex carried a stunning dried flower bouquet and boutonniere, perfect for their autumn forest wedding. Wishing this extraordinary couple a lifetime filled with love, laughter, and countless magical moments!
From the Bride:
Ben and I were in the same math class my Junior year of high school. We sat next to each other, and clicked pretty quickly. We would spend hours talking on the phone, and ate lunch together. We were just friends, but even then Ben made me feel comfortable and safe, and I’ve always had a little bit of a crush on him. We lost touch after high school. Ben messaged me on Facebook in October of 2018, and we started talking again. Our relationship picked up effortlessly, as if no time had passed. Except now we were a little older, and a little less awkward. I looked forward to getting off work so I could call him, and fell asleep talking to him more than once. When our schedules finally lined up, we met at Dogwood Park in person. We walked and talked for hours, got burgers from “the Beacon” (Steak n’ Shake), and donuts from Ralph’s. I was so happy to see him again.
We saved for months to be able to go on a little vacation together. We rented a cabin in Gatlinburg, and booked all of our adventures and dinner reservations way in advance. The night before, while we were having dinner at The Greenbrier drinking fancy drinks and pretending like we had money, Ben stopped and told me he was planning on proposing the next day. We both teared up a bit, and talked about what that meant to us. It wasn’t a surprise, I knew he had a ring and we had been talking about it and playfully proposing to one another for a long while, but that really made everything feel real. The next day, we had an amazing couples massage, wandered around The Island in Pigeon Forge, got lunch, and went on a wine and moonshine tour through Gatlinburg. After our tour, Ben picked out a restaurant and got us a roof top table. After we ate, he called me aside to an open area knelt down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes. Our waitress took our photos. All of them are blurry. All of them are beautiful.
We are from Cookeville (Middle Tennessee), and have both grown up going to the smokey mountains on vacation, so we decided to have our wedding there! I am looking forward to marrying my best friend. We started dating “officially” on Oct. 27th, 2018, and Ben proposed Oct. 27th, 2021. We have celebrated this as our anniversary for 5 years and decided to keep the same date.
For fun, we host board game nights with our friends regularly.
