Lauren & Everett: A Gilded Bride Story

blog-only, Gilded Brides, Uncategorized, Wedding Inspiration

Lauren & Everett: A Gilded Bride Story

Jan 25 2023

Lauren and Everett hold a special place in our hearts. Everett got down on one knee during a Gilded photo shoot! After seeing Lauren in one of our dresses for their engagement, we couldn’t wait to see which dress she picked for their wedding day…and she knocked it out of the park. Her custom Wtoo gown was perfect for their colorful fall wedding! Read through for more of their love story (and some helpful tips for brides-to-be)!

Lauren & Everett | October 15, 2022 | Highrock Farms – Oxford, NC

Photographer: Arika Jordan Photography

How did you and your spouse meet?

Everett and I had a mutual friend that introduced us initially, but we really became close after my dad passed away in high school. He showed up to my house during that difficult time and was just always there for me when I least expected it, and our friendship quickly grew into a relationship in the months after that!

How would you describe the vibe of your wedding?

The vibe of our wedding was definitely romantic and ethereal. We wanted everything to be as timeless and elegant as possible, while still embracing the fall colors and rustic feel of our venue. I’m not afraid of color, so all of my bridesmaid’s had different color dresses and those colors were throughout our invitation suite, rentals and other things as well.

What risk(s) did you take when planning? Did it pay off?

I would say designing our wedding invitations was a risk. There are so many different methods of printing and choosing what to do was really difficult for us because I know all of the different things that are possible but I’m so glad that I did our invitations and paper goods for the day. I’m a professional stationer and would highly recommend not cutting corners when it comes to vendors. At the end of the day, you want vendors that you can trust and it’s worth spending a little bit more to have reputable ones.

Another big risk was having so much color for the wedding, but it paid off for sure. The colors with a pop of gold everywhere looked phenomenal and really popped in the rustic barn at HighRock Farms.

What did you love most about your wedding celebration? What are some of your favorite details or special moments?

Lauren: Something that I will never forget is the anticipation I felt once I was dressed and ready and waiting to see Everett for our first look. I just was so ready to be with him and it was magical to see his reaction to how I looked. We also had the most perfect fall day to get married on and it made having an outdoor cocktail hour that much better, and because we had taken all our family portraits and wedding party pictures before the ceremony, we actually got to enjoy cocktail hour for about 30 minutes. The other thing that truly surprised me and was so special were the speeches at the reception. All the speeches were so heartfelt and made me feel like we were so loved by our family and friends – I honestly still get teary-eyed thinking about them. My favorite details would be the food and the cake, our music playlist and our florals. So many guests said our wedding was the best one they’d ever been to and that our food/cake was the best they’d ever had at a wedding, and I felt like the day couldn’t have been any better.

Everett: Besides finally getting to marry my best friend and biggest fan, the single best part of the day was seeing Lauren for the first time in the highly anticipated dress! To that point I had only heard how amazing the dress was, but her in that dress was more than I could have ever imagined. The dress itself was beautiful but it also perfectly highlighted everything that was so beautiful about her. I was filled with every emotion one could have seeing their wife for the first time!

Quick back story: I didn’t want to do a first look, and Lauren talked me into it, not only for the time it saved so we could enjoy our cocktail hour but also it would be a very special moment for us. The whole day I was glad that we choose to do a first look, because every 20 minutes I was asking when I could see Lauren! Before we were even married, SHE WAS RIGHT! So, long story short, the “first look” was hands down my favorite moment/memory of our wedding day.

What advice do you have for brides looking for their wedding dress?

I would say don’t go into it with an exact idea of what you want. I really was very open to any style, and it was so much more fun trying on different styles that I wouldn’t necessarily have seen myself in. And because I didn’t have preconceived notions about what I thought I might want, the two dresses that were my favorites were exact opposites and both gorgeous in their own way, but the one I chose was a clear winner for me because of how it made me feel. I’d also say go for comfort and what you feel beautiful in over everything. I was able to not wear Spanx or a bra because I went for what made me feel good AND what felt good on my body. I also didn’t have to wear heels in my dress because I ordered for my height not my shoe height, and I’m so glad that I did that. I ended up not having to get my dress hemmed and was able to wear comfortable shoes on the day of our wedding.

What made you fall in love with your dress?

I fell in love with the lace and the shape of the dress. It was sexy but romantic at the same time! I also knew that adding sleeves on this dress would be gorgeous for what I had in my mind!

What advice do you have for brides currently planning their wedding?

It may sound cliché, but don’t sweat the small stuff and book your vendors as early as possible so you can relax. I booked most of my vendors within two months of getting engaged, and I was so glad that I did so that I could relax for the rest of my engagement and just enjoy that time with Everett and not be so stressed. I would also highly, highly recommend planning with your to-be partner and not always doing just what you want because it’s so much more fun that way!