Three days before their official wedding I joined Allison & Joseph as they eloped at the courthouse, got wedding bands tattooed on with Kelli Grey, and played with their puppers. It was such fun & intimate way to start a marriage! Their original wedding venue randomly shut down two weeks before their wedding— which could have made the day feel really stressful, but honestly thanks to all the amazing vendors (links at the end of post!) and the couple’s super laid-back vibes it went off without a hitch! They had all kinds of amazing details including glam-goth black candles and chargers that made their reception space feel even more moody and romantic, custom leather jackets for all of Allison's side of the wedding party, and the biggest bridal bouquet I have ever seen. When I asked each of them their favorite parts of the day Allison said, "Probably the greatest moment was how personalized my brother made our ceremony. It was so extremely us (bold, unconventional and full of love and laughter) and it was everything we could have wanted in a ceremony." and Joseph said, "My favorite moment was when we got to sneak away during cocktail hour! We snagged a bottle of champagne and a plate of appetizers from the caterers and just got to enjoy some alone time for a while before the reception began. It was the perfect way to start the night." I ALWAYS recommend trying to plan for some alone time on the wedding day to take it all in and I am so glad they got the chance to! 

As a fellow travel lover, I really loved another detail they described, "We also had an atlas as a guest book and asked for our guests to choose somewhere in the world that we should go. We plan on traveling all over the world and each time we go somewhere new we are going to look at the guest book, see if anyone recommended it, and send them a note about that place once we have returned." I absolutely love this idea and hope they make it to Iceland one day so I can get a letter about it. A few more awesome reception details were signature cocktails inspired by their dogs (Lexi’s Lemon Drop, Ford’s Puppy Paloma, Frankie’s Fizz), a caricature artist that created custom portraits for guests, two chocolate fountains, and of course late-night Taco Bell delivery. 

One of the funniest moments of the day for me was when we went into Please & Thank You and everyone there was obviously paying quite a bit of attention to them...I kept saying "nothing to see here!" until people pretended to ignore us so we could get some portraits. Honestly, I wouldn't usually show up to such a busy spot for wedding photos, but after seeing their outfits we knew we HAD to get some photos in front of the jukebox. The Refinery has a million amazing spots for photos, but since Allison's best friend is getting married there later this year (remember, the random venue change two weeks before the wedding?) we thought having some images around Nulu would make sure they had plenty of photos that looked very different from each other's. Side note: while we were running around the neighborhood another photographer saw us and assumed I had planned a styled shoot because of how AMAZING and fashionable both of them looked. That's a big compliment because I don't think I could even plan a styled shoot as unique and stylish as their wedding day was.

I'll leave you with some advice from the couple, "The only advice we can give to future couples is to remember that at the end of the day it is only about the two of you. Do WHATEVER YOU want to do and do NOT let others influence you in any direction or any way you do not feel that is true to yourself.”

If you're looking for more intimate wedding goodness this Nashville treehouse elopement was so much fun and if you are looking for more ultra-cool couples to crush on then Felicia & Brennan's greenhouse wedding will do the trick.

Venue: The Refinery // Coordinator: Marcie Hancock with A Thorough Fare // Florals: Jeanie Gorrell Floral Design // Custom Leather Jacket Designs: The Bash Box // Groomsmen: J. Alan Formalwear // Officiant: Allison's older brother, Shane Henshaw // Gown: Badgley Mischka Bride via Relix Bridal // Groom's Custom Tuxedo: Hellman Clothiers // Groom's Shoes: Christian Louboutin // Groom's Tie: Brackish //  Catering: Masteron's // DJ: Masters of Music // Videography: By Design Films // Hair Stylist: Hair by Maddie Woff // Makeup Artist: Dawn Phillips // Wedding Band Tattoo Artist: Kelly Grey // Wedding Nails: Varnish Nail Shoppe // Wedding Band: Consider The Wldflwer // Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes // Chocolate Fountain: Louisville Chocolate Fountain