L + A
Not gonna lie, we were totally fangirling when Lauren + AJ decided to get married at E. Lauren is an artist who owns the most beautiful shop full of art, home goods, and more! Check out her website here! Their wedding day was full of so many magical moments. We hope that you enjoy their story + gallery as much as we do!
“AJ and I met in October 2019 through Highland Park KLIFE, a youth ministry we both volunteer for. I had just moved to Dallas from Colorado a week before, and AJ had moved here from Oklahoma a couple months prior. KLIFE organized an outing for leaders to the Texas State Fair and AJ and I met casually in a big group of other leaders. Toward the end of the night, we were chatting and walking with the rest of the group when AJ saw a friend from college and stopped to say hi. By the time they were done talking, the rest of our group was gone. We tried to find them for the next half hour, getting lost together and hitting it off the whole time. It seemed like we had just about everything in common. We both had friends in Dallas before moving, and they happened to be the same friend group, since we all had overlap from working at a camp years before called Kanakuk. From that night on, it seemed like we were constantly running into each other, hanging out together with our friends, and naturally getting to know each other more. In December, we went on our first official date, and the rest is history. In July 2020, on a trip to Colorado to see friends and family, AJ asked my dad for his blessing, and he proposed September 12th on the rooftop of his office in the Design District in downtown Dallas. We are so thankful that the Lord brought our lives together in His perfect timing.”
“Our good friends got married at the Emerson and AJ said it may have been the most fun wedding he had ever been to. We knew we were sold on the Emerson from day 1 because of it’s elegant, minimal aesthetic, gorgeous soft neutral tones, fun dance floor and reception layout, and incredible staff. We felt like the Emerson also provided everything for us, even picking the minimal package option, making it SO much easier to plan out the big day.”
Here are some of L’s favorite moments from their very special wedding day – “We had a rainy April wedding day which turned out to give us the perfect soft lighting inside the chapel for our early evening ceremony. The lighting was everything I had dreamed of and our pictures turned out perfect. The acoustics in the chapel while everyone sang a worship song were beautiful. The rain held off for the beginning of our reception and the outdoor dance floor under the strung twinkle lights was the perfect spot for cocktail hour, bridal party announcements, and our first dance. Another favorite part of the day was our dance party. The Emerson had the perfect setup for our DJ to use strobe lights and speakers so that the dance floor extended from inside of the reception house to outside on the concrete dance floor patio.”
We couldn’t love or agree with L’s wedding planning advice more! Having trustworthy friends + family who are eager to help execute the details of your day is a game changer. “I would say when it comes to planning, stick to a big picture plan and delegate people to make sure it happens, but don’t get too caught up in all of the details. A lot of our general plans were set early on such as catering, flowers, and colors, and my Pinterest boards were immaculate, but I’m a very visual person but not a huge planner so it took an army of the most incredible friends, bridal party, and family to make it all come together. There wouldn’t have been a wedding without all of their help. I would also say, don’t be afraid to get creative with decor. I saved money and had more fun finding creative solves to things. I really wanted cream, raw edge linen napkins for our reception but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on rentals. I ordered cheesecloth fabric off of Amazon and one of my best friends came over one night, put on a movie, and helped me cut the fabric into 200 napkins. The end result was exactly the look we were going for and we saved so much money. And lastly, some good advice we received was that during the engagement season, make sure to plan dates with your significant other where you intentionally don’t talk about anything having to do with the wedding.” We love that she mentioned ways that you can get creative with your wedding decor + how you don’t have to forfeit the things that you want just because you’re trying to cut costs!
Congratulations again, Lauren + AJ! Your wedding was a total dream day! Redden, this is one of our favorite galleries that we’ve ever received. Each photo is magic!
