REAL BRIDE: Lauren

Lauren + Shawn

10.23.21

Lauren and Shawn’s beautiful fall wedding had everything they asked for. From moody jewel toned florals to a stunningly simple Rebecca Schoneveld gown, every detail went off without a hitch. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is hard work, so Lauren and Shawn enlisted the help of our friend, Mallory, over at Wildly Yours Weddings and together they transformed their venue into a romantic backdrop for their perfect day.

Keep scrolling for all the details that went into Lauren + Shawn’s day, as captured by the wonderful Meredith Graves Photography.

P.S. Wait until you see the trees really show off. You might just scream like I did.

How did the two of you meet?

“We met at my Maid Of Honor’s graduation party! She had been friends with him for years and was trying to set us up. We actually were both adamantly against being set up, and ignored each other for the first half of the party! I’m not sure what happened to cause us to start a conversation, but we realized quickly while talking, we had great chemistry…and the rest is history.”

Where did you draw your inspiration + ideas from?

"I love fall colors, and I’ve always been a big fan of the “simple, yet timeless” look. My dress, our color scheme, decor…I wanted it all to be elegant and timeless, but also slightly glamorous and have a little bit of fall moods mixed in.”

Tell us about the proposal!

"For the first 10 months of our relationship, I was still in college, so it was a lot of driving back and forth between KC and my college town. We went back to my college town for homecoming a couple years after I graduated and he proposed where our relationship first began!”

How did you decide to get married on 10.23.2021?

“We knew we wanted to get married in October and thought 10/23/21 had a nice ring to it :)”

How did you know your gown was the one?

“I went into SWBB and had an idea of what I was looking for. I showed my consultant, Anna, an example of what I wanted and she put me in some gowns that were beautiful, but not the one. Finally, she told me she had a dress that was almost identical to the one I had showed her. She said it wasn’t actually a dress on the floor, it was on the mannequin in the shop display, SWBB had just gotten it in the week before, and I was also the first bride to try it on. I felt like it was fate, honestly. I put it on and knew.”

What was one of your favorite moments from your day?

“Our first look!!! It was such a beautiful moment - we read our vows together and it was by far both of our favorite parts of the entire day. I think another stand out moment for us was our last dance. This was something we didn’t even plan. Our coordinator, Mallory, talked with our DJ and they decided to play a last dance for us before we left the venue. Brandon, our DJ, played Piano Man by Billy Joel and all our friends and family circled us as we danced. We could hear them all singing along as we were dancing, and it was truly a moment we will never forget.”

What advice would you give to other brides in regards to dress shopping?

“Stuck with your gut and remember this is YOUR day. Pick a dress that fits what YOU want and what fits your wedding aesthetic. Everyone will have opinions, but it’s your opinion that matters. You will know when you put on the right dress, and don’t let anyone sway you if your gut is telling you it’s the one!”

Did you have a specific theme in mind while planning?

"I absolutely love fall colors, and I knew I wanted emerald and navy. We also both wanted gold wedding bands, so I knew I wanted gold decor and accessories to go with our rings. The only feature I really wanted in our venue was exposed brick, and we absolutely loved the look of our venue. I was aiming for a “soft glam moody” type of vibe and tried to find decor and accessories that fit! I gave our florist a general color palette (I told her moody jewel tones) and let her pick everything. Our wedding coordinator, Mallory, was amazing at supplementing decor I had already bought with her inventory, creating our signage based on the overall feel of our wedding and then arranging/decorating it all so it looked fantastic.”