Amanda + Garrett's Wedding - Lisa Shelby Photography

Amanda and Garrett looked absolutely gorgeous on their wedding day and every detail was absolutely perfect!

They chose Benton Chapel on the Vanderbilt University campus for their ceremony venue… The stain glass windows and every aspect was simply beautiful! They chose the perfect location at the chapel for their first look! Check out the images below to see it! Then after the ceremony we headed downtown to Broadway to get a few pictures before heading to their reception! I have to say it was so much fun seeing peoples faces when they saw a bride and groom walking amongst the crowds! Amanda and Garrett have always been so much fun to photograph! They are always up for trying something new and their upbeat, cheery, sweet personalities they are always a joy to be around! Their reception was exactly how I pictured it would be! A fun, relaxed atmosphere and everything decorated perfectly! The reception was at aVenue on 3rd Avenue South and if you have not been there it is amazing! They had a live band and even the bride’s father’s band got up on stage for bit! Everyone enjoyed the music and even the bride’s grandmother got out on the dance floor! Amanda and Garrett’s wedding was gorgeous and so much fun! We really enjoyed spending the day with Amanda and Garrett and their sweet families and documenting the most important day of their lives! Congratulations Amanda and Garrett!!!!

How did you first meet and what were your first thoughts/impressions of each other? Who, what, when, where, and why? Give me the details! 🙂

Amanda: Garrett and I met through an online dating website. I had just moved to Nashville a couple of months prior and was only hoping to make some friends and get to know the city better. In one of his emails, he shared a story about a trip to his friend’s farm and how a cow licked his hand. I thought, “okay, if animals love him, then he’s got to a be a good guy. I’ll give him a chance.” Our first date took place at Bosco’s. Over a pizza and a couple glasses of wine, we spent hours sharing our dreams, values, and what was important to us. We both were secretly noting how similar we were on so many fronts. My first thought was that he was remarkably kind and truly seemed interested in knowing ME.

Garrett: Amanda and I romantically met…..on eHarmony. God used the interwebs to bring us together. Honestly, I couldn’t wait 20 seconds to tell her on our 1st date “Wow, you look so beautiful!” We met at Bosco’s off 21st Ave, on a very hot evening in June and before we knew it we were there for 3 hours and I kept telling myself, Garrett….Don’t F this up, don’t F this up!!

When did you first know he/she was the one? Was there something he/she did?

Amanda: We had been dating for about four months, when we went to South Carolina to meet his parents. It was such a fun trip! I was able to see a whole new side of him with his family – I could really see the love that he has for each person, which helped validate his character. Also, the four-month timeframe allowed me to safely let down my guard, trust that his intentions were good, allow him to truly “see” me – my good qualities and my faults, which was always something that was hard for me to do in past relationships. The freedom to be me and to be loved and accepted was very telling that he was “the one.”

Garrett: I knew that she was the one when we were on the way back from a trip to my parent’s house one weekend. We’d been jamming out to 80s and 90s music and when I said, “Ok, time to take a break and relax a little bit, have you ever heard of Yanni?? At that very moment her eyes got as big as they’ve ever been, we were rejuvenated with energy and were playing hand-violins and composing every brass instrument like we were live at the Acropolis with Yanni himself and conducting his band for him.

Tell me all about the proposal! (Did you see it coming? How long was it in the planning? How did you feel? Nervous, excited, freaking out?)

Amanda: We had talked a lot about getting married and one Saturday decided to go look at engagement rings. I knew at that point that he would eventually be proposing, but I did not know when the exact moment would be. It happened over Memorial Day at his parent’s lake house in South Carolina. We had gone there for the holiday weekend with a few friends. On Saturday morning, we took our dogs for a walk (nothing out of the ordinary) and walked down to a peaceful and intimate boat dock. It was a perfect day – it was warm, the sun was shining, and the water was like glass. I sat down to dangle my feet in the water and noticed he was kind of standing around anxiously. I got to my feet thinking he was ready to leave, and when I stood up, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Upon getting back to the house, we were met by family and friends eagerly waiting with mimomas and cheers! It was perfect. I knew the proposal was coming but I didn’t know for sure when it would happen. I guess you could say it was an “expected surprise.”

Garrett: We went ring shopping together, as I didn’t want to make any life-long mistakes, and once she selected her rings the salesperson whispered….btw that will take up to 6-9 weeks to be designed so, that’s not going to be a problem is it? The next 9 weeks went by v e r y s l o w l y as you can imagine. She knew that the proposal was around the corner after ring shopping but she was getting impatient/feisty and put pressure on me to give an inch on what is taking soooOOoooo long on this proposal, Garrett! haha. I knew of a beautiful water-front amenities area that’s very close to my parent’s house near Clemson, SC and I knew she would never see the proposal coming if I took her on a walk with our dogs away from all of our friends that came along for the weekend trip. I guided her to the end of the boat with the dogs next to us and right when I was about to pull the ring out she says, “Ya know, I think i’ll sit down and put my feet in the water!” I obviously can’t propose while she’s sitting on the boat dock so I just stood there, patiently, waiting for her to get her act together and let me propose already, geeeez!! She slowly got back to her feet and then I said “Amanda Joy…..(insert meaningful romantic words here)….will you marry me?” She then jumped up and down and said Yes.

The walk home was one of the most exhilarating
conversations I’ve ever had. 🙂

Of course the 8 friends that I brought with us for that weekend were all in on the secret, and Amanda was the only person that didn’t know, so they were waiting for us with champagne and congrats banners awaiting our return.

What is the one thing you love most about each other?

Amanda: We respect each other. Out of love comes respect, and respect comes love. And he makes me laugh.

Garrett: We are made for each other. It sounds kinda sappy but we’re certain that we weren’t ready to meet until that first date at Bosco’s. God was finished working on me before introducing her and she’s admitted that she wasn’t ready to meet me yet either. When it’s meant to be….it’s meant to be.

If you feel comfortable, share with me something silly or quirky the other person does that is normally annoying or crazy, but makes you love them a bit more each time… Or you know you love them because when they do it you don’t kill them! 🙂

Amanda: Garrett loves watching or doing anything related to cars. I could care less about them – he loves them. Since we began dating, I have learned the differences between: a 6-cylinder vs 12-cylinder, a turbo vs twin-turbo, a Lamborghini vs Ferrari, synthetic oil vs regular oil. I’ve watched him drive, race, and drool over cars. His passion for something I know so little about makes me happy. Someday I’d love to be able to surprise him with a vintage 1980’s Porsche.

Garrett: Amanda burps!! She does! She doesn’t let it seep out or try to hide it in any way, no no….she intentionally belches then has this cute and feminine “ssscuse me!” It’s kinda priceless.

Besides getting married what is the one thing you are looking forward to on your wedding day?

Amanda: Getting to spend the day with the friends and family that mean the most to us, all at one time. How often does that happen?!

Garrett: We are blessed with great families and the best friends we could ever ask for. I really look forward to bringing all of our loved ones together and having the time of our life! I’m honored to be her future husband and can’t imagine anyone else being by my side.