Modern Glam Wedding in Music City

High School sweethearts Lola and Gideon have known each other since childhood, having grown up together in church.

“Both of us had always known there was just really something special about each other,” Lola fondly recalls, looking back on their youth. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in April when Gideon planned their perfect proposal opportunity under the guise of a “girl’s weekend.” Surrounded by her girlfriends, Lola “almost buckled at the knees” as she rounded a corner to find Gideon down on one knee, asking for her hand in marriage. Read all about their love a story and wedding experiences!

Bride & Groom: Lola & Gideon
Wedding Date: Oct 19, 2019
Wedding Location: Nashville, Tennessee

How did you meet? We have known each other since we were literally kids too young to understand anything about the world. We grew up in church together and both of us had always known there was just really something special about each other. We became friends, then through that friendship fell in love with each other in high school, even though one of us didn’t understand the feeling of love at the time! The proposal itself came years later after we had both graduated from college.

Tell us all about the proposal! It was a beautiful Saturday morning (April 21, 2018). He had my girlfriends convince me they were coming to Nashville just to see their best friend and have a girls’ weekend. We got all dressed up, nails were done, hair was done with the assumption that we were going out for a photo shoot. Needless to say, by the time we arrived at the love circle, I was in a deep state of confusion, and as we walked up the steps I began to hear Daniel Caesars “Blessed” playing from a speaker somewhere. We rounded the corner and there he was. I was lucky enough to have my girls with me because I almost buckled at the knees. Needless to say, I let out quite a few tears as I said “YES” and he put the ring on my finger – it fit! Now we’re here today enjoying this journey called life with each other.

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? My husband and I are both Nigerian and Nigerians love to party! We wanted a wedding that held true to our individual personalities, but that at the same time honored our roots. Naturally throwing money had to be involved (literally throwing money). My husband is more easy-going and loves the classics, whereas I am a lover of all things glitter and glam. The bigger the better! With the help of Elliot Events, we were able to come up with a color palette that was as cool as my husband but also as vibrant and over the top as I am!

Let’s talk about wedding decor. We honestly had no concrete design elements going into our wedding planning to start. We knew we needed someone to help us pull the creativity out of us. Elliot events came up with a flawless design based off of my jumbled thoughts. We went with Black, White, and Gold with accents of Green and some beautiful crystals. Elliot events designed an out of this world floral chandelier, in the middle of the room that still has my guests fawning. It also had the world’s most dramatic and glamorous see-through crystal chandeliers!
Florals played a major part in our design! As I mentioned before we had a grand floral chandelier in the middle of the room. And a white and green floral centerpiece in the middle of almost every table. My bride tribe and I all had white rose bouquets. The same type of flowers was brought into every aspect of the reception. They even surrounded the base of my cake. My mother in law loved the floral pieces so much she took as many as she could home for her house.

How did you both choose your wedding day look? My Husband knew from the get-go what he wanted to wear. His look was probably the hardest to find honestly, as many shops that sold tuxedos didn’t carry his vision. He didn’t want a typical black tuxedo, but he still wanted something that was classic. He opted for a white dinner jacket with black shawl lapels, black finishing, paired with black tuxedo pants, and loafers to bring it into the 21st century. His tuxedo shirt was textured and paired with a black knit bow tie and a two-button low-v waistcoat. My dress was a custom made dream, from Olia Zavozina. Olia and I had multiple planning sessions to figure out exactly what I wanted in a dress. I knew I wanted something that wasn’t overly bedazzled but still made me feel like a princess. My dress was a pure white thin ball gown with a sweetheart neckline. A white and gold raised lace covered the bodice and created my wrist-length sleeves. The back of the dress featured a deep-v and pearls that spanned the entire length of my neck and down the cathedral-length train. My veil was royal cathedral length and featured the same lace that was on my dress.

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day? Getting to see the reception hall before everyone else did. We were wondering how the sketches and hours and hours of planning were going to translate into the room. Marathon Music Works is an empty warehouse-type space. So getting to see that entire room transform before everyone had a chance to sit in it was phenomenal. Even my husband who is usually very put together lost it when he saw the space. Oh and the food, I couldn’t wait to dig in!

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day? Do your research and definitely get a planner. I am so glad I did. I took my time and really looked for the person who I thought would best be able to bring my vision to life. It saved us from a ton of headaches. Getting a knowledgeable, well-informed wedding planner who has your best interest at heart is the best thing any couple can do! They will always steer you and your vision down the eighth path. And make sure they aren’t afraid to tell you the truth. Mine wasn’t and I’m so thankful for her.

Vendors:
Photographer: Matt Andrews Photography
Event & Floral Designer: Elliott Events
Equipment Rentals: Quest Events
Invitation Designer: Dear Addie Fine Stationery
Ceremony Location: Vine Street
Cinema and Video: Peerless Films
Bakery: Copper Whisk Cakes
Dress Designer: Olia Zavozina
Reception Venue: Marathon Music Works