The Dunn Wedding: A Step Back In Time With A Restored 1920’s Hotel Venue

1. Aubrey, thank you for allowing us to share some details from your special day on our blog! For starters, how would you describe your wedding decor and theme?

I have said how sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong era. Since I can remember, I knew I wanted to step back in time for my wedding. I wanted my wedding to be vintage but with glitz and glam! I chose a 1920s Gatsby style wedding. We had all the pearls, feathers and glitter we could. I went with a darker moody color scheme. My colors were dark navy blue, deep purple with hints of dark green. My wedding took place at a 1920s hotel, (The Read House in Chattanooga, TN) that had been fully restored. It was the perfect location for my theme!

2. What are some of your favorite memories or details from your special day?

There were so many details I loved about my wedding, but a main detail I absolutely loved was having a live string quartet play for my ceremony! It really helped set the theme of my wedding! Leading up to my wedding, I kept saying how it wasn’t hitting me that I was actually getting married after years of waiting! One of my most memorable moments was the moment it finally HIT me. My bridal party had already lined up, so it was just me and my parents waiting. That’s when I realized my dream was becoming a reality! It was a special moment for us, one I won’t forget. I also loved the moment I saw my groom. We kept the tradition that we would not do a first look. The first time we saw each other was when I was about to walk down the aisle—and his reaction was priceless! I also loved doing a father-daughter dance. As a little girl, we would dance together, but as I got older the dances stopped. It was so special that we had our dance at my wedding. 

3. During the planning process or your actual wedding day, were there any funny moments or times things didn’t go as planned? 

We definitely had some unplanned moments. Some were funny and others, not so much. We will start with the funny: The first funny moment was the day before the wedding, one of my bridesmaids had her shoes accidentally thrown away. She had to go on a shoe shopping run hours before the wedding. During the ceremony, my veil kept falling off. At one point, I finally just took it off and gave it to my mom to hold. We also had one of our large floral arrangements knocked over and it made a huge crashing sound during the ceremony. A not so funny unplanned moment: just a few hours before my wedding, I was informed that the musician for the reception was unable to play due to unforeseen circumstances. This was quite a blow to me and caused some stress and tears. Thankfully, I have an amazing family and bridal party who were there for me! A friend was able to step in and play for my reception! They definitely saved the day!

4. How did you find the perfect wedding dress?

I was quite surprised how smoothly it went in finding my wedding dress. I was already prepared that I might have to have my dress handmade since it’s very hard to find modest wedding dresses. For my first wedding dress shopping day, I picked out two local stores. One was a very nice boutique and the other was David’s bridal. The first stop was the boutique. They had gorgeous dresses, but they were going to require a lot of fixing to make it modest. And they were quite hefty in price. Then it was on to David’s bridal. To my surprise, that’s where I found the ONE! It had all the details and glam I wanted, was modest, and to top it off—more than half the price of the others I had tried on at the boutique! I also had an overskirt made from a shop on Etsy. It was the perfect dress and exactly what I envisioned!

5. Is there any advice you would like to share with future brides out there?

My biggest piece of advice I can give is this: No matter how much you plan and try to keep everything in order, there will be things that don’t go as planned. Do what you want and don’t worry about what others may think. It’s your wedding day, your special moment. It doesn’t matter if people approve of your decisions; as long as it makes you and your groom happy—do it! You’re not there to please everyone. It’s okay to take suggestions, but in the end, make sure you chose what you and your groom want. It’s also okay to let others help you out, so don’t be afraid to delegate. Last but definitely not least, remember to pause and soak in all the little moments. It goes by fast! Before you know it, you’re waking up the next day thinking... wow, did that just happen!? And believe me, you will forget things! So be sure to enjoy every moment!

6. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding or love story?

Like most married couples would probably say about their love story, Tyler's and my love story, I feel, is unique. It’s unique in that our story is one of patience and trust. We both had to trust in God's timing. Growing up, I had the ideal plan on when and how I was going to get married, but God had a different plan. He knew what I needed despite what I thought I wanted. If there’s one thing we would tell people who find themselves waiting on the spouse God has for them, it’s this: Don’t limit God!! God had bigger and better plans than what we had in mind. So while you’re waiting, put God first and FULLY trust Him. His timing is always perfect!

7. Thank you so much for your time, Aubrey. Before we go, we’d love to know who your photographer was?

My photographer was Luxamore photography based out of Chattanooga, TN.