A 901 day Wedding in Downtown Memphis at Jack Robinson Gallery | Kaitlin & Zach
“Oh, man. The day of our wedding was a blur and a million years all at the same time. When I first got to Robinson, I was able to keep myself busy spending time with my groomsmen. We just messed around, had a few beers, and slowly got ready as we waited for everybody to show up. My tie was actually way too long, so I had to re-tie it about twelve times to get it to be the right length, which a groomsman did for me. At one point, my groomsmen and I moved out to the main lobby of Robinson, and had a very serious moment, where they poured into me and shared things they respect about me, which made me want to cry.”
-Zach
“I really wanted olive branches incorporated into my bouquet, and after asking around I had multiple florists say that my request was unreasonable or unachievable, so I did it myself. I am so so happy I did because I LOVED my bouquet. For our wedding, we made every decision based on whether or not it was important to us and that was the best filter for knowing I wasn't going overboard with planning or wasting time on something I wouldn't care about.”
-Kaitlin
“The morning of our wedding was the slowest morning I have ever lived. My bridesmaids so sweetly made me waffles, bacon, and fruit for breakfast (ya girl loves breakfast foods), and my grandma picked me up Starbucks, so I felt super pampered, but I was just so ready to see Zach. As we got closer to the time we'd set to leave, I remember feeling a little more anxious that things were about to get rolling. I was trying to curl my sister's hair, but my hands were so shaky she kept trying to take over.
By the time we finally left for Jack Robinson Gallery, I was kind of discombobulated. I asked so many times, "what's next?" before I was finally told, "THE DRESS." I'd been nervous for a while that I'd feel like something was missing without a mom to help me into my dress, but then Mandy, my stand-in mom through all my teenage years, ended up being at Robinson early and was able to help me tie my dress.”
-Kaitlin
“I chose most of my jewelry with a meaning - my earring studs were from my dad, the earrings I wore were a gift from my brother, and the necklace I wore was the first piece of jewelry Zach ever gave me.”
On our way to the first look, Kaitlin ran into her dad, sweaty from helping set up chairs at the ceremony spot, and reppin’ a Toyota shirt (I don’t know why this was so funny and awesome to us, but it was lol). It was such a sweet, unscripted moment that I loved getting to document. I know most ‘first looks with dad’ are after the suits are on and everything is picture-perfect, but this moment was made even more perfect by the “imperfections”. These will always serve as a little reminder to all the people and love that made this day possible and all the care that went in to the details.
“After I got all emotional, it was finally time for the first look. I didn't really feel the nerves until my feet stopped moving during the first look. As I was waiting there for Kaitlin to finally show up, my stomach was getting tighter and tighter. But finally, when she told me to turn around, it all melted away. I don't know what I expected before, but Kaitlin in her wedding dress, all dolled up, blew me away. It was like the moment I turned around and saw Kaitlin in her dress, I was like, "oh shit, this is real." She looked stunning, and I was so happy with how beautiful her dress looked on her. “
-Zach
“I was just so ready to see Zach. I felt like I'd been keeping this huge secret of my dress from him for so long that I just couldn't wait for him to see me in it, and I was also just so ready to see him. Getting ready with all my girls was so fun, but I found myself wishing on multiple occasions the night before and the morning of that I could be hanging out with Zach and celebrating with him too, so it was just so great to be able to finally be with him and know that he wouldn't be whisked away for the rest of the night.”
- Kaitlin
“We were warned before the first look that the day would fly by after the first look, and that was so so true. I was just so thankful for the quiet moments together before the day literally flew by. “
“After our first look, the day became a blur. One second, we were sweating and taking bridal party photos, and the next, I was jogging down the wedding aisle, fist bumping everybody on the end of the rows. Once Kaitlin walked out with her dad, a wave of emotion overtook me. I feel like I have a million favorite moments from our wedding day, but my number one favorite has to be watching Kaitlin walk down the aisle. I don't think the emotion I felt that day will be something I'll ever feel again. It was a very unique, indescribable moment. I had joked about crying for a while, but I actually did. Couldn't hold it in. The rest of the night became a dancing blur. I don't think I've ever had as much fun or sweat as much as I did that night.”
- Zach
“It was so, so special walking down the aisle and getting to see the faces of all the people I love in one place, and then to see the person I love most waiting at the end of the aisle for me was the best thing ever. “
-Kaitlin
“One special detail (my favorite) was our arch. I got to build it with my dad over the summer, and the memories I have with him in Home Depot trying to figure out how many feet of copper piping to buy and how many elbow connectors we needed are so sweet. “
- Kaitlin
“Once we had our first look, I was just so ready to marry Zach. This day had been coming since before we were ever dating, when Julia, one of my bridesmaids, stopped me in the hallway outside of my apartment after Zach left and said, "You're going to marry him." Everything flew by after that - before I knew it, we were leaving to walk to the ceremony, and then I was looking at the faces of my all favorite people in one place for the first time ever, and then I saw Zach. After that, the day really flew by in such happy moments with so many sweet friends. I was so worried beforehand that something major would go wrong, but everything went more perfectly than I could have dreamed. We even ended up spending the after-party at our college friends' Airbnb, eating cold pizza from our rehearsal dinner and just being together. It was such a perfect day, and I still can't believe it was really real.”
“Kaitlin really wanted an outdoor ceremony venue, but we could not decide on one for the life of us. Vance Park was given to us on a list by someone who worked for Memphis River Parks, so we went to visit late one night after school. It was freezing cold outside and pitch dark. As soon as I turned the corner and looked at Vance Park, something just told me that this was the place I was going to get married. I was waiting for that feeling of being able to close my eyes and imagine the scene at every place we went to, but I didn't feel it until we stepped onto Vance Park. I made Kaitlin wait in the cold for a solid 10 minutes because I just wanted to maintain the immense certainty that this was the spot we were going to get married in. And it was downtown, and only two blocks from Jack Robinson Gallery, so it was a win-win.”
-Zach
“When Chance's new album, The Big Day, came out, we had been really really struggling to find a ceremony exit song. BUT when Found A Good One played, we knew that was it. We literally switched out the song we had chosen on the spot because it was just too perfect.”
“We visited so many different wedding venues around Memphis, but as soon as we stepped foot into Jack Robinson Gallery, We were sold. The original wooden floors, the stained glass, the brick. Wow. I just felt that that was it.”
Zach chose “My Girl” for their mother-son dance because he sang it to her at his kindergarten graduation
(so cute).
“Some love song/slow dance song came on during the reception, and a couple of our friends who are either single or whose significant others couldn't make it to the wedding made a little circle and started dancing with each other. The circle grew until there were tons of people in it, then before I knew it, Zach put us in the middle of the circle and we were just surrounded by so many people we loved, dancing together. I remember joking to Zach about how they had made a Who Village circle and he said, "AND WE'RE THE CHRISTMAS TREE," and it was just perfect.”
- Kaitlin
WEDDING VENDORS
Ceremony: Vance Park
Reception: Jack Robinson Gallery
Florals: Sams' Club & Fifty Flowers
Wedding Dress: Something Blue Bridal
Make Up & Hair: Made Up & Cuttin Up
Catering: Central BBQ
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Shoes: Lulus & Keds
Kaitlin’s Ring: Rosado's Box
Zach’s Ring: Shop Wooden Wear