Shannon and Robert

Todays real Tennessee wedding was brought to us by Kara Jo Photography. Shannon and Robert were married October 9th, 2010 at Carahills II just outside of Memphis, TN. This wedding is filled with so much love and really reflects their personalities. Read on to hear more from Shannon herself.

What was the most anticipated moment of your wedding day? The moment I looked forward to the most on our wedding day was seeing Robert for the first time. I was excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time as I waited for the day to begin, but seeing him for the first time and being able to spend a few moments with him before the ceremony really calmed me and let me know that everything was going to be okay.

What was your favorite moment your photographer captured and why? My favorite moment our photographer captured was us sitting on this beautiful sofa at the wedding venue just admiring each other. I think it really captured how I felt that day…relaxed, beautiful, and loved.

Tell us your proposal story: Robert and I had a big family dinner at my house planned for Christmas day 2009. Most of our immediate family members, including our moms, brothers, and sisters, had come over that day to enjoy the food and festivities. With it being one of the first large family gatherings I had hosted in a while, I was consumed with my hostess duties that day and was just really enjoying having the family around for the holiday. After plenty of good eating, gift giving, and some fun family games, I finally had a few minutes to rest and reflect on the day and realized Robert had disappeared, so I went looking for him. I found him in my bedroom having a conversation with my mother, which I immediately thought was odd because I had no clue what they could possibly have to talk about in private. I quickly excused myself and after a little more pondering, I finally realized what was about to happen (Robert had hinted about an impending proposal in the weeks prior, so I figured this must be it). A few minutes later, Robert calls me back into the room and says he has something he wants to tell me. In front of my mom, he begins telling me how much he cares about me, how much I mean to him, and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me, all the while I’m smiling from ear to ear. He then pulls out a beautiful engagement ring and asks me to marry him. I laugh, thinking to myself “he’s so cute when he’s nervous” and “I can’t believe this is actually happening”, and of course I say, “YES!” My mom realizes that Robert has forgotten something, however, and says, “Aren’t you supposed to get down on one knee when you propose?” Robert quickly gets down on both knees and asks me to marry him again. By this time, I am totally tickled and I say, “YES”, again. Robert, my mom, and I take a few minutes to soak it all in and laugh about it together, before making the announcement to the rest of our family and enjoying a perfect ending to a wonderful Christmas day.

Did you do any DIY projects? Yes, I was a DIY queen during my wedding planning (laughing). I spent a lot of my wedding planning time reading wedding blogs to get inspiration on different DIY projects that I could incorporate into my own wedding. I wanted to break tradition, not the bank. I ended up designing my own save the date magnets, invitations, photo guest books, wedding programs, wedding favors, reception signage, gifts for our mothers and my husband-to-be, wedding stationery, and thank you cards.

What are you most looking forward to about being Mr. & Mrs.? I am most looking forward to sharing the very best years of my life with Robert and my new family.  Their love means the world to me.

Photographer Kara Jo Photography

Wedding Planner Caroline Rogers with Carahills II

Caterer CFY Catering, LLC

Florist Haute Horticulture

Cake Cakes by Keshea

Invitations MonogramWedding.com

Bridal Shop David’s Bridal

Ceremony and Reception Location Carahills II

Transportation Alamo Rent A Car

Videographer E-Tre Productions

Ceremony Music Lyrika Holmes

Reception Music Michael Adrian Davis

Formalwear Men’s Wearhouse

Hair Stylist Madalyn Johnson

Makeup Artist Kanesha Perry