Whether prepping for a wedding or for a wedding issue of a magazine like NFocus, a clever and creative floral designer can make the event memorable. Among the talented florists Nfocus relies on for inspiration, Ashley Cooper of Forget Me Not Designs helped adorn the photoshoot for our Januar…

When Mary Lindley Carswell and Matthew Hubbard met at a Nashville financial industry event, they both knew they’d found someone special. But their relationship got off to a slow start, officially beginning five years later with a first date at a Nashville institution — Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse. 

If you’re looking for a way to double-down on lasting wedding memories, consider this forward-thinking offer from Oakwood Cleaners and the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists: For every wedding gown the locally owned dry cleaner preserves, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree.

Kacy Bringaze and Michael Young met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2021. She was on a girls hiking trip, and he was at a bachelor party. The two groups ended up at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on Friday night, and Michael asked Kacy to dance.

Zainab Suara and Aaron Rodriguez met in June 2022 at a comedy club in Nashville. “As stage lights bathed the room in a warm glow, I found myself nestled in a cozy seat,” said Zainab. This set the scene for a night of laughter —  and what Zainab calls  a “serendipitous encounter” that forever…

STEPHEN RICHARDS met Lexi Stewart at his niece’s first birthday party in December 2019. Since Stephen was wearing a signet ring on his right hand — which Lexi mistakenly thought was a wedding ring on his left hand — she never spoke to him at the party. Soon after, Stephen asked the party’s h…

I (Gloria Houghland) met Chuck Welch 20 years ago at the 10th anniversary party for Nfocus. Chuck and I are both only children and share a Fourth of July birthday. Chuck has no children, and once my two daughters became parents and celebrated Santa visiting their homes, Chuck and I realized …

Sara Best AND Mason Foote met through mutual friends in Nashville years before they started dating in 2019. Mason proposed to Sara on a mountain while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, on Sara’s 30th birthday in January 2023. They celebrated with her family at an après-ski ten…

Anna Avinger and Kevin Stipe met on a spring break trip to Costa Rica in 2019 when they were both students at Davidson College in North Carolina. Kevin proposed in October 2022 at Anna’s grandparents’ farm in Greensboro, North Carolina. They married at Nashville’s Westminster Presbyterian Ch…

Chuck Rapp and Joseph Gregory met in 1989 at an event called Heart Strings — a fundraiser for AIDS support organizations. “For nearly 34 years, we have been discussing the potential of marriage, but always agreed we didn’t need it,” said Chuck. “Then one day last spring, Joseph came home fro…

Cindy Kent and Keith Gregory both work in health care in Nashville, but that’s not where or how they met. Cindy has been an executive at a Nashville health care company since 2020, and Keith has led radiation oncology operations for a Nashville hospital system since 2021. But the two met in …

Professional soccer player Hany Mukhtar met Ashley Gowder in Nashville through mutual friends. He proposed on a trip to the Florida Keys in March 2022, surprising Ashley as they sailed at scenic Key Largo. Later that year, following an incredible season, Hany was named MVP for Major League S…

Emma Goddard and Steven Daly met at their workplace in 2015 and were friends for several years before Steven took a chance and asked Emma for a date in 2018. He proposed in August 2022 while vacationing at her parents’ condo in Perdido Key, Florida. After a full day of pouring rain, the weat…

Alice Campbell and Robert Brackenbury first met in New York City in 2013, and Robert proposed in August 2022 in the backyard of a Nashville house which the couple was renovating. They married in February 2023 at a private club in Palm Beach, Florida, in a Mizner-designed courtyard under bloo…

Russell Bates and Ben Scott met through mutual friends in Nashville in August 2019. Russell proposed in Cabo San Lucas over dinner at Sunset Monalisa. They celebrated with a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé.

Lauren Rucker and John Pustulka met while working at a Nashville pharmacy. As their friendship progressed, their love deepened, and John surprised Lauren by proposing at Liberty Common — the restaurant where they had their first date.

Mazen Istanbouli and Aisha Suara had similar life stories of growing up in a small town amidst close-knit families. They even ran in the same circles — but didn’t cross paths until a mutual friend’s game night in 2019; in 2022, Mazen proposed at Aisha’s home in the presence of both families.…

Second to a planner, a photographer has one of the most intimate views of a wedding, snapping photos of each and every detail, vendor and moment that make it the most special day for the happy couple. 

Fin Sarratt, an Auburn University graduate, and Karli Ewing, still a student there at the time, met during March Madness in 2019. She visited him in Nashville and eventually moved back home to California, but long-distance was no obstacle for this love as, according to Karli, “We talked and …

Planning a wedding comes with a To Do list feels a mile long, but one of the most fun items to cross off that list is registering for gifts. Starting a new life together is made even more special with fresh household items and meaningful pieces gifted by friends and family that will always s…

Typically held the evening before the big day, the rehearsal dinner is a great opportunity for the happy couple’s closest friends and family to gather, celebrate and share kind words in an intimate setting before the hectic wedding weekend begins.

‘Tis the season to be married – or, rather, to become engaged. The holiday season is the most popular time of year for marriage proposals, and if you found something extra sparkly under the tree this year, we’ve rounded up four ways to keep your ring safe, sound, and shiny to your big day an…

While brides and bridesmaids have well-established rituals leading up to the wedding ceremony, quality time amongst grooms and groomsmen tends to fall by the wayside. We’ve compiled a list of ways for the guys to spend quality time together and for the groom to show he appreciates them.

Ali Wittenberg met Ben Frock in 2017 while they were working at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. After four years of courtship, Ben proposed in the summer of 2021 at the Biltmore Estate in one of the couple’s favorite vacation destinations, Asheville, North Carolina. They married in S…

Matt Peacock and Kate Casey met in 2012, on the first day of school at Boston College, where they lived in the same dormitory. Matt proposed in November 2020. “As it was the depths of COVID lockdown, Matt got creative and decorated the roof of our house in Houston to be a lovely, intimate, f…

Mary Bronaugh and Charlie Jackson met in 1999 on the middle school cross-country team at Harding Academy. Charlie claims he had a crush on her even then. They reconnected in 2020, when they ran into each other at The UPS Store. Charlie invited Mary for a coffee and patiently waited a month b…

Paige Anderson and Edward Rose were set up for a date by a mutual friend in Manhattan, New York, in April 2014. They married eight years later, in April 2022 in downtown Nashville on the pool terrace of the new Grand Hyatt Nashville with family friend Judge Joe Binkley Jr. officiating.

Callie Estes and Reed Cook first met in 2016, when introduced by a mutual friend on the Metro in Washington, D.C., while commuting from work. Reed proposed four years later at the Estes family’s vacation home in DeBordieu, South Carolina, when he surprised Callie with a ring in the gazebo ov…

Olivia Sweitzer and Holden Mobley met in February 2015, when they were students at Belmont University. He was a philosophy major and played basketball for the Bruins, and she was studying music business. They became engaged in December 2019 on a trip to New York. Olivia was led by rose petal…

Sarah Sperling and Kyle Young met in 2013 when she returned to Nashville after 12 years in New York City. At the suggestion of her father, Harvey Sperling, a member of the education council of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, she met with CEO Kyle Young.

A wedding invitation suite does so much more than tell the who, what, where and when. It creates a first impression, captures the couple’s personalities and generates excitement for that special day. From save-the-date cards and custom invitation liners to escort cards and cocktail napkins, …

It was entirely fortuitous that when Terah Shea Kimbrell and Madison Arlington Wenzler got engaged in the Cheekwood gardens in December of 2019, they planned to have the wedding in October 2021. In addition to missing the height of the pandemic without having to reschedule, the long engageme…

Katie Leeper and Tyler Campbell’s love story began in Nashville, but when it came time to plan their dream wedding, they set it against the spectacular backdrop of Katie’s childhood home in Boulder, Colorado. Katie and Tyler met in 2013 at Vanderbilt University — he played baseball and she w…

Nashville native Diana Wallace hadn’t planned on attending a concert over Memorial Day 2019, much less meeting her future husband while there, but that’s what happened when mutual friends introduced her to Brandon Perdue. They chatted all night, went on their first date a few days later and,…