When I initially met with Helen about her daughter Beth’s upcoming February wedding, I got very excited when she told me that the ceremony would be at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. I have only had one other opportunity to shoot at Idlewild, and it absolutely stole my heart with its stunning Early-American Gothic architecture.

Beth and Tyler’s Peabody reception was so fun, and one of our favorite bands, Infinity Show Band, kept the party going. Beth and Tyler, thank you for trusting us to capture your day. It was perfect in every way.

“While I don’t remember specific dreams of a wedding when I was a little girl, my twin sister and I were flower girls at a wedding at The Peabody when we were three or four years old. An often-told family story is that we cried when we had to leave because we wanted to live there with the ducks! Though I do not remember being there as a child, the Peabody turned out to be the perfect venue for our dream wedding celebration all of these years later.” – Beth

“Many family heirlooms were incorporated into the day. Our flower girl, Tyler’s niece Kennedy, wore the dress that I wore as a flower girl at a wedding at The Peabody about twenty-five years ago! For my something old, I pinned my great-grandmother Alma’s diamond pin to the inside of my dress. I also wore the pearl bracelet that my dad gave my mom on their wedding day. From Tyler’s family, I wore a coin in my shoe that has been carried down the aisle by generations of Reed women. I loved having pieces of all of these family traditions and beloved family members with me throughout the day.” – Beth

“I initially did not want to have a first look, but chose to do so because it would be completely dark when the wedding ceremony ended. To my surprise, the first look ended up being the moment I looked forward to the most by the time our wedding day came around! It was great to have a few private moments with Tyler, and it allowed us to spend more of our wedding day together as a couple.” – Beth

“Tyler and I were initially set up by his boss at the bank where he worked, who grew up with my parents in Grenada, MS. Though we texted a little bit at that time to set up a date, we never went out! Six months later, we matched on a dating app, and he recognized me from the initial setup. We had our first date, hit it off immediately, and have been together ever since. We could have been dating six months sooner if we had gone along with the setup! Tyler always says our story is proof that things happen in their own time.” – Beth

“I knew I wanted the proposal to be intimate, but also include our friends. About a week before the proposal, I asked her friends to help me recreate our first few dates, making sure that none of them seemed like my idea. Our first date was breakfast at Brother Juniper’s, so I had our friends invite Beth and I to breakfast there on the day of the proposal. Our second date was at Crosstown Concourse, so I had another one of our friends invite a group to Crosstown Brewery that afternoon, where we enjoyed a beautiful winter day. Then we came back to my house, where I had the patio setup with lights and a fire, and all of the notes Beth had written to me over the year we had been dating. I proposed there where we had spent countless evenings getting to know each other and falling in love.” – Tyler

“Beth and I are both from out of town and have chosen to make Memphis our home. Though we have both lived here for years, many of our friends and family had never visited before. It was amazing to see everyone from Ohio, Atlanta, Mississippi, Paris, Tennessee, and elsewhere celebrating together here in our city. We loved hearing about what they saw (and ate) while they were in town!” – Tyler

“We were married at Idlewild Presbyterian Church, where I have been attending since I was a student at Rhodes. Our close friend and my roommate from college, Elizabeth Hollingsworth, is a minister there and officiated our ceremony. It was incredibly special to have someone who knows us and our relationship so well perform the wedding ceremony. Tyler and I spent a lot of time planning the service together, from choosing the hymns and scripture to deciding on our vows.” – Beth

“Idlewild does not allow photography during the ceremony. Therefore, forcing photographers to get creative. As I discovered at my last Idlewild wedding, the crack at the bottom of the door is much larger than the eye-level opening. If you get down Indian-style, lean way over, and press your lens against the crack, you are able to get a very hazy, but extremely artistic shot of the bride and groom. It is challenging, but it’s worth it, in the end, every single time.” – Ann-Marie

“Mona Dunlap was our wedding planner, and she did the most amazing job! I did not have a very clear vision of how I wanted the wedding to look, and she turned my scattered ideas into a gorgeous and cohesive event. She collaborated with Greg from Garden District to plan the look and feel of the reception, which had a classic winter wedding feel. Of course, we also love the Taylor Square Photography team. Neither Tyler nor I enjoy having our pictures taken, but you all made it easy and kept the day running smoothly!” – Beth

“I advise other brides to accept help if someone wants to help you! My mom was the biggest help and support throughout the wedding planning process. She did the bulk of the planning and really took the burden off of me, and I can’t thank her enough!” – Beth

“Someone had advised me to take some time and focus on each other as you are being pulled in a thousand different directions at the reception. Our favorite memory was towards the end of the night when Beth and I stepped away to a balcony overlooking the reception. We spent a few minutes talking to each other, actually getting to eat some cake, and looking around at all of our family and friends gathered there enjoying the band and the night! We felt so lucky to be there together and to have all of their support.” – Tyler

Lead Photographer: Ann-Marie Wyatt | Second Shooter: Mackenzie Rue | Dress Designer: Rita Vinieris | Dress Store: Maggie Louise Bridal | Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Sung; Bella Bridesmaids | Tux: Jos. A. Banks | Cakes: Cakes by Mom and Me | Ceremony Venue: Idlewild Presbyterian Church | Reception Venue: The Peabody | Coordinator: Mona Dunlap | Flowers: Garden District | Invitations: Menage Stationery | Rentals: White Door Events | Band: Infinity Show Band | Rehearsal Venue: The Rendezvous | Videographer: Duncan Lindsey Multimedia | Caterer: The Peabody | Hair: Jeni Sanders | Makeup: Chelsea Prince |