Selden and Erim’s wedding was like many we have shot lately. Reduced in numbers, but not in style. Their wedding was at Selden’s family home which made it more meaningful and special for all involved. Selden and Erim also had their fur babies in attendance, and as you will see, Monkey (Selden’s sweet girl) and Cookie (Erim’s handsome boy) tried to make it all about themselves! Selden and Erim, thank you so much for letting us capture such an amazing day!! We are so thankful we could be part of such a special wedding!

“When people get married in Turkey there is a tradition at the rehearsal dinner for guests to come by and pin their gifts in the form of money or gold on a sash worn by the bride as their tribute to the wedding. When I was visiting my grandfather a few years back after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he pulled me aside and told me that he had his wedding gift for me. There was no girl in the picture at the time, but he told me that whoever ended up being my bride this was a gift from him. He gave me a large gold medal, a traditional Turkish gift to pin on my bride, as he knew that he would not live to see the day. It was with great pride that I was able to pin my grandfather’s metal onto my wife at the rehearsal dinner. It honored me and my family greatly and I know he was looking down from heaven with a large smile on his face.” – Erim

“It was extremely important to me to incorporate family heirlooms into the day to honor the ones that were no longer with us. I carried my grandmother’s pin my bouquet during the ceremony and wore my other grandmother’s diamond watch that my mother gifted to me. I also pinned Erim’s grandfather’s gold pin to the inside of my dress, closest to my heart, throughout the entire evening. These simple gestures meant everything to me. It really felt like I had a piece of them there with us.” – Selden

“There are so many moments throughout the wedding that made the day one that I will never forget. On the morning of my wedding day, my sister and maid of honor, Semmes pulled me aside and gave me a book complied of photos and letters. There was a note from each bridesmaid, my stepmothers, my mother and finally, my groom. I sat alone in a side room, flipping each page one after another with tears filling my eyes, completely overwhelmed reading the uplifting and kind words my friends and family conveyed on paper. I have never felt so loved and supported as I did in that moment and I will truly cherish this gift forever. Thank you, sister.” – Selden

“Our two dogs are such a special part of our life together and we knew we wanted our faithful companions included on our wedding celebration. It was delightfully amusing to have them roam around freely throughout the night engaging with our guests, but I particularly loved how they were front and center as we stood at the front of the altar. Our little girl, Monkey is my shadow and trailed me down the aisle wearing a collar adorned with fresh flowers, making her the ideal flower girl. She was even by our side, looking up at us adoringly during our first dance! Since Cookie, our Sheltie, was already in black tie attire, all he needed was a classic black bow tie and a top hat to complete his look. These two certainly stole the show and we couldn’t imagine not sharing our big day with our furry friends!” – Selden 

“Selden and I met for the first time back in high school. We were on our senior trip to the Bahamas. We definitely noticed each other, but only from a far. We knew that we were both going to Washington, DC for college so we thought that might be a good time to hit things off. Life did not work out that way, however, and we only ran into each other once in DC but we both had significant others at the time. Many years went by and suddenly we were both back in Memphis! We ran into each other once at the Dixon and definitely took note that we had people with us. Thankfully, the Internet saved us. One day we were on Bumble and BAM, we saw each other. The rest is history.” – Erim 

“After Erim and I reconnected on Bumble, we met at the Kitchen (now Costal Fish Company) for our first date. I vividly remember not wanting it to end because it was going so well and felt a bit deflated when he asked for the check instead of ordering another round. When he walked to me back to my car, I was completely caught off guard when he leaned in and kissed me! After that night, we were inseparable. Our connection was instantaneous and undeniable. Over the next few months, we spent every moment we could together and invested countless hours getting know each other, talking about everything under the sun – from our families, to our mutual love of politics, to our travels around the world. In just a few short months I knew I was head over heels in love with this man and that I never wanted to spend another day without him.” – Selden 

“I always knew how I would propose to Selden. As a child on my family trip to London, I was very influenced seeing a couple get engaged on the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel that overlooks the breathtaking city. I knew for many months that we were planning a trip to London and knew that this was how I wanted to propose. So, I was sneaky. I rented out a capsule for us telling Selden that we needed a private one just so we could skip the horrible lines. Little did she know that it was because I had secretly arranged for a photographer and tour guide to be there to capture our special moment. On top of the world in London, England I got on one knee and proposed to my wife and asked her to join me in the journey of life.” – Erim

“I always thought I would get married at my parents’ home on Galloway, but when Erim and I got engaged we originally planned on having a large wedding with 500+ guests in attendance and the party quickly outgrew the space. After COVID hit, however, like most engaged couples, we were forced to scale back significantly and were able to have our special day in the place that means most to me – my home. If there was a silver lining to the madness COVID-19 ensued, this was it. Having our ceremony and reception here was deeply meaningful; to begin our lives together in my family home, filled with so many special moments and wonderful memories.” – Selden

“Being surrounded by our closest friends and family is truly what made our wedding so special. At one point in the ceremony, our reverend had us turn around and look at all our family friends who gathered in our honor. It was an incredibly heartwarming moment – to look around at all the faces of the people who love and know us best, knowing they were there in support of us. So many of them traveled from all over the world to be there and it meant so much to us.  Erim and I are so incredibly grateful that in lieu of everything going on, so many of our friends and families were willing to be there and celebrate such a wonderful occasion. Without each and every person there, the day would not have been as nearly meaningful.” – Selden 

“Our wedding design had a simplistic look with a touch of tradition, mixed with whimsical vibes with a whole lot of color and fun! I really wanted our wedding day to feel warm and inviting and be completely unique to who Erim and I are as a couple. For me, having it at my parent’s beautiful estate, imbued with personal touches of us embodied exactly what I imagined it would. And while I never had an exact vision of my perfect wedding, there were certain elements that were important to me. I knew that I wanted bright flowers to reflect my big personality, everyone dressed to the nines to add a bit of class and that I wanted to dance the night away under twinkle lights. Above all, it was extremely important to me that the day and overall experience be easy and comfortable for everyone involved. I know that our original vision for the wedding would have been beautiful but having it at our home added an intimate feeling that ended up being perfect for us. It was magical.” – Selden 

“Most girls grow up dreaming of their perfect wedding day, but I was never one of those girls. Growing up I only ever wondered who I would eventually marry. My mind curiously wondered about the mystique attached to the person I would end up with and what the face staring back at me would look like as I exchanged my vows. I am so incredibly blessed to have found my husband Erim and unbelievably proud to be his partner in life.” – Selden

“To Taylor Square Photography, specifically Ann-Marie. You are so easy and relaxed person to be around and did a beautiful job wrangling everyone together. We cannot wait to see how you captured all our special moments throughout the day! Mark Ramierez, you really saved us being able to photograph our rehearsal dinner. We cannot thank you enough for being there! To our friends at RSVP, specifically Curry Blanton – you’re just the best! Thank you for the beautiful invitations, signs, cups, napkins, etc. etc! Your expertise was very much appreciated, and we loved working with you every step of the way! We also want to send a special thank you to our glam squad – Annie Coates, you rock! And to my makeup artist and friend, Kenrick Simpson – you know I wouldn’t let anyone else touch my face but you! To Greg Clark and 9Photo1Booth, thank you for working with us last minute and putting together exactly what we envisioned for the photobooth! Thank you to Robert Camp for hauling us around all weekend and taking such good care of us after the wedding! And to Guardian Concierge Services, specifically Michael Varner. Having the bus for my new family the night of the wedding was perfect, please thank your team for us. To Chris McLemore and Southern Valet, you’re always so professional and get the job done impeccably. To our friend, Amy Stone – thank you for the beautiful live painting! We are so happy to have this wedding memento to fondly look back on this night forever.

 We also want to thank the Dixon, particularly Juliana Bjoklund and Sarah Catmur. The Dixon means so much to us and there is no place on Earth we would’ve considered celebrating such an important night, thank you! To my family at the University Club, Doris Chambers and Chef Ana Gonzalez. It was such a blast getting ready at my club and place of work, not to mention having my coworkers and friends there to take care of me on such an important day of my life. And of course, to Reggie Sims. One of my favorite bartenders in the world! You really took a special interest in this evening coming up with our specialty cocktails and it was such a pleasure to share this big day with you! We love all of you guys! To Julie Canepari and the Mahaffey team, thank you for helping us with our rentals for the rehearsal dinner. Working with you over the years has meant so much to me and it was great to have you involved in this process for us. Michael Tidwell at Amerispan is someone else our family has been working with closely over the years and the tents were unbelievable. They really set the tone for the evening and we really appreciate you!

 And finally, to Alan Garrett, you are the right arm of this family, without you we wouldn’t function properly. Thank you for all the prep work and help the day of the wedding. You are truly an extension of our family and you mean the world to us.

 As you can see, there are endless people to thank for making our special day one we will never forget. And while everyone did such an amazing job, none of this would have ever been possible without my mother, Mimi Taylor. Thank you for helping us navigate all the emotional turmoil and complications we were confronted with due to COVID. From day one, you took charge organizing our perfect day, down to every last detail! As a previous event planner, we would expect nothing less than perfection, but you took it above and beyond and really let our personalities shine through in every personal touch you added including the shark chocolates, 007 glasses, London Eye replica, confetti poppers and signature cocktails! The entire event was executed flawlessly because of all the work you did for us behind the scenes. We are blown away by all of your efforts and the countless hours you put in to make sure our weekend was one to remember. We love you and could not have done it without you!” – Selden and Erim

“A week before our wedding, Erim and I met with our reverend, Ollie Rencher at Grace St. Luke’s for the last time before the big day. It was a beautiful morning; the sun was shining, and the air was crisp as we sat on the benches outside the church discussing our feelings as we headed into the most important week of our lives. It was at this point that Ollie offered us some sound advice that I was extremely grateful for. He knew the week would be chaotic and told us to 1) to go on a date, just us, before all the festivities began and 2) in the middle of the week, come back together, despite how crazy things were, to take a moment to stop and reflect. Afterwards, he brought us in the sanctuary at GSL and as Erim I stood at the alter staring into each other eyes, he read through the vows, so we truly understood the gravity of the words. This was such a powerful and intimate moment that I will never forget. Ollie’s advice resonated with us and really helped us to take a second for ourselves, to be still and let the beautiful reality of our union truly set in. We are internally grateful to Ollie for his guidance and wisdom throughout this process and will forever cherish all the private moments we spent with him, thank you!” – Selden 

“As a groom from Turkey, it was important to me to incorporate Turkish elements into the evening. My mother had spent days perfecting a Turkish playlist of pop and dance music to play while the band was on break. And when the band went down, the other half of the room went up! They danced their hearts away to the Turkish pop, and it was so much fun to see how the other guests got into the whole affair and started dancing to a language they had never even heard before. The fact that everyone was included and having a good time at the wedding was something special that I will never forget.” – Erim 

“My advice to future brides is no different than every other bride that came before me – be present throughout the entire day, soak it every single moment and remember what matters, you’re marrying your best friend! Be gracious throughout the process and remember how lucky you are to have found your person because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. I would also not recommend traveling the day after your wedding because both of you will be exhausted! The day after our wedding, Erim and I went to our home and had a pizza party with his entire family that traveled to see us. We sat laughing, reflecting on the evening, reliving each and every moment. It was the perfect way to end such an incredible weekend so would tell other brides to be intentional about spending this kind of time with those you love before and after the wedding. It’s all about being with family and friends closest to you!” – Selden

Lead Photographer: Ann-Marie Wyatt | Second Shooter: Alex Sage | Cake: Kay Bakery | Reception Venue: Mimi & Jim Taylor’s Private Residence | Coordinator: Mimi Taylor | Flowers: Garden District | Invitations: RSVP Stationers | Rentals: White Door; Garden District; Amerispan and Mahaffey | Ceremony Music: Memphis String Quartet | Band: Al Paris and the Heartbreakers | Rehearsal Venue: Dixon Gallery & Gardens | Caterer: Fascinating Catering | Hair: Annie Coates | Makeup: Kendrick Simpson | Live Painter: Amy Stone | Photo-booth: 9Photo1Booth | Preparation Accommodations: The University Club of Memphis | Transportation: Walls Limo and Guardian Concierge Services | Valet: Southern Valet | Cleaners: Palvado Cleaners