It is hard to beat a day spent at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens with a stunning bride and the sweetest groom that absolutely adores her. It was an honor to help document such a genuine, ethereal matrimony. I love how some of these shots turned out, the happiness on Ashleigh’s face speaks for itself.

Thank you, Ashleigh and Charlie, for trusting Taylor Square to capture your day in its most authentic form. We hope that you all enjoy reliving it all over again through these photos.

Mackenzie

“Charlie and I met on my first day of work at a firm in Atlanta. I knew his name sounded familiar, and we made the connection that we were both from Memphis and went to high schools just down the street from each other, only Charlie was one grade above. We had so many mutual friends we couldn’t believe we’d never crossed paths before.” – Ashleigh

“We worked together for a full year and became close friends before I called to ask Ashleigh out to dinner. I believe her exact response was ‘What for?.’ The first date went really well, even though the kitchen at the restaurant caught on fire and someone tried to buy Ashleigh a drink while I was in the bathroom. Ashleigh pretended she wasn’t sure if dating a coworker was a good idea but she agreed to go on another date the next weekend, and another one the next day, and another one the Wednesday after that. We haven’t looked back since!” – Charlie

“Well Ashleigh was hungover – and I made her go on a long walk down in Tom Lee Park. When I went to pick her up, she was dressed in nice clothes and I thought for sure she knew it was coming. I panicked and told her she was overdressed so she changed into workout clothes. We were walking for about half a mile, and I must have been nervous because Ashleigh kept commenting on how I was walking too fast and she couldn’t keep up. Eventually we got to the spot where my dad and sister had set up a picnic blanket and some flowers (they were hiding around the corner to take pictures), so I pulled out the box (almost dropped the ring), got on my knee, and luckily she said yes!” – Charlie

“Charlie gave me the best advice the week of our wedding when I was still stressing about details: he said I needed to trust all my vendors, planner, maid of honor, friends, and family to take care of anything that might pop up and that they were all there to care of things so that I can really be thoughtful and enjoy the weekend!” – Ashleigh

“Everything was truly perfect, so it’s hard to pick one or two things, but I think both of us really appreciated being able to have all of our out-of-town friends come together from so many different cities to celebrate us. Especially for Ashleigh, she was the first of her bridal party other than my sister to get married, so all of her friends were really excited for us and did everything they could to make it a special weekend. We even made it out to Paula and Raiford’s Disco after the reception with about 90 of our friends and you could just tell no one wanted the night to end! – Charlie

“Charlie and I got married at the church where my parents were married 31 years before and his sister was married 6 years before. We were able to replicate some photos my parents had taken at the church and it brought them and us so much joy!” – Ashleigh

“We missed almost all of the rain that day, but the grounds at the Dixon were a little wet when we started taking photos. My planner Sheril had to get down on the floor with soap and water to try and get all the mud out of my train on my dress.  Amongst many other things, she went above and beyond for me and we finally got it all out before my big walk down the aisle!” – Ashleigh

“Ashleigh always had a smile on her face — even as I sat blow drying her dress from the rain and wiping away mud with a Mr. Clean Eraser! At the end of the night, she turned to me and said, ‘This was the best night ever and I wouldn’t change a thing.'”  – Sheril with Shindigs by Sheril

“I expected both of us to be a lot more nervous than we were. We both had jitters right as the ceremony was starting, but I didn’t feel nervous at all throughout the day and I don’t think Ashleigh did either.” – Charlie

“While Charlie helped a lot with wedding planning, all things reception were primarily the responsibility of my planner Sheril, my mom, and me. However, the one thing I needed Charlie’s help on was what kind of groom’s cake he wanted. He originally thought a University of Tennessee themed cake, but already knew many people had done similar ideas. In all seriousness, he asked me if we could have an ice cream cake. Without trying laugh (and failing), I had to explain the logistical nightmare that serving an ice cream cake to over 200 guests would create. I thought it was so funny though and so we ended up trying to accommodate his love of frozen treats and had La Michocana popsicles instead!” – Ashleigh

“My wedding design inspiration really just stemmed from anything and everything that felt like me! I mixed different colors with florals, linens, napkins and cups, and was so thrilled with how it all came together. I actually painted our Save the Dates by hand and had a few graphic design friends help me piece it all together, which spurred the idea to paint all our food signs at the reception and an original graphic design for our cups (Get Hammered with the Hamms!). I also wanted to incorporate the ‘Sip n stroll’ with our signature cocktails so that everyone would have a chance to take in the beautiful gardens at the Dixon!” – Ashleigh

“You get what you pay for with vendors! I was truly amazed when walking into the reception for the first time and could not believe how beautiful it all was! I prioritized various aspects of the wedding that felt most important to me and was truly blown away by the end result of the vendors we hired. Their professionalism and skillsets were worth every penny and made the entire day go so smoothly!” – Ashleigh

Lead Photographer: Mackenzie Rue | Second Shooter: Taylor Knight | Dress: Maggie Louise | Tux: The Black Tux | Cake: Lee Sanders Cakes | Popsicles: La Michocana | Ceremony Venue: Church of the Holy Communion | Reception Venue: The Dixon Gallery and Gardens | Coordinator: Shindigs by Sheril | Flowers: Holliday Flowers & Events | Invitations: Shine Wedding Invitations | Rentals: White Door Events, Mahaffey Event & Tent Rentals, Holliday Flowers & Events | Rehearsal Venue: The Second Line | Caterer: CFY Catering | Hair: Caitlin Solon & Melissa Simpson | Makeup: Alicia Lee | Preparation Accommodations: The Hu Hotel | Getaway Car: Ila Vivian Vintage Rentals | Guest Shuttle Transportation: Four Seasons Tours