Drew & Olivia Richardson

Married October 12, 2019
Wedding at the Chapel
​Reception at Browne Stone Centre
Photography by Smith Squared/Shelly Smith

The Engagement

The couple met in Memphis, Tennessee, during Olivia's first year of Physician's Assistant (PA) school. After a month of dating, Olivia learned she was moving to Nashville for clinicals in 2018. She shares, "We decided to to try and make it work, even if that meant being long distance. Every weekend during my clinical year, we rotated who was making that six-hour round trip drive. The distance made us a stronger couple and we couldn't be more happy to spend the rest of our lives together!" 

The Proposal

Olivia reports, "Drew's roommate and girlfriend had been trying to come visit us in Nashville for months. Towards the end of August, Drew sent me a screenshot of his conversation with his roommate's girlfriend, where she was planning a trip to Nashville and wanting to go to a local vineyard. Turns out this screenshot was planned by Drew to make me think this vineyard tour wasn’t his idea. As we headed to the vineyard, with one final way to convince myself this was not the day I was going to get engaged, I glanced at Drew's pockets and did not see a ring box. Towards the end of the tour, we go out on the balcony to take a picture over the vineyard. Drew started pulling away from me, reaching into his pocket (which clearly had a ring box in it), and got down on one knee. I was so shocked, immediately started crying, and said YES!  As I'm sobbing, Drew pointed over to picnic tables near by where I see our friends and families. Drew could not have planned a more perfect proposal with the help of our friends and families!"

The Wedding

"Soft romance was the style we were going for, with fall colored flowers, candles everywhere, and a subtle wine theme.  At the tables were personalized wine bottles, the favors were wine corks, and our card holder was a monogrammed wine barrel. We tried to incorporate wedding favors and a wedding signing book that we would actually love to keep."  When asked what was the most unique part of their wedding, Olivia said, "We focused on trying to host the best party we could think of. I spent a significant amount of time going through the music playlist to make sure it would be the best atmosphere to get everyone dancing."

Why Stone Bridge Farms

Olivia shares, "We moved to Las Vegas shortly after our engagement so I knew planning a wedding across the country would be difficult. Drew’s family lives in Vegas and in Mississippi, so if we wanted our family to come together for our wedding in Alabama, we knew we would need lodging as well. Our goal was to have a relaxed weekend where lodging, the ceremony, and reception could all be at one location which is exactly what was accomplished with this venue."

The Honeymoon

A week at Sandals All-Inclusive Resort in Saint Lucia!

Advice for Other Couples

Olivia and Drew encourage couples to really focus on one another when planning your wedding. Olivia explains, "The day is all about your love as a couple and celebrating with your closest family and friends.  Don't sweat the small details and just enjoy the most wonderful day of your life with your new life partner."