Holly Odum & Aaron Ryan – Mooresville, Alabama
By Sarah Christine Bolton
Holly and Aaron met at the University of Alabama where they were both majoring in electrical engineering. They first met in class, and after having several additional classes and labs together, they started dating. “I convinced Aaron to help me with a programming project and we started dating soon after,” said Holly.
The proposal didn’t quite go as planned. They were on their way home from dinner and one of Aaron’s friends called him on his OnStar phone. His friend didn’t realize that he was on speakerphone, and right before he hung up with Aaron, he said, “When the ring comes in and you pop the question, you better call me.” Aaron hung up the phone and looked at Holly. “Of course, Aaron was mad and I was sitting there in shock. I had no idea that Aaron had bought a ring, had asked my dad’s permission, and was just waiting for the ring to be made. After cooling off Aaron looked at me and said, ‘So, when the ring comes in, will you marry me?’” Holly said, “yes.”
Holly wore an Allure Bridal dress with a deep v-neck in the front and back and an overlay of Russian lace. “I wanted something different and not the normal strapless dress,” she says. “I wore a birdcage veil that added a more vintage look.” She also wore her mother’s wedding garter.
Her bridesmaids wore cocoa-colored A-line, knee-length dresses with a sky color sash in silk shantung. Each bridesmaid could pick a neckline that they felt comfortable with.
The groom and groomsmen wore brown tuxes, while the groom wore a brown tie and the groomsmen wore light blue ties.
The church was decorated with mason jars hanging from the pews and flower arrangements in the windows. The aisle runner had a monogrammed “R” on it, and a large flower arrangement added color behind the pulpit. “The church has a lot of character because of its age and we didn’t want to take away from that,” said Holly.
The couple’s ceremony was short and simple. Aaron’s uncle was the officiate and the couple chose music that fit their own personal styles. The violinists played “Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice, “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones, and “Come Sail Away” by Styx for the recessional.
Holly remembered a humorous moment on her wedding day. “During the ceremony when it was my turn to say my vows our preacher made a mistake and started off with ‘I, Aaron’. I almost repeated it but stopped and gave him and our guests a very confused look. Everyone started laughing.”
The food at the reception was all Southern-themed. During the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed fried okra, fried pickles, and champagne punch. Dinner was brisket, a chicken casserole, green beans, pasta salad, yeast rolls, and other fresh vegetables.
The bride’s cake was a four-tier cake with hydrangeas around each layer. The groom’s cake was a replica of a Macintosh classic computer.
Chinese lanterns hung over the dance floor and the tent was draped with fabric and up-lit with chocolate lighting. Each table was covered with a light blue pin-tucked tablecloth and lit by a hanging chandelier. The gold chairs were garnished with brown chair ties. Guests enjoyed a candy buffet with Chinese take-out boxes to create their own candy mix.
A DJ played music during the reception. Instead of calling each table up to the dinner buffet by a number, the DJ would ask a trivia question about the couple. “If someone from a table raised their hand quickly enough and could answer the question correctly, their table could get up and go to the buffet,” Holly says. “It worked really well and was fun to watch everyone trying to answer the questions.”
Before the wedding, Holly and Aaron took some dance lessons to get ready for their first dance. “Right before we walked out to begin our dance, I wasn’t completely sure we would get through the dance. But we made it through without any big mistakes and all of our friends were clapping and laughing. It felt great to get through it,” said Holly.
After the couple danced their last dance to “Faithfully” by Journey, the guests formed a line with sparklers for Holly and Aaron to walk through on their way to the getaway car, a 1940 Buick. “While everyone was lighting the sparklers someone started singing “Faithfully” and by the time we started to walk to the car almost everyone was singing along, it was so funny, but so perfect because Journey is Aaron’s favorite band and it was a perfect end to our wedding.”
Acknowledgements and Special Thanks from the Odum/Ryan Wedding
Ceremony Site
Old Brick Church
www.mooresvillealabama.com/brickchurch.htm
Wedding Planner
An Event to Remember, LLC
Calandra Terry
256-858-3883
www.youreventtoremember.com
Wedding Gown
The Something Blue Shoppe
256-773-4956
www.thesomethingblueshop.com
Wedding Photographer
David Higginbotham
256-777-1845
www.davidhphotography.com
Florist
In Bloom Floral Design Studio
256-519-8898
Wedding Cake
Elegant Cakes
256-539-3794
www.dmoonelegantcakes.com
Makeup Artist
Diann Anderson
256-489-7798
www.dnanimakeupstudio.com
Bridesmaid Gowns
Bella Bridesmaid Birmingham Boutique
205-871-2383
www.bellabridesmaid.com
Tuxedo
An Event to Remember, LLC
256-858-3883
www.youreventtoremember.com
Reception Site
Limestone Bay Trading Company
256-353-6326
www.limestonebay.com
Musicians
Americas Party Pro
256-533-5511
www.americaspartypros.com
Reception Tent and Drapery, Lighting, Specialty Linens
Party Plus Event Rental
Huntsville, AL
256-534-1313
www.partyplusrents.com
The bride and groom and/or third party supplied all vendor information to Southern Bride. Southern Bride cannot take responsibility for misinformation that was provided. This is not a paid advertisement but simply a courtesy to share as a resource to Southern Bride readers.
