Ashley Dreher & Drew Gardner
March 10, 2012 • Pratt Place Inn & Barn, Fayetteville
Photos by Eli Murray Photography
Click here to view this Real Wedding spread and more photographs in our Fall/Winter 2012 issue.
High school sweethearts Ashley Dreher of Star City and Drew Gardner of Bainbridge, Ga. dated for more than six years before getting engaged. Drew proposed to Ashley the day before she graduated from college using a book he made for her, entitled “The Story of Us.” On the last page was a picture of them and the question, “Will you marry me?” After she said “Yes!,” Drew took Ashley to Sissy’s Log Cabin to pick out the engagement ring of her dreams.
What detail truly made the wedding yours?
“Our favorite Southern foods. Our families associate food with love and fellowship. Our caterers and event planners did an amazing job incorporating the wedding and rehearsal theme into the food and table display.”
How They Customized
Cotton, mason jars, burlap and lace were used throughout the décor at the rehearsal and the wedding. “Nothing says ‘Southern’ like burlap and lace,” Ashley said. “For our rehearsal, we also decorated with corn, wheat, peanuts, cattle, tractors and sunflowers.”
The couple also had a biscuit bar at the reception that included Drew’s favorite jellies, jams and preserves.
Bride’s Inspiration
“Our overall inspiration was our heritage,” Ashley said. “Both of our families are from agricultural backgrounds: Drew farms corn, wheat, cotton and cattle with his dad and his brother-in-law, while my family farms cotton, rice and soybeans.”
Ways They Saved
Besides using their families’ farmed goods, the couple hired friends to coordinate their wedding. The flower girls wore the bride and her sister’s dresses from when they were flower girls in their cousin’s wedding years ago. The head table was dressed with an ivory, hand-crocheted lace tablecloth with matching napkins that Ashley’s maternal grandfather brought home from the Korean War.
THE DETAILS
Photography: Eli Murray Photography
Florist: Sweet Peas Florist, Star City
Cakes: Rick’s Bakery, Fayetteville
Caterer/Drinks: GC Catering, Fayetteville
Rentals/Lighting: Eventures, Fayetteville
DJ/Band: Joe Giles & the Homewreckers, Fayetteville
Jeweler: Sissy’s Log Cabin, Little Rock
