WINDOM PAUL & ROBERT MCCAULEY
Robert knew he was going to marry Windom since they were in the second grade.
Born and raised in Jonesboro, theyโve known each other since they were babies. Their first real memories of one another are from first grade at South Elementary School, and in sixth grade, Robert was Windomโs first boyfriend.
โI would gush to my mother about how I would marry him one day,โ Windom said. โWe dated off-and-on for almost nine years in our 20s. I have so many memories of realizing he was โthe one.โ Too many to count.โ
Robert proposed to Windom over the July 4th weekend at one of their favorite places in the world, Greers Ferry Lake. Windom was told they were going to dinner at a local restaurant only accessible by boat. The two hopped on their boat and sailed across the lake.
โMy hair was still wet from my shower, my nails were in need of a manicure and I was convinced we were getting engaged the following October,โ Windom said. โInstead, Robert asked me to marry him right there in the middle of the lake. I donโt remember all of the words he said, but I know they were the best Iโve ever heard.โ
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Photography: Meredith Benton Photography; Florist: Zach Jones of Bearded Bouquet; Reception venue: Private residence; Ceremony venue: First United Methodist Church; Wedding dress: Maggie Louise Bridal (Memphis, Tennessee); Groomโs custom jacket: Walker Brothers; Cake: Southern Confections; Catering: Chow at One Eighteen; Ceremony music: Bernard Raley, Alex Ditto, Hannah Bartholomae, Brian Henkelmann, Charles Askew, Mary Catherine Armstrong and Jacob Bushong; Officiant: Reverend John Miles; Band: Diamond Empire Band; Tents and rentals: Artents & Elegant Party Rentals; Beauty and skincare: Jaydn Moore and Megan Lamb of Esthetique, Amber Stone and Abigail Cook of Vanstone Salon, Hannah McFadden of Parlour 6022, Chelsea Guthrie of Boho Extension Co. & Salon and Taylor Kinsey of Onyx Med Spa & IV Lounge
Q & A
Q: What inspired your color palette?
A: โMy favorite color has always been and will always be pink, and I just wanted to incorporate as many of our favorite things into our day as we could,โ Windom said. โUltimately, I landed on โballet pinkโ for the bridesmaid dresses, and the rest of the palette unfolded.โ
Q: What is your secret to wedding planning success?
A: โAs clichรฉ as it sounds, I would say, โMake decisions that feel like you!โ Iโve always said that Pinterest is my favorite form of social media, and as a 30-year-old with an art degree and an interior designer for a mother, that still holds true,โ Windom said. โThough all of the inspo I had bookmarked was beautiful, my secret to planning wasโฆfiguring out how we could make them feel like us. Even the tiniest of details, once they became sentimental, made the biggest impact.โ
Q: What did you love about your venue?
A: โOur biggest stressor was deciding where weโd get marriedโฆUltimately, the sentimentalist in me won out, and we decided to get married in our hometown of Jonesboro,โ Windom said. โโฆMy mother-in-law asked us if we knew of this man in Jonesboro who rented out his home for events. We did not. That afternoon, we were taking a virtual tour through photos and booked it! It was the biggest blessing in disguise. From that moment on, the homeowner was known as Uncle Chad.โ
Q: Was there a special detail from your decor that sticks out to you the most?
A: โOne of my favorite details from our wedding ceremony was including all nine of the littles in our family and welcoming all guests to bring their children,โ Windom said. โMy most favorite detail of the reception was my wedding cake. A few years ago, our niece Ava doodled some butterflies that Southern Confection Pies transposed onto her birthday cake in icingโฆThe minute I saw it, I knew thatโs what we had to do for our cake: have little hands decorate it the way only little hands can.โ
FAMILY AFFAIR
Windomโs late grandmother bought her wedding gown, and she had lace from her motherโs wedding dress made into a choker necklace. She also wore her motherโs veil, and added a blusher to it from the lace of her motherโs gown.
MORNING-OF FUN!
โI took the โgetting readyโ moment a step further and turned it into a real party,โ Windom said. โThe best part of it was watching my best friends from all over the countryโฆbecome friends not just with each other, but with all the women in my family.โ