Rehearsal Dinner

Ceremony

Reception

Grace Episcopal Church

Ceremony followed by Reception

Ceremony in the Nave

Dancing, Cake, and Food downstairs

Our Wedding

Lauren and Evan have been orbiting each other since they were children. Connected through mutual friends and family, the Episcopal Church, music, art, and spirituality—they’d met over the years but when Evan joined Lauren’s dreamwork* group at the beginning of 2022 (following Lauren’s mom’s recommendation) the sparks began to fly. Between discovering how interconnected their social lives already were and delving deep into each other’s inner psyches through dream analysis it quickly became impossible for them to ignore their connection.They went on their first date on March 30th, 2022 and got engaged on December 21st, 2024. Since their first meeting they’ve worked, studied, traveled, overcome challenges, grown as individuals, and fallen deeper in love.They continue to discover just how interconnected they and their communities are and they continually experience wild synchronicities that affirm to them that they are in the right place at the right time.Lauren and Evan are both deeply committed to inner work, healing, and spiritual growth. Their love is generative and empowers them to shine light in this world. Their goal is to know each other and to know themselves. To them marriage is a spiritual sacrament and they are exhilarated to spend their lives working on themselves and their union through it.Photo by Emerald Dove(*Just in case it needs to be clarified due to her work: Lauren was a participant in the dreamwork group.)

Our Story

Photos by Emerald Dove (in green dress) and Lumiere Visual Arts (on levee), and Jim Milburn at Grace

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Nestled between the Tennessee River and the foothills of Appalachia sits The Hotel Chalet. Anchor to the iconic Chattanooga Choo Choo, the hotel offers an air of nostalgia replete with first class accommodations.

The Hotel Chalet at The Choo Choo

Set in Chattanooga, The Read House Hotel offers air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi. The property is less than 0.6 mi from Tennessee Aquarium and a 5-minute drive from the University of Tennessee. Lookout Mountain is 3.1 mi away. A flat-screen TV with cable is featured in every room of this Chattanooga hotel as well as free WiFi. At the hotel, every room is equipped with a desk. The private bathroom is fitted with a bath or shower. Read House Chattanooga can conveniently provide information at the reception to help guests to get around the area. Raccoon Mountains Caverns is 5.6 mi from the accommodations, while Creative Discovery Museum is a 9-minute walk from the property. The property is 2.5 mi from Ruby Falls and 5 mi from Tennessee Riverpark and 0.7 mi from Hunter Museum of American Art. The nearest airport is Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, 6.2 mi from the property.

The Read House Hotel

Featuring a bar, The Dwell Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels is located in Chattanooga in the Tennessee region, a 18-minute walk from Tennessee Aquarium and 2 miles from Chattanooga Zoo. With free WiFi, this 4-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk and a concierge service. Private parking can be arranged at an extra charge. At the hotel, each room has a desk. Guest rooms at The Dwell Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels are equipped with a seating area. Guests at the accommodation can enjoy a continental breakfast. Guests at The Dwell Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels will be able to enjoy activities in and around Chattanooga, like hiking, fishing and cycling. Popular points of interest near the hotel include Hunter Museum of American Art, Coker Tire Museum and Creative Discovery Museum. Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport is 7.5 miles away.

The Dwell Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels

Travel

The Brainerd Levee is on the corner of Shallowford and Wilcox, not far from Grace Episcopal. There's a nice walking/bike trail that takes you to a pond behind Boyd Buchanan School. Evan and Lauren went on a walk at the levee the first time they met in person after getting to know each other in dream group online. There are no bathrooms at the levee, but there is a Circle K gas station next to it. Lauren likes to park by the Circle K and walk 15-20 minutes on the levee and then turn around, but you can also walk or bike all the way to Brainerd Road near the Walmart.

Brainerd Levee Trailhead

This is a used bookstore and bar on Brainerd Road.

The Reading Room

The historic Chattanooga Choo Choo is an interesting site to see, and Station Street has developed around the Choo Choo to include a variety of restaurants, bars, and places to dance or listen to music.

Chattanooga Choo Choo Historic District

Audubon Acres is a lovely nature conservancy with hiking trails and entry fees $6 and under. These grounds are kept by Chattanooga Audubon Society, one of the organizations we suggested in the Q and A.

Audubon Acres

The West Village is one of the more recently developed areas of Chattanooga. The Westin and other establishments in the area often host food and drink specials, and the area is walkable and pleasant.

West Village

St. Elmo is a unique historic neighborhood at the foot of Lookout Mountain. The incredible CORGI PARADE happens to fall on our wedding day at the St. Elmo Neighborhood Festival. The Corgi Parade is what it sounds like...a parade of corgis, many of whom don dapper apparel. Corgis are short, so the parade is brief but majestic. Exact parade time TBD but we highly recommend walking by Naughty Cat Cafe if you're waiting on the corgis.

St. Elmo Corgi Parade 

Evan and Lauren are big fans of this wonderful business, heavy on the cats and less emphasis on the food. You'll see a sign saying "30 Cats!" but there can be up to 40 cats, all available for adoption or socialization. Naughty Cat won't recommend impulsively getting a cat for visitors, but they will definitely enjoy patrons who book in advance (it fills up quickly to support the cat quality of life with limited guests). Walking by the window and getting a branded souvenir is also a great way to see this gem of a business. As the chalkboard sign outside clarifies, this business is not, in fact, a strip club (though perhaps a nice alternative for bachelor/bachelorette parties which gives this writer an idea...)

Naughty Cat Cafe

Grace Episcopal Church hosts a great farmer's market from 10am-12pm in the lower parking lot. No fee to attend!

Brainerd Farmer's Market

From GreenGrace at Grace Episcopal Church: "Brainerd Farmer's Market hours shift to it's spring and summer hours 10a-12p with a celebration to match the season! Have too many plants? Love to collect seed? Join us in the Frierson pavilion from 9:30a-1p. We will be swapping and giving native plants, herb and veggie starts, and seeds of any of these!&nbsp; We will be building tomato buckets for the Apison Food Pantry, allowing neighbors grow a portion of their own food. If you would like to join us, we'll be found in the pavilion from 10a-12p."

GreenGrace Plant Swap and Tomato Buckets

Things to Do

Registry

What to Wear to a Semi-Formal Wedding

41 Sites to Buy Wedding Guest Dresses

The 15 Best Places to Buy a Suit

The church service will be followed by a reception with dancing and light hors d'oeuvres. We would recommend some layers in April in Tennessee, but the service and reception will be inside.

Evan & Lauren

Evan & Lauren

Dress Code

SEMI-FORMAL

Ideas & Advice