Ashley Gwin & Matthew Bradford

Sat, 10/21/2017

 

Ashley and Matthew knew each other prior to dating, but were re-introduced on a boating trip to Bird Island. After almost three years together, the pair visited Wilmington and had lunch outside before going for a walk on the boardwalk along the river, where Matthew proposed. Afterward the couple bought a painting from a local artist in a shop downtown to commemorate the special day. The ceremony was held on the marshfront lawn at the DeBordieu clubhouse, where pink peonies popped in front of a background of navy with gold accents. The decor was kept simple to highlight the venue’s natural beauty, with lanterns adorning the cocktail hour tables and a mixture of tall and short floral arrangements serving as reception centerpieces. The pair wrote letters to each other to be read by their pastor at the ceremony. This worked perfectly since Ashley knew she wanted personalized vows but would be too emotional to try to read anything herself (though there were definitely still a few happy tears). Ashley and Matthew live in Conway.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CARMEN ASH