Skip to main content
FeaturesReal Weddings

Anna Grace and Brendan’s Timeless Wedding Celebration

By tory@360westweddings.comAugust 16, 2024No Comments

Anna Grace Lewis & Brendan Ashley

Anna Grace Lewis and Brendan Ashley’s wedding at the Marty Leonard Community Chapel and Ashton Depot was a timeless celebration of love and tradition. Brendan, who first met Anna Grace during their freshman year at Oklahoma State University, finally saw his persistence pay off as she walked down the aisle in a long-sleeve lace dress from Bliss Bridal Salon. The couple exchanged vows in a heartfelt ceremony officiated by Anna Grace’s father, with harpist Jenny Glass providing the music — a special touch, as she also played at Anna Grace’s parents’ wedding. The reception at Ashton Depot was a master class in elegance, featuring colorful floral arrangements, abundant candles, a special mini Chicago dog hors d’oeuvre in honor of Brendan’s Windy City roots and a watercolor portrait artist capturing guests during the cocktail hour. An evening highlight was a surprise mother/daughter dance to “You Are My Sunshine,” leaving not a dry eye in the room.  Join us for an exclusive Q&A with the bride as we dive into the details of their special day. 

the couple. Anna Grace Lewis & Brendan Ashley
the venue. Marty Leonard Community Chapel & The Ashton Depot
the photos. Reigh Walker

The Love Story

Brendan and I met freshman year in the Commons dorms at Oklahoma State University at a student meeting. He told me that from the first moment he saw me that “I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.” He spent the next few months trying to get my number and schedule a date. I had a boyfriend at the time, but he was determined. He would write his number and Instagram handle on my white board outside of my door, but unfortunately for him, all he received was denials. Two years later during the spring of our junior year, we ran into each other on campus and exchanged numbers. From there, we were inseparable and spent everyday together until we got the news that campus was closing due to COVID. So reluctantly, I went home to Fort Worth and he went home to Chicago. We spent the next six months apart scheduling Zoom dates and phone calls so we could keep talking to each other everyday. Our relationship was very new, so it was hard to instantly go into long-distance dating mode. However, we knew that if we could make it through this, we could make it through anything. When we got back to school during our senior year, we were finally able to go on our first in-person date and have been head over heels for each other ever since.

The Proposal

Brendan and my first date was at Louie’s in Stillwater, Oklahoma. So a few days after my birthday he told me he was taking me to a birthday lunch at Louie’s by Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City. When we got there, he walked me down to the pier and proposed to me in front of the lighthouse there, where we had our first date. He then surprised me with my friends and family and celebrated together afterwards.

The Wedding Venue

Choosing the ceremony venue was easy. I had always dreamed of getting married at Marty Leonard Chapel since I was a little girl. The beauty of the chapel and all of the gorgeous windows were always so beautiful to me, and I knew that there was no other place that I could imagine walking down the aisle. The reception venue was a different story. We toured many venues throughout the metroplex, all of which had some characteristics that I liked, but nothing that we both loved. Then we toured the Ashton Depot, and it was an instant match. It had the timeless effect that I was looking for, and architecture that mirrored the Chicago style that Brendan was seeking.

The Vibe

The two words I use to describe the aesthetic of the wedding are timeless and classic. I kept coming back to these two words and wanted to incorporate them into every aspect of the ceremony and reception. Details like the carefully curated dinner music from the ‘40s, my dad performing the marriage ceremony, the dome glass seating assignments, the watercolor portrait artist and the cocktail hors d’oeuvres that included a special mini Chicago dog in honor of the groom and his many Windy City guests. Every detail was carefully chosen to paint a classic backdrop for our special day.

The Photography

We chose Reigh Walker and her husband to document our day because of her story-centric approach to photography. Her main goal was to capture all of our planned, impromptu and special behind-the-scenes moments that captured the energy and love of the entire day. She was so fun and easy to work with and visually told our story beautifully.

The Dress

I have known for years that I wanted a timeless, long-sleeve lace dress to wear on my wedding day. My mom and I went dress shopping together and found my dream dress at Bliss Bridal Salon. The intricate lace detail, flowing skirt and train made me feel like a bride as soon as I put it on. This dress made me feel like the bride I had always envisioned, and would look timeless in all of our photos.

The Accessories

I chose a cathedral veil with a lace trim that perfectly matched the lace on my wedding dress. The two equaled the exact look that I had always dreamed of. For jewelry, I wore the pearl drop earrings that my mother wore on her wedding day 30 years before me. I wanted my dress to be the star of the show so I kept the jewelry minimal, wearing only my mom’s earrings and part of my grandmother’s wedding band on my right hand.

The Bridesmaids

I chose classic, black, floor-length, satin gowns for my bridesmaids. The style was a fitted sheath silhouette with thin straps and the bridesmaids wore gold love knot earrings that I had gifted them when I asked them to be my bridesmaids. The elegant dresses were the perfect style for the day. I had six bridesmaids, three of which have been some of my closest friends since middle school, as well as several of my sorority sisters from Kappa Kappa Gamma. One very special moment was when my maid of honor gave me a photo album filled with photos and handwritten letters from each of my bridesmaids specifically for the day of my wedding.

The Groomsmen

The groomsmen all wore black Vera Wang tuxedos with long, solid, black, silk ties. As a special touch, the groom wore a special black silk vest underneath his jacket. All of Brendan‘s groomsmen have been lifelong friends of his since growing up in Chicago, Illinois.

The Wedding Rings

My engagement ring is incredibly sentimental to me. My grandmother gifted Brendan and me her 2.5 karat oval solitaire diamond ring to use for my engagement ring. We melted down the gold from her original ring to make the band for my engagement ring. For my wedding band, we chose a 10-diamond bubble band to accentuate the main stone. Brendan’s ring is a white gold band, and I had it engraved on the inside to say “Love You Most” because we always say to each other, “I love you more, I love you most.” My engagement ring was crafted by the same jeweler who designed my mom’s rings.

The Hair and Makeup

My makeup artists from Ah! Beauty were in charge of hair and makeup. Honestly, I just wanted to feel beautiful and glowy on the day of the wedding, and they absolutely brought my vision to life. 

The Stationery

The save the date was cream crane stationery paper with a rendering in gold ink of Marty Leonard Chapel. The wedding invitation was also cream crane stationery with a gold foil monogram of our initials. We projected that same monogram on the dance floor during the reception.

The Florals

The color palette for the florals was cream, soft pink, mauve and merlot. The types of flowers included were white astilbe, cream and pale pink spray roses, barista roses, quicksand roses, mondial garden roses, white campanula, cafe au alit dahlias, white hydrangeas, Italian ruscus and black-eyed beauty anemones. These flowers were incorporated into the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, ceremony arrangements, the cake accent, bar arrangements, table assignment arrangements and table floral arrangements at the reception.

The Morning Of

For the morning of, my bridesmaids, mom and mother-in-law all got ready in our suite at the Omni in downtown Fort Worth that overlooked the Ashton Depot. We had a very relaxing morning eating Chick-fil-A chicken minis and drinking mimosas. I honestly was not nervous at all during this time and was extremely at ease during the entire getting ready process. I was just so happy to be surrounded by my family and friends and getting ready to get married to the love of my life. I think the whole day was more of an excited anticipation.

The Ceremony

My father officiated our wedding which was extremely special to me. Harpist Jenny Glass played music as the guests arrived and during the ceremony. Jenny also played the harp for my parents’ wedding over 30 years ago. During the bridal march, we started off with the traditional song, but as a surprise for the groom, we had the march lead into his favorite childhood song that his mother would always play for him — “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins — as I walked down the aisle. We also wrote personal vows to each other instead of reciting the traditional vows. And we opted for the bride’s parents and groom’s parents to be on opposite sides so that they could see their own children during the ceremony.

The Reception

The reception was beautiful and had a cream and black color scheme along with colorful floral arrangements (see above) and more than 100 candles that gave off an incredible glow throughout the night. We also decided to do a scented wedding where I chose one of my favorite candle scents from a local candlemaker, and we strategically placed them throughout the venue for guests to enjoy. The DJ also provided up-lighting that went from candlelight from dinner and changed to a party mix as the night progressed. For meal details, see below. We had the traditional father/daughter and mother/son dance as well as the guests dancing throughout the night. However, one very special moment was when I surprised my mother with a mother/daughter dance to “You are my Sunshine” because she used to sing it to me every single night when I was younger. I was shocked I was able to pull this off without her finding out because she was so involved in the wedding planning process. There was not a single dry eye in the entire room during and after this surprise.

The Planning

I was engaged at the end of January in 2023, so we spent around 10 months planning this wedding. Since I was out of the state in graduate school, my mom played an instrumental role in planning this wedding. Another huge help was our wedding planner, Kendyl Martin with Everything Bridal. Having to plan the wedding long distance was definitely a challenge, but my mom did a great job of taking the reins and planning the wedding of my dreams. The very organized process that Ashton Depot has was also very helpful.

The Cake

The cake was a four-layer white amaretto flavored cake with smooth buttercream icing accented with Swiss dot detailing. The groom chose to do a cookie bar featuring chocolate chip, snicker-doodles, sugar, brownies and milk shooters along with a gourmet coffee bar.

The Food

At the cocktail hour, we had mini Chicago dogs — our Chicago guests loved this — crab cakes with mango coulis and open-face pulled pork empanadas. Guests were served hors d’oeuvres on the patio during cocktail hour while enjoying acoustic guitar music from Fort Worth favorite Andrew Sullivan. Signature cocktails during this time included a blackberry whiskey smash and a strawberry basil vodka cocktail. During dinner, guests were treated to Ashton Depot’s famous synchronized service, where the menu included butter bib lettuce wedge salad with port wine poached pears, Texas goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes and candied walnuts. The duo entree was 24-hour braised boneless beef short ribs and chicken Florentine roulade paired with Parmesan risotto and grilled asparagus. Beverages throughout the night included an open bar with top-shelf liquor and beer and wine choices along with the signature drinks. A guest favorite was the martini bar that featured three different types of made-to-order martinis including espresso, cosmopolitan and chocolate. The synchronized service at dinner really wowed the guests and received many compliments throughout the night. Ashton Depot’s commitment to details and service is AMAZING.

The Entertainment

1. Live acoustic guitarist Andrew Sullivan sang and played music during the cocktail hour.

2. Watercolor artist Camille from Golden Hour Live Art [formerly CA-Milleworks] painted guests’ portraits during the cocktail hour and reception.

3. DJ Rod Baker played music throughout the reception.

The Favorite Moment

It’s really hard to pick a favorite moment, because this truly was the best day of my life. But a few of my favorites include my father officiating the ceremony, walking down the aisle and seeing Brendan for the first time, and surprising my mom with a mother/daughter dance to “You Are My Sunshine,” which she sang to me as a baby.

The Unexpected

One unexpected moment was one of my bridesmaids fainted during photos right before the ceremony and she had to sit down during the vows. I am so glad that she didn’t pass out during the ceremony haha! Another unexpected moment was when I arrived at the reception, I realized I did not want to wear my wedding dress the whole night, so I did a surprise — to even myself — change into a white Anthropologie dress and rhinestone cowboy boots I had brought for the after-party.

The Honeymoon

Since I was in graduate school, we decided on a mini moon to Fredericksburg since we did not have much time. We plan on taking a one-year anniversary trip.

The Advice

Advice I would give to future brides would be to savor every moment. Wedding day moves so fast and if you blink you will miss it. Also, don’t sweat the small things. Things will go wrong, but no one will ever notice but you … and your wedding planner.

The Video

The Vendors

Featured Vendors

BRIDAL SALON Bliss Bridal Salon

Other Vendors 

CEREMONY VENUE Marty Leonard Community Chapel

RECEPTION VENUE + CATERING The Ashton Depot

COORDINATION Everything Bridal

PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY Reigh Walker

MUSIC DJ Rod Baker, Jenny Glass, Andrew Sullivan Music

FLORAL Teri’s Floral

BAKERY C. Marie’s Sweets

HAIR + MAKEUP Ah! Beauty

RENTALS Lonestar Glow Co.

TRANSPORTATION DFW Vintage Cars

WATERCOLOR  ARTIST Golden Hour Live Art