Salem native Lance Powell surprised Paragould native Allison Howard with a perfect proposal in Mexico. The two planned a trip with Lance's cousin and his wife for January 2018. Lance had always said the proposal would happen when Allison least expected it, but to her, a vacation was too obvious a time to propose so she expected nothing.
The two had a special dinner on the beach and after opening a bottle of champagne, Lance asked her what they should cheers to. Allison said, “Cheers to us, being in Mexico, and our Christmas gifts to each other!” Lance then replied with, “No, I have something better.” He got up, walked around the table, got on one knee and proposed.
"To say I am one lucky girl to have such an amazing man is 100% an understatement," Allison says. "He went above and beyond for our (my) proposal, and I’ll forever be grateful for him!"
Lucky for Allison, she knew exactly what she wanted for her wedding day before the proposal even happened. She already knew the venue, the photographer and all of the big things. All she had to do was make sure they were available on her date and go from there.
Here are a few snaps of Allison and Lance's big day (and the stories behind them) at The Columns in Memphis.
On her dress: "Oh, the dress. It’s just the most amazing thing I’ve ever laid eyes on! It’s by a designer in Rome — Alessandro Angelozzi Couture. It was sleeveless, the front and back were mostly satin, and the sides were all lace. It had a sweetheart neckline, then sheer mesh up the chest into lace around the neck. The back was cut out in a diamond shape, with zipper closure up to my lower back. It had a semi-long train, but when I had on my cathedral length all lace veil, it made my train look even longer." — Allison
On the venue: "It was just stunning and grand. I wanted it to be a venue that spoke for itself and The Columns does that. It has multiple grand marble columns in the main room. It’s an old bank building, so there’s an actual vault downstairs, which is where our cocktail hour was held while they were flipping the upstairs from our ceremony to our reception." — Allison
On the beautiful ceremony decor: "Now this, in my opinion, is where the magic happened. The more florals, the better, which is where the floral archway came into play. I had seen a picture of wooden faux trees at the front on an aisle on Pinterest, and had to have that with LED lighting in the trees. Clear lucite chairs seemed like a must as well." — Allison
On her color scheme: "I’m obsessed with neutral tones — especially black, white and gold — so I knew my wedding had to be centered around that. When I found the emerald green sofa to rent, I knew I had to incorporate that into my theme, so that's how the floral photo wall and floral archway came about. I wanted everything to be glam! I wanted people to talk about our wedding for years to come." — Allison
Allison's advice for brides-to-be: "Start booking things as early as you can. That way, you’re not stressed when a vendor you fall in love with isn’t available on your date. I had everything booked within 3-4 months of our engagement. Then, all I had to do was wait. It was so easy. And start making lists now of wedding guests! That was tough for us too!"
On her favorite things about her groom: "Lance is so thoughtful. From our dream proposal to just everyday life, he puts me first. He is so genuine, he makes me laugh, and most importantly, he loves our fur babies as much as I do! We do not have children yet, so they are our children, and he loves them so much." — Allison
Allison + Lance from Austin Gilliam Cinematography on Vimeo.
The Details:
Photographer: Megan Burges Photography, Mountain Home
Videographer: Austin Gilliam Cinematography, Mountain Home
Florist: Deedra Stone Designs, Southaven, Mississippi
Event planner: Amy Tyler Weddings, Memphis
Furniture rental company: White Door Events, Memphis
Linen rentals: Elegant Chair Solutions, Memphis
Cakes: Lee Sanders, Memphis
Caterer and drinks service: CFY Catering, Memphis
Band: City Mix, Memphis
Ceremony music: Frances Philips (harpist)
Save-the-dates: Minted.com
Invitations, programs, etc.: RSVP Stationers, Memphis
Bridal boutique: Elite Pour La Vie, Atlanta
Bridesmaids attire: AdriannaPapell.com
Groom/groomsmen attire: Bonobos.com
Jeweler: Sissy’s Log Cabin, Jonesboro
Hair: Lauren Eggers
Makeup: Hope Allen
Transportation: Limo from Tennessee Limousine Service, Memphis
