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Real All Who Wander Bride Claire + Nathan

Real All Who Wander bride Claire planned a non-traditional wedding with a classic Southern boho theme, mismatched decor, and fried chicken and fries served for dinner. Her wedding gown had to embody the same non-traditional vibe! Thankfully, the All Who Wander Lana gown fit the bill. From the front, the Lana gown is a classic fit-and-flare wedding dress with ornate matte lace. A keyhole back with fringe detailing adds the perfect boho twist. Accessorized with a “Wife of the Party” jean jacket, Claire was ready to dance the night away with her husband Nathan. Read on for more details of their unique wedding day.

Tell us about your proposal…

It was PERFECT!!! My now-husband was going to propose on New Year’s Eve, but my custom ring didn’t come in time. Then, he decided to propose on my birthday, but then COVID happened. Then, he decided he was going to try my college graduation next, but COVID was still a thing. So after 4 months of having my ring, he decided that on one random Friday he would propose! He proposed on May 1st, 2020 in downtown Chattanooga. He planned to do it under a bridge where we had professional pictures taken a few years back, but the bridge was under construction so he had to go to the next closest location which happened to be a boardwalk over the Tennessee River. We were the only ones on site and it was perfect!! He is my middle school crush, high school sweetheart, and now HUSBAND! 7 years going strong!

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How did you know that the All Who Wander Lana gown was the one?

I wanted our wedding to be very “Us.” I wanted it to be different, unique, and creative, yet simple. I wanted our guests to see our wedding and say, “This is so Claire and Nathan.” When I went dress shopping, that is exactly what I told the bridal consultant. She pulled the Lana gown for me and told me, “You are either going to love it, and it’s going to be the one, or you’re going to hate it.” Well, she was right… I loved it! It was the first dress I tried on, and as soon as I did, I knew. I knew that this was the dress that I was going to get married in and then eat fried chicken in at our reception! It was elegant and simple, but SO unique with that boho twist.

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How did you make your wedding personal to your style and love story?

My theme was elegant with a twist of Southern boho. We got married on a farm in Chickamauga in the middle of the woods down by a creek! We had non-traditional seating with a variety of vintage chairs and couches! Our aisle curved so that we were able to walk through the woods and weave in and out of trees. My step dad handmade our wood pallet arbor that we got married in front of! We had alllll the fried chicken and french fries at the reception, and it was so much fun! We made our wedding day personal to our love story because we had a relationship with every single one of our vendors prior to the wedding! The lead vocalist of our band was one of our high school teachers, and Nathan and I actually met in his class! My step dad made our ceremony arbor, my aunt made our cake, one of my best friend’s photographed our wedding, we had food from our favorite restaurant, my sister did all of our wedding makeup, my wedding band was custom made by my aunt’s jewelry company, Nathan’s wedding band was his papaws, our minister has known me since I was three and had watched me grow up, our florist’s niece is one of my mom’s closest work friends, and my step mom’s close friend and hairstylist did all of our hair! Every single person involved in our wedding, except our venue and caterer, has been with Nathan and I for the last seven years, and they have been able to watch our relationship unfold. Our day was so unique and non-traditional, but it was so very us!

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What was the most memorable part of your wedding?

The most special memory from our day was when we exchanged rings during our ceremony. My husband’s wedding band belonged to his papaw who passed away a few weeks before the wedding. He was unable to be there with us, but we know he is always with us because of Nathan’s ring. My husband and his papaw were very close and it was an honor to be able to put Papaw’s ring on his finger as we vowed to start a life together in front of all of our friends and family!

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Photography by Christian Craig Media.

Did you wear an All Who Wander gown on your wedding day? Share your photos with us for a chance to be featured. 

Still searching for the perfect wedding dress? View our latest designer gown collections from All Who Wander, Essense of Australia, Stella York, or Martina Liana.