This is the story of Rachael and Eric Adler’s happily ever after. Be prepared for clichés.

Exposition

It began years ago, in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. It was a normal night with the same group of friends – nothing special or memorable at the time, especially since alcohol was most likely involved. Eric and Rachael met that night in Sheffield, a neighborhood deep in the hills of Bellevue, Tennessee. While neither of them remember anything out of the ordinary from that meeting, they began a friendship that led to a courtship, which led to a series of off-and-on relationships locally and long-distance abroad.

Fast forward to March 25th of 2018. Eric and Rachael had been dating just over 6 consecutive years when Eric proposed on a hiking trail in the Smoky Mountains just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. At the end of the walk, it was getting to be the last opportunity to “pop the question” when their dog, Cooper, led them down to the river on an offshoot of the main trail. Eric knew this was the right time and place, and she said,” YES!”

Rising Action

The wedding planning began shortly afterward. Rachael and Eric visited only one venue before they had made their decision: The Riverwood Mansion in East Nashville. Visiting in early spring, they imagined how wonderful a garden wedding might be with budding flowers and spring greenery. Home to many influential families of the Middle Tennessee region, the antebellum-style mansion is covered with manicured gardens and heirloom magnolia trees, transporting you to another time.

April 13th, 2019 was the date they set to be wed. The days leading up to the wedding were fast-moving and full of planning. One issue that the bride and groom didn’t initially agree on was the attire for the bridal party and the groomsmen. Being a fashion designer, Eric Adler was very particular about his vision for his groomsmen. Thinking that they would want to have a suit that they could wear at the wedding and continue to use for years to come, Eric proposed the idea that each faction chooses a color and the wedding party could choose a suit or dress of any style within that color that they liked and would be able to wear again.

After all, the bride makes the final decisions, but Eric was persistent. Rachael thought that this would be too much and would look disjointed. Eric thought that too much uniformity would look cheesy and the individuals would lose their identity. In the end, Rachael accepted Eric’s design decision. Other than this Eric allowed Rachael to plan their wedding to her wildest imagination (within their budget of course).

The groomsmen (minus one) met in early February 2019 in Lake Tahoe, CA for a bachelor party/ski trip, where they all were fitted for custom suits. The groomsmen all chose their version of a grey suit for the wedding (i.e. single-breasted, double-breasted, black or brown buttons, crazy linings, etc.) College roommate Randy who wasn’t able to make the trip later flew down to Nashville for a weekend to catch up and get suited up.

The bridesmaids all went to Miami together for a bachelorette weekend where they did a fair amount of sunning and shopping. In the end, Rachael’s gals were dressed in all black dresses of different cuts and styles to complement their diverse range of curves.

Although Rachael and Eric were stressed out planning for their celebration of love, there were no real hiccups in the process and nothing dramatic happened until the week of the wedding.

Climax

Eric’s best man missed both of his flights and missed the rehearsal. The aforementioned college roommate Randy’s cousin was killed on a military base in South Carolina the night of the rehearsal dinner and had to fly out early the morning. “Uncle” Phil, a friend from elementary school, who also attended the bachelor party and was coincidentally fitted for a charcoal grey suit jumped in as Eric’s fifth man to match Rachael’s five bridesmaids. Eric and groomsman but also “right-hand-man” Jason were sewing finishing touches on all of the outfits up until 15 minutes before their scheduled time of arrival to the venue. The icing on the cake was the forecast called for rain the day of the wedding.

After all, they greatly missed Randy at the wedding, but the rain held off. If you were to see the doppler radar of the surrounding areas it was as if the Riverwood Mansion was the eye of a hurricane. Shortly after the beautiful garden ceremony, guests met inside for the dinner and reception celebration. It immediately poured rain from the sky. What luck.

Falling Action

The rest of the night was filled with tacos, drinks, cake, and fun. The rain denied a traditional sparkler getaway, but guests used their phones’ LED light as an alternative. Rachael and Eric’s getaway Uber whisked them to the Bobby Hotel in downtown Nashville, where they met other friends for an afterparty at around the corner speakeasy club and lounge, Dirty Little Secret. Eric had a bit too much to drink and Rachael took him back early for snuggles and pizza delivery with Cooper, who also stayed the night at the hotel. In the morning they woke up and bid adieu to their guests and prepared for their next Adler’s Adventure: the honeymoon in Turks & Caicos.

Denouement

Stay tuned for travel recommendations from the beautiful islands of Turks & Caicos soon!

As mentioned before, Eric made all of the groomsmen’s suits and shirts at the factory and handmade all the neckwear in-house. We make a range of products for men that are perfect for special occasions such as weddings. Check out our wedding packages on our Products page. Send us an email if you have any questions or would like to book an appointment to get fitted for your special day.

If you want to see more of this truly beautiful day, here is a link to the wedding video created by Michael Sati