Warren and I met during our freshman year at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. We developed a deep friendship throughout the first two years of college; there were countless moments where I wanted more, but I was convinced that a guy like this could never fall for me. I had never met anyone like Warren - he could, simply by glancing in my general direction, make me feel blissfully weightless. Our relationship progressed over time and he began to pursue me during our Junior year.
On Saturday, October 28th, my sister invited me to her Bible study meeting. She picked me up the next night and gave me directions and an email so that I could navigate. As I read the directions and she drove, I noticed that we were driving through a beautiful neighborhood in Birmingham, near an overlook where Warren had taken me at the beginning of our relationship. I started to think that something was going on as we drove up the hill towards this spot, but my sister's directions and Bible study notes had completely thrown me off! Suddenly we turned a corner and I saw Warren, standing out in the garden with the whole city behind him. My sister let me out of the car, and Warren took my hand and led me out into the gardens. He told me how he wanted to serve me and begin a family one day, and how lucky he felt that we had been best friends for so long. Warren is an amazing singer and plays guitar, and he sang a song to me that has meant so much to us in our relationship. Then, he got down on his knee, pulled out othe ring, and asked me to be his wife!
After nearly a year of planning and the anxious thought I had felt all week that "everything must go perfectly". I woke up on July 28th, 2007, completely relaxed and without a care in the world. Warren and I did not see each other before I walked down the aisle to him. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen may have despised us for it, but I was in heaven as I walked through the church doors to see my groom for the first time. Under normal circumstances, 500 eyes staring at me would very likely cause me to shake; but because Warren and I had not seen each other, I walked down the aisle barely noticing anyone around me.
Our wedding reception took place at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. Warren and I danced to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". Dancing and dinner took place in the Laura Turner Concert Hall, a gorgeous space resplendent with Tennessee culture and music. The Tyrone Smith Review provided fabulous entertainment and somehow even managed to get the famously uncoordinated bride onstage with her bridesmaids to dance.
The evening was somewhat overwhelming as I tried to talk to everyone I could -- I felt great peace knowing that the team of McNeal Video were recording every moment for me to look back on. As a bride, you long to "take it all in" but the amount of people and emotions you feel make this somewhat difficult! I was, in those first moments of our reception, so grateful that our videographer had an entire team capturing the details and people that I may have missed. Videography was the one expense I did not feel guilty for after that evening!
After dancing the night away, Warren and I left under a shower of rose petals in a vintage Rolls-Royce. There are truly no words to describe the support and love we experienced throughout our engagement culminating in a beautiful ceremony and evening that celebrated the love and support Warren and I had found in each other.
Our wedding night was spent at the Hermitage Hotel, and our honeymoon at Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos could not have been more peaceful and relaxing.
As I look back on being a bride and the incredible first evening I spent as "Mrs. Herring", I am simply overcome by the joy I felt as I joined my life with Warren. How richly we are blessed!
