Laura Braslow’s lyrics for “Everyday I Choose You” were the most appropriate way to surprise her groom, Andrew Woods, and express her love for him on their wedding day.
lyrics below
“Andrew always encourages me to sing,” said Laura. “The words exemplify how I feel about Andrew and how I centered our special day around telling the world that I would always choose him, every day. I think it’s the only time I’ve ever surprised him. He wasn’t aware that the inscription on our cups, the kippot, the olive oil favors, the doggie treat favors, were secretly the name of the song.”
Special touches for guests included seeded kippot that could be planted and bottles of Olive Oil inscribed “olive me loves olive you” were from dad’s store, The Mighty Olive.
The couple met on a blind date that didn’t start quite as planned. Andrew, quite the romantic, had prepared a picnic date at “Cinema at the Cemetery,” a film showing at Elmwood Cemetery of The Birds. When Laura couldn’t get there because streets from her house in Midtown were blocked for the annual race held before the Cooper Young Arts Festival, she called Andrew and apologized. “I told him I’d sit on my patio of Celtic Crossing with my dog and wait for him to meet me there if he wanted to come,” she said.
Andrew called Corelle Cutter, who’d set them up (and who ultimately became their flower woman) to tell her he wasn’t sure about this date and was packing up his picnic to head home. Thankfully Corelle convinced Andrew to “give her a shot.” After sharing a few laughs, talking about their mutual love for family, friends, and of course, their dogs, the rest was beshert (meant to be).
Although Laura has a hard time surprising Andrew, he has a knack for surprising her whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Rebekah, Laura’s sister, and Andrew planned a surprise party for Laura’s 30th birthday a few weeks prior to her birthday. She knew something was in the works and kept dressing up for every occasion thinking ‘this may be the day, surprise party and a proposal.’ There was a big celebration and at the end, Laura thought this was the moment! To her surprise, he still hadn’t popped the question. Instead, Andrew surprised her again on her birth date two weeks later at their favorite restaurant, Andrew Michael’s Italian Kitchen. After dinner, they arrived at her dad’s home to “pick up her birthday present” according to her dad and step-mom, Sam and Carol. “This was the biggest surprise of them all,” said Laura. Another round of Happy Birthday with family including my 91-year-old grandpa, and then before I knew it, Andrew was on one knee in the middle of it all.”
Grandpa Irving Evans enjoyed the wedding ceremony and festivities.
“Her family, our friends, everyone knew!” said Andrew. “Some family even watched the proposal via Facetime to join in the festivity.”
As for the venue, The Gin at Nesbit in Mississippi, “Oh yeah, this is it,” they agreed the first time they laid eyes on the old restored gin building rich with history. “It was rustic and beautiful and everything we could have hoped for.”
The minute they laid eyes on the venue, The Gin at Nesbit, they knew it was the perfect venue.
From there, the wedding day became a montage of quirky, unique tidbits of ways to express the deep love the couple feels for each other, their family, friends and pets.
No pets allowed didn’t stop the couple from sharing a treat from their fur babies.
Everyone came together to create the unique, once-in-a-lifetime celebration. “My planner and florist Anna Katherine Colomb of TCBnCo. was the glue that kept it all together,” said Laura. “She has such an eye for the unique, is an incredible florist, organizer, and beautiful person.”
Andrew and a friend built the chuppah as a permanent structure the couple could use in their backyard. The chuppah and the wedding cake were two surprises Andrew had for Laura on their wedding day.
“Everything about the day was 100% us,” agreed Andrew.
Andrew had more surprises up his sleeve and Laura, just rolled with the flow. It began with the chuppah. “I wanted a permanent structure that we could use after the wedding,” he said.
“I was skeptical and didn’t see it finished until the day of the wedding,” said Laura, who was overwhelmed with what Andrew created and how Anna Katherine adorned it. “It was better than I ever imagined. I also left the dessert choices including the cake, to Andrew and my step-mom, the sweet-aholics of the family.”
The ceremony began with Charvey Mac singing “Lean on Me” as the bridal party entered the room, “I’m So in Love with You” by Jill Andrews for the bride’s procession and finally, “Sign, Sealed, Delivered,” as the couple exited the ceremony.
DJ Tree Riehl started the fun introducing the couple with the first dance to “Butterflies,” by Kacey Musgraves, followed by the mother/son dance to “What a Wonderful World.”
“The daddy/daughter dance was a blast,” said Laura. “Complete with blow up guitars, sunglasses, and a cane to dance with. We’d choreographed a routine to “Let Her Go,” incorporating the music dad and I both love: musicals, 80s rock, and The Beatles.”
Laura and mom Vicki Evans Braslow
Family First
Our siblings are very important to us, so we made sure they were a big part of our bride and groom parties. Laura wrote personal letters to her mom, Vicki Evans Braslow, step-mom Carol Braslow, Andrew’s mom, Patricia Woods, her dad, Sam Braslow, Andrew, and every bridesmaid. Tears of joy, made for a few make-up touches since everyone was already dressed. Dad read his letter during his first look.
Always the Fun Guys
Together they have eight nieces and nephews and could not imagine our day without kiddos. A kid’s corner included coloring books and things for fun to entertain them. The guest book was a set of Jenga blocks because they love to play games and puzzles.
Back: Lara Zieden, Corelle Cutter, brother and bridesman Joseph Braslow, Robin Francis, Van Patterson. Front: Brandee Masterson, Chelsea Steinaway, Laura, Rebekah Kelly (MOH), Kimberly Nicolas.
Back: Greg King, Robert McRae, Jason Morgan, Bobby Galluzzi Front: Joe Slover, Rocky Hernandez, Andrew, Anne Madison (MOH/Best Man) and Michael McRae.
Laura hadn’t seen or tasted the cake by Two Girls and a Whip until her first bite – another Andrew surprise.
Find Your Party Animal Table Numbers led guests to their seats. The main table was a Lion, Andrew’s Hebrew name, Arieh. The close family table represented dogs, Evelyn and Ivy. Two tables were named for Rocko and Rex, who both passed before the wedding. All of the animal tables included photos of the past and current pups.
Laura, a 5th generation Schwab, included broches on her bouquet from her paternal grandmother, Mamaw, Eleanor Schwab Braslow, while the beading sewn into her gown was from her maternal grandmother, Phyllis Mae Bloom Evans’ wedding dress, as was the fur stole Laura wore for her exit.
“Every day, I Choose You” was written on our cups and was secretly the name of the song I wrote and sang to Andrew at the reception. These lyrics I wrote for Andrew help to exemplify how I feel about him and how I centered our special day around telling the world that I would always choose him, every day:
“Every day, I Choose You”
When I am lost, when I am down, when I am stubborn, when I struggle
You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me who I am meant to be
I want to cry with you, I want to laugh with you
I want to learn with you, I want to teach
I want travel with you, I want to conquer the world with you
Everyday I choose you
Everyday I choose you
You are my keeper, I am your queen, you are my best friend, and now my king
You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me who I am meant to be
I want to cry with you, I want to laugh with you
I want to learn with you, I want to teach
I want travel with you, I want to conquer the world with you
Everyday I choose you
Everyday I choose you
Let us get angry, watch us make up (watch us get stronger), Let us fail, watch us succeed
Together we’re strong, together we’re brave, together a force of nature – get out of our way
I want to cry with you, I want to laugh with you
I want to learn with you, I want to teach
I want travel with you, I want to conquer the world with you
Everyday, I choose you
Everyday, I choose you
Everyday, I choose you
I want to be angry with you, I want to be happy with you
I want to be poor with you, I want to be rich with you
I want to make mistakes with you, I want to find the right way
I close my eyes and see you/I remind myself I have you
With every smile, with every I love you, with every good morning,
You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me the truest me I have ever been
You give me drive, you give me heart, you give me the world
When I’m lost, when I struggle
When I’m down, when I’m hurt, when I struggle –
You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me who I am meant to be
You give me drive, you give me heart, you give me the world, the way it was meant to be
