Sharon Naylor is the author of over 30 wedding books, including 1000 Best Secrets For Your Perfect Wedding, 1000 Best Wedding Bargains, Your Special Wedding Vows, Your Special Wedding Toasts, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom, The Groom's Guide, The Essential Guide to Wedding Etiquette, The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, and more. She has appeared as a wedding expert on Nightline, Lifetime, Inside Edition, ABC News, Fox 5 News, and on hundreds of radio stations nationally and internationally. Read more about Sharon Naylor here. Sharon is also happy to asnwer your wedding-related questions in her forum. 
“I had always wanted a traditional wedding, with me in the white dress, all of our friends and family gathered in the church...and I was so grateful to be able to add the military touches since all the guys had just gotten back from Iraq,” says Ashley Rebecca (Welch) Hudson, age 27, of her November 18, 2006 marriage to George C. Hudson, IV (Cliff), age 29, who is a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps.
The couple brought Semper Fi and the proud tradition of the Marine Corps into their wedding day with several time-honored rituals, including the couple walking underneath an arch of swords after their ceremony.
Ashley describes her wedding as traditional, with approximately 200 guests, which allowed the couple to celebrate with so many of their friends, family, colleagues and compatriots in the service. “We chose to marry close to home, because it’s where my family is, and the church is the one I grew up in,” says Ashley. The ceremony was at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the reception was at the Little Rock Club also in Little Rock. The couple’s plans encompassed a $50,000 budget, and the planning presented a particular challenge: the groom was deployed in Iraq and couldn’t help very much with the planning. He sent his support and love from afar, while friends and family stepped in to help out. “I have parents, stepparents, aunts and uncles galore who helped out tremendously,” says Ashley. “My friends were also amazing.” In the instance of a deployed groom or bride, it’s often a very loving circle of relatives and friends who gather to help plan, present creative ideas, support the couple in any way possible, and make the entire planning process fun. The wedding then, upon the return of the deployed future spouse, has within it the gifts of so many loved ones’ efforts.
And since we all wish great things upon military couples in thanks for their service to the country, you’ll be happy to read about the luck and blessings that graced Ashley and Cliff as their wedding plans progressed…
About the Gown:
Ashley says, “I wore a Vera Wang ivory lace wedding gown, made from seven different types of handmade lace overlaid on top of each other. It was a one-of-a-kind and absolutely gorgeous. My mom and I had gone to look at dresses (for fun!) a little over a year before the wedding. It was the last gown I tried on because it was waaaay out of our price range. Well, the gown fit like a glove and the owner of the shop -- She Said Yes in Rogers, AR -- happened to be there and see it, so she offered to sell it for half off! We bought it right then and there and spent the rest of the year before the wedding going up and 'visiting it.'”
About the Bridesmaids’ Dresses:
The bridesmaids wore nutmeg Vera Wang cocktail length dresses with bubble skirts.
About the Groom’s Look:
“Cliff wore his dress blues, of course!”
About the Bridal Party:
“I had three college roommates, two law school friends, my stepsister and a childhood friend. My two cousins acted as flowergirls.”
About the Reception:
“Our reception was a blast! My stepbrother's band played for us,” says Ashley. The reception was held at the Little Rock Club, which is on the top floor of a highrise downtown, with floor to ceiling windows showing off the skyline. “Instead of doing a traditional buffet, we did stations with our favorite foods -- Italian, Chinese, and Mexican food. The best part of the night was Cliff serenading me with a song he wrote for me in Iraq. There was not a dry eye in the house!”
About the Cake:
“We had an amazing five-tiered wedding cake with different fillings and flavors on each level, and a groom's cake highlighting the ongoing Tennessee-Arkansas rivalry that Cliff and I have.”
Special Wedding Moments:
Ashley and Cliff danced their first dance to the song "Forever" by Ben Harper, and Ashley says that her favorite parts of the wedding were also when Cliff serenaded her, when she danced with her father, and getting the chance to spend time with long-lost friends and family.
About the Favors:
Ashley and Cliff decided to forego traditional wedding favors, choosing instead to contribute money to a veteran's fund. This is a top new trend in weddings today – giving to a great cause that’s close to their hearts instead of giving a trinket or snack.
My favorite photo is a black and white shot of Cliff and I kissing as we left
the sanctuary. I think it just captures the moment perfectly.
Ashley’s advice to you? “Breathe! Things are going to go wrong. People are going to have last minute travel issues. Flowers may not be perfect, bridesmaid dresses may wrinkle. But at the end of the day, you are marrying the man you love more than anyone else. Remember that.”
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