These Longtime Sweethearts Have Their Perfect Wedding

This is the last of our 2015 series ‘Wednesday Weddings.’ We’ll be back with more each February and July. However, we do feature weddings one-two times a month in our Southern Edition, so you can get your fix there!

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In June of this year, after six years of being together, Chad Gahm and Ashton Johnston had the wedding of their dreams. Ashton claims she had six years to plan this wedding, and with the help of Pinterest and wedding magazines, she crafted their perfect wedding and reception.

The longtime sweethearts got engaged Christmas Eve morning, and Chad completely surprised Ashton, mainly because of his laid-back attitude. They were dressed and ready to head down to Ashton’s hometown, Elizabethtown, to spend Christmas Eve with her family. While she ran around and was “a disheveled mess” trying to pack and get ready to leave, Chad lounged on the couch and played with the dog. He met her half-way up the stairs to grab her bags and then dropped them in front of the Christmas tree and told her they needed to talk. She, not wanting to be late getting to her parents, continued walking out of the house and told him they could talk in the car. When she realized he wasn’t following her to the car, she went back in the house to get him and found that he was down on one knee. As Ashton says of the experience and being caught so off guard, “After six years and countless holidays you begin to think they will never propose, so I was clueless!”

Six months later they were married at St. Louis Bertrand with their reception at The Gillespie downtown. Almost 300 family, friends and loved ones gathered to see these longtime sweethearts tie the knot.

Ashton Johnston and Chad Gahm: Longtime Sweethearts Have Their Perfect Wedding

Ashton Johnson and Chad Gahm

Ashton has an eye for fashion and for detail, and all of that is revealed in her stunning dress, veil and headpiece. She bought her dress locally at Couture Closet in LaGrange. The San Patrick dress had a drop-waist bodice and a sweetheart neckline; ruffles cascade along the skirt of the A-line organza gown, and Swarovski crystals decorate the ruched bodice. She wore two Sara Gabriel veils and a custom crystal headpiece that matched the detail on her dress.

The wedding dress is a San Patrick design from Couture Closet.

Intricate crystal encrusted bow heels.

Ashton had two Sara Gabriel veils and a crystal headpiece made to accompany the dress.

The bridesmaids have a special moment together while getting dressed.

Ashton’s mother gives special words of encouragement and love to the bride-to-be.

Ashton’s “something old” was the pair of diamond earrings her late grandmother used to wear.

The bride shows her stunning veil and train.

The bride’s bouquet was full of crystals and made to look like jewelry by Wayne Esterle at In Bloom Again.

Even Louie the dog was dressed to the nines. in a custom-made tuxedo

Beautiful dress and a beautiful bride before the wedding.

Brides wore strapless long, blush gowns from Rebecca’s Bridal.

No nerves here! Groomsmen share a laugh with the groom at the Seelbach before they head over to the wedding.

Ashton’s proud father escorting his daughter down the aisle.

The couple exchanges traditional vows at their Catholic mass at St. Louis Bertrand.

The happy newlyweds take the walk down the aisle, jubilant and relaxed.

Leaning in for a kiss in the setting sun.

This veil was meant for two.

The Gahms had their reception at The Gillespie. This building, built in 1929, was formerly the Lincoln Bank and Trust Company. It was restored in 2005 and retained much of its original Art Deco architectural design, even its famous vault. They wanted everything to be in close proximity and indoors, which is how they selected the venues of St. Louis Bertrand Church, the Seelbach (where they got ready before) and The Gillespie.

The color scheme involved blush and gold, with pink being Ashton’s favorite color. With help from her wedding planner Marcie Hancock from A Thorough Fare and six years of collecting ideas from Pinterest and wedding magazines, Ashton created a timeless and elegant aesthetic.

Guests dined on limestone bibb salad with strawberries and lemon poppy seed muffin, bistro boneless chicken stuffed with boursin cheese, spinach and red pepper topped with tomato basil sauce, potatoes and asparagus, heart of palm cakes with summer vegetable couscous.

Crystals and light adorn the centerpieces at this table.

A beautiful raised floral centerpiece accompanies individual gold lamps at this table.

Visions of gold, blush and pink at the elegant large center table.

The famous vault at the Gillespie

Ashton and Chad danced to “All of Me” by John Legend for their first dance.

Ashton and her father danced to “My Baby Girl” by Sol Knopf.

Ashton admits that she has a huge sweet tooth and that the cake tasting was her very favorite appointment of all the wedding planning. She wanted her cake not just to be gorgeous, but also to taste incredible. They picked Louisvillicious Cakes and Desserts to make their special cake with three different flavors: almond cake with caramel cream filling, white cake with basic cream filling and (her favorite) red velvet with cream cheese filling.

The cake had three different layers of flavor, all which fulfilled the bride’s sweet tooth.

The most memorable moment of the reception came when Chad’s two best men and brothers surprised the bride and groom with a giant cardboard cutout of their family. Chad had a cardboard cut out back from his days playing basketball at St. Xavier High School, and that cutout was a permanent fixture at parties, Derby events, and even other people’s weddings. The cutouts of Ashton and their dog Louie made for a perfect family. During their speeches they walked out with cardboard Gahm family.