& Johan Backstrom Allie

How did you two meet?

We met at Ole Miss where we were both on the mens and womens tennis teams. We began dating in early 2013 and have been together ever since!

Tell us about the proposal June 1st has always been a special day for us and one that we celebrate annually. It all started on June 1st 2013 when we said “I love you” to each other for the first time. Flash forward 6 years later to 2019, we were living in New York at the time. Johan always knew he wanted to propose on June 1st to keep adding to the happy memories we have surrounding that date. Allie’s favorite place in New York is Central Park, so Johan planned a full day in the park on June 1st that ended with champagne and potato chips (a wonderful combination if you ask us), Allie giving Johan a yearly scrapbook of the year together and ultimately Johan’s proposal. It was perfect and so thoughtful. We continue celebrating June 1st every year!

Describe your Wedding Dress

My wedding ceremony dress was simple and classic. Made of a white crepe material with a slight sweetheart neckline, fairly fitted throughout and thin straps. My veil was floor length and layered. I would describe it as a mix between modern and classic, and I loved it! For my reception, I ended up getting a second dress at the last minute because I wanted to be able to dance the night away! I loved that dress as well and it was so sparkly and fun!

Favorite Moment from your Big Day

We waited an extra 2 years to have all of our favorite people together due to border closures with the pandemic, so my favorite moment was probably standing up in the church with Johan saying our vows knowing that our family and friends were all there with us supporting us. However, a very close second favorite moment was our first dance. Johan is Swedish and I love all things ABBA (who are Swedish), so we danced to a mash-up that I mixed of all of our favorite ABBA songs and had the time of our lives. It was like floating on a cloud the whole time and we can’t help but smile every time we watch it back.

Favorite Wedding Details

I love when weddings have personal touches sprinkled throughout, so I wanted to bring that to ours. When we lived in New York our offices were actually across the street from each other and in between them there was a giant “LOVE” sign which we always thought was cute, so for our wedding we had the “LOVE” sign recreated into a neon sign that hung behind the guest book and the grooms cake. The grooms cake was a replica of the ole miss center court (by the Flour Garden) which was so special and meaningful to us as tennis is what brought us together in the first place. Oxford Floral absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark with the florals. I also loved how Elizabeth Heiskell tied the food offerings to our roots by having a southern station and a Swedish station. The verdict is still out on which station was the favorite because everything was just so tasty! One of the cutest touches which was a total surprise to us was when we did the send-off, my parents had worked with our wedding planner (Ellen Thomas Event Design) and Oxford Floral to have a beautiful old-timey white convertible pick us up with tennis balls tied to the back of the car instead of bells. It was the perfect touch that tied everything together and sent us off into married life. We are so grateful for everyone that took the time to help make our details so meaningful for our wedding!

What you’re doing now

We are living and working in Nashville, and are expecting our first little blessing in March 2023.

Ceremony date

May 14th, 2022

Venue

Paris Yates Chapel

Reception Venue

The Lyric

Wedding planner

Ellen Thomas Event Design

Photographer

Brian Flint who is AMAZING. There was not a field for me to put his name but I want to make sure that yall know it was him!

Wedding planner

Ellen Thomas Event Design

Caterer

Elizabeth Heiskell ----- and Bride’s cake was Flour Garden but there was not an option to write it in. Invitations were designed by me in partnership with Kate Wiseman Creative.

Wedding dress

Wedding Atelier

Bridesmaids dresses

Birdy Grey

Hair and Makeup

The Studio - love them!

Groom and Groomsmen attire

Thomas Brothers Oxford

Music

DMP Band – Memphis

Bar

The Lyric