When Woody Axelson needed a freshman formal date, his friend set him up with fellow Wake Forest undergrad Ashton Caudle, who is now a senior merchandise planner of designer ready-to-wear at Neiman Marcus. Fast forward eight-and-a-half years, and Woody proposed to Ashton in the Tuileries Garden in Paris. It was the second day of their trip, and Woody led her to the famous park before their dinner reservation. “He seemed unusually insistent that we pick up Champagne to bring along, but I didn’t think much of it—at least not until I noticed how uncharacteristically quiet he was the entire ride there!” Ashton remembers. “Within moments of walking, he stopped, turned to me, and got down on one knee holding a toi-et-moi ring with mis-matched white and yellow diamonds.”
“As someone who works in the fashion industry, I had already hand-picked many of my looks for our wedding weekend before we got engaged,” Ashton smiles of her South Carolina bridal wardrobe. She also didn’t rely too heavily on all-white looks.
Ashton kicked off the weekend at the Pickleball & Palomas–themed pre-welcome party in the Mini Martini Dress by Byrdie Golf Social Wear. “The shell and palm print perfectly complemented the surroundings, and the long train was so fun to twirl around the courts,” she shares.
“Our rehearsal dinner was a celebration of our childhoods along the Carolina coastline, combined with our adoration for intimate dinners surrounded by loved ones,” Ashton explains. To this, the bride wore a Honayda cape dress, found at Harrods. “The long, pleated cape sleeves reminded me of egret wings, mirroring the delicate design on the table linens. I paired the dress with the Rehearsal Earrings from Brinker + Eliza, which I picked up from OTM.”
Afterward, the welcome party blended French and Lowcountry charm, inspired by the couple’s shared love of French cafés and the laid-back lifestyle of the marshlands. “High Tide Band had everyone swaying, while they chowed down on crêpes and crab claws,” the bride shares. To this, Ashton wore a blue feather Huishan Zhang look. “I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into the weekend one way or another. The feathers felt both Parisian and light enough to keep me cool through the humid evening, so the welcome party turned into yet another outfit change—my 5th of the day!”
On the morning of, Ashton got ready with beauty expert Anna Breeding and her bridal party in a pink Rodarte slip and Prada platforms. Then, she put on her Georges Hobeika wedding dress with a pair of “something blue” Jimmy Choos and Woody’s late mother’s wedding band as her extremely sentimental “something borrowed.” The groom complemented Ashton in a white Ralph Lauren Purple Label dinner jacket with velvet Ferragamo loafers.
For the reception, Ashton knew her look would be by Brandon Maxwell. “During my college internship with him, one of my first tasks was to pick up Karlie Kloss’s 2016 Met Gala gown, which he designed,” the bride reflects. A bodysuit, maxi skirt, and flare pant set was created for the evening. “It was such a special experience to work with the same team that had been there when I was an intern, and we even used the same fabric for the bodysuit that was used for the runway show I worked behind the scenes on.”
On May 11, 2024, Floressence Flowers brought Ashton’s “chaotic yet organized wildflower” ceremony aesthetic to life in the picturesque chapel. Then, it was time for the processional. “I’m such a crier, so to prepare myself for walking down the aisle, I listened to the song on repeat for a full month leading up to the wedding day,” Ashton reveals. “As the double doors opened to ‘Unchained Melody,’ all I could do was smile the entire way to Woody.”
It was important to honor the couple’s different traditions. “My childhood pastor, who baptized me on Mother’s Day 1995—exactly 29 years before our wedding weekend—beautifully incorporated Woody’s Jewish heritage into the ceremony,” Ashton explains. “Woody’s dad read the Sheva Brachot, and we ended the ceremony with Woody breaking the glass.”
For the wedding aesthetic, the reception design was inspired by the Chanel Spring 2018 Couture show—Ashton’s favorite—and the Versailles gardens, where she and Woody wandered before they got engaged. Throughout the wedding weekend, Lauryn Prattes Events effortlessly executed each event, while Over The Moon Top Photographer Aaron Delesie was behind the lens. TPD Design House kept everything consistent from the invitation suite to the menus.
The main bar was anchored by a live fountain, a tribute to Ashton’s parents’ wedding cake, which had a smaller working fountain. “We also used their gazebo-style cake topper from their wedding, which took place 40 years and one week before ours,” the bride shares.
After Ashton’s father continually (and sweetly) kept getting choked up, he gracefully got a few short yet sweet words out. Then, the bride’s sister loosened up the crowd by giving Woody the Ken doll her sister always made her play with when they were little. Woody’s brother followed, detailing humorous tales of their childhood too.
The newlyweds shared a first dance to “Hooked on a Feeling,” and then Professor D of Jordan Khan Orchestra kept the couple’s love of dance floors and live bands alive. “We ended the performance on stage with the band, as the two of us led our friends and family in singing a crowd favorite, ‘Mr. Brightside,’” Ashton remembers.
Once the reception came to a formal close, Ashton and Woody led everyone across the street to a late-night club, where DJ Natty Rico soundtracked the rest of the night, filled with espresso martinis, pizza, and burgers.
