Details ...
Wedding Day!
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Prelude begins at 5:00pm Central Time
Wedding begins at 5:30pm Central Time.
Wedding is Invitation-Only.
Driving Directions:
Remnant Fellowship Church
1230 Franklin Rd.
Brentwood, TN 37027
Wedding colors:
Navy and Light Blue with touches of Butter Yellow
Recommended Attire:
Black Tie to Formal
Registry Information:
Williams Sonoma and Amazon
Their Story...
Samuel:
I cannot begin without expressing my gratitude to God, His Son, and this church. I know for a fact that I would not be here without the amazing teachings shared through Remnant Fellowship, the dedication of Mrs. Gwen Shamblin Lara and her daughter Elizabeth Hannah Kauffmann, and the support and leadership of this church community. I am especially grateful to my parents as well for not only finding this church but for raising us to wholeheartedly follow Christ’s example in pursuing a relationship with God.
My mother first began participating in Weigh Down in 1997 while living in the U.K. with my father. As she applied the Biblical principles of hunger and fullness, she lost weight and experienced the fruit that comes from putting God's will first in every area of her life. Inspired by these changes, my father joined her on this path. A few years later after moving back to the U.S., they became members of Remnant Fellowship. Eventually they both began working at the church and were blessed to work closely with Gwen Shamblin Lara and her daughter, Elizabeth, over the past two decades.
I truly love Ella with all my heart, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. She brings peace and joy into my life, and I know that coming home to her each day will be a gift. She makes every part of my life easier, and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to be with such a Godly woman. - Samuel
During that time, my parents had been told they had a less than a 1% chance of having children, but through God’s mercy and the answered prayers of the church, they were blessed with triplets! That miracle was not lost on them, and they gave their all in raising us to know that every answered prayer and blessing comes from putting God first.
Growing up in this church, I saw firsthand the blessings that come from following God’s lead. My parents made sure our education included learning how to seek God's will and follow it daily. Because of that, I was able to develop my own personal relationship with God as I grew up. The older I got, the more I understood that this wasn’t just my parents’ faith, it had to become my own. The joy, peace, and hope I’ve found in that relationship is something I’ll never take for granted.
This church has given me the tools to seek God in every aspect of life, and through that, I was led to pursue a future in medicine. Though that path has had its challenges, it has deepened my relationship with God. The testing that came with a full schedule was a chance to lean more on Him. Without this place, the lessons, and examples we have of upright men and women, I know I would not have made it this far.
Even in the midst of a busy schedule, God allowed time to continue serving at church. Although we knew each other through all the youth activities and spending time with mutual friends, God began placing Ella more strongly on my heart in early 2023. I was drawn to her humility, joy, and the love she showed to everyone around her. Every second of our relationship since then has been a blessing from God.
Ella is one of the most humble and joyful people I’ve ever met. She is beautiful inside and out and lights up a room with her smile - always finding ways to serve others and point everything back to God. Even on hard days, she helps me refocus and lifts me up. Her heart for God is constant and encourages me to be better.
I truly love Ella with all my heart, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. She brings peace and joy into my life, and I know that coming home to her each day will be a gift. Some of my instructors at school have been surprised that I have been able to maintain a relationship on top of the academics I’m committed to, but the truth is that I couldn’t have done it without Ella. She makes every part of my life easier, and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to be with such a Godly woman.
I am incredibly humbled and excited for what the future holds. I pray that our marriage glorifies God, supports His Kingdom, and reflects the love and truth we’ve been taught here at Remnant Fellowship.
Ella:
I could not begin sharing my testimony without first giving forever thanks and praise to God for all He has done in my life. I would not be where I am today without my mom finding Weigh Down in 2010 and then a few years later learning about and joining Remnant Fellowship Church, founded by Gwen Lara and now being carried forward by her daughter, Elizabeth Kauffman. I will forever be grateful to my mom, Donita McPherson, for passing along these Biblical teachings that helped her change her own heart and find a closer relationship with God. She has lived this truth out by example, putting God first in every area of her life. I am humbled to have a mother who has selflessly persevered through so much to help me and my brothers to get where we are today. We would each say it has completely changed our lives for the better, and for that, we are eternally grateful.
Samuel is the most gentle, thoughtful, kind, loyal, Christ-like, and handsome man ever. He is constantly looking to God in every situation and always looking to the needs of the church and others! He makes life better daily! - Ella
My mother would bring us to Tennessee whenever we were able so that we could attend the church in person. This led to our first time attending Remnant’s Summer Day Camp, where we began forming lifelong, Godly friendships. From then on, we never stopped coming down as often as possible because we immediately felt all the genuine godliness and love at this church. One of the families we grew particularly close with were Jonathan and Jessica Walters and their kids, who became like family to us. They were so loving, kind, and gracious, and we are forever thankful for their genuine love and self-sacrificial Christlike lives. The Walters family was very influential in why our family is where we are now in our walk with God and this church.
As a young child, I remember I would pray and talk to God every night, but I didn’t really fully understand the true meaning of having a relationship with God by loving Him with all my heart and putting Him first in my life until I heard this church's teaching. This church has taught me how to focus on God and His will, and to put Him first in my life and imitate Christ. Every day is no longer about me but about God and His Kingdom, and I have experienced so many blessings from following God, just as it says in Deuteronomy 28. I really started to understand this more and started to see the fruit from it when I was in the sixth grade going into a new middle school. Sometimes public school can be difficult at that age, and my mom shared with me how Gwen had taught Elizabeth to put God first and share love with others – to look for other students who might be hurting and encourage them and make friends with them – so that is exactly what I did, and it helped me tremendously!
It was only through looking inward and changing myself for the better, building my own personal relationship with God, and growing my connection and love for God that the greatest blessings and answered prayers have come into my life. One of my greatest answered prayers (besides Samuel) was getting to move down to Tennessee in August 2023 to begin working and attending college! I have been blessed to have the encouragement and example of so many Godly families, such as the Stites/Walters and Vick families, people who have been so influential in my life as I have gotten to see their selfless, righteous lives lived out daily. My family has been so very grateful for all the genuine friendships, and it just spurs me on to want to encourage and love others even more!
When I moved to Tennessee, I was incredibly blessed to begin working at a local medical office, and I’m so grateful to God to work with such a fun team that has taught me so much in a happy work environment. Another huge, answered prayer was Samuel being accepted into Belmont Medical School! He is the most hard-working man I know, and he never fails to give all the credit right back up to God Almighty. I will never forget the day he called me to share the amazing news that he was accepted into Thomas F. Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University – this was the answer to a two-year-long prayer to be accepted to a medical school in Middle Tennessee so that we could stay near church and not have to relocate. We praise God for this wonderful blessing!
I had always prayed to find an upright, Godly, loving and humble husband. God answered my prayer and heart’s desire by bringing Samuel into my life. As God began drawing us together, I remember Samuel and I started talking at a country-night church concert, and he asked me to dance – of course, I said yes! From then on, we were inseparable. I immediately admired Samuel’s heart of love the first time I met him. I also admire and love being around his sweet Godly family, Marc, Tish, Joel & Hannah, and Jonathan Dunn. Seeing Samuel’s love for God and others is so convicting, especially his love for children; he lights up and is drawn to every child he sees, trying to see them smile and laugh because he has such a childlike heart. Samuel has such a love for everyone around him. Without fail, he always stops to say hi or to wave and smile at everyone he meets. As soon as he walks through the door, you can see and feel his love and light for God. The more time I spent with Samuel, the more I witnessed his humility, steadfastness, and willingness to seek out his authorities for advice.
Samuel is the most gentle, thoughtful, kind, loyal, Christ-like, and handsome man ever. He is constantly looking to God in every situation and always looking to the needs of the church and others! He makes life better daily! Samuel has been there for me through all the good times and the more testing times, and he has consistently encouraged me along the way. One of my favorite memories is when he selflessly came up to Kentucky to help me move down to Tennessee. Now that we are engaged and about to get married, I can barely believe it because it all feels like a fairytale dream! Somehow, I fall more in love with him every day, and I cannot wait to fall even more in love each day of our marriage! I cannot imagine life without him by my side! I feel so undeserving and humbled to marry the love of my life, Samuel Dunn.
I can’t even begin to believe that God is allowing us to get married at our favorite place on Earth, inside this beautiful church! Samuel and I have all the hope and excitement in the world going into marriage, because we cannot wait to continue our lives together in this beautiful message of heartfelt love. I love Samuel wholeheartedly forever and ever! I’m so very excited for our marriage and life together that is to come!! I want to ultimately thank God Almighty for bringing Samuel and I together to be united in love and serving God and His church over the years to come!
