Details ...
Wedding Day!
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Webcast and Prelude begin at 5:00pm Central Time
Wedding begins at 5:30pm Central Time
Driving Directions:
Remnant Fellowship Church
1230 Franklin Rd.
Brentwood, TN 37027
Wedding colors:
Navy and Cream
Recommended Attire:
Black Tie Formal to Cocktail
Registry Information:
Williams Sonoma and Amazon
Their Story...
Abram:
I want to first express how thankful I am to our amazing God for leading my parents to join this church and this teaching that has changed all our lives. I also want to thank Gwen Shamblin Lara for starting this church and Elizabeth Kaufmann for continuing to carry on this message of love for God above all. I cannot imagine what my life would have looked like without their wisdom and endless strength. I am forever grateful for everything they have done for my family, and I will continue to support them and these teachings as it has been pivotal in my relationship with God.
I fall more in love with Olivia every day. She is the most humble, selfless, kind, empathetic, and steadfast woman I know. Livvy is always pointing me up to God and making sure He is the center of our conversations. Her laughter and enveloping joy are so contagious and never cease to make me happy. - Abram
My parents, Josh and Kimberly Vick, found out about Remnant Fellowship in 2000 through mutual college friends and soon joined the church. As they spent time together actively involved in the Youth Group, their friendship grew into a closer relationship, and they were married in the church in 2003. My parents have always made our household very lively, and I cannot think of a day when I didn’t laugh or have fun. They have always wanted the best for my siblings and me, and they are always looking for ways to help us grow closer to God. As they were among the earliest members of Remnant Fellowship, my parents often shared stories about how the church began, the spiritual testing and persecution that sometimes came with that, and how everything only made them grow stronger in their unity and love for God. My parents have persevered in their love for God and Christ and their love for this church, and I could not be more thankful for how they have raised me and my siblings. Their loyalty to this church and the church leaders, as well as their willingness to serve this church family at a moment’s notice, has helped shape me into the person I am today.
As my relationship with God grew, I began praying for a spouse who loved God and this church as I did and who loved being involved in all the activities and everything the church offered. Olivia and I grew up in the church together and knew one another through all the youth activities. One day, some friends began mentioning to me that she and I might be a good match. We started talking at church one night and both had so much fun getting to hang out and know each other better. I immediately saw how much she loved God and this incredible church. As I spent more time with Livvy, I began to realize what an amazing person she was, and to say that God had heard and answered my prayers is an understatement!
Livvy is constantly volunteering and serving others in as many opportunities and committees as she can! It is incredibly humbling to see her selflessness, and I am so thankful that I get to be around such a true light. I fall more in love with her every day. She is the most humble, selfless, kind, empathetic, and steadfast woman I know. Livvy is always pointing me up to God and making sure He is the center of our conversations. Her laughter and enveloping joy are so contagious and never cease to make me happy. Her inner beauty is simple stunning, not to mention that she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I cannot believe that I get to marry Olivia. I could not dream of a better fiancé—soon to be wife—and I am so overjoyed to get to marry my best friend and grow even closer through the years with God at the center of our marriage.
Olivia:
I am humbled and honored to get to have any testimony at all and even more so to have the opportunity to share it with you all. I have had the honor and privilege of growing up here in Tennessee and attending Remnant Fellowship Church my whole life. Getting to marry the love of my life, Abram, is the biggest of many blessings in my life, and there are several people I want to credit for this. First and foremost, I thank God Almighty. Next, I thank Gwen Shamblin Lara for starting the church, and of course now Elizabeth Hannah Kaufmann for keeping the church strong and moving forward, and I continue to be thankful for all the wisdom Elizabeth has shared with me over the years. I also want to honor my parents, Chris and Paula Smith, who made sure that the church and a personal relationship with God was my priority, and I am so thankful for their help and guidance through everything in my life. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for all these individuals in my life!
Abram is easy to love because of his gentle and Godly spirit, and I cannot believe that I have the blessing to be beside him for the rest of my life. I truly feel so blessed that I get to marry someone so righteous, humble, kind, funny, and selfless. It is more than anything I could have dreamed up, better than any fairy tale. - Olivia
For a little background, my mom began taking Weigh Down classes in 2000 in Coopersville, Michigan. What she thought was just a weight loss class started changing so many areas of her life as she transferred her relationship with food and other things over to a whole-hearted relationship with God. She not only lost weight, but she became a more loving wife and mother, and my dad noticed the amazing changes in her. He started listening to some of the Weigh Down lessons himself, and although he didn’t need to lose weight, he applied the lessons to other areas of his life, and he was able to find freedom from his own strongholds and put God first in his own life!
When my parents discovered there was actually a church filled with like-minded Christians based on putting this message of “putting God first” into practice, they couldn’t wait to join! Jesus says in Matthew 7:20, “…by their fruit you will recognize them,” and the fruit they saw in Remnant Fellowship Church and in their own lives was compelling. In 2005, my father was able to use his construction abilities to assist in the building of the current church structure, and in that same year, our family was blessed to be able to move to Franklin, Tennessee.
Over the past two decades, my parents have joyfully served on multiple committees, and they always brought me and my two siblings (Anna Smith Dodge and Drew Smith) to everything. It is hard to remember a time that was not spent enjoying fellowship, being involved in children’s or youth activities, or helping out at church. I have the fondest memories of coming to summer Day Camp and Remnant Academy Homeschool Co-op, decorating for weddings and other events, attending practices for choir, bells, and orchestra, attending the best assemblies, gatherings, weddings, festivals, and so much more. It's hard to list everything because we have been able to be a part of so much! Through all these opportunities, we grew up learning how God’s personality is fun and loving, and we were able to discover our own gifts and give them back to God by volunteering in so many ways. I am so grateful to my parents for making sure that my siblings and I were at church, volunteering and learning and fellowshipping. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without this amazing place.
As I got older, I started to realize that a personal relationship with God was not something that my parents could provide for me, nor something that could only be achieved by serving at the church, but something I had to seek and find for myself. Our church teaching had the answers, and I was so blessed to have loving parents and church leaders who were pivotal in helping me develop my own relationship with God. I am indebted to Elizabeth Kaufmann for the time she spent teaching and encouraging me and my age group, and to her daughter Grace Fischer, who also helped me through many tests throughout my teenage years. They have consistently pointed me straight up to God through everything, and true peace and joy have filled my heart. The more I worked on my relationship with God and put into practice the loving teaching I was given (reaching out to God, using my gifts for the church and others, praying more), the more I saw God give back! It was amazing—I discovered that I could never out-give God. My relationships with my parents and siblings grew even stronger, my school grades improved, my friendships grew like never before…God was truly giving me the desires of my heart. Then, in 2022, at a Super Bowl party with friends, God gave me the greatest desire of my heart—Abram.
Growing up here and attending church together, Abram and I have always been friends. We both played the cello for a while in orchestra and even took the same local drivers ed course, but it wasn’t until three years ago that our relationship grew from friendship to something more. Some of our good friends suggested that we seemed like we might be a good match. Soon after that, Abram reached out to me and asked if I wanted to hang out together with some friends at a Superbowl party. We talked that whole night and have been inseparable ever since! In my heart, I always knew that I wanted to marry someone who was righteous and would put God and church first, and little did I know that Abram would be the whole package.
There is so much that I could say about Abram. One of the first things I fell in love with was his humility, but also his attentiveness to others’ needs and his strong righteousness. He is never “too cool” to hang out or talk with anyone and always makes time for his siblings. They love him dearly, and it is evident to see. He always takes time for them and for everyone in his family. Abram is a great friend to everyone. He will figure out what others' interests are and keep up with them, and he never fails to look for and meet the needs of those around him. I am always amazed at how Abram is able to sense my needs before I even recognize them. If there are ever any difficult times we are going through with school or work or other situations, Abram is always the first one to suggest we pray, and he always speaks to me with such gentleness and love. He is also hilarious and brings the fun wherever he goes—everything is more fun with Abram! My parents have even noticed this and said it from day one!
Abram is easy to love because of his gentle and Godly spirit, and I cannot believe that I have the blessing to be beside him for the rest of my life. I truly feel so blessed that I get to marry someone so righteous, humble, kind, funny, and selfless. It is more than anything I could have dreamed up, better than any fairy tale.
I am always continuing to work on my own personal relationship with God, always growing closer to Him first, and I am so excited to learn more as we get married and pursue this relationship together. I pray that our marriage is a direct reflection of all the love we have been given and that it reflects all glory back to God. I cannot believe that Abram and I have gotten to grow up in such an amazing place, with such a strong community of love, and with friends, parents, siblings, and church leaders who all support us and will encourage us in the years to come. I am truly undeserving of this amazing life and of Abram! I cannot wait to become his wife this June!
