Details ...
Wedding Day!
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Webcast and Prelude begin at 5:30pm Central Time
Wedding begins at 6:00pm Central Time
Invitation Only
Driving Directions:
Remnant Fellowship Church
1230 Franklin Rd.
Brentwood, TN 37027
Wedding colors:
Light Mauve, Merlot, and Touches of Gold
Recommended Attire:
Semi Formal (Cocktail Dresses to Formals and Suits to Tuxes)
Registry Information:
Target
Their Story...
Drew:
Before I begin, I want to thank God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ, for giving me the opportunity to be here today. I would not be standing here without God's guidance, His mercy, and His kind direction. Through His plan, I have received the incredible honor and blessing of marrying Rachel Renae Straley.
Rachel is truly my Esther, a source of strength, encouragement, and peace in every season of life. Through her servant's heart and constant care for others, she inspires me daily to be a better man. - Drew
I also want to thank Gwen Lara and Elizabeth Kaufmann for being examples of what it truly means to live a Christ-like life. Their unwavering faith, gentle spirits, and dedication to helping others find a relationship with God have had a profound impact on me and so many others.
Today, my heart is overflowing with gratitude and joy. I feel completely undeserving of the blessing God has given me in Rachel. She is truly my Esther, a source of strength, encouragement, and peace in every season of life. Through her servant's heart and constant care for others, she inspires me daily to be a better man.
I am also deeply grateful for my parents, Chris and Paula Smith. My mother began taking classes through Weigh Down in 2000, and the life-changing connection to God that resulted impacted our entire family. When God opened the door for my father to help in the construction of our church building, my parents decided to move our family to Tennessee to be closer to our church family. Because of their faith and obedience, I was blessed to grow up in a loving community centered on God.
Being raised in this church surrounded me with righteous examples and countless lessons about what it means to truly have a relationship with God and lay down sin. The love, teachings, and encouragement I received here helped shape the man I am today. Most importantly, it led me to Rachel.
When Rachel and I first started dating, I was amazed by the peace God brought into every conversation, every moment, and every step of our relationship. She was always looking for ways to serve—whether at home, at church, or among friends. Rachel quickly became the missing piece I never knew I needed. Every time I saw her, she seemed to grow more beautiful, and I couldn't help but smile whenever she walked into the room.
Rachel has always been steadfast in her faith and devoted to serving God's church. As her husband, my desire is to support her just as faithfully as she has supported me. I honestly don't know where I would be without her encouragement, laughter, wisdom, and unwavering love.
Throughout my life, God has used every challenge and every test for my good. Looking back, I see His hand in all of it. And now, by His grace, He has given me the opportunity to spend my life with someone as pure-hearted, loving, and dedicated as Rachel. She is my greatest cheerleader, my helper, and a calming influence who perfectly balances my competitive nature.
I also want to thank Rachel's parents for welcoming me into their family and allowing me to share in your traditions, laughter, and love. To my two wonderful sisters, thank you for your constant support and encouragement. I love you both very much.
Finally, thank you to every member of our church, our friends, and everyone who has been an example in our lives. Rachel and I have learned so much from all of you, and we are incredibly grateful for the love and support you have shown us.
I cannot thank God enough for all He has done in my life and for the blessing of Rachel. I am humbled, honored, and excited to spend the rest of my life with her. We pray that our marriage brings glory to God and honors His church. We are so excited for the years ahead and all that God has planned for us.
Rachel:
I would like to start by saying that I am so immensely honored and thankful to even have a testimony to share. My life would not be where it is today if it were not for God Almighty first and foremost, this incredible church, Gwen Lara, Elizabeth Kaufmann, this leadership, and all of the Godly peers and examples I look up to. I also must thank my wonderful parents for raising my sister and me in this church, surrounded by this community of love…since without them and their loving examples, I do not know where I would be today. This church has always been full of righteous examples to look up to, amazing teachings that are put into practice, and Scriptures that back everything up. This teaching has truly changed my life, and I am so thankful for every single decision that brought me here.
Drew has made my life so much better, and he is my biggest blessing! He’s the most Godly, kind, funny, humble, and most handsome man ever! He’s the epitome of joy and has such a servant-heart, which constantly convicts me. - Rachel
My testimony begins in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2008, when my mom read about the Weigh Down program in a Good Housekeeping Magazine. My parents have always raised my sister and me to love one another and to respect the authority line. But they both still felt that something was missing, which they discovered was a relationship with God. As my mom dug deeper into Weigh Down and became more curious about a relationship with God, she researched Weigh Down further and discovered the Remnant Fellowship Church in Tennessee. After our family joined the church, we would webcast every week and also try to visit as much as we could during festivals such as Passover and the Feast of Harvest, and throughout the summer for Day Camp. It was always so hard to go home afterwards and to leave my friends and the sweet church members. After much prayer, we moved to Tennessee in 2017, and it was the best decision we ever made!
After we moved here, it was amazing to be able to attend church in person every week. However, I was entering my late teens, and I began to feel somewhat lost in my relationship with God and with others. I experienced some heavy health testing in 2018, in which I had to run to God and rely on Him to get through it. This was a pivotal moment in my life and really jump-started my personal relationship with God. I know I would not have made it through that situation without my parents, this leadership, and this amazing church family and all their prayers; this really opened my eyes to how incredible this place is and how willing everyone is to pray for you at a moment’s notice. Throughout the years, my thankfulness for this message has only grown as Elizabeth continues to teach and live out this message and she encourages us to do the same. While the fruit has been plentiful, one of the biggest blessings has absolutely been Drew Smith.
I always noticed Drew serving at church, and I was convicted by how frequently and selflessly he helped the church with so much joy in his heart. Then, in the Fall of 2023, our friend groups started hanging out together and I noticed him more and more. We agreed to go out on a coffee date in December of 2023 just to see what would happen, and the rest is history!
Drew has made my life so much better, and he is my biggest blessing! He’s the most Godly, kind, funny, humble, and most handsome man ever! He’s the epitome of joy and has such a servant-heart, which constantly convicts me. Drew upholds God first and foremost and this church second, loves his family deeply, and has always been so kind and patient. He still races me to the car and won’t allow me to open my own door! He is also my biggest cheerleader and always encourages me to pray over anything troubling my heart. He encourages me to talk to him if there’s anything testing me so we can pass the test together! If any refinement is brought to his attention, Drew is so humble and selfless and immediately wants to put it into practice. He has walked out so much in his own Spiritual walk, which I am so proud of him for, and we’re both changed people because of this message.
I always prayed to God that if He ever had someone in mind for me, that person would be Godly, righteous, kind and funny. An additional prayer was that, if God allowed, we might have similar interests so we could enjoy them together. God answered all of these prayers and more with Drew, and I couldn’t be more thankful. We like similar music genres, we both love singing, and we share other similar interests that we get to enjoy together. He can always make me laugh, and it’s impossible for me to be sad around him when he has so much joy and laughter radiating from him. I have no doubt that Drew will lead our household in obeying God first, respecting our parents, and loving and upholding this church and teaching for the rest of our lives. I can’t wait to stand beside him and serve this church with him for all time. I’m so very honored to become Drew's wife and join the Smith family!
