Now for the REALLY good stuff. I’ve probably looked at these images a thousand times. And every time I do, I see something new. Something great. This is the wedding of Libby and Patrick. The wedding that Sarah True designed and styled, that we spent hours and hours on the phone dreaming about, that we built with love for two very special people. And despite the fact that we were literally faced against a natural disaster, the day turned out to be something out of a dream. And Justin and Mary Marantz were on hand to capture every perfect detail, every perfect photograph that would tell the story to perfection.
From Sarah True of True Event, who I respect and adore on an entirely new level after this wedding. She is the most level headed, totally design savvy, can-do anything designer I’ve ever met…literally climbing on tables to hang votives and bussing tables during the reception. Not to mention her insanely gorgeous styling. Yep, she’s officially THE BEST…
The reception was a cocktail party with passed hors d’oeuvres and food stations and one of the most unique venues I have had the opportunity to work at. I thought it was important to create spaces on the rooftop, where we would shift the energy of the party through the design and detail. By the majority of the seating and tables we used soft, feminine details, lots of blush tones, hanging pearlescent votives, ruffly chair covers and candelight to create a very romantic backdrop for guests to enjoy. As the space shifted, around the dance floor we created lounge vignettes that brought in the modern lines in the furniture, bold pops of color, hot pink tones, and black and white zebra pattern carpets that added a wild, exotic detail and fun energy as the band rocked into the night.
From Chase Rivers of Flair, our FABULOUS Nashville based floral guru and generally really awesome dude…seriously someone should give this guy his own show, he’s that good, that creative, that charming.
While we were setting up, I could literally feel the tension and the energy of the day. It was awesome knowing that all of that hard work was slowly transforming itself into the most beautiful wedding ever. And everything was fantastic. Libby was blown away and her guests were too. I got a call from one of the relatives (older lady) praising us for the work we did. Everything was so clean and crisp with big splashes of vibrant color. The chair covers really complemented the flowers with their softness and femininity.
Okay, now I want to walk you through the space and tell you about all of the amazing little details that we infused into the day to make this wedding really special.
Invitations by Laura Hooper…It’s a well known fact that Laura Hooper is a calligraphy and invitation genius, so when she agreed to do Libby’s save the dates and wedding invitations, I almost died. Laura used her chandelier design which literally set the stage for the ENTIRE wedding style. The pale pink icon, letterpressed into the most beautiful paper with Laura’s signature calligraphy text. It was beyond gorgeous.
Rentals by Classic Party Rentals…ALL of our rentals, from the leather ottomans to the reflection tables, from the serving stations to the pretty linens, were by Classic Party Rentals. I seriously cannot say enough about Mark and Allison, the dynamic duo that helped us transform the space. Classic is relatively new to Nashville but from the looks of their inventory and their incredible customer service, I have officially put myself at the top of the number 1 fan list.
Lounge Spaces…each of the lounge spaces was designed to give guests a place to relax, to sip their Sofia champagne, to dive into the amazing apps that Patrick’s sushi restaurant Zumi provided. But more than that, the rugs by Urban Outfitters and the Pillows from various shops, brought a sense of warmth and intimacy to an otherwise very modern space. The leather ottomans and mirrored tables were all swank, but the decor detailing was relaxed and inviting.
Zumi Sushi + Noodle Bar…one of my FAVORITE parts of the whole wedding was the noodle bar that Patrick’s newest venture, Zumi Sushi, provided. Aside from the insanely tasty shrimp sushi appetizers, the noodle bar was a really fun way to share a little of their personalities with the guests and get everyone in on the fun. Noodles were served in take-out chinese containers with a side of chop stix and I swear, I ate three cartons full. If any of you Nashville brides are looking for a really cool element to your dining experience, Zumi is now catering Weddings!! How’s that for cool.
Head Table…In terms of design, Sarah and I set out to make the head table the real centerpiece of the wedding. Although it looks like we had a TON of flowers, we really didn’t. We simply used 95% of them on the head table so that the design looked completely lush and overflowing with peony goodness. We kept all of the other tables super simple with little votive candles and we reused the flowers from the ceremony in the reception space. It was a really practical, money saving way to approach the floral design. Wildflower Linen let us use those AMAZING chair covers which gave the table such an ethereal, pretty look. We hung LED lights above the table, along with the Urban chandeliers. The table was covered in a super simple white linen though was gussied up with a gray runner, milk glass, modern CB2 vases and little mercury glass candle holders. It was STUNNING.
Cake Flower by Estilo Weddings…We kept our cake design really simple. Designed by Bili Mouchow, we simply added a single ceramic flower that Estilo gifted us and it was perfection. The flower was delicate and mimicked a sugar flower beautifully, but since it was ceramic, it also became a wonderful keepsake for Libby and Patrick. LOVE, love, love. Next time, I’m ordering three and making a little bundle on the cake.
Bags by Melangerie NYC….Since most of Libby’s guests would be coming in from out of town, she wanted to do something special for them as they arrived at the hotel. Enter, the PERFECT To Have and To Hold canvas totes by Melangerie NYC. They were the perfect calligraphic element to go with our style and filled with Nashville inspired treats, they made for the sweetest welcome bag ever.
The Milk Glass…we had TONS of milk glass, the most beautiful milk glass you’ve ever seen, all of which let the perfect flowers really shine. Thank you SO very much to Yumiko of Hana Floral Design for letting us borrow all of this goodness and for providing your always spot on floral expertise when it came to choosing the perfect stems to make Libby’s dream a reality.
Flower Rosettes…We used Posh Paperie’s fabric rosette DIY from a few months ago to add a bit of texture to our basic linens. We didn’t have a budget for nice table coverings, so Sarah’s assistant stitched together a million fabric rosettes in white that we layered onto the cotton linens. It was a white on white effect that looked expensive but cost next to nothing. We also made a few pink rosettes to go on our gray runners.
Favor Cards…In lieu of the flooding, our super cute DIY favors had to be scrapped. Instead, we printed cards letting guests know that a donation to the flood victims had been made in their name. Each card was slipped into a glassine envelope and scattered around the lucite trays in the lounge areas.
Menu Cards…We made a really simple menu card come to life by sending it off to Kinkos and having it printed on transparency paper. Set on the silver chargers, the text looked like it was printed right on the glass. It was an awesome effect for maybe $20.
Keep Warm Blankets…Knowing that it could be crazy windy on a rooftop garden (we’d been warned), we wanted to leave blankets for guests to cuddle up with. We found $3.99 white blankets at IKEA and to add a little bit of charm, we tied a tag that said Keep Warm around them with a simple pink ribbon. Again, very little money (we bought 12 total) but left a great impression.
There were so many little ways that we saved money with this wedding. We created clear focal points that really took your breath away and kept the rest of the space really simple. We dressed only the head table from head to toe with chair covers, tablesettings and the prettiest flowers a girl could ever want. We were conciencious of each and every detail that we brought in and made sure that it would really pop. From the $64 Urban outfitter rugs to the $24 Chandeliers, every little details was thoughtfully purchased not only for the price but for the impact that it would make.
And all in all, it turned out spectacular. MUCH more coming up including some killer tips from Justin and Mary Marantz on how to snap an SMP worthy wedding!
Event Design: Sarah True of True Events / Photography: Justin and Mary Marantz / Cinema: Julie Hill of Elysium / Floral Design: Chase Rivers of Flair / Invitations and Save the Dates: Laura Hooper / Rentals, Furniture, Linens: Classic Party Rentals / Chair covers: Wildflower Linens /Wedding Planning: Jacki Wickersham and Angela Proffitt of Elegant Weddings by Angela / Catering and Noodle Bar: Zumi Sushi / Cake Flower: Estilo Weddings / Mercury Glass: Borrowed from Yumiko at Hana Floral Design / Welcome Bags: Melangerie NYC / Wedding Photography (to be seen tomorrow): Arlund Imagery / Venue: Pinnacle, Nashville