I don’t usually start my Monday mornings out in happy tears, but after pressing “play” on Red Carousel Films’ capture of this Cedarwood Weddings soiree, I didn’t have a choice. You see, when you come across bride and groom so deeply, madly, truly in love, it’s all you can do not to wipe away a tear or two yourself. Ariel Renae filled up a gallery of crazy gorgeous photos, and you can see lots more of this rustic chic day right over here.
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From Cedarwood Weddings… Jessica and Johnathan are a Renaissance couple with sophisticated tastes that bridge European Old World to Modern Chic styling. Jessica envisioned her wedding in shades of white – white fluffy flowers, fabrics and candlelight. She wanted an elegant, classic foundation to their wedding decor so that she and Johnathan could incorporate aspects unique to them as a couple. The setting at Cedarwood was dignified yet relaxed, with a ‘shot of Southern’ courtesy of cocktail hour in the Cedarwood barn.
Jonathan’s career spans music and fashion, and Jessica is his beautiful Southern muse who enchanted him when they met on a rock music cruise in Miami. Jessica resided in Nashville at the time, and Johnathan in Los Angeles. He flew to Music City to visit Jessica a few weeks later and they shared their first kiss overlooking Nashville’s downtown skyline. After several cross country visits, Johnathan and Jessica knew they were destined to spend their lives together and Jessica joined him in Los Angeles in 2011. Johnathan proposed to Jessica in butterfly fluttering fashion. On one of their visits to Nashville, Johnathan set up a surprise ‘date’ for Jessica. When she opened her eyes they were standing in the exact spot of their first kiss, only this time he proposed, surrounded by the friends and family Johnathan had gathered to celebrate the moment.
From the Bride… We were really set on having a romantic, evening, outdoor wedding. We also wanted a location that would be somewhat convenient for our friends and family. When Cedarwood was recommend we both instantly feel in love with charm of the property and the gorgeous grounds. It was beautiful and inviting, but not too formal – exactly the feel we were looking for.
The incredible thing about Cedarwood is how versatile a canvas it can be for so many design options. We saw so many ideas from past wedding held at the venue, but really worked off our own visions. It was important for it to have a romantic, classic feel, but still have it represent us as a couple. We designed our own alter, save the dates, invitations, rings, and wedding dress so that they would be exactly what we wanted. Johnathan has incredible taste that I have been fortunate enough to benefit from. We had a surprisingly easy time agreeing on our decor and details of the wedding. We were so happy with what we created on the day of the wedding – of course, with the incredible help of the Cedarwood team.
There are too many to list. I think for both Johnathan and I the top of our list would be seeing each other for the first time during the ceremony. It was such a powerful moment for both of us. We are both so blessed to have the most wonderful family and friends and seeing them gathered together to celebrate us was amazing. Our friends and family got along so well that we ended up celebrating until the wee hours of the morning.
Try and enjoy the whole engagement stage. We waited a few months to start planning so that we could just celebrate and enjoy the engagement before the chaos of wedding planning. Johnathan was incredibly involved in all aspects of the planning, partially because his experience in event planning, but also out of his desire to give us (me) a beautiful day to remember always. We truly tried to enjoy the whole experience of the engagement and wedding planning with a realization that it was such an incredibly special time that would pass by quickly. Of course we wanted a beautiful wedding, but the marriage was what excited us the most. We were planning our big day, but focused on all the days to follow it. We stayed really laid back and relaxed throughout the entire experience. This is a once and a lifetime experience, enjoy it.
Photography: Ariel Renae | Videography: Red Carousel Films | Videography: Red Carousel Films | Cake: Patty Cakes | Invitations: Designed by the Bride and Groom | Shoes: Kate Spade | Jewelry: JCPenney | Catering: Chef Christopher | Makeup: Kirin Bhatty | Hair: Bridget Murphy | Officiant: Paul Barber | Ceremony Music: Violinist Rebecca Baumbach | Limo: Metro Livery | Altar and Barn Draping: Events Plus | Bride's Dress: Wilshire Wedding Center | Cocktail Hour Music: B & G Jazz Trio | Floral, Decor, Styling: Cedarwood Weddings | Groomsmen Suit: Shipley & Halmos | Groomsmen Suit: Zara | Reception Music: Jace Aaron Entertainment | Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Cedarwood Weddings