Tennessee Weddings

Love Is A Big Deal has officially made my day with this stylish soiree. It’s ba-nan-as in the sweet, personal, stylish, crafty sort of way, and that just happens to be the best kind of ba-nan-as. I am also in love with this Bride (please read her description) and the Groom (who also proposed with a pair of Loubies!) and really, every single image that sitting right here in the full gallery.

From the Bride… Josh and I always knew we wanted a fun and relaxed wedding! No bridal party, no speeches, no drama — just the two of us and our closest family and friends.  Our first step was to find an intimate venue with a lot of character. We found a really cool space in downtown Nashville with gorgeous exposed brick walls that felt perfect for us. For the decor, I wanted to add a personal touch by making all of the centerpieces myself.  Several of the centerpieces consisted of ceramics that were hand-made by my grandmother, as well as books, buttons and miscellaneous items including an antique doll house piano … all objects that hold special meaning to me. As for the rest of the decor, I knew I wanted a creative, textural background for our fun, quirky, non-traditional wedding. Inspired by SMP, we created an enormous wall of colorful paper poms and pinwheels that served as the backdrop for every moment of our wedding! It was a huge labor of love, and I owe many thanks to Etsy, my mom, dad, brother and a good friend who all helped to build my masterpiece. It was totally worth it because our guests could not stop talking about it! We used an antique window from the house I grew up in to display our brunch menu and fabric from my wedding gown to create another textural focal point over the beverage station. Every part of our wedding was very sentimental to us!

As for my wedding gown, I pretty much always wanted to wear tea-length, which was perfect because my fiancé proposed to me with a sparkly pair of Christian Louboutins to wear down the aisle! I work at bridal shop where I was able to completely customize my gown with the help of our awesome staff. It was originally full length with a drop waist and we rearranged it to make my cute, retro, textural dream dress. I also knew I didn’t want a traditional veil, so I scoured antique shops until I found the perfect hat. It was exactly how I wanted to look on my wedding day, and I could not be happier with the outcome! Our little Sunday brunch wedding was absolutely perfect, and we could not have pulled it off without the help of our amazing family and friends!

Wedding Photography: Love Is A Big Deal / Event Planner: Sweetwater Events / Wedding Venue: Events @1418 in Nashville, Tennessee / Catering: A Catered Affair / Wedding Cake: The Bake Shoppe / Paper Poms: Simply Nesting / Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero via  The White Room / Bride’s Necklace: BCBG / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Hat: Vintage / Hair + Makeup: Leah Blanco of Jon Alan Salon

A summer wedding in Nashville is on the agenda for this Monday morning, and we are just going to give you a link to the gallery up front. It is so stinking gorgeous that you will want to get your Pinning fingers ready and delve right in – after taking a nice, long peek at these stunning images from Chris & Adrienne Scott, Photographers, of course!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

From the groom … Hailee and I have been in each other’s lives for quite some time. Being five years apart in age, while we grew up knowing of each other, we typically spent time in different circles. Hailee had her group of friends, and for the most part all of my friends were their older brothers. Hailee and I got to know each other as she got more involved in the youth group at our church, but it actually wasn’t until the summer after my freshman year at college that I got to know Hailee well.

I spent that summer working as a Youth Ministry intern for the youth pastor at our home church running random errands and working with the youth. By this time, Hailee was a freshman in high school and already becoming the passionate, fascinating, clever person that she is.

The amazing thing about Hailee that became apparent to me very quickly was how comfortable and open I felt I could be around her. Having typically been a rather shy and reserved person, the feeling of being comfortable and open around someone I had not known well for years was new to me. But for reasons I could not understand, as Hailee and I got to know each other, I felt complete freedom to simply be myself.

It’s that feeling that always stuck with me about Hailee. That feeling that told me that I could be who I was. After that summer ended and I went back to school, Hailee and I kept in touch for a little while but not nearly as much as we had. She spent the next few years finishing high school, and I forged my way through college. The only times we really interacted after that were those random weekends I found myself back in Nashville. Even then though, whenever I might make it to church on Sundays before I began my drive back to Atlanta, I would always quietly hope to run into Hailee who never failed to find me with a hug and a big smile.

Several years later when I was living in Massachusetts and Hailee in Chattanooga, TN I randomly got a message on Facebook from her. We hadn’t really spoken much over the last few years, so I wasn’t really sure what to say at first. But over the next week, we began to chat more and more. After a month or two of doing this, I couldn’t seem to start my day without sending her a text just saying “Good Morning.” I didn’t want to fall asleep until we had said  “Good Night.” Once again, all of my normal reservations and second-guessing of myself disappeared. I wasn’t only okay with being myself, something about the way she wanted to talk to me made me want to be myself that much more.

At the end of October, I decided to move back home to Nashville. There were several reasons I came home, but I would be lying if I said that I did not spend the majority of that 1100 mile drive thinking about her. About just driving right through Nashville and straight on to Chattanooga. All the other reasons I was coming home didn’t matter. I just wanted to see her. Luckily she ended up coming up to Nashville the very next weekend so I didn’t have to wait long.

From the bride … After we had been together for about two and half years we knew we wanted to get married, but not right away. I was still completing my undergraduate work and Erick was about to begin a Master’s program. We decided we were ready to be engaged but wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to plan a wedding and complete our programs. Erick and I picked out my ring together before we got engaged so it was going to be VERY difficult for him to surprise me with a proposal. But he sure did try!

June 19, 2010 I woke up to Erick crawling back into bed. To be honest. I never really knew he had left. He gently woke me up and just held onto me for a long while. He started recalling our relationship, all of our joy, excitement, pain, and struggles. He very thoughtfully considered where we had been and where we were at the time. As he spoke, I could feel his heart beating faster and faster and after a while it was all I could hear. He nervously began to tell me how happy he was to be with me and that he woke up this morning and knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled out the beautiful ring we had selected weeks earlier and he asked me to marry him right then and there. According to Erick, it was not at all the way he had planned to do it, but he just couldn’t wait anymore. It was perfect. Completely intimate and completely about us.

We wanted that intimacy to become the theme of our wedding. My family alone consists of nearly 60 people so we weren’t going achieve our intimate wedding by keeping numbers low. Our fabulous wedding planner (and, more importantly, my Maid of Honor) Sarah Willard met with us and had us nailed in the first 45 minutes of our consultation. With her help, we planned a wedding that was whimsical, classy, and intimate (three adjectives you do not see combined very frequently).

Our ceremony took place on the stage of the Bicentennial Mall Amphitheatre. We had all guests join us on the stage because we wanted that feeling of togetherness. All the children you could ever imagine were part of our celebration. From the flower girls to the young ladies who announced our arrival as we walked towards one another, everyone had a role because we wanted the people who have loved and nurtured us, as individuals and as a couple, to be an active participant in our union. Our friends and family performed the music at the ceremony and each of our four (that’s right, four) pastors played a heart-warming role in making our day perfect.

Of course things went wrong, no day is perfect, no wedding is without some sort of catastrophe (although, thanks to Sarah’s team at Music City Events, I didn’t have to know about any of them). But at the end of the day, we got married. We got to celebrate with those closest to us, and then we go to dance the night away. After all, isn’t booty dancing with your photographer really what love is all about?

Photography: Chris & Adrienne Scott, Photographers / Floral + Event Design: Belles Fleurs Designs / Event Planning: Music City Events / Ceremony Location: Bicentennial Amphitheater / Reception Location: Marathon Village / Invitations: Prim + Paper / Dress: Arzelle’s / Caterer: Savor the Flavor / Makeup: Amy Lynn Larwig, MUA / DJ: REM Entertainment / Coffee Bar: Beve Coffee / Bar Service: Hamilton Bartending Services / Rentals: Music City Tents and Events

For a girl that has been putting together real wedding features for over five years, you would think that I have it down to a science. Well, I kind of do and can generally put together a post that I am thrilled to debut in oh and hour or so. But every now and then, a wedding so lovely, so soft and gentle and beautiful, will simply stop me in my tracks and I’ll stare at it for hours before I can make my first move and choose those first few images that will make the perfect first impression with all of you. As is the case with this next piece of lovely. Photographed to heart breaking perfection by Tec Pataja. And believe it or not, it just keeps getting more and more beautiful through the pages of the gallery.

Wedding Photography: Tec Petaja Wedding Photography / Wedding Venue + Accommodations: Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee / Venue Contact: Lisa Krajewski / Event Planning + Styling: Allison Sprouse of The Modern Hostess / Floral Design: Leah McCall of Whimsical Gatherings / Officiant: Reverend Leigh Spruill of St. George’s Episcopal Church / Wedding Cinematography: Mike Jones / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Peggy Hambright of Magpies / Church Pew Rentals: All Occasions Party Rentals / Audio: Scott Grimsley of Sound Ventures / Ceremony Music + Rehearsal Dinner Band: Kyle Campbell of The Bearded (865-437-7329) / DJ: Mike White of Sound Revue / Reception Band: Christa DeCicco of Christabel and the Jons / Hair: Rachel Lawhead (480-227-0505) / Makeup: Susan Eslick (615-337-4675)

And just like that, I fall head over heels in love with yet another sweet southern fête. It was bound to happen – we all know I am a sucker for simplistic elegance – but with a drool-worthy gown and light-infused images from Smitten Photography, I had no hope. It was love at first sight, and I can’t thank H Three Events enough for pulling it all together. I have a spot reserved for this pretty party in my favorites folder, but you can see it all right here!

From the Bride… Matt proposed in July 2010, while I was still in college. We chose not to get married until I graduated, which meant a two-year engagement. It wasn’t ideal (and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone), but it gave the two most indecisive people on the planet time to plan. Our keywords for our wedding theme were country elegance and simplistic charm. I wanted the beauty of nature to be the wedding décor.

The first order of business was to email Sharon, our photographer, and get her booked. She was my first “must-have” and number one priority. I had read her blog and been drooling over her pictures for years. We then got an outstanding wedding planning team who helped us lock down the venue right away. Even though we were two years ahead of the game, it was still hard to get an open date at the Carnton Plantation for June 2012. We fell head over heels with the location because of its beauty and deep-rooted history in the Nashville area. On the way up to the plantation house, there is a giant hay field. After we booked there and we drove away, I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to take pictures with my husband out in the field on our big day. I literally dreamed about those pictures until Sharon finally made them reality.

Catering was really important to me, and I wanted to stay true to our personalities when choosing the right caterer. I grew up in the small town of Nolensville, Tennessee — home of Martin’s BBQ. They have been on numerous television specials for their outstanding BBQ and are critically acclaimed. My brother joined the Marine Corps shortly before Matt and I got engaged, and we had his Afghanistan send-off party there. So it was the natural choice for food when it came to our wedding. The wedding cake was another priority. I knew I wanted a peanut butter and fudge cake. When I tasted Jo’s, I thought I had gone to heaven. Matt is a firefighter, and we also wanted to incorporate that into our wedding. She made a replica of his fire helmet, and he couldn’t believe how much actually looked like his helmet. One tier of his cake was lemon, and the other was white chocolate. I love that we both went for unique flavors, and our guests loved it too.

Hiring our wedding planners was key. I was planning from Knoxville, where I was still in school, but the wedding was in Nashville, so it had the potential to be a difficult scenario. Luckily, Hugh and Anita made it easy-breezy. I was shocked by how much they took care of and thankful for not having to do tons of DIY projects, meet with vendors, etc. I constantly had people telling me they would help me with anything I needed, and I always felt kind of bad turning them down because I didn’t even need the help! It was such a laid-back process.

Wedding Photography: Sharon Clark of Smitten Photography / Wedding Venue: The Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee / Wedding Planning: Anita Hogin + Hugh Howser of H Three Events / Floral Design: Phillipe S. Chadwick / Catering: Martin’s BBQ / Wedding Cakes: Jo’s Custom Cakes & Catering / Rentals + Linens: Music City Tents & Events / Lighting: TechWorks / Entertainment: John Ward of Mid-South Mobile DJ’s / Wedding Favors: DIY by the Bride’s Mother / Wedding Dress: Pronovias “Alcanar” via The White Room / Bride’s Cowboy Boots: The Cowboy Store / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung via The White Room / Hair + Makeup: J’on Alan Salon in Cool Springs, Tennessee

If ever there was a wedding to seriously sweeten your Thursday evening, this gorgeous Nashville affair captured by Rachel Moore Photography is most certainly IT.  A literal DIY dreamland, it’s an exposed brick warehouse (hello, Building 8 at The Factory!) meets colorful bunting meets fab paper goods designed by the uber-stunning, plus oh-so-talented bride.  Completely crafty, seriously dreamy and totally amazing – this is a personality-filled wedding done oh-so-right.  See SOO much more right here.

From the Bride… I’m a graphic designer and my husband is a video editor, so we definitely agreed on was our wedding had to be visual, and it had to reflect us. We were both born in middle Tennessee, so our southern roots have inspired the look and tone of our crafty, handmade wedding. We wanted it to feel comfortable and homey, so no tuxes or roses here! It was also very important to us to prove that a beautiful wedding can be thrown for less!  I’m proud to say that we planned our wedding in just seven months for under $10,000! We accomplished this by simply setting a budget from the beginning and sticking to it! We picked our main priorities and found less expensive alternatives for everything else. We put photography at the top of the list, even above venue! We kept other costs down by borrowing wherever possible, thrift shopping and seeking out deals.

We go to church in an old factory, so renting it was perfect for us — not only does it have character with exposed beams, brick walls and concrete, but we also got a discount for being members there. Another way we cut costs on venue was to have the ceremony and reception in the same room. This decision came with so many benefits. First off, we saved set up/tear down time by basically setting the room up for a reception for the entire event. We set up our altar in the middle of the room, and then placed round tables around the altar, so the wedding was in the round, and everyone got a unique view during the ceremony. I also appreciated this setup because it allowed me to be involved in the setup of everything the night before, instead of it all getting thrown together in between a ceremony and reception.

I love doing crafty things, so I made all of the handmade details around the room. Fabric squares from Joann’s Fabrics were the best way to get tons of fabric samples for a very low cost, especially if you catch them on sale! I bought several patterns in our colors and made fabric birds, fabric flower chains for the altar and bunting off tutorials I found online. For the “Just Married” and “gifts” bunting, I printed letters onto iron-on transfer paper, ironed them onto the fabric and glued them around hemp. So easy and SO affordable! I designed our invitations myself, along with various signage around the room, such as the favor table, guest book, and cupcake and catering lists. My centerpieces had awesome old books and various found objects I got from garage sales and Goodwills. The flowers were one of my favorite parts. My vision was a wildflower kind of feel using varied clear bottles and vases. I started collecting bottles when we got engaged and enlisted the help of my bartender friend. I had over 150 by the wedding. Our flower vendor was a friend of my fiancé’s family who did flowers for his mother and aunt’s weddings years ago. He no longer does weddings, but was kind enough to consult with and advise us, as well as make the bridal bouquets/boutonnieres and order us buckets of flowers. Then the day before the wedding, about 7-10 of us got together and assembled all the flower arrangements for the centerpieces and tied jute and hemp around the bottlenecks for added detail. They turned out better than I had envisioned!

After our send-off, we got into our getaway car: my grandfather’s 1927 Model A. He passed the year before, so it was important to me to have a piece of him in the wedding, and I was honored to be able to use that classic Ford. My dad even taught my fiancé how to drive it beforehand to make it more authentic.

Wedding Photography: Rachel Moore Photography / Wedding Venue: Building 8 at The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee / Wedding Day Coordination: Margot L. Irwin of Destination Nashville / Floral Consultation + Ordering: Henry’s Florist / Wedding Cinematography: Matt Giesler of Matt G Video / Catering: Famous Dave’s / Cupcakes: Sweetface Cakes / Wedding Invitations: Designed by the  Bride / Chair + Linen Rentals: Southern Events Party Rental & Vintage Prop Shoppe / Wedding Dress, Veil + Headband: David’s Bridal / Hair + Makeup: DIY by the Bride / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Wtoo / Groom’s Suit + Tie: Express

I find a new reason to fall head over heels for The Peach State every.single.day – and today’s fabulous reason just so happens to be the prettiest DIY affair I have ever seen.  The breathtaking Barn at High Point Farms setting and sweet, meaningful details are what wedding dreams are made of… and the adorable bride and groom?  Seriously. Stunning.  John Shim Photography snapped up every last joy-filled moment and, believe me when I tell you, you’re in for a glorious day of L.O.V.E.  Click here for more.

From John Shim Photography… It’s hard to put into so many words the day that defined the marriage of Clayton and Ashley. Located in the scenic Chattanooga Valley, the Barn at High Point Farms provided the beautiful backdrop for this joyous day. It was fun spending the day with Ashley and Clay following them around as they prepared for their meticulously planned wedding. All the decorations were handmade and flowers hand arranged by a friend. The ceremony was outside on the most perfect spring day of the year. Guests were greeted by goats and the smell of hay. The small number of guests made this an intimate affair of close friends and family. Food with contemporary southern flair was served in the evening by Events with Taste. Their beautiful spread of braised pork shoulder, cornish game hen, roasted potatoes, and collard green risotto made the delicious meal an ideal way to fuel up before the dancing began. The evening was spent dancing the night away to the bluegrass tunes of Bluebilly Grit and enjoying a bonfire on the cool spring night. It was an honor to be a part of their wedding day and one that I won’t forget.

Wedding Photography: John Shim Photography / Wedding Venue: The Barn at High Point Farms in Flintstone, Georgia  / Floral Design: Rebecca Shelt (A Friend of the Bride) / Decor: DIY / Catering: Events with Taste / Wedding Cake: Couture Cakes & Confections / Band: Bluebilly Grit / Wedding Dress: Vintage via Etsy / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: ModCloth / Flower Girls’ Dresses: DIY

I pinky promise you are going to fall head over heels for this homespun Tennessee beauty. When the bride is an art teacher, and the groom and his family are big music fans, the wedding is definitely going to be sweet and happy, no doubt about it. And judging by Jennie Andrews Photography‘s view, the wedding was all that and then some. It was a beautiful day which has packed our gallery full of meaningful details!

I come from a family of artists. My Grandfather is a wood turner, my dad is a painter, my mom used to make a living by making crafts and selling them at craft shows, my older sister, Ashley, is a graphic designer/advertising major, my younger sister Kendel has her degree in Interior Design, Kendel’s husband Daniel is an Architect. The list goes on and on… As for my self, I have my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education. I love all mediums of art. I have made wedding cakes, painted murals, studied jewelry in Italy, taught High School Art for 5 years… Art is a HUGE part in my life. It is just in my DNA to make and create! So when Lucas proposed to me I knew this would be a perfect time for me and my family to put our crafty/artsy skills to use! Planing the wedding was a total blast. Everyday was a different project…. I would come up with something to make for the wedding and have it finished by the end of the day. For example, one day I made all of the guys boutonnieres made from old fabric, buttons, feathers, and burlap I found in all of my craft supplies. Another day I decided to make flower vases from all of my soup cans I had in my recycling bin. One of my favorite parts about the wedding planning was I had my sisters and my mom making all of the different projects with me. We had sooo much fun!

Lucas is one of 4 children in my family. He have a really strong relationship with them and they mean the world to him. They have lived all over the country as well as Canada. One of the biggest common interest that pulls his family together is music. Growing up they were always singing together in the car or at his parents church. Some of his biggest passions are filmmaking and writing music.

Lucas and I met three years ago just two days shy from our wedding day. We met while I was working at the Cafe4 in Knoxville, TN. I was a hostess for the Cafe and Lucas was filming a commercial for the Cafe. Lucas had no idea where anything was located in the restaurant so I was the lucky girl that got to show him around. He just happened to come at the perfect time when the Cafe was in between lunch and dinner so I had some down time to talk to the new artsy cute guy. We had a 15 minute conversation that turned into getting coffee a few days later. We then started to hang out all the time and realized how much we had in common. It wasn’t long before we made it official and started our story together.

It was Christmas Eve and Lucas was headed to his home town in New York. We had decided to spend Christmas with our own families and I would catch a plane to New York to spend New Years with his family. Everything was going as planed. Lucas took off early that morning and I was spending the day with my family. My family had a big dinner at my uncles house and it was pretty late when we got back to my parents house. It is tradition for all of my sisters to stay the night at my parents house Christmas Eve night and wake up for Santa!

When we got back to my parents house it was around 11:30 pm. Just about the same time as we got back to my parent’s house Lucas called to tell me his plane was delayed and he was stuck in the airport for a few more hours. I started telling him about my big family dinner and how much fun I had when he interrupted me to tell me to go get my Christmas present out of my car. I was very confused because I didn’t see anything in my car that looked like a gift… Lucas told me that a few days before he had put my Christmas gift under my driver seat in my car. I started to get excited thinking about what my gift was! I started out the front door of my parents house and saw a car in the culdesac that looked just like Lucas’. I even said something like, ” hey there is someone in the neighborhood who has the same car as you… weird!” Lucas acted like he didn’t catch what I was saying so I said it again, “There is a red HHR in front of my parents house”. I started to walk down the dark sidewalk to see this silhouette of a man walking towards me. I also could hear a Lucas’ voice doubled with a delay. This is when I realized Lucas was not in New York he was in TENNESSEE with ME! I hung up the phone and ran over to him and was freaking out saying, “what are you doing here” and “why are you not in New York?” I was in total shock!

Lucas didn’t answer any of my questions just told me to come with him… I couldn’t stop worrying about my family… I was afraid that they would be worried about me because I ran out the door in the middle of the night and didn’t come back. I kept asking Lucas to let me call my family and let them know I am ok and I am with him… He kept saying, “no, don’t worry about it”. Well the next 20 minutes I was full of questions of, “what are we doing, where are we going, why aren’t you in New York?” I was a mess. I had no idea what was about to happen. Well Lucas dove me to the Cafe4 which is the place where we first met and had a first date. I then realize what was happening and started to get really excited! Lucas said all of the sweet things that he loved about me and got on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him….. WELL of course I said YESSSS!!! We kissed and hugged and laughed then kissed some more. We were like two giddy kids as we drove back to my parents house to tell them the great news! My family greeted us at the front door with hugs and kisses. They knew the whole time what Lucas was up to. It was such a beautiful surprise!

Handmade, Antique, Vintage, Artistic, Unique are words I would describe our wedding by. Our colors where antique pink, champagne, neutrals, and an accent of navy blue.

Lucas and I both have worked in the wedding industry with him being a videographer and me with the wedding cakes. We both are tireed of the same ole, same ole and wanted to have a unique, personal touch to our wedding. One thing we did that was different was the unity tree. Rather then doing a unity candle or the unity sand we planted a tree together. Lucas’ dad made a planter for our tree to be planted in. Both of our parents started the planting by putting in starter dirt and then Lucas and I put the tree in the planter and filled the rest of the planter with dirt. My sisters had super cute watering cans and watered the tree. And while all of the tree planting was going on Lucas’ three sisters where singing one of our favorite songs, “Beautiful Things” by Gungor. It was one of my favorite parts of the ceremony! I don’t think there was a dry eye in the party!

One of my favorite moments of the wedding day was getting to drive way in our get-away car. My uncle let us borrow his convertible Prosche. Lucas and I only borrowed the car long enough to do a “fake get-away” and then return it. But during out 20 minute drive we blasted the music and drove down town singing to songs on the radio.

Well… Let me just say that our photographer Jennie Andrews, was incredible .I haven’t picked out a favorite photo just yet but I would say the whole process of taking the photos was one of my favorite parts of the day, it was so much fun and enjoyable. I could not have pick a better photographer! She made the process so much fun! Honestly, she made me feel like the most beautiful bride and photogenic person she had ever met. She was complementary and encouraging. Sometimes people can look so stressed out in wedding pictures but I was having such a blast that the emotions were true and genuine. A lot of that has to do with how great it was to work with Jennie!

My dad made the wedding favors. My dad is a painter and for the wedding favor he painted a landscape of the Knoxville Botanical Garden. He made it look like a French Impressionist Painting from the 1800s. He personalized the painting to include some of my favorite painters such and Monet and Dega. He also included my cat and Lucas’ dog in the bottom right corner of the painting. It was incredible! All of the guest got a signed print of the painting.

Photography: Jennie Andrews Photography / Catering: Backyard BBQ / Rentals + Linens: All Occasion Party Rentals / Cake: Made by the Bride / Groom’s cake: Made by mother of the Groom (Thea Smith) / Dress: White Lace and Promises / Shoes: Re-purposed by the bride from Target / Rings: Gemstone Designs / Cinematography: Ryan’s Productions + Kava Weddings / Entertainment: Ogle Entertainment / Decor: DIY by the bride / Bouquets: tied by each bridesmaid / Flowers Arrangements: arranged by mother’s of both bride and groom (Elizabeth Wolfe and Thea Smith) / Boutonniere: DIY by the bride / Stationery:  Ashley Plauche / Painting: Randy Wolfe / Photobooth: Red Eye Photo Booths / Officiant: Lucas’s sister and father / Venue: Knoxville Botanical Garden

A great way to up the ante on the mason jar trend would be to suspend them over the head table filled to the brim with pretty florals by Knestrick by Design. It’s a good look for this Tennessee wedding that takes rustic to a new level of pretty. But all hanging flower goodness aside, the images from this day speak to the wedding loving fiend in us all. And at the hands of Justin Wright Photography, that imagery is mighty breathtaking. See the full gallery right here.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… A month after JP and I met in 2004, he was sent to the Middle East for his second year-long tour in Iraq. After weekly phone calls that led us to get to know one another, he finally landed on American soil and we haven’t separated since. JP proposed to me in June of 2010 at a beautiful park in Nashville. We knew that we wanted a sweet, Southern, elegant wedding. The perfect location was a small, white church outside Nashville. The church was originally built in 1885 but destroyed by a tornado in 2008. I knew I was in love with the new building the moment I saw it – vintage pews, wide hardwood flooring, exposed beams and the fresh smell of new construction. The reception was at a friend of a friend’s barn, which ended up being right across the street! It was the perfect setting with a view of the steeple through the trees. I used a local designer for our invitations. We had a calligrapher print our names and the name of the church and then the designer did her thing. She also made our thank you notes, which are so beautiful I don’t even mind writing the millionth one of them!

The wedding day was so relaxing and fun. I realized that one of the best decisions I made during the preparations was to have calming people surround me – the photographer, cinematographer, hair dresser, makeup artist and bridesmaids – all soothing forces who knew how to have a good time! We ended up turning on the sound system in the chapel, hooking up the iPod and dancing down the aisle for much of the day! I got my dress at a small bridal shop outside Nashville and wore a gold chain pearl necklace that my grandmother gave me the morning of the wedding. I had on glittery flats from J. Crew. My bridesmaids wore a black dress that described their personality. The day of the wedding, they decided to take off their shoes and go barefoot. The groomsmen wore charcoal suits with a black and a white polka dot bow tie, which was a gift from the groom, and whatever shoes they chose.

My bouquet was all peonies, including a few from my great grandmother’s garden. The bouquet included a button from my grandmother’s wedding dress and was wrapped in a crochet glove my mom wore on her wedding day. I also carried a crocheted handkerchief  that JP’s grandmother made me. We didn’t do much to the fabulous church building, but one of my favorite parts was the moss covered window sills. My dad walked me down the aisle, and I was received by a close family friend and father figure to JP. After he handed me away, my dad performed the ceremony. After the wedding, the wedding party piled in the back of an old pick up and off to the reception we went! My three favorite aspects about the wedding were the cake, our band and the hay bale couches. We had carrot cake with cream cheese icing and served it with mason jars of milk – You can’t eat carrot cake without a cold glass of milk! Our band played bluegrass during dinner and ramped it up with some fun Motown tunes afterwards. We made couches out of hay bales and threw some burlap and crochet and lace table clothes on top so the hay would not pick at all the girls’ pretty dresses … and they ended up being a HIT! Oh yea! I almost forgot one of the best parts: the BUNTING! My mom and I gathered old white sheets, curtains and scraps of material and my grandmother spent weeks cutting out triangles. We all got together and made yards and yards (and maybe even miles) of bunting. We ended up draping it around the tent, barn and then used the leftovers in various places like the photo booth. At the end of the night, each guest had a warm apple fritter waiting for them in their car – for Sunday morning breakfast, of course! All in all, it was a perfect day.

Wedding Photography + Photo Booth: Justin Wright Photography / Ceremony: Fernvale Community Church in Fairview, Tennessee / Reception: A Private Farm in Fairview, Tennessee / Wedding Planning: Marcia Husband / Floral Design: Knestrick by Design / Wedding Cinematography: Sarah Kennedy / Catering: Barbara’s Home Cookin / Wedding Cake: Brooke O’Dell / Ceremony Strings + Bluegrass Band: Craig Duncan Music / Lighting: Bradfield Stage Lighting / Hair: Brian Hickman of Fruition Salon / Makeup: Diana

Welcome back to the prettiest day of the week my friends! Yup, it’s Wednesday already and you know what that means! Seven gorgeous weddings coming your way, guaranteed to inspire you for days. But remember, we’re only showing a peek of these pretties so it’s up to you to check out the full galleries of your absolute faves.

First up in the pretty parade is the prettiest purple party you ever did see. We’re loving the fresh, crisp florals and the gorgeous mansion where the couple, along with their bridal party, met up before the big ceremony. Matt Phoenix Photography snapped up all the goodness and there’s so much more right here in the full gallery.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Matt Phoenix Photography… Jason and Franchesca are both Jehovah’s Witnesses who met at a Kingdom Hall building project when they were 18. According to Franchesca, “We were friends for a while, and later got engaged in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. We went to the park on Court Street in a carriage ride, and he proposed to me there. We were engaged for a year.”

The theme of this wedding was “springy” with a fine classic stroke. The bouquet consisted of hydrangeas, white and green roses, calla lilies and kermits, which were bought from Emma’s. Franchesca was dropped at the mansion (owned by Catherine & Doug Cutler) in an Excursion limo.

This mansion is featured in the book “Great American Houses,” and it is across the street from former Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young and a stone’s throw away from Dolly Parton’s house (both houses are clearly viewable from the yard). Jason and the guys got ready in the mansion before heading to the Kingdom Hall to begin the 2 p.m. wedding — there were about 200 people in attendance. They then rode to the Marriott of Cool Springs for their reception, where they stayed overnight.

Wedding Photography: Matt Phoenix Photography / Ceremony: Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses / Reception: Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee / Floral Design: Emma’s / Event Design: Franklin Marriott Cool Springs / Event Planning: Franklin Marriott Cool Springs + Jared Smith / Wedding Invitations: David’s Bridal / Wedding Dress: Lazaro / Bride’s Shoes: RSVP via After 6 / Hair: Teresa Wright / Makeup: Melanie Wright

This Tennessee inspiration shoot is full of vintage, courtesy of Southern Events Party Rental + Vintage Prop Shoppe, and love, courtesy of this couple who have been married for nine years, and I kind of love it. Scratch that, I totally, completely, head over heels, irrevocably LOVE it. The shoot is perfectly captured by Teale Photography in a way that makes me feel like I’m almost there dancing away the night while eating those amazing Jack Daniels Whiskey Cupcakes – which, by the way, we’ve got the recipe for coming up this afternoon! Save a little time for the gallery, because it’s definitely on the Do Not Miss list.

Click here to see the whole gallery and here to see the video (you won’t want to miss!).

From Southern Events Party Rentals + Vintage Prop Shoppe … The Jack Daniels distillery is precious to us here in Middle Tennessee – it’s amazing to think that every bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey has been made with the clear spring water from the cave that sits on the distillery land. We designed this “Old Whiskey South” wedding with a traditional southern wedding in mind, and our Jack Daniels Whiskey edge thrown in.

Our shoot was a vow renewal of sorts for our bride and groom – they were married nine years ago this month! Tiffany and David were ecstatic to pledge their love to one another again, and they kindly let us capture the occasion for them as well. Tiffany wore a classic “cupcake” gown that had a modern edge to it – it’s a two piece! The bottom half came off when it was time to put on her sparkly dancing shoes. David wore a traditional tuxedo – tails, bowtie and all.

The McConnell House is an old Tennessee home that actually started out as an old jail. The iron bars and doors add a gritty look to the home. With handmade monogrammed handkerchiefs and linens, the Southern Wedding aesthetic is boldly apparent in this shoot. Classic flowers like white roses and hydrangeas were placed in antique silver tea pots, milk glass vases, and mercury glass vessels. We collected vintage and antique silver forks, and then curled the tines to hold place cards for guests. Food for the event included a Southern Biscuit and Cornbread Bar – with a large assortment of different spreads and toppings to customize your own biscuit. Signature whiskey cocktails served in mint julep cups add a whiskey twist to the classic drink. A dessert bar was set up complete with molasses cookies, customized truffles, a traditional wedding cake, and Jack Daniels Chocolate Cupcakes. Flickering candlelight, iron lanterns, and whiskey barrels used as cocktail tables added the finishing touches to the event.

Event Rentals: Southern Events Party Rental and Vintage Prop Shoppe / Photographer: Teale Photography / Cinematography: Complete Music Video Photo / Venue: McConnell House / Catering: Red Pony Catering / Cake: Sweetface Cakes / Truffles: Pink Piggy Truffles / Molasses Cookies: Constant Craving Catering / Flowers: Greenfinch Floral Design / Fabric Bouquet: WhimWed / Paper: Prim and Paper / Dress: The Spoiled Lady / Tuxedo: American Tuxedo / Jewelry: Stella and Dot / Makeup + Hair: Marz Makeup & Hair / Silver rimmed plates and glasware: Classic Party Rentals / Monogrammed handkerchiefs and linens: Lil Bumpkin / Event Design: Tiffany Walsh with Wedding 101 + Kate Levia of Dream to Life

My childhood bedroom was dripping in pink and green, so obviously, I love the color combo. I can only wish, however, that my room was as sweet and beautiful as this inspiration shoot from Love Is A Big Deal. It’s filled with pastel pink and gorgeous green details that have my head spinning in a pretty haze of romantic waterlily inspiration. Cedarwood Weddings was the perfect team to compliment the design and bring it to a level that has filled a gallery full of only Inspiration Board-worthy images!

From Love Is A Big Deal … This wedding design was inspired by a watercolor painting of a waterlily pond. We used a palate of deep greens and shades of pink combined with a sweet and lovely watercolor paper suite by Pitbulls and Posies. These colors are perfect for a spring wedding! The shoot took place at Cedarwood, a beautiful Tennessee wedding venue. Lucky for us, they have a small pond at their entrance, so we placed our escort cards on floating waterlily flowers.

The bride needed a pop of pink, so we found this flirty and fun head piece by Mignonne Handmade. The groom is wearing a pastel plaid, custom-tailored tie by Otis James.

We adored shooting this couple and were so inspired by their love for each other.

Photography and Styling: Love Is A Big Deal / Venue, Flowers and Styling: Cedarwood Weddings / Hair Piece: Mignonne Handmade / Paper Suite: Pitbulls and Posies / Cake: Sugar Buzz Bakery / Tie: Otis James / Wedding Dress: BHughes Bridal / Hair + Makeup: Shelby Baker

Sit down for a moment. Close your email. Pause your pinning (just for a minute). Because this gorgeous Nashville gala by Photography by Leah needs your FULL attention. It’s a lesson in understated perfection, in infusing details that have personality with a punch, and in choosing touches that make an impression all while hosting a party your guest will be talking about for years. It’s a full gallery worthy of your full day, and we promise pursing it will be time well spent.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… I’m not sure how brides got married before Pinterest. We did a lot of online browsing and found we agreed on elements like kraft paper, red and white twine, letterpress and barn wood. We just went from there. We wanted the day to feel “simply elegant,” and for the most part, we are so pleased with how it all came together. We also enlisted the help of some very talented friends, and without them, it would never have been so beautiful! We were wiling to spend more on our photographer because pictures are the one thing we would always have after our wedding day. We wanted our photographs to be classic and timeless, but we also wanted our photographer to capture the special moments. She did just that and we couldn’t be more pleased. My wedding dress was a sample, so I was able to purchase it for much less than the ticket price. There were a few tears in the lace, but they were fixed during alterations. Also, we did all the paper ourselves: save-the-dates, invitations, programs and place cards. It created a lot more pressure on us, but we saved so much money in the end. We ruled out things that just didn’t matter. We had an online RSVP, which eliminated the need for self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Little things can add up quickly, so stick to the things you really want that are worth the cost, time and effort to accomplish. To honor the memory of my grandparents who are no longer with us, I pinned my grandmother’s locket and my grandfather’s wings from his Air Force uniform to the stem of my bouquet. Also, my other grandmother gave me a ring to wear during the ceremony that belonged to her mother. At the reception, we displayed wedding photographs of as many family members as we could collect. Family is so important to us, and this was a way to honor them. On a lighter note, we decided not to use a traditional guest book, but instead to ask our guests to pose at the photo booth immediately after the ceremony (which we later published into a guest book). I think this gave the guests something fun to do while we finished taking wedding pictures and set a playful tone for our reception. A family friend cut down a tree on their property to make the cake stands. The ceremony was beautiful, but the reception was fun, which was just what we wanted. My favorite moment of the day was when Kurt and I saw each other for the first time. Initially, we were totally against seeing each other before the ceremony, but we also wanted good light and a lot of pictures, so we consented to take wedding party pictures before the ceremony. To our surprise, it was truly such a special time to see each other and spend some time alone. It really did calm our nerves and allow us to enjoy the ceremony. Another favorite time was the dinner and dancing. All the people we love so much gathered together in one place to celebrate with us. It was so fun to be with them.

Wedding Photography: Leah McCormick of Photography by Leah / Wedding Venue: A Private Residence in Nashville, Tennessee / Event Planning: Roger Higgins of R. Higgins Interiors / Floral Design: Lauren Atkinson of The Perfect Poppy Floral and Event Design (lauren.atkinson@gmail.com) / Day-Of Coordinator: Kailey Pauley / Cinematography: John Moessner of Woven Studios / Catering + Menu: Johnny Hafner of Capers Catering (615-352-0350) / Wedding Cake: Leland Riggin of Dessert Designs / Wedding Stationery: DIY by the Bride & Groom / Calligraphy: Kitty Hobbs / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals + BBJ Linen / Music: Andy Davis / Ceremony Backdrop: Triad Construction / Photo Booth: Generation Domination / Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier via The Bride Room / Alterations: Kathy of Elegant Alterations / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bride’s Jewelry: Kimberly McDonald / Bride’s Hair: Debbie Dover Hall of Fresh Salon / Bride’s Makeup: Brady Wardlaw of John David Agency / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Watters / Bridesmaids’ Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bridal Party Hair: Ashley Love of Baxter & Company Hair Salon / Groom’s Suit, Shoes + Tie: J.Crew / Groom’s Shirt: Nordstrom / Flower Girl + Ring Bearer Attire: J.Crew Weddings

Under the definition of darling, you’ll most certainly see reference to this Nashville fête by Love is a Big Deal. It’s darling I tell you – so darling that darling doesn’t even cover it. It’s country and chic, southern and stylish, rustic yet refined – and it’s all completely perfect. With the Historic Cedarwood not only playing host to this lovely affair, but also helping to dream up the design, and Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence crafting some of the prettiest invites I ever did see – this couple’s darling day is just simply…perfect. See it all here!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… When Ruben proposed, we knew wedding planning was truly going to be our first big adventure together. We had five months until we deployed to Afghanistan for a year. Our first major decision was location. I grew up in Wisconsin, and Ruben was a city boy from California. We decided on a “destination wedding” in Nashville, where we met and fell in love and where we were going to begin our lives together. After looking around at venues, we fell in love with the beauty and amazing staff at Historic Cedarwood. The location was perfect, just outside of downtown Nashville and set out in a secluded area in Whites Creek. We knew it was the perfect canvas for creating the rustic chic day of our dreams. The Cedarwood team was absolutely amazing and helped us coordinate every detail of our day through countless emails and photographs sent between Tennessee and Afghanistan. I also had an amazing experience with the design team at Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence in designing our custom invitations. In choosing our wedding date, I poured over the farmer’s almanac, looking at which date would most likely be dry and sunny and not too cold. The team at Lucky Luxe incorporated this detail by creating a custom envelope liner from a page from an old farmer’s almanac.

The day of the wedding was an absolute dream come true. Every detail came together in the most amazing way. It was beyond our wildest dreams. The Cedarwood staff, especially Linda and Christa, made sure every detail was taken care of, which allowed Ruben and I to focus on each other and enjoying the day with all of our family and friends. Josh and Meg Souder of Love is a Big Deal Photography captured every detail and emotion of the entire day. Some of my favorite shots were from our “first look” session prior to the ceremony. It was a quiet time for us to enjoy each other before all of the craziness began. We also got photos of Ruben receiving his gift, a Caesar Guerini shotgun which was Ruben’s dream. I know there aren’t many weddings where the groom gets a shotgun, but man was he excited. The pictures of us with the shotgun are some of my favorites. Neither Ruben nor I are particularly photogenic people. I am the queen of squinting and Ruben gets distracted and tends to stare off in photos. Josh and Meg immediately put us at ease because they do not pose photos. It was like hanging out with friends. I don’t think it’s normal to laugh as much as we did when we hung out with them. They definitely helped keep our nerves at bay and helped capture some of the most amazing photos. Our family still raves about what a great time they had with Josh and Meg in the crazy booth and on the dance floor.  

After our honeymoon, we had a chance to look at our guest book, which had polaroids of our guests posing in front of a chalkboard with messages and words of advice written in the margin. My niece Emily and Ruben’s sister Jessica were in charge of the book and did an absolutely amazing job. I don’t know if I cried or laughed harder going through the messages. The entire wedding was so personal and had every detail I imagined executed to perfection. Even more important was the memories of love and happiness with each other and our family and friends that we will share for a lifetime.

Wedding Photography: Josh + Meg Souder of Love is a Big Deal / Wedding Venue, Event + Floral Design: Historic Cedarwood in Nashville, Tennessee / Wedding Cake: Patty Cakes / Cider Donuts: Evans Orchard / Transportation: Matchless Limousine / Wedding Invitations: Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence / Calligraphy: Holland Wilson Calligraphy / Custom Map: The Wandering Whale / Guest Book: Modern Shabby / Programs: Designs in Paper / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm via Faccio Bridal (615-778-9437) / Veil: The Red Magnolia / Hair Fascinator: Anna Panik / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino / Hair: Jenna Al-Hayek of Salon Atash / Makeup: Lisa Johnson of Brides by Lisa

We all have our favorite romantic story to curl up on the couch with. For some of us, it’s The Notebook, for others it’s Sleepless in Seattle. Well, today we’ve found a real life wedding that stands on it’s own in that league. It’s got all the makings of a true romance, with the rain and the groom almost not making it for the big day. It’s beautiful and vintage. Captured by Love is a Big Deal, and designed, flora’d and housed at Historic Cedarwood, it is my new favorite romantic tale. Click here to see why!

Who would’ve thought a rainy day + and outside wedding could end in one of the most beautiful things ever. Let it rain!! I look back on these photos and smile, cry, giggle, and get all warm and fuzzy inside. The rain made our day even more special. The memories from this day are some of the most perfectly beautiful memories of my whole life. This day is so very special to me; especially because at one point the wedding was about to be cancelled due the fact that my groom wasn’t going to be able to make it! Eric is in the military and was told two months out from the wedding that he was required to go to a three month training course that would overlap our wedding date. I was devastated, as any bride would be, but was unable to do anything about it.

At the same time, Eric and I were living in two different states, going through the process of buying our first house, moving, AND trying to finish planning our wedding. I called our venue (Historic Cedarwood) and our photographers (Meg+Josh at Love Is A Big Deal) and sobbed on the phone about the possibility of cancellation. Everyone was so sweet, supportive, and understanding, and assured me that no matter what, we would make it work whenever the wedding could happen. I am so grateful for the relationship I formed with these amazing people and how much they really cared about us. Needless to say, those final months were CRAZY. If it weren’t for my family and friends, I’m not sure I would’ve made it. LUCKILY, with only one month until our wedding, Eric received word that he would not have to attend training after all. WHEW! Happiest bride to be EVER!! So…myself, and my amazing maid of honor continued crafting our hearts away to make sure that the wedding was everything I’d ever dreamed.

Eric and I knew from the very beginning that we did not want a generic, traditional, or cookie cutter wedding, we wanted our day to be unique to us, and we wanted to get married outside surrounded by our closest family and friends. We (and by “we” I mean me throwing photos and ideas at Eric with him nodding in agreement) started planning from the beginning and the style of the wedding just came about on its own.

I knew I wanted to be very involved in the planning, styling, and details of our big day. Lucky for me, the ladies over at Cedarwood were on board and so excited about all of my ideas! I must tell you that not only am I a pretty crafty gal, but I have an extremely crafted and talented best friend/maid of honor. Put us together and it’s magic . We stayed up countless nights and spent approximately one gazillion hours cutting, hot gluing, sewing, ironing, twisting, tying, etc. It looked like Hobby Lobby blew up in my house! We made all the bunting from fabric scraps, constructed boutonnieres, wrapped twine around rocks for escort cards, put together a mini cake topper bunting with twigs from the backyard, hand stamped mason jar tags, sketched a wedding tree for the guest book, hot glued fabric letters for our chairs, etc. Eric’s mom even stitched my initials and wedding date in the bottom of my dress. It took a lot of work and a lot of patience, but it was COMPLETELY worth it in the end.

I love all things chippy, rustic, vintage, and covered in burlap. Eric and I love hiking, camping, canoeing, and anything outdoors. I wanted to incorporate natural elements into our day like the twigs for the cake topper bunting, rocks for the escort cards, feathers for the boutonniere’s, and floral design that was very thrown together and wild. I wanted our day to reflect who we are. Laid back, fun, silly, non-formal, and completely smitten with each other. We wrote our own vows, our own ceremony, chose our song selections (which were non-traditional), incorporated poems and readings that were relevant to us, and even had one of our best friends as our Officiant. In lieu of a generic unity ceremony, we chose something that was more meaningful and relevant to us. Eric built a box, and I painted our last initial and our wedding date on it. We put in two unread love letters to each other about why we fell in love, a nice bottle of wine from the year we started dating, and nailed the lid on the box. We promised that if things ever get too hard and our love starts to fade, we will open the box, drink the wine, and read the letters we wrote to each other, reminding us of how much our love means and to never give up. If things don’t get bad (as expected), we will open the box and enjoy the wine together on our 25th anniversary. PERFECT. That box of love now sits on our mantle .

The best advice I can give to any bride is to embrace change, don’t be afraid to make your day unique, and dance the night away come rain or shine!! You are going to change your mind, things aren’t going to go as planned, some DIY projects just aren’t going to work out, your dress is going to be ruined (Poor Felice looks like I dragged her through a junk yard), your grandpa is going to wear a crazy hat, etc., etc. In the end, none of that matters. You won’t even notice ANY of those things the day of, and if you do they will make you giggle. Make the most of everything and just embrace the love from those around you. The day goes by so fast! Remember what the day is about and don’t lose sight of that…Oh, and don’t hot glue ANYTHING while sitting indian style in your living room. Myself and my maid of honor are literally scarred for life from 3rd degree hot glue gun wounds on our legs.

There are so many favorite moments. Seeing Eric for the first time was pretty amazing. Looking in his eyes and knowing that I am getting to marry my best friend was one of the most amazing feelings. Also, hearing Eric’s vows that he had written took my breathe away. He put so much time and effort into those words and they were so completely perfect. Really our entire ceremony is at the top of my favorites list. We put so much time and energy into writing every single detail. It was completely us from the first word to our exit. Another favorite, literally dancing all night with each other, and running around in the rain. We were so silly and on such a high from the entire day. It was the best night of our lives.

Photography: Love is a Big Deal / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Styling and Design: Historic Cedarwood + Erika Hoelscher / Floral Design: Historic Cedarwood / Dress: Felice by Melissa Sweet, The Bride Room / Groom’s suit: Express

Feel that? Time seeming to slow down? Your muscles starting to relax? That sudden craving for some sweet tea? It’s all thanks to this ridiculously adorable Tennessee wedding. It’s got Southern Charm popping up in every corner, and not just any Southern Charm. Bright, happy, gorgeous Southern Charm. Chris & Adrienne Scott, Photographers captured this sweet soiree brilliantly, and thanks to them, we’ve got even more in a full image gallery!

David and I had been dating long distance for about a year and a half. We had talked about getting married, but wanted to be sure he would be able to move closer to me before we took the plunge. After searching and waiting, he finally got a promotion within his company that would allow him to move. Shortly after, we went on a weekend trip to the mountains with another couple we are friends with. We spent most of the weekend enjoying the peace and quiet at their cabin.

On Saturday afternoon David (a part time photographer) mentioned that he wanted to take some pictures of the sunset since it had turned out to be a beautiful day. So we bundled up and took off to the top of the mountain. When we arrived to the top, he started taking various pictures and kept walking toward this particular tree that he has always been fascinated with. When we got close enough, he told me to turn around. When I did there was the ring box hanging from one of the branches. I turned back around to find him down on one knee holding the ring! We toasted to our future with the champagne and strawberries he had waiting, then our friends, Madison and Ashley, came up to join us and take some pictures. After calling our family and friends we capped off the night with an amazing dinner that they had cooked. It was perfect!

David and I both have so many friends and family from all over the country, so in the beginning we contemplated having a destination wedding. After a while, it became evident that we did not have enough time to plan like we would want. My parents have a beautiful property and graciously offered to have it there. Ultimately, knowing it was FREE and that I wouldn’t have to travel the week before the wedding helped to make the decision. Plus, I knew it would be special to have it in the small town where I grew up.

Since the engagement, my mom and I had spent quite a lot of time on Style Me Pretty. There were so many great ideas out there, and I just couldn’t decide. Once we decided we were having the wedding at my parents’ home, I knew everything needed to fit into the outdoor/garden/Southern look of the property, but I didn’t want it to look like I had a specific “theme”. This actually seemed to help becuase it gave me so many more options than being limited to one look or set of ideas. I eventually decided that I wanted to use mason jars for the centerpieces. I thought they were the perfect way to add a Southern touch. Luckily, we were able to get enough of the blue mason jars to add some extra color. I knew this would be perfect with the salmon colored bridesmaid dresses I had picked. After that, I just started picking the things I liked and figured out how to make them work, and everything came together perfectly.

I didn’t want our wedding to be just another wedding that people went to. I wanted our guests to really enjoy themselves and share in our happiness, so we tried to add as many personal touches as possible. We did several signs around the ceremony and reception. The main one in the middle of the reception area started out just as a sign to point the way to different areas of the party (dance floor, restrooms, etc). Then we thought it would be cute to make it more personal. David and I love to travel together so there were signs highlighting several of the places we had been or were going to…..Savannah, GA, Cape Cod, and Greece (our honeymoon destination). We also had a station where guests could leave us a note to read on various anniversaries in the future. Just about everything had some sort of personal touch or meaning. I also wanted everything to be unique. I made DIY programs that were completely “out of the box” and non-traditional. We also had a local gospel choir to sing before the ceremony started.

We actually had my dad join the minister and perform parts of the ceremony. It was so special to have him marry us. After he pronounced us man and wife, the gospel choir sang “Oh Happy Day” as we walked back down the aisle.

The mother of one of my bridesmaids volunteered to do a photo booth as a surprise for the two of us. She even made the backdrop and found all the props. This turned out to be a huge hit, and now we have so many great photos of all our guests.

As much as I didn’t want to, I let some of the wedding day stress get to me. So one of the best moments was when David and I had our “first look” before the ceremony. When I saw the look on his face I immediately felt at ease.

Photography: Chris & Adrienne Scott, Photographers / Flowers: Jonathan Kendrick / Ceremony and Reception Location: Bride’s parent’s house / Invitations: Robin E Designs / Shoes: Target / Dress: Martina Liana from Low’s Bridal / Hair: Scott Little from Haute Heads / Makeup: Anna Sellers / Rings & Pearl Earrings: Mednikow Jewelers / Suits: Jos A. Banks / Ceremony Music: United Voices of Anointance Choir / Reception Music: Magi / Cake: Dinah Fewell of Take the Cake / Cupcakes: HaliHannigan’s Cupcakery / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaid

This is a love story. A real, honest to goodness, grab a tissue because you just might need it love story. A boy and a girl who met on a yacht. Lived on different continents. Loved in different cities. Found out that they couldn’t bear to be apart. Tied the knot right then and there. With the help of Cedarwood Weddings and photographer Kristyn Hogan in Nashville, the beautiful pair put together a wedding celebration in just 2 weeks with only a very small handful of guests to join in on the fun. Click here to see so much more.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Linda of Cedarwood Weddings… Liesl is from South Africa. Dean hails from Australia. They met on a yacht off the coast of Florida. After meeting, Dean moved to the Caribbean and Liesl to France. Dean visited Liesl in Europe where they spent ten amazing days in Tuscany before returning to the yacht Liesl worked on. The hand of fate worked in their favor when Dean was offered a position on the same yacht. The next three years took them all over the world: the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Liesl and Dean chose Historic Cedarwood in Nashville, Tennessee for an intimate elopement before flying to Johannesburg for an extended honeymoon.  Their love story is so entwined in travel; it was fitting that their wedding would find expression and inspiration in global adventure. As a tribute to Tuscany where and Liesl fell in love, the Cedarwood design team styled a Tuscany-inspired reception overlooking the hills of Tennessee where guests feasted on wine, cheese and hors d’oeuvres. It was relaxed, rustic and sophisticated.

From the bride… Dean and I met on a yacht four years ago when I was working as a freelance chef. Initially, we were just friends but after some time, a real closeness developed and even after a year of working on different ends of the globe, we still couldn’t be without each other. We met up in New York City and then he joined me on a yacht in France, where we worked together for the next year. We’ve worked and traveled all over the world and are definitely what you would call an international couple. When we decided to get married, the biggest challenge was accepting that we couldn’t have our families from Australia and South Africa with us on the day and having to keep it a secret! Logistically, it was too much to ask family and friends from all over the world to fly in … especially because we (well, Cedarwood) planned the whole thing in just two weeks. One of the most touching moments of the day was calling my parents in South Africa from a Tennessee hilltop to tell them Dean and I had just gotten married. Cedarwood has the most picturesque setting on their lake — called Mooncake Lake — and it was such a romantic and perfect spot for our ceremony. Rowing their vintage wood boat on the lake was perfect for us since our love story revolves around yachting!  The most memorable moment of the day for both of us was seeing each other for the first time on the dock.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind when planning a wedding is to remember to make the day about you. This is such an unnatural characteristic for me, as I always want to make sure everyone is happy. With the coaching of Dean and close friends, I forced myself to focus on what we wanted and what was important to us, which was keeping the whole event stress free with as little anxiety as possible.  The design team did an amazing job styling the wedding around us. We describe the day as old world charm, classic and timeless. It was perfection.

Photography: Kristyn Hogan / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Flowers, Decor, Planning + Styling: Jessica Sloane with the Design Team of Cedarwood Weddings / Cake: Patty Cakes / Paper Goods: Designs in Paper / Catering: Marche / Hair + Makeup: Betsy Briggs Cathcart of Studio BC Salon / Lighting: Uplight Events / Officiant: Ralph Griggs / Wedding Gown: Nicole Miller via Cotton Mill / Fur Stole + Necklace: Vintage, borrowed from Melissa Brown, friend of the bride / Lace Shrug, Shoes + Earrings: Vintage, borrowed from Kindy Girdley, friend of the bride / Hair: Studio BBC Salon

It’s going to be a good start to our work week, because I can’t remember the last country wedding I have seen done so chicly. This romantic Nashville wedding was planned and designed by Cedarwood Weddings, and it is yet another knock out from the team. Anyone can see through Ace Photography‘s take on the day that this fête was gorgeous, rustic, and glamourous – just like the bride. Click here to see more!

Three adjectives that describe the day: rustic, romantic, music

The table settings were gorgeous! We loved the burlap and bling theme, it was the perfect mix of rustic country and romantic glamour. The table signs represented concert posters from the many shows Bill and I have seen together and fit in with our theme really well. The candlelit tables at sunset were really amazing and guests constantly remarked about how beautiful everything was.

The first reveal when we saw each other was incredible. I cried as I approached Bill in the front lawn but he did not get emotional until we moved to the Cedarwood porch. It was very touching and reminded me of how we support each other in our relationship. A close second was when we started rapping to the band’s performance of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and Chris Weaver (band’s lead singer) said we were the best rapping bride and groom he’s ever heard!

Our best advice to brides and grooms to be would be to try to accomplish something every week so tasks do not pile up at the end. Be organized because there are so many moving parts you don’t want to forget anything. Don’t hesitate to take ideas from the favorite weddings you’ve attended – your friends will be honored that you incorporated part of their wedding into your own!

Photography: Ace Photography / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Planner, Floral Design, Decor & Event Styling: Cedarwood Weddings / Invitations & Paper Goods: Designs in Paper / Bride’s dress: Maggie Sottero from The White Room / Bride’s Boots: Old Gringo Erin / Hair: Chrissi Krause and Missy May / Tuxedos: Arzelle’s / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy from Bella Bridesmaid / Wedding party gifts (hand painted stemware): Fizzy Artist / Favors: Brownie Tins from RAE’s Gourmet / Wedding Music Trio: Wedding Musicians Company / Caterer: Copper Kettle / Cake: Patty Cakes / Reception Band: Chris Weaver Band / Photo booth: Ace Photo Booths / Trolly: FADDS Party Bus / Host Hotel: Opryland Resort / Rehearsal Dinner: Mad Platter

Any wedding at Historic Cedarwood, planned and perfected by Cedarwood Weddings, is going to be amazing. It’s just a fact. Like the sky is blue, or snow is cold. Cedarwood hosts fantastic weddings. But this one, captured by Kristyn Hogan, is beyond amazing, beyond fantastic. It’s filled with rustic, but luxe, details, personal to the couple. And that is something we love to see. Especially when we see it in stills AND in a fab highlight film from FullFrame Digital Cinema (make sure to save a few moments for that – you so won’t regret it). Click here for more!

More of this fantastic wedding, this time as FullFrame Digital Cinema saw it…

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/29631541 601 338]

We wanted the wedding to match our style – sweet, charming vintage chic with natural colors, rustic luxe elements and fun DIY details. Our wedding was intentionally jammed packed full of details, which makes it difficult to pick a favorite. One of my favorite details were the bridesmaid’s dresses! My family and I went around several local downtown Nashville shops and boutiques and we found each dress specifically for each girl. Initially, I was nervous because I really had to evaluate my sense of style! What if it ended up being terrible? What if they hated them? We went with our gut feeling and stuck to it. I absolutely loved each girl walking down the aisle in something that made her feel beautiful and unique. Each bridesmaid has been an instrumental part of who I have become and I wanted that to be represented. Not to mention, I wanted them to wear these dresses again!

Looking back on our entire engagement there are three things that I wish I could have done better and more consistently. The first and most important, for us, is to keep our focus off of ourselves and on the Lord. It is by his grace that Taylor and I have become who we are and this marriage is now to honor and glorify him. It is so easy to get wrapped up in and obsess over what you want for your day. In reality, marriage is designed for one purpose and that is to bring us closer to God and to make us more like him. Looking back, I wish that I wouldn’t have been so concerned with my desires and my vision but more concerned with His desires and His vision.

My second piece of advice is what people tell you from the beginning of your engagement. Enjoy every day, every idea, every frustration and every moment. This season will pass you by and you will be left wondering how you handled it and what you filled your time and heart with. Be thankful, be joyful and be present in every moment and decision that you make.

Finally, I would encourage someone planning a wedding to plan more for their marriage than they do their wedding. Yes, work hard to plan a beautiful wedding. This is one thing that women dream of for years, so yes, put time, effort and heart into it. Although your wedding is a big deal, keep in mind that your marriage is more so. Your wedding will be perfect, lovely and forgotten. Your marriage is what will endure the hardships of life, not your wedding. Work even harder at preparing your heart and mind to become a good spouse.

Photographer: Kristyn Hogan / Videographer: Full Frame Digital Cinema / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Planning, Floral and Styling: Cedarwood Weddings / Invitations: Designs in Paper / Table numbers, seating chart and banners: DIY by bride and family / Wedding cake: Patty Cakes / Catering: A Dream Come True Catering / Ceremony Music: Rob Higginbotham and Rebecca Baumbach / Cocktail Hour Music: Mark Barnett Blue Grass Band / Reception Music: Craig Duncan Band / Dress: Alvina Valenta via Arzelles / Hair: Miracles Hair Salon / Stylist: Leslye and Dona

After a long holiday hiatus, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome all of you lovelies to a new, sure to be gorgeous, year at SMP. Whether you have been reading for years, or are new to the wedding planning scene (congrats on that sparkly new bling by the way! eek!) we’ll help you ease into the new year with what we do best – inspiring the pretty. You’ll find we are a group that believes in fairytales. We believe in the magic of a good love story, and romance on repeat is how we prefer to spend our days over here – so when Creation Studios sent over this gorgeous gala inspired by the home of fairytales, Disney, we were intrigued. And when we laid eyes on how the Bride’s vision unfolded, it was obvious the day was full of wedding magic. The glowing beauty of a Bride worked side by side with her fairy godmothers, the Social Butterflies, to make her fairytale wedding a reality and the result was something dreams are made of!  Click here for more magic!

Click here for the full gallery of images!

From the Bride…Growing up in a wonderful family of six in South Florida, I am a huge Disney fan. Casey went on his first Carkeet Christmas Disney trip in 2010. In true Disney magic, he shocked me with a proposal in front of my family during a dinner in Cinderella’s castle. It was absolutely perfect for me, right down to watching the fireworks from our table! I knew I wanted Disney to be the inspiration of my wedding, but the softer, magical, romantic side.

The amazing Social Butterflies, my planners, found out early that I wanted to do everything different from a typical wedding. I want everything to work together but not matching. I didn’t want people to feel like they are at a wedding, but a place with friends having a good time. Vintage, romance, Disney and family were the themes I wanted tied together and they did it beautifully in a setting of blush pink, ivory, champagne and pops of peacock blue and marigold.

October 7, 2011, I can’t even express enough how perfect it was. I had no idea that an evening could be created that was so perfect for me that I truly felt like I was in a dream. My bridesmaids, my sister and sister-in-law, and I got our hair and makeup done at Juve Salon. Catie and Maury wore Alfred Sung peacock blue long dresses with skinny belts, pearl studs and Dogeared single pearl necklaces I got for them. They helped me into my ivory bridal ball gown with a beautiful ruffled neck as well as the Tiffany & Co. small loops Casey surprised me with that matched my wedding band. I also wore my Mommom’s pearl necklace as a double bracelet and a simple one layer veil. I have never felt more beautiful!

We made our way to Davies Manor Plantation, where I was to see Casey for the first time. I stood in the lawn of Davies Manor Plantation among massive ancient trees in anticipation. He smiled at me and that’s all he had to do for me to know how beautiful he thought I looked. I carried a vintage-inspired gorgeous bouquet filled with various textures and colors and pinned to it was my late Daddad’s money clip. He passed exactly a year before and he means to much to me that I knew I wanted him right by me at the altar.

Guests were greeted by a valet service and then proceeded down the plantation road flanked with woods and the occasional deer sighting with the plantation wedding site as their focal point. They were given beautiful vintage paper covered programs fastened with champagne ribbon. Each program had a wand attached, that my mom and I made. In the program and on a little flag attached to the top of the wand, they were instructed to wave them as Casey and I kissed and walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs.

For my ceremony music, I knew I wanted the music to mean something. The grandparents and mothers walked out to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, the bridal party walked down to “All You Need is Love” (Beatles are inspired by my dad and Casey’s love of classic rock and roll). Then from around the bend, a magnificent white horse appeared pulling a carriage. I had kept it a secret from most including Casey. My dad and I were beaming with delight as we watched the crowd in their awe. As soon as I heard my entry song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, it was truly the most magical moment of my life and I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else sitting with me than my dad.

We exited the carriage and I could see the big smile on Casey’s face. We passed hanging lanterns, burlap sacks and garden boxes filled with the most beautiful flowers and plants. The ceremony was relaxed, intimate and perfect. Andy Savage, teaching pastor of HighPoint church, did an amazing job leading us into this new life together. Following suit of doing things differently, I created a unity ceremony in which each of our parents’ fingerprints made a heart when put together. Family is very important to Casey and me and we wanted to showcase that and showing our parents how much they have impacted our lives. Casey’s dad passed away when he was 10 years old, so we had a good friend of his who is a graphic designer create Casey’s dad’s thumbprint to be joined with his mom’s .

As we vowed our lives to one another, kissed and turned to face the crowd, we were greeted with waving wands as we made our way down the aisle, to “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” to the carriage. As we rode off, Casey held a distressed sign that read – “Just Married…and they lived happily ever after.”

Following the ceremony, vintage signs pointed guests towards the cocktail party. Half way there, they were greeted with a signature drink station that served “Pirates of the Caribbean” complete with sword-skewered fruit. Inspired by the Disney park maps,, guests were also handed personal maps showcasing the layout and food options at the cocktail party and reception. Continuing towards the Alice in Wonderland-inspired “Mad Hatter Cocktail Party”, guests were greeted with the game area fantasy-decorated with topiaries adorned with pin wheels (that my mom made) flanked by vintage white iron fences. Corn hole/bean bag games Customized with “The Dugans” were set out for guests to enjoy, as hors d’oeurves were being passed by servers and classic rock songs were being played by the guitarist. On the porch of the reception there was a seating area where guest could rest on vintage benches, set their drinks down on wooden wine crate coffee tables and sign the guest book quilt. I created patchwork letters held on a lace line with mini clothespins and hung on an old window. Guests sign a patch with well wishes and my talented momma will sew them together to make a quilt as our guest book. My mom made the patches as well. Also on the porch was a larger version of the hand held map so guests would know which food station in the reception they wanted to try first!

The sign just above the porch set the mood for the reception …”Let the Magic Begin” (which was also on the inside of the invitation envelope). Walking into the reception, you felt warmth and romance. The usually dark wood walls and ceiling were illuminated with soft light and decorative blush and ivory paper streamers hugging the peaked ceiling. I opted for long table instead of the tradition round to make it more family-style. Tables were dressed in burlap-inspired tablecloths with various vintage runners, my momma made, running the width of the table. The length of the tables were filled with arrays of romantic flowers, cotton, succulents, moss displayed in milk glasses, garden boxes, silver vases and other vintage inspired containers. The end seat backs were accessorized with beautiful hand-made ivory rosettes. A massive stone fireplace was covered in candles enhancing the romantic aura of the room. A damask-background photo booth complete with props was set up for guests to enjoy and take home their picture as well as leave a picture for us to enjoy. The food stations and bar were all named after Disney memories/places that are special to my family. The Laughing Place Saloon was scripted on a large vintage mirror along with the bar menu and displayed behind the iron and dark wood bar. Each food station represented a Disney restaurant, “Mama Melrose” was an interactive pasta station, “Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn” was a gourmet filet mignon and chicken slider station, “Tamu Tamu Refreshments” contained various fruits and gourmet cheeses and “Boulangerie Patisserie” was the dessert station including the wedding cake, grooms cake and an array of cake balls made by my good friend Gretchen Tayloe. The grooms cake detailed Casey, wearing a Memphis hoodie and hat, and me, wearing my wedding veil Mickey ears, riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with our hands up – it was perfect! Casey and I toasted with the champagne flutes given to us at the proposal in Cinderella’s castle as my sister, his best friend and my daddy gave touching speeches. The dance floor shined with a gobo light of our wedding logo “The Dugans” which included a hidden Mickey Mouse head design (that logo was used on the game boards, napkins, invitations, photo booths photo sleeves, etc). The night was filled with live music from Almost Famous and lots of dancing.

At the end of our magical night, Casey and I made our way out of the reception to a wave of wands by our wonderful friends and family. As guests got their cars from the valet, a final parting gift was left in their front seat – a small pumpkin with this poem I wrote attached.

“As the clock strikes twelve and the magic ends, Cinderella’s carriage becomes a pumpkin again. What a magical time and it’s all because of you. With love from the Dugans…Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boo…”

Bride’s Gown: Blu by Mori Lee from Ballew Bridal / Bridesmaids: Alfred Sung / Men’s Attire: Suits by Joseph A Banks / Cake Balls: Gretchen Tayloe of Dulcitas Gourmet Treats / Bride hair: Myn Le from Juve Salon and Amy Hicks from Capelli’s / Bride and Bridesmaids makeup: Kendrick Simpson from Juve Salon / Planner and Event Designer: Social Butterflies, LLC, Memphis TN / Photographer & Videographer: Creation Studios / Venue: Hillwood at Davies Manor  / Stationery: Natalie Chang Designs / Floral Designer: Haute Horticulture / Caterer: Ziparos / Cakes: Oh My Ganache Bakery / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Guest Table Rentals: Mahaffey Tent and Party Rentals / Linens: Mosaic Party Rentals / Cocktail Table Linens: Party Tables / Runners: Hand made by mother of the Bride / Bars: Holliday’s Flowers / Band: Almost Famous / Valet: Southern Valet / Carriage: Carriage Tours of Memphis / Photo Booth: Creation Studios / Lighting: Moonshine / String Quartet: Beth Luscomb / Classical Guitarist: Lloyd Rainey / Minister: Andy Savage

This adorable Nashville bride says that her wedding ceremony and reception were disconnected due to a mid-panning design change but I have to disagree.  I think the attire affair is completely elegant and pretty from start to finish with a soft, whimsical feel that swirls around every one of these dreamy images by Austin Gros Wedding Photography.   It is one of the chicest picnics I have ever seen.  See it all here!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

Let’s keep the pretty train a-rollin’ with this lovely film by  Ryan Bernal Photography!

From the Bride…Ken and I spent our few dates picnicing – I would make lunch and Ken would drive over from the construction site where he was working. I started out planning a wedding that was (I thought) elegant and pretty – lots of soft pinks and purples. Then Ken and I saw Up! (the Pixar movie) and loved it so much it seemed ridiculous to not change the whole thing into a more relaxed, picnic inspired wedding (especially considering our first few dates).

That’s how we ended up with a ceremony and reception that were pretty disconnected. The ceremony remained soft and pretty and the reception changed into a brightly colored, Up!/picnic inspired party and I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

The only major (and last minute) DIY project were the strings of pennant flags. My bridesmaids and I made them. During the months leading up to the wedding I collected all the little bottles for the table arrangements. (I have eBay to thank for most of them).  Abi Reid at Nashville Event Lighting helped me pick out lanterns that we used to mimic a bunch of balloons and the gobos that would give that kaleidoscope effect of light shining through the aforementioned balloons. We went with cupcakes instead of a traditional cake because we thought they were also in keeping with the picnic feel we were going for.

Wedding Photography: Austin Gros Wedding Photography / Cinematography: Ryan Bernal Photography / Venue: Belle Meade Plantation / Caterer: Jeanette of Chefworks Inc / Floral Design: Ken Smith of Prestige Productions / Cupcakes: B. Jackson Bakery / Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting