Drenched in a classic contemporary style, yet casually chic, this Belle Meade Plantation wedding is worth a good long gander m’dears. The Bride in her custom Olia Zavozina dress will make your heart flip-flop a few times, while every detail from Simply Stunning Events follows that same stunning air. Our fave moments below are just the start—there’s even more in the full gallery from Bamber Photography!
From the Kristin Kaplan with Simply Stunning Events…As to Jessica & Adam’s wedding style: They wanted their wedding to feel classic and contemporary but also have some natural elements to blend well with the style of Belle Mead Plantation. We decided to stick with a neutral color palette of white, ivory, champagne, and blush tones with pops of gold, green, and pink. Jessica also wanted to mix some of her Indian upbringing into the overall southern feel of the event which we did with the food and the music.
My biggest advice to brides is to not get too caught up in a million little details. Pick a few aspects of the wedding to tie in some personal details such as the signature drinks, favors, or paper products. Resist the urge to incorporate every idea you see on Pinterest or obsess over every tiny thing. It will just lead to feeling overwhelmed. At the end of the day your guests are there to celebrate with you and have fun!
From the beautiful Bride…My husband proposed to me in Heidelberg, Germany. Heidelberg holds a special place in my heart because I went to Heidelberg for my undergraduate degree. Besides the city holding a special place in my heart because I went to university there, the city is also known for its romantic flare and they say Heidelberg is a city where many people loose their heart. So for my husband to propose to me on the famous bridge, “Alte Brücke”, was one of the most cherish-able moments of my life.
From the very first day that I started planning the wedding, I knew the most important thing to me was for my big day to be a big party. I wanted it to be classy yet casual so that the atmosphere and vibe on my big day didn’t feel stiff. So it was important to me to choose a venue that was just classic and elegant so that the decor we chose just added to the classic feel of the venue but not overpower it.
The thing I was looking forward to the most on my wedding day was walking down the aisle with my father and seeing my husband for the first time at the altar and then for the dance party.
I have always been one of those girls that knows what looks good on my body and hence I knew exactly what I wanted. It was actually one of my bridesmaids that pinned a dress on my wedding board, and ever since I had laid my eyes on that dress on Pinterest, I knew that was my dress. That said, to make this dress come to life, I went to local couture designers in Nashville who came highly recommended from friends. The designer that made my dress was Olia Zavozina. Olia is a Russian/American designer based in Nashville, who has an amazing eye for detail and style and she was able to bring my dress and vision to life beautifully. I LOVED my dress.
My parents flew in from India and my brother and his girlfriend flew in from Germany. My grandparents unfortunately couldn’t make it to the wedding because it would have been too long of a journey for them; but otherwise it was just magnificent. Adam is from Chicago and when we decided to do the wedding in Nashville, we knew this would be a destination wedding for 80% of our guests. So just having everyone around us from all over the country and the globe celebrate our union and our marriage was just fantastic.
What I would really like other brides to know about my planning and thought process is to most importantly have fun throughout the whole process. Minute details such as how the napkin color looks against your table cloth; how the flowers look etc doesn’t matter at the end of the day. The things that your guests remember about your day are if you as a couple had fun and the after party. So if you ever find yourself thinking twice about whether to spend more money on flowers or to spend more money on drinks or food; do yourself a favor and choose the latter.
Further, choosing a venue that reflects the type of wedding you are planning is very very important because I think that is half the battle. For me, like I mentioned before, a classic venue with the rustic charm was very important because I didn’t want to spend much on flowers etc. So by choosing Belle Meade Plantation, I knew from the very first day that no matter what I did, the venue was just so beautiful that I wouldn’t have to do much to make it “wedding ready”. That said, I am going to contradict myself by saying – you only get married once (I hope); so if there is something or a particular vendor that you really want and have dreamt off, then please do spend the few additional $$$ to make that happen. For me those few additional splurges were worth every memory.
Photography: Bamber Photography | Event Planner: Simply Stunning Events | Floral Design: Fresh By CarrieAnne | Catering: Chef's Market | Makeup Artist: KATIE RUSSO BEAUTY | Lighting: Bright Event Productions | DJ: Timothy Hiber | Ceremony And Reception: Belle Meade Plantation | Dress Designer: Olia Zavozina | Equipment Rentals: Visual Elements | Linens And Coverings: Southern Events Party Rental & Vintage Prop Shoppe