Tennessee Weddings

It’s no secret that we have an unabashed soft spot for rustic weddings around here. Whether it be mason jars all lined in a row, receptions infused with a family-style feel, or a pair of newlyweds stealing a kiss in the back of  pickup truck, it’s the rustic affairs done right that get us time and time again. And this intimate farm wedding, set in the heart of Tennessee is the latest object of our affection thanks to the spot-on design and styling by Cedarwood Weddings. It’s a celebration of the autumn season that Kristyn Hogan captured to a T, and you can click here for even more.

From the Bride…In the summer of 2008 I walked into my first tattoo shop with a friend of mine. His artist that day was a man named Tommy Ray Cornett. I remember thinking he had the prettiest eye color I’d ever seen. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, my friend got his tattoo, and we left.  Months later I ran into Tommy at an event. To my surprise, he remembered me!  He told me he was in the process of opening his own business and eventually asked for my number. Our first date was a week later and we’ve been inseparable ever since. “You two just seem to go together…..” is a phrase I often hear. There is usually a small sentiment of surprise in the person’s voice, but that’s ok. We do look like people from two different walks of life, but anyone who knows us would say we are very much on the same path. Tommy and I are alike in many ways. We are both artistic – he tattoos, paints, draws and carves intricate woodwork. I’m a graphic designer and love to sing, paint and craft. We are fortunate to be passionate about many of the same things in the world.  We love our families, we take pleasure in life’s small gifts, we volunteer with various animal rescues and both hope to have a family of our own in the near future.  Beyond all of that, the single most important thing we bring to each other’s life is balance. Tommy makes me more adventurous and I help keep him grounded. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the man I was meant to marry. Tommy is strong, kind, caring and because he brings out the best in me, I know I’ve chosen the best possible person to share life with.

Tommy and I wanted to be married in a simple ceremony with our closest friends and family. Our personal style is somewhere between vintage and country, and we wanted our wedding to have the charm of a small, quaint, countryside affair, with authentic style – something that would be equally  at home on a rural Irish farm or the Tennessee countryside.  Cedarwood is more than an event venue;  it’s a state of mind.  With the massive mature trees, bubbling creek, old barn and rolling meadows, the historic farm setting was perfect.  An outdoor fire, warming blankets, hot cider, and a ‘guest book’ wedding quilt made everyone feel welcome and warm. Our reception centered around a southern style farm to table menu and dessert buffet with our loved ones sitting a long rustic farm tables decorated with flowers and vegetables in shades of coral, russet, gold and green, earthenware pottery, crocks and lanterns. Everything had a wonderful vintage patina and although nothing ‘matched’ it was coordinated and timed perfectly.

I wore a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt.  Although technically it is a ‘ball gown’ style, I paired it with a handmade gray shawl from cashmere yarn.  Cedarwood designers created my bouquet with a mix of rustic flowers and berries that looked so natural. The result was perfect for me – elegant with earthy elements. Tommy wore a classic 3-piece Irish tweet suit, bowtie and driving cap.  He was so dapper – the epitome of country ease. Tommy and I have 2 dogs who are part of our family and we were able to have them participate in our wedding. Budcus (our boy) wore a little plaid bow tie and a sign that said “Here Comes the Bride” and Bella Boo (our girl) wore a white lace collar with flowers and a sign that said “You Two Just Go Together.”

The setting /location of your wedding is crucial. Don’t compromise a venue that’s perfect for a specific day – be flexible and you’ll have a lifetime of satisfaction with a wedding that’s totally ‘you.’  The Cedarwood team really understood our sense of style and pulled everything together so Tommy and I could concentrate on being with each other and enjoy every element of our day.

[dotted]

Wedding Photography: Kristyn Hogan | Wedding Venue: Historic Cedarwood | Floral Design, Décor + Styling: Cedarwood Weddings | Invitations and Paper Goods: Designs in Paper | Catering: Copper Kettle | Officiant: Ralph Griggs, Tennessee Wedding Minister

Tradition with a little sass is the perfect way to describe this affair. It’s as Southern as can be from the Riverwood Mansion backdrop to the elegant attire all wrapped up in a wildly beautiful wedding. On somewhat of a side-note  I’ve never met a feathered shoe I don’t adore and the adoration continues with those turquoise beauties worn by the Bride. And that is where you’ll find that aforementioned sass. Have a look at the dreamy images captured by Brandon Chesbro and then prepare to get lost in the gallery.

From the Bride…Ty and I were engaged inside Middle Bay Lighthouse in the center of Mobile Bay, Alabama, five months prior to our wedding day and wanted to find an equally romantic venue. We chose a plantation-style mansion to set the scene for our evening wedding. The ceremony was held outside of century-old Riverwood Mansion on a cooler day in late-July. Old oak trees and green leaves provided a frame and a barrier from Nashville. Guests were ushered into the outdoor ceremony by a string trio playing classical hymns, and were asked to sign a hand painted guest scroll artistically drawn by the Ty’s mom. With the scene set, my dad escorted me down the aisle to Be Thou My Vision in the first dress I ever tried on – a gorgeous silk and lace dress made by Paloma. The dress was accented by a floor length Italian lace veil handmade by my grandmother. My mom and her sister also wore the veil at their weddings. Bridesmaids looked stunning in knee length one-shoulder dresses in Seaside blue by Alfred Sung, accented by coral and white flowers. The men wore traditional black tuxes with coral boutineers. Ty’s father performed a sentimental ceremony at sunset before we entered the mansion for a cocktail-style reception, complete with a string trio, heavy hor d’vours and high top tables draped in cream linens. We toasted to our nuptials, and enjoyed a mint and gold colored cake. The wedding was elegant, intimate, and classic. We drove away in a 1947 Ford Coupe restored Ty’s grandfather, and landed at the historic Hermitage Hotel to complete our wonderful wedding day.

[dotted]

Wedding Photography: Brandon Chesbro | Wedding Venue: Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, Tennesse | Floral Design: Franklin Flowers and Gift Gallery | Cake + Hors d’oeuvres: A Catered Affair, Nashville | Wedding Dress: Paloma via Arzelles | Tuxes: Arzelles | Shoes: Bridal by Butter

You know what I love? When a wedding is handcrafted by family. It always shines through in the photographs of the day. The year of planning my own wedding was filled with so many great Mother-daughter moments spent crafting, antiquing and the like. And when I read the description from the Bride, Danica, it brought me right back to that time. Sure weddings are all about the beautiful details but they are more importantly about the love, and family and all those memories so beautifully captured by Jackie O Photography. See even more right here.

From the Bride…We could not be more thrilled with how our day turned out, and it simply could not have happened without all of our awesome friends, family and of course, VENDORS!  Matt and I got engaged over Memorial Day Weekend, so we were working with a limited timeframe, however, I will be the first to tell any bride that it IS possible to plan a wedding in under 6 months. In fact, in some ways it made it easier to make decisions!

Though we live in different states, my mom and I separately scoured flea markets, antique malls and ebay for vintage kitchen tins,  tools and vegetable cans to hold our flower arrangements that would serve as centerpieces.   I knew I wanted a rustic look for the dinner tables, and since the hubs is a seasoned gardner and I am an avid baker, I wanted to incorporate dried herbs and various kitchen tins.  I took the idea to my mom, presented her with all the vintage tins, tools and cans, and she brought the vision to life.  The result was, in my opinion, incredible! I spent months collecting vintage handkerchiefs that I wrapped around silverware to serve as dinner napkins at the reception. The splashes of color combined with the vintage centerpieces created a cozy, charming feel. In lieu of table numbers, I found vintage “cheeky” sheet music that we hung from small garden flag poles which sat in small rustic pots on each of the tables that were set up in long rows, for a family style dinner. Since I was a music major and both the hubs and I enjoy playing music, we thought this was a fun way to incorporate more of who we are into our day.

Our favors were one of my favorite parts of the reception. The hubs proposed to me out in his garden, and he had the ring in a seed packet. We wanted to incorporate this part of our story into our wedding day, so we purchased herb seeds for our guests and made garden markers out of vintage silver-plated butter knives to go with them. My mom and I searched high and low for all the knives, and my sweet dad hand stamped each letter into the knives to spell out the herb names. It took a village, but the end result was something special! We tried to find a balance between “sacred” and “fun.”  Our service was very traditional, but once we were pronounced “man and wife” our guests erupted in sound with the various noisemakers we had passed out before the ceremony.  My friends and I have never had a party where glow necklaces aren’t present, so when the dance floor was opened at our reception, all of the bridesmaids came around passing out necklaces for all our guests (who actually loved them)!

I wanted to honor the many family members who are no longer with us, or who were unable to attend the wedding. I did this in a few ways: My maternal grandmother and my paternal great Grandmother were two spitfire women with incredible love-stories whom I greatly admire.  Along with my dad, I wanted to have strong women going with me down the aisle, so I had my florist attach pictures of both of them to my bouquet. I wanted to create family “trees” to sit on either side our guestbook. My mom found various old branches and secured them in small rustic pots.  We collected old family wedding photos from both my and my husbands families, and hung them in frames from the branches.

From calligraphy, to a hand-bound wooden guestbook, we worked to involve as many local and/or independent artisans as possible.  Our dinner was from one of our favorite local restaurants. Our programs were put together via a designer I found on etsy. The grooms cake and invitation suites were done by co-workers of my husband who both freelance in their respective fields in addition to their day jobs. In the end everything came together quite well! One last note… my bridesmaids came from 4 different states to be a part of our day.  They all picked out their own dresses and I didn’t see them until the day of the ceremony. I had sent them paint chips of suggested shades of blue… but imagine all of our surprise when we found they had all chosen the exact same shades, and many the same styles!  Just goes to show how well things can work out if you let go of control and trust your friends!

[dotted]

Photography: Jackie O Photography | Floral Design: Katie Pollard | Event Planning + Design: Bride + Mother of the Bride + Front Porch Farms | Ceremony + Reception Location: Front Porch Farms | Invitations: April Maglothin | Cake: The Bake Shoppe | Groom’s Cake: Sweet Music Cakes | Catering: Calypso Cafe | Programs: Emily Weckesser | Guestbook: Michelle Skiba | Caligraphy: Esque Script Calligraphy by Molly Margaret | Dress: Pronovias Adela via The White Room | Shoes: 5/48 via Saks Off 5th

It’s one thing to have a vintage chic wedding because it’s in style, but when you infuse personal heirlooms from your family dating back over 100 years, it means something totally different and oh-so-special. This gorgeous bride described her sentiment perfectly when she said that love is timeless. What a beautiful notion to carry throughout your big day. Katherine O’Brien captured this day in such a pretty way. Click here for so much more and then stay tuned for a sweet film from Waterloo Films below.

From the Bride… The reception following this ceremony will include many memorable heirlooms passed down from these family members. We have had the greatest time gathering these pieces and exchanging stories with our families. From one hundred year old doors to timeless china, we wanted to include them all when decorating for our big day. Although the items alone seem to fit our current interests or style, surrounding ourselves with them during this celebration reminds us of their memory and presence even more.

This interest has also taken us on a vintage hunt through numerous antique shops for the last year and a half. From hole in the wall shops in Geronimo, Texas to the famous annual Round Top event, we have been taken back in time through so many unique pieces with amazing stories. We came across a beautiful chandelier from Romanian newlyweds who just immigrated to Houston. Another family passed along a Victorian couch to make more room in their home for abused transfer students from overseas. Each piece has one story or another that we will always remember from this little antiquing adventure, which has now become an addiction.

Love is timeless, so we believe this timeless collection dresses up our day just right. We hope you enjoy.

Wedding Photography: Katherine O’Brien / Ceremony Location: Brookwood Community Church in Houston, Texas / Reception Location: Private Residence / Floral Design: Karen Plumlee / Wedding Cinematography: Waterloo Films / Bakery: Maureen’s Bakery / Decor: DIY by the Bride / Band: The Dopplegangers / Photobooth: Crown Photo Booth by Scott and Rebecca Light / Wedding Dress: Ivy & Aster / Bride’s shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Accessories: Ivy & Aster / Earrings + Veil: Unbridaled / Bridesmaid’s Attire: Amsale / Groom’s Attire: English Laundry

The groom pronounced his wife “a planner” and we (the girls of SMP) found a kindred spirit. We love a well planned wedding, especially one SO beautiful you could curl up with it for days and days, so when the planner bride teamed up with Cedarwood Weddings to create a vintage, romantic soiree, well let’s just say there have been a few days of wedding cuddling on this side of the computer screen, all made possible by Jen & Chris Creed | Photographers, the talented team behind THIS pretty doozy of a gallery!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

From the bride … Chris and I met at a friend’s dinner party in Atlanta and were immediately drawn to each other. A week later I gushed about this meeting to my best friends over email telling them how much I liked him and how perfect it was all going. Little did I know that same email would be read by my Maid of Honor just two years later at our Rehearsal Dinner. While I screamed with laughter (and semi-embarrassment!) over my own words and every detail down to my punctuation and non-stop smiley faces, it was the perfect reminder of the evening we met, our instant connection and how our love transpired from that meeting to our engagement on a family ski trip.

The day after we got engaged I “stayed in sick” from the slopes but Chris knew better when he came back and I had purchased 3 wedding magazines, a wedding book planner and a cupcake. That same day I started learning all the wedding blogs and googling ideas. When I googled “rustic vintage Nashville wedding” and came across Cedarwood, I knew my search was done! We wanted two things in our wedding for our guests to have a great time and for it to feel like “us.” Cedarwood helped us do just that. They post details from all of their amazing weddings on their blog which is where I got a lot of ideas and inspiration on what I wanted for our day. My new last name, Wren, was also a great source of inspiration. From our invitations with a tree theme and a bird tag tying all the pieces together to “nest” style boutonnieres to the flower girl carrying a bird cage and mini bird ornaments as thank you favors so everyone got to enjoy “taking home a Wren,” I was always looking for details to tie that in.

Chris and I attended Pre-Marital counseling through our church (which I highly recommend!) and one of the greatest things we learned is our love languages. I learned that I show love through “acts of service” and I realized the entire wedding planning process was an act of service for me. I wanted everyone to feel included and special on our day. Your wedding is the only time in your life where you’ll have so many people together who you care about and who made you who you are. I wanted to show them all my love and gratitude with this amazing event and by involving everyone I could in our day. I’m fortunate to have two very special men in my life, my father and my step-father who came into my life when I was a teen. My dad walked me down the aisle and my step-father met us halfway to finish the walk together, symbolic of when he came into my life and both families giving me away together. My childhood best friend’s parents (whose house I spent every weekend at growing up) read a scripture during the ceremony. Later they showed me the bookmark that marked the page, one my friend and I had colored “Laura & Rachel BFF” at age 8. My sister read the other scripture and each bridesmaid finished by reading a different virtue in the verse. I enlisted the help of my grandmother to make our groom’s cake, Mamaw Fleming’s famous chocolate cake. I had each bridesmaid pick out their own bridesmaid dress style from Amsale because they’re each so amazing and beautiful in different ways. Everyone there was a special person in our lives and we were so grateful that they shared in our day and in our love story.

Our day was perfect in my eyes. It went by fast but I was “there” for every minute. I got to eat the dinner and cake, I got to see my dad swing my grandmother on the dance floor, I got to shake the band’s tambourine and dance with my husband down to the last song and most importantly I got to have fun and truly enjoy the night surrounded by all of the people I love the most.

From the Groom … I saw Laura Lee working on this post and told her not to stress too much, but then I remembered who she is. The one who’s family calls her the Christmas Nazi, the one who wants to plan every tailgate in the Grove down to every last detail, the one who was more worried about how everyone else would feel on her wedding day more so than how she would feel. That’s my wife. She puts all of herself into everything. And she truly put everything of herself into making our day spectacular. I knew how hard she was working all along but then seeing it all come together and hearing our friends and family comment on how amazing it was made me love and appreciate her hard work that much more.

It was fun, it was “us” and it was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Photography: Jen & Chris Creed | Photographers / Venue, Invitations, Planning, Design, & Florals: Cedarwood Weddings / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Dress: Jim Hjelm / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Music: Nashvegas All Stars / Flower Girl Dress: Tea Princess

Day after day we fall in love with the sweetest details from all kinds of weddings. We’re constantly falling for dreamy gowns, luxe florals, delish cakes, and handmade centerpieces. But as much as we love the pretty deets, we love the couples even more. The SMP couple is amazingly sweet, adorably in love, and is usually full of so much wedding know-how. Like these two lovebirds. Married at Historic Cedarwood, their wedding – as seen by Lotus Blossom Photography – was a true reflection of the “them” we got to know in the bride’s sweet write up below. Click here to see more!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

During college, I spent a semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy. While it was hard to spend four months apart from my future husband, seeing brides take photos in the Piazza del Duomo and being surrounded by the rolling hills of Tuscany made it the perfect opportunity to start wedding planning (I did not let the fact that Adam and I had only been officially dating for few months slow me down). My roommates and I spent our afternoons selecting our dream engagement rings from the jewelry stores on the Ponte Vecchio and browsing bridal gown websites while sipping wine on the balcony. A few years later, with a real-life dream ring on my left hand, it was time to turn my Italian daydreaming into reality.

While Florence is remarkable, there was another city that we turned to inspiration for our wedding day. When I moved to Tennessee for college, I fell in love. Not only with the man I would marry six years later, but also with the epic beauty and irresistible southern charm of Nashville. To me, the city is filled with friendly people, country style, and memories of falling in love. So when the time came to plan our wedding, we knew Nashville was going to play an important role.

My design choices were driven by a desire to capture the rustic wonder of Tennessee and share it with our family and friends. When we first stepped onto the property of Historic Cedarwood, we were smitten. The classic red barn and stunning landscape offered the perfect setting to begin our marriage, and I was jumping at the opportunity to combine the staff’s style expertise with my overflowing list of ideas for personal touches. I spent my weekends either working on DIY projects or browsing local flea markets and antique stores for inspiration. I collected crocheted doilies to top our hand-sewn floral table runners, and mismatched antique dessert plates on which to serve our pink ombre cake. I spent months daydreaming, weeks shopping, days designing invitations, and hours embossing programs, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Despite the burn mark on our dining room table from ironing our hand embroidered save-the-date handkerchiefs, and the pin-pricks on my fingers from sewing our escort card pennants, it was all worth it.

With green gingham accents, strawberries and sugar on the tables, and burlap favor bags filled with cornbread and jam, our wedding offered sweet country charm while maintaining our “bright and happy” color scheme. I carry with me a plethora of beautiful memories. I can still feel the lace of my gown as my sisters zipped me in, hear the notes of our first dance song, and taste the mini ice cream sandwiches at our reception. I thought it would be hard to decide my favorite part, but looking back on the magic of the day, it is not hard at all. The best part is carrying these memories as a married woman, as a wife to the man of my dreams.

Photography: Lotus Blossom Photography / Floral & Event Design: Cedarwood Weddings / Ceremony & Reception Location: Historic Cedarwood / Save the Dates: Designed and made by the Bride / Invitations: Designed and illustrated by the Bride, printed by CatPrint / Vintage Stamps for Invitations: The Paper Nickel / Dress: Vera Wang, Dinah / Shoes: Elise in Old Gold by Kate Spade / Necklace: Break of Day Necklace from BHLDN / Headpiece: Fanciful Fields Halo from BHLDN / Bridesmaids Dresses: Kate Spade Jillian Dress in Desert Rose / Bridesmaids Gloves: Veranda Wrist Gloves from BHLDN / Bridesmaids Shoes: Me Too Sadie Wedge Sandal from Nordstrom / Groom and Groomsmen Tuxes: Black by VeraWang from Men’s Wearhouse / Groomsmen Ties: Green Diamonds Tie from The Tie Bar / Bridal and Bridesmaids Hair: Trim Classic Barber & Legendary Beauty / Bridal and Bridesmaids Makeup: BBC Salon / Fur Bolero for Exit: Arctic Hare Bolero from BHLDN / Ice Cream Sandwich Cart: The Sugar Wagon

Three magical, little words. Three words that when by themselves mean nothing, but when strung together + placed inside Historic Cedarwood, are magical. English Country Garden. When Cedarwood Weddings worked with a gorgeous couple to create a wedding with an English Country Garden ambiance, they were making pure, beautiful magic – worthy of Rachel Moore Photography‘s well loved lens. It’s a soiree you won’t want to miss every single detail of, and luckily, they are all sitting pretty in the full image gallery!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

Andrew and I met when we were both living in Nashville. We had a connection because we are both originally from North Carolina. And as Providence would have it, Candace was the first person Andrew met in Nashville from NC.

We fell in love with Cedarwood before we even visited. Looking at photographs of every wedding – particularly the absolutely gorgeous flowers and beautiful outdoor setting drew us to Cedarwood. Candace was ready to put down a deposit without seeing it! In addition, it was nice having so many fantastic vendors to collaborate with and not having to scout ones out on our own. All the vendors Cedarwood provided and recommended exceeded our expectations.

At the same time, we felt like our wedding was so “us” because we had the flexibility to add our special touches and incorporate our ideas, like: soft, romantic flowers and lace decor to create our “english country garden” fantasy. At the reception we created a special wine bar area to display and serve wine that my father had collected for over 15 years. The bride’s veil was handcrafted by a family friend from vintage lace purchased by the bride’s maternal grandmother in Venice. The groom’s bowtie was custom-made and hand-painted by Nashville artisan Otis James. It was black satin with “Carolina blue” polka dots. Southern touches include a Chapel Hil “Old Well” groom’s cake, home made cheese straws at all the bars and bluegrass music at cocktail hour.

Three adjectives that describe the day are: Lace, love and laugher – all of which surrounded us on our wedding day. It was romantic, dreamy and beautiful. Our favorite detail of the day, besides the beautiful flowers, was the wine bar because it was very personal and special.

Photographer: Rachel Moore Photography / Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Floral Design: Cedarwood Weddings / Event Design + Planning: Cedarwood Weddings / Invitations: Crane & Co., The Cottage Shop / Bride’s Dress: Paloma Blanca from Arzelle’s / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Save the dates, table numbers, seating chart and menus: Designed and DIYed by bride / Wedding Cake and Groom’s Cake: Patty Cakes / Catering: A Dream Come True Catering / Ceremony Music: Nashville String Trio / Officiant: Ralph Griggs / Cocktail Hour Music: Bluegrass duet from The 23 String Band

If there were ever a wedding MADE for Nashville, this is it. It’s pretty and romantic and oh so southern, but it’s still rustic enough for the hunter groom – whose cowboy boots didn’t look at all out of place. Of course, we would expect nothing short of wedded brilliance from Cedarwood Weddings, and wedded brilliance is what we got judging by Evan Baines Photography‘s stunning images. An entire gallery – five pages deep – full of brilliance!

Click here to see the full image gallery!

Back in 2007, Jeff’s roommate from Mississippi was dating one of my roommates from Vanderbilt. The whole group started hanging out together but Jeff was on the quieter side so it took me a little bit to warm up to him. But once I saw his dance moves, I was sold! We were from two completely different upbringings; mine the Midwest suburbs of Cleveland, OH and him, the southern country of Meridian, MS. However, we realized that are close-knit family units and underlying values were very similar. Since then, I have introduced him to a lot of different cities in the US (and all of their golf courses) and taught him about the love and passion (and agony!) of professional sports teams. And Jeff has taught me that I have to be quiet when hunting deer and invisible when hunting turkeys. Oh, and it’s not correct to pronounce the “g” on “huntin.”

After dating for 4 years, marriage was definitely in the discussion. With an impending weekend seeing my parents, I had an idea something may be coming soon. But on the Tuesday before I left, I arrived home with take-out Panera dinner to a very relaxed and non-chalant Jeff and decided it wasn’t happening this evening. We ate dinner like nothing out of the ordinary until I (finally!) walked into my bedroom to see a dozen pink roses and something sparkly in the middle of one. Very confused and shocked, I turned around to see Jeff on one knee asking to marry him! I later discovered he had not only asked my dad for my hand in marriage, but he also consulted with my grandfather and my older brother, all the important men in my life!

I am a girly girl and Jeff is a rugged outdoor hunter and fisherman. It was really important to me to pick a venue that I loved and he would feel comfortable in as well. He is not suited for a blacktie hotel ballroom! My mother and I searched and searched around Nashville and nothing was perfect until we pulled into Cedarwood’s parking lot. We just looked at each other and said, “This is it!!”. It was the perfect combination of romantic elegance and rustic charm. When I brought Jeff back for his approval, he heard a turkey gobbling in the distance and knew that was a great sign! I felt Jeff and I can pretty much be summed up by our wedding shoe choices, I wore gold sparkly Jimmy Choos and he wore black ostrich cowboy boots. Cedarwood captured that juxtaposition perfectly!

Our inspiration was soft romance with touches of rustic, natural elements. I used light pink, blush, and ivory for most of decorations and incorporated dark wood chairs, burlap, and black lanterns for the balance. For the soft, romantic elements, my bridesmaids wore baby pink chiffon dresses and my lace dress had chiffon ruffles on the bottom to add to the softness. I think the two best indications of our inspiration were our table settings that had ivory table cloths, burlap runners, light pink peonies, and dark Fruitwood chairs. And our pink and white ruffled wedding cake sat on top of a real slice of wood! My biggest inspiration was from Cedarwood’s own website and Style Me Pretty. I loved all of their gorgeous outdoor weddings that both posted. Jeff can attest that I became obsessed checking both websites for updates! It was the highlight of my day.

Jeff comes from a Christian family and I come from a mix between Judiasm and Christianity. We wanted a ceremony that wasn’t necessarily religious but included our love and faith of God. We stood under a Chuppah, the Jewish symbol for a new home that we will build together, and draped across the top of it was my late grandfather’s tallis, or prayer shawl. I had lace from my mother’s wedding dress wrapped around my bouquet and I carried the same bible down the aisle that she, and my cousins, carried on their wedding day. The diamond in my engagement ring was a gift from Jeff’s late grandmother to his grandfather, so it is especially meaningful to his family. My pearl bracelet that I wore was my “something old” from my grandmother and my garter was “something borrowed” from my best friend and Matron of honor. She also had a blue dress tag sewn into my dress with our wedding date monogrammed for my “something blue”. One other fun element was our recessional back down the aisle was to Jimmy Cliff’s song, “I can See Clearly Now”, the same song that my parents walked down the aisle to 35 years ago!

Photographer: Evan Baines Photography / Wedding Venue: Historic Cedarwood / Flowers and Decor, event styling, planning, and directing: Cedarwood Weddings / Hair: Brea and Melanie from Salon FX / Makeup: Meredith from Private Edition / Bride’s gown: Paloma Blanca from Arzelle’s Bridal Boutique / Bride’s shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids dresses: Ivy and Aster from Bella Bridesmaid / Groom and Groomsmen suits and ties: Jos. A. Bank / Groom’s boots: Lucchese / Caterer: Copper Kettle / Entertainment/Music: Burning Las Vegas, booked by Liza at Prime Source Entertainment / Jewelry: Schreibman Jewelers / Invitations: The Lettered Olive by The Dotted Line / Save the Dates and Programs: DIY by bride’s mother and cousin / Other paper goods: Designs in Paper / Rentals/linens: Cedarwood

Brandon Chesbro is serving up a southern soiree this morning that is just the perfect combination of sweet and spunk. Think darling DIY details meets old jailhouse reception wrapped up with a couple that has southern style down to a science. It’s bow tie-wearing ring bearers and flower girls in tutus. It’s a classic gown with a touch of turquoise. It’s all of that and then some, and it’s all sitting pretty right here.

From the Bride… On the day Adam proposed, I knew I wanted to get married in Nashville. Adam grew up there, I fell in love on my first visit — not only with the city, but more deeply with the man who is now my husband. I initially thought I wanted a farm wedding, completely rustic with lots of handmade details. Upon visiting numerous venues, however, my vision took new shape — we ended up getting married in a Gothic chapel, and our reception took place in what was once the town jailhouse! Despite this shift in vision, and despite living in Orlando, the planning process was stress-free and a true treat. I kept some of my initial inspiration to bring warmth to both of our venues. The textures found in the chapel and reception site are rich and elegant, including slate, brick and wood. With that, I chose details of burlap, lavender, mint green and gold glitter to add personality and a bit of fun to our wedding. Serving southern fare and locally-sourced drinks helped our guests feel at home at the reception.

Both the ceremony and reception had many DIY elements, and I love the personal touch they added to this special occasion. I made my bridesmaids’ jewelry and added lace to their dresses that matched mine! The ceremony featured felt mustaches for our guests to hold while my dad walked me down the aisle to ensure my mascara didn’t run! For the reception, I wrapped mason jars in yarn and twine and covered some in gold glitter. My mom made burlap table runners that I topped with vintage doilies. For the guest favors, I made splatter paint paper cones to scoop up “Jordan Almonds” and “Adam’s Apple Chips,” and the accompanying coffee cups had been stamped with our J&A logo. I also made banners out of nine-inch, turquoise fringe with gold, glittery letters. I re-purposed frames, windows and mirrors as chalkboards and scattered them throughout the house to direct our guests. These elements, along with our wonderful family and friends, made the wedding completely “us” and a day we’ll never forget!

In addition to a traditional guest book, we asked our guests to bookmark our Bible. We made little tags that each guest could write their chosen scripture and names on, then place in the appropriate spot in the Bible provided. It has been such a blessing to read these together and glean wisdom from the people who witnessed our commitment to one another! The BEST decision I made was to bring a pair of heels specifically for the reception. I ordered them from a ballroom dancing website, so they’re actually meant to be danced in. They were a comfortable, flexible, covered in gold glitter and an overall lifesaver! And I didn’t know it when I picked it out, but choosing a wedding gown that is durable is key if you’re a bride who likes to boogie! My gown was made of taffeta, which allowed it to be stepped on during dances and dragged through tall grass during photos without a single worry. I even had my bridesmaids cut the innermost layer out of it when we got to the reception. Hey, I was hot and didn’t want that unnecessary layer bringin’ me down!

Wedding Photography: Brandon Chesbro / Ceremony: Wightman Chapel at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tennessee / Reception: McConnell House in Nashville, Tennessee / Floral Design: Lauren Atkinson / Catering: Red Pony Catering / Cupcakes: The Cupcake Collection / Topper Cake: Whole Foods / Wedding Invitation + Program Design: Greg Perkins of The RAM Project / Letterpress Printing: Mama’s Sauce / Wedding Dress: Watters / Hair + Makeup: Dion’s South / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Banana Republic / Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic / Groomsmen’s Attire: J.Crew

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

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

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