Couple Jump-Starts Festivities at Rehearsal Dinner, Hosts Laid-Back Reception at Ruby Nashville
Friday, March 25, 2016
For their Southern, DIY wedding, Meredith and David made smart choices. They splurged on some of the city's top wedding vendors (The Collection, Liberty Party Rental, and Ruby Nashville) and saved by turning to friends, family, and Etsy!! The result was a Nashville wedding part pro, part DIY, and all beautifully done.
Learn more about their big day by reading our interview with Meredith today.
Meredith + David
Wedding Date: November 17, 2015
Ceremony Venue: Church of the Redeemer
Reception Venue: Ruby
Guests: 120
Budget: $10,000 - $20,000
Wedding Team
Ceremony Coordinator | Friend
Reception Coordinator | Brenda of Ruby
Photographer | Erin of The Collection
Rentals | Liberty Party Rental
Gown | Etsy shop called LaceMarry
Fur Wrap | Etsy shop called Alex Bridal
Veil | Etsy from Blanca Veils
Men’s Suits | Jos. A. Banks
Men's Ties | Etsy shop called Tie Obsessed
Bridesmaids’ Attire | Etsy shop Harsuccthing
Makeup | Friend
Stationery DIY
Caterer | Stroud’s BBQ in Franklin
Cake Artist | Friend
Alterations | Judy of Nashville
Floral Designer | Melissa at Rosebuds East
Ceremony Musicians | Friends
Reception Musicians | DIY playlist
Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
We wanted our wedding to be a laid-back, fun celebration. Our family and friends are important to us, and we wanted them to enjoy themselves. They also helped out a lot and participated in various aspects of our wedding. We also had bit of a Southern vibe. I grew up in the South, while Dave is new to it, but Nashville is our home and where we met and fell in love.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding (e.g. décor, colors, details, or even picking the venue)?
We incorporated Southern themes with the magnolia leaves that decorated the tables, BBQ dinner, and a hummingbird cake. We had our rehearsal dinner at Urban Grub. We also featured some local artists in our playlist. We included a list of recommended restaurants and activities on our wedding website for people to enjoy while they were in town. We served Yazoo beers at our wedding because we wanted to feature a local brewery. We also celebrated fall a bit, since we both love it, with white pumpkins that we used as table markers and a pumpkin beer that we both really like.
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
One thing that we did that I loved, which was actually our photographer's suggestion, was having an opportunity to connect with out-of-town guests before the wedding. We had our rehearsal dinner at Urban Grub in a room that opened onto their patio, so we were able to invite out-of-town guests to stop by for appetizers/dessert and drinks following the dinner. That way we actually got to talk with people we would have had little time with at the wedding. It was a great idea!
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
As you can see, we did a lot through Etsy, which really saved us a lot. We had a really hard time finding ties for the guys, and the Etsy ones were affordable and looked great. The bridesmaid dresses were very inexpensive and so well made. They didn’t even have to get alterations after sending in their measurements to have them made! I loved my dress and spent about half of what I would have in a bridal store.
The reception site was a big expense, but our catering was very affordable and fantastic. Ditto on our florist being affordable and fantastic. I showed her some pictures of what I wanted and she ran with it. Booking my photographer was one of the first things I did because I knew Erin’s work was fantastic and I valued good pictures. She didn’t disappoint! We paid our friend Melanie to be our reception coordinator (because she has tour manager experience and she’s done it before), and her help was invaluable and worth so much more than we paid her!
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I would have loved to have worked with a planner, but I just couldn’t justify the expense. We have talked about wishing that we had hired a videographer. At the time it seemed like a large additional expense, but now we kind of wish we had that.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Breathe! We sold my house, bought a house, moved, and had a break-in at our new house during the planning process. It was a lot! We intentionally set aside times to just hang out and not work on wedding planning so that we focused on our relationship and not just our wedding.
It helps to have a clear vision of what you want and you have to communicate it very clearly. For example, some ceremony/reception venues would tell us what they could accommodate, but when we asked more questions we felt that it wouldn’t be comfortable for our guests or what we were wanting. We wanted to do a sit down dinner and some venues don’t factor that in when they tell you their capacity.
We booked our honeymoon early and chose to go to an all-inclusive resort, which was delightful because we were exhausted and done making decisions!
