Nashville weddings

How Nashville Gets Engaged: An Arrington Vineyard Proposal

Friday, April 9, 2010

Weddings don't just happen overnight, and the planning process is as significant to a couple in love as the marriage itself. 

With every wedding there's a dating and proposal story leading up to the "I do"'s.  Today's post is the first of many that we're happy to chronicle because we believe that engagements are as real and romantic as weddings are. 

To kick things off, we'd like you to meet Meg and Matt who are a 2010 couple.  Their pictures and story reached us with much credit to Jonathon Campbell Photography who shot their engagement session and who will be capturing their wedding.  I love this story because the proposal is told from Matt's perspective which is always fun to see and (I'm such a sap) I started to tear up a little because, well... you know what?  I'm not going to spoil it for you - read on!

Bride-to-be:
Meg Morrison - Gainesville, GA

Groom-to-be:
Matt Zink  - Washington Court House, OH

How did you meet?

We met through an interesting connection of mutual friends. Matt went to college at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and became friends with Ryan through football who was from Pittsburgh. Meg went to University of Tennessee with Jacqui who is also from Pittsburgh. Jacqui became good friends with Matt through visits at home and hanging out with Ryan. Later, when Matt moved to Nashville knowing no one, Meg had lived here for 1 ½ yrs. SO when Matt called Jacqui for someone to hang out with, no one knew Jacqui she was thinking we would make a good match. She sent Meg to meet up with Matt that night, and the rest is history.

How did you know this was “it?” Did you talk about it a lot? Or was it just understood from day one?

It wasn’t known from day one, but we definitely talked about it before Matt proposed. We knew it was “it” because everything was just natural. We didn’t have to try to make it work. So when our friendship turned into a relationship, we didn’t have to question if it was right.

When did you get engaged?

Arrington Vineyards, Franklin, TN on April 3, 2009

How did you get engaged?  Tell us all about the proposal!

(From Matt's point of view) Before the actual proposal, Meg went on a cruise in February of 2009 with some friends, and I said I was going to Ohio to visit my family for the weekend. But, I was planning all along to head to Georgia to ask Meg’s parents for their blessing in marrying their daughter.

Asking Meg's parents went off without a hitch, except for one thing: I had planned to propose to Meg on our San Francisco trip in September, but Meg's parents said they couldn't keep the secret that long. This meant I had to set the wheel in motion much earlier than anticipated, and began searching for a new and creative way to propose. After a few quick phone calls, both sets of parents were very excited to learn they would be a part of the proposal plans.

I went down to Arrington Friday before the proposal to check out the grounds, and see if there was anything the people there could do to help with this special day. They reserved a picnic table at the top of the hill overlooking the grounds with rose petals in a wine glass, and made sure that no one else would be around to disturb us.

The plans were to have both sets of parents show up 45 minutes after we arrived, and sneak in the lower entrance out of Meg's view. Problems arose when Meg was held up at work and there was extra traffic on the way. After a few frantic phone calls/texts, I was able to delay the parents a few minutes. We went through the tasting with me feeling anxious the entire time, as I could see the staff watching us knowing what was in store. We picked out a great bottle of wine, headed to the top of the hill to have a glass, and watch the sunset. I told Meg to check out the view down the hill, while I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring.

I told her about my little "trip home", and after a look of shock on Meg's face, I got down on a knee and proposed to her. She said yes of course (or we wouldn't be writing this article!) and we headed back down to the vineyard building greeted with applause from the staff, and our family waiting with cameras ready.

Oh, did I mention this was the first time all the parents met each other? We enjoyed a delicious dinner with wine, and the newly created family we were bringing together.

We love your engagement pictures!  Looks like you had a blast.  Tell us about that experience.

We loved our engagement session! Jonathon and Sharon Campbell were amazing!

We met a couple weeks before the engagement session for dinner, and got to know each other and they really paid attention to what we as a couple were about, as well as our thoughts and ideas on locations. We ended up doing shots at the Werthan Lofts in Germantown and the Union Station Hotel in downtown Nashville. We thought an urban setting with an industrial feel and a very polished staple of Nashville would be excellent fits for us, and the pictures turned out above and beyond our expectations!

What matters most as you plan your wedding? life together?

What matters most while planning the wedding is we have to step back from time to time while looking at every single detail and realize that the purpose of the wedding day is for us to be bound in marriage. Planning the food, entertainment, etc. has been an adventure, but we also know that this is just the beginning of our lives together, and this is the event to celebrate this beginning.

Was there a decision that nearly triggered a meltdown in your wed planning process, something that might help others in your shoes?

We have had some trouble with the wedding party, as well as keeping in the budget. We haven’t had an official “meltdown” but we still have 4 months of planning to go! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for as smooth sailing as we can get.

Couples disagree. Let's keep it real and help other engaged couples not kill one another! What has been your major couple disagreement and what have you done to compromise?

The major disagreement/compromise for us has been finalizing the guest list. With any wedding comes a budget, and as a result tough choices have to be made in terms of who to and not to invite to the wedding. We both are blessed enough to have many amazing people in our lives and it has been very difficult to have to say “no” to some of them.

What's the one must have for your wedding day (such as a particular service, product, vendor)? His? Hers?

We had to have a great live band. We wanted to keep the Nashville feel of the wedding, and what better representation than live music? Our band is the Nashvegas All Stars and we’re excited about tearing it up on the dance floor!

Please let us in on some of your wedding details.

Our style: Best described as comfortably modern ambiance with a cocktail hour vibe
Our colors: Teal, chocolate, and a blush pink

Who have you hired so far?
Venue: 3rd Avenue South
Planner - Randi Events
Photography - Jonathon Campbell Photography
Band - NashVegas All Stars
Catering - Chef’s Market

What do you most look forward to after marriage?

Well, the obvious answer here is the honeymoon! It will be good to get away and relax for a while after the wedding day. After the honeymoon, we are very excited to get settled into our new lives together and start planning for the future. After the chaos has died down, we can begin to save up to travel the world, eventually have a family, and just enjoy going through each phase of married life together.

Any words of wisdom for newly-engaged couples?

Talk things out. Don’t assume the other person wants something without asking, it will save a lot of time having to change plans and mending hurt feelings. Also, go to a marriage workshop, or pre-marital counselor through your Pastor/Officiant. It’s a good eye opener and as a bonus, saves you money on your marriage license!

Congratulations Meg and Matt and thank you for sharing your story and advice with us.  We wish you all the best and look forward to your wedding planning updates!

About the Author:

Tabitha

Blogging is something I’ve enjoyed doing for years. My interests lie mostly in lifestyle related topics like fashion, style, design, food and weddings. When I heard Ashley was looking to bring on new members to the ABG team, I jumped at the opportunity - I can’t think of a better way to stay involved in weddings than to write about them and to stay in touch with the trends and new ideas. Lucky for me, Ashley likes my blog and trusts my experience to bring me on and so far, it’s been a blast.

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send   Posted on April 9, 2010 | Filed under: Photography & Videography, Real Nashville Brides