Nashville weddings

A Bird-Themed, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Wedding at Tennessee’s Front Porch Farms

Friday, December 30, 2011

We'll continue our advice for newly engaged Nashville couples next week.  For the weekend, we'd like to share a Nashville-area wedding, our last for 2011!  This year, we've featured some incredible local weddings - Erin and Ron's Front Porch Farms wedding is in great company.

Today's wedding features many details of which we are huge fans. From do-it-yourself elements to birds, beautiful floral arrangements, and bright colors, Erin and Ron's wedding at Front Porch Farms is just too pretty not to share. Erin is a writer for HerNashville's "Her Night Out" column and as a fan of her writing, it was really cool to see her wedding vision come to life and confirmed what I thought - she has great taste! Combined with the planning expertise of Kathy Best and Front Porch Farms and the talents of the wedding vendors Erin and Ron worked with, this was a beautiful wedding. Enjoy!

Erin + Ron
Wedding Date ~ May 21, 2011
Ceremony & Reception ~ Front Porch Farms
Guests ~ 120

Wedding Team

Planner | Kathy Best of Front Porch Farms (I also couldn’t have done it without my mom)
Photographer | Erin Lee of The Collection
Gown & Accessories | Ellyne Bridal in Lincoln, Nebraska
Groom’s Attire / Groomsmen Attire | JoS. A. Bank
Bridesmaids Attire | J. Crew
Makeup | Jennie Cunningham (of Clinique, Cool Springs Galleria)
Stationery | I made the invites and programs myself
Ceremony Musicians | Chris Going, guitarist
Reception Musicians | The Remedies (band)
Transportation | Anchor Trailways (for guest transportation)
Caterer | Down South Delights
Cake Artist | Sweet and Sassy
Floral Designer | Enchanted Florist
Guest Accommodations | Holiday Inn Express on Broadway

All images courtesy of The Collection

Wedding Details

How would you describe your style as a couple?
We wanted a wedding that was not only meaningful to us, but was fun for our guests. A lot of our favorite times together have been spent outdoors, so we searched for an outdoor venue that incorporated the beauty of nature. We wanted a shabby chic meets vintage meets DIY kind of wedding that played tribute to each of our families and hometowns. I grew up in Nebraska and Ron is from Kentucky, but we met in Nashville and we wanted to incorporate all three places.

How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
Front Porch Farms fit our style perfectly. The natural setting was gorgeous, and one that would have been impossible to recreate in an indoor venue. We added many details to make it personal including a signature drink recipe from a bar in Nebraska, toasting with mint julep glasses and by giving guests popcorn from a shop from my hometown. We added a southern touch with blue mason jars, mix and match china, shrimp and grits, and Yazoo beer. We also used flowers from Ron’s late mother’s garden to hang from the property’s oak tree that we used our altar. It served as a memorial to her, along with the various birds we had in our decor (she and I both loved decorating with birds).

What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
Our wedding was everything we imagined it to be. It’s very rare that a scene plays out exactly as you picture it, but from the way I looked to the colors and the placement of the details, the entire day was identical to what I envisioned, and that completely amazed me.

Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
Our biggest splurge was photography. We ended up spending more than we had anticipated, but after doing research, I learned it just wasn’t worth the risk to skimp on the one thing we would have to remember our wedding forever. Before we met Erin Lee, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t like my wedding pictures, but I couldn’t be happier with the photos. It was an investment I will never regret.

We had a lot of DIY projects that not only helped us save, but incorporated our personality in the wedding. I designed our invitations and had them printed at Kinkos. We then had the wedding invite made into a poster for guests to sign for a guest book (it cost us less than $10). My mom made the table runners and place cards and my dad made yard games, which my sister and I decorated, to play at our cocktail hour.

Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I started a lot of DIY projects that I didn’t end up finishing or incorporating in the wedding. I went through an indecisive phase when I didn’t know exactly what I wanted. Looking back, I should have waited until all of our vendors were in place before I started on projects. Once we had everyone booked, the details and vision all fell into place.

In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Don’t let the inevitable stress get in the way of enjoying the excitement of this very special time in your lives.

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 December 30, 2011 | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings