Christian Bride Shares Her Classic, Scarritt-Bennett Wedding & Advice for Other Christian Brides
Friday, October 11, 2013
It doesn't get more classic than Alexis and Zac's Scarritt-Bennett wedding. Their timeless style and Christian values are apparent in every aspect of their wedding, from their design to their venue selection. I think you will appreciate this couple's devotion to their religious beliefs as well as their excitement over their favorite wedding venues.
I'd especially like to thank the folks at Regalo Design and Sara Kauss Photography. They cheerfully responded to our requests to feature Alexis' wedding. It's clear to see why she was happy working with them for her big day.
Alexis & Zac
Wedding Date ~ August 10, 2013
Ceremony & Reception Location ~ Scarritt-Bennett Center
Guests ~ 250
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Zac and I follow Christ together! Since the beginning of our relationship, Jesus Christ has been the center, and that is why we do the things we do. We love the great outdoors; we’re happy if we’re on the ocean, in the mountains, at the lake or in our own backyard.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
I don’t know if I would call being a Christian a “style,” but that is what helped us choose our venue. When we walked into the chapel, we were amazed. There was a huge cross hanging from the ceiling, just above where we stood, saying our vows. Having the cross above us during that special ceremony was symbolic and important to us. I also loved the center aisle separating the rows and rows of pews, stocked with Bibles. The landscaping outside of the buildings is absolutely beautiful, too! Everything about the venue’s looks suited my wants.
We chose the colors based on our favorite colors; his is orange, and mine is purple. The flowers were chosen because of my favorite flower, the tiger lily. When Zac and I first met in Sneedville, TN on a mission trip, there were tiger lilies everywhere. Once he figured out those were my favorite, he would pick them for me, and I’d place them behind my ear. I just knew we had to have those flowers in our wedding, and they made beautiful bouquets and arrangements!
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
Everybody keeps telling us it was the most beautiful wedding they’d ever been to before! They said the ceremony was absolutely beautiful and personal. Pastor John from Immanuel Baptist Church officiated the ceremony and did a beautiful job. He has known both of us for a while now; Zac was actually interning at the church when we met, and asked for Pastor John’s permission to date me after that mission trip. (I was in the “youth” as a senior that year!) He’s been a special mentor to Zac and a wonderful leader for our church.
In our ceremony, we had a Unity Cross in lieu of unity candles or sand. That was definitely one of the personal, beautiful aspects of our wedding. The outside cross represents Man. He is strong, bold, but empty. The inside cross represents Woman. She is beautiful, intricate, but needs protection. The two fit together perfectly and are pinned together with three pins, representing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This unity ceremony was precious to us, and I don’t know that any of our guests have ever seen that in a wedding.
Splurging: I knew from the beginning I wanted to have wonderful pictures and a beautiful video. Those are two things that last long after the wedding, and can help us relive that beautiful day for years to come. Sara Kauss photographed my dad and stepmom’s wedding 5 years ago, and she did a fabulous job. She’s based out of Florida, but she travels around the world photographing weddings and country music singers. She’s become a great friend of ours, and there was no doubt she was photographing our wedding.
For the video, I searched and searched for a good videographer around Nashville. I watched many videos of weddings from different vendors, but none of them seemed very special… Until Sara Kauss told us about Mike Varel, and I checked his website out. I literally cried watching all the videos, and I didn’t even know these people he had filmed! He does an amazing job, and after seeing his work, nothing could even compare.
Save/DIY:
Thankfully, we knew about Regalo Design and the amazing job they do. They helped us with so much, and I suggest everyone get a planner, budget permitting. With hiring Regalo, we not only got the wedding planned, but we also got some beautiful decor. They set up all the wrought iron hangers for the flowers in the Wightman Chapel. Because of that, we did not have to purchase any decor for the chapel.
Liberty Party Rental was running a special, so we rented twice as many chairs for the same price.
I saved a lot of money by doing my own makeup, which ended up great because I got to keep the makeup I bought and used!
I didn’t care about the girls' [bridesmaids'] finger or toenails. Since there were 10 of us, I knew we couldn’t go to a salon easily to get them done; plus, it was hard to get us all together, anyway. This really saved the girls a lot of money because many just did their own nails. I knew that they wouldn’t show because of the bouquets and their long dresses, so I decided not to care about it! I’m so glad, too.
I was trying to save money in the cake area; I was going to get a cupcake tower, which would have been very cost-effective. My parents knew that was not what I really wanted, though, and took hold of the cake reins for me. They found Dulce Desserts, and told me to pick out the cake of my dreams, which is exactly what we got! We are so blessed.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
To be honest, there is absolutely nothing I would change about our wedding day. Everything was so perfect! I had so much fun on our wedding day; from my alarm clock going off at 5:30 a.m. to the watching the sun set alone with my husband in our hotel room.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Relax, and have fun; you only get married once, so make it joyful and pleasant.
I also recommend the book I Am My Beloved’s: Christian Devotionals for the Bride to Be by Amy Hayes. This really puts wedding planning in the right perspective for the Bride. I benefitted greatly from this devotional.
My Wedding Team
Planning & Floral Design | Regalo Design
Photographer | Sara Kauss, Sara Kauss Photography
Videographer | Mike Varel, Mike Varel Digital Storytelling
Gown | The White Room Murfreesboro (We worked with the Lebanon shop, too.)
Bride’s Accessories | Bracelet: “Something old”; Earrings: “Something new” GG Jewelry & Gifts, Lebanon; Necklace: “Something borrowed”
Men’s Attire | Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaids’ Attire | The White Room Murfreesboro (We worked with the Lebanon shop, too.)
Hair | Salon FX
Makeup | I bought my makeup from Sephora (at J.C. Penney’s, Providence) and Clinique (at Belk, Providence), and applied it myself.
Stationery | Creative Graphics, Lebanon
Caterer | Scarritt-Bennett's on-site caterer
Cake Artist | Dulce Desserts. Juanita is a wonderful cake artist & person, and I couldn’t be happier with how she did on our beautiful cake and the neat groom’s cake. I’ve thought about our cake so often since the wedding. Ha! It’s the most delicious cake I’ve ever tasted, AND it’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.
Ceremony Musicians | Jenny Smith, Organist
Reception Musicians | Nashville Silver Strings
Rentals | Liberty Party Rentals
Lighting | The beautiful, God-given sunlight!
Transportation | My dad’s corvette
Guest Accommodations | Many guests stayed at Scarritt-Bennett the night before the wedding. On the night of the wedding, my parents had 30 guests staying in their home. Wow!
Wedding Night Hotel | Nashville Airport Marriott
Honeymoon | Whitehouse, Jamaica Sandals Resort (Best vacation EVER!!!)
About the Author:
Ashley King
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Until then, Find me on Google+.
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Posted on October 11, 2013 |
Filed under: Florals, Details & Design , Real Nashville Brides, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Planners & Coordinators, Wedding Style - Classic,
