Nashville weddings

Classic, Elegant DIY Nashville Wedding: Melissa and Jack

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

You really don't need a huge budget to have a great wedding and achieve a classic, elegant look. Melissa and Jake are here to share their wedding day and tips, which include splurging on their photographer of choice - Myrick Studios - and DIYing everything else!

Bride ~ Melissa Haynes (Strei)

Groom ~ Jack Haynes

April 16, 2010 at 6:30 pm

Ceremony ~ Church of the Redeemer

Reception ~ Richland Country Club

Guests: 130

What was your wedding style?

Our goal was to capture modern elegance with the colors, the music, our attire, decorations, etc.

What were your colors? Why did you chose them?

We went with black, scarlet and ivory. We both love those three colors and felt it would help us capture the look we were going for. Although, they might seem a bit heavy for a spring wedding, the colors worked great for our evening wedding.

Did you have a theme? What was it?

We didn't have a specific theme although we wanted to keep a modern yet classically elegant look and feel throughout.

What did you use for inspiration? {magazines? blogs? websites? etc.}

Several bridal websites were a HUGE help when looking for flower bouquet ideas, table decor, hair styles, etc. Wedding Scoop:

What was your budget?

It started out at $10,000. We ended up spending $11,000.

What was your wedding WOW factor? {What did your guests love?}

Honestly, I've heard from almost every guest who attended that they're favorite moment of the day was when Jack surprised me by singing to me at the reception.

What did you give as favors to your guests?

Neither of us felt it was very important, so we decided to save some money and just skip favors.

How did you personalize your wedding?

We were able to get married at the church we attend together, had musicians that were also family members, chose music for the wedding and reception that were meaningful to us in our relationship. . . Since we're both huge football fans, we chose to walk into the reception to the Monday Night Football theme song. We also chose to have stations of heavy appetizers set up at various places around the room rather than a plated dinner. We wanted to keep people moving and mingling.

What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen?

I gave my bridesmaids jewelry and Jack gave his men Under Armor fitness gear.

What was your most special moment of the day?

Walking down the aisle to meet my groom and Jack singing to me at the reception.

Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them?

We only had a couple of very well-behaved kids attend, so we really didn't do anything out of the ordinary for them.

Did you Do It Yourself? Or, did you leave it to the professionals?

Because our budget was so small, this was definitely a DIY wedding, and it turned out amazing.

If you did DIY, what was your favorite project? Why?

Jack and I had a great time checking out all of the different reception venues. Amazingly, we almost always agreed completely throughout the whole process.

Wedding Vendors:

Planner: Me!

Cake: We were planning to just serve cheesecake that we bought from Sam's Club (which was amazing, by the way) because neither of us felt like we "had" to do the traditional wedding cake. However, Jack's has an aunt who used to cater, and she made us a beautiful and delicious cake as a gift. So, we had both!

Caterer: Our reception was at the Richland Country Club, and they also catered the food. Although, Jack and I only had time to eat a few bites, everyone raved about the food and beautiful presentation.

Photographer: After doing a ton of searching online and elsewhere, I came across the website for Myrick Studios. I was immediately so impressed by what I saw there. His artistic eye and amazing talent were exactly the type of photography we were hoping to have for our wedding. Myrick was so much fun to work with on the day of the wedding. Not only was he organized and efficient, he also made the time so relaxed and fun. Once we got our pictures back, I was even more elated by our decision to hire him. He captured so many special moments so beautifully. Honestly, they are absolutely incredible. I would recommend him to anyone!

Videographer: This is my one regret. We chose not to spend money on a professional videographer, and I now kind of wish we had. We had a video camera set up at the front of the church; however, it wasn't in an ideal location and missed some of the important things (i.e. walking down the aisle, etc).

Stationery: Our invitations were designed by Rachel Jasper of Rachel Jasper Design. Rachel is a good friend of mine and did the designing as a wedding gift to us. They were gorgeous!

Bridesmaid Dresses: I actually let my 2 bridesmaids pick them out since I wanted them to wear something that they felt comfortable in. They ended up finding a great dress in Indianapolis at a special occasion store there.

Rings: Jack bought my ring at Genesis Diamond in Green Hills. Since he wanted a little more "rugged" looking ring for his, we chose a Tungsten ring for him from an online website. Both were fantastic choices!

Music: My brother played piano for us, my uncle sang as I walked down the aisle and my friend Kyle played violin, guitar and sang. For our reception, we hired Nashville Party Authority to DJ. Blair did a fantastic job setting the right mood for the moment.

Decorations/Detail: We kept the decor in the church quite simple with 2 bouquets on pedestals and some greenery and candles in the windows and across the front. For the reception, we purchased red roses from Import Flowers to use on the tables. We also purchased vases, candles and rocks from Hobby Lobby and black sheer fabric to complete the look.

Bridal Gown: I purchased my gown at  The White Room in Lebanon. They were so helpful and accommodating, and I found the dress of my dreams for a great price!

Tuxes: Our tuxes were rented through Men's Wearhouse in Green Hills. We were also very happy with their selection and service.

Accessories: I actually borrowed the pearl necklace I wore from my sister and found some matching earrings to go with it at Kohl's. Yes, I am a great bargain shopper.

Flowers: Our flowers were designed by Belles and Buttercups. Devon was a joy to work with and saw my vision right from the start. She was also so willing to work within our budget and still help us achieve the look we were going for. The flowers were gorgeous and exactly what I was hoping for.

Transportation: Jack surprised me by borrowing his friend's car for the day. We drove away in an incredible black Aston Martin. Wow!

Gifts: We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond and also set up a honeymoon registry. They were both fantastic choices. With the honeymoon registry, nearly our entire honeymoon to Cancun was paid for.

Who were your favorites? {the ones you would highly recommend to your best friend}

I have so many. I would most definitely recommend Myrick Studios, Richland Country Club, Belles and Buttercups, The White Room, Rachel Jasper Design and Genesis Diamonds.

Wedding Rewind:

What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning?

Probably hire a videographer or at least ask a friend that is good with a video camera to shoot

What do you consider the biggest waste of time and/or money?

Honestly, we were so careful with our budget, I really don't feel like any of it was wasted.We printed way too many wedding programs and had a ton left over.

What do you consider the best value for the service and product?

Myrick Studios and Belles and Buttercups

What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding?

My husband.

What was your biggest {and best} splurge?

Again, we were really careful with how we spent our money; however, we did spend quite a bit on the printing of our wedding invitations. The finished product was definitely worth it, though.

About the Author:

Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide

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! Happy Planning.

See more posts by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide »

send   Posted on June 22, 2010 | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds