A Springtime Serenade at Rocketown for Marcus & Jamaria’s Wedding After-Party
Friday, July 3, 2015
Springtime is home to weddings of all kinds, that’s true, but not many weddings have a candy buffet and a saxophone serenade by the groom, except for Marcus & Jamaria Johnson’s. After hearing about this event from the folks at Roland’s Photography, we had to see their gorgeous wedding.
This couple tied the knot at Mount Zion with the reception at Nashville’s Rocketown, where the champagne, ivory, and gold colors set the style as classic elegance. We adored the surprise serenade by the groom and the Pinterest inspired merrymaking! Wedding guests enjoyed a delicious candy buffet, a photo booth, and a large dance floor, forever naming the reception as “The After Party”.
Here’s what the bride shared with us about the best day of her life.
Jamaria + Marcus
Wedding Date: April 11, 2015
Ceremony Venue: Mount Zion Baptist Church
Reception Venue: Rocketown
Guests: 175
Budget: $20,000-$30,000
Wedding Team
Decorator | Dwight Pope
Photographer | Roland’s Photography
Videographer | Modern Innovation Productions
Photo booth | Kain & Able Entertainment
Gown | Allure Romance, purchased from Glitz Bridal
Bride’s Accessories | Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Earrings & Necklace: Charming Charlie, Bracelet: Kate Spade, Vail: Custom from Glitz Bridal
Men’s Attire | Jos A Bank
Wedding Band & Rings | Kay’s Jeweler
Bridesmaids’ Attire | Angelina Faccenda, purchased from Bridal Warehouse
Hair | Cheryl White
Makeup | Brittainy Hall
Stationery | Ann’s Bridal Bargains
Caterer | Tim Wynn
Cake Artist | Sarah Mullis, Homestyle Bakery
Reception Musicians | Band, friends of the groom. DJ, Eric Sexton (DJ Twoee)
Host | Kevin Thompson
Rentals | Liberty Party Rentals
Lighting | Provided by decorator, Dwight Pope
Transportation | Grande Avenue
Guest Accommodations | Courtyard Marriott
Rehearsal Dinner location | Mount Zion Baptist Church
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Our style is elegant, classic, but still modern and fun! We love entertaining and having a great time with the ones we love.
Where did you get your inspiration?
PINTEREST! Long before I even got engaged, I had a whole board dedicated to what I wanted my wedding day to be like. Also, I’m obsessed with the beauty of springtime. I knew I wanted to get married in the spring so I could incorporate beautiful springy colors.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
Coral is such a strong, beautiful color, but I did not want it to be overpowered, so we went with ivory, champagne, and gold as the main colors, and coral was our accent color. I don’t think I was very good at describing what I wanted to Dwight Pope and his team, but he captured exactly what I wanted perfectly!
I had a vision for how I wanted everything to be and a lot of venues restrict you in your artistic ideas, but Rocketown was open to any and everything I wanted to do and I love that. We wanted our reception to be fun! We wanted a big dance floor, a photo booth, and a candy buffet incorporated into our day because they add that fun aspect.
Our ceremony was classic. We went with small details in our décor and beautiful classic songs. We jumped the broom! Very traditional, but also modern.
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
Oh man, it’s really hard to pick one favorite part! I know our guests loved how our host, the amazing Kevin Thompson, kept everyone engaged, laughing, and on the dance floor the entire night! Our reception keeps getting referred to as “the after party” because our guests had so much fun. Another amazing aspect was our photo booth! It was really fun to see all of my friends and family snapping it up in the booth, and the guys at Kain & Able were amazing to work with!
I would also have to say one of my favorite aspects was when my husband surprised me and serenaded me on his saxophone during the reception. He’s so talented!
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We splurged on the reception. I’ve always dreamed of what my wedding day would be like, and I wanted to walk into our reception and have the wind knocked out of me. We went simple on the church décor because Mount Zion is beautiful on its own, and that way we were able to splurge a little on our reception space. Rocketown was so awesome by letting me do anything I wanted in their space! I would have to say, Dwight Pope and his team did an amazing job making sure that everything I wanted came to life that day. The gold chairs my husband and I sat in were to DIE for!
My dress was also a splurge! It took what seemed like FOREVER to find a dress! I think I may have tried on over 50 dresses, but as soon as I slipped into this dress at Glitz Bridal, I never wanted to take it off! I started dancing in the mirror, so I knew I had to have it (thanks Mom!).
We saved on our candy buffet. I knew I wanted one, but I also knew it would be cheaper to do it myself. I bought large glass vases in different shapes and sizes throughout the year from places like Hobby Lobby, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc., and then ordered my candy from candywarehouse.com. I know it was so much cheaper than hiring someone to put it together, and it turned out great!
Who were your favorite vendors and what made them exceptional?
I loved all of our vendors! We didn’t have any problems with anything. The guys at Roland’s Photography did an amazing job capturing every aspect of our day. I loved having more than one photographer because they captured so many different angles and moments. Josh Shaw at Modern Innovation Productions put together the most AMAZING video of our day! It looks like a TV show promo! Tim Wynn "put his foot into our food!" Everyone is still talking about how great it tasted. Sarah Mullis made our cake look and taste amazing! Not to mention, she’s one of the sweetest people I’ve met. Kain & Able Entertainment amazed me with their photo booth! Everyone that had a hand in our day was absolutely exceptional.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
If we could do it all over again (which I so wish we could because it was the best day), we would definitely not wait until the last minute to book things! We got engaged in November of 2013, so we had over a year to plan and instead of taking advantage of that time, we procrastinated and ended up having to do a whole lot in the last month leading up to the wedding, which caused unnecessary stress.
As for the wedding day itself, there is not one thing I would change! It was the best day of my life!
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Remember that nothing on Earth is perfect, your wedding day is quick, and the most important thing is the marriage itself. So, take in each moment and don’t sweat the small stuff!
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Posted on July 3, 2015 |
Filed under: Multicultural, African-American weddings, Real Nashville Weddings,
