Tale of 5 Cities: Stylish Bride & Groom Tell Love Story, Celebrate Family with Franklin, TN Wedding
Friday, February 7, 2014
They had me at their dessert table. I fell totally in love with Ashley & Devin's wedding the moment I saw the colors, design, paper goods, cupcakes and cake pops on their sweets table. Then, Ashley sent me more photos from her wedding - the rich and whimsical color palette and of course, the beautiful couple - and I knew their wedding was one you'd also want to see.
This couple thought through every detail of their big day and made sure it represented their story, their love and their mutual desire to cherish family. They just happen to have a great sense of style and hired some of the city's best wedding vendors, like Brocade Designs and The Cupcake Collection!
Keep reading and prepare to pin/share your favorite details.
Ashley & Devin
Wedding Date ~ September 1, 2013
Ceremony & Reception Venue ~ The Red House, Franklin, Tennessee
Guests ~ 135
Budget ~ $30,000 – 40,000
Wedding Team
Planner | Myself (with A LOT of help and support!)
Event Designer | Hillary Yeager or Brocade Designs
Wedding Day Coordinator | Bethe Smith of The Red House
Photographer + Videographer | B&B Portraits
Gown | The White Room Too
Bride’s Accessories | Necklace from Elva Fields (elvafields.com). Veil from Etsy. Shoes were vintage Bandolino. Earrings were a gift from my mom. Handkerchief was my great-grandmother’s, given to my mom. Bracelet was a gift from my matron of honor.
Men’s Attire | Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaids’ Attire | After Six by Dessy (weddingtonway.com)
Bridesmaids’ Accessories | Necklaces from Elva Fields (elvafields.com)
Hair + Makeup | MoJohnson Makeup Artistry
Stationery | Designed by me (I’m a freelance graphic designer); Invitations printed by Studio on Fire (studioonfire.com)
Caterer | Flavor Catering
Cupcake Artist | The Cupcake Collection
Desserts | Nashville Cake Pops and Dulce Desserts
Floral Designer | Hillary of Brocade Designs
Ceremony Musicians | Eric of The Remedies
Reception Musicians | The Remedies Band
Rentals | Southern Events
Lighting: Bright Event Productions
Transportation | Grand Avenue
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
The things that brought Devin and I together were our life paths, interests and strong connections to family. We lived in three of the same cities before meeting and have lived in two cities together. That is how I came up with the theme “The Tale of Five Cities.” Throughout the wedding, we incorporated details from the cities and described our connections to each place.
Devin is very trusting of my style choices, so luckily, we did not have many issues about what things should look like. I am a graphic designer and illustrator, so my personal style came through quite a bit in the wedding. I love bold color, simple shapes, patterns and handmade items. Between the two of us, we have a nice collection of screen-printed and letterpress-printed items, some of which were used on the tables for the reception. Many other items were either made by me, purchased from Etsy, or came from Brocade and Southern Events’ collections of vintage items.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
The Red House was the perfect venue for our event. The fact that it is a house—as multiple venues—meant that we could have all parts of the wedding in one location: the ceremony, held in the front yard and porch; the cocktail hour inside the house; and the reception behind the house under a tent. The outside is bright and inviting—a great mix of our own style. Inside, the house is filled with music memorabilia, perfect for my music-loving husband. Another great feature: the house faces west, so you get some beautiful light from the sunset for photos.
The ceremony was a true reflection of our love of family. We didn’t want an overly-religious ceremony, but we wanted our closest family members to be a part of it. Using a Lutheran ceremony as a template, we chose readings, prayers, and blessings that were universal across beliefs and had our siblings and parents read them. Our pastor also included the letters that Devin and I wrote to one another, which helped explain our love to our guests and provided some laughter during the emotional ceremony.
We worked very closely with Hillary of Brocade Designs to get the wedding we really wanted. Since the event was so connected to our backgrounds and families, Hillary developed a design plan that worked in elements from our lives. All of the centerpieces for the reception included books, artwork or knickknacks from our own home. Hillary also took my initial palette of mint and fuchsia and added three more colors to make it more vibrant. The final palette—mint, fuchsia, ruby, tangerine and plum—was fun, yet sophisticated.
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
It’s really tough to narrow it down, as the whole evening was so special. I was elated that we were able to incorporate aspects from both our lives into the entire event, from the ceremony to the reception.
My most memorable moment was our first dance. The Remedies played “Without You” by Eddie Vedder (one of the guitarist played the ukulele) and then transitioned into “Underneath It All” by No Doubt. It was the perfect reflection of our favorite music and our love for one another. And I got to rock out a bit at the end of the set! All the music from that evening was great. The guests really enjoyed the live band. People of all ages and from both sides of the family were up and dancing together. It was fantastic!
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We really wanted good food and good music, so those were areas where we decided to splurge. We did have to make some adjustments to our menu in order to fit within our budget and accommodate the dessert table. In the end, we were able to work with Flavor Catering to customize the menu with delicious dishes indicative of each city. And having the delectable cupcakes, cookies, cake pops and candies at the gorgeous dessert table (designed by Hillary) was well worth it!
The band was a fantastic splurge. Devin and I knew we wanted a live band. The Remedies learned new music for us and played other songs from some of our favorite artists. We were also able to get their guitarist to play acoustic songs during our ceremony, which was a great touch.
We cut back a bit by having the wedding on a Sunday, meaning the venue was cheaper. I also made a lot of items on my own. I designed all the printed materials (stationery; labels; ceremony programs; escort cards; table numbers; bar, food, and dessert signs; gift bags and card; wedding favors; and probably some other stuff I forgot). The stationery was letterpress-printed, so that was a splurge—I insisted on that. Everything else was printed on our trusty inkjet printer at home. My mom and I had some bonding time while assembling and mailing RSVP cards and invitations, making program fans and ribbon wands, and putting gift bags together. If I hadn’t had her help, plus the summer off as a college professor, there’s no way I would have been able to do it all!
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I think Devin and I both wish we had stayed in Franklin the night of the wedding. We had this incredible suite at the Hermitage in Downtown Nashville, but ended up going back to Franklin/Cool Springs to spend more time with family and friends. We had so many great people in one place that we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. As a result, we didn’t really get to enjoy that amazing hotel. We plan make up for it by staying at the Hermitage again for our first anniversary!
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Remember that the event is about the two of you. Don’t lose sight of what is really important about that day!
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 February 7, 2014 |
Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods, Multicultural, African-American weddings, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Style - Modern,
