Dani has been a dear friend of mine for years - we were roommates at one time even went to Europe together! And when she found the man of her dreams, Sean, her eyes would light up every time she talked about him. I knew it was a match made in heaven! Experiencing this beautiful outdoor Tennessee farmhouse wedding first-hand, it was a day full of love and warmth. Sharing the incredible photos by Brad + Jen of Q Avenue Photo bring back all the amazing memories from the day. Especially the ending... you'll see why I chose this wedding to lead you into the 4th of July weekend. ;)
Sean: Dani and I had a common group of friends for several years and one night I was writing and studying at Ugly Mugs with our mutual friend, Jamie, when Dani walked in with another mutual friend. Jamie introduced us that night for the first time. We continued to see one another in friendship settings for years until real feelings started to stir on both sides.
Tell us about your engagement!
Sean: Without going in to too much detail, I had a multilayered deviousness fest going on and was able to plan a trip to Seattle from Nashville for the two of us. Dani thought we were going on a friend-venture trip with our dear friends Leigh and Liz Klemmer. I had hired a professional photographer who lived in Seattle through a mutual friend in Nashville. The day our friends were "supposed" to get to Seattle, I convinced Dani we needed to meet up with an old friend in Seattle at Gas Works Park (she really likes that scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, you know, the paintball scene) just to say hello. We walked around the park for a while just taking in the scenery of Seattle and the water and I slyly made eye contact with said photographer whom I'd never met. We stood at a really great spot overlooking the city, I got down on one knee, she said yes! and then I revealed the hidden photographer. It was so much fun and actually worked! She had no idea.
What was the vision for your wedding?
Sean: Our main vision for the wedding was that we wanted a comfortable, yet breathtaking, venue where we could throw a fun party. Luckily we had all of that with the addition of family sentiment at her parents farm down in Columbia, TN. The ceremony was in front of an old barn lifted by fresh greenery and flowers. Then the wedding guests were led around the tree line toward the garden where there was a tent and dance floor surrounded by farm tables in the open air. It was comfortable, beautiful, relaxing, and a ton of fun!
What was your theme and what inspired it?
Sean: It was definitely a modern farm wedding. Everything looked as though it were straight out of Pinterest (I'm sure most of it was).
What details were used to create your theme?
Sean: Flowers were mostly white and green and took on a more natural theme. Everything from bouquets to table runners were white and green and classy.
Can you share any special moments or highlights from your wedding day?
Sean: We absolutely loved our photographers Brad and Jen Butcher. They were 100% experts at what they do and made the entire day relaxing, fun and romantic. With a de-stressed environment as much as we could create our guests were able to head right from the ceremony to the reception and indulge in the Grilled Cheeserie and Rolling Feast food trucks. The weather was so superb that everyone was able to spend the May evening in comfort and stayed to dance throughout the night. BUT, our favorite part was being sent off with fireworks booming behind us and making our escape in a white Studebaker.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about your wedding?
Sean: Our main goal for the evening was to not let stress ruin everything and relax. We wanted to enjoy the night, take it one moment at a time and try to remember everything. We really wanted to be able to look back and remember the occasion fondly knowing that fun ruled the evening and not stress or fear.
I absolutely love how they incorporated personal touches like the coffee mug favors (Sean co-owns local Nashville coffee shop Steadfast Coffee) and cake baked by Dani. The surprise fireworks at the end with a Studebaker exit was the cherry on top!
Hope y'all are inspired by this incredible Tennessee farm wedding - have an amazing 4th of July weekend!
The 4th is upon us and we'll be sporting our red, white and blue all weekend long! And because of the holiday, we decided to put together some red, white and blue wedding ideas with a twist. This year's Pantone wedding colors can come into play with variations of the patriotic red and blue. Instead, try dusty blue and burgundy wedding colors to touch on this year's trends. Take a look:
Touch, see, taste and feel everything Nashville's premier wedding vendors have to offer at this year's Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show. Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 7th from 12pm-4pm and head over to Marriott Cool Springs Franklin for a day of wedding planning paradise.
With dozens of wedding venues, dressses, cakes, photographers and more to browse, you'll have no problem assembling your #weddingteam. Not only will you browse from booth to booth, you'll have an opportunity to view a live bridal fashion show with this season's hottest wedding dress trends. Plus, every single bride who walks in the door will receive a tote bag - and if you're one of the first 100 brides, you'll receive a swag bag with goodies from PWG vendors. And you'll have $1,000 worth of PWG Bucks to spend on wedding products and services (which will help tremendously with your budget)!
How much more free can the show get? Well, I have some great news for you! PWG is offering all Ashley's Bride Guide readers FREE ADMISSON to the show! (eek!) Use the promo code "TICKET" and get not 1, but 2 free tickets to the show! Click here for the tickets.
If you're going downtown for the 4th of July fireworks display this weekend, then you may notice the new kid on the block: The Valentine. Located in the previous home of The Boot Factory, The Valentine houses multiple event spaces on 4 stories right on Broadway in downtown Nashville. The space features areas for live music, a restaurant, a patio and a rooftop deck overlooking the beautiful downtown buildings and riverfront. What more could a city bride ask for?
With easy access to many of Nashville's tourist attractions, your guests will have a ball exploring the downtown scene before and after your wedding. Heck, you might as well make a wedding weekend out of it!
We're loving The Valentine's indoor vintage, ecclectic and industrial look. You'll feel as though you've traveled back in time to the 1920s prohibition era! And as you walk up to the rooftop deck, you feel as though you're at an outdoor cabana overlooking the Cumberland River.
And if you're in the market for a wedding venue with a view of downtown Nashville, The Valentine is definitely a contender!
When I found out Oakwood Cleaners was a certified Greener Cleaner, I wanted to learn more! I'm all about choosing products and services that are healthy and better for the environment. And if you're a green-focused bride, Oakwood is the very best option in Nashville to clean your wedding dress. Plus, you can bring your groom's suit in for a fresh and natural clean at the same time! I rounded up a few questions from Rhonda about greener dry cleaning, so take a look below!
What made you decide to open up a greener dry cleaning company in Nashville?
Rhonda: We became owners of Oakwood Cleaners In April of 2011. My husband and I were intrigued by the dry cleaning business and when we found out Oakwood Cleaners was available we jumped at the chance. It is quite an honor to own such a wonderful business. We are definitely a niche for Nashville being a 5 Star Couture Cleaner, a Greener Cleaner and member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists.
What does it mean to be a certified "Greener Cleaner"?
Rhonda: Ever wonder why the clothes you bring home from conventional dry cleaners have a strangely sweet odor? That’s the smell of petrochemical residue. Most people find it distasteful, but some people who suffer from asthma or odor sensitivities find it can make them sick. Clothes dry cleaned with GreenEarth have absolutely no odor. Your clothes are fresh and clean right out of the bag, so there’s no need to let them "air out” (though you should take them out of the bag before hanging them in your closet—if humidity gets trapped inside the bag it is not good for clothes).
Skin friendly. GreenEarth solution is so safe you could rub it on your skin. In fact, you probably already do. That’s because GreenEarth solution is pure liquid silicone, the same base ingredient found in everyday shampoos, conditioners, skin lotions and antiperspirants.
Allergies or sensitive skin? No worries. GreenEarth is non-allergenic and non-irritating. Best of all, it leaves fabrics silky smooth, with no static. Wools aren’t itchy. Sweaters feel soft. Fabrics drape nicely again. Clothes just feel good.
Store friendly. People who work in or live near dry cleaning stores often worry about the dangers of exposure to perc (short for perchloroethylene, the petrochemical used by most cleaners), with good reason. According to the EPA, over-exposure to perc can lead to headaches, dizziness, skin and eye irritation and other health effects, including an increased risk of cancer. Seniors, young children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. People who work in or live near a GreenEarth dry cleaning store have absolutely nothing to worry about. GreenEarth is safe to work with, safe to dispose of and safe to breathe. Employees especially love working in an odorless store!
What ingredients are in the GreenEarth dry-cleaning product?
Rhonda: GreenEarth is a greener dry cleaning process that is completely safe. It has no hazardous chemicals. No perchloroethylene. No petroleum. So there’s no risk to the air, water or soil. GreenEarth cleans with pure liquid silicone. In essence, liquefied sand. The same natural sand the earth has been creating for over six billion years. GreenEarth's silicone is clear, odorless and gentle. In the environment, it simply returns to its three natural elements: sand (SiO2) and trace amounts of water and CO2. It's a clean you can feel good about.
Describe the process of greener dry cleaning.
Rhonda: Dry cleaning is not dry! It is a liquid solvent that does not use water. In our case it is GreenEarth, liquified silicone. It goes in a machine similar to a washing machine. The machine has several different settings depending on what is getting cleaned and after it is cleaned in the green earth it is then dried in the same machine! There are times though that our production manager is manually control the cleaning process and the drying time.
How is a greener dry clean different from a regular dry clean?
Rhonda:Petroleum-free. Regulation-free. GreenEarth is so safe, the EPA doesn’t regulate it. Neither does OSHA, RCRA or CERCLA. In contrast, the petroleum-based solvents most dry cleaners use are heavily regulated. That’s because they can be extremely hazardous to the earth and people when they aren’t handled properly.
Most dry cleaners (about 80%) use a synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent known as perc (perchloroethylene). It has been classified by the EPA as a toxic air contaminant, a hazardous, likely carcinogenic substance and one of the top four contaminants found in drinking water. It can enter your body when you inhale its vapors or touch it. Perc can irritate your skin, eyes, nose or throat, and affects your brain much like alcohol does (e.g. dizziness, headache, nausea, loss of balance or coordination, etc.). California has recently banned the use of perc; other states have proposed similar legislation.
Beware of "green washing"! The second most common type of solvent used in dry cleaning is hydrocarbon, also petroleum-based. Hydrocarbon is sometimes marketed as "organic”. Beware! There is nothing "green" about organic dry cleaning methods. Scientifically speaking, anything with a chain of carbon can be accurately labeled organic, but that doesn’t mean it's environmentally friendly or chemical-free. Gasoline is organic, but you wouldn’t want to wash clothes with it.
Breathe easy. Hydrocarbon solvents are classified as volatile air contaminants (VOCs), meaning they can vaporize into the atmosphere and contribute to smog and global warming. But GreenEarth is not classified as a VOC by the U.S. EPA. It’s good for the clothes you wear and for the air you breathe.
Can any garment be green dry cleaned or are there restrictions?
Rhonda: Most garments can be cleaned in our GreenEarth Cleaning agent. There are, however, some items that say do not dry clean. Those have to be dealt with differently.
How is green dry cleaning appealing to brides?
Rhonda: Brides can be rest assured that their gowns that call for dry cleaning will be cleaned in the most gentle cleaning solvents on the market. Green Earth is actually good for fabric and has no odor.
--
I don't know about you, but I just learned so much about greener dry cleaning! And wow - I never knew the dangers of a regular dry cleaning. Sticking with GreenEarth is the way to go!
You can visit Oakwood Cleaners in 3 different locations - Nashville, Cool Springs and Hermitage.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
Send us your wedding tips, creative ideas, or your own wedding
photos to share. We’d love to hear from you »
