This is the seventh in a series of blog posts about those little things that make a wedding special to the couple. It is called Five Things I Loved About My Wedding. The idea is to help provide some inspiration for anyone planning their own wedding. Most of the weddings discussed in this series will be from Central Park, but some weddings from other locations will be featured, because I think all weddings will provide some ideas. Many couples have a big vision of what they want on the day, but this series is about the details. Most of the weddings discussed in this series will have taken place in Central Park, but some weddings from other locations will be featured. Kelsey is a Floral Designer and Event Planner, providing services in Nashville and Middle Tennessee with her business An Elegant Encounter. She very kindly posted a piece written by with my tips for a great destination wedding in Central Park, so we are doing a swap. Kelsey married her husband Jim in 2015 at President Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage in Nashville Tennessee.
The Plantation
Our wedding was held at a historic home on a plantation in Nashville, TN. The property includes two mansions, several cabins, and a museum. Our family members are not big drinkers, and we knew that they wouldn’t want to stand around for an hour between the ceremony and reception while we took pictures. Therefore, instead of a cocktail hour, guests were allowed to take tours of the main historic mansion and museum. I loved that it was unique and gave my guests something to do!
The Snowy Chapel
My husband grew up near this little chapel and always wanted to get married here. I was not wild about the idea, as it is quite plain on the inside. However, he can be quite nostalgic about his childhood, and it was really important to him, so it was totally worth it for me. As an added bonus, it snowed on our wedding day! The chapel was picture perfect in the snow, and I ended up loving it.
The Cake
Okay, I know, everyone loves their cake. But what you need to understand about me is that my mother owned a home-based cake decorating business when I was a child. She used to do wedding cakes, but one day a cat jumped into the back of her car and smashed in an entire layer of one of the cakes. After that, she refused to do any more wedding cakes; she said it was too much pressure! But she still needed a creative outlet for her cake design, so we had fresh, homemade cake at every major event of my childhood. I LOVE cake! And I HATE dry, store-bought cake. I could have chosen a beautiful, fancy, tiered wedding cake, but I couldn’t stand the thought of bad-tasting cake. Instead, I choose these simple cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. We were able to order multiple flavors, and they are all divine. My favorite is the white chocolate raspberry, while my husband loves the red velvet. Sorry, Mom, but these are the best-tasting cakes ever.
The Sweaters
Remember all that snow we had on the wedding day? Well, for Nashville, it was a lot! It was a blizzard for us. We never would have guessed that it would snow, but I had my heart set on a winter wedding, and we put the bridal party in sweaters and sweater dresses to play up the theme. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but I loved it and my bridesmaids were so thankful to be comfortable and warm.
The BBQ
We ordered BBQ for our wedding back before every single bride in the South was having BBQ at her wedding. I just do not understand spending thousands of dollars on wedding food that doesn’t even taste good. This BBQ was from a local restaurant, so we knew it would be delicious. Our guests loved it, and I saved SO much money on food.
All the wedding photos were by Katy Johnson Photography.
An Elegant Encounter are duo Kelsey, a floral designer and event planner, and Kayla, a wedding coordinator. Check out their blog, and follow them on your social media(s) of choice. Follow them on Twitter and Pinterest and Instagram and “like” them Facebook page for updates on her posts.
I absolutely love the idea of sweater dresses to keep bridesmaids warm and comfortable, they would be great for a wedding in Central Park in the Winter. If you are considering a Central Park wedding, visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest where you will find lots of lovely photos and many more inspiring stories of real weddings.
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