Google+ Real Tennessee Wedding: Julia + Caleb - Southern Weddings

Southern Weddings

Sometimes, it really is all about the love, you know?  We didn’t get the usual number of detail shots from photographer Tec Petaja with this submission, but the portraits he sent are just take-your-breath-away lovely.  Best friends since fourth grade and dating since high school, Julia + Caleb tied the knot surrounded by their closest family and friends.  I may have started getting a little teary-eyed when I read Caleb’s proposal story.  (Check it out below!)  Even though the details weren’t the focus of the day, Julia and Caleb brought together a great team that carried off the intimate and sweet vibe they were after.  The reception was held at The Factory at Franklin, Carolyn’s Catering provided the food, Dessert Designs baked the cake and Big Events Wedding prepared the florals and coordinated it all.   Julia looked almost ethereal in her August Jones dress, while her maids looked lovely in Melissa Sweet.  Thanks again to our favorite Tec Petaja sending these images our way, and to Julia and Caleb for letting us peek into your celebration!  See a few more images on Tec’s blog!

 

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We’ve been best friends since the 4th grade and our families have always been very close. We can barely remember a time when we haven’t know each other. We started dating my junior year of high school and never stopped!

Describe the proposal: Caleb told me we would be going to Paducah to pick up a guitar from his grandfather’s store in preparation for his father’s birthday.  I was excited for the road trip! When we got there, Caleb blindfolded me and told me he had an early Christmas present for me. Hepulled the car over and walked me over to what felt like a stonepillar. I still had no idea what was happening until he took myhand and put it on his heart. (It was pounding so fast!) That’s when I knew exactly what was going on and where we were. We were atNoble Park and in the very same gazebo where his father had proposed to his mother twenty-four years earlier. Caleb got down on one knee andproposed and, I, of course, said yes! When we drove home, ourfamilies were already waiting to celebrate with us!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? An intimate and sweet wedding at home with a vintage flair.

Favorite design element of your big day: I loved the flowers. I also loved that we didn’t have to decorate very much because the ceremony took place beside a lake. We just let the natural beauty shine through.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I found my wedding dress the first day I went shopping at The Bride Room in Nashville. was the last dress I tried on, but I knew right away that it was the dress for me.
Describe your wedding flowers: My bouquet had blue delphiniums, white hydrangeas and white

scabiosis with cream-colored spray roses.
Describe your wedding cake: We had a four-tier round pound cake with buttercream icing and caramel filling. The cake was decorated with flowers like the ones on our wedding invitations and sat on a vintage iron cake plateau.

Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? The suitcase that held our programs belonged to Caleb’s Grandmother. I also carried a handkerchief that my Great-Grandmother crocheted around my bouquet.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Our wedding vows and first kiss. That made it official!

Funniest moment? Caleb’s brother, Will, performing a rap he wrote instead of a speech. It was hilarious and very embarrassing.

Hardest decision you made in planning? How to honor my Grandfather and Caleb’s little sister, Maria, who had passed away about a year earlier. We had pictures of both of them beside the guest book and, since Maria was the queen of crafts, threw flowers cut out of bright pink paper she would have loved!

What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? To enjoy the process and to remember that it’s about the marriage and not the details of the wedding day.

Congratulations, Julia + Caleb!  Thank you for sharing your day with us!

Written with love by Southern Weddings
12 Comments
  1. avatar Nicola Basson reply

    What a beautiful couple!

  2. avatar Becky @ Weddingistas reply

    What a gorgeous wedding! I cannot get over how breathtaking the ceremony site is! How serene and romantic!

  3. avatar Maddison reply

    I thought that looked like Steven Curtis Chapman… Such a beautiful wedding and a great family!

  4. avatar The Perfect Palette reply

    PRETTY BRIDE GORGEOUS WEDDING!

  5. avatar Chocolate Butterbean reply

    So beautiful – the setting is perfect!

  6. avatar Kate@ Kids and Cocktails reply

    Fantastic photos. What a pretty couple?

  7. avatar Lindsey reply

    WHERE did this ceremony take place?? IN LOVE with the greenery.

  8. avatar katharine @ southern weddings reply

    Hi Lindsey! The out-of-this-world beautiful ceremony took place at the bride’s family home in Tennessee! The reception was held at the Factory at Franklin (http://www.factoryatfranklin.com/). Gorgeous, isn’t it?!

  9. avatar Dixie reply

    "Take your breath away lovely" is a perfect description of these images! I’ve come to expect nothing less from Tec Petaja!

  10. avatar micah reply

    i stumbled across this post after googling "tec petaja"…what an amazing photographer! you guys sure were blessed to have him!

  11. avatar justbreathe reply

    oh, how wonderful! i love all the green…and the smiles, and the tears, and the joy…the emotions of the day are so beautifully captured by these images….such a sweet, young, couple….

  12. avatar Vintage Wedding Cars Nashville Tn | Try new Creative idea for Wedding Planning reply

    […] Real Tennessee Wedding: Julia + Caleb – Hepulled the car over and walked me over to what felt like … What was the design inspiration for your wedding? An intimate and sweet wedding at home with a vintage flair. Favorite design element of your big day: I loved the flowers. […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Reply to:
close
Top