Southern Weddings

It’s hard to believe it’s still winter after seeing Jennifer + Armand’s technicolor dream wedding at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the celebration only got bigger + better once they moved the party to the ballroom. I’d spend more time in speechless wonder at the glitzy indoor reception, styled by Sweet Life Designs, but I’m already two steps ahead and drooling over the to-die-for candy bar. Oh, my sweet heaven! As if the happy couple wasn’t already on a sugar high, Maples Wedding Cakes designed J + A’s blue and white confection. Hugs to Nashville-based photographer Kristyn Hogan for getting our weekend off to a bright start!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted. I went to one store with my mother and we tried on about 13 dresses. I liked a lot of them and they were all different styles, which made it harder to decide which style I liked best. A few weeks after the first attempt, we went to another store where I found two that I loved. They were total opposites too and I couldn’t decide. Someone asked me how I wanted to wear my hair on that day, and I did a makeshift ponytail on the side while wearing the drop waist dress and knew immediately that it was the one I wanted.
Describe your wedding flowers: I love bright colors and I wanted my flowers to reflect that. The bouquets, boutonnières, and flower arrangements consisted of blue dendrobium orchids, hydrangeas, orange roses, calla lilies, and a few more flowers. There were hints of blues, oranges, and pinks in all the arrangements. There were flowers that bordered the runner as well. The table arrangements at the reception venue were amazing. There were tables with large cyliners filled with water, some of them had pomanders of orange roses, and some had submerged blue hydrangeas. The flowers were absolutely amazing and definitely everything I wanted and more.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We both agree that being apart was the biggest challenge. Armand’s group, Naturally 7 began touring with Michael Buble in March of 2010, which meant he was gone most of the time for long stretches. Armand definitely wanted a part in the planning so much of it was done sending pictures, calling while in meetings with the our planner, and showing him things to choose over iChat or Skype.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? (From the groom) After the prayer of consecration, I saw Jennifer being given a microphone, and my first thought was, “Oh my goodness! I didn’t write my vows, I guess I’ll just have to improvise. Stay calm Armand!” And then I see one of my favorite pianists, Dr. Cedric Dent from the group Take 6, move toward the piano to play. All of a sudden, Jennifer starts to sing! She already knew that if she sang, I wouldn’t be able to control my emotions, and sure enough, I cried throughout the whole song. I have no idea how she was able to make it through but she did an amazing job.

Written with love by Emily