Southern Weddings

Jennifer + Armand, photographed by Kristyn Hogan, brought a burst of color to Tennessee’s Country Music Hall of Fame with their Nashville nuptials, planned by Amber Housley of Sweet Life Designs. Rhonda Patton Designs coordinated the bold blooms for the celebration, and LulaKate supplied the coordinating periwinkle-blue sheaths for Jennifer’s bridesmaids. The bride kept the focus on her with a romantic drop-waist Priscilla of Boston gown and sparkly Louboutins that I just know y’all are going to gaga over!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. (From the groom) We both went to Oakwood College and knew very little about each other. We never even came into contact with each other until Jennifer was studying for boards in California and I came out for a show. I wanted to meet up with some friends from college but only one friend was available and she ended up bringing Jennifer along. We went to a sushi restaurant that turned into a lounge after dinner. Jennifer and our mutual friend left me in another part of the restaurant and actually tried to “hook me up” with another young lady there! It was a fun night that went so well that we decided to keep in touch. A month later, I invited Jennifer to accompany me to a charity ball in NYC. It just so happened that my group was performing at the event. She accepted and we ended up having a blast!
Describe the proposal: (From the groom) In all my planning, I decided it would be great to get engaged where we had our first date, New York. I told Jennifer we wouldn’t be able to spend New Year’s Eve together because I had a show in San Francisco, but that I would fly to Nashville New Years day. (From the bride) I was supposed to pick Armand up at the airport on New Year’s Day, but at 5:30 in the morning, Armand began messaging me on my phone telling me to wake up and he was excited he was going to see me. While we were messaging back and forth my brother busted in my room and turns on all the lights and had a video camera! I was so angry! I messaged Armand and told him what was happening and then he asked “Will you marry me?” on blackberry messenger. I thought it was a joke so I told him to stop playing. Then he sent a picture of the ring and I freaked out. I got all dolled up and my brother drove me to the airport but when we got there he took me to the short-term parking and pulled out the video camera and said “Have a good trip!” He took me to the back of the truck and there was a bag packed and my boarding pass to go to NYC! I arrived in NYC and Armand’s friend Jonathan picked me up in a cab from the airport. He took me to the same hotel we stayed in a year earlier when we had our first date. When I got up to the room, the door was cracked. I walked in and there was a pathway of candles and rose pedals all leading to Armand on one knee with the ring. I don’t think he even got the question out, I just ran to him and hugged him and started crying.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, spiritual and magical.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We are both huge music fans (country music included) so we decided that the Country Music Hall of Fame was a perfect venue for the reception. We also thought it added a bit of southern flair and a taste of Nashville’s history having the reception there and pictures in the museum area. In our menu, we added cheese grits, per my request.