Southern Weddings

Chad, being the true Southern gentleman that he is, knocked Kristen off her feet with a sweet a personal proposal. It’s no wonder, then, that Kristen + Chad’s wedding at Historic Cedarwood was full of sweet details and lots of love. Kristen looked cool and chic in her ruched wedding dress and braided hair — perfect for Tennessee weather. We love that she and her sister wrapped their bouquets using the lace from their mother’s veil, a sweet and oh-so-Southern touch. Bridesmaids in turquoise Dessy Collection dresses paired with warm-colored bouquets (wrapped in burlap and gingham, no less!) stood out among the green landscape, as did the mason jars full of blooms hanging from the chairs and the fun ribbon wands guests waved as the newlyweds made their way back up the aisle. We send lots of love to Landon Jacob for sending this wedding our way!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met in high school. Chad was a junior and I was a freshman. I was on the basketball team and he used to come to all of the games. Friends of ours who were dating introduced us. We went out one night after a basketball game and have been together ever since! Chad went off to college and I finished my last two years of high school. When I went to college at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, he followed me there.
Describe the proposal. Every year at Christmas, Chad and I go to Gaylord Opryland Hotel to look at Christmas lights. It is such a beautiful place and even more beautiful at Christmas. This time when we went, we had a really nice dinner at a beautiful Italian restaurant. After we ate dinner, we walked around looking for a fountain to throw pennies in to make a wish (a tradition we started in high school at Chad’s senior prom at Opryland). The rules were that you had to keep your eyes closed and say your wish out loud. I went first and wished that he would do amazing in his next phase of training and stay safe. His wish was that we would always be together and happy like we are. He said lots of sweet things that I can’t remember due to the fact I was so shocked at what happened next. I remember standing there with my eyes closed, smiling and saying that it was such a sweet wish. When he finished, I opened my eyes to find him on one knee with the most amazing ring! Of course, I said yes! It was a perfect proposal and I could have not thought of a better way for it to happen!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fun, exciting, and ravishing!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The Cedarwood staff surprised us by setting up a plate of pennies and a really cute sign for our guests to come over and make wishes in the beautiful pond that sits in front of the house. The note by the pennies read, “Wishes for Chad and Kristen… the rules are simple, take a penny, close your eyes, and say your wish out loud.” It was so sweet that they incorporated our engagement in to our wedding day! It was very special to us!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: It was a very simple dress. I had two things I knew for sure I did not want in a dress and that was beading and tulle. I didn’t want to look like Cinderella and I am not the type to love sparkles and jewels. I found my dress on my first trip to the White Room in Lebanon, TN. I knew when I tried it on that it was the one I wanted. I felt like Chad would love it. I loved the ruching that extended down the dress and the sweetheart top added a lot to the dress. The back dipped a little bit but wasn’t too revealing. I thought it gave the dress a fun feeling. It was a hot night, but the dress was very comfortable and easy moving and, most importantly, it did not weigh me down at all!

Photographer: Landon Jacob Productions // Planner: Linda Wright at Historic Cedarwood // Venue: Historic Cedarwood // Florist: Historic Cedarwood // Wedding Cake Baker: Patty Russell // Caterer: A Dream Come True Catering // Paper Products: Designs in Paper // Bride’s Dress: The White Room // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: The White Room // Bride’s Shoes: LuckyBrand // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy Collection

Written with love by Nicole