Micro Wedding Wightman Chapel Scarritt Bennett - Chelsea & Harrison

Chelsea & Harrison were another one of my couples that had to move their original wedding date because of Covid-19. Rather than reschedule yet again, they decided to reduce their guest count down to less than 50 and have a small, intimate wedding. Again, less is not always less! I know that I keep talking about this but I cannot emphasis it enough! If you want a relaxing atmosphere where you can really focus on each other and your guests, a smaller guest count is perfect. Chelsea and Harrison were married at Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville on Sept 4th. Their reception followed at The Cordelle. Their guest list was made up solely of family and their wedding party…and their dog, Rory. From my first Zoom call, I knew I liked these two and was so excited to get to photograph their wedding this year. They are wonderful human beings and were so much fun to work with. My favorite moment of the whole night was when Biz and the Everyday People band surprised Chelsea’s dad with a rendition of “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor. They learned it minutes before and it was beautiful. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including mine. Please enjoy the sneak peek of their Micro Wedding at Wightman Chapel Scarritt Bennett.

Special thanks to their vendors-
Planning & Design: Weddings by Helen
Ceremony Location: Scarritt Bennett Center
Officiant: Ralph Griggs
Ceremony Musicians: Wedding Musicians Company
Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Catering: Beyond Details Catering
Band: Biz and Everyday People Band
Florals: The English Garden Floral 
Cake: The Sweetest Day
Getaway Car: Matchless Limo

Micro Wedding Belle Meade Plantation - Catherine & Whit

And I say it again - “You can still get married in 2020.” Catherine and Whit decided that rather than rescheduling their 2020 wedding AGAIN, they were going to go adjust their wedding plans and make their Belle Meade Plantation wedding into a micro wedding. They cut their guest list down to only immediate family and their wedding party bringing their count down to 25 people. With the reduction in guests they were able to allocate more of their wedding budget towards decor and it was stunning. With less people there was a more relaxed atmosphere and less time constraints. Because of this, they opted to ditch their first look and waited to see each other at the alter. With less people to feed and keep entertained, they were able to allow for more time for their ceremony and what resulted was one of the most personal services that I have ever photographed. Besides the cutest flower girls ever, one of the most memorable moments from the day was watching Catherine absolutely light up when she was around Whit. You could just see her relax as soon as they finally saw each other. I think the story of how they met explains them very well.-

“On a whim and on the pushy advice of some of her dearest friends (and bridesmaids) Catherine hesitantly downloaded Bumble. Five minutes later she had a match and opened with an Office quote, “Would you rather be feared or loved?” Whit responded in kind and thought they were hitting it off. Anxiety ridden Catherine said something to the extent of “I can’t do this and if you want to keep talking here’s my number” and immediately deleted the app. They talked almost non-stop over the next three weeks and made plans to meet up. An impatient (and uncharacteristically demanding ha!) Catherine couldn’t wait and invited Whit to join her at Dan McGuinness where she had stopped after a long day of hanging out with her girlfriends. Whit got there and was smitten pretty much immediately. In an effort to make sure he got to know her better he called in a wingman (best man) to provide a conversation partner for Catherine’s friend. Catherine and Whit spent the entire night talking. He was impressed by her sense of humor, openness, and twinkling eyes. She thought she hit the jack pot because he had a “real job”. They soon started to steal hours together after he got off work and before she had to leave to go to work, working night shift at the hospital. By New Years Eve, a memorable night when they went to see Jason Isbell at the Opry, they were in love.”

Please enjoy the photographs of Catherine and Whit’s Belle Meade Plantation Micro Wedding! Love Is Not Cancelled!
Special thanks to their vendors:

Planning: Kennedy Occasions
Venue: Belle Meade Plantation
Rentals: Southern Events
Cake: Susie’s Sweets
Lighting: Bright Event Productions
Strings: College Grove Strings
Draping: Events Plus Inc
Catering: Chef Penelope
Florals: Flower Girls Floral Design
Hair: Lindsey Binkley

Covid-19 Small Wedding Inspiration- Angela & Dave

Here’s another Micro Wedding Covid Inspiration! This is Angela and Dave’s wedding! Smaller weddings open up your location possibilities. Angela and Dave fell in love over Johnny Cash. Dave is a member of John Carter Cash’s band, Angela works for the Johnny Cash Museum, and they both recorded at Johnny Cash’s cabin in Hendersonville, TN. A location with meaning to a couple is always the best location and the Cash cabin was perfect. If their guest count was any larger, this would not have been possible. The reception followed at Two Rivers Mansion in Nashville, TN. After dinner while the sun was setting, all their guests gathered on the back porch of the mansion to enjoy drinks and dancing. Again, not something that would have been possible at a larger wedding. It was something very special and the intimacy was definitely a main factor in creating the magic of the evening. Here’s what Angela had to say about having a small wedding -

“My husband and I chose to have an intimate ceremony in June 2019. While we have large families on both sides, we wanted the day to feel relaxed and to celebrate with just our very closest friends and immediate family.

It was a joyful, stress free day. You’ll hear over and over again that your wedding day flies by. It’s so true! By keeping our wedding small (we had less than 40 guests!) we were able to spend the entire day focused on each other and the amazing love that brought us together with those few folks who know us best.

Beyond the obvious plusses of saving time, money and logistics on a “micro” wedding, I really feel like my husband and I had a chance to truly take it all in, in a way we couldn’t have experienced with a large wedding. I wouldn’t change that for the world!”

Vendors:
Reception Venue: Two Rivers Mansion
Hair & Makeup: Lydia Brittan
Flowers:  Kaley Daeger
Cake: Morgan Kincaid
Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Car: Matchless Transportation
Dress: Oleg Cassini
Alterations: Only One Tailoring
Catering: Two Fat Men