wedding reception ideas
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6 Reasons Booking An All-Inclusive Wedding Venue Makes the Most Sense

Mint Springs Farm
Photo by Rachel Fugate

Everyone has a favorite part in planning a wedding, but going venue ‘shopping’ is one of the faves across the board—yup even before sending out those save-the-dates, you have to save the date, your date, at a place. From there, everything else can start falling into place. And with an all-inclusive wedding venue, you don’t have to wait for all the pieces to come together, because the promise of “a cohesive vision” is offered from day one. We put our heads together with the owners of one of Nashville’s most inspiring wedding venues, Mint Springs Farm, to come up with a list of all the BEST reasons to choose an all-inclusive wedding venue. They’re the authority on this kind of wedding spot, which we’ll discuss further in a minute, so if you need a better understanding of what “all-inclusive” actually means, keep reading. We’ll illuminate! 

Take it from them… all-inclusive is their love language 

Photo by Rachel Fugate

Mint Springs Farm was one of the first venues in the Nashville area designed and built to be an all-day, full-service venue. The original owners created the concept of having a bridal suite and a groom’s loft, a ceremony pavilion, and a reception barn—all so that the couples could spend every special moment with their friends and fam before their wedding celebration. Then there’s the potential for all the photography (you don’t have to go anywhere else for your portraits, because the property has multiple natural/outdoor spots to stage your snaps). Your cocktail hour, reception, and after-party can all happen in their reception barn, and they’ll even offer suggestions for guest accommodations no more than 25-40 minutes away from the Farm. 

Mint Springs Farm is a small business, of course—but they’re still big on service and hospitality. And that goes a long way. Choosing a banquet hall or a hotel for your wedding can often feel impersonal, as it can make you feel like you’re just a number in a sea of couples planning weddings (and perhaps, even more disappointing, like you’re just adding to their bottom line). But at Mint Springs Farm, Bec, Kelly, and their creative team are all about getting to know their clients and caring for them as they start putting plans in place for the biggest day(s) of their lives. But if you’re even more curious about the all-inclusive celebration. Let’s get into all the best things about them.

When you book a place and have multiple things crossed off your to-do list. 

Booking a venue and securing your wedding date is the biggest thing to get done once you’ve gotten engaged. But then comes all the other things, researching and meeting with possible vendors, figuring out a wedding day ‘look’ that you have to get the whole team of pros on the same page about, etc. Thankfully, if you go with an all-inclusive, full-service scene, like Mint Springs Farm, you’ll have a lot more about your day decided on, in one fell swoop. Exclusive catering options, check. Floral design ideation, yep. Cake, cake, and more cake, mmhmm. 

When you contract with a full-service celebration space and its on-site coordinators, you have ALL the help. 

Photo by Rachel Fugate

This is kind of the biggest deal here. Why? Well, because orchestrating a wedding is a lot of work, and even with hands-on help from family members and friends (we’d be nowhere without them), it’s a major undertaking. With an all-inclusive wedding venue, you’ll make fast friends with the creatives in charge, and they’ll guide you through the whole planning process. At Mint Springs Farm, their planners aren’t simple day-of facilitators, they’re total pros (ones who have been in the business for decades—yes, that’s with an s—and they know the ins and outs of every kind of event) who will spend countless hours working on your event to ensure it’s not only stress-free, but full of the most wonderful memories ever. That being said, you’ll also get a ‘day of’ assistant to be your planner’s right hand. So, even once things are planned out and surveyed to perfection, before the big day, you’ll have teams to keep all of it moving smoothly and seamlessly from start to finish.  

When you sign with a venue that has an in-house design team your aesthetic is tight. 

There is something SO special about working with a wedding venue with design credits to its name, too. With Mint Springs Farm, the setting is sublime to begin with, but the floral design team takes what “comes with” the venue and amplifies it to the most amazing level. Whether you’re looking for luxe blooms to complement the natural beauty of your space, you want some textured arrangements and tabletop additions that bring a stunning organic quality to your reception tablescapes, or you’re in search of something ultra-sophisticated to match your lofty wedding dreams, you’ll have the best of floral minds in your corner. Not only that, but you’ll also have access to a vast selection of on-trend floral vessels, props, and candle holders to bring your vision to life, full stop. 

There are some absolutely breathtaking hotels in the Nashville area, too. And with accommodations on site, the venue type does have some all-inclusiveness about it. But here’s the thing about hotels: 

  • Apart from catering, hotels do offer some rentals in-house (like ceremony/receptions tables, chairs, and linens), but not when it comes to specific floral and/or decor designs
  • Hotel ballrooms—particularly the vintage ones—have character and intrigue all on their own. But we’ll be honest, sometimes the look leans a little corporate/uninspired. In cases like these, you often end up taking on a lot more work and expert help (which translates to more $$$) to bring your complete vision to life     
  • Partying at a hotel is fun, absolutely, but when you have to do it in the company of other hotel guests, it doesn’t feel as intimate 
  • Most hotels don’t have as impressive a repertoire of on-site and natural photo-staging sites
  • Hotels have a much more city/metropolitan vibe about them; so, if you’re in search of a place with built-in beauty and natural charm, an all-inclusive countryside/outdoor spot is best 

When your venue is a one-stop-shop, you can have your ceremony and reception in two separate settings under one roof.

Photo by Rachel Fugate

Okay, so in the case of Mint Springs Farm, the roof might not even be part of your plan. But it can be. In fact, you have multiple locations for your ceremony and reception (if the open-air pavilion doesn’t float your boat, you can take your vows outside, in earshot of a gorgeous fountain-spouting lake). This is important so that your day doesn’t have to be interrupted by intermittent travel from one place to another—you can have your ceremony and then go on to take your pics (with and without your wedding party) while the rest of your guests file into your cocktail hour/pre-party lounging—which can take place outdoors on the patio, a whole other locale to love—and then into the reception barn. 

When more members of your ‘I do’ dream team are handled (because your venue has in-house event stylists, plus a stacked list of preferred vendors), you can save money. 

And let’s be honest, saving $$$ is huge. A wedding happening at a place like Mint Springs Farm comes with a package that’s beyond-impressive (check out the “All Weddings Include” side by side with the “What’s Not Included,” that’ll give you all the perspective), then you’ll just need to think about your photographer, videographer, glam teams, and transportation. Realistically, an additional $15-30K should be put aside for outside vendors. But you’ll want to speak with your coordination team to make sure you’re clued into ALL the inclusions in your all-inclusive wedding package. You can get to know more about them here.

And most importantly, when you can [confidently] knock things off your list of to-dos, all at once, you’ll get to enjoy more of your engagement. 

Once you’re engaged and planning mode kicks in, you’re literally in constant motion. Time to chill and relax and spend time with your PIC happens while you’re meeting vendors, choosing your color palette, picking flowers, figuring out your wedding morning getting-ready situation, etc. But when you cover over on things in a timely manner, and know that most of your day will be worked out with a team that’s either in-house or that knows your venue inside and out, you can be sure it’s cohesive and curated. And then you and your partner can do some fun engaged things without the ‘planning’ part hanging over you. 

Reach out to the owners and planning team at Mint Springs Farm now to get your all-inclusive wedding in the works!  

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