Photo by Jamie Clayton
It's no secret Nashville is growing and growing! Our city has been on numerous lists as one of the top destination cities in the country and in the world, so tourism is skyrocketing! Which also means that Nashville weddings are on the rise. The amount of destination weddings that happen in our city is tremendous – most wedding professionals would say about 50% of their weddings are from destination couples, but today we've interviewed Sara Fried of Fête Nashville, one of the leading luxury wedding planners in Nashville, TN, and she says about 80% of her weddings are from out of town couples! So why is everyone flocking to Nashville to say “I do”? Sara gives us her take on the matter below!
Photo by Abigail Bobo
What makes Nashville such a hot city right now?
Sara: Nashville is the hottest city right now for bachelorette & bachelor parties and most importantly, destination weddings! Our downtown has all the attractions of a larger city, yet it is not intimidating. Although Nashville's downtown is known for the amazing music and eye-catching neon lights of the honky tonk bars, the amount of nationally-acclamied restaurants, boutique hotels and cool rooftop bars are growing everyday; and it's all easily walk-able, which makes us different from other cities our size. There's the added bonus of Nashville's urban v country side… whether you are looking to get married in a downtown location with a modern or industrial vibe or an historic plantation or a country barn with killer views of Tennessee rolling hills, Nashville has plenty of venues to choose from. And there's no lack of churches, either. 😉
What attracts couples to host a Nashville wedding?
Sara: Nashville is an attractive city for couples to host their wedding because it is typically less expensive than where our couples live (Chicago, LA, Dallas, NYC) but! please don't be naive to think Nashville is going to be cheap. There are pros and cons of being a hot city ~ and the cons include increased prices and increased competition for hotel room blocks, as Nashville hosts large conventions almost every weekend.
How many destination weddings vs. local weddings have you seen in the past year? Has it increased or decreased in recent years?
Sara: Our destination weddings have increased dramatically in recent years! Almost 80% of our weddings are destination v local. Many of our couples live in other cities, but Nashville is a great place to meet half-way for their families. We also have many couples who met at Vanderbilt and want to come back for their weddings. And, incredibly, we have had a few couples who got engaged in Nashville, so they want to come back and share the city with their friends and family. And, of course, we have a lot of traditional families, where the bride grew up in Nashville and her parents are hosting the wedding in their hometown.
Photo by Erin Lee Allender
What types of design styles are you seeing in Nashville weddings as of late?
Sara: In terms of design styles, our couples who are hosting weddings in Nashville, all want to offer Southern hospitality to their friends and family. They want the weekend to be convenient, fun, unique, memorable, include Southern-inspired cuisine and some downtime for guests to explore the city on their own.
How can couples introduce out of town guests to Nashville?
Sara: We have so much fun getting creative with hospitality bags. In addition to listing our favorite websites, restaurants, shoppings areas and local attractions on our couple's wedding website, we also include that information as well in the hospitality bags, complete with fun local gifts like biscuits and jams from Loveless Café, Moon Pies, mini Jack Daniels & Cokes, Nashville Toffee and lots more!
Do you think this trend will die down or do you think there will be a constant growth in Nashville weddings?
Sara: There is no question Nashville is experiencing consistent growth in regards to being a destination for weddings. The amount of hotels currently being built is quite impressive and the closest neighborhoods to downtown are expending exponentially as well… there are so many surrounding neighborhoods with great shopping, restaurants and plenty of museums and unique attractions for country music fans, and really, who isn't?
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Sara: Looking forward to seeing y'all! We'll save you a sweet tea and a seat on the patio!
Photo by Kristin Vanzant
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, Sara! You can check out more of Fête Nashville's beautiful weddings here on their website and also here on Instagram!
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