Inspired by one of their favorite movies, The Great Gatsby, it couldn’t be more fitting that Jessica + Patrik threw a glamorous winter wedding at The Bridge Building. Infused with style and sparkle, they both dressed to impress with Patrik in a sleek white tuxedo jacket and Jessica in a gorgeous Pronovias gown from Luxe Bridal Studio; both sporting an iconic red sole on their shoe from none-other than Christian Louboutin. And while their attire was on point, their decor was also looking flawless. From the colors to the flowers to the flashy linens — it was all perfection. Not to mention these two really know how to have a fun time! It was hard choosing favorites for this wedding day because Amanda May Photos captured it all so well, but we just know you’re going to love these two and their story as much as we do!
Jessica + Patrik
12.19.2020
The Bridge Building
From the photographer, Amanda: So many memorable moments at Jessica and Patrik’s wedding at The Bridge Building. To start off, it was gorgeous. Some of my favorite details included Jessica’s dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses, Patrik’s attire, the incorporation of their pups on the cake and drink menus, the absolutely stunning skyline that you looked at the entire night from the venue’s windows, and how freaking fun it was. I knew the fun was happening the day that I met Jessica as a bridesmaid in another one of my weddings though. She and Patrik are both people that know how to surround themselves with really great friends. And as I heard story after story after story at the rehearsal dinner about how good of friends they are. How good of mentors they are. How much they have done for all the people in their bridal party. It made sense. Of course, the day was going to be full of some of the best memories because every single person was there to genuinely celebrate them and celebrate them hard!
All day long, the drizzle was coming and going. It was just a little sprinkle, but enough that most brides would not be up for going out from under coverage. But not Jess and Pat. They were all in. Not only did we go out in the drizzle, but we walked up to the top of the pedestrian bridge and got some of my most favorites shots from the day. The wind up there was blowing Jessica’s veil all around Pat’s white jacket was just working with the white bridge. And after the ceremony, we hiked all the way across the bridge to get a champagne shot at the end of Broadway. It is hands down one of my most favorite night shots I have ever ever taken. And if you scroll for no other reason, it’s to see those. But they did it, in the rain and in the freezing cold and Patrik did it with no umbrella (we ran out and he drew the short straw) and guys… it was so worth it. Absolutely so worth it.
All the people at Jess and Pat’s wedding knew how to have fun. By the end of the night, Patrik had chipped his tooth and an ambulance had come to help someone who fell on some slick stairs. The next day as I was looking at my instastories, one of them had a picture of Patrik’s tooth and said “Ummm.. if you didn’t chip a tooth, did you even get married??” and that is forever with me.
I respect these two so much. They went through hell and back from March until December, and they didn’t let it stop them. Jessica lost her job, and she didn’t let it stop her. COVID gets crazy again, and they didn’t let it steal their joy. Jess and Pat are here for the fun and determination and hard work and that is how I know they will have a long marriage. I’m so thankful they chose me as their photographer and also so thankful they recommended me to their friends! I love this friend group, and I cannot wait to have another one of their weddings to go to!
How did you meet?
Jessica: We met while working at Enterprise here in Nashville. We were working at separate locations, but we were both involved in a large volleyball league, which is where we got to know each other better. During the season, we both realized how much fun we had and how competitive we both were. After the first game, Patrik ended up asking a mutual friend for my phone number and immediately texted me wanting to get to know me better.
What is your proposal story?
Jessica: I actually tried to get Patrik to marry me while in Vegas a couple of years ago, but I couldn’t get him to pull the trigger. However, the real story happens in December of 2019. I had a girlfriend who was moving to Ohio, but the night before her move, she mentioned that she had a work holiday party and asked if I would attend with her so we could enjoy her last night in Nashville together. We made appointments to get our hair blown out and our make up done (I should have known something was up when she bailed on the appointments last minute). We got ready at her house and took an uber to the pedestrian bridge and she INSISTED that we walk across the bridge to the party. However, I had just had knee surgery the month before, and this was my first attempt at wearing heels and I was far from thrilled about the idea. She eventually forced me and at the top stood Patrik waiting for me. He had brought along one of our friends to take pictures and one of my best friends on FaceTime so she could watch, since she was due to give birth at any moment. Following the proposal, he had rented out a room at STK where my family and close friends were waiting to surprise me. After dinner, we then headed to our house where another 50 people were waiting to celebrate and congratulate us. He did an amazing job planning and keeping the secret for so long.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
Jessica: We toured a couple of venues and instantly fell in love with the Bridge Building. We both love downtown Nashville and since we got engaged on the Pedestrian Bridge right next to the building, we knew it was the perfect spot for us to say I do. Since we began dating, we have traveled the country visiting as many NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL stadiums and arenas as we could. This made it an even better fit, since the Bridge Building is also right next to Nissan Stadium. The only dates they had left for 2020 were Halloween night and December 19th, so we decided to go with December. His birthday is the 17th and mine is Christmas Eve so we thought, why not celebrate even more?! I wear sequins every year for my birthday, so I knew we wanted sparkle. We also both LOVE a good reason to dress to the 9’s. The Great Gatsby is one of our favorite movies, so we wanted to go full glamour and sparkle, but make sure that the night ended in a very rowdy celebration.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Jessica: Against everyone’s advice, I only went to one bridal boutique with one appointment and Niya at Luxe Bridal knew exactly what she was doing. I told her I was looking for something Cardi B, with a touch of Jackie Kennedy, and she nailed it. I really liked the Pronovias Atelier line and they had a trunk show scheduled. As soon as she sent me the list of the dresses they were bringing, I knew which one I wanted to wear. I seriously would recommend for anyone to go visit her. Patrik frequently shops at Indochino for his work suits, so we went there to talk about what he wanted for his wedding look. He loves Leonardo Dicaprio’s attire in the Great Gatsby so we went for a similar look but a more modern jacket. I have a love for Louboutins, and while shopping online one day, I saw the gold glitter loafers and knew they would go perfect with our wedding colors. Patrik will tell you, that was his favorite part of his outfit.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
Jessica: The most important thing for us while planning, was that we knew we wanted to have a good time. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone, I got laid off in March and business for Patrik in the travel/tourism industry took a huge hit so we felt it on both sides. We wanted to be able to relax and let loose with the family and friends that were able to attend. It was also important to us that we be able to have the reception at the Bridge Building so we definitely splurged on location and the open bar. I love the little details, especially paper keepsakes, so working with White Ink Calligraphy was at the top of my list. Her work is incredible and her love for her work shows in everything she does. Also, I knew I didn’t want to spend thousands on large centerpiece flower displays that blocked us from being able to see our friends and family, and that would be thrown away the next morning. Becky at the Vintage Rose Market was amazing and she helped me achieve a minimal flower design that still looked elegant.
What were your favorite parts of the day? (memories and stories)
Jessica: One of my favorite memories of the day was our first look. I am not a super emotional person, but I loved having the intimate moment at the recommendation of Amanda (our photographer). We got out our pre-wedding jitters out and it was so relaxing to be able to give him a hug and kiss and tell him how excited I was to marry him. Also, after losing my dad in 2017, it was amazing to have Patrik’s dad there waiting to marry us, and to be walked down the aisle by both my brother and my grandfather. It made me take a second to cherish that though my father is gone, I was gaining a new one, and still had family here to support me. Lastly, my favorite memory is Patrik losing his tooth. It just reminded me that I love him no matter what and it was the most ridiculous icing on the cake to the night and the year. We all laughed so hard.
Patrik: My favorite part of the day was seeing Jessica’s brother and grandpa walk her down in the aisle. I knew how upset she was about her dad not being able to walk her down the aisle and I was so glad she got to have this moment. Second, it meant so much to us to have my dad there to marry us. It made the ceremony so much more personal and I will never forget it. Finally, I loved the garter toss. I have re-watched the video of it a thousand times. We just had so many people there who were genuinely excited about our marriage and the energy was unreal. I wish I could relive that day over again and again. It made all the stress of 2020 worth it.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
Jessica: Our wedding flowers were done by Becky at Vintage Rose Market. We knew we didn’t want big arrangements since our other decorations were already pretty sparkly and flashy. We loved the natural beauty of the bridge building and the Jackson vine woven throughout the industrial bars was a beautiful touch. The bouquets were made of dendobrium orchids and calla lilies. They complimented my dress and the bridesmaid dresses perfectly. The guys boutonnieres were made of a single calla lily. I honestly completely trusted Becky’s vision on all things flowers. She told me she was using a gold artichoke and magnolia leaves for the centerpieces and they turned out beautifully.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
Jessica: Neither one of us are big dessert people. We both prefer a glass of champagne to a slice of cake. We debated doing a cake at all, but in the end, we settled on a small cake for us to cut. I came across an artist on Etsy who was able to make clay renditions of your pets, ClayCreationsbyLaura. We have five dogs, and she was able to replicate each of them to be cake toppers. For our guests, we served red velvet cake.
What did you do for favors?
Jessica: For our favors, we wanted to do something that better represented us, and that our guests could keep and use. Since we had named each table after a stadium or arena we had visited, we decided to do basketball jerseys that said TEAM JACKSON across the front and had a 20 on the back for 2020. As soon as we got up to the reception, guests had already put them on over their clothes and were worn throughout the entire night. These were made by Highland Design out of Knoxville.
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
Jessica: Being a Corona bride, getting laid off, and enjoying crafts in general, there were quite a few DIY projects and handmade decor throughout the wedding. We made gift bags for each guest to put their jerseys in, and each member of the bridal party got a day of gift bag. Those gift bags included a day of survival kit, custom etched glassware, and a handwritten note. It was also very important to us that we had a remembrance table full of pictures of our loved ones that were not able to be with us. We included pictures of family, friends and even friends family who had passed, but would have been there to celebrate. At the center of this table, there was a cigar bar provided by PJ at Franklin Cigar.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Jessica: There is no advice for a couple getting married during the pandemic that actually makes it easier or less stressful. The one thing we will tell you is that at the end of the day, you are going to be married and that is the instant it is all worth it. It is so easy to think about the what if’s and how reality is so much different than your initial plans and dreams, but you HAVE to push that aside and enjoy this time for what it is and make the most of it. You still have your health, you are still planning a wedding, and you are still going to be spending the rest of your lives together and that’s what truly matters. It also never hurts to keep a spare bottle of champagne in the fridge and celebrate the little things: “You got out of bed and got dressed today, this calls for champagne!!”
Absolutely beautiful, Jessica and Patrik! If you loved their glamorous winter wedding at The Bridge Building we’ve got even more inspiration HERE!
