Think you can’t incorporate a spring design into a winter aesthetic? Think again! With help from Amy & I Designs, Sara and Jacob were able to take their magnolia inspired wedding and transform it into a late fall/early winter design that included navy blues, muted browns, and velvet textures. The cohesive look came with no lack of the couples favorite Magnolia blooms which lit up the space of Frist Learning Center Courtyard where the two celebrated their love with friends and family. As if the style and decor weren’t enough to make you fall in love, the elegant imagery from John Myers Photography is the cherry on top of the cake! Oh and speaking of cake – be sure to check out the incredible groom’s cake and the sweet meaning behind it.
Sara + Jacob
Vine Street Christian Church + Cheekwood, Frist Learning Center Courtyard
Guests ~ 150
How did you guys meet?
Sara: We met through work when Jacob was working as a specialist for a medical device company and Sara was working as a nurse caring for patients with one of the devices Jacob’s company offered. Jacob conducted Sara’s initial training and we became friends. After several years of friendship we took a leap of faith on a long distance relationship and we married a couple of years later!
Tell us about your engagement!
Sara: Jacob planned a surprise getaway to Maine with a stay at Cliff House which sits atop a massive cliff overlooking the Atlantic. Jacob lured me out to a picturesque spot saying he wanted to take a picture, but instead of taking a picture, got down on one knee and proposed! He also had hired a secret photographer who captured wonderful photos of the proposal, that we love having to look back on to remember the moment.
What was the vision for your wedding?
Sara: For the overall vision of the wedding, we wanted the timeless and classic look, with bits of both of our personalities sprinkled in.
What was your theme and what inspired it?
Sara: I have loved Magnolia trees for as long as I can remember. So I used the magnolia as color inspiration, incorporating emerald greens, touches of gold, and using the Frist Learning Center’s brick courtyard for some muted browns.
What details were used to create your theme?
Sara: When Amy and I first started planning and designing the wedding, I realized I very much had a spring aesthetic, so to transform that into a fall/early winter wedding we incorporated velvet napkins, deep navy blues, and leaned into the muted browns of the bricked courtyard space. Amy used magnolia leaves throughout her floral designs along with other displays of various white blooms.
What words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Sara: I would absolutely suggest to hire a planner. Amy made the process so easy and alleviated so much stress. Her ability to do our florals as well ensured a completely cohesive (not to mention stunning) look. I really appreciated her insight and recommendations for our wedding vendors as its easy to get completely overwhelmed with how many options are available. I also personally would have never been able to coordinate the vendor setup/take down times, nor was it something that even crossed my mind until Amy put together a complete timeline of the day for me. My other piece of advice would to be to not sweat the minor details. There are certainly small details that a couple will want to incorporated into their wedding, but outside of those special few, it is going to be unlikely that you or your guests will even notice the other minor details, which somehow end up as being the ones you spend the most time on!
Can you share any special moments or highlights from your wedding day?
Sara: One of our favorite details of the day was the groomscake. Jacob’s father passed away in 2016 and Nashville Sweets was able to scan his signature and incorporate it onto the groomscake as our way to include and honor Jacob’s father. We opted to not do a first look, and while our photographer had pre-cautioned us about lack of lighting that would be available after the ceremony, the team at John Myers Photography was able to capture some stunning nighttime photos, which ended up being some of our absolute favorites from the night and set a magical tone for us before heading into our reception. Instead of doing favors, we had Chick-fil-a catered in towards the end of the night and it was an absolute hit among out guests. Jacob is a Kentucky fan and Sara is a Tennessee fan and unbeknownst to them at the time, they scheduled their wedding for the night Tennessee and Kentucky played each other in football. We designed orange and blue koozies for guests to choose from, and while half of the wedding guests probably didn’t appreciate it, the other half really enjoyed dancing to Rocky Top when Tennessee won the game.
LOVE everything about this! Huge thanks to Sara, Jacob, and Amy & I Designs for sharing this incredible magnolia inspired wedding.
