Fall is our fav which is why we are thrilled to feature Whitney + Cody’s rustic, fall wedding at The Estate at Cherokee Dock today! With all the beautiful rustic decor displayed by our very own NBG wedding pro Romance & Rust, the soiree was a hit! Keep scrolling to see some photos by D. Clymer Photography below and also read our interview with Whitney about their big day!
Whitney + Cody
11.14.2020
The Estate at Cherokee Dock
How did you meet?
Whitney: He was having a guy’s night and came into the bar that I was working at. My mom and her girlfriends were also there that night and my mom just had to embarrass me and tell everyone that her daughter was bartending. I ended up meeting up with them later that night.
What is your proposal story?
Whitney: I had just gotten back from a 10 day vacation in Europe and hadn’t really been able to talk to him a whole lot due to the time difference (I’d be going to bed as he was waking up). He had picked me up from the airport and the next morning while I was brushing my teeth he came into the bathroom and dropped to one knee saying he never wanted to be without me that long again. 🥰
Tell us a little bit about your wedding.
Whitney: I wanted a local wedding. We both live in the same town and wanted all our friends and family to be able to make it to the wedding (pre-COVID idea) and not have to worry about travel expenses or getting home safely. I love everything about fall and he had been in several summer weddings already and knew he didn’t want to wear a tux in 90° heat. We toured and chose the Estate at Cherokee Dock because it was stunning! It was convenient for everyone and allowed for out of town guests to stay the weekend. Plus, my husband grew up on Old Hickory lake and it’s the same lake that’s in our backyard so it just felt right. With the venue being so luxurious I wanted a wedding to match. My amazing wedding planner, Callie with Callie Elyse Events, introduced me to Kathy (Romance & Rust) and Michelle (Ina J Designs) in order to bring my vision to life. I wanted to pull natural and rustic colors from having an outdoor ceremony but still have pops of color. For my bridesmaids I wanted a color that would compliment everyone and had scoured countless Pinterest boards to finally find the “cinnamon” color. It was perfect for a fall wedding! After talking with my design team, we decided those pops of color were going to be the earthy jewel tones.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Whitney: The bridesmaids wore “sangria” dresses that were flattering for all body types. My matron of honor is 5’2 and my maid of honor is 5’11! For the groomsmen, we wanted to stick with those jewel tones so decided on a beautiful navy blue tux.
What was most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything you chose to splurge or skip?
Whitney: We had so much fun picking out cake/cupcake flavors and the wedding meal. Sticking with the fall theme here we decided to have a Thanksgiving-ish themed dinner and had smoked turkey and beef tenderloin with green beans, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes. I’m a huge foodie and my husband owns a local restaurant, Town Square Social, so we were grateful he was able to do the catering for our wedding. — Our wedding cake was amazing and so good! We decided to also do cupcakes to accommodate for the guests during the pandemic. Our cake flavors were: strawberry (our favorite), Italian cream (crowd pleaser), grooms cake was a 3D replica of my husband’s restaurant and was cinnamon flavored. The cupcakes we had were bourbon butter pecan, caramel apple, pumpkin, red velvet, and Italian cream. Ugh! Just writing this out makes me excited for our anniversary cake!
What were your favorite parts of the day?
Whitney: My makeup artist cancelled on me morning of my wedding! Well I don’t blame her, she was hospitalized at like 3:30 in the morning for what they thought was a stroke. So when my planner woke me up at 7 we had to reconfigure hair and makeup schedules and find a replacement. Luckily Madeline Mota, @madelinemua was available and in town! She worked her magic hiding any stress or imperfection I might have had and transformed me into a beautiful bride!
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
Whitney: Sadly, my grandmother passed in May 2020 she was so thrilled about my wedding. She was obsessed with my engagement ring and had already ordered her gown she called it a month after the engagement. So I wore her solitaire diamond necklace and my parents had engraved one of her handkerchiefs in blue stitching to fulfill my something old and blue. I borrowed my mother’s diamond earrings for the ceremony and my wedding gift from her was my dress.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Whitney: Get a planner! It takes SOOOO much of the stress off you as a bride. You meet with them a few times before the actual wedding date and they are the glue that makes your day and vision come to life.
Wow – we absolutely love this beautiful day! Thank you to Whitney for sharing all about this beautiful rustic, fall wedding today with NBG readers!
