Today’s feature is about to encourage you to think outside of the wedding planning box. Tayler and Cody truly implemented some of the best and most creative ideas into their celebration. Mint Springs Farm was the foundation for the envisioned country vibes and sophisticated touches. Instead of kicking starting their barn wedding with a first look, Tayler and Cody opted to do a first prayer back to back so they could share a moment, yet not officially see one another. Additionally they incorporated their dog Nala throughout the day’s events and in the details, their best friend perform their first dance song live, treated everyone to an ice cream bar in addition to wedding cake, had lottery ticket favors, and focused their menu around Southern cuisine including shrimp and grits and mac and cheese. All of these elements and more were aimed to show their guest list primarily made up of out of towners the beauty of Nashville and why they love calling this place home. If you take anything away from this photos by Amber Ridge Productions, let it be to embrace the uniqueness of your celebration and not be afraid to do your own thang!
Tayler + Cody
4.8.2023
Mint Springs Farm ~ Nolensville, TN
From the bride:
When we toured Mint Springs, we immediately fell in love with the venue & property. It was the perfect level of sophistication mixed with a country look/feel. When getting into colors/theme/design we really wanted our day to be timeless. Looking back in 20 years we want to still love all of our choices & colors. We made our wedding about us by truly incorporating our everyday life into it. Most of our guests traveled from all over & we wanted them to get a glimpse into our life and to why we love our home of Nashville, TN!
Knowing we didn’t want to do a first look we opted in a first prayer together back-to-back. We also brought our dog, Nala, who is our pride and joy. She walked down the aisle & made a quick appearance on the dance floor. You could also find her incorporated into subtle touches throughout the evening, including on our drink stirrers & cocktail napkins.
As you would probably guess (our most memorable moment was)…the ceremony! There were so many moments we LOVED, but when talking about it we kept having to ask each other “what was your favorite moment aside from walking down the aisle/ceremony.” Emotions & anxiety were high but the second we saw each other down the aisle there was a sense of calmness that took over us both. We did personal words at the alter & traditional vows. It was a commitment before God that we will cherish forever.
For party favors we wanted to do something we knew everyone would take….so what better than giving everyone scratchers?! We actually had people grab these as they walked into the reception as it was also a good conversation starter for people who might not know each other as well at their specific tables. The scratcher was placed in an envelope that read “We’ve already won the lottery.”
We of course did traditional wedding cake but during the ceremony we also had an ice cream bar. We can never say no to some mint chip ice cream & hot fudge!! As if we didn’t have enough sweets, we also had a groom’s cake. Cody loves to duck hunt, so we incorporated this through his cake that read “The Hunt is Over” with a decoy duck on top.
With the bar we had specialty cocktails for Cody & I. I love an aperol spritz & he is and old-fashioned guy! Our food menu we wanted to make sure everyone had choices while still having some Nashville influence. Shrimp & Grit bites during cocktail hour, Four Cheese Mac n Cheese during dinner, & Nashville hot chicken sliders as our late-night snack were just some of the amazing choices we went with!
We had our good friend & singer/songwriter Noah Hudson sing our first dance song. Something we love about Nashville is the live music and his voice is unmatched. It was such a special moment and of course cannot forget the cold sparks during the first dance.
Sticking true to us we also played way more country music than you would hear at an average wedding!! Couldn’t forget the light up cowgirl hats on the dance floor!
My advice to other couples is an all-inclusive venue like Mint Springs is the way to go. With busy lives/work schedules they make it as seamless as possible. If you are a details person (like me) get ahead of the little things as much as you can. Etsy will become your best friend. Truly soak it all in! About 2x months out it gets very hectic & time starts to pass you by. If you every feel overwhelmed take a deep breath & remember what the wedding is truly about & that’s your marriage and commitment to each other. Nothing else matters besides that!
Inspired by Tayler and Cody’s barn wedding with their unique first look? Click here for more ideas!
