From the couple: We were so lucky to have a perfect for us wedding day! When we left the reception my overwhelming thought was, "that was so much fun!" Our wedding was a romantic outdoor wedding set in the lovely flower gardens of Cragfont Mansion in Castillian Springs, TN. Cragfont is a goldmine of eye candy. From the lovely historic mansion, to the beautifully preserved gardens, to the fields, fences, and cemetery everywhere you turn there is a treat for the senses. When we booked the site months earlier we weren't sure what would be in bloom by our September date, but we were pleasantly surprised to find the gardens filled with flowers the weekend of our wedding. We knew the roses were pink which helped me to choose my blush pink and cream color palette. To fit with the historic nature of our venue, I choose gorgeous old garden roses as the foundation for my bouquet and had it accented with dusty miller. Our day began with us getting ready in the carriage house. Then came the photography. Kyle and I shared a very special and private first look which I'm so glad we did, because as I walked down the aisle that first time, I tripped on the front of my dress! It was a great practice run. After the formal photos had been taken, we returned to our separate halves of the carriage house for an hour before the ceremony. I didn't feel any butterflies until right before it was time to walk down the aisle but even so, I was more excited than anything. As a singer and pianist, the music was a very important element of our wedding, and I absolutely loved our two ceremony ensembles: a pianist and violinist, and well as an a capella vocal quartet. Our pastor, Ricky Jenkins, did an amazing job on the sermon and then he served us communion. Unfortunately he gave me a very hefty piece of bread to chew up, and as I was facing the audience, I remember trying so hard to chew it up discretely! When we were pronounced man and wife, we joyfully processed out and around to our receiving line, which I was so glad we did as it gave us a wonderful opportunity to say hi to so many dear friends and family, some of whom we hadn't seen in years. The reception was set in the middle of a giant field with views of the ceremony site, the mansion, and a historic barn. We had a tent erected over a dance floor and after doing the typical reception activities (first dances, toasts, and eating dinner) we began my very favorite thing about our wedding: contra dancing! Having contra was actually Kyle's idea and I was on the fence about it until he took me contra dancing once during our engagement. It turned out to be the greatest reception activity! It got everybody up on the dance floor at some point in the evening, our "caller" made it very easy for everyone to learn the dances, and it was a great way to have fun and interact with all our wedding guests! My most vivid memories from our wedding are on the dance floor with all the loved ones who came out for our special day! At some point, Kyle's pants broke and he had to be literally sewn into them, but considering that was the biggest thing that went wrong, I'd say we had a pretty perfect day!
VENDORS:
Photography: Javen Photography
Flowers: Mattie Lou's Florist
Ceremony Location: Cragfont Mansion
Reception Location: Cragfont Mansion
Dress: David's Bridal
Cake: Carol Lindberg
Reception Contra Music Caller: Susan Kevra
Reception Musicians: Jim Woods, Russ Barenberg, and David Coe
