Wedding Stories: Sara & Scott

This lovely couple had an equally lovely wedding in the beautiful fall foliage of Nashville, Tennessee. From planning through the big day, it was just such a pleasure to work with them. Planning a wedding from out of state can be tricky, but they did it with such skill you would think they were pros! It is my pleasure to tell you the story of Sara and Scott's wedding day. 

Photo Courtesy of Whitney Fletcher Photography

The whole process started with a phone call from Chicago. Sara and Scott live in Chicago, but they met here in Nashville on New Year's Eve. They thought it would be far more special to get married in the place where they met, and I couldn't agree more! If you want to read more about their story as a couple, you should check out their Engagement Story. 

Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee

The day of the wedding could not have been more perfect. It was a beautiful October day, with nary a cloud in sight. We arrived at the venue, Riverwood Mansion, early to set up and were amazed at how picturesque everything would be for Sara and Scott's big day. 

The beautiful ceremony at Riverwood Mansion - Whitney Fletcher Photography

The ceremony was short and sweet. Walking down the aisle to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, Sara was a vision in white and her future husband was all smiles. 

After the first kiss, the bridal party recessed down the aisle to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. It was a wonderful, celebratory moment that certainly captured the spirit of this sweet couple.

While the bridal party and families did pictures with the extremely talented Whitney Fletcher Photography, my band and I made our way over to the reception venue, Watermark Restaurant in The Gulch. 

Cocktail hour at Watermark Restaurant - Whitney Fletcher Photography

We got set up for the cocktail hour and then played jazz tunes in the fall breeze on Watermark's terrace. Lovely drinks and hors d'oeuvres were passed amongst the guests while they lounged, awaiting the newlyweds arrival. The strains of such tunes as At Last, Just Squeeze Me, and La Vie En Rose kept the mood light and airy. 

Cocktail hour at Watermark Restaurant - Whitney Fletcher Photography

Once the lucky couple arrived, we began the first dances. Sara and Scott shared their first dance to the tune of Mean to Me by Brett Eldredge. It was a perfect moment. Followed by a father-daughter dance to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, and a brother-sister dance to Then They Do by Trace Adkins, there were certainly plenty of happy tears being shed by all, including myself! 

First Dance at Watermark Restaurant - Whitney Fletcher Photography

The happy couple! - Whitney Fletcher Photography

A more beautiful couple could not be found that day. To Sara and Scott - I wish you two all of the happiness in the world. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day. It was an honor and a privilege to be a small piece of your love story. 

If you would like to learn more about Sara and Scott, check out their Engagement Story! 

With love,

Whitney

6 Tips for Choosing Wedding Ceremony Music

Hello everyone! 

I am so glad you are here! Today we are going to talk about how to choose wedding ceremony music. So many brides I talk to are at a loss for how to choose music for their wedding ceremony. They feel like they have to choose traditional music that might be either boring or something that completely doesn't match their personality. Or, they are just simply at a loss and don't know where to start. 

Luckily, I have 6 tips for how to make this decision easy as pie!

1. Check to see what type of music your venue allows.

This is very important. Depending on your venue, they might have special guidelines for the musical style, or even lyric content, of the music you use in your wedding ceremony.

Certain churches have a rule that the music used in a wedding ceremony must be sacred, as a wedding ceremony is also a church ceremony. Aka, no secular music. So, even if you had your heart set on walking down the aisle to Etta James' 'At Last', or to Bruno Mars' 'Marry You', you are out of luck. Others might not allow you to have instruments. All in all, it is very important to know what your venue will allow before you even begin to plan out your ceremony music. 

Also, you should find out what your venue is capable of sound-wise. Can you get electricity? Will you be able to set up microphones? Can you even get instruments in? All things that are important to know before you begin to plan your ceremony music. 

2. Classical or Commercial?

This one musical decision can sway everything else. Have you always envisioned having the wedding march played when you walk down the aisle? Someone singing 'Ave Maria'? Violins playing and maybe even an organ? You might want to stick with classical music, because it sounds like you are a super traditional bride. 

Or...

Have you seen yourself walking towards your hubby-to-be to a song that you heard on your first date? Having your singer-songwriter friend write a song especially for the two of you to be played while lighting your unity candle? Dancing out of the church with your bridal party to 'Walking on Sunshine'? You really should choose from the commercial realm, as you most definitely are anything but traditional ;) 

3. Decide what emotion or theme you want to evoke.

Are you and your fiancé the life of every party? Or, are you more of the laid back, go with the flow type? Have you always dreamed of having a ceremony that felt like you are Maria in The Sound of Music? Or, have you dreamed of a beachy wedding that just screams fun? 

Every wedding has a different emotion, a different feel to it. Some brides even have a very specific theme picked out. Romantic. Dreamy. Fairytale. Traditional. Eclectic. Kooky. Hipster. It can be anything, and your wedding music should reflect it. Knowing what feeling you want your guests to come away from your ceremony soaked in will help you to get down to business choosing what music you want to utilize to evoke that very feeling. 

4. Discuss the music with your fiancé.

While every girl, for the most part, has a pretty clear vision of what they want their wedding to be like, down to the table linens, you really should discuss the music with your fiancé. I mean, think about it. What are a few of the only things that a typical man might care about concerning the wedding: the food and the music. So, talk it over with your special someone. He might have some really great ideas :)

Which leads me to my next point...

5. Are there any songs with special meaning for you and your fiancé?

Do you and your man have any songs that mean something special? Maybe you want to include a song that the two of you heard together for the first time. Or maybe you want to include "your song" in the ceremony as a special moment for the two of you.  If either of you is musical, maybe one or the other of you has written something you want to use in the ceremony (that was what my husband and I did!). Think it over. I bet there is some special song that will help to make your ceremony even more you, and will help to tell your unique love story. 

6. Discuss it with your wedding musician!

Finally, talk it over with your wedding musician!!! That is what we are here for! We have so. many. ideas. And, we are just dying to share them with you! Whether you have several ideas already mapped out, or you have absolutely no clue what you want your ceremony music to be, your wedding musician is there to help you through it. That is, after all, our job. :D

So, there you have it, six tips for choosing wedding ceremony music that is special to you and your fiancé. I hope these tips will help you to choose the music that will make your wedding ceremony unique and awesome...just like you!! 

With love,

Whitney