This beautiful couple had an equally beautiful wedding day! For Jack and Jessica's wedding, I wore a very different hat from what I usually do. I was their day-of-coordinator, and it was certainly an adventure. Here is Jack and Jessica's wedding story!

It was an absolutely gorgeous May morning and I already had a huge to do list. I met with Jessica, the bride, as well as her family and bridesmaids for breakfast. We also did a final rundown of what was going to happen that day. After enjoying a delicious breakfast, I headed over to the venue, The Lighthouse in Hendersonville, TN, to begin setting up all of the decorations.

I put all of these together, and hung them up from the ceiling, myself!

Antique windows that Jessica, the bride, collected herself.

Luckily, the venue is already beautiful, so there wasn't a whole lot to add. Except for the dozens of paper lanterns, antique windows and homemade cookie favors (made by the bride herself!) Jack, the groom, was sweet enough to come and lend a helping hand.

Homemade cookie favors and sparklers for the grand exit!

After getting the venue ready, the bride and her bridal party showed up, as well as the amazing photographers, Psalm 27 Creative. They did an amazing job, and they certainly made my job for the day much easier! I was running around making sure all of the other vendors were accounted for and assuring that everything was set up according to plan.

I snuck a quick picture before the ceremony!

Jessica's precious niece and flower girl, Story

Finally, it was time for the ceremony to start. To the glorious strains of music played by violinist, Kristin Weber, the guests began to show up in all of their early summer wedding finery. Needless to say, it was a stunning wedding. I got quite emotional, as both bride and groom are close friends of mine. It was amazing to see them finally become husband and wife!

A delicious dinner, catered by The Lighthouse, was served after the cocktail hour. Each table was graced with gorgeous flower arrangements by GreenFinch Floral Design. Dinner was followed by dancing, music provided by j'adore DJs, and scrumptious cakes by The Rolling Pin. The guests and newlyweds danced the night away, paper lanterns swaying overhead and a summer breeze drifting through from the veranda.

Delicious cakes, provided by The Rolling Pin, and flowers provided by GreenFinch Floral Designs

The bride and groom's first dance! I apologize for the dark and blurry picture!

A sparkler exit topped off the evening of what was one of the most delightful weddings I have ever attended. Even though I had much more responsibility heaped on my shoulders this go around, I would not have changed that evening for anything. Congratulations to the happy couple, Jack and Jessica.

If you have not checked out their engagement story, you can do so here!

With love,

Whitney

This month's Engagement Story is about a beautiful couple who met in Nashville, fell in love in Chicago and, after a romantic proposal, are returning to Nashville for their wedding in October. Their story is truly magical. Everyone: meet Sara & Scott!

How did you first meet?

Scott and I met in Nashville, on the first floor of Honky Tonk Central to be exact, while both of us were there celebrating the New Year with our friends. I knew some of the friends he was there with, and he knew some of the girls I was there with so our groups ended up hanging out for most of the weekend. Our very first picture we took together was at Tootsies right before the NYE countdown. It turns out we had gone to the same college, four years apart, and after getting back to Chicago we figured out that we lived less than a mile apart.

What did you do on your first date?

Our first date was at a great little Italian joint in a south Chicago suburb. It was a pretty typical first date and we were both pretty nervous considering that our only previous interaction was in Nashville, and nowhere near sober for either of us. It obviously went pretty well since I am writing about it in an engagement blog!

We've had many amazing dates since - he is definitely the romantic in the relationship, and I love it. He knows how to make me fall in love with him over and over again. My favorite date was our first Valentine's Day, which surprised me because I've never been one to celebrate Hallmark holidays. He cooked lobster and bought a bunch of ingredients to make us drinks from a recipe he had found. We sat at the kitchen table for hours drinking and talking.

When did you know they were the one?

Very early on in our relationship, Scott and I decided to take his one-year-old niece on a small getaway to the Wisconsin dells. During the trip I saw how amazing Scott was with his niece. He was just so comfortable around her: scooping her up, playing with her, holding her when she cried. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a guy who is great with kids. That was the first time I knew he was the one, but he keeps reminding me to this day.

How did he propose?

Major props to this man for dealing with my stubbornness. A week before this past Christmas my mom (or so I thought) kept trying to get our family together for a "family day" in the city (Chicago). This is something my mom likes to do a lot and, as a huge family girl myself, I usually love these types of days. However, this time I was a little more stubborn. I did not want to go because it was bowling week. So, Scott (knowing I wanted to go bowling instead) worked closely with my aunt, who runs the bowling league we were on, to send out a fake email to the league saying it was cancelled for that Saturday.

Now that bowling for that weekend was "cancelled", Scott thought he was in the clear. Wrong. The next day we got an invitation for my cousin's baby's 1st birthday party for that same Saturday that "my mom" said she wanted to go to the city for family day. So, I wanted to go to the family party. To get out of this one, Scott called my Dad to have him convince me to go to the city instead of the family party, which he did. I complied, so once again another obstacle was cleared.

It was FINALLY the family day in the city; my parents, all my siblings, and my closest aunt and uncle came along. We started with the very touristy walk down Michigan Avenue to see all the stores and Christmas lights. We grabbed some lunch and beers and then headed to the ice rink at Millennium Park. While my mom waited in line for the ice skating, my aunt and uncle went off to see the bean and we started walking up to the bean with the rest of my family. This is when Scott started acting a little...off. He grabbed my arm and in a hurry put some distance between us and the rest of the group while trying to act normal. I took a picture of him against the bean and as he was coming to grab the camera so he could get a picture of me, he stopped and said he had to ask me a question. He got down on his knee, opened up a box with a beautiful ring inside and asked if I would marry him. I said yes and cried and it was beautiful. We were also lucky enough to have a couple nearby who snapped a few photos and sent them to us afterwards.

After the proposal, I thought the day was done for the most part. We had some celebratory beers at the Park Grill next to the ice rink but then my mom asked if we all wanted to go to Rockit Bar for dinner - a place she "researched" online. Well, we finally make it to the bar for dinner and when we get there Scott goes to the hostess who directs us upstairs... When we get to the top, I see all of our closest friends and family waiting for a surprise engagement party. I, of course, cried again I was so happy and overwhelmed. Scott had orchestrated the whole day weeks in advance with all of my family and friends and it turned out perfectly!

What are some things you enjoy doing together?

Scott and I LOVE Netflix. We can lie on the couch for hours watching movies or TV shows. Our favorite has been Sons of Anarchy so far. We also love sports, both playing and watching. A lot of smack talk goes down during fantasy football season, but all in good fun of course! We both love to eat and drink with our friends; we're very lucky to have a lot of mutual friends.

What is your favorite thing about him?

I have a lot of favorite things about Scott, but I would say my absolute favorite is how laid back he is. He is flexible in all situations and never feels the need to call me out if I've done something wrong or done something a different way than his. He loves me for me and shows that in his approach to our relationship. It's a very comforting feeling.

Would you like to be featured in an Engagement Story? Do you know someone who should be? Leave a comment below!

With love,

Whitney

Wedding Stories: Jessica & Jack