WEDDING BLOG

Cozy DIY Nashville Farmers’ Market Wedding

June 30, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

Kaitlyn and Ben wanted their wedding day to feel like home, so a cozy, DIY Nashville Farmers’ Market wedding was the perfect choice! We could gush for days over these warm details and intimate wedding vibes, but we thought you might like to hear what photographer Taylor English Photography had to say:

The first ever at the Nashville Farmers’ Market wedding could not have been more Nashville through-and-through. The wedding couple are both musicians, from musical families with all friends and guests being musicians as well – there was no shortage of performances throughout the night, starting with live ceremony music and multiple renditions, straight through to a live band for the first half of the reception. Kaitlyn and Ben chose to DIY as much of their wedding decor as possible – writing out their own postcard name cards, taping up live-show-inspired flyers around the market, she even DIY’d her beautiful bouquet. One of the most unique and fun weddings ever!

The Couple:

Kaitlyn & Ben

The Wedding:

Nashville Farmers Market, Nashville, Tennessee

My dress goal was simple: spend under $1000. I was able to do that thanks to BHLDN and their wonderful team. I wanted a unique, classic, and vintage feel to my gown and found it right away in their Ludlow dress. It was the one and only dress I tried on! My accessories were all family heirlooms: a necklace that my grandmother bought for all of her granddaughters to wear down the aisle and a pair of sapphire earrings that she left me in her will. Because of #feminism, I wasn’t really down with a traditional veil. Or a garter. I did come across a fabulous cape veil that I decided I needed because I wanted to feel like a super hero on my wedding day!

Set a time, between 24-48 hours before the wedding that you will start having fun. Literally, put it in your phone calendar and set an alarm. I put “START HAVING FUN” in my calendar. Alert all of the concerned parties in advance that you will no longer be taking questions/concerns/comments about the wedding after said time because you are going to enjoy your wedding!

Our wedding style came out of the advice I heard on an episode of the Bridechilla Podcast: Design a wedding that looks like the design inside your home. I took that idea and ran with it. Warm ambiance and tones, cluttered vases and knick-knacks, boho vibes, and personal touches made up every corner of our very DIYed day.

I wrote the ceremony script for the most part and made sure it really reflected what we value as a couple – our vows even had a Harry Potter reference in them (“Until the very end” instead of “Till death do us part”). We are musicians so having our friends perform during the ceremony was a must. We had music instead of readings.

If you are going the DIY route: decide what is worth DIYing and what is not. I was going to DIY our draping/string lights but that would have required me to go to the venue the night before the wedding AFTER the rehearsal dinner and take away from time with my family and friends. I decided that wasn’t worth it. Get creative with solutions: We asked someone who works at a draping company (so, an expert) to come and install the draping and lights we purchased – saving us around $800.

Our first dance was to Liz Longley’s “You’ve Got That Way” and we were so lucky to have her there to sing it in person.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Taylor English Photography
Event Planning – Gather and Heart Event Co.
Venue – Nashville Farmers Market
Catering – Bella Pizza, Bacon & Caviar, Farm City Coffee,
Ice Cream – Jeni’s Ice Cream
Live Music – Brennen Leigh, Noel McKay, Trent Freeman, Liz Longley, Rebecca and Matt Rolland Draping
Videography – Bastion Wedding Films
Makeup Artist & Hair Styling – Alexa Brooke Montgomery
Wedding Dress – BHLDN
Rings – Port-Manteau
Rentals – Liberty Party Rental
Lighting – Nashville Event Draping

Congratulations, Kaitlyn and Ben, and many thanks to Junebug member Taylor English Photography for sharing their day with us! For more of Taylor’s work, be sure to visit her page in our directory of the world’s best wedding photographers.

Jungle Glam Playa del Carmen Destination Wedding

June 29, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

aqua black kelly green

We’re in awe! We truly haven’t seen anything like Martin and Gerardo’s jungle glam Playa del Carmen destination wedding—and we’re so here for it. It was important to the couple that they enjoy their entire wedding planning process, from selecting their most magical venue to the flavor of cake. When you see the photos Andre Gouin Photo captured of their day, you can see every little intentional decision that made this day a dream! The couple also worked with Diana Romo Weddings to help them make the day even more magnificent. We’re simply blown away by the glamorous, yet tropical, vibes and every single work of floral art by Maria Limón. Get ready to swoon over this one, babes!

The Couple:

Martin & Gerardo

The Wedding:

Casa Nah-ha, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Our initial idea was to wear more relaxed and fresh clothes. But as the Jungle Glam concept started taking shape, Diana suggested that we use tuxedos and I think it was one of the best tips she gave us. The colors of our suits were midnight blue and black, signed by Ted Baker – one of Martín‘s favorite brands.

That would have to be our Mayan Wedding Ceremony – it was important for us to celebrate our roots and the ritual was a magical experience. See our friends and family, full of emotion (some on the verge of tears … others crying) and feel all that energy gathered commemorating our union, there are no words to express that feeling. As I answer this, my eyes are filling with tears, too.

Hiring a local wedding planner is a must. Probably, our vision would not have come alive in every detail, without Diana’s work. When we saw her portfolio, we knew immediately that she would manage to take our wedding to the next level. And she and her team did.

We could not be happier with the work of all the collaborators, each aspect was essential for the event to be a success. But we have to recognize the work of María Limón, our florist. It definitely captured the concept we had for decoration and took it to the next level.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Andre Gouin Photo
Event Planning – Diana Romo Weddings
Venue – Kuha Casa del Agua
Floral Design – Maria Limón
Catering – Yazmin de la Mora
Cake – Zaida Marcos
Officiant – Spirituality Riviera Maya
Entertainment – Plug In Audiovisual
Live Music – Scenic Music Shows
Tuxedos – Ted Baker
Shoes – Gucci, Magnanni
Rentals – Minimal 4.0
Transportation – Your Cancun DMC

Congratulations, Martin and Gerardo, and many thanks to Diana Romo Weddings for sharing their day with Junebug! Searching for more Mexico wedding inspiration? You’re going to love this intimate Mexican villa wedding!

Earthy Colorful KC Wedding at The Fields at 1890

June 28, 2020 | Junebug Weddings

brown dark red ivory orange sage green tan white yellow

Determining the style of your wedding can be as easy as looking around your home, especially when your home is as chic as Ashley and Connor’s! The pair pulled boho inspiration from elements around their house which gave their KC wedding at The Fields at 1890 an intimate and perfectly “them” vibe. Shortly after getting engaged, Ashley stumbled upon Connor’s colorful wedding tie, which served as a source of color palette inspo that perfectly complemented the earthy vision As You Wish KC brought to life for the big day. We can’t get enough of the sweet portraits photographed by The Bold Americana, who captured Ashley and Connor’s mutual love and light as they tied the knot in style.

The Couple:

Ashley and Connor

The Wedding:

The Fields at 1890, Kansas City, Missouri

Finding my dress validated more than ever what I wanted the day to feel like from a design a perspective. I loved how out of the ordinary my dress was, I honestly would have never chosen it for myself but as soon as I put it on I started crying. It truly felt like it embodied me and it was such a special moment. I wanted to keep the accessories minimal, true to my style, but also to allow the dress to shine. Finding my dress also helped guide my floral choices. I had the most amazing and talented florist to help me bring my vision to life. I wanted muted pinks, blues, golden yellow, tans etc. and I also wanted pampas grass anywhere and everywhere that made sense!

A lot of the color inspiration came from the grooms tie. I found it almost immediately after we got engaged and I was drawn to the colors and how they encompassed all my favorites into a beautiful floral design. I then had the inspiration to pair it with an emerald green suit and in that moment I started to see the vision of everything.

Shop similar colorful ties: Paul Smith Multicolor Floral Silk Tie ($125); Paul Smith Multicolor Silk Stripe Tie ($125); Vintage Boho Necktie ($25); Vintage Boho Patterned Necktie ($20); Colorful African Tribal Skinny Tie Men ($41.99)

My biggest advice is stay true to the two of you – your style, your vision and your values. There is a lot of noise, good and bad, when planning a wedding. It is so easy to get tied up in the opinion of others but also to hold yourself to the expectations of what you see on Pinterest and Instagram. At the end of the day, this is your day to share together and it should embody you as a couple no matter the colors, the food, the venue and so on. Don’t feel like you have to give out party favors, or have glow sticks at your reception, or spend a ton of money on signage – stay within your means! Heck, we made our wood signage and I don’t regret the blood, sweat and fights that came from the labor!

For the both us, the ceremony was the most memorable. It’s such an incredible feeling to be in front of your family and closest friends committing your life to one another. It was also the most perfect day. The aisle was lined with vases filled with pampas grass, the arbor was covered in a variety of beautifully dried florals and the backdrop was naturally stunning.

Working with The Bold Americana was AMAZING. I don’t think we could give enough kudos to her. Emma is not only a gem of a human but she brings so much energy and positivity to the day. We chose her because she pushes the limits with her photography and we admired her creativity. We trusted her to make the right choices when it came to location of photos, poses, silly moves she had us do etc. We look at our photos and there is no one else out there that would have been talented enough to capture the essence of us and our wedding.

Shop colorful seating chart signs: Minted Galeria Seating Chart ($100); Minted Overlapping Seating Chart ($100); Minted Watercolor Seating Chart ($100)

I wanted to create a vibe that felt uniquely ours. If you were to look at our home, you would see a lot similar elements that I incorporated in our wedding. I wanted it to feel airy, natural and not overly styled.