The charming town of Franklin was the perfect location for Jessica and Eric’s Tennessee wedding. In addition to incorporating their love of their pup, Sarge, into their wedding and it’s details, their beautiful wedding was adorned with luscious floral arrangements and intimate candlelit lanterns, and it was all captured beautifully by Jen and Chris Creed!

Who (or what) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Our wedding planner was the BIGGEST help in terms of the entire wedding planning process {because they are pros and that is what they are hired to do}. Our wedding was unique because being a destination wedding she was our lifeline to connect us to vendors, and aid in planning every last detail ;)  Besides the wedding planner, I have two very dear friends that live almost a thousand miles away, but these gals have already been through the wedding process themselves and they were always there for us. Whether it was helping make decisions, helping put together favor bags, or knowing that they would ALWAYS give us their honest opinion, they are friends that never hesitated jump in and help. 

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

A wedding planner/venue who understood, and who was willing to work with, our budget. Our wedding planner from the start asked our budget and how we envisioned our day, and she was honest about how we could make our budget work and not allow things to get out of control. My husband and I paid for the vast majority of our wedding, and we weren’t willing to go into debt for one day, but we also had a vision that we wanted for our wedding day. So after researching, we found a wedding planner/venue who was willing to work with our budget AND design style. Also, my husband and I work very busy schedules and I knew that we couldn’t do it without a planner. We were upfront and told her our needs, such as needing something to essentially handle all the little details, someone we could trust in making these decisions from a distance, and someone who had a strong enough personality to manage all the logistical details such as orchestrating times and everyone’s schedule for the entire day.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

My husband and I both grew up in more of the country setting in Indiana, and being that we now live in NYC, we wanted to be married “back in the country” since it holds such a special place in our hearts. Also, we wanted a destination wedding, to keep size and budget down, but most destination weddings are on a beach, which is not our style. I had always dreamed of a rustic, elegant wedding with chandeliers. I wanted it to look like an effortless, elegance. Through Pinterest and Etsy I found a wealth of design ideas which helped me communicate and narrow down our vision and what we liked. 

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Do I have to pick just ONE?!? I never thought I would be one to say this, but it was honestly the BEST day ever! The moment of getting ready with my sisters, to the “first look” with my groom and the sense of peace that came over me after I finally got to see him was indescribable. The entire atmosphere was pure bliss. Our dog, Sergeant, is the center of our world, and he was a great hit with everyone and made for great conversation between guests who didn’t know each other (the open bar also helped hehe). We had the most romantic ceremony with a string quartet playing during the ceremony at dusk, followed by the most beautiful (and delicious) cocktail hour and dinner, and the night ended with the biggest dance party! I loved how much FUN we had with all our guests. Those are memories we will always hold close to our hearts.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

I could sound cliche and just tell other brides to remember to relax and enjoy the day because it goes by so fast; all that is very true and definitely important remember, but here are a few practical tips that I would pass on. First, a wedding planner was the best investment we could have made. I tell all my friends, that if you can’t afford a wedding planner or think you don’t want one to “save money,” reconsider. See if you can cut back in a different area of the budget. A wedding planner will save your sanity, and they might actually save you money in the long-run because this is their profession and they can help you navigate vendors and contracts. Not to mention handling all the details from colors to fonts to putting in a lot of hours of legwork.

Second, pick a budget together and really stick to it. Going into debt for just one day isn’t worth it.

Third, if you are going to splurge on any part of your wedding, splurge on photography. Our photographers were absolutely fantastic, and we are now friends with them. You want a professional photographer, not a friend who does photography for a hobby. Our photos are what we have to help us remember and relive that day, what we will pass on to future generations, and what everyone who asks to see pics of the wedding will see. You want to be proud of them. Think about unique things you need your photographers to be talented with, and ask if they have experience in that area. For example, we wanted “natural,” not posed photos, and we needed someone who could work with dogs, and wide age range of people 7 yrs old to 90 yrs old, etc.   

Jessica’s advice is amazing! I personally love how they incorporated their adorable pup into their wedding with not only photos, but details too!

Are any of you thinking of incorporating your pet into any of your wedding details?

Vendors who made it all happen…