Your wedding day is, without a doubt, one of the most important days in your life. Because of this, preparing for your wedding day can be a little difficult, as it requires a lot of patience and hard work.

Because wedding days are so special, it’s normal to want your own wedding day to be special and unique. There as just as many kinds of weddings as there are couples. This is because every person is unique, and we all have different needs, wants and desires. Who doesn’t want to have a wedding that so completely embodies the couple’s personalities?

To guide you in planning your perfect day, here are a few wedding themes that you could use. One of the most popular themes today is the seasonal wedding. Seasonal weddings incorporate elements of the season the wedding falls in, such as flowers, colors, and other details. (A great wedding venue in Nashville can help you personalize your wedding to the season).

A lot of people choose to get married in the summer. The sunny skies and warm weather make a beautiful outdoor wedding possible. Weddings can be held in a variety of outdoor settings such as a garden (think Centennial Park, Blackhaven Gardens, and Cheekwood for examples), a beach or a pretty lawn. Fresh vegetables and fruits in season can be used to decorate the venue and lend a personal touch to the festivities.

You can dress the tables in gingham tablecloths and decorate with a vase of sunny lemons. You can create unique, summer-themed centerpieces such as a bunch of sunflowers in a rustic watering can. A wedding on a sultry summer evening can be made even more romantic by decorating with torches and lanterns strung up in the trees. It is no surprise that about 75 percent of weddings take place in the summer.

You can also choose to get married in the spring. You may not have noticed it, but it seems like most wedding dresses were designed for spring weddings in Nashville. The skirts are long and large, making them too warm for summer; whereas the bodices are usually sleeveless, making the dresses too cold for winter.

An incredibly romantic season to get married in is fall, when the leaves are turning and there’s just a hint of chill in the air.  There are a lot of weddings that take place in Nashville during the months of September and October.

Want to have a glamorous, magical wedding that looks like something you see in the movies? A winter wedding is your best choice. Dress for the season by accessorizing your bridal outfit with real or faux diamonds. You can have your reception at a grand old mansion and have guests warm themselves by the fire. If the mansion has large picture windows, the falling snow outside can create the illusion that you’re in a magical winter wonderland.

Another option is at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville. Winter weddings are beautiful in the Wightman Chapel. There are even more things you can do to have a beautiful and memorable seasonal wedding, but in the end the decision lies with the bride and groom.

Nashville Venues for Weddings and Receptions

Ceremony and Reception Site Together?

One is cost. Chances are that it will be less expensive than having to rent two places. Another reason is convenience. Guests don’t have to drive to two different places. And if you have guests coming from out of town there is a chance some of them will get lost if they have to find two locations.

But you may still wind up having to do your wedding reception somewhere other than the wedding site. Maybe the site doesn’t have adequate facilities for the reception but you love the place for your wedding.

Owen’s Chapel in Brentwood, Tennessee is one location where we see this happen. It is a beautiful historical chapel where a church still meets on Sundays. When you drive up to the church you two white doors, one to the left and one to the right. Years ago, the men of the church would enter through one door and the women would enter through the other. Inside there is a separation down the middle of the pews, dividing the side where the men and women sat. Very quaint! The chapel is situated in a picturesque area and many couples fall in love with it.

However, there is NO reception area. Fortunately, it is not far at all from the Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee where there are many hotels and restaurants to choose from for receptions. Interstate 65 is nearby making it easy to get from place to the other.

We have also noticed that many couples who have their weddings at Wightman Chapel at the Scarritt-Bennett Center (Vanderbilit area) have their receptions elsewhere. They do have receptions at the Center and we hear are promoted that more these days. But at least in the past many wedding parties have moved somewhere else for the reception, like the Vanderbilt Club or somewhere closer to downtown Nashville to get into some of the action and excitement of the city.

There are a number of hotels that we have seen host receptions. Some of these hotels have nice areas for the ceremonies as well but not all do. Hotels that do receptions include the Hermitage Hotel, Union Station Hotel, Loews Vanderbilt, Embassy Suites, the Double Tree, and the Music City Sheraton.

Basic Questions About Your Reception Site

Whatever Nashville wedding reception site you select there are basic questions you want to keep in mind:

Is the site big enough to accommodate the number of guests along with any tables that will be set up?

Make sure you understand the rental fees and the time it covers. When can you arrive and when must you be gone? Can you go overtime and what are the additional charges for doing so?

Ask lots of questions about the food, about music, and if any kind of additional insurance is needed for anything.

Next page: Nashville Churches for Weddings