Jennifer and James were married at Magnolia Manor just outside of Knoxville, TN. After shooting Jennifer’s sister, Julie’s wedding in Nashville last year, I seriously feel like part of their family! My favorite part of the day was seeing just how precious and tender James is with Jenn. So sweet!
Jennifer answered a few questions about planning, vendors, and her journey to wedded bliss with James.
View their engagement session here.
"Absolute Salon in Oak Ridge did my hair and make-up. I liked the atmosphere of the salon and the people are all very nice. You have to go in knowing exactly what you want, but they listen to you and do their best to make sure you are satisfied. My curls did fall out after our ceremony, but I think it was more due to the hot/humid weather than anything else."
"I found my dress (by Allure) at White Lace and Promises in Knoxville. They don't have a large selection, but they have some beautiful dresses for brides who don't want to travel to Nashville. I wanted something very simple and elegant and found the dress on sale as a sample. It was a few sizes too large, but their seamstress was amazing and made the dress fit perfectly!"
I love it when couples choose to have a "first sight" meeting before the ceremony. They still get to have that *gasp!* moment, and shooting photos beforehand allows them to get to their reception quicker!
"We held our ceremony and reception at the Magnolia Manor in Lenoir City, and were very happy with how everything turned out. The owners are two sisters, one who lives in the house on the property and does most of the planning and one who does the flower arrangements. We weren't exactly sure how everything would come together, but in the end we loved the flow of the evening."
"Our bridesmaid gowns were from David's Bridal."
Tux Rental: "Men's Wearhouse"
"We used Oliver's Restraunts and Catering in Oak Ridge. The owner, Larry Garner, is a friend of my dad's and the food was excellent! I wouldn't have known this; however, if they had not sent us to our hotel with takeout boxes filled with a sampling of all of the food. We were so grateful to them, because we had not eaten anything the entire night! The food presentation was beautiful and we were really pleased with everything!"
You know you make me wanna SHOUT!!
1. Favorite and least favorite part of planning: FAVORITE: I liked the early stages of planning where you can worry about the small details. I really love the website, www.etsy.com, and had fun shopping through the online vendors for some elements to add to our day that I hadn’t seen at a lot of other weddings (i.e. ring bearer bowls from Paloma’s Nest, embroidered handkerchief for dad by Embroidery by Linda, birdseed favors by Nature’s Favors, feather flower hairpin by Powder Blue Bijoux, etc.). LEAST FAVORITE: I was planning our wedding from Pennsylvania, so although I am thankful everything turned out really well in the end, it was hard being so far away.
2. Most memorable moment of our day: The most memorable moment of the day for me was seeing my husband so emotional during our vows. In the 5+ years that we have been together, I have never seen him like that and even now when I think about it I get teary eyed. I also loved the father/daughter dance. My dad has been a member of a band since before I was born, and I had always envisioned he and I dancing to his band playing “My Girl” at my wedding. It turned out exactly as I had imagined (and Shanell captured the most beautiful black and white picture of it!)!
3. what you would change, if anything: The WEATHER! Oh my goodness, was it HOT! We were determined to have an outdoor wedding and hoped that by having it in the evening the temperature would cool down, but unfortunately it did not. However, we were soooo thankful the rain held off and I think eventually everyone got over the heat and had a great time.
4. Where your budget was best spent: definitely photography and flowers!
5. Any advice for future brides: Reserve a moment the morning of your wedding day to take a deep breath and remind yourself to take everything in. It is true what everyone says, it really does go by so so fast. Remember the true reason for the day and be thankful you have everyone you love gathered together in one place…enjoy that!
THANKS, JENNIFER!!!
Bledsoe Photography
