Katie + Nathan's Farm Wedding Under a Tennessee Sky

January 16, 2022 Nicolette Meade

Katie + Nathan said “I do” under a beautiful Tennessee sky on Cedarmont Farm, just around the corner from where the groom grew up. The fall wedding was filled with bright and bold colors and lots of autumn texture. Katie described her wedding style as outdoorsy meets romantic with hints of vintage chic! The romantic ceremony took place in the shade of a tree and was officiated by a dear friend. A gorgeous floral and candle filled reception followed in the barn with many raised glasses and of course lots of dancing! Wedding day photography by John Myers Photography. Stationery photos by Poeme.

How did you and Nathan meet?

Nathan and I met in New York City on OKCUPID. We were both living in NYC, working and we were both doing the online dating thing. This was 2015. I hadn't done them in a while and when out with some girlfriends one night, they convinced me to open my apps again. When I did, I had a long novel of a message from a sweet southern gentleman who knew a lot about Cincy (and come to find out that we were both born in the same hospital in Cinci!) and he had also studied theater in college, along with accounting. He was really handsome and I message him back.

We messaged long novels back and forth for a while until I finally said, are you going to ask me out? We went on three awesome dates and then I left to do a show in Chicago for 3 months. We didn't really talk over those three months--Nathan says I ghosted him but when I got back to NYC, I got back in touch and the rest was history!

Tell us about the proposal.

Nathan is a hopeless romantic and the king of the grand gesture. He had my ring designed (with my sister's help) by my best friend's mom (@vancottjewelers, @birdielevinecreations) and it was so special that he used a vintage diamond that is over 100 years old because he knows I love vintage things. The proposal was a giant scavenger hunt that he spent months putting together with family and friends. It started out as a brunch with my bestie on a rooftop in Chicago and ended with a sunset proposal on the top of a dune in Northern Michigan, where I grew up going to camp. I got letters all day long that he had delivered to me. I was in a fairytale, hallmark movie all day long. It was the most special day of my life (besides the wedding!)

How would you describe the style/vibe of your wedding?

We went for outdoorsy/barn/romantic/vintage chic lol if that's a vibe. We love color and all things vintage. We had lots of bold bright jewel tones and lots of candles and flowers. The whole day was very personal and special. We got married on a gorgeous farm in Franklin, TN (where Nathan grew up) and it's a farm owned by a woman that Nathan went to high school with. It was her family farm and she turned it into a wedding venue, Cedarmont Farm. We were honored to get married at a spot that was so close to Nathan's childhood home--in fact out welcome BBQ was in the backyard of his family's home in Franklin. It was the most beautiful Fall day you could imagine with the most gorgeous sky and beautiful setting.

Tell us about your wedding stationery vision.

I didn't want something super traditional, though my mom loves a traditional invitation. We wanted something formal but colorful that reflected us. Green was a big color for us as I am Irish and also born on St. Paddy's day (so is my mom) and my family is very Irish so we love the green.

I walked down the aisle to a traditional Irish song sung by my college classmates and the bridesmaids dresses were dark green so we thought a green invitation would be fitting.

We wanted other jewel tone florals in addition to the green. One of our best friends, and co-officiant had hand painted our save the dates (and change the dates) with watercolor florals so we wanted her save the date to be tied into the invitation. Bright colors was the name of the game!

What detail of the wedding was most important for you?

Having the people we love with us was the most important part, esp after COVID. The wedding was so much more than just Nathan and I coming together but two familiies joining together and being surrounded by the people who led us to this point in our lives was the most important part which is why we chose to postpone our wedding instead of having a small ceremony or going to city hall to get married. Other than the personal touches, of which we had a lot, the music and the speeches was probably the most important part.

We were very intentional with our music selections and the importance of each song but we were also very intentional about who sang them. As a musical theater performer, I got to have all my best friends sing during the ceremony and reception. My classmates sang a capella as my dad walked me down the aisle, my roomies from college sang a song during the ceremony, my cousin sang our first dance, my best friend sang the father daughter dance, our two best friends (whose wedding Nathan and I officiated) officiated our wedding with lots of personal stories. Nathan's best family friends spoke, my uncle gave an Irish blessing, my sister, dad, and Nathan's brother killed their speeches, and the whole night culminated in a surprise "flash-song" (like a flash mob but a song) that my sister put together where everyone at the whole wedding sang some classic songs to us!

Who was the person or resource you most leaned on during the planning process?

We had the best wedding planner! Alex Bovee and Logan Koty from @visioninwhite and of course my mom, sister, and sister-in-law.

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