Outdoor Plantation Wedding in Tennessee by Abigail Bobo

Outdoor Plantation Wedding in Tennessee by Abigail Bobo

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You know we love to focus on weddings that include meaningful touches, and this one sent to us by photographer Abigail Bobo really tugged at our heart strings... We'll let the bride take it from here, as she tells us why they chose the particular date of their special day!

"My grandparents were married on September 26, 1942 and were married for 68 years before they both passed away in 2011. My grandmother had cancer and my grandfather died two months later of a broken heart. They had a strong and truly happy marriage and loved each other so much. It's rare to come across that type of love story now days. Braden and I wanted to honor their memory and when we found out September 26, 2015 fell on a Saturday, we knew that had to be our wedding date. Braden also proposed with my grandmother's engagement ring and her wedding band is also my wedding band. My grandparents meant the world to me, and I wished they could have met Braden, but I know they were looking down on us on our wedding day smiling with love and joy." The Ceremony

Why did you choose this location for your ceremony? Carnton Plantation is a stunning southern plantation venue with a rich history. We loved the gardens, southern charm, and overall elegance of the venue. We chose to be married under the beautiful, large Osage Orange tree on the property, which is 180 years old!

What was your ceremony music? I walked down the aisle with my mom to the piano version of How He Loves by John Mark McMillan. My parents divorced while I was in high school and my dad isn't active in my life. My mom is my best friend and it was so meaningful and emotional having her walk me down the aisle and give me away.

How did you go about planning your ceremony? Braden and I planned our ceremony together. Our faith and relationship with God is very important to us, and we wanted to build the foundation of our marriage on Him, so our ceremony was centered around God and His love. We also wanted people who attended our ceremony to leave with a better understanding of the beautiful and sacred covenant of marriage and a deeper understanding of God's love for them. We knew we wanted to start our marriage by washing each other's feet. To us, this act meant humbling ourselves to serve each other and show love, devotion, and commitment.

You can read more about how other couples have included the foot washing tradition into their ceremonies right here!

Who officiated your ceremony? How did you choose him/her? Steve Sherman officiated our wedding. He and his wife were our team leaders for a medical mission trip to Guatemala. Braden and I had both been going on the mission trip for several years and had formed a deep relationship with him and his wife.

What were your vows like? We always knew we wanted to write our own vows, as well as say a more modern version of traditional vows. I actually finished writing my vows fifteen minutes before the ceremony!

What were your ceremony readings? Ephesians 4:32-5:2 // Ephesians 5:15-16, 22-33 // Proverbs 24:3-4

Your ceremony in three words. Sentimental, emotional, joyful.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding?
Putting all of the logistics aside, have fun! Don't stress over the wedding planning details. The important part is marrying your best friend. Focus on your marriage and future together. The ceremony was most important to us, because it's the part that matters!

Is there anything else that helps tell the story of your wedding? Our wedding was outdoors and there wasn't rain in the forecast until two days before our wedding! It rained off and on during the day of our wedding. The sun was out for about twenty minutes the whole day, and it happened to be when we were having our first look! We have amazing bright and sunny photographs, as well as moody and stormy. Abigail did an incredible job with our photos and handling the weather situation. It stopped raining ten minutes before our ceremony started and the groomsmen rushed to dry off all the seats. Thankfully, we were still able to have our ceremony outside. Ten minutes after our ceremony, the floodgates opened! It poured! We were in the middle of taking more portraits when this happened and ran back to the bridal suite. We were drenched and my dress was soaked! I did not care though. Braden and I had too much fun running and playing in the rain on the way back to the bridal suite. We were newly married, happy, the rain just added a fun story to it.

The Reception

How would you describe your reception? Fun, comfortable, social.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception? My favorite moments during our reception were our first dance, and when we danced with our moms. Our first dance song was I'm Yours by Secret Nation. My mother and I did a mother-daughter dance to Like My Mother Does. I don't remember the name of the song my husband and mother-in-law danced to, it wasn't a common song, but it was a precious moment between them. They both exchanged sweet tears.

Please tell us about any other special details or moments from your reception. The dancing at the reception was so fun! We had several children really break it down! Also, my mom, Matron of Honor and the flower girl did the whip/nae nae in front of everyone!

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding? Prioritize your budget, and stay organized! The weekend before our wedding, I bought those big plastic storage tubs and labelled each one for each part of the day, with each item no matter how big or small listed individually, including boxes that could be checked off once items were packed back into them once it was over. It kept everything neat and organized, and since everything was labeled, you didn't have to flip through a million boxes trying to find a single item.

I also printed out a wedding day schedule that included every single one of the day's events, even the times the vendors were supposed to get there. I sent it out the week before the wedding to the wedding party and even handed out paper copies at our rehearsal. It had the photo schedule, times to be at the venue, phone numbers, etc (clear communication is so vital with weddings!) Putting in all this work to stay organized kept me from rushing around and stressing out the week of the wedding. I had everything done, so I could relax and slow down before the big day.

And ultimately, remember to step back from all of that and enjoy your day. Try to take it all in because it goes by so fast!

What was the best advice you received as a bride? A few people told me to take mental snapshots throughout the day, but to be honest, I was so happy and excited about marrying Braden, I tried to do it, but at the end of the day, everything was still a blur! A joyful blur, but it's still hard to remember. It went by so fast!

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