Christina and Matthew married in a gorgeous country wedding in Nashville at the Loveless Café and Barn, they also did their engagement there too, check it out here. Christina put together all of her own flowers—that was just one personal touch of the many throughout the day. The tablecloth used was a family heirloom and the cake cutter was their grandparents. A delicious traditional Southern meal of chicken, biscuits and peach sweet tea was served. Sounds like the perfect wedding! Thanks for sharing with us Christina and Matthew, and best wishes.
Christina & Matthew
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How did the two of you meet? I always joke that we met the old fashioned way… On the internet. I put up a profile on a dating site one night. The next morning I had a message from this cute guy. We chatted for bit, which led to texting, and after a week or so we met at Starbucks for coffee. Describe your engagement: Romantic and perfect. We went to the beach in my hometown early to watch the sun come up over the ocean. After we took a selfie, Matt asked me to check the pic on his phone, which distracted me long enough for him to pull out the ring and get down on one knee. It was beautiful. Personal or handmade details: We did a lot for ourselves. I spent months watching youtube tutorials on floral design, so we bought wholesale flowers from Import Flowers in Nashville, TN and I designed and put together all of the bouquets & bouts. With the help of my bridal party and family we put together all of the centerpieces. My Matron of Honor handpainted the watercolor wreath that became the frame for our wedding invitations. I got all of the stationary from Cards & Pockets online, and she had them printed. I am still so in love with how beautiful they turned out, and now we have the original artwork hanging in our home. Our centerpieces used wood tree cookies cut by my Matron of Honor and her husband, and feature a moss squirrel statuette. My dad called me squirrel. He passed away in 2004, so that was my little reminder of him. The tale covering on our gift table was made by my husband’s grandmother for his aunt’s wedding. His mom also used it at her wedding, and almost all other family weddings. I also had a piece of his grandmother’s veil sewn into my dress, along with a blue piece of fabric from one of my father’s neck ties. All decor was designed by me, and with the help of my husband’s family they decorated and pulled everything together the day of the wedding. Describe your wedding flowers: We used a combo of white, blush, and pink roses, accented with queen anne’s lace, stock, and silver dollar eucalyptis. My favorite were the off white Moonstone roses that had a slight greenish tone. The blooms were huge and fragrant. My mother in law carried sunflowers in memory of her late sister, Matt’s Aunt Donna. They were her favorite flower. Memories and Stories about the Day: I have never felt so much love as I did on our wedding day. The day went by so fast, but there are so many memories planted in my mind. The moment I saw Matt during our first look I giggled and cried, and that pretty much describes my mood for the rest of the day. Our families works so hard to make everything look perfect, and the staff at our venue looked after our every need. Everyone kept giving me the speech about “something will go wrong” but nothing did go wrong. They whole day was better than I even dreamed it would be. I feel so fortunate and blessed. To see all of our friends and family so happy and having so much fun is my favorite takeaway, outside of actually getting married. Everyone was giddy with happiness and excitement, which put a wonderful energy and buzz into the event and made everything so perfect. Your first dance song: Here and Now – Luther Vandross. (You can never go wrong with Luther Vandross The thing that we would have done differently is? I would have taken more time to stop and take it all in. I made sure to be really present for the ceremony, but the reception was a whirlwind. I think I may have also given ourselves more time during dinner to visit each guest table. We planned on it, but we could barely get through eating our dinner with well wishers coming up to our table. (It’s true that you can miss the chance to eat). There are some guest we didn’t even get the chance to speak with. Luckily those guest understood that our time was pretty limited. Our favorite detail of the wedding was: This is so hard to answer. Our ceremony was my favorite part of our wedding. As for a detail, I love my invitations. They were so beautiful, and all the more meaningful because the design was painted especially for us by my best friend. Your advice for other plus size brides: Do not limit yourself! I was so nervous going into the dress shopping process, which I think for a plus size bride is the number one thing that makes our wedding a little more challenging that smaller bride who wear straight sizes. I never thought I could wear strapless, and the first dress I put on was strapless and I cried when I saw how beautiful it looked on me. My second dress was a mermaid, and I was equally surprised. But the biggest surprise of all was that the dress I ended up buying isn’t even offered by the designer as a “plus size.” It is from the straight size collection, but they make the dress up to a size 32. The consultant I was working with brought in the size 16 (I’m a 20 in normal clothes) and just said “trust me.” I am so glad I did. I walked out of that dressing room, with the back of the dress wide open because it couldn’t zip, and I started jumping up and down saying “I’m a pretty princess!!!” I went into that store only considering plus size gowns, and walked out with the dress of my dress that was not plus size! Three adjectives that describe the day: Romantic, fun, euphoric What has surprised you most during the first few months of marriage? It’s been surprisingly easy. It just feels so natural and normal that Matt and I are married. I haven’t had that “omg I’m married moment” because being with him and living our lives together just feels right.
Vendor Love – Photography: Jon Reindl Photography | Venue: Loveless Barn | Bridal Gown Designer: lilybridal | Bridesmaids Attire: instyleprom| Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Macy’s | Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Cassandra Hagar | Wedding Planner: Bride | Florist: Bride | Cake: Classic Cakes by Leslie | Invitations & Calligraphy: Designed and hand painted by my Matron of Honor, Sarah Wickers | Music/Entertainment: JD’s Music | Rentals and Décor: Loveless Events | Officiate/ Minister: Pastor Dave Ficken
