Cheekwood is one of my favorite places to visit in Nashville.  Not only are the gardens absolutely picturesque but it has this beautiful serene quality that just makes you slow down and stop and appreciate the beauty of nature.  If you live in Nashville and you’ve never gone to the holiday lights at Cheekwood do yourself a favor and make sure to go this year and then buy a membership and go back at least once in every different season of the year.

Like many of the weddings that I’ve photographed this year it was forecasted to rain on Tom and Guy’s wedding day.  That morning it looked like there would be a period of time where it wouldn’t rain so I headed down to Cheekwood early to meet up with Tom and Guy.  It ended up never raining so we had lots of extra time before the ceremony to walk around, explore the gardens and take some photos.  I really loved the relaxed pace that we had and it gave us a lot of time to go to some areas of the gardens that we might not have had time for otherwise.  Some of my absolute favorites where when we went into the Japanese Gardens.  Shomu-en, the Pine-Mist garden,“is a place of quiet and meditation, a refuge from the outside world. The lantern at the gate is a symbol of enlightenment, and the gate always stands open as a sign of welcome.”  Tom and Guy love to travel the world together and I really felt like this was the perfect place to capture some really intimate portraits of them.

Throughout the ceremony and during the toasts at the reception there were so many great memories and stories that were shared.  It was truly evident that this couple’s love is so strong for each other and also reaches out and touches so many others.

I’m not great at styling but I know good style when I see it (and I love to photograph it).  I really didn’t know what to expect for the reception.  But as we watched all of the details come together from the window above the space it was clear that not only was it styled beautifully it was styled perfectly for Tom and Guy.  It is so much fun watching a blank space transform into something truly breathtaking.  The tables and all the decorations were perfectly color coordinated and had a unique elegance and masculinity to them.

I am still dreaming of the biscuit bar from this wedding.  A table pilled with bacon, jams, butters, chocolate sauce and delicious bacon is probably my idea of perfection (there might be three photos of said table waiting for you if you scroll down).  The different food stations at the reception got everyone up and moving and coming back to their tables showing off their plates and comparing and planning their next trip.  It was a great way to kick off the party.  O.k. enough about food. (for now)

Once the dancing got started it didn’t stop.  Seriously… people didn’t want to leave at the end of the night.  And I think that is exactly what a wedding should be.  A day to celebrate love in all of its forms.  A day to laugh.  A day to cry (tears of joy). A day to enjoy great food and great company.  A day to dance.  And a day that you want to be able to relive over and over again.  Congrats Tom and Guy and thank you for allowing me to share this day with you.  😍📷

Venue: Cheekwood Botanical Garden – Nashville, TN
Coordinator: Amos Gott
Catering: G Catering
Cake: Dulce Desserts
DJ: Nashville Party Authority
Suits: Bonobos
Flowers and decor : AmosEvents
Tents and rentals : Music City Tents and Events
Lighting : Bradfield Stage Lighting
Ceremony musicians : Wedding Musicians Company