~ Real Nashville Wedding ~ Lacey & Joseph
I had the pleasure of working with Lacey for her January wedding. Lacey is a true DIY-er and planned most of her wedding by herself. She and I worked together on a Wedding Month package to finalize details and the schedule.
What a delightful bride! Her wedding was January 30 - if you remember, that was the weekend of the huge snow and ice storm! Lacey was very cool and collected and had such a grip on reality and what mattered. It did not matter how many guests showed up or did not, what mattered was the fact that she was marrying the love of her life, Joseph.
Several things "went wrong" that day (including calling in china for 140 for the reception, recreating one of the floral wreaths at the ceremony, and sending an assistant in as pinch-hitter for a missing bartender!), but all the guests showed up and everyone had a rocking time! They danced and partied till midnight before sending Joseph and Lacey, the new Mr. & Mrs. Saggio, off in style.
Lacey spent a lot of time planning her wedding and I enjoyed pulling all the final details together with her.
About us:
Bride?
- Name: Lacey Anne Renfro
- Hometown and high school: Lebanon, TN, Lebanon High School, Lipscomb University
Groom?
- Name: Louis Joseph Saggio, III
- Hometown and high school: Louisville, KY, St. Xavier High School, Lipscomb University
My wedding details:
o Wedding date & time: January 30, 2010 at 6:30PM
o Ceremony location: First United Methodist Church Lebanon, TN
o Number of guests: about 120-140
o Reception location: Cumberland University’s Baird Chapel in Memorial Hall
My wedding style:
o My wedding style?
I wanted it to be classic and timeless with a bit of vintage flair, romantic elegance, and warmth.
o My colors and why I choose them:
Everything I did was very neutral and soft. The bridesmaids’ dresses were light smoky green. I used mostly ivory, and just a touch of rosy pink.
o My theme:
We didn’t really have a theme! We just wanted an elegant, intimate evening where everyone felt comfortable, had a wonderful time and did a little celebrating! I wanted to achieve somewhat of a garden wedding in the middle of winter, with creamy ivory roses, hydrangeas and lots of greenery. And boy, was it the middle of winter! Our wedding was on the weekend of the biggest snow middle Tennessee has seen in years!!
o Wedding wow factor? (What did your guests love?)
The “WOW” factor for me was how breathtakingly beautiful the reception was. It was just how I imagined it would be, but even better! Everything was just so perfect. The candlelight blew me away, and REM Entertainment made the whole room feel incredibly grand with the lighting Bob McClung designed! Guests couldn’t stop talking about the room, especially the painted ceiling.
o Favors:
My new Italian family completely stole the show with amazing, homemade Italian cookies for a traditional Sweet Treats table! Many of the Matriarchs of the Saggio family baked for us, some all the way from New York and Pennsylvania, and had them sent down for the wedding. There were so many different kinds, it blew my mind!
o Personalized touches:
This was one of the most important things to me for my wedding. My hands touched literally every aspect of the planning and each and every detail. I wouldn’t have been happy if it were any other way! I enjoyed planning everything so much! As far as the details, I especially loved the scrolled “S” that I hand-painted myself on the runner! I incorporated this font and “S” throughout the wedding and reception for continuity, even on the doors of Memorial Hall, which turned out to be one of my favorite details! I thought the simplicity and statement of just the “S” had a great impact. The low centerpieces incorporated stacked vintage books, which really reflects my personality, as I am wholeheartedly, a lover of literature.
For our parents, Joseph and I framed handwritten letters from us to them, with a space for a “future wedding picture.” I also surprised my Mom and Dad with embroidered handkerchiefs the day of the wedding. Our families are both exceptionally close, so having that strong sense of family was very important to us.
I had the Saggio family crest researched and incorporated onto Joseph’s groom’s cake as a surprise. Everyone just flipped over that. I wanted everyone to feel how much they are loved by us, and definitely how much we love each other…
o Gift for bridesmaids? Groomsmen?
For the bridesmaids, I found an etsy store, Miss Joan’s Hobby, that fashioned small, vintage pins into little bobbies for their hair. Each one was slightly different! For the guys, Joseph chose glass tankards from Things Remembered, personalized with each groomsman’s initials.
o Most special moment for me?
Lacey: The most special moment for me was the moment we turned around and were presented for the first time as husband and wife. A good friend of mine told me to really try to slow down and stop at that moment and soak it all in. Seeing how beautiful the church looked was wonderful, but what touched me to my core was seeing all the sweet faces of our family and friends, who braved the snow and ice to share that night with us.
I could truly feel the pride and love in that room, and I’ll never forget it.
Joseph: The moment I saw Lacey turn the corner and begin her lifelong journey down the runner towards the front of the church, I was just blown away of how beautiful she looked in her wedding dress and her pretty smile. Something special came over me for that next hour and I could do nothing but smile and look into the beautiful eyes of my new bride. It was truly the greatest moment for me on our wedding day, a memory that shall never be forgotten
My wedding vendors:
o Vendors hired and role?
Planner- Myself and My Mama! And a wonderful Month Of coordinator- Sarah Willard, Music City Events!
Cake- Maples Wedding Cakes
Photography- Jonathon Campbell Photography
Invitations- Ellas Paper
Dress- Pronovias, The White Room
Rings- Service Jewelry in Brentwood, TN
Music and Lighting- REM Entertainment
Rental Vendors- Grand Central Party, Party Providers, and Liberty Party Rental
o My faves – highly recommend
Ellas Paper
Service Jewelry
How I found my vendors?
Most of my vendors I found online, some pure luck, and two really important ones at the Bridal Show in Nashville in July- my photographer Jonathon Campbell and THE wedding cake company, Maples Wedding Cakes. Everything else I searched and planned and found the very best deals out there. I was overly impressed and super pleased with almost every vendor and company I worked with.
My wedding rewind:
o What I would do differently if planning again?
I would definitely have covered myself better legally with clear contracts, outlining the services agreed to and expected. Other than that, planning my wedding myself was perfect. I enjoyed it so much, even down to the smallest details!
o Best value for the service/product?
Truly, Music City Events and REM Entertainment.
I don’t know what I would have done the weekend of my wedding if I had tried to coordinate it myself. Sarah made everything just flawless and seamless. She took everything in stride and gave us a perfect, beautiful, winter white wedding! Bob McClung of REM Entertainment took such great care of us- the lighting was just out of this world, and our reception was truly a party, just like we wanted!
o Neatest find?
1. I can’t say enough how much I love etsy.com. So many small touches came from beautiful little shops there! For example, my earrings and my Mom’s necklace came from Scotland, the shop Luxe Deluxe. The brooch I added to my hair at the reception was a refashioned pin from the 1920s, Romancing the Bling, and my Mom’s lace bolero came all the way from Tel Aviv, Angelina Design. I special ordered my ring bearer’s pillow from Romancing Juliet, and worked on custom invitations with Ellas Paper. My custom handkerchiefs for my parents are from Molly and Mom, my garter is Florrie Mitton, based in the UK, and I bought the millinery flowers for my sash (that I made!) from Cultivar. All of these shops on etsy.com made my wedding the custom, personalized event that it was!
. But the very best thing, to me, were my little custom shoes from MIA Shoes. I searched for weeks for a classy, sophisticated flat, satin shoe. I could not find one anywhere that had a pointed toe. So, I took a chance and emailed customer service at MIA Shoes about making a custom order shoe for me from their Hepburn skimmer that I just loved. One of their reps, Sean Smith, emailed me back that day and said he wanted to make it happen: and he did. They made a sample for me in Brazil. The color matched my dress perfectly and they were the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever worn! Sean and I are still friends! He emailed me for weeks dying to see pictures, so I was really happy to finally show him how he helped complete my perfect Bridal ensemble. So, a special thank you to MIA Shoes and Sean Smith!!
What is one thing you wants brides to know?
If I could give any advice it would be this: slow down.
You’ve finally found the love of your life: take the time to really devour being engaged.
Love every minute of it.
Don’t let yourself get lost in the whirlwind, don’t stress out, and try not to fight with your fiancé.
It only happens once in your life that an event is dedicated, in its entirety, to you and the man you love, all eyes on you, celebrating you. It is truly a precious and life-changing day. Be sensitive to those involved- they love you. But, remember what the day is about: you and your future husband. So be sure to take up for yourself and be strong on what really matter to you… but also be thoughtful and kind. Find your balance between staying sensitive and being firm when you need to. But remember, your vendors are people too- honey attracts the fly, not vinegar- being kind and sweet will take you very far, and they will want to work with you and make you happy. And lastly, go with your gut instinct. If you have an uneasy feeling about a vendor, listen to yourself. You feel that way for a reason. Get everything on the table: verify and confirm, verify and confirm. Don’t assume anything.
Let go, pray a lot, and enjoy the excitement… it’s such a special time!!
Thanks Lacey and Joseph!