Monday, October 13, 2008

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

I generally don't post anything personal in this blog, but I felt like it would be alright to take a departure from "policy" just this once. Saturday night, we celebrated the marriage of our daughter, Mary Catherine, to Ben Brown. It was a spectacular evening full of great joy, special friends, and new beginnings. Ben and Mary Catherine have been together for several years, and during that time we have come to love Ben as if he were our own son. We could not have asked for a better husband for our daughter! 

As an event planner, I had NO idea what a different dynamic your child's wedding takes on in comparison to most events. Each creative choice and logistical detail has an emotional attachment that heightens the intensity of every aspect of the event. An undertaking of this scope takes a huge effort by a lot of people. All of our friends helped make this happen in their own special ways. Our dinner group friends hosted a wonderful wedding shower and made gift baskets for our out of town guests. Our long-time friends Jim and Emmy Thomas and Kim and Jim Sheridan hosted a "tool" shower last weekend to help prepare the couple for maintenance of their new home. Jim also drove the getaway car after the wedding, complete with his chauffeur's cap and an assortment of other whaky party hats. Our GMC creative team of Keith Brogdon and Jim Sheridan created most of the artwork and graphics for programs and signs. Sheryl and Brandon Thomas helped create the wonderful visual experience for the event by helping with all the flowers and table decor. Sheryl and her assistant Cory Davis were also instrumental in helping us pull many of the details together on the overall event - we could not have done it without Sheryl's guidance. Brandon also served as MC for the reception. Additional gorgeous floral designs for the rehearsal dinner were provided by Elle's Marche' des Fleurs.Our church friends, Tom and Cathy Davis, volunteered their kitchen for a caramel apple making party - what a mess that was, but totally worth it! Our scenic team, lead by Chris Lyle and Chris Arsenault, did a spectacular job of setting up the decor for the rehearsal dinner and reception. Joyce Jones at BBJ Linens helped with all of the fabulous linens. Our caterer, Sargent's Fine Foods, created and executed a fabulous menu for the reception. Jan Anderson and Carol Hankla from our church helped orchestrate the flawless execution of the ceremony (no small task when trying to manage 20 bridesmaids and groomsmen). "Aerial's" rooftop perspective on downtown Nashville was a tremendous venue for the rehearsal dinner. "The Musician's Hall of Fame" and their staff could not have been more cooperative and supportive in helping us create the perfect setting for the wedding  reception. Eddie Friar was an invaluable resource for helping us with the wine and champagne. And my friend David Holloway pulled it all together by overseeing the entire set up and execution of the wedding reception - words cannot express my gratitude for everything he did to make the event all I had envisioned. Yesterday, Byron and Vanessa Massie (my wife's brother's family) came to our aid by helping us host a farewell brunch for all of the out-of-town guests who came to the wedding. I know there are others who I may have overlooked here, but I hope you know you are appreciated and loved by our family for all you did to make this wedding such a memorable event for our daughter. It was a truly awesome weekend!

I don't have any of our own photos from the weekend's event, so I have relied on the kindness of friends for these photos. I wish I had more shots of the bride and groom, but that will come later. Here are a few that I "borrowed" from some of our friends who posted these pictures on their Facebook sites. 

This is the main reception area just prior to opening the doors. The entire room was done in orange, red, cream, and black. It looked spectacular!

The cake table before adding flowers from the bridesmaids' bouquets.

Entertainment was provided by the GABE DIXON BAND. The band's music was perfect for the event. He is one of Ben and Mary Catherine's favorite bands. Gabe is an amazing vocalist and keyboard player, and tours with Loggin's and Messina as a principal keyboard player. Awesome music, Gabe!

The reception was staged at Nashville's "Musician's Hall of Fame and Museum". Guests passed through the museum on the way from the initial reception area into the main performance hall. The hall of fame was a perfect setting for our music oriented crowd.

Here is the fabled "floral war zone" in the Thomas's kitchen. Sheryl and Brandon had not idea what they were getting into when they volunteered for this project!

Here is my youngest daughter, Eliza (in the front), with some or our family friends at the wedding reception. Eliza also sang "Fields of Gold" at the wedding. What can I say? It was phenomenal. I was so proud of her!

Here is Cory Davis in the Thomas's kitchen on the morning of the wedding. Cory designed an amazing centerpiece for the entrance hall at the reception. It was stunning!

Here are the centerpieces for the reception tables. The bowl is a carved white pumpkin. It was perfect for the autumn oriented color scheme we had chosen.

Sheryl and Brandon Thomas (left) and Jeff Nease and Denise Hoey. Jeff and Denise had initially chosen the same wedding date and reception venue for their upcoming wedding, but changed it when they learned we were already planning for the same date. I felt terrible, but they seemed to be relieved at having a little extra time to plan their own big day. 

Centerpieces were tall glass cylinders filled with assorted apples, gourds, and pumpkins. They were perfect!

The wedding cake. Although I didn't get any, I heard it was fantastic!

A friend of Sheryl Thomas made this guitar cake for Ben. Ben is the guitarist for the band "American Bang". The are signed to Warner Brothers Records and will be releasing their first album in a few months. 

Here is the end result of Cory Davis' masterful design for the centerpiece in the entrance lobby at the reception. It was amazing!

My middle daughter, Anna, is on the left, with Grace Davis in the center, and my youngest daughter, Eliza, on the right. Anna and Eliza shared Maid of Honor duties. They were both a big help to Mary Catherine through the whole process. 

Here are Ben and Mary Catherine in their first dance together.

Ben and Mary Catherine cutting the cake.

This is Mary Catherine with Eliza at the reception. I can't wait to get all the photos everyone else took! If you were there and have some shots, please send them to me...I would love to see them!