When he proposes at her family lake house, what better way to keep the wedding just as personal than to have the reception in his backyard? You know what they say: location, location, location. Yes, that is mostly used in real estate, but the same is true for weddings. Carl and Frances really embraced the sentiment of the at-home wedding. From the prominence of roses that mirrored the gardens to the lounge area on the landing over the swimming pool, they kept the perfect touch of backyard elegance and romanticism of the at-home wedding. 

The Couple: Carl + Frances Grote

Wedding Date: September 8, 2018

Location: St. Georges and Home of the Groom, Nashville

Tell us “your story” in a few sentences. We were in the same friend group in high school and our families have been friends forever. So we have known each other for a while just as friends, he went to MBA and I went to Harpeth Hall. After college we met up again at a New Years Eve Party at The Ruby and talked to one another all night. The following day he asked me out on our first date and we have been together ever since.

Pick three ways you would describe your wedding. Romantic, garden-feel, and classic/southern.

Tell us a little bit about your aesthetic. I really wanted to embrace the location, at home weddings are so special. There were tons of roses in the garden so our main flower was the garden rose. We used pale pink, tan, and greens in the flowers. We also used a lot of tan koko loco roses from California, which were amazing. The colors for the wedding were tan, white, and sage. Bridesmaid dresses were sage and looked lovely with all the greenery. We had custom painted bars from Please Be Seated in tan and white, and a custom brown and white dance floor. Also, the pool was partially floored to make a “landing” with lounge furniture.

What was your favorite detail from the day? Carl is an amazing dancer, so our first dance was my favorite part, “Hallelujah I just love her so”, by Ray Charles. Second, his college band played the final song of the night “Good Lovin’”, which was amazing. Carl played the piano and it was a huge hit.

What is one thing you wish you would’ve known before you started planning your wedding? I am a meeting and event manager and have coordinated weddings before. So I was pretty familiar with the process, but I would say just knowing your style is good and being confident and decisive about your decisions. (Don’t over complicate it!)

Tell us why you love EOH custom paper lovelies! Emily did an amazing job on my invitations. The paper was a nice linen finish, so thick, and the letterpress was perfect. We needed a nice taupe gray color to blend with our wedding colors. Fabulous job. 

Frances is the epitome of the classic southern bride. She is simply lovely! Lovely to work with, has lovely style and planned a lovely wedding with wedding planner Jenny Corts. (Can we mention the gorgeous flowers and the lounge area over the pool!! To die for!) Frances was a joy to work for and design with.  It is always helpful when a bride knows what she wants and what she does not want. I always encourage brides to tell me ‘no’ or  suggest another font…only helpful because the end result is always better! We want our brides to LOVE their wedding suites and feel pride in sending them to their guests. For the wedding suite, we used a luxurious paper with a custom taupe letterpress ink. Letterpress is a classic printing method, where each invitation is pressed by hand and leaves a stunning impression in the paper. It portrays elegance and let’s the guests know that they are in for a wedding that will be timeless! There are so many talented vendors in Nashville and we were honored to have been chosen to work with Frances and Carl! Cheers to the Grotes!!

DRESS Isabelle Armstrong // VENUE St. George’s Episcopal Church // PHOTOGRAPHER Kristin Sweeting // WEDDING PLANNER Jenny Corts // PAPER Emily O. Holmes // FLOWERS Flwr Shop // CATERER Dani Kates // CAKE Leland Riggins // RENTALS Nashville Tent and Awning & Quest Nashville & Bright Event Productions & La Tavola & Lendable Linens & Please Be Seated // HAIR AND MAKEUP Debbie Dover