Photos by La Photographie
When Portland, Oregon residents Micah and Ryan got engaged, they began looking for a Nashville Wedding Venue for a Southern Destination Wedding. We are so happy Cedarwood matched their dream setting. Micah’s love of shabby chic, naturally organic and bohemian elements make up her custom blend for a country-romantic wedding. We are madly in love with Micah’s beautiful bohemian headpiece and feather earrings.
Tributes to Micah and Ryan’s loved ones was the thread woven throughout their celebration, starting with a ceremony introduction from Rumi, “Love is the whole thing. We are only pieces.” Friends of Micah and Ryan (The Collins Family) performed an amazing array of nontraditional, inspiring ceremony music. See their song selection at the end of this post. We are touched by the depth of love Micah and Ryan share together and with Ryan’s adorable daughter Cordelia. Enjoy their Southern Bohemian Cedarwood Wedding through these lovely photos by La Photographie.
Glorious gathering! Congratulations Micah and Ryan! Your love is a blessing to many. Thanks to Stephanie and Gigi of La Photographie for sharing images with us! Click the link to check out this talented duo’s images from Micah and Ryan’s engagement session in Portland!
As promised, here’s Micah and Ryan’s ceremony song selections titled on their program, “Mix, Mingle and Music”:
If I Were a Carpenter
Heartbeats
Over the Rainbow
Wild Horses
Canon in D Major
The Desperate Kingdom of Love
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
On Marriage by Khalil Gibran (reading)
We enjoy sharing insights from our brides, and Micah generously answered a few questions about her wedding:
What prompted the decision to have the wedding here and how would you describe your style? Answer: I knew I wanted our wedding to be at a classic southern farm, reminiscent to the one I grew up on. I started building my Pinterest board to reflect this, and started looking. When my mom and I pulled into Cedarwood, I got goosebumps and knew the search was done. It was everything in my imagination brought to life — rolling hills, a barn, a beautiful, old home. Perfection!! There was even an antique pickup truck for pictures — a Southern girl’s dream come true.
Did you have any special touches/traditions that you incorporated into your ceremony/reception? Answer: My fiance and I are fortunate enough to have lots of talented friends and loved ones in our lives. One of our visions for our wedding day was to create a day that was a true artistic collaboration with some of those folks nearest and dearest to our hearts — from the musicians, to our photographer, to the DJ, to our officiant. Every moment and aspect of the day involved someone we love. That collaboration & collective artistry is a huge part of what made things so magical. My other favorite special touch was our flower, cotton. We picked cotton not only for its aesthetic beauty, but more importantly for its metaphorical significance. The beauty of the cotton flower is truly just beginning when it blooms. From that point, unlike many flowers, cotton continues to evolve. It is the raw material that yields a plentitude of resources. I hope that our love is as resourceful and resilient as the cotton flower.
What were favorite moments? Answer: There are SO many, it’s hard to choose. I think one of my most favorite moments was when my dad walked me down the aisle. When I came around the corner and saw all our loved ones there and the way in which our vision for the day had come together, I was overwhelmed with love and happiness. It was truly magical!! My other favorite moment our family dance. My fiance has an amazing little girl, Cordelia, who is 3. It was very important to us that she feel included in the commitment that we were making to one another. In addition to being our flower girl extraordinaire, we designated a special dance between the 3 of us. I had never felt more connected to Ryan or to my stepdaughter as in that moment.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Answer: Magical, Bohemian, Southern
Did you have DIY details – describe? Answer: I can’t claim having done much myself other than the envisioning. But, one of my dearest and best friends designed all of our jewelry.
The most important is “what made your wedding day special?” Answer: There are SO many things that made this day literally the best day of my life. One of the main things was the fact that three months before our wedding, my fiance was in a serious motorcycle accident. I was actually in Nashville planning the wedding and got the call saying he had been in an accident. When I got home to Portland, he was in a wheelchair and doctors were telling us he would be having several surgeries before walking again. I called Cedarwood in tears to tell them we had to reschedule our wedding (by the way, they were AWESOME and empathetic about this!!). We were devastated. As you can see from our photos, he was nearly fully recovered by our wedding day! His multiple broken bones and surgeries all seemed like a distant memory.
Thank you Micah!
Linda & the Cedarwood Event Team
Vendors
Venue: Historic Cedarwood
Event design, planning, floral and décor: Cedarwood Weddings
Bridal Gown: White Room, Lebanon TN
Music: Justin & the Cosmics and The Smoking Flowers; DJ – Mindub
Jewely: M. Florita Designs
Photographer: La Photographie Nashville
Hair & Makeup: Alicia Maynard
Catering: Chef Christopher
Cake: Patty Cakes
Honeymoon: Amuleto, Zihuantenjo Mexico
This was my first time working with Cedarwood and I was blown away! They have gorgeous grounds, amazing staff, and flawless event coordination.
Dear Cedarwood: Oh how I love thee. I would write you a poem if I could. You are amazing, and I loved working with you and your staff. Until we meet again, Stephanie, La Photographie.
Gorgeous! The sleeve button is so special.