Photos by Ashley Sawtelle

When Colorado destination photographer Ashley Sawtelle contacted Cedarwood about shooting with us when she was in Nashville, we seized the opportunity to reveal Cedarwood’s new Nature Preserve Bridge and showcase some very special friends.  Our goal was to show the organic beauty of a bride in Cedarwood’s natural areas with minimal styling, allowing the purity of the subjects and the diverse textures and hues of the land to be captured on film. We are delighted Magnolia Rouge featured it on their international destination wedding blog!

Kaylee Archer of Nashville’s newest bridal boutique, The Dress Theory, was ‘spot on’ in helping us select the perfect gown for our nature preserve inspirational shoot (as we are certain they do for every bride-to-be that visits them!)  Auckland designer Rue de Sein‘s “Eve” dress was chosen to embrace the simplicity of native beauty.  Adorned only with an elegant Twigs and Honey headpiece, our model Camille Birkhead is a lovely ingenue bride.  (Special thanks to our good friend Amy Phillips of Eye Model Management for sending us Camille for this shoot!)

Betsy Cathcart of Studio BBC Salon, Nashville’s top-tier talent for hair and make up, has worked with many Cedarwood brides and shows how expertly she can match a bride’s look to her choice of gown, event styling and location.  Cedarwood designers handcrafted a forged bouquet for our young bride with spring blossoms and foliage found on the property. Graceful wild Honeysuckle provides a foundation for loosely gathered flowers including: Sweet Clover picked from the meadows; Lenten Roses, Ferns, Bleeding Hearts, Astilbe from the creek side shade garden; and delicate Wild Hyacinths plucked along meandering walking paths. Hand-tied with long Lyon French ribbons, the bouquet is as fluid as the bride’s organically elegant style.

Historic Cedarwood’s Nature Preserve is 50 acres of untamed native beauty. Our event designers take every opportunity to venture into our property’s designated green belt, not only for our commitments to composting, water and forest ecology, but also for design inspiration for Cedarwood Weddings. We love incorporating forged plant materials into our floral designs, and our goal of growing a portion of our wedding flower inventory is fast becoming a reality with the development of our very own flower farm.

Thanks again, to these very special friends for making this beauty come to life:

Photographer: Ashley Sawtelle // Venue & Floral Designer: Cedarwood Weddings // MUAH: Betsy Cathcart of Studio BBC // Dress Retailer: The Dress Theory // Dress Designer: Rue de Siene // Headpiece: Twigs & Honey // Model: Camille Birkhead of Eye Model Management

Linda & the Cedarwood Event Team