Photography by Love is a Big Deal

We love “destiny” love stories, and Laura and Mike have a compelling one. Both are from the Bay area of San Francisco and both attended Denison University in Ohio. While looking through the freshman Facebook page of the incoming class, Mike saw Laura’s photo and declared to his friends, “She is mine.” They actually didn’t meet until the beginning of Laura’s sophomore year, but when they did, they were quickly ‘an item.’ After graduation, Mike and Laura continued dating in San Francisco. When Laura moved to Nashville to go to Vanderbilt grad school in 2011, Mike moved with her. After graduation from Vandy, it was Mike’s turn for grad school at USC in Los Angeles. About wedding planning, Laura shares, “Mike and I are laid back and fun-loving, so we wanted our wedding to reflect those aspects. We loved our time in Nashville, and I knew I wanted an outdoor, rustic, southern wedding theme, so when I googled those words, Cedarwood Weddings popped up! I fell in love with Cedarwood, and while I looked at venues in California and a few others in Nashville, Cedarwood was always the place on my mind. Cedarwood is also great at reflecting a couple’s relationship in their event styling and providing services for people like us who live far away.”

Laura and Mike’s June 1 wedding followed longtime bridal tradition. According to legend, The goddess Juno was the protector of women in all aspects of life, but especially in marriage, so a wedding in Juno’s month was considered most auspicious. On this day, even rainfall came at an auspicious time.  Although rain didn’t deter their gorgeous outdoor meadow ceremony, the Cedarwood event team swiftly shifted outdoor dining tables into the barn for a romantic candlelit (and dry) reception.  Always flexible and easy-going, Laura and Mike (and their guests) actually loved the uniqueness of dining in a barn filled with candlelight and laughter before moving to the entertainment pavilion for world-class fun with the Pat Patrick Band.  Laura is stunning in her “Carrie” wedding gown from Modern Trousseau, and her bridesmaids’ navy gowns from Bella Bridesmaids create a beautiful blend of soft and bold.  As you can see from these photos by Love is a Big Deal, a bit of rain didn’t altar Mike and Laura’s delightful day.

Congratulations Laura and Mike. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to know and work with you. Best wishes to Love is a Big Deal, and thanks for sending along these images for our blog.

Linda and the Cedarwood Event Team