Casey and Elizabeth’s Wedding
March 1, 2017 | Permalink
Are you looking to get married? Are you struggling to find that perfect venue at the right price? We sat down with newlyweds Casey and Elizabeth to talk about their November 2016 wedding at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have the wedding of your dreams. See their photos and hear about their experience getting married in a Tennessee State Park:
Why did you choose Cedars of Lebanon State Park for your wedding?
I (Elizabeth) have lived in Nashville for the last 13 years, so it has become home. We wanted to find somewhere for a late fall outdoor wedding that had nature but where we could still dress it up for a more glamour/romantic feel. Our budget was small; around $10,000 for everything from the venue to the dress. When we found out that Cedars of Lebanon State Park was so affordable we couldn’t imagine passing it up! The Cedar Forest Lodge was perfect with the old stone and wooden features! With adding some pops of color and interesting design features, we knew we could create our Do-It-Yourself wedding and still make our dreams come true. We also had a lot of family/wedding party coming in from out of town who had a limited budget. Being able to stay at the venue gave us more time together and turned our wedding into a full weekend event.
What was your favorite part of having your wedding at Cedars of Lebanon?
Being in nature is such an important part of our story and our lives so we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. We wanted to be close to Nashville for the wedding, so choosing a Tennessee State Park was the perfect option for us! The ambiance of the reception site was so sweet and I will forever treasure looking out around our family and friends who came to celebrate with us.
How was your experience with planning your wedding at a Tennessee State Park?
We wanted to have a different feel than most outdoor weddings. Working with the state park staff, we were able to make all of our dreams come true. Throughout the planning process, we had several questions regarding to the actual ceremony site, Cedar Forest Lodge, as well as the cabins. The staff was always very helpful and accommodating. We added an additional cabin and pavilion last minute and they made it so easy to do when it could have been a stressful crunch time. We had a great experience in working with everyone at Cedars of Lebanon State Park!
How many guests did you have at your wedding? Did your guests stay at the park?
We had 100 guests for our wedding. With our ceremony and reception being primarily outdoors, we were able to create a little more room for a few extra guests. Our wedding party, hair and makeup artist and immediate family stayed at the cabins. All of our other guests stayed at nearby hotels.
How were your overnight accommodations?
The cabins were absolutely one of the best parts of our weekend! They were clean, provided all the linens, and having a full kitchen was the best! We cooked breakfast and lunch for all our people and it created a homey, relaxing feel. We spent the whole first day decorating Cedar Forest Lodge, walking through the rehearsal and enjoying our rehearsal dinner in Pavilion #1. That evening we still had to put all our flower arrangements and bouquets together but we had the best time sitting out on the porch of one of the cabins with hot teas and flowers surrounding us everywhere. We wanted our wedding weekend to be relaxing and enjoyable. Having the cabins, and having everyone there together, made our weekend so much sweeter.
Photos from the wedding courtesy of Chad Erickson Photography
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