On May 18th, 2018, I got to experience working my first wedding at the Rutherford. I arrived at the venue while the reception was still being set up and managed to catch a glimpse of the decorations before the guests began to arrive. This couple’s vibe was very classically southern.
First Impressions
The Herticas are high school sweethearts, and the great thing about this wedding was that whether or not you knew them well, you could figure this out on your own. For the cocktail hour, they placed several tall tables around the bar. On each table sat a picture frame holding a photo of a memory from their relationship. From their high school prom, to their first vacation, to when they bought their first house, they wanted to allow their guests to see as many special moments from their relationship as possible.
It’s all in the details.
I loved all of the small personal details that they incorporated into the space. They created personalized street signs with their names on them to say “Jake Junction” and “Tara Trail” that sat at the entrance of the dining room. Instead of a guest book they placed a wooden letter “H” on a table and placed a sign above it that said “Sign our love letter”. This was one of the many examples of them taking traditions and giving them cute twists. They chose a 1955 Chevrolet truck that had been converted into a wood fire pizza kitchen to cater their reception. They wanted the children attending the reception to have something to play with, so they attached bells, ribbon, and lace to wooden sticks for the children to wave around while dancing.
Standing Out.
The most unique thing about this wedding was the groom’s cake. The bride and groom’s favorite place to eat was Hooter’s, and they wanted to find a way to incorporate this into their wedding day. One of the ways they did this was by having Hooter’s cater wings to their reception, the other was by dedicating the groom’s cake to the restaurant. The groom’s cake was made at Couture Cakes, and was shaped like the body of a Hooter’s girl and was wearing a Hooter’s uniform. This was a very creative way to include one of their shared interests on their wedding day. One of my favorite touches was their tribute to their lost loved ones. They dedicated a table to the family members that had passed too soon to see them wed. There were pictures of these family members scattered on top of the table, with a plaque in the middle that read “We know you’d be here today if heaven weren’t so far away.”
This wedding was a wonderful, family-friendly event. It definitely had a sweet and intimate vibe. It was truly an honor to be involved in the Hertica’s special day, and this experience has definitely left me excited for the next time I get to work on a wedding.
Best,
KV