Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Weekend ReQap

Day 17 in the April A-Z Blog Challenge and we've landed on letter Q. Since we had a fun weekend away I'm going to do a little recap here today. Which has nothing to do with my challenge theme focused on grandparenting, but I knew from the get-go there would be a few random entries sprinkled throughout. 

Hey, it wouldn't be my blog if you always knew what was coming, right? 

Q is for Quite The Weekend

Friends who go way way back hosted a wedding in Nashville this past weekend and we were so happy to be included in the celebration. It's been a long time since I've been in Nashville and the city has really grown up and out since Daughter2 and I made a campus visit to Vanderbilt in 2007. 

Let's not even mention she was a seventeen year old high school senior then because how can that be???

Anyhoo, Nashville. I love it. It could use a power wash, but it's a great city with loads of things to do. Music, sports, history, fun. It's a busy busy place and I'm pretty sure every bride-to-be in the continental United States has a hen party there now. The number of bachelorette groups we saw was ka-razy! You knew immediately that's what they were...boas round their necks and fluorescent pink, green, and purple wigs on their heads. 

I don't get the wigs. I sound old, but did y'all have a bachelorette party when you got married? That wasn't a thing when I got married. A night out sure, but not a whole weekend away with air travel and expensive hotel rooms. Times change and customs too and it seems like most brides now have a bachelorette shindig. 

We had a little side trip on the way to town which I'll for sure talk about one day soon, but for now let's stick to the wedding weekend.  

Nashville is a great mix of old and new. They have fully embraced the music scene and I'm here for it. The CMA's were happening on Sunday evening, but we didn't realize that until someone told us Blake Shelton had been in his bar the night before. If you watched the CMA's on tv they had about 10 people in the audience due to Covid restrictions. I'm here to tell you the streets were teeming with people and the bars were full to overflowing. It's such a mishmash of rules and no-rules that nobody really knows what's what. 

The groom is the son of one of our bestest college buds so most of our weekend revolved around wedding people and activities. We stayed at The Graduate which is a cute, funky hotel. There are several around the country but the Nashville hotel has a Dolly Parton theme and there are nods to her everywhere. The location is great and we'd definitely go back. 

Friday night we met up for dinner with more college friends and had the most enjoyable, leisurely meal at Husk, starting with an oyster topped with lemon sorbet and a splash of Sotol. 

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and met up with the the groom's parents, a couple of their neighbors also in town for the wedding, and the bride and groom. We gabbed and caught up and then called it a night. 

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Midtown Cafe with our friends. So good! We girls had our hair done then met back up with the guys and headed over to Broadway to see what we could see. Which was a little bit of everything and has to be one of the world's best spots for people watching. We listened to music floating out of the various venues and decided to grab a seat in one, Kid Rocks Honky Tonk. It was so much fun, and we met people at the neighboring tables, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Country music can do that. 

It can also make you cry, but today was all about the happy. 

Which brings me to the wedding. The event was held outside the city limits but the couple had a shuttle for guests so we didn't have to drive. The ceremony and reception were in a pretty venue called The Front Porch, a farm like setting in the serene Tennessee countryside. There was a cocktail hour beside the pool, followed by the reception in a beautifully decorated new barn. 

The bride and groom married beneath an enormous old tree and the vows were something special y'all. I'm not going to tell their story because it's not mine to tell, but you needed more than one kleenex to make it through. 

We had a delicious supper and danced a lot because that's what we like to do. Eat and dance. Hubs, the groom's dad, and our Friday night dinner friend were all fraternity brothers some 40 years ago, and they can still impress the 'kids' with their moves. 

These two men standing with with hubs and the groom were in our wedding once upon a time and the long and lasting bonds of love and friendship we still share make these life markers feel extra special. 

Cheers to the adorable newlyweds and a lifetime of happiness! 

4 comments:

  1. That cake stand is really different and pretty! The bride is beautiful! Weddings are so great and seeing old friends is always wonderful. I will make it to Nashville one of these days. COVID kept us from celebrating our 35th anniversary there. I still would like to go, and will one day. Thanks for the tips on where to stay and where to eat!! And thanks for sharing your fun weekend with us!

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  2. Such fun! We were in Nashville weekend before last for a wedding. Nashville is indeed a cool place. We were mostly in the Franklin/Cool Springs/Brentwood area. When we were stuck in traffic on the way to the reception, a party bus passed by in the other lane. This party bus had a HOT TUB in the back and the girls were all in bikinis . . .you could tell there were lots of beverages and I think they were having fun . . .

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  3. No night out, just the bridal shower for me. I've never been to Nashville. Sounds like a great weekend. What a beautiful setting for the wedding.

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  4. Joyce,

    Nashville is a nice city. The traffic is horrible but we like visiting when we can. It looks like it was a nice occasion and everyone had lots of fun.

    Quiz an Quackbusters Looney Tunes A-Z Art Sketch

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