Couple Highlight: Makena and Jacob

One of the best parts of the wedding business is getting to know so many precious people who come to celebrate at our place! Each couple is unique in their story, style, food preferences, and vibe. One of these lovely couples was Makena and Jake. It was such an honor to be part of their beautiful wedding which had some curveballs thrown in along the way but turned out to be one of our favorite weddings ever! She was kind enough to share some of her insights about the process with Ramble Creek.

Makena found us on Instagram like many of our brides

She explains a bit: “When my husband and I first started talking about our dream wedding, I researched hours upon hours on Instagram for the perfect venue. That's when I stumbled upon Ramble Creek. It had everything I ever wanted and more! Their beautiful white barn is what originally caught my eye. I loved that the venue had a beautiful piece of land as I have always dreamt of an outdoors wedding and I also loved that it had a stunning indoor option as well. Like any other bride, my number one fear was weather. I have always dreamt of a beautiful outdoor ceremony, but it was so comforting to know that Ramble Creek had the most amazing indoor option if need be. From their barn, to their outdoor space, their bridal suite, the groomsmen suite, to all the amenities offered- it was a no brainer. When it came time to go tour the space, I put it in our Maps to see it was 3 hours away... Apparently I didn't do a great job with my research for Nashville wedding venues. But by that time, I was already hooked. It didn't matter that it was 3 hours away, I gave up all my original plans just to have this place as our wedding venue because that's how much I loved it!

When it comes to planning, it would be easiest to live near the venue, but Makena expounded upon her experience with us:

“Obviously planning a so-called ‘destination’ wedding is a little stressful just because you don't know personally the vendors in the area or can't go visit it like you could if you were planning an in town wedding. But Ramble Creek has an amazing list of "preferred vendors" that they offered us and we actually ended up using a lot of them. The Ramble Creek staff was amazing and always welcomed my questions and put my mind at ease. Also, my amazing wedding planner, Josiah Carr, helped calm all of my nerves as well.”

a curveball named covid… Makena told us what it was like having to change all her wedding plans:

“When COVID ruined all of our wedding plans, it was quite literally the most heartbreaking thing I've ever gone through. I've dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl and I basically had everything already planned out on my Pinterest board. When COVID was increasingly getting worse and worse- we knew we were going to have to alter our plans. It seemed as if each day that passed we tried brainstorming different plans and would say that we made a decision, but then a day would pass and we changed our mind. It was super stressful as the countdown started getting closer and closer. Jake and I knew that no matter what we were going to get married on our wedding day, May 1st. We just didn't know what it was going to look like. Although it was super heartbreaking, it brought reality into perspective and really stripped down all the beautiful things that come with a wedding like the flowers, the dress, the dancing, etc. It really showed us what marriage is all about and that we were wanting to get married- to get married. Not to have all these extravagant things (although they are nice and what we've always dreamed of). We wanted to be united as husband and wife and nothing else really mattered other than that.

So- we did end up getting legally married on May 1st in my parents’ backyard with only both our parents in attendance as well as a few friends. It was beautiful and I don't regret it one bit! But we did know that we eventually wanted to have the wedding we've always dreamed of. Although our wedding plans changed each day leading up to May 1st, the one thing that calmed my mind was how patient and generous Ramble Creek was with us through that heartbreaking process. They walked right alongside us through the heartbreak. But when it came time to celebrate with them eventually- they made it truly unforgettable!”

an unforgettable do-over…

Makena and Jake eventually made their way to Ramble Creek about 4 months after their original wedding date. The pressures of Covid had eased up a bit, allowing their closest friends and family to be able to join them at Ramble Creek. Though they had already been living as husband and wife, they didn’t want to forego the celebration of their union. It was truly a magical day that none of us will ever forget. Not only were their friends and family some of the sweetest and genuine people to grace our property, the love they all shared was palpable. A myriad of special touches like dedicating a portion of their ceremony to praise and worship, praying together, and heartfelt speeches (Makena’s best friend is her brother… how sweet is that?!) made the day even more memorable to those in attendance as well as all of us. It was abundantly clear that this couple has a huge support system to help them travel all of life’s many roads. As it turns out, they have a new chapter adding to their sweet story in the near future. They recently found out they are going to be parents to a baby boy! This little one is already so blessed to have parents who adore each other, an extended family who loves him, and a community of close friends on standby. We are so happy for them and know they will raise a kind, intelligent, wonderful human— just like Makena and Jake!

Makena made sure to list all of her wonderful vendors to acknowledge the important role they place in the magic.

Planner and Event Stylist: Ninth and Everett, Josiah Car

Videographer: Light Cannon Films

Dress and Suit: Olia Zavozina

Photographer: Victoria Bonvinci

Floral Design: Sarah Oakland