1. Real Weddings

A Romantic Wedding at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee

It took only a week after Bonnie Mertz (26 and a nurse) shared a patient with Jason Rogers (33 and an orthopedic surgeon) for the pair to start dating

It took only a week after Bonnie Mertz (26 and a nurse) shared a patient with Jason Rogers (33 and an orthopedic surgeon) for the pair to start dating. After a courtship and an eight-month engagement, the couple married on a hot August day in Nashville, Tennessee. A beautiful venue—Cheekwood Estate, a historic home and botanical garden dating to the 1930s—combined with a romantic, lush aesthetic featuring hues of peach, bright green, gold and ivory. The Christian ceremony in the drawing room of the mansion was followed by a Southern-inspired meal in the loggia, which was set with long tables lined with gold chiavari chairs and adorned with lush, organic arrangements of eucalyptus garlands and garden roses. The newlyweds joined their 150 guests for dancing under a white tent on the main lawn, then rolled off in a 1959 Bentley for a glamorous, one-of-a-kind exit. —Michelle Thomas

Intricate beading decorated the toe of Bonnie's peep-toe ivory satin heels.
The bridal bouquet featured peach blooms (Bonnie's favorite color) mixed with lush greenery and wrapped in tonal ribbon.
Tall ceilings and large windows created a sunlit, airy space for the ceremony. "The room was so beautiful on its own it did not require much decorating," Bonnie says.
Bonnie's Enzoani wedding gown featured a trumpet-style silhouette with beading along the knee.
The flower girl wore a flower crown with her tulle-skirt dress.
A calligrapher handwrote the place cards, which were hung from a tree just outside the ceremony space.
Bonnie's two bridesmaids, her sisters, wore blush-hued strapless gowns with a gold embellishment at the bustline.
Rows of gold chiavari chairs lined long tables in the mansion's loggia for the reception dinner.
Lush, textured arrangements of eucalyptus and garden roses gave the tablescape an organic beauty.
After the ceremony, the drawing room was converted to seating for the Southern-infused dinner. Peach table linens, gold chiavari chairs and alternating centerpieces gave the room a romantic, elegant feel.
Gold detailing and handwritten calligraphy gave the reception table numbers a soft, elegant look.
In keeping with the palette of peach, ivory, green and gold, Bonnie and Jason served rose wine at their reception at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee. Gold flatware added a subtle metallic gleam.
The simple white-tier cake was decorated with fresh peach garden roses. Jason, a hip surgeon, insisted that his groom's cake feature a picture of a pelvis.
The bride and groom danced to the Arctic Monkeys' version of "Baby I'm Yours."
Dancing took place on the main lawn under a white tent at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee.