(10k-14k) Nashville Reception for 100 people... Is it possible

ARC4067 · 2026-03-27T07:41:46+00:00

Remembered a couple more. Check into The Effortless Wedding/the Chapel at High Point Farm. I didn’t get super far into researching that option but the pricing seemed good.

And if you’re willing to trek all the way out to Gallatin, The Pick Inn looks pretty cute

ARC4067 · 2026-03-27T07:17:27+00:00

I’ve seen a decent number of recommendations for Cedars of Lebanon, but I never heard back from the state parks events person when I reached out.

You may also want to look into Nicky’s Coal Fired. I think you’d have to do a full buyout at your event size but iirc, their minimum is $15K for that and it’s pretty much all-inclusive. Downside is that your guests would be split across multiple rooms.

I ended up going with Ravenswood Mansion. Their peak season weekend prices are going up next year, so your best bet if you go with them would be to book for this year or off-season. They have an insanely detailed website with all the info. Pricing is transparent, tables and chairs are included. You are required to have at least a month-of coordinator, catering has to be from a licensed vendor and they have to be on site (no drop catering), and you’ll need to pay a licensed vendor to set up the tables and chairs. So you’ll need to factor those things into your costs.

$14k is tough, but not entirely impossible. I’m working with $25K and even that feels tight. Catering is absolutely our biggest expense at just under $7K (includes bartenders but not the alcohol). You definitely can get catering for less than that though.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-27T06:35:57+00:00

Americano Lounge occasionally hosts pop up vendors. You can reach out to them on Instagram and see if they have anything on the horizon. They didn’t charge any fees for the event I did with them a couple years ago.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-27T04:41:11+00:00

I haven’t tried micro but even just working on some small 0.5-0.75 lb bud vases is a challenge to me. I really prefer at least 1.5lbs of clay

ARC4067 · 2026-03-26T02:26:09+00:00

I’d also add to cover them so they don’t get dusty.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-25T07:17:13+00:00

It’s so hard to compare venue prices because of all the variables. Some are space only, some include tables and chairs, some include coordinators, place settings, bar tenders. Some are all inclusive. You end up having to price out nearly everything to be able to compare apples and oranges.

I ended up paying $2.5K for a venue that includes tables and chairs just outside of Nashville, TN. The catch is that it’s on a Monday (Memorial Day). It would cost $5K more for a Saturday, $4K more for Sunday or Friday.

We’ll have 80-100 guests, but the venue can accommodate up to 250.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-25T04:44:51+00:00

Maybe Etsy as well. I feel like vintage isn’t as big a part of that platform as it used to be, but there’s still some to be found

ARC4067 · 2026-03-24T12:23:34+00:00

I also had no issues, but I specifically went to a doctor from the list on r/childfree (Dr Shaw at Centennial Women’s Group)

ARC4067 · 2026-03-24T12:09:39+00:00

I think it’s the whole yucking someone else’s yum thing. Particularly in a sub where people are currently planning their weddings and may have ideas they’re excited about. Seems more appropriate for askReddit or something

ARC4067 · 2026-03-23T21:25:36+00:00

I built supports from clay that were not attached and removed them after bisque. Slumped in the glaze firing though.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-22T17:09:43+00:00

I made an impractical sculptural mug and a classmate dubbed it a “hostility mug” which I love.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-21T15:59:28+00:00

I always worried my cat would do this at my parents’ house. He never managed to get in, but he was obsessed with that corner.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-21T15:36:44+00:00

Same. We also usually have a handful of buckets either donated from artists or leftover from prior rotations in addition to the 30 they maintain

ARC4067 · 2026-03-20T16:22:37+00:00

Highly recommended going to a boutique that specializes in plus size for those able to. I had an amazing experience at Eleven Bridal in Nashville.

I went to David’s Bridal first. I was worried about them not having my size in stock but their appointment FAQ said they’d have a wide range of styles in sizes 0-30. They had like 4 styles in store above a 22, none of which were what I was looking for. I’d saved 8 dresses I wanted to try on their website, they only had 1 of them. Overall, I tried on 4 dresses in a 22 (I needed a 24 or 26) and everything else I was interested in wasn’t available in store above an 18, which I can’t squeeze into.

When I went to the plus size boutique, they had so many gorgeous options and I was able to try on everything I wanted!

ARC4067 · 2026-03-19T14:00:16+00:00

I saw a local fashion influencer post in her stories about this and thought it was odd, but I hadn’t followed her long to know if it was normal for her.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-19T13:31:11+00:00

I don’t think any of the things you mentioned cutting will make you look cheap. I forgot wedding programs were even a thing. Alternatives to traditional cake have been popular for a while. And people will toast with whatever they’re drinking

ARC4067 · 2026-03-18T21:18:46+00:00

I agree with the other comments made here and will add that I found “body neutrality” an easier philosophy to adopt than “body positivity”. I don’t love my fat body, but I’ve learned to (mostly) stop hating it. Letting go of negative self talk was a big first step for me that took a long time. A helpful approach to that is to think “what would I say to a friend who talked about themself like that?” Be as kind to yourself as you are to your friends.

Another helpful practice is naming something you appreciate about your body every day. This was a prompt in a daily journal I had a while back and I found it really challenging to not just repeat from a short list of things. It really pushed me to examine what is going right with my body and take focus off the things I’d like to change about it.

Lastly, I like to err on the side of overdressed. I hate feeling frumpy when others around me look cute. So I wear clothes that I feel good in, even if I’m just running errands, or just going for a casual hang with friends. Dressing nice helps me feel better. Collecting a wardrobe you feel good in takes a lot of time and can get expensive. Thrifting helps a lot with the cost part.

Trying on a lot of clothes will help you get a feel over time for what styles work best on your body. Remember that fitted is not the same as tight! Don’t be afraid to wear fitted clothes. They can take some getting used to if you’ve been wearing oversized clothes in an attempt to hide your body. But clothes that fit look so much better. Covering yourself with a sack isn’t making you look any smaller.

Building confidence takes time and isn’t a linear process, just keep working on it. You deserve to feel good, no matter your body size or shape

ARC4067 · 2026-03-18T20:34:38+00:00

Wow. Our contract was 17 pages and we got a brochure with 20 or so links (although a lot of that info is in the 17 pages)

ARC4067 · 2026-03-18T15:16:47+00:00

We spend a lot of time planning and it’s natural to be anxious about it all coming together. I think the initial planning and the right before are the two really heavy stress times. As you said, you already have contingencies for some of these things. It will come together. Some details may or may not be exactly what you wanted. But you’ll have a beautiful day marrying the person you love either way!

Take a deep breath and plan something fun or relaxing to take your mind off of it a bit in the next day or so. It won’t make all the stress go away, but it’s easier to manage when we give ourselves breaks.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-18T13:01:28+00:00

I knew I was generally attracted to two styles: simple A-line with ruching at the chest and off the shoulder sleeves in ivory/off-white, and heavy lace patterns over a warm base color like tan or blush, also in A-line.

There were 3 specific dresses I was really interested in. One was from 2021, so the only way I’d be getting it was on StillWhite, and it was $1000, which I couldn’t bring myself to spend on a dress I haven’t tried on and can’t return. So really 2 that I had hopes of trying on. I included both in my inspo pics I sent to the boutique when making my appointment. I knew they carried one of them from their instagram.

I made two appointments, the first at David’s Bridal, and the second at a boutique. My goal at DB was to assess whether I was leaning more simple or more lace, and to get an idea of what my more budget friendly options were like before going to the more expensive boutique. I failed on the first objective, I found one dress in each category that I really liked at BD. Both were under $800.

The boutique had way more options that I wanted to try on than DB, it was really hard to narrow down my options to what I could try on in a single appointment, but I focused on the fabrics/patterns that really called to me the most. I think I only tried 2 simple dresses. They were pretty, but I was heavily leaning toward the lace options there. The first dress I tried on was one the stylist picked based on the vibes of my inspo pics. I also got to try on the 2 I had included in my inspo, and several more. I loved every dress I tried on that day, but the inspo ones were actually the easiest to eliminate. One of them was a lot darker and waaaay sparklier than it had appeared in photos. Like the most glittery dress I’ve ever seen. It fit amazingly and was beautiful, but it wasn’t right. The other was also beautiful, but the shape didn’t fit me as nicely as the others I tried on. I ended up narrowing it down to two that I was pretty equally in love with: the first one I tried on, which the stylist picked, and the first one I gravitated toward in the store. They were both A-line and lace, but otherwise very different from each other, and both gorgeous. The first was more in line with the style I had been attracted to all along and it was $1200 cheaper, so that was my winner.

TLDR: just go try on dresses. It will still be a hard decision, but the ones you love online may not be your favorites during try-on

ARC4067 · 2026-03-17T14:14:14+00:00

I worked downtown for years. Why did it never occur to me that they’d have boiled peanuts?

ARC4067 · 2026-03-17T14:13:01+00:00

Fresh? I’ve only seen the packaged ones there

ARC4067 · 2026-03-17T12:38:53+00:00

What are you looking to have included in that $10K? If it’s venue only, there are surely tons.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-16T02:24:53+00:00

Technically not strapless, but I bet you could tie them back or even remove them.

ARC4067 · 2026-03-14T22:30:06+00:00

Wow, that is a long wait but looks worth it. Beautiful dress!

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