i’ll start this off by saying that this post contains far too few photos for my liking. somewhere between the rainy weather and navigating nashville roads, we were remiss in documenting on camera a good majority of our trip. but what i can offer you are words (and a few iphone photos) and hopefully my way with the english language will make this post so enjoyable you won’t even miss the images.

or just wait a little longer until my friends tag me in a few more albums on facebook and i’ll repost their photos later in the week.

*edited: more photos posted below!

either way, despite the inclement weather, it was another successful adventure for team S & S -highlighted by the fact that unlike our trip to dallas last december, we managed to make our early morning flight back to san diego on sunday.

with an 11:05 a.m. departing flight on friday, it was nice to have the morning to sleep in, finish packing up, and head down to the airport a cool two hours early. i am grateful that S also appreciates an obnoxiously early airport arrival. i mean, flying in and of itself gives me anxiety, i can’t imagine what a terrible travel companion i would be if we were stuck in a long security line and late to reaching our gate. i mean WHY RISK IT?! therefore, we used the two hours before boarding to people watch, sip our iced coffees, and make friends with our fellow southwest passengers. one who just so happened to be the wedding photographer. small world!

in case you were wondering, i wore this on the plane:

 

 

for the outfit details, refer to this post. the only thing i swapped out were the boots, which came in very handy over the course of the trip. they’re by justin boots and were a birthday present from S this year.

the sub-four hour flight was pretty painless. luckily i had brought with me the september issue of instyle magazine to keep me occupied. at a hair before 5 p.m., we arrived in music city, deboarded, and headed to the payless window (for a rental car, not shoes -i know, i was disappointed, too). it was there we picked up our sweet ride for the weekend -a red toyota camry with a florida license plate. we couldn’t even pretend we were locals which is a shame because i do a mean southern accent.

we had planned on going straight from the airport to dinner to meet up with R and her husband, but with a few random highway closures, our arrival time was pushed back. so instead, we drove straight to our hotel (where they were also staying) to check in and freshen up before caravaning back into town together. shout out to the hilton suites brentwood for being our home away from home for the weekend.

it just so happened to be R’s birthday on friday, so i made sure she got first pick for our dinner location. she chose wisely -electing for one of my favorite restaurants in nashville, edley’s bbq in 12 south. there we enjoyed a bbq feast before running into a few more familiar faces who were also in town for the wedding. following dinner, we were invited to a “post toast” party at the rented house where the groomsmen were staying. it was basically a grown-up version of the house parties i attended in college, except with much better fashion. S and i stayed for an hour or so, caught up with a few pepperdine alums and some of B’s nashville friends (who have also become my own after visiting so frequently) before returning to the hotel to retire after a long day of travel.

much to our chagrin, when we awoke on saturday morning -wedding day -we found the forecasted freezing temps (55 and rainy) were not a figment of our imagination. thankfully, we had packed accordingly. so S and i dressed in layers and our boots and braved the cold rainy weather in search of some of nashville’s finest coffee and breakfast. first stop –frothy monkey, a constant on the rotation of restaurants i visit every time i come to the city. unfortunately, i had forgotten how many other locals also appreciate a delicious non-starbucks cup of joe, so despite originally planning to hole-up inside the eclectic coffeehouse and eatery all morning, we braved the line long enough to grab an americano and latte before venturing off to find brunch at another local haunt.

we ended up breaking the fast at fido (one of taylor swift’s must-visits when she’s in town) after an even longer wait than we probably would have had if we had stayed at frothy. c’est la vie. with a little sustenance in our bellies, but with the weather still rather dreary, we opted for a “driving tour” of downtown nashville. we paraded the camry down broadway, lined with its honky tonks. in the distance, we caught a glimpse of nissan stadium, where the titans play, as well as the famous john seigenthaler pedestrian bridge. we continued the tour back toward vanderbilt university, passing the seemingly out-of-place full scale parthenon replica, an homage to nashville’s credit to being the “athens of the south.”

with a break in the rain and with time still left at our disposal, we took advantage of the momentary clear skies and headed to radnor lake to stretch our legs in nature. albeit freezing, the lake trail was simply stunning. we managed to make it about a 1/4 a mile around before realizing we had lost feeling in our toes. YOU WIN, MOTHER NATURE, we shouted as we headed back to the car and ultimately to the hotel for reprieve. but not before snapping a few photos to remind ourselves what fall is supposed to look like this time of year.

we thawed our piggies as we drove back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the wedding. here are the fruits of our labor:

 

 

this was the last anyone saw of my upper half as it was promptly covered up by my trusty puffer jacket to stay warm in the misty afternoon air.

when B had begun planning her wedding back in the beginning of the year, october sounded like a perfect time to say “i do.” traditionally, nashville is quite lovely this time of year. but leave it to hurricane joaquin to come in and make a mess of everything. the whole situation reminded me of an alanis morisette song. but alas, a little rain wasn’t going to stand in the way of B marrying her soulmate! besides, no amount of inclement weather could take away from the absolutely stunning scenery. castle recording studios, you did not disappoint!

 

 

freezing but smiling!

 

 

waiting for the ceremony to begin!

 

 

mr. & mrs. J!

after the beautiful ceremony, it was time to celebrate! guests found shelter under a big white tent which had been transformed into a wedding wonderland. we were seated at farm tables and served a family-style feast of kale salad, roasted vegetables, and some seriously delicious roasted chicken. after the toasts and first dances, we gathered in the center to bust a move, which was also a great strategy for staying warm. when i took inventory of the scene, the best way i can describe what was transpiring all around me was pure joy. despite the weather and the cold, everyone was having an absolute ball. and most importantly, i have never seen B look more radiant and/or happy. R snapped a ton of photos at the reception which i have conveniently “borrowed” via facebook (thanks for being a great photog, lady!).

 

 

best wedding date ever

 

 

babe bride

 

 

we ushered off the newlyweds with a sparkler-lined path before saying our goodbyes to our fellow attendants and returning to the hotel to pack-up in anticipation of our early morning departure.

in a matter of hours (which kind of felt like minutes), we were up before the sun, bidding adieu to our hilton suite before returning the rental car and reentering nashville international. a quick trip to starbucks brought us out of our post-wedding coma and four hours later, we were back in san diego. apparently we had brought the rain back with us from tennesee as the rest of the day was spent dodging raindrops as we completed our usual sunday errands, unpacked, and settled in for an afternoon of football.

despite its brevity, our trip will be remembered as one of my favorite weekends of the year. not only did i get to introduce S to a city so close to my heart as well as hang out with some of my favorite humans in the whole world, i got to see one of my best friends get married and no amount of rain could ever dampen the sweetness of that.

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