A Romantic Outdoor Celebration with Whimsical Details in Franklin, Tennessee

It was an upcoming test that sealed the fate of Lucy Scholl and Cameron Ream. “We met in November 2018 at Brigham Young University. We were in the same class our senior year, and I stopped Cameron in the study area to ask him a question about the test,” Lucy remembers. “We had never spoken before, [but] he invited me to study with him and his friend. We spent the next hour avoiding studying and bonding over our love for country music. We have seen each other every day since.”

It all made the answer to the next big question—will you marry me?—simple, as well. And fittingly, it was asked back in Utah, while the couple was visiting their alma mater for the homecoming game less than a year later. “We spent the afternoon walking around campus and reminiscing about our time together our last semester of college,” Lucy remembers. “Every corner we turned, I got a pit in my stomach thinking to myself, ‘There’s no way he’s proposing on campus, right?’ Luckily he didn’t, so I completely let my guard down.”

She goes on: “After a long travel day, I was exhausted and actually fell asleep in the car. Little did I know I was on my way to get engaged. Cameron took me on a hike. Around the first bend I saw a picture frame on an easel. My first thought was ‘Oh no! We’re crashing someone’s engagement!’ But I quickly realized what was happening and my heart was racing. Cameron got on one knee with the most beautiful view of Utah Valley and I quickly said ‘YES!’” 

They planned a wedding for May 2020, but when the pandemic hit, “literally everything changed,” Lucy says. They canceled the big affair but moved forward with an intimate backyard wedding officiated by the bride’s father. “I wore a dress I found online and my mom arranged some flowers,” Lucy says. “It was beautiful and so special. After that, Cameron and I decided we didn’t want the big wedding we had originally planned.” So they pivoted, enlisting Rachael Ellen Events to help plan a romantic and intimate outdoor wedding celebration around their one-year anniversary. 

“After all of the changes and cancellations, my vision for the day changed quite drastically,” Lucy remembers. “But, what I knew I wanted was something special, true to Cameron and I. I wanted every detail to feel like a purposeful choice. I wanted something every guest—and Cameron and I—would remember.” 

May 7, 2021, became exactly that. Read on to see all the beautiful and intentional details, orchestrated by Rachael Ellen Events and photographed by Gracie Byrd Jones.

Designing the visual elements, like these invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress, was Lucy’s favorite part of planning. “Rachael created a design board and we worked with incredible vendors to make everything come to life,” she remembers. They decided on a romantic palette of pastels—creamy rose, soft blue, and caramel hues—and infused elements of whimsy, like strawberries worked into florals. “Because it was a post-wedding celebration, we had a lot of flexibility to create something that didn’t feel so traditionally bridal, so we took the opportunity to use ingredients that were both seasonal and unexpected and balanced the more romantic and traditional elements.”

The couple selected the LDS Temple just outside the Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee, for their ceremony, a religiously meaningful and—bonus!—incredibly photogenic venue. Though they were already officially married, this ceremony was equally as important: “During the pandemic, the LDS temples were closed and no marriages were performed,” Lucy explains. “For members of our church, the temple is a sacred experience where we make commitments and covenants with each other and with God. So it wasn’t as much a vow renewal as a renewing of our commitment to dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ and each other.”

After trying on many dresses—even making a four-hour road trip to Knoxville to try on a single dress that didn’t end up being the one—Lucy decided to go the custom route. “It was really important for me to find something that felt unique and that no one had really seen before,” she says. “I ended up finding elements of dresses that I loved in other gowns I tried on: a chiffon sleeve, V-neck front and back, and fabric that moved beautifully.” She worked with Salt Lake City designer Penelope Perkins, traveling back and forth from Nashville every few months for fittings. “It was such a joy to work with her and she made my vision totally come to life.” 

The materials—silk organza and silk charmeuse—allowed for the flowy movement Lucy dreamt of. “The cape was my favorite part and gave me the statement I was looking for,” she says. “It was everything I wanted.” 

“Because I didn’t wear my wedding dress during our first wedding, I really wanted a ‘first look’ moment,” the bride remembers. “I kept my dress a secret from Cameron for over a year and a half. Getting to show it to him for the first time was so special.” As for the groom’s look, “I dreamed of Cameron being in a black tux, so even with the change of celebration plans”, she shares. “We stayed true to that vision.” 

The cape made a bold statement, so Lucy kept the rest of her accessories simple: “A pretty pair of earrings and some incredible shoes from Bella Belle,” she says.

Her bouquet, designed by planner and floral designer Rachael Ellen, featured garden roses, mint leaves, ranunculus, and tulips in shades of ivory, peach, and blush. 

During the ceremony, “Cameron surprised me with another wedding band to stack on my finger,” Lucy remembers. “Now I have a ring to represent both weddings, and how important they both were to us.” She showed off her new bling to friends and family as they exited the temple. 

Lucy and Cameron’s original wedding plan was for 250 guests, but they downsized to just 49 for this second celebration. “It was such a hard decision to make,” the bride shares. “But at the end of the day, after everything we had been through and still being unsure of the pandemic and traveling, we decided to keep our celebration small with our closest friends and family.” 

Their reception dinner took place at Carnton, a historic home and museum built in 1826. But, it was the surrounding landscape that drew the couple in. “It had the most beautiful outdoor space with a garden, and a tree line that was perfect for a long table down the center,” Lucy says. “I wanted an outdoor, intimate dinner, and this was the perfect spot. The size of the venue was perfection for what we needed.” 

The evening began with a cocktail hour, during which guests sipped two signature mocktails, “one to represent each of us,” Lucy says. “The Texas—mine—was a mojito, and the California was a sparkling strawberry lemonade.”

For dinner, long tables were covered in velvet and erected along a tree-lined path, with bistro lights swinging overheard. “We used gold chairs to give a modern edge to the design,” Lucy says. “The florals highlighted spring blooms, from peonies to butterfly ranunculus, paired with strawberries, fresh mint, and grapes. It was whimsical and romantic. The table settings were elegant and refined—perfect for this thoughtful but not overdone design.”

In a romantic moment before dinner, Cameron helped Lucy change into a pair of “something blue” Loeffler Randall sandals with a block heel. “These were the the best shoe change to prevent me from sinking into the grass,” the bride says. 

“We exchanged vows in front of our guests right before dinner,” Lucy recalls. “It was such a special moment to finally get to express our love for each other in front of our friends and family. After a year of marriage, our vows looked different than they would have before. Cameron is a crier and he lost it talking about how he can’t wait for us to have kids so I can steal someone else’s french fries. I quoted our favorite scripture, 1 Corinthians 11:11, which I also had engraved on the inside of his wedding ring.”

The menu was important to the couple: “We were very passionate about the food being really good, and not typical wedding food,” Lucy says. “Our menu was a selection of Cameron’s and my favorite foods: chicken with a lemon artichoke sauce like [we get at] our favorite restaurant, and a steak with chimichurri like we had in Martha’s Vineyard.”

“During dinner, our incredible photographer pulled us away right at sunset to take some photos in the gorgeous field next to the venue,” Lucy says. “It was so whimsical and fun to have that time with Cameron running around at sunset.”

When they canceled their original wedding, it meant Lucy didn’t get to walk down the aisle to a very special song she’d selected: “It’s a recording we have of my grandpa, who has passed, singing to my grandma on their wedding day,” she says. “I still wanted to find a way to incorporate it into the evening, so Cameron and I did our first dance to it.” The song? “Because,” by 1940s crooner Perry Como. 

Instead of a DJ or full band, the couple opted for a single live jazz pianist and singer during dinner. “One of our favorite choices we made was hiring Jacob Khalil to play,” Lucy says. “It brought the best energy to our celebration. He is amazing!”

In the end, it was the wedding they’d always dreamed of, despite being different than they originally envisioned. “Pick what’s most important to you, regardless of what is traditional, and build your day around that,” Lucy advises other brides- and grooms-to-be. “Don’t do things just because it’s what you’re ‘supposed to do’ at weddings. Our wedding was so not what I expected—and it was so much more special because it was unique.”