Carrie and Dan's Musical Nashville Wedding

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Photo: Rylee Hitchner

In the same dress that her mother, Rosanne Cash, wore on her big day, the granddaughter of Johnny Cash married this record producer in a lovely ceremony featuring a very special love song.

01 of 16

The Couple

bride in sparkling wedding dress
Rylee Hitchner

Carrie Crowell and Daniel Knobler's wedding was in the works before he even proposed. Her sister Hannah, who knew Dan would make a move soon, felt that Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, in the bride's birthplace of Nashville, would be just the venue for the New Yorkers' nuptials. Unbeknownst to Carrie, she put two dates on hold for the next year.

The gown, too, was a given. A few years earlier, Carrie, an interior designer and stylist, had come across the silk dress that her mom, country singer Rosanne Cash, wore at her 1995 wedding to Carrie's stepfather. "I said right then I would wear it one day," she recalls. "I love the tradition of generations of women in the same wedding gown."

When Dan did, in fact, pop the question on a chilly spring evening at a Long Island beach in 2013, that prep work paid off. "Hannah's reserving Cheekwood for us was perfect, actually," he says. "We went there on our very first trip to Nashville."

With a year to plan for the fete on May 31, 2014, the duo enlisted a little help from their friends to realize their vision of an English garden party with an artsy edge. ("Think Queen Victoria meets Frida Kahlo," says Carrie.)

02 of 16

The Invitation

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Rylee Hitchner

Pink and grayish-green floral illustrations, designed by friend Alix Pentecost Farren, adorned the invitations, which were letterpressed by Smock.

03 of 16

The Bouquet

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Rylee Hitchner

The bride carried a bouquet of peonies, ranunculus, poppies, garden roses, mock orange, bay leaves, and jasmine vines made by Jaclyn Journey.

04 of 16

The Fashions

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Rylee Hitchner

The couple posed—and perched—above the verdant grounds of the venue, Daniel in a custom Freemans Sporting Club suit, and his bride in her mother's Jane Wilson-Marquis gown.

05 of 16

Faux Flowers

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Rylee Hitchner

Fabric flowers adorned the back of Carrie's gown and also made up her headpiece.

06 of 16

The Ceremony

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Rylee Hitchner

Carrie and Dan made it official beneath a huppa of peonies, garden roses, bay leaves, Italian ruscus, and ranunculus, which was built by two of the couple's friends. The mutual pal who introduced the pair in 2008? She served as ring bearer.

Given that the groom is a record producer and the bride is the granddaughter of Johnny Cash, it was no surprise that music was a focus for their Jewish celebration. Dan composed the processional tune, played by friends, and Carrie's dad performed an original number, "Tennessee Wedding Song," that had everyone wiping their eyes.

07 of 16

The Flower Girls

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Rylee Hitchner

Carrie's nieces, in Boden dresses and Bloch slippers, shared flower-girl duties during the early evening ceremony.

08 of 16

A Rockin' Toss

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Rylee Hitchner

As the bride and groom made their way back up the aisle, guests tossed lavender from sachets stamped with guitars.

09 of 16

The Ketubah

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Rylee Hitchner

Alix Pentecost Farren also designed the ketubah, which was letterpressed onto watercolor paper; now, it has a prominent spot in the couple's apartment.

10 of 16

All in the Family

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Rylee Hitchner

The bride with her father and mother, whose dress was adorned with floral appliqués similar to those on Carrie's headpiece.

11 of 16

Sisterly Love

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Rylee Hitchner

Carrie's sisters acted as her bridesmaids, wearing vintage dresses Carrie found at ABC Carpet & Home and Geminola in New York City.

12 of 16

The Reception

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Rylee Hitchner

Tables were decorated with centerpieces of peonies, ranunculus, garden roses, and jasmine vine. A sprig of greenery also rested at each place setting.

After 193 guests had enjoyed a dinner of baked ham, mashed potatoes, and lavender-brined turkey, Carrie's parents and Dan's longtime bandmates played Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" for the newlyweds' first dance; then a band kept everyone going with a slew of Beatles covers. As for the groom himself? He hadn't planned to strum at his own wedding, but he couldn't resist joining the guys on the guitar for a few songs before returning to the dance floor, his new wife, and their new life together.

13 of 16

Dancing With Dad

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Rylee Hitchner

"Their dance was an incredible display of unfiltered joy," says Dan of his wife's spin to George Harrison's "Fish on the Sand" with her father.

14 of 16

The Favors

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Rylee Hitchner

Guests left the celebration with a sweet treat: jars of local honey, sealed with lids bearing silhouettes of the bride and groom.

15 of 16

The Photo Booth

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Rylee Hitchner

The twosome snuggled up in the photo booth, which printed one picture strip to take home and one for the guest book.

16 of 16

Sources

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Rylee Hitchner

Location: Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art

Day-of Event Coordination: Lauren Ledbetter Design & Styling

Catering: Clean Plate Club

Flowers: Jaclyn Journey Event & Floral Design

Photography: Rylee Hitchner

Officiant: Rabbi Laurie Rice

Stationery: Alix Pentecost Farren [design and illustration for invitation suite and ketubah]; Smock [letterpressing]

Cake: Sweetface Cakes

Music: Mason Jar Music

Rentals: Southern Events; Music City Tents & Events

Accessories: Geminola veil; Loeffler Randall shoes

Hair and Makeup: Kristin Russell of Green Pea Salon

Bridesmaid Dresses: ABC Carpet & Home; Geminola

Groom's Suit: Freemans Sporting Club

Ties and Pocket Squares: The Hill-Side

Mother-of-the-Bride's Dress: Morgane Le Fay

Guitar Rubber Stamp: Miss HoneyBird

Honey: Garrison Honey Farms (931-364-3600)

Muslin Pouches: Celestial Gifts

Photo Booth: The Majestic Photo Booth Co.

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