Emily & Surya’s Nashville Landmarks Wedding at The Frist Museum and The Parthenon

Surya and Emily’s wedding at The Frist Museum and The Parthenon was truly epic! We were so excited that they selected these two beautiful landmark structures for their special day. The are so identifiable with Nashville. We were thrilled that Gray Kammera Photography was there with her team to artfully capture all the beautiful details as they made memories with those that they love the most. Be sure to watch the video created for us by Crown Ledge to see this party in action!

The day began at The Frist Museum with the expert stylists primping and pampering Emily and her bride tribe. Everything from hair to expertly applied makeup…even perfectly wrapped, colorful sarees. All of the ladies looked absolutely amazing!

Emily’s Stunning Selection of Sarees

Hair and makeup was expertly applied by the pros at Declan + Mae. Then Surya’s mother and Aunties assisted Emily by wrapping her red and gold wedding ceremony saree. Delicately detailed with scallops, flowers, meandering vines and tiny tassels she was absolutely stunning. For the wedding reception at The Parthenon Emily changed into a beautiful embroidered white lace saree. Following the cake cutting Emily changed into an elegant, form fitting, gauzy white wedding gown. This certainly made it easier to dance the night away!

Surya Suits Up

After putting on his delicately embroidered sherwani with white silk churidar pants, Surya’s mother Siva adjusted his kurta shawl and wedding jewelry. We thought that he looked very handsome. We especially loved his pearl and ruby dulha moti mala haar wedding necklace.

Bridal Henna

Emily had her intricate wedding henna pattern created for her wedding ceremony at The Frist Museum by Dreamworks Henna. The delicate patterns drawn out during the mehendi ceremony are both decorative and symbolic. Many of the elaborate floral patterns signify new beginnings as well as a sense of purity. These traditions are deeply rooted in Indian folklore.

The Frist Museum

The Frist Museum is a significant architectural landmark, the former main post office. Built in 1933 it is a monument to the classicism and Art Deco styles. The streamlined exterior is faced in white marble with gray-pink granite accents. Inside is a feast for the eyes with cast aluminum doors and grillwork in the Art Deco style and colored marble on the floors and walls. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., M.D., and his family, through the charitable Frist Foundation acquired the historic building and surrounding land to create the fine art museum we now know today. With high ceilings, skylights in the center of the building, clerestory windows to light the foyer and the new grand staircases this is not only the perfect place for a museum, but a noteworthy space for any special event. 

Surya and Emily’s First Look

Seamlessly blending in a handful of Western traditions to their Hindu wedding day, Surya, anxiously awaited Emily’s arrival on the granite steps of The Frist Museum. Once our beautiful bride was in place, Surya entered through the stylized museum doors. His entire face lit up as he saw Emily for the first time. She certainly looked lovely! Emily was equally excited. They couldn’t stop hugging, kissing and giggling as it all finally really started to feel real.

Baraat Celebration

In true celebratory fashion, with dancing, music and dhol drums, Surya lead the baraat procession. Loved ones led the groom to the the venue where he was greeted by the elders of Emily’s family. He was greeted at the door by the Priest and Emily’s parents.

The Pujari as well as Emily’s parents Alicia and Morgan performed the Aarti ritual at the entryway. Parental blessings and the welcoming of Surya into their family. This ceremony is one of the most important of the wedding day. Thanks are given to the deities and devotees are reminded of God’s presence before continuing on to the wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Ceremony

The Frist Museum was the perfect location for their wedding ceremony. The aisle was lined with flower topped columns, tall gold candelabras and copious amounts of magenta rose petals. The aisle lead towards the stage where the gold filigree mandap topped with a thick garland of roses, carnations, hydrangea, eucalyptus and fern.

The ceremony began, following Surya’s baraat as his family celebrated him into the ballroom as he carried bananas, a symbol of Lord Vishnu and offering to the Hindu god. He was followed by Emily who was escorted, under a veil held aloft by Surya’s uncles. She carried an adorned coconut. An offering of sacred fruit that symbolizes selflessness, keeping egos aside.

Western wedding rings and Eastern jaimala garlands were exchanged. The exchange of these floral garlands during the varmala ceremony is an indication of acceptance of each other as their spouse and a pledge to respect them throughout the rest of their lives.

Following this, the knot was literally tied as Surya’s kurta was tied to Emily’s dupatta and they took their first steps together as a married couple. Blessings by all elders in attendance were bestowed upon the newlyweds as they crossed the stage behind them. The ceremony concluded with the pandit, or Hindu priest, took them outside for the auspicious sight of Arundhati, the identifying of double stars. These stars symbolize Arundhati and Vashista, an ideal couple who symbolize marital fulfillment and loyalty.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Greek originals. They were originally built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition. This replica of the Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. Today, The Parthenon, which functions as an art museum and stands as the centerpiece of Centennial Park in Nashville houses a re-creation of the Athena Parthenos statue in the naos. It is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. Even the decorations were painted as close to the presumed originals as possible. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon marbles can be found in the Treasury Room. The original sculptures adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, the originals of which can be found at the British Museum in London and at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Guest Book & Guide

Upon entering The Parthenon, guests were invited to snap a Polaroid of themselves and sign the guest book. From there they were directed to the seating chart expertly drawn out by White Ink Calligraphy.

The Gallery

After meandering through the museum exhibit on Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition, guests were welcomed into The West Gallery to view the permanent Cowan Collection of American Art and then to The East Gallery to view the temporary exhibit, The Odyssey: A Retelling, by Lisa Bachman Jones. Appetizers were passed to guests provided by Swagruha and drinks were served by the amazing mixologists from The Drinking Well.

The Floral Decor

Gorgeous clusters carnations, roses, stock, orchids, mums and hydrangea accented with lush ferns and greenery made up the floral arrangements both high and low creating a visual feast for the eyes. Flowers by Delfino never disappoints when it comes to his out of the box thinking and creative styling of all things floral. These beautiful boughs were the perfect accent for an elegant wedding at The Parthenon. And who could not be bowled over by Emily’s incredible bouquet of orchids, lilies and stock. Such a stunning array of blossoms!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Offering three different signature cocktails at a fully stocked bar, the expert mixologists from The Drinking Well had a sipping station that was as fun as the food. Swagruha offered everyone’s southern Indian favorites. Signature dishes such as hyderabadi biryani, uttapam, murgh chettinad and many others were served up with the specialty sides they are so well known for. With so many offerings the guests were well fed and glad to enjoy.

Everybody Loves Cake

Homestyle Bakery created a beautiful vanilla almond wedding cake for Emily and Surya’s wedding. Talk about the perfect flavor for this elegant Parthenon wedding. They were all too excited to cut into it, too! For those guests who couldn’t wait until it was time to cut the cake there were a wide assortment of mini pies and a vast array of Indian sweets for guests to enjoy. We especially enjoyed the gulab jamun, carrot halwa and jalebi.

First Dance

Surya and Emily sprinkled in several Western wedding traditions into their special day. From exchanging wedding bands to sharing a romantic first dance as husband and wife. No one could take their eyes of this beautiful couple as they swayed and spun across the dance floor, the delicate beading and pearls of Emily’s reception saree catching the light creating a shimmer and sparkle as bright as their smiles!

The Newlyweds

Emily and Surya are the perfectly paired. Both extroverted free spirits who love to travel and adventure. They spend every moment they can seeing the world. They were such a sweet couple. We were honored to plan their beautiful wedding for them

The Head Table

The least likely place to find the most perfect replica of the Greek Parthenon would seem to be in in the Country Music Capital of the World. But before Nashville was Music City it was “The Athens of the South,” a city that prided itself as a center of learning and enlightenment. When Nashville hosted Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition in 1897, the city wanted to remind everyone of its “Athens” claim, so it built a temporary full-size replica Parthenon. The site later became Centennial Park, and the temporary temple was so popular that the city replaced it with a permanent one in 1931.

To make Nashville’s Parthenon complete, a colossal statue of the goddess Athena was built inside it. Visitors to the Parthenon were greeted by a small model of the statue and a donation box. Their nickels and dimes slowly added up, and in 1982 construction began. Finally, after eight years, and a lot more time and money it was painted and gilded in real gold. After more than a hundred years, work finally ended at the Parthenon.

Standing tall at 42 feet, she is the tallest indoor statue in the western hemisphere. A ‘tiny’ 8 foot tall Nike stands in her upturned palm, crowning her with a wreath of victory. She stood sentry over the 24 foot head table set for the bride, groom and their immediate families. Elegantly appointed with a raised floral arrangement of carnations, roses, stock, orchids, mums and hydrangea accented with lush ferns and greenery it was the perfect display to set at the feet of a goddess.

Dining in Style

Setting the stage for an elegant display, the were tables topped with ivory linens. Gold chiavari chairs, black and gold place settings accented with white napkins completed the look set amongst The Parthenon’s tall fluted columns and shiny marble floors.

Toasting The Happy Couple

While the Swathi, Surya’s sister’ speech was a little bit more of a roast of her older brother, we all got a lot of laughs. It was nicely balanced by the endearing and heartwarming speech from both Emily’s and Surya’s fathers who were all to happy to welcome the newcomers into their respective families. Most of all, however, the absolutely beautiful toast given by Surya was unforgettable. He was just so happy to have found the one his soul had been searching for all his life and couldn’t wait for everyone to hear it directly from him.

Time To Dance!

Lt. Dan the DJ was a master at everyone out onto the dance floor! There wasn’t a single moment following dinner that didn’t have dance floor teeming with celebration. He knows exactly how to get people on their feet and having an absolute blast! We especially got a kick out of Surya’s moves. He certainly know how to groove!

Favors

Prior to sending the newlyweds off on their honeymoon, guests were treated to gift bags filled with Indian sweets from Swagruha, scented candles, a beautiful bangle from India, mini Le Cruset dutch ovens and the loveliest (and quite possibly the most delicious) Parthenon cookies from Peak Cookies. Can you believe that incredible attention to detail…ON A COOKIE?!

THOMAS & BRITTANY’S VENDORS

Planning & Design – Weddings & Events by Raina

Ceremony Venue – The Frist Museum

Reception Venue – The Parthenon Nashville

Photography – Blue Dahlia Photography

Videography – Segars Productions

Video for Weddings & Events by Raina – Crown Ledge

Florist – Flowers by Delfino

Catering & Indian Sweets – Swagruha

Bartending – The Drinking Well

Cake & Mini Pies – Homestyle Bakery

DJ – Lt. Dan DJ

Rentals – Please Be Seated

Hair and Makeup – Declan + Mae

Henna – Dreamworks Henna

Calligraphy – White Ink Calligraphy

Engraving – The Gifted Hand

Cookies – Peak Cookies