RACHEL + RILEY’S SUMMER SAGE WEDDING

Rachel and Riley had a modern wedding with sage and teal details at The Bridge Building last summer. 

This Midwestern pair met in 2017 when they just so happened to be visiting Nashville the same weekend. Rachel was enjoying a girls' trip when she bumped into a bachelor party Riley was part of at the FGL House on Broadway. They instantly hit it off and started a long-distance relationship that lasted for the next two years. 

Later on, Riley popped the question as they were standing underneath the Arch in St. Louis at sunset. Rachel told us that Riley “wrapped his arm around me, kissed my forehead, and said, ‘I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ Next thing I knew, he was on one knee asking me to marry him!” 

When Rachel and Riley began looking for venues, they knew they wanted to get married in Nashville because it's the city where they met. The Bridge Building caught their eye with its modern structure, natural lighting, and the beautiful views of downtown. 

The most important part of their wedding day was the simple act of becoming husband and wife. Amid, “an ongoing pandemic, moving from home, starting a new job, and all the stress of wedding plans in between, getting to celebrate our love and commitment to one another with our family and friends was all that mattered at the end of the day,” Rachel said. 

So when the date finally arrived, Infinity staff with the help of Nashville Lighting & Production and Echoes of Eden Florals set up the rooftop with twinkling string lights and geometric pedestals topped with delicate white blooms. Before guests arrived, Rachel shared a first look with Riley—where the two exchanged sweet letters—and then had a sweet first-look moment with her dad. 

During the ceremony, the pair brought out a special bottle of wine for a fun unity ritual that dates back to ancient Greece. Together, they sealed the wine in a box to embrace and symbolize their union. Whenever Rachel and Riley choose to open the locked box at a later date, they will be able to reminisce on that special moment and enjoy a nicely aged vintage.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour with Pinot Grigio, bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes, and spicy crab wontons.

Before taking their seats for a delicious plated dinner, Rachel and Riley were announced as newlyweds and shared their first dance to “H.O.L.Y.” by Florida Georgia Line as a nod to the bar where they first met. Then, the venue's rooftop was transformed for a modern summer reception with linens and simple greenery centerpieces. 

To kick off the party, Rachel shared a sweet dance with her grandfather to “Forever Young,” by Rod Stewart, and there wasn’t a dry eye in sight!

After a few hours of celebration, it was time for guests to pick up their wedding favors, and they received personalized wine stoppers as an homage to the newlyweds’ love for wine. And it can’t be a Nashville wedding at The Bridge Building without a sparkler send-off under the bridge!

Keep scrolling to see all the sage details of this summer sage wedding. And for even more summer wedding inspiration, check out our archive.