REAL WEDDINGS
Magnolias and Checkerboard Style at White House Biloxi
An intimate garden ceremony in Nashville opened a two-part Southern celebration that culminated in magnolia florals, black-tie fashion, and checkerboard geometry on the Gulf Coast.
Photographer
@GarrettRichardson
Planner
@gavinsnyderevents
Ceremony Destination
@cheekwood
Reception Venue
@whitehousebiloxi
Bridal Dress
@galialahav
An intimate garden ceremony in Nashville opened a two-part Southern celebration that culminated in magnolia florals, black-tie fashion, and checkerboard geometry on the Gulf Coast.
Rather than compressing every idea into one setting, this celebration unfolded through two connected events in different Southern landscapes. The couple first exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, where stone terraces, established gardens, and natural light gave the gathering an easy formality. The story then shifted south to White House Biloxi for a larger reception with a sharper editorial edge, carrying magnolia flowers from a regional reference into a bold contemporary composition.
That movement from garden softness to graphic structure became the defining design idea. In Nashville, florals sat quietly within the landscape instead of competing with it. On the Gulf Coast, creamy magnolia blooms and neutral flowers met a black-and-white checkerboard aisle, sculptural lighting, dark chairs, glass architecture, and precisely layered tables. The palette remained controlled throughout, allowing place, fashion, and scale to distinguish each chapter.
Lace and Limestone at Cheekwood
Cheekwood’s pale stone staircases and deep green gardens created a natural setting for the wedding’s fashion portraits. The bride wore a fitted lace gown by Galia Lahav, its long train used as part of the composition across steps, lawns, and formal terraces. A mix of luminous colour and graphic black-and-white photographs gave the look both softness and definition, while the groom’s black tuxedo kept the overall fashion language firmly in black tie.
The portrait sequence moved between scale and intimacy. Wide frames placed the couple against the estate’s architecture and mature landscaping, while closer images focused on lace, bouquet, jewelry, and expression. Nothing needed to be added to the setting for it to feel complete. The strongest photographs allowed the existing limestone, clipped greenery, and late-day light to frame the couple with restraint.
Magnolias in the Cheekwood Gardens
For the ceremony, soft florals were integrated into Cheekwood’s landscape with subtle magnolia references that connected the first gathering to the reception still to come. The couple exchanged vows in a quiet garden setting, surrounded by guests but held visually within the estate’s greenery. The restrained ceremony design preserved the intimacy described in the submission and kept attention on the vows, the kiss, and the walk back through the aisle.
Afterward, the gardens became a series of distinct portrait rooms. A reflecting pool, vine-covered structures, classical sculpture, and open lawns offered changes in scale without breaking the visual continuity. These photographs close the Nashville chapter with the couple moving through the property together, giving the two-event story a clear first act before its more architectural Gulf Coast transformation.
A Second Black-Tie Chapter in Biloxi
The White House Biloxi reception began with a return to black-tie formality. Bridal details, window light, and the couple’s portraits established the second event before the room itself was revealed. Black bridesmaid dresses and tuxedos echoed the reception’s graphic palette, while the bride’s lace gown and white bouquet carried visual continuity from Cheekwood into the larger celebration.
Against the white exterior and broad lawn, the wedding party appeared crisp and composed. Inside the transparent reception structure, the same fashion took on a different character as daylight passed through black framing and reflected from the checkerboard floor. Portraits of the couple within the completed room made fashion part of the design rather than treating the two as separate stories.
Checkerboard Geometry and Magnolia Florals
The reception design centred on a black-and-white checkerboard aisle and dance floor, a decisive graphic move softened by low floral installations. Creamy magnolia blooms, white flowers, and fresh greenery followed the geometry without obscuring it. Long tables introduced another layer through patterned linens, dark chairs, glass chargers, ribbon details, candlelight, and carefully placed stationery, creating a room that felt structured but never severe.
Sculptural lighting and chandeliers drew the eye upward through the clear tent, while the floral work remained broad and low enough to preserve views across the room. The contrast between black framing and pale flowers was especially effective in wide photographs, where the whole composition could be read at once. Closer table images then revealed the finish: layered glassware, menus, metallic flatware, and neutral blooms arranged with the same controlled rhythm as the floor below.
Chandeliers After Dark on the Gulf Coast
As the light faded, the transparent structure shifted from an airy daytime room into a glowing evening pavilion. Chandeliers, candles, and blue-hour reflections gave the reception a new atmosphere without changing its palette. The couple entered, danced on the checkerboard floor, cut a tiered white cake among the flowers, and moved through a room that remained visually connected to the Gulf Coast landscape outside.
The final photographs favour movement over formality. Champagne, dancing, embraces, and a dramatic dip beneath the chandelier bring the celebration to its peak, followed by a dark bridal silhouette and the couple’s departure through their guests. It is a fitting close to a wedding built in two parts: first, quiet garden vows in Nashville, then a larger Biloxi reception where magnolia flowers and strong geometry translated Southern references into a distinctly modern setting.
The Team
Every professional who shaped this story, listed by role.
Photographer
Planner
Ceremony Destination
Ceremony Weddings
Reception Venue
Elopement Florist
Reception Florals
Videographer
Makeup and Hair
Lighting
Live Band
Custom Dance Floor
Tent
Rentals
Rentals
Reception Linens
Chargers
Cake and Dessert
Stationery
Bridal Dress
Custom Coffee Mugs
Wedding Snacks
Couple
Couple