What happens when an American woman falls in love with a Russian man? They throw a grand American wedding and incorporate Russian traditions photographed by this Nashville wedding photographer. After Tim’s surprise proposal to Erin at The Farm at Cedar Springs in Lebanon, Tennessee, they decided that this venue would be the perfect fit for them. I would learn that wedding guests and loved ones would be flying in from seven different countries and several U.S. states. Tim and Erin’s wedding would be epic.

Only a few of Erin’s closest friends had seen her wedding dress, so she chose to do a wedding dress reveal. She shocked everyone with her beauty as she came down the stairs in a Remi Rain wedding gown. The dress fit her well and her bridesmaids embraced her with love and excitement. Tim and his groomsmen were an absolute blast, as you can see from the photos below. Tim popped the bubbly and started celebrating with the bridal party before the wedding. Erin stayed hidden away since Tim and her chose not to see each other prior to the ceremony. As the wedding began, Erin’s dear friend and boss escorted her to her father. Erin’s father then walked her down the aisle to Tim. Erin and Tim were both overwhelmed with emotion seeing each other for the first time. The ceremony was filled with laughter, tears of happiness and anticipation for that ‘first kiss’ as husband and wife.

The reception at The Farm at Cedar Springs started with Tim and Erin’s grand entrance and went straight into their first dance as husband and wife. Russian traditions were implemented throughout the reception. The first tradition was a bread ceremony where a loaf of bread was held between the two of them by Tim’s mother. The bride on one side and the groom on the other. At the same time, Tim and Erin would try and take the largest bite of bread possible. It is said that whoever rips the biggest piece of bread off becomes the head of household and makes the decisions. Tim won. The second Russian tradition was the veil removal and passage. Erin’s mother removed Erin’s veil and passed it to Tim’s mother. This symbolizes one mother losing a daughter and another mother gaining a daughter. It was extremely emotional as Tim’s mother spoke in Russian for Tim to translate to Erin. Such a beautiful sentiment and moment. The reception celebration continued with dancing while Tim and Erin sang at the top of their lungs to their favorite songs. Their wedding and celebration was epic!