WIPA Nashville Inaugural Gala 2024

When asked to design the WIPA Nashville Inaugural Gala, I was so honored to be a part of planning a celebration for the Nashville wedding industry. The board assigned the theme: “the heART of Nashville” celebrating food, music, art, and culture in Nashville. Being born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, I was excited for the opportunity to design an event that celebrated all art forms in Nashville. At first, I wasn’t sure how to bring this theme to life and do it justice to showcase all the many art forms one can find around the city. To begin, I started drawing inspiration by researching artists of various mediums born and raised in Nashville, which led me to the architecture found downtown and colors, textiles found on the red carpet of the CMA Awards.

The board and designers of the cocktail hour portion of the evening, Modern Vintage Events & Duke Concierge, had the brilliant idea of creating a true red carpet moment to welcome everyone into the event. This offered a moment to transform Virgin Hotel into our own moody club and take everyone on a journey through “the heART of Nashville”.

While many think of Nashville as the shiny neon Broadway lights, I wanted to honor an older, more timeless Nashville and its rich history. Our capitol building, among many other landmarks, is made out of limestone, which is a prevalent mineral found in Tennessee. Limestone is often used by sculptors for creating monuments. I chose to honor this element by using it in the table number design.

Studying textiles found in fashion on the CMA red carpet, led me to fabrics like velvet, leather, suede, and paisley-type patterns. The linens I chose from our sponsor, BBJ La Tavola, were a subtle nod to these fashion moments and offered a stylistic moment creating a foundation for our flowers.

In partnership with Rosemary + Finch, we chose an ombré of flowers as a nod to a painter’s palette that would have a range of paint colors. Down each long table, the flowers scaled from deep red, to pinks and browns. Mixed in among the blooms were various wood and stone sculptures speaking again to the various art forms represented by notable artists from Nashville, which you will read about below.

The installation over the dance floor was an art form itself and played with the color palette in a shape reminiscent of a paint brush stroke or line of sheet music. As we know Nashville has a flashy side and that certainly couldn’t be ignored. We chose to mix metals like gold, silver, and bronze from the flatware, charger, and napkin, to the lounge around the dance floor to dress up the room with a bit of modern glam.

Researching Nashville’s notable artists was the main driving force behind the design. As a Nashville native, I know how important the community of people is to our city and that is what truly gives it life. Guests were placed at a table named after a legend of music, food, sculptures, paintings, or the art scene in Nashville. After arriving at their table, they could read more about the person and how their legacy in the Nashville art world made such an impact.

William Edmondson

Born in Nashville, TN, he is a self-taught sculptor who became the first African American artist to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1937. He is best known for his carved limestone sculptures, primarily of figures inspired by the people and animals he encountered in his everyday life.

André Prince Jeffries

She is the Founder of Prince’s Hot Chicken and the niece of the original creator, Thornton Prince, who first created the spicy fried chicken in the 1930s. Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack is credited with popularizing Nashville-style hot chicken that has become a hallmark of the city’s food scene.

Aaron Douglas

He is best known for his role in the Harlem Renaissance and often called the “father of African American art.” Later in his life, he taught art at Fisk University in Nashville, TN, where he influenced generations of African American artists.

Dolly Parton

Born in Sevierville, TN, she is an iconic singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and beloved cultural icon. She moved to Nashville in 1964, at the age of 18, to pursue her dream of becoming a country music star where she quickly made a name for herself.

Red Grooms

He is a Nashville-born artist known for his vibrant and often humorous works that blend elements of pop art, surrealism, and cartoonish expression. He studied at the University of Tennessee before moving to New York City to pursue a career in the arts.

Thomas F. Frist

Beyond his business success, he is known for his philanthropy in Nashville. He and his family played a major role in the development of the Frist Art Museum which opened in 2001 in Nashville and serves as a prominent cultural institution and hosts a wide range of art exhibitions and community programs.

Kelsey Montague

She is a street artist best known for her interactive public art that invites people to engage with her murals. One of her most famous works is the “What Lifts You” mural located in the Gulch neighborhood that features large angel wings and has become an iconic tourist spot in the city for photos.

Miley Cyrus

She is a Nashville-born singer, songwriter, and actress, best known for her role as “Hannah Montana” on Disney Channel. As the child of country music star, Billy Ray Cyrus, her early musical career was strongly influenced by Nashville’s country music culture.

Chet Atkins

Known as “the Country Gentleman,” he is a guitarist, producer, and arranger who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of country music and guitar playing in the 20th century. He helped create the Nashville sound, a subgenre of country music that emerged in the 1950s.

Kitty Wells

She is widely regarded as the first female superstar in country music and helped pave the way for women in the country music industry. In the 50s and 60s, she was a frequent performer on the Grand Ole Opry and eventually in 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, solidifying her title as the “Queen of Country Music.”

The Downtown Band brought incredible music for the evening and welcomed guests into the main room for dinner with high-energy dancing promising a fun evening ahead. Once everyone settled in for dinner, Celina Ballerina entered the room in a beautiful representation of the performing arts side of Nashville while she danced around the room.

The dance floor offered another look into one of the oldest art forms in Nashville, the Hatch Show Print. Starting in the 1920s, the Hatch family created one of a kind posters through wood block prints that advertised concerts around Nashville. White Ink Calligraphy had the brilliant idea of creating our own poster for the Gala. Displaying the print on the dance floor, thanks to Southern Event Wraps, was the perfect way to pay homage to this iconic Nashville art form.

To end the night, Modern Vintage Events and Duke Concierge designed a fabulous 1990s after-party, complete with a merchandise counter of glow glasses, slap bracelets, and temporary tattoos. Future Luxe brought the hype music and Premier Entertainment brought the 360 photo booth that kept guests partying until the very end! WIPA Nashville’s Inaugural Gala will be an unforgettable event, serving as the perfect conclusion to an amazing 2024!