Have you been searching for a wedding venue in Tennessee that is LGBTQ+ affirming? Surrounded by nature? Historic and charming? Drakewood Farm in Tennessee checks all the boxes!
I had the chance to capture Sadie and Eliza’s Nashville elopement at Drakewood Farm in the winter and I can’t help but gush over how incredible this venue is.
Read on to learn more about Drakewood Farm. Plus, take a behind-the-lens at Sadie and Eliza’s celebration here!
Drakewood Farm Wedding Venue
Drakewood Farm is a beautiful historic wedding venue that sits on 30 acres of farmland. Also, it’s only 20 minutes outside of Nashville! They offer full service weddings, micro weddings, and elopements. Here you’ll find a stunning 1850’s mansion, stone cottage, three barns, a climate-controlled reception space, and two ceremony spaces.
This is an amazing venue choice for queer couples as everyone at Drakewood Farms is inclusive and affirming. Futhermore, to make this venue even more enticing it’s all inclusive! If you plan your wedding here, they will provide you with the bouquet, cake, ceremony set up, tables, chairs, event coordinators, and even more!
Ceremony Sites at Drakewood Farm
If you choose their custom elopement package, you’ll have two ceremony sites to choose from, including their gorgeous cedar forest. Your package can also include a wedding coordinator, officiant, cake, etc. To learn what each different package they offer entails, go here!
Their most popular wedding location is their wooded ceremony area. This is perfect if you want your ceremony to feel secluded, intimate, and like you’ve stepped into a woodland fairytale. The area is beautifully paved and landscaped. You can also choose their 170-year-old barn which is also a beautiful place to say “I do.”
This venue has also partnered with Magnolia Manor to offer overnight accommodations. The manor is adjacent to Drakewood and has a clear view of the Drakewood Farm. Some of my personal favorite features of Magnolia Manor nclude the grand staircase, balcony, and stained-glass windows that once belonged to Johnny Cash!
If you choose to get married at Drakewood Farm, it’s going to have everything (and I mean everything) you need to have a stress-free, unforgettable celebration.
Sadie and Eliza’s Nashville Elopement at Drakewood Farm
Here’s a behind-the-lens look at Sadie and Eliza’s elopement:
The Proposal
Sadie and Eliza each had held onto a grandparent’s ring for a few years, waiting for the right season to propose. In the summer of 2024, they decided that it was time to get engaged!
The plan they had set in place was that one of them would organize the logistics of the proposal, but they would both bring their rings to the proposal so they could do a double proposal.
Eliza surprised Sadie under the re-purposed scoreboard from the Nashville Sounds baseball team and even though Eliza was the one who planned and initiated the proposal, Sadie also got down on one knee with her for a double proposal, which was so cute!
Be sure to learn more about how you can plan your LGBTQ+ surprise proposal here just like Sadie and Eliza and read more about their beautiful love story!
Eliza and Sadie’s Private Ceremony
After they got engaged, Sadie and Eliza decided they wanted to elope. They both knew they wanted to do things a little differently, so they actually first decided to have a legal ceremony in their home before their elopement ceremony with their loved ones.
Their legal ceremony was in December at their home with an officiant and their private ceremony featured some honorary guests – their adorable dogs. Eliza and Sadie chose to wear coordinating sweatshirts.
A detail they added that was incredibly heartfelt was that they embroidered on the chest of their sweatshirts their January wedding date. Plus, each of them had a heart with the other’s initials on their sleeve – a beautiful, literal embodiment expression of wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
Of course, these one-of-a-kind sweatshirts didn’t only appear at their home ceremony; they also brought them and wore them at the end of their elopement day with their family.
Eliza and Sadie’s January Wedding at Drakewood Farm
Eliza and Sadie’s January wedding at Drakewood Farm was pure magic—it even snowed—which is very rare for Tennessee. Their family rented Magnolia Manor adjacent to the wedding venue, where everyone stayed and got to spend meaningful time together.
By the way, you can only stay at Magnolia Manor if you have a booking with Drakewood Farm. This is also where Eliza and Sadie got ready for their celebration. After doing their hair and makeup, they then headed to the venue.
At Drakewood Farm, Eliza and Sadie started their day by changing into their wedding attire in separate rooms in the loft of Drakewood’s stone cottage. Eliza wore a killer tux from SuitShop and Little Black Tux and Sadie wore a jumpsuit from David’s Bridal and a fireeeeeeee fur coat, vintage from her mom’s closet from the 80s. After they got dressed, Sadie and Eliza shared a sentimental, heartfelt first look in the loft. The loft has a charming little balcony that overlooks the woods making it the perfect spot for a first look.
The Ceremony
Then, it was time for their ceremony inside the barn. Something incredibly touching that they implemented in their ceremony was ring warming. This is when you and your partner pass your wedding bands around to all your guests.
Then, when guests receive the rings, they “warm” them up. They can say a positive affirmation, make a wish, or do anything else they want before handing the ring to the next guest.
After their ceremony, we had cake and mingled, and we snuck off to take some enchanting winter wonderland pics before coming back for toasts. To conclude the evening we all headed back to Magnolia Manor and had a wonderful dinner together to celebrate this exciting new chapter in Eliza and Sadie’s lives!
Ready to Plan Your Wedding at Drakewood Farm?
I hope you found this guide on planning a wedding at Drakewood Farm helpful. A wedding at Drakewood Farm will be nothing less than pure magic!
And..if you are still looking for a queer elopement photographer to capture your celebration in Tennessee or beyond, I’d love to chat! You can look at my services here or head over here to get in touch to discuss how we can get started planning your dream wedding!
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