This year, shower Mom with thoughtful acts of kindness. Start with a leisurely morning, perhaps serving her favorite breakfast in bed or taking her to a luxurious brunch in Music City at the Bobby Hotel’s Union Tavern or Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille in Franklin. Let her enjoy the day free from responsibilities by planning a spa day at MassageLuXe with a facial and massage or organizing a peaceful day in nature at Cheekwood Estates & Gardens, leisurely walking the stunning gardens. If she enjoys experiential activities, consider a wine tasting and picnic at Arrington Vineyards or a night at the Grand Ole Opry watching the live country music radio broadcast.

Make your gift meaningful, one that comes from the heart and has sentimental value. It’s about thought and effort, like a handwritten letter expressing your gratitude on a beautiful card from Amy Montgomery Home, a stylish new outfit from Aubree P. Boutique or Birdy Grace Boutique in her favorite color, a keepsake piece of jewelry from Genesis Diamonds, or stop by Total Wine & More and pick up her favorite wine or champagne to celebrate the occasion.

This Mother’s Day exceed her expectations. Take it to the next level and give Mom the gift of relaxation, appreciation, and unforgettable moments. She’s spent a lifetime caring for others so make this day extra special to ensure she feels just as cared for in return. Whether near or far, tell Mom you love her by saying a heartfelt thank you for all she’s done. And in June, don’t forget to show some love to Dad on Father’s Day. He’s pretty special, too!

Mother’s Day Brunch – Union Tavern at the Bobby Hotel

May 11, from 11 am – 4 pm

Enjoy a delicious brunch Mom will love! Kick things off with fresh smoked salmon and made-to-order omelets, then dig into carved roasted turkey, beef, and all the best brunch favorites. Save room for dessert—because Tennessee cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake with fresh berries are too good to pass up! The kids’ buffet includes pancakes, waffles, sliders, and more. Great food, great company, and the perfect way to make Mom’s day extra special!

Exposition of Elegance: Classic Cars at Cheekwood

Father’s Day Weekend – June 14 & 15

Cruise into Cheekwood and stroll among over 100 impeccably maintained classic cars and vintage motorcycles from the early to mid-20th century. Enjoy era-specific tunes, drinks from the bar stations, and tasty bites from the city’s favorite food trucks. With hands-on activities for kids and our Enchanted Castles exhibition, there’s something for everyone.

The post Make Mom Feel Special this Mother’s Day! appeared first on Williamson County Living.

PHOTOS BY HEATHER DURHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Welcome to May and June! The South’s most desirable time of year for a wedding. Weddings come in all different sizes and styles these days. The micro-wedding has gained popularity over the last few years, with brides focusing on spending time with family and friends in a more intimate setting. With smaller weddings and fewer guests, an at-home wedding could be the perfect solution for couples who want privacy and desire to spend more time with those attending.  

A house with an open traffic pattern is best suited for hosting over 20-25 guests. If that space leads to an outdoor area, it can work even better. If you’ve been in the South for long, you know never to plan an outdoor event that is solely outdoor and in an uncovered area. Rain is always a possibility and can put a damper on an outdoor wedding or reception. The photos shared on these pages reflect the bride and groom’s desire for an intimate event spent one-on-one with family and friends. 

The location? The bride’s parents’ home. While the 1938 Tudor is quaint from the exterior viewpoint, the open main floor interior allowed for the perfect ceremony, which included only parents, siblings, and sibling spouses. The ceremony, attended by the bride, groom, minister, and eight guests, was held in the spacious formal dining room. The dining room table featured a large arrangement of fresh flowers for the ceremony, and the dining room chairs were used for seating guests. 

The bride dressed in the guest bedroom upstairs, and when her time arrived to greet her groom, her father awaited her at the bottom of the steps. The staircase, draped in yellow and white roses with lush greenery and fresh magnolia, was beautiful for the bride’s entrance and served as the perfect backdrop for the double-ring ceremony. The bride’s choice of yellow roses complemented the forest green staircase walls and looked beautiful for early spring.

After the ceremony, the dining room chairs were stored in an upstairs bedroom, clearing the way for two caterers to set the dining table with an early cocktail supper. The flower arrangement from the ceremony was moved to the center of the table and was flanked all around by trays of beef tenderloin, chicken satay, roasted vegetables, and an extensive charcuterie selection. The extended family waited during the ceremony at the Airbnb, just across the street from the parents’ home, so that photos could be taken immediately after the nuptials. At the same time, the inside was being transformed for the cocktail supper for guests arriving in just a couple of hours. 

The wedding cake table was located in the breakfast room. The breakfast room featured French doors that led to the covered veranda, where clothed tables and wooden bentwood chairs awaited guests. The bride’s father hung clear sides to the veranda cover to protect the evening from any rain that might have come their way. Blessedly, there was not a drop of rain that early May Saturday. A tradition not held too often any longer, the bride and groom waited at the bottom of the staircase at the front door and greeted every guest as they arrived—such a very personal gesture to extend to your guests. 

As guests moved from greeting the new couple, the staff served a variety of passed hors d’ oeuvres. The flow of the house and the covered veranda allowed enough space for the bride, the groom, their families, and 38 guests to mingle easily. A little trick used to keep guests out of the kitchen worked very well. The caterers brought portable ovens and coolers and operated out of the lower-level garage. The florist covered every surface in the kitchen with greenery and florals, even the top of the range.  

Music for the bride’s entrance and the reception was provided by a classical guitarist. The caterer’s set-up time was used for him to transition to the veranda.  Nothing too bold, simply understated, and the perfect background music for a lovely evening. The flower boxes on the veranda were “planted” with Boston ferns, fresh yellow roses, and greenery.

The guests were greeted at the front door with the front planter box filled to the brim with yellow roses and fresh greenery, along with evergreen topiaries surrounded by yellow roses. Small arrangements of the same flowers were placed on each table, draped with off-white, textured linen cloths. The bride’s parents’ favorite local bartender served champagne and two signature drinks created by the bride and groom. 

One of the sweetest moments of the day was the groom and his mother making the half-block walk to the local florist to pick up the bride’s bouquet. Where else but in the quaint town of Columbia, Tennessee, could this be possible? There were so many small-town moments associated with this perfect at-home Southern wedding. The parents’ friends who brought them two loads of fresh cut magnolia stands out as one of the sweetest gestures of the entire wedding week. The bride’s mom’s friend, a freelance florist, captured her vision of the house florals perfectly, while the local florist down the street was so accommodating to allow the groom and his mom to be photographed picking up the bouquet. Neighbors provided the pièce de résistance by moving nine cars off the narrow historic street to locations away from the house, as there was no off-street parking available in the downtown location. Indeed, it was undoubtedly the perfect at-home Southern wedding.

AMY MONTGOMERY has over 25 years of design experience and owns Amy Montgomery Home in Columbia, Tennessee. She delights in sharing her personal collection of vintage china and dishes with readers. As a lifestylist, she is focused on home and is thrilled to offer her customers an elevated customer service experience. Visit amymontgomeryhome.com for additional information and follow her on social media at @amymontgomeryhome.

The post The Perfect At-Home Southern Wedding appeared first on Williamson County Living.

The leader raises a glass, gathers the staff facilitating the function, and honors them by wishing them “Happiness! Good health! Friendship! Long life! Skål!” The Scandinavian word Skål translates to cheers or good health in English and is equivalent to a toast, and this ritual occurs at Skål gatherings in 85 nations worldwide. Wherever the toast is offered, members repeat the four parts as the leaders say them, but the Nashville group adds its own touch. “Skål, y’all!” they shout.

The Skål Club of Nashville, which is celebrating its 50th year in 2025, is part of Skål International, an organization of travel and tourism professionals founded in Paris between the two world wars to promote international friendships in the hospitality industry. A stand-alone Skål club in Paris was begun in 1932, and only two years later, the idea had spread to five countries, enough that an international organization coalesced. Eleven clubs were founders. The Skål Club of Nashville is among today’s total of 300 clubs and 12,500 members globally.

“Skål is a way to link you up locally, nationally, and internationally. It is the only hospitality organization of its type that is international,” said JoAnne Ford, a Williamson County resident who has worked in the tourism industry for more than 35 years.

Ford owned a travel agency during that career, was president of the Skål Club of Nashville, and was an officer in a Skål entity representing all clubs in the United States. Involvement in Skål took her to South Africa, Cancun, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C.

“Skål takes you outside your own little sphere of contacts. You get to interact with people in other aspects of hospitality. That’s its beauty, even on the local level. Over the years, our Nashville-area members have included travel agents, hotel general managers, airline marketing executives, restaurant leaders, car rental agency owners, and more. There are companies you might not think of as hospitality, but they are,” she said.

Jeff Crabiel, president of the Skål Club of Nashville, reinforces that broad range of qualifying employment. Crabiel’s own perspective comes from his job as chief hospitality officer of Castlerock Asset Management. Its portfolio includes Westin Nashville, the Bobby Hotel, and Oak Steakhouse.

“Hospitality is big and broad, and one of our goals with Skål in Nashville is to enhance the industry as a whole. We want to increase our membership and always extend a hand of welcome. We also want to foster hospitality newcomers and prospective hospitality industry employees,” Crabiel said.

Financial support of Tennessee ProStart is one way the Skål Club of Nashville promotes its industry. Tennessee ProStart supports high school culinary instruction through various programs, including an annual culinary and management competition. The culinary competition challenges teams to create a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners and with no access to running water or electricity. Teams in the management competition must propose a restaurant concept and defend it to a panel of industry judges. A team from Nolensville High School won the 2025 management competition, and a culinary team from the same school placed second.

On a broader level, Skål International is an affiliated member of the World Tourism Organization and a supporter of the Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty Initiative. That initiative works on development projects in several countries to create jobs and enhance local economies.

“I feel good about being in an organization such as Skål,” said Franklin resident Pam Inman, whose career has included being chief operating officer of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, chief executive officer of the National Tour Association, president/CEO of the Tennessee and Nashville hotel and lodging associations and assistant commissioner of Tennessee Tourist Development and Tennessee State Parks.

“Skål has connected me with people in tourism I wasn’t around every day. I call it the Rotary Club of tourism. I was in the Skal Club in Washington, D.C., while I was away from Nashville for 16 years. Now that I’ve returned, the Skål Club of Nashville has gotten me back in touch with Nashville. I want the Nashville club to connect more and more people in a powerfully important industry,” Inman said.

For information about the Skål Club of Nashville, visit NashvilleSkal.com. Interested in joining? We invite you to attend an upcoming Skål luncheon, held on the third Thursday of every month, to meet other hospitality professionals – RSVP on the website.

Nashvillian Tom Adkinson is a past president of the Skål Club of Nashville. He is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel writers and author of 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, published by Reedy Press.

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