Date Night Giveaway in Nashville
So, we finally did our first giveaway! The idea we landed on was to create an ideal date night based in Nashville. As new parents, we know the value of a night out as a couple. Just the two of you, enjoying each other’s company, soaking in the romance. Answer this: is there a better way to soak in the last days of summer than going on a sunset sail? The correct answer is “no.”
This was our guiding inspiration, a sunset sail on Percy Priest Lake with a dinner reservation downtown to follow. Now we just needed two things, a trustworthy boat we could take our couple out on, and a quality restaurant that would fulfill our picture of an ideal date night experience.
First, our sailboat! We reached out to book a sunset sailing session with Sail & Co. and we absolutely fell in love with them! Jon and Carrie, who started Sail and Company, are a husband and wife duo (much like us) with a passion for sailing and photography! We had already heard great things about them from other photographers in the Nashville area. These two seemed like they were the perfect match, and based on our experience with Jon as our captain, we can see quite a few sailing sessions in our future.
We were finalizing the date and the plan for dinner was next. We were hoping to find a restaurant that could fit the bill for a classy, elevated location to spend a Friday in Nashville. Our final choice was Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse Nashville. With their diverse menu options, romantic atmosphere, and unparalleled quality: Jeff Ruby’s was clearly the right choice. We managed to secure a reservation, allotting a fair amount of time for travel for our couple from the dock to the restaurant, and purchased a gift voucher for our two lucky winners to enjoy dinner on us!
We had a surprise cherry on top that had our couple, as well as ourselves, in an absolute frenzy! This was a custom-made charcuterie board provided by our absolute favorite local board slinger Mykah Farren. Let me tell you: Mykah is nothing short of a charcuterie artist with a keen eye for good-tasting, quality ingredients and such beautiful board compositions. I mean, just take a look at what she made for us!
My mouth is watering just looking at it now! The crowd favorites were first of all absolutely the apple butter, there was some fantastic brie, and those pesky runaway blackberries. Even despite the blackberry disaster that completely ‘rocked the boat’ (which I will reveal to you soon) these sweet, fresh little guys carried us through on our journey with big smiles, happy hearts, and full bellies. Stay tuned to find out how exactly I fell short on berry duty.
The Giveaway Winners — Our Lucky Couple
The plan was finalized all we needed now was a lovely, lucky couple to join us on the boat and take on this one of a kind Nashville date night as their own. We posted about the submission process through our instagram, then the comments flooded in. We saw a lot of familiar faces, and even more new ones! We waiting patiently until the final day of submission then it all came up to the luck of the draw.
Enter: Nate & Kayla.
Nate and Kayla have a story that is nothing short of an Emmy Award winning medical drama brought to real life. He was a doctor, she was a nurse, and the rest is history. These two were the absolute sweetest and I for one am so glad that they were our lucky couple. They are hard-working and clearly hold a lot of love for the people who have been under their care. I’m glad that they could be the ones, for once, who were being cared for.
Sunset Sail on Percy Priest Lake
The big day had finally arrived! With our camera gear and our charcuterie cooler in tow, we made our way to Percy Priest Lake. We drove in and parked in a small gravel lot overlooking the still water and a wooden walkway creeping out over the dark surface, the Elm Hill public dock. We met up with Nate and Kayla and chatted for a little while just before we could hear Jon rolling up. The motor of the boat whirred lightly as we saw the mast peaking through the nearby trees, then the pristine white body of the boat came into view gliding over the water to meet us at the humble port.
Jon gave us a warm greeting, welcomed us aboard and off we went! We cut through the lake as Jon gave us a brief tour along with some safety guidelines and then the sail was out, the sun was falling, and the evening kicked off beautifully! The next step was clear— breaking out the charcuterie to relax, chat, and get to know each other before we got into our photo session. The only problem was, as I unwrapped the gorgeous display, I dropped a blackberry. Now this act in and of itself would’ve been fine if I had then thrown the biodegradable offender overboard, however, this is not what I did. I then set the sweet little fruit on a small plate we had brought along and set it beside me as I grabbed some photos of the board. Unknown to Madi, this little guy ran off of the plate and rolled across the gorgeous off-white cushions on the boat to nestle under her lovely boat-faring dress. This of course resulted in blackberry juice scattering itself upon every nearby fabric surface that it could. When we discovered the many stains, Madi and I were plunged into understandable turmoil only to be soothed by our kind captain. We apologized profusely to which Jon responded with a cool and calm demeanor assuring us that it was no problem at all. Update: Jon did let me know later that the stains came out of their cushions with ease much to the relief of my conscience!
After the unprecedented berry attack, we settled back in, rode the waves and talked all things work, life, and dreams with Nate and Kayla. We then started grabbing photos, hopping around in the cabin, across to the bow and anywhere in between. As Jon said, ‘the boat feels bigger the longer you’re out here.’ He was absolutely right, our sea legs came soon enough! The golden glow of the setting sun was the perfect accompaniment to this lovely evening which was beginning to feel more and more like a dream. It was a tough one to leave, but as we pulled back into the dock and said our goodbyes, we were happy to know that for Nate and Kayla this was only part one of their dream date night.
If you want to see what Nate and Kayla thought of their dinner at Jeff Ruby’s, check out their food review instagram: Good Mood Food Nashville!
If you’re interested in booking a sail with Jon and Carrie at Sail & Company, which I can’t recommend enough, the process is easy and oh so worth it! When you reach their website, there is a short inquiry form you fill out with a preferred date and time you wish to sail (morning, day or sunset). Give them a follow on instagram to see when they post their available dates!
Here are some tips they gave as a heads-up before our sail to keep in mind:
The boat can hold up to 6 people besides the captain. You’re more than welcome to bring any snacks/drinks that you'd like to have - we just ask that you not bring red wine as it can stain if spilled. There is a small boat fridge on board to keep any food or drinks you may bring chilled. Shoes are not recommended on board. Any footwear with heels can cause damage to the boat so we request that all shoes be removed before boarding. Plus it's easier to walk around barefoot! For our day sail guests - we definitely recommend sunscreen, however, aerosol sunscreen is not allowed. Photos on the dock we depart from are allowed - if you'd like dock photos please bring that to our attention when booking/boarding so that we can allot time in the sail for those. Children under 12 must wear lifejackets at all times. We do not provide children's sized lifejackets (we do have adult sizes). Pets are not allowed unless they are service animals and they will also be required to supply and wear a life jacket. There is a toilet on board for emergencies but we do suggest using the restroom before boarding your sail.
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