A Gold-Washed Wedding at Nashville’s Iconic Parthenon
Ella Werthan and Josh Stafford’s reception-only celebration was less wedding and more perfectly curated party. From gold gowns and midcentury-inspired details to late-night Taco Bell, this is one you need to see. Image: Stephanie Bullock
On a perfect fall evening in Nashville, as the sun dipped behind Centennial Park and the Parthenon’s towering columns caught the last light of day, about 100 guests gathered for what felt less like a wedding and more like the most thoughtfully curated party in town.
On October 12, friends and family of Ella Werthan and Josh Stafford filled the historic space not for a ceremony — that had already taken place — but for a full-scale celebration of everything that had brought them together.
“We were looking for something uniquely Nashville, ideally with a lot of history and a bit less traditional,” Josh explains. The building isn’t just iconic; it’s also personal to their story. The couple spent the early part of their relationship in the surrounding neighborhood, logging their first run together through Centennial Park.
Ella and Josh met in the summer of 2017 at a house party on 21st Avenue while they were both students at Vanderbilt. Their first kiss came later in the rooftop pool at the Kimpton Aertson, the very hotel where they would eventually stay during their wedding weekend.
The pair got engaged in July of 2021 on a sailboat off Bainbridge Island, WA — a place that would shape more than just the proposal. “We loved our time on the island so much that we ended up moving there for a few years afterwards,” Ella says. Josh’s Navy career took them across the country and beyond: Bainbridge Island while he was stationed on the USS Kentucky, Charleston during training, and even a stretch where Ella lived in Tallinn, Estonia, to finish school. Today, they’re based in San Francisco, but Nashville still runs deep.
That sense of rootedness showed up everywhere in the design. To bring their vision to life, they enlisted planner Kellie Maxcy of Charlie Grey Events, who kept the process joyful and manageable. “We are both unfortunately workaholics, so we did almost nothing ourselves,” Josh jokes. “Kellie helped us turn a broad vision and about 30 minutes of weekly effort into the best celebration we could have asked for.”
The aesthetic began with Ella’s family history. She grew up surrounded by vintage logos and signage from the old Werthan Packaging complex, renowned for its rich colors and mid-century design language. “I wanted a bit of a nod to my family’s history in Nashville,” she says.
She shared old branding imagery with the Charlie Grey team, sparking a “funky, midcentury ‘night at the museum’ vibe” that felt both playful and architectural.
From there, the vendors took the reins. Echoes of Eden handled vibrant, wild florals, while Rosie Days Collective created intentional, branded graphics that evoked the Werthan legacy. “It was so cool to see our vision come to life as Kellie and our vendors added their own ideas and flair,” Ella says.
The party began outdoors, with cocktail hour unfolding on the Parthenon plaza overlooking Centennial Park. An art festival happening nearby added to the energy, giving the evening a lively and almost spontaneous feel. Unique signature cocktails by Cocktail & Key set the tone, alongside elevated small bites from Five Senses Catering.
Inside, the reception flowed through the museum’s displays, where guests passed ancient-inspired statuary en route to dinner stations. The menu leaned into Nashville flavor with hot chicken sliders and Cajun shrimp rolls, alongside a playful mix of crowd-pleasers: a DIY wonton nacho bar, broccoli salad cups, patatas bravas, burger sliders, and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Of their vanilla Publix sheet cake, Ella says, “It was one of my favorite grocery treats growing up, and we don’t have Publix on the West Coast, so I was really excited to have it again.” The cake was joined by cheesecake bites, key lime custard cups, tiramisu cups, brownies, and chocolate-dipped macaroons, all courtesy of Five Senses Catering.
She skipped white entirely for her first look, opting instead for a gold gown that echoed the massive gilded statue of Athena looming over the main hall. “I don’t look good in white, and I am too busy for multiple fitting appointments,” she says. “Once we booked the Parthenon, I knew I wanted to wear gold.” She scoured brand websites until she found the right gown and ordered it immediately.
The second dress came later, born of practicality and a little serendipity. Realizing she couldn’t dance in the gold gown all night, Ella found a white mini dress beaded with gold, Greek zodiac-inspired details.
Personal touches kept the night very Nashville and very Ella and Josh. Late in the evening, servers passed out mini lo mein boxes alongside actual Taco Bell tacos. Guests donned cowboy hats and bachelorette sashes as Ella slipped into silver cowboy boots, fully committing to the Nashville energy as the dance floor heated up.
The couple’s first dance was set to “Seabird” by the Alessi Brothers. “It has a fun, upbeat coastal vibe,” Josh says, “but the lyrics spoke to our longing to be together during my deployments.” The song title also paid homage to one of their favorite restaurants on Bainbridge Island, adding another subtle layer of meaning to the night.
When it was time to go, gold shakers replaced sparklers as Ella and Josh boarded a party bus with their guests and headed straight to Lower Broadway. It was a fitting end to an evening that was so unmistakably Nashville, but entirely their own.
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RESOURCES
Reception: The Parthenon
Planner: Kellie Maxcy of Charlie Grey Events
Photographer: Stephanie Bullock
Flowers: Echoes of Eden
Stationery: Wild Rabbit Press
Hair and makeup: Done by the bride
Bride’s attire: First dress: self-portrait, Second dress: Clio Pepiatt
Groom’s attire: Hall Madden suit, Louboutin loafers
Catering: Five Senses Catering
Bar: Cocktail & Key
Cakes: Publix
Entertainment: DJ Twoee for reception; Music City Strings for cocktail hour
Rentals and glassware: EventWorks & Curated Events
Linens: BBJ La Tavola
Custom pieces (seating chart, menus, signage, etc.): Rosie Days Collective
Transportation: Signature Transportation
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Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.