Franklin wedding venue celebrates 10 years in business

FRANKLIN – Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life, but it can also be one of the most stressful.

When Cj Dickson opened CJ’s Off the Square in 2005, she thought back to her experience.

“There were so many moving parts to what goes into the process and I wanted to change the way weddings were planned. I thought the idea of going to one place from beginning to end was great,” she said. “I floated the idea to some friends and they thought it made a lot of sense.”

She and her husband were married in May 2004, and six months later, Dickson quit her job to launch the business, which offers catering, rentals and lighting.

Today an average of 50 weddings a year are held at the 100-year-old historic home located at 218 Third Ave. N. in the heart of the city’s downtown district. It is the former home of photographer Sam Causey and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To celebrate her 10th year in business, Dickson hosted a four-day trunk show spotlighting wedding dresses from BHLDN (pronounced “beholden”). The bridal boutique is a sister company of retailers Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. BHLDN’s nearest stores are in Atlanta and Chicago.

“Even though we do all these weddings, (shopping for dresses) is the one piece of the industry I don’t get to be a part of,” Dickson said, adding that often, the bride’s choice of attire will help determine the theme of the wedding.

During the event, which began Thursday and ends Sunday, 60 brides were allotted an hour to try on a sampling of dresses.

Jessica McGuinn of BHLDN’s public relations department said the company hosted trunk shows for two months in the spring and will do a two-month tour in the fall.

“We’re very careful to select our locations," she said, noting Chicago and Houston operate standalone stores, while the rest are considered shop-in-shops located within Anthropologie stores.

"We’d love to be here sooner rather than later,” McGuinn said.

Reach Mealand Ragland-Hudgins on Twitter @mrhudgins4.