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Founders of Nashville Fantasy Ball Caitlin Hart and Jenna Wolf.
Founders of Nashville Fantasy Ball Caitlin Hart and Jenna Wolf. (Photo by Sammy Hearn)
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Founders of Nashville Fantasy Ball Caitlin Hart and Jenna Wolf.
Founders of Nashville Fantasy Ball Caitlin Hart and Jenna Wolf. (Photo by Sammy Hearn)
Nashville Fantasy Ball, the immersive brainchild of WolfHart Productions, is blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
Through balls, soirées, and gatherings, NFB is working to bring dreams found in works of fiction to life. The elevated aesthetic, entertainment, vendor hall, photo opportunities, characters, storyline, and more are just a glimpse at the evocative nature of the experience.
Forbidden Fantasies: An Enemies to Lovers Affair at The Bedford on February 7 and 8 will be the first of its kind in Nashville. Fantasy enthusiasts are emerging from Tennessee and beyond for an evening filled with passion and entertainment. Though this particular event quickly sold out, fear not: This is only the beginning for NFB events.
We chatted with booked and busy founders Jenna Wolf and Caitlin Hart about bringing their dream to fruition, what to expect from their first ball, and more.
What is a Fantasy Ball?
In short, a fantasy ball is an extravagant event where attendees dress inspired by favorite bookish characters and worlds. Nashville Fantasy Ball’s events are rooted in sophistication, inclusivity, and wonder with magical themes that are open to inspiration and interpretation. Themes such as mythology, folklore, and fantasy books weave in the magic that threads everything together.
“There's been a rise in popularity of fantasy books like A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing. All of that feels like kind of this new wave, and we are really trying to bring it back to what inspired those books, what the mythology and the folklore in those came from, and kind of paint with a broader brush,” Hart says.
Painting with a broader brush allows guests from all walks of life embodying the stories that they’re reading.
“We want them to be inspired and feel as though they are part of a magical world while being who they want to be,” says Wolf.
What to Expect
Guests attending Forbidden Fantasies can expect performances from Atwood Quartet, as featured on season three of the Netflix sensation Bridgerton, as well as musical guests and performing actors. The vendor market includes mobile bookstore Slow Burn TN, romantic fantasy inspired jewelry by Darling Embers, bookish activities, tarot card readings, and more.
Attendees can expect an elevated experience, perfect for photo opportunities and enhance their evening by bonding with new and known bookish friends, indulge in hors d’evours, dessert, and an open bar with alcohol-free options, and more.
Why Enemies to Lovers?
For this affair, the aesthetic came first. Wolf and Hart found their vision last year, then brainstormed how to represent it in words and bring it to life in a way that the fantasy community would love. They polled the community via Instagram for favorite tropes and what others are reading to come to their decision.
“After getting feedback from our community, knowing it's the week before Valentine's Day, and enemies to lovers being the most popular trope in romance literature, we decided to run with that,” Wolf says. “We liked the alliteration of Forbidden Fantasies because its very enticing and a little bit sexy, so that's kind of where it all evolved from.”
Community Response
After announcing their intentions to host fantasy-themed events in Nashville on Instagram, tickets for Forbidden Fantasies: An Enemies to Lovers Affair sold out in minutes. Due to overwhelming demand, NFB booked their venue, The Bedford, for a second night to accommodate more attendees.
“I think it is so special to see how many people there truly are and how many locals are here that want something fresh and new,” Hart says. “To be able to give them that is amazing.”
A key cornerstone of NFB is community and fostering deep connections. Strangers have bonded over picking outfits and love for the genre through the team’s smaller events and social platform.
“It's been so rewarding to see the connections that are being made,” Hart says. “I love seeing people finding new best friends, and new groups of people new to Nashville who didn't know who to connect with or how to connect with making new friends. We got a message a couple months ago from somebody that said, "This ball hasn't even happened yet, and Nashville Fantasy Ball has changed my life. I didn't have friends before, and now I have five friends that I talk to every day and and my life is different." And that's just everything we could ever possibly want to hear.”
What’s Next?
So far, the next confirmed ball will be themed Garden of the Gods, an enchanting Summer Solstice celebration. Picture this: magical gardens, divine beauty, ethereal performances, and celestial treasures. Tickets still remain for both midsummer nights on June 20 and 21 at The Bedford.
“It does have a strong mythology theme as well as just this magical garden vibe. To me, it's like the edge of the garden right before the it meets the enchanted forest,” Wolf says.
NFB plans to continue dream weaving and see how the community they have created evolves. One way Wolf and Hart intend to do so is by hosting smaller events and ways to participate outside of large events, as well as continue their fantastical balls. A significant goal is to reach more people in and outside of Nashville, as well as show that their events are an elevated, memorable experience for all, regardless of how interested someone is in the fantasy genre.