Tuesday, April 24, 2012
I'm a picky eater; everyone knows that. Unfortunately, it's not something that I can easily hide. So, when I sample cakes, foods from local wedding caterers and cake artist, I usually apologize from the onset for my picky palette. There are a few caterers around the city that have won over my palette, and Beyond Details is one of them!
A few weeks ago, I was invited for a one-on-one tasting at Beyond Details Catering and Floral Design, which is located in Edgehille Village next to StudioWed. The office is super chic, but don't let the looks fool ya, there is real cooking going on behind the scenes. This is a company that does food and design very well. (Don't believe me - check out their website gallery.) Brandy and Jacob brought me plate after plate of delicious meals and my picky palette was surprised each and every time. I felt like Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham, as I tried and liked carrot souflle and casseroles that I would have never tried before.
This weekend, they are hosting another tasting for couples and wedding planners. If you have not yet hired your wedding caterer, I would highly recommend that you contact them TODAY to reserve a spot on their tasting schedule for this weekend or work with Brandy to schedule a tasting for a later date. You will thank me!
Here are some photos of their wonderfully catered and designed events.
Can't attend the tasting this weekend? Call Brandy at 615.480.8417 to schedule a time that works best for you. (All photos courtesy of the Beyond Details website.)
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Cakes & Food, Details, Design & Florals0 comments »
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
I'd never celebrated Leap Day but this year I did, along with bridal bloggers and wedding vendors who were asked to participate in the "Leap in the City" party/photo shoot at Sambuca Nashville, coordinated by Michelle of Burlap and Brooches Events and Sarah of Fete Nashville. The day started with a photo shoot, beautifully designed by the aforementioned planners and graciously photographed by Gregory Byerline Photographer. As day turned to night, the Nashville skyline became even more beautiful and the space went from a rehearsal dinner feel to all out party, welcoming 100+ fellow wedding pros.
Sambuca has always been a great restaurant with a sophisticated vibe. I never thought of them as a wedding venue but their private space is breathtaking, during the day and night. If you haven't seen the space, enjoy today's photos and see why brides are considering Sambuca for their bridal showers and rehearsal dinners.
Event Team
Event Planner - Michelle Soll of Burlap & Brooches
Event Planner - Sara Fried of Fête Nashville
Venue + Catering - Sambuca
Photography - Gregory Byerline Photographer
Hair + Makeup - Smith White Studio
Photo Booth - Picture This Nashville
Lighting - Nashville Audio Visual
Floral Designer - Ode, Floral Artistry
Video - Chris Wheeler Films
Live Music - Reed Lawrence Thomas
Cake - Dulce Desserts
Event Branding / Stationery - Design in August
Linen - Connie Duglin Linen
Transportation - Grand Avenue Transportation
It was a wonderful evening and gave me a chance to see many bridal friends. Special thanks to Gregory Byerline who was a joy with whom to work and got us these lovely photos super fast...always a bonus!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Inspiration & Trends0 comments »
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
There are certain questions that Nashville brides ask me ALL the time. Usually, these questions involve budgets and guest lists. But more and more, brides want to know about honeymoons, specifically looking for travel agents and honeymoon registries.
Until now, I didn't have a Nashville-based, travel expert to answer your honeymoon questions. Carlie of 2 Travel Anywhere recently joined StudioWed (our site sponsor and Nashville wedding planning studio) and she's fantastic! She agreed to answer a few of your burning honeymoon travel questions. Here's what I've learned so far...
What is 2 Travel Anywhere?
Carlie: 2 Travel Anywhere, LLC is a honeymoon travel consultant, planning honeymoons to destinations around the world. Upon contacting us we will send you a questionnaire to help determine exactly what you want for your honeymoon. We will then put together a custom quotes for you detailing the best options based on your interests, schedule, budget, and destinations. 2 Travel Anywhere, LLC is committed to searching for the best honeymoon free of charge. We want to make sure your honeymoon is memories that will last a lifetime of happiness celebrating your new life together.
As a Honeymoon Travel Consultant, it is my goal to help couples plan their dream honeymoon!
David and Emily's Mexican honeymoon, planned by 2 Travel Anywhere
Why should engaged couples (or anyone) work with a travel agent versus planning their own travel via sites like Expedia, etc?
Save Time - The Internet is filled with information about travel. It takes a lot of time to sort through everything to find exactly what you are looking for.
(Ashley adds - you are already busy planning a wedding, why not leave the honeymoon planning to someone else!)
Stress Free - You can spend those countless hours on the internet searching for the best honeymoon spot and still not find what you want. Contact us and we will send you as many options as you like until finding the perfect option saving you from being stressed out about where to start.
Expertise Traveling - We often visit destinations most requested by clients so that we can tell you about destinations and resorts based on our experiences.
Extra Perks - We always contact resorts ahead of time to request honeymoon amenities for you. Our clients frequently get room upgrades upon availability, surprises in their rooms, and much more.
Save Money - We shop around and find the best rate. We have access to special rates that are often times much lower than elsewhere. And even-better, there are NO HIDDEN FEES to work with us.
There are countless benefits for booking with a travel agent. 2 Travel Anywhere, LLC is not your typical travel agency we actually like to be called a honeymoon consultant; we specialize in planning engaged couples dream honeymoon around the world. The best part of our services is that we are completely free. We know how stressful it can be planning a wedding so we want to make sure the honeymoon planning is stress-free!
Kate and Brent's Hawaiian honeymoon, planned by 2 Travel Anywhere
I hear about honeymoon registries and am asked about them a lot. What are they? Are they credible and is there one that you recommend?
Honeymoon registries are becoming a hot trend for couples these days. Why not have money towards your honeymoon rather than your traditional gifts you may already have? Rather than register for household items they don't need, couples now seem to do a honeymoon registry.
2 Travel Anywhere teamed up with Honeymoon Wishes to help couples not only plan their honeymoon,,n but help with a bridal registry as well. Honeymoon Wishes is a honeymoon registry site to help couples financially with their honeymoon. Friends and family can now be apart of your honeymoon experience; they can see the cool places you'll be staying and activities you may have planned.
Why do you recommend Honeymoon Wishes?
Honeymoon wishes was the first registry company to be in business, they have more perks than the other honeymoon registry companies. You can send out notices about the registry as soon as you register. This will increase your chances of receiving gifts before the actual honeymoon. When it comes to the registry process be sure to register for more than you want because you never know what you will receive and it seems like people are more willing to give the gift of a dinner on the beach or an excursion on your trip that you would not typically receive.
Visit 2 Travel Anywhere's blog to see more real honeymoon photos shared by Nashville brides or contact Carlie at 615-512-7764 or carlie.travel{at}gmail{dot}com for help with planning your wonderful honeymoon.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Honeymoon and Post Wedding0 comments »
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Remember when you were little, and to commemorate just how BFF you and your friend were you'd hop into a photo booth and risk your eyesight for a strip of four black and white pictures that you'd tape to your locker or mirror? Now you can commemorate your wedding day with your new BFF (aka new hubby) thanks to an updated version of that old clunky photo booth machine. And this time around, all of your wedding guests will partake in the nostalgia and take home a memorable favor from your special day!
Meet Photo Booth Nashville: A Modern Fun Twist on a Childhood Favorite
Photo: Gray Photography
A guestbook using Nashville Photo Booth pics! Photo: Dove Wedding Photography
About Photo Booth Nashville
Main Contact: Amy Lysyczyn
Website: www.photoboothnashville.com
Phone Number: 615-340-0882
Email Address: sales{at}photoboothnashville{dot}com
Follow them on Twitter: @PhotoBoothTN
Become a Facebook fan: facebook.com/photoboothnashville
How many years have you been in business?
5 years
How did you get started in weddings?
When I got married in 2006, I really wanted a photo booth at our wedding. One of my friends in another state had one and it was a huge hit. My husband met the inventor of the patented Model 12 photo booth at a promotional event and we made the decision to bring them to middle Tennessee, where we remain the exclusive vendor with these patented booths to this day.
Photo: Evin Photography
What do you like most about weddings?
Photo booths at weddings bring people of all ages together from grandparents, who are reminded of the old “dip-and-dunk” photo booths of their childhoods, all the way down to the smallest of kids. At wedding receptions, photo booths not only provide brides and grooms with lasting memories of the fun their guests had, they also allow guests to celebrate together in the most unique way.
What’s your favorite wedding photo and why?
This photo is very special to us for more reason than one. This bride is a cousin of our family. They got married in 2010 at The Parthenon here in Nashville. Tragically, the groom passed away just two days later while they were on their honeymoon. Whenever I look at this photo, it reminds me how lucky we are to be a part of our clients’ most special day, and it punctuates the importance of getting it right and making it special for them. It drives our entire customer service philosophy.
The bride and groom, Casey and Terry, on the left and the bride with her father on the right.
What is your service philosophy?
We did a lot of research before deciding which equipment to purchase when we opened our business in 2007. There’s no question that we offer the BEST photo booths available. The way we’ve developed the reputation as the photo booth company, that all our competitors measure themselves against, is by carefully selecting and training our employees. We make sure the experience we provide is first class and even better than we promise, and we focus on maintaining our relationships with fellow vendors.
We’re on time, we’re professional, our attendants treat our clients’ guests like royalty, and we’re worth every penny of hard-earned money our clients pay to give us the privilege of serving them.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category?
Besides what we said above, NO ONE in middle Tennessee has the equipment to provide as many sittings per hour as we do, and no one else uses dye sublimation printing to produce photos that are of the same quality you’d get at a professional photofinisher.
What attracts brides to your service/company?
The lion’s share of our business comes from referrals, either from people that have experienced our booths at a wedding they have attended, or from a vendor that they’ve hired.
What would previous couples say was the main reason they selected your company?
Most of our previous clients will tell you that their wedding day is no time to settle for cheap imitations. Our spotless reputation as the most trusted photo booth company in middle Tennessee ensures them that once they book us, they won’t have to give it another thought and they can focus on all the other important aspects of their day…like the weather.
Couple got engaged in booth with the help of Nashville Photo Booth
Describe the bride/couple that is most attracted to your service/company?
We cater to clients that want the best. Occasionally we’ll get a call from a potential client that asks us to drop our price to what some of the “open air” or “pipe and drape” companies charge. These aren’t our ideal clients. These “booths” are fine for a child’s birthday party, but our ideal client isn’t interested in having a toy at their elegant affair. I can assure you that you’re not going to convince your caterer to provide your guests with the quality food you insist upon at the same price you’d get take-out pizza for. It’s exactly the same thing.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?
Angela Proffitt – Planner Angela and her team have it together, plain and simple. We have worked with them so many times that they know exactly what we need and what rentals with us involve so it makes it so easy to work together.
StudioWed Nashville – We know it’s not a vendor, but they provide awesome services for not only brides, but to vendors in helping to connect us all and support us.
Designs in Paper – Donette and Steve are so incredibly creative with anything and everything to do with paper! We still can’t get over all the things they can come up with. Most importantly, they are wonderful people that go above and beyond for every single person they work with!
JD’s Music – JD himself just always makes us laugh and is a wonderful person! His talent and reputation speak for themselves. He always thinks of others and is great in the world of referrals for other vendors.
Our favorite venue – This is a difficult question. We’ve been really fortunate to have worked regularly at all the finest venues in town including Belle Meade Plantation, Lowe’s, Gaylord Opryland, Bridgestone Arena, Riverwood Mansion, Country Music Hall of Fame and many more. It’s impossible to choose on this one. I guess we’re really lucky to have so many that have been so good to us.
Does your company do anything special that a green, eco-conscious bride might want to know?
I suppose we’re a pretty eco-friendly vendor. We use a little bit of electricity and there’s no waste by-product to our service. We literally take only pictures and leave only memories!
Photo: Mary Claire Crow Photography
Contact Amy at Photo Booth Nashville for your photo booth and tell her that you heard of her on ABG!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Our Featured Advertisers!, Reception Entertainment, Photo Booths0 comments »
Friday, April 6, 2012
I had the pleasure of meeting Erin and Josh at our 2011 Smart Bride Boot Camp. Over the 3 week camp, they shared their vision for their wedding and what mattered most to them. This was a couple in love and one with a signature style, so I couldn't wait to see how they would personalize their wedding to ensure it represented them, authentically.
We featured their fun engagement photos last Fall (which you can view via this link). And today, we are excited to share their wedding photos to inspire you to stay true to what's unqiuely you.
It's not easy to pull off a theme like "industrial, American vintage with a depression-era feel", which Erin and Josh described as their wedding style, but they did! Their colors are soft and the yellow is a strong contrast to the rustic touches and sweet lace. It's rather unique, which is perfect since Josh and Erin are a unique couple! They completely let their personalities shine as the highlight of their day. And Becca Yager did an amazing job of capturing all the details, making you feel like they traveled back in time to say "I do."
We hope you enjoy their photos as much as we do!
Erin + Josh
Wedding Date ~ November 19, 2011
Ceremony Venue ~ Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reception Venue ~ Marathon Village
Guests ~ 100
Josh + Erin from Ryan Bernal Films on Vimeo.
My Budget
$13,000
My Wedding Team
Planner | Me!
Photographer | Becca Yager
Videographer | Ryan Bernal
Gown | The Perfect Dress, Toms River, New Jersey
Bride's Accessories | Fascinator - Tessa Kim
Groom’s + Groomsmen Attire | Levi's jeans, J. Crew blue gingham shirts, vintage boots, Wickham House wool bow ties, Urban Outfitters suspenders
Bridesmaids Attire | Kerried Away Couture custom dresses
Hair | Michael at Trim (12 South)
Makeup | Giovanni at Trim (12 South)
Stationery | Invitation - Wedding Paper Divas; self-designed "Things to do in Nashville" sheet; engagement photo printed on Shutterfly; all tied in twine by us! Programs - self designed with help from a friend.
Reception Musicians | History of Painters (band), Josh Mock (groom, DJ); Kevin Buster (DJ)
Transportation | Rented a 2012 Chevy Tahoe from Enterprise
Caterer | Down South Delights
Cake Artist | Aunt April's Bakery
Cupcakes | Cupcake Collection
Macarons | Sweet 16th
Floral Designer | We did this ourselves using rusted tin cans and dried flowers
Guest Accommodations | Hilton Garden Inn; Extended Stay America
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Josh and I are both lovers of all things vintage and American. Nashville is a perfect place to live for both these things, providing an endless amount of history, and countless antique and vintage shops to find perfect pieces to decorate with, like old wooden crates, rusted tin cans and vintage lace tablecloths.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
We started off with a gray, navy blue and autumn yellow color theme. We picked Church of the Assumption in Germantown for our ceremony because it needed zero decoration to look perfect, allowing us to focus our energy on decorating the reception venue at Marathon Village. For our wedding party we decided that, given the old Marathon factory as our setting, dressing everyone in something classy and comfortable that conveyed a stylish, Depression-era vibe would be perfect.
What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
Decorating! We did everything ourselves. It was so much fun doing all the shopping and crafting to come up with everything. Everyone said they'd never seen a more custom-fit wedding, which I think was a testament to the DIY effort we put into it. I truly loved the way the lace tablecloths looked over the colored linens and our custom-made, Hatch Print style vintage wedding poster people signed instead of a guest book.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We definitely splurged by getting a videographer at the last minute, but I have to say that bringing on Ryan Bernal was probably the best big-money decision we made. We are also glad we spent on such a great photographer as Becca Yager. We saved thousands by DIY-ing the decorations like the rusty tin cans and Scrabble boards, borrowing a lot of decorative items from our friends at the store Old Made Good and buying used books from McKay's, which we later got some money for by selling them back! A good friend also inspired our programs by drawing a caricature of us, which we ended up using for our wedding programs, which we designed and printed ourselves.
We also saved by having my brand-new husband, Josh, DJ half the reception (an idea he couldn't pass up, which ended up being one of the most fun moments of the night) and having our friend Kevin take over for the rest of the night. Having people who get your musical taste plug in their laptops is so much nicer than hiring some unknown wedding DJ that plays the same stuff every weekend. We truly loved working with every one of our vendors. They were all so professional and accomodating.
Rita from Down South Delights was especially helpful, getting her catering team to match our decor, and everyone who came said our Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner was the best wedding meal they'd ever had. She also was extremely helpful in helping me avoid several of my very tricky food allergies.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
Honestly, I wish I would have let the bridesmaids pick out navy blue dresses in the style of their choosing. While Kerried Away Couture did a great job in the end, I could have saved my girls stress and time since I trust them to find something perfectly to their liking. We also wish we had coordinated our families better to get better family photos before the reception. Turns out it's really hard to get 40 people in the right place at the right time! But overall, we have no major regrets!
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Set a vision and stick with it no matter what others think, and if anything goes wrong, don't worry: you'll still be married at the end of the day!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings0 comments »
