Friday, September 3, 2010
From September 11th through the 13th, The Vanderbilt Breast Center presents Brides Against Breast Cancer, a fund-raising event for the Making Memories Foundation which works specifically to help people who have Stage 4 breast cancer.
Brides, if you haven't found your wedding dress yet, plan to attend as you will have an opportunity to help others while finding your dream bridal gown (for less)! The event will feature hundreds of beautiful gowns including designer and couture gowns available at discounted rates.
Brides and breast cancer supporters will travel from all over the state to attend so be sure to tell your friends that the Airport Marriott is offering a special room rate of $99 for brides and guests on Saturday September 11th and Sunday September 12th. For more details visit our bridal events page or Brides Against Breast Cancer.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Attire & Accessories
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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Remember when you were little and you tried to make your own flip book of a stick figure walking or a plane flying? Ok maybe that's just me but I've always loved the concept of flipbooks. That's how cartoons were back in the day and I thought it was just the coolest thing!
When Ashley and I saw the Fantastic Flipbooks (FantasticFlipbooks.com) booth at the bridal show I (confession) squealed a little because it just took me back! What a retro adaptation of an old school innovation! It was high-tech back then and now that it's 2010 Fantastic Flipbooks has managed to take it to a whole new level.
Fantastic Flipbooks will transform a 10' X 10' space and electricity into a great activity that will keep your wedding or party guests happy. This is sure to put a smile on anyone's face and it's so easy to do. Plus, the cute books are a great momento that will serve as a party favor that will not get trashed! Ashley and her niece enjoy flipping through the books of complete strangers (because they are so much fun to just see) so imagine how much fun one featuring you and your bff would be!
They describe the process like this: "We start by taking sixty super-fast pictures of people being fabulous in our booth. They can dress up, perform a skit using our props, be silly or sweet or just flat out crazy. Then in less than two minutes, we print and assemble a cool take-home video (no batteries required) in a paper flipbook. You can even add a message or graphics on a custom cover."
The books can also be customized - They will "work with one of our designers to create a custom cover that matches the theme of your event. Include logos, names, dates or pictures - just about anything you want! We can also have a personalized message scroll across the bottom of the pages like a news ticker."
If you're interested in having them at your wedding, definitely give them a call or email them at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Definitely visit FantasticFlipbooks.com to watch a demo video, and to find out more details on how it works and what your options are! This really would make an awesome favor that you and your guests can take home and enjoy for a long time.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Guests, Gifts & Favors
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Earlier this year, I learned that my friend Tori was engaged! I was so happy for her. We went to lunch and she shared her "how we met" story and all of the juicy details, including her plan for a Florida destination wedding. I don't know much about the Florida wedding scene so I hoped she was in good hands. But once she said she'd hired Photographix to shoot her wedding, I knew she'd at least have amazing wedding pictures! She was off to a great start.
I strongly encourage all Nashville brides who are planning a destination wedding to take your favorite Nashville wedding pros with you. One of the easiest to take is your photographer! If you are a destination wedding bride who has yet to hire her photog, you are in LUCK...
Photographix is giving away free wedding photography to a destination couple! The contest ends on 9/13 so visit their blog asap to learn more about the contest.
Florida Destination Wedding for a Nashville Couple, Tori and James
Wedding images + story courtesy of Photographix
Tori and James got married in Rosemary Beach Town Hall in Florida. The setting was perfectly perfect and couldn’t have fit them better. Christina Gshwandtner of Fete Weddings & Events, designed the whole event and it was beautiful!
The ceremony was small with only about 60 people in attendance. Most came from Franklin, but some as far as New York as well. We loved meeting everyone, they were all so nice and inviting.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and the town of Rosemary is just adorable! We could have spent the whole weekend photographing them. Every nook and corner was different, it was really hard to choose just a few spots!
Wedding Planner: Christina Gshwandtner – Fete Wedding & Events (feteevents.com)
Photographers: Photographix
Flowers: Fisher’s Flowers
Catering: Dine by Design
Tori's Dress: Judd Waddell
James’s Suit: J. Crew
Tori's Shoes: Steve Madden
Location: Rosemary Beach Town Hall
Hair & Makeup: Two Fishes Artistry
Wedding Cake: Confections on the Coast
Tori's Pearl Necklace: Buki Designs
If you are planning a destination wedding and haven't hired a wedding photographer, run over to Photographix for their free wedding photography contest!
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Posted by Ashley |
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Let's breathe a huge sigh of relief as we welcome in the days of fall. It's not here yet, by any stretch but if you close your eyes you can almost ALMOST feel it. With the kids off to school and the cooler evenings come the gorgeous colors of nature - rich yellows, reds and oranges. We're excited about the upcoming season change and if you are having a fall 2010 or 2011 wedding, we know you are too!
What are you planning for your fall wedding? We'd love to know why you chose autumn and what you're planning. Just leave a comment below and share all the details.
Need a bit of inspiration? Designs in Paper's blog on Fall Color Trends got us thinking about the vibrant, beautiful color themes of a fall wedding. We took their trend chart and pulled a few fall favorites from our Nashville Wedding Inspiration Gallery. Some may fit the vision for your wedding day!
Oranges, peaches, corals
There's something quintessentially fall about reds and oranges. Maybe it's the squash and pumpkins we're getting ready to carve or the color of the mountains as the tree leaves change their colors setting the hills ablaze. The deep hues give weddings a beautiful tone, a more relaxed feel that warm and inviting.
Ravishing reds
Fiery, passionate - red will always be a color or romance. Roses, sexy red lipsticks, red shoes peeking out from under the white dress ... a classic wedding color.
Perfect purple
Purple is a delicious pop of color without being too in-your-face. It's grown up, it's chic and it it's hot for fall. Goes great with browns and greys, it's also a great complement color to the other basic fall colors of oranges, reds and yellows.
Are you planning a fall Nashville wedding? We'd love to see what fun things you are doing with your color palette!
Still need ideas? Visit our Inspiration Gallery.
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Posted by Tabitha |
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Monday, August 30, 2010
Wedding dress trends are everywhere - magazines, websites, blogs, we just love our gowns. What about our grooms? Don't we want them to look good too? For the longest time, we kept hearing one name mentioned from the mouths of brides whose grooms have looked sharp at their weddings - Street Tuxedo. We are really excited to shine our spotlight today on Street Tuxedo, a locally owned and operated tuxedo rental company whose goal is to make the wedding experience enjoyable and easy for your groom.
There are many reasons that I love Street Tuxedo (and invited them to be an ABG sponsor). They take care of Nashville couples. They have great inventory which is all available locally (so they can respond faster than places that have to order.) When you go to their stores, they take care of you like family because it's a family-operated business. They are accessible, with 3 Nashville-area locations: Cool Springs, Murfreesboro and Green Hills. Added bonus - If your groomsmen are not in Nashville, Street can also serve them - via their partners - from coast to coast. They should be your first stop for attire for your groom, groomsmen.
Company Name: Street Tuxedo
Website: http://streettuxedo.com
Locations: Cool Springs, Murfreesboro, Green Hills/Nashville
I love this photo by Joe Hendricks Photography. Disclaimer - this picture is from a real Nashville wedding not a party at Street Tuxedo, even though that would be one way to encourage him to go!
Ashley's Bride Guide goes one-on-one with Meghan (Murfreesboro location) of Street Tuxedo
Number of years in the business: 26
How did you get started in weddings? Mr. Street bought Kornman’s Department store in Madison, TN in 1984. He rented tuxedos there as well as sold mens clothes (jeans, underwear, etc.) He realized that a lot of the profit was coming from the tuxedo sales and rentals. So he decided to sell off all of the random men’s wear and focus solely on tuxedo sales and rentals. And here we are 26 years, 3 locations, and thousands of weddings later.
What do you like most about weddings? I love when the bride and grooms come in to pick out their tuxedos. The bride’s entourage watched her try on countless gowns now it is her turn to sit back, relax, and watch the groom model different looks until the perfect one is found. Another thing that we always enjoy is when all of the groomsmen and the groom come in to pick up their tuxedos. The camaraderie and fellowship with each other is so fun to watch. Everyone is so excited to be reunited for the happy occasion.
What’s your favorite wedding picture and why?
I love this picture because of the pure joy you see on both of their faces. They are a lovely couple.
What is your service philosophy? We have to remember that although we see multiple weddings done each weekend, the brides and grooms that come into our stores are doing this for the first time. And we have to stay excited and fresh about what we do. Each Groom has a different idea of what he wants to wear on his special day and we will try our best to help him find his perfect look!
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? First: We are family owned, therefore we care about what we do and treat our brides and grooms like family. Second: We have tuxedos in stock available for try-on. Why should your groom pick his tux out of a catalog? Third: We go above and beyond the call of duty when necessary (taking a set of studs and cuff links to the church just minutes before the wedding begins) Lastly, we have the largest selection of styles and colors in Middle Tennessee.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors? We work very closely with the ladies at The Bride Room and I think that the brides and grooms appreciate the convenience of the 2 stores being so close. We have so many photographer friends and wedding planners that we love working with that it is hard to narrow it down. I must say that the Nashville Wedding industry has some top notch vendors. Nashville brides are so lucky to have such fabulous people to choose from.
Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit? If we do not have what they are looking for then it must be something really off the wall so I usually recommend GOOGLE!!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends? I watch the awards shows - ESPY’s, Oscars, Globes. We may not always agree with what the celebs are wearing but they have a big influence on the current trends.
What trend do you love?
I love the grey tuxedo look…it is very versatile. It can be used in casual weddings as well as semi-formal weddings…and it looks great with all dress colors.
What trend do you hate? I don’t hate any of our tuxedos….but I am tired of BROWN! I have been there, done that….about a million times! We still get calls about brown tuxedos all the time.
Which trend are you glad to see go? Long tuxedo coats!!
Which trend are you sad is gone? I think the wedding industry has gotten away from formal weddings. We are seeing more and more neck ties, suits, even no coats at all. I miss the days of the ultra formal weddings…so classy.
What are your favorite wedding websites? I love to look at photographers blogs: Gray Photography, Kristyn Hogan, Jonathan Campbell, Evin Photography, Gambill Photography and of course Ashley’s Bride Guide!!
Neatest wedding find? Neatest wedding find is the new Fantastic Flipbooks, they were at a recent bridal show and after a long day of speaking with brides the Street Tuxedo crew went to their booth and made a flipbook, HILARIOUS!! It’s so much fun! Love this idea!
I KNOW! My niece loves the flipbooks. She makes me flip the books over and over. She likes the pictures and the nice breeze the flipped books provide on her face:).
For the platinum bride, what is the one thing you’ve always wanted to see? Being a tuxedo shop, we love when the bride and groom “make it formal”, meaning white tie and tails for the wedding party and all guests in tuxedos as well.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry? There are a few..COLOR! We have every color imaginable. Not everyone knows that you can also RENT SUITS, it’s not just tuxedos. Also, tuxedo shoes get a bad rap…the manufacturers have started making tux shoes more comfortable, we get compliments on the comfort all the time! Another misconception is if you have out-of-town groomsmen they can go get measured at any tuxedo shop across the country. It is a courtesy we all do for each other!
I'd also like to give a shout-out to Rachel Street (member of the Street family who serves grooms/brides at at the Green Hills location) who is engaged!! I love that her wedding will be intimate (15 people!) and all about what's important to her + her fiance. Kudos for sticking to your own priorities.
You can view more info on real Street Tuxedo weddings in our inspiration gallery or on their Grooms/Groomsmen Facebook photo page.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Attire & Accessories, Grooms
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