You're Invited Gifts, Paper and Events is a one-stop shop for your custom wedding needs. Their Belle Meade event boutique offers wedding planning, event design and custom invitations.
They have a very special, time-sensitive offer for ABG readers: Now through August 10th, ABG readers receive $150 off any wedding consultation package when you mention ABG plus an additional 10% off any event/wedding invitation. Definitely give them a call soon and be sure to mention that you're an ABG bride!
To give you a taste of their work, I am excited to feature a recent photoshoot by You're Invited, captured by Jonathon Campbell Photography. You're Invited's Summer Soiree photo shoot was, put simply, exquisite. The great thing about this Summer Soiree design is you can contact You're Invited and have them plan your bridal shower, bridesmaid luncheon or event and they can recreate the exact look below OR you can use the concept as inspiration. Either way - they can help you from plan to design. It doesnt get much easier than that!
Stephanie Alexander & Anna Peebles of You're Invited
Guest Blogger: Stephanie Alexander of You're Invited Events - Bridal Luncheon Summer Soiree
The photos capture the perfect bridesmaid's luncheon. Hot pinks and lime greens are a combination I love with the white which really pops against those colors. This invitation was the inspiration for this hot pink and lime green Bridal Shower/Bridesmaid’s Luncheon. Oftentimes, I will take an invitation and use it to help develop the overall look and feel of a party. If you need inspiration for your next party, I encourage you to visit an invitation/stationery store for ideas! Birds are a hot trend right now, in both décor and invitation design.
We packaged the invitations in little white boxes that had been lined in hot pink raffia. I love non-traditional ways of sending a fabulous invitation.
I chose a 60” square table with fuchsia satin linen, and a 48” round table with a lime green linen for the food and beverages. I love using a mixture of square and round tables at parties. I also chose white chiavari chairs. The crisp white really pops against the pinks and the greens. For the 60” square table where guests were seated, we used 4 large green topiaries, a glass pitcher filled with lime slices, wheat grass in ceramic containers and little bird boxes (to continue with our bird theme) and lime green Caspari placemats. In addition, we used monogrammed Pickard china for the placesettings. This Pickard china is extremely popular for bride’s wedding registries. (Rentals were courtesy of Music City Tents & Events).
For this particular arrangement, I used Bells of Ireland, pink larkspur, green curly willow and hot pink dried floral accents. In addition, I filled 8 bud vases with pink sweet peas. I placed these bud vases around the table near each guest’s place setting.
Putting the fresh dogwood blossoms in the jars is brilliant!
I created bird sticks for the dessert shooter glasses. The dessert shooters were strawberries and cream trifle and key lime and cream dessert shots. I wanted to incorporate the pink and green into the food and beverage table as well. I also served sparkling pink punch and rimmed the etched antique glasses with pink sugar. In addition, I utilized glass bird containers in varying heights, and Anna filled them with fresh dogwood blossoms. Another decoration I used on the food and beverage table was wheat grass in wooden boxes. To add another dimension, I added sweet pea stems to the boxes for a pop of pink color.
Dessert shots are a fun, one-serving option
This set up could also be taken indoors, we just happened to have a fabulous day with gorgeous weather but you could create this inside in a beautiful dining area or a screened in porch. A good party can be done indoors or outdoors and as a planner, I always have a back-up plan. If it had rained that day, I had the screened in porch ready to go at the house we shot these pictures at.
Absolutely delightful! Thank you so much for filling us in on the shoot. and thank you to Jonathon Campbell Photography for sharing the pictures with us. What blew me away was the fact that Stephanie did everything herself - the food, the arrangements, the beverages and the dessert. So this set up can be done regardless of your budget and whether you're a D.I.Y. bride or if you have a limitless budge to hire vendors such as You're Invited.
Today's my birthday!! As I celebrate my life I also am thankful for peace of mind, love of self and my wonderful friends in the bridal community. I also want to offer select Nashville brides my unique wedding story in hopes that it will help you in some way...
My Personal Wedding Story
Many years ago - I got engaged and married and had what I thought was cold feet. It wasn't cold feet. It was a gut feeling that something just wasnt right. I'd met an incredible man who loved me dearly, who "fit" my lifestyle and family and shared my values. He seemed to be all that I wanted and needed but something just wasnt right. We got engaged - he designed the most incredible proposal that included a spa day, a picnic in my favorite park and then an elegant dinner with friends to celebrate my saying yes.
But something still wasnt right. I hoped over time it would feel as right in my heart as it did in my head.
The wedding rehearsal was a nightmare - my dad could tell something was wrong. I knew that our connection was off but my fiance assured me that I was just nervous. I wanted to believe him.
We married and started our life. Then, the pressures of marriage arrived. A week after our honeymoon - he lost his income. His family's business went bankrupt. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Given our fragile (and doomed start) we werent strong enough to turn lemons into lemonade but we also didn't have the courage (months after our wedding) to face reality and walk away. Last year, we finally woke up and set one another free to have peace and find true love. Today, we have no regrets. We are both very happy and enjoy our lives. We were blessed with the most amicable divorce ever and still are friends.
Am I thankful for meeting a wonderful man that adored me who I adored? YES! Do I believe we should have ever married? Absolutely not. Had I possessed the courage then that I eventually found, I would have never said "i do". But, without marrying, I would have never started AshleysBrideGuide.com, which is THE BEST THING to ever happen to me! It is my baby, one that he encouraged and supported me to start. So, I am forever thankful to him.
But, the same doesnt have to be your story. If you have ANY doubt - take heed.
I know countless ABG brides who start their wedding planning as excited as every other bride but then wake up to their personal reality and the wedding is called off. I support them and am sooo proud of them. I know calling off a wedding is hard - probably one of the hardest things in life to do. But kudos to the women who were/are courageous enough to do so.
Many divorced women (like myself) were too afraid or confused to do so. Instead, we marry - feeling "cold feet" throughout the engagement and even on the wedding day. Instead of being runaway brides, we immerse ourselves in wedding planning instead of taking a step back to really assess the situation. That was my story and that's one of the reasons that I really want every Nashville bride to take a break from planning and rethink your engagement.
If you have no doubt that your fiance is truly the one for you, THANK GOD! Focus less on wedding planning and start having more fun, enjoy one another and strengthen your marital foundation.
But, for brides-to-be with doubt, take some time to really, really think - trust your gut, seek counsel and ask yourself the toughest decisions of your life.
Helpful "Cold Feet" Resources
1) Here is a great article for smart women who may find themselves walking down the wrong aisle, preparing to marry the wrong guy.
3) Marital counseling and education - Marie of Nashville Marriage Studio is one local counselor that is a good start for your conversation. Contact her to express your feelings and get clarity before you get married.
4) Ask your friends and family - they know you better than anyone and they either see the sparkle in your eyes or don't. Their honest and loving insight might help you see things more clearly.
5) On a lighter note - if you do find that you are engaged to the wrong guy - I Dump for You is a service that will call off your engagement for on $25. http://idump4u.com/
Also - I'm also celebrating our ABG being named BEST REGIONAL BRIDAL BLOG!!!! Thank you for your many votes. We are also a finalist in the BEST OVERALL BLOG. Please vote for us today and tomorrow as a birthday gift to me:). THANK YOU!
When I got married, I had also just started a new job. This isn’t something I recommend, least of all when planning a wedding halfway around the world as well as another wedding here in Nashville two weeks later. Shortly into the 6-month mark, I honestly thought I was going to go insane and the idea of eloping sounded better and better. I’m usually calm, usually a lot less freaked out by stress and I didn’t realize that with all the time I devoted to the planning, I neglected my own wellbeing and had put my Bikram yoga practice on hold. After one particularly arduous day, I had a breakdown and my wonderful fiancé (now husband) said, “Why don’t you go take a yoga class?”
That made such a difference.
Bikram yoga is one of the best things I do for myself on a regular basis and I am excited to be able to share with you today its most wonderful benefits that are going to help you maintain your sanity and (here’s the cherry on top) look and feel awesome for your big day.
Started by Bikram Choudhury and introduced to America in the 1970's, Bikram's Beginner Yoga Class is a sequence of 26 postures put together systematically for optimal benefits. The postures don't change, just your individual practice which gets stronger and deeper with each day. According to their website BikramYoga.com, Bikram yoga (popularly known also as "hot yoga") should always be practiced in a Bikram certified yoga studio by a qualified instructor who has undergone proper, strict training.
Lucky for us, we have an affiliated Bikram studio here in town. Bikram Cool Springs is run by Tennesse native Sandra Lee who has been teaching this yoga since getting certified in 2007. Sandra’s studio has classes everyday taught by her and her team of qualified instructors. "It's never too late, never too bad, and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch" as Bikram likes to say. People of all ages practice Bikram yoga the world around and its longevity and popularity are due largely to the fact that it has such obvious, long-term benefits. Take it from me, you'll even see results after just a few classes - better posture, better focus and even your clothes fit better! It's pretty amazing!
The Thirty-Something Bride has been practicing BIkram yoga on and off since 2006 and told us, "It's the best 90 minutes a bride (or a groom) can spend on herself. While the heat might sound daunting - or even be a bit overwhelming for your first class, it's actually a wonderful thing! You don't need to be a yoga expect or guru or anything like that. Every class is a "new" class of flexibility and experience, regardless of how long one has practiced. You'll sleep better, eat better (it just happens!), feel better and stress just melts away. It's the best thing a person can do for their entire body, soul and psyche!"**
The 26 postures in a Bikram yoga class in a sequence that works and stretches every part of your body, head to toe, inside and out.
Now doesn't that sound exciting? "The best thing a person can do for their entire body, soul and psyche" pretty much sums up the mental, physical and emotional benefits you could get by treating yourself to a Bikram yoga class. I personally have been practicing Bikram yoga for seven years now, quitting the gym shortly after I started in 2003 and I have never looked back. One of the biggest benefits of this yoga is the mental clarity it brings. It has given me the ability to think clearly and concentrate on the moment instead of being all over the place and that really helped me manage my time better with the two weddings and new job.
Sandra explained why this is a common effect of the class: "You are given 90 minutes to focus on nothing but yourself. The yoga helps you tune in with how your body moves and feels and teaches you to stay in the moment. Even those who are still on their third or fourth class area amazed at what it does for their concentration because they are finally able to sleep well at night and wake up feeling refreshed."
This is also a great way to focus on yourself. "My students sometimes come in to treat themselves to 90 minutes of 'me time' before returning to real life." In the frenzy of wedding planning, it's so easy to lose yourself. We always stress that your wedding day needs to be more than the flowers, food and the guest list and that it needs to be about you so rewarding yourself with Bikram yoga just might be the thing you need to keep things sane!
Know what else is amazing about this yoga? You burn at least 600 calories in one class without the wear and tear you get from high-impact cardio exercise. At approximately 105 degrees fahrenheit (the heat is to aid in the detox and flexibility factor) the sequence of yoga poses you go through in 90 minutes will make you sweat, detox and burn. "Your heart rate is raised and lowered, as if you are doing intervals on a treadmill. You get a workout that will make you stronger, more flexbile, it cleanses your body and it makes you feel better overall. The weight loss part is a bonus." Sandra told me. Don't even worry about being in great shape to start, the point is to do this to get yourself in better overall shape. Sandra stressed that this class is at one level only and you don't need to have any yoga experience to know what you're doing "This is Bikram's Beginner Yoga Class and it's for all levels and all ages. You work to your ability and and the progress comes at the pace that's right for you."
In case you're wondering about how just doing yoga can build any sort of muscle tone, well, you should just take a look at Biikram himself. The man is well into his 60's and is in better shape than some guys half his age!
Bikram Choudhury teaching at one of his seminars. Sandra reassures me that the teachers do not ever stand on you in class.
But like Sandra said, the weight loss is a bonus. As a bride-to-be, it's the stress of planning that can get to you and that can distract you from what's important - you and your fiance and the life upon which you're about to embark together. I could go on and on and on about how great this yoga is but it's best to try it out for yourself. Maybe even bring your fiance and take classes together because it is a wonderful bonding experience and could take your engagement and marriage to an even greater level! Here's a video from Bikram Cool Springs with testimonials from their students. Enjoy, and I really hope you'll give it a shot soon - maybe I'll see you there sometime!
Ever consider having a wedding planning-free week? My challenge to every engaged couple is to take the week off and do nothing but focus on your relationship - no weddding planning. I know it's not easy - there's stuff to do - but give it a try. Try a date night or a wedding planning free zone, and have fun! Why? Many grooms have told me that they felt their relationship was put on hold after they proposed. Try your best to not let that happen. Stay focused on the purpose of the engagement - a period of bonding and growing. It's not all about the wedding but the marriage.
Marie of Nashville Marriage Studio is a Nashville premarital education counselor. She helps couples focus and strengthen their relationship. On Thursday, she is hosting a couples' game night to get Nashville engaged couples out and having fun! Please consider this fun outing as a great way to bond and to meet other Nashville couples who are equally in love...and stressed:).
I'm delighted to share a wonderful Nashville wedding accompanied by two incredible wedding specials!
A few weeks ago, jHenderson Photography and CJ's Off the Square each reached out to me to share their individual summer specials. Ironically, I'd just received Andy and Jen's wedding to feature that took place at CJ's photographed by JHenderson. How seredipitous ! I love when things come together just right! So, instead of just falling in love with the garden wedding (as I did) and the wow photos, you can have your own garden wedding photographed by a killer photographer and SAVE SAVE SAVE!! Yes - you can thank me (and them) later.
First - the specials, then the wedding
1) JHenderson Photography's "Shoot & Burn" package is available for select September wedding dates. For only $1,800, the package includes 5 hours of coverage and a DVD with full printing rights. You're not limited to just five hours either - each additional hour is $200. Your date must fall on September 11,12, 17,18,19, 25, 26, or October 1, 2 this year. Definitely contact Jenna by visiting jHenderson Studios online.
2) CJ's off the Square's Summer Special - I'm a bit tardy sharing this special (that technically ended on 7/15) but I am HOPING that the lovely ladies at CJs will extend the offer to ABG brides that contact them this week. Contact them asap and save $500 off your rehearsal dinner and even more off your wedding( $1000 on Saturdays or $1500 off Sunday – Friday).
Romance After the Storm - Andy & Jen Tie the Knot at CJ's Off the Square
To give you a better glimpse into jHenderson's amazing photography (she makes it all look so gorgeous) please know that Andy and Jen's Tennessee wedding took place a little bit after the flood hit us in May. Considering the destruction the water made in parts of Franklin, TN, it was such a blessing for our bride and groom, Jen and Andy still had a wonderful wedding at CJ's Off the Square was barely touched and they still managed to have a beautiful wedding day !
Enjoy!
Bride ~ Jennifer Lynn Carroll
Groom ~ Richard Andrew Holtzclaw (Andy)
Saturday May 8th, 2010
Location ~ CJ's Off the Square, Franklin, TN
120 Guests
What was your wedding style?
Definitely Romantic.
What were your colors and why did you choose them?
Black and Champagne. These colors are classic, simple and romantic.
Did you have a theme? What was it?
Romantic. Our wedding was in the evening, so we wanted lots of candles and outdoor lighting to enhance the romantic feeling.
What did you use for inspiration?
The Knot.com, Bride Magazines (Ashley’s Bride Guide being on of them) and photo albums displayed at CJ’s, as well as their blog.
Wedding Scoop:
What was your budget?
$20,000
What was your wedding WOW factor?
Our guests raved about the food provided by Bistro To-Go. We are still getting compliments on the food 2 months later.
What did you give as favors to your guests?
Golf tees (my husband is a golf lover), koozies and match books. Each item had a silly little saying and our names and date engraved on them.
How did you personalize your wedding?
We used music to personalize our day. We made our own song list for the wedding and reception. We love to dance and have parties whenever possible. It was important to us to really throw a great party for our friends and family. The music selection was a huge part of that. We really wanted the music to reflect our personalities.
What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
The bridesmaids received a jeweled, personalized compact purse mirror and a personalized jewelry pouch. The groomsmen received a travel cooler filled with their favorite 12 pack of beer.
What was your most special moment of the day?
Wow! There were a lot of those, but I would definitely say it was the moment I stood at the isle and saw my husband looking at me with that look that every girl dreams of. It was perfect!
Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them?
We did have kids at our wedding. They enjoyed feeding the fish in the fish pond at CJ’s Off the Square. They also love to dance, so they all danced their little hearts out at the reception. They had a great time!
Did you Do It Yourself? Or, did you leave it to the professionals?
We did the planning ourselves. Thankfully we had Amy (wedding coordinator with CJ’s) to provide us with vendor referrals and suggestions. This was a huge help! There are so many wedding vendors out there it’s difficult to know where to begin.
If you did DIY, what was your favorite project? Why?
My favorite project was a fabric note board (3x10) given to us as a gift at one of our showers by very close friends. We used it at the wedding to display photos of us with our friends and families and sweet little love notes written on napkins that my husband and I wrote to each other early in our relationship while having dinner at a local restaurant one night. It was a big hit!
Wedding Vendors:
~ Planner: Amy Parman (Wedding Coordinator at CJ’s Off the Square)
~ Cake(s): Maples Cakes
~ Caterer: Bistro To-Go
~ Photographer: jHenderson Studios
~ Stationery: Williamson County Weddings
~ Bridesmaid Dresses: Faccio Bridal
~ Rings: Shane Company
~ Music: Jason Middleton
~ Decorations/Detail: Southern Events
~ BridalGown: Faccio Bridal
~ Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse
~ Accessories: Antiques at the Factory
~ Flowers: Enchanted Florist
~ Transportation: AllStar Limo
~ Gifts: Wedding Depot
~ Who were your favorites? {the ones you would highly recommend to your best friend} Bistro To-Go, jHenderson Photography, Maples Cakes, Jason Middleton, CJ’s Off the Square and Enchanted Florist.
Wedding Rewind:
What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning?
I would have started the planning process sooner. We decided to get married one year after being engaged so that we wouldn’t feel rushed. We chose our venue one month after being engaged. We were so excited to get the most important item out of the way, we took 5 more months off. We didn’t start planning until 6 months before our wedding. A year seems like a long time, but in retrospect it really isn’t when planning a wedding. It was, literally, the shortest year of my life.
What do you consider the biggest waste of time and/or money?
The limo service. We had an after party and spent the night at the Marriott in Cool Springs, which is about 5 to 7 minutes from CJ’s. Not to mention the mishaps by the limo service. We definitely would not incur this expense if we had it to do over again.
What do you consider the best value for the service and product?
jHenderson Photography. Her prices are competitive and she offers individual packages depending on your needs. You definitely get the most bang for your buck. Best of all her photos are beautiful!
What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding? CJ’s Off the Square. The most important thing to us was to find a venue that we could have our wedding and reception at and that was beautiful and different at the same time. CJ’s provided all those aspects for us. It is quaint and cozy and we truly felt at home.
What was your biggest {and best} splurge? CJ’s and jHenderson Photography.
Absolutely beautiful! We hope you like what you see. Definitely check out more of jHenderson Studio's work and don't forget to ask her about Shoot & Burn! Thank you Jen & Andy for sharing your wedding with us we wish you all the best!
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
Send us your wedding tips, creative ideas, or your own wedding
photos to share. We’d love to hear from you »
.jpg)
