Attention all budget-smart or vintage seeking brides: I've got a hot-off-the-press goody for you this week...The Goodwill Wedding Gala Look Book is now available and you can see it here before anywhere else!! Take a few moments to enjoy some of my favorite looks and then check out the entire digital magazine, which includes a small sampling of the dresses that will be on sale (all for under $400) at the Gala.
How gorgeous is this wedding gown! I can't believe it will be available for under $400 at the Gala.
The Gala will will offer dresses for brides and bridesmaids too!
Look Book Credits - Vintage Car: 1959 Bentley from Matchless Transportation, Men’s Attire: Street Tuxedo, Location: Schermerhorn Symphony Center
If you are not familiar with the Goodwill Gala, here's a quick synopsis:
The Goodwill Wedding Gala is the ultimate way to save on your wedding dress. The Gala will take place from 6am to 9am on March 17 at the Goodwill Store in Rivergate located at 2101 Gallatin Pike North in Madison, Tennessee.
The dresses:
You will find bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, cocktail dresses, mother of the bride/groom dresses, flower girl dresses, and more from Alfred Angelo, Allure, Eden Bridals, Mary’s, Watters Brides, etc. No wedding gown will be priced over $400!!
The organization:
Proceeds from the sale of these items will benefit the mission of Goodwill. Goodwill helps provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.
The inside scoop:
Be sure to arrive early - last year there were 350+ brides in line at 6am to get their dream gown for less!
Attendees will be treated to refreshments provided by C&K Catering and The Cupcake Collection.
To read all about the organization, the event, and our tour of the Goodwill facilities, read our full feature via this link. For more information, visit giveit2goodwill.org or call 615-346-1665.
It's been a fun start to the year with tons of bridal shows and events happening. I got to attend the recent Her Nashville Bridal Brunch with our intern Betsy and we had a great time checking out the vendors involved in this intimate soiree. My favorite part of the Bridal Brunch is that it's intimate - held at the W.O. Smith Music School, we weren't overwhelmed by hundreds of stalls and were treated to more interaction with the wedding vendors who were there. Here are a few highlights from the show as told by Betsy, with a few quips from me!
The runway was set for the fashion show featuring gowns from Arzelle's.
Fanciful Ink (Fancifulink.com)
Tabitha - The first table to catch our eyes was by custom wedding stationery designer Fanciful Ink. They had a nice display of various styles of invitations and save-the-dates, each one unique from the next and it looks like the designer, Laurie, can cater her designs specifically for you and your wedding.
Betsy - Laurie Henry, creator of Fanciful Ink, custom designs wedding stationery of all sorts for your special day! Laurie’s exquisite portfolio demonstrates her passion for sculpting wedding stationery around the hearts of every couple, giving the guests a taste of who they are. Let her grant you a sweet, personal touch to your wedding that your guests will anticipate from the moment they see their invitation!
Julia From Scratch (Facebook.com/juliafromscratchdotcom)
Betsy - Beautiful Julia is an out of this world pastry chef who mastered this art in Chicago and now blesses Nashville with her baking brilliance! These cakes are phenomenal, and Julia’s personality matches each one! You can be sure that each of her creations is uniquely fashioned for your day!
Tabitha - Nothing like some pretty cakes to complete a bridal show. Julia From Scratch (such a cute name) had three beautiful cakes sitting on her table that showed off her design versatility. Betsy got to chat with her while I took a few more pictures and ate a few samples!
ABG Notes: The detailing on the cakes was quite well done!
Amos Events (AmosEvents.com)
Tabitha - One booth that I really liked was by Amos Events. I'm a sucker for pretty tablescapes because they really give you a good idea of how creative someone can be without having to use a whole room. If they can use a limited space to properly convey a wedding's signature look, imagine how awesome it'll look on a larger scale!
ABG notes: each place setting on the table had a little French macaron as a favor for guests.
Left: A few fun things happening at Wedding 101. Top Right: Pearls of all styles from Girl With A Pearl. Bottom Right: Corner Market Catering serves up some treats.
Betsy and I enjoyed the smaller show which gave us time to walk around a couple of times. We certainly didn't feel rushed, and it was a nice opportunity to talk to some of the vendors. A few more notable tables we saw were by caterer Corner Market (CornerMarket.com) who had delicious, bite-sized comfort food, Girl With A Pearl (GirlWithAPearl.com), a local company that sells hand-selected pearl accessories, and last but not least, Wedding 101 (Wedding101.net), about whom Betsy had this to say:
"I was privileged to talk for a bit with co-owner of Wedding 101, Amy Dickerson. I couldn’t help but smile at her precious spirit, and thought to myself, 'If I were a bride, I would want to know her.' She has a heart waiting to listen to any and every bride she encounters, seamlessly contributing to the mission of her business. Wedding 101 is a library of all things wedding—it’s a place to plan—to sew together the tapestry of your big day!"
Big thank you to Her Nashville for inviting us to attend the show! Don't forget to pick up a copy of their bridal issue that's on stands now.
Last year, the ABG team hosted our first wedding planning boot camp. Because it was solely focused on how to plan a Nashville wedding (vs the pretty inspiration), we weren't sure how the event would be received. It ended up being a huge success!!
After three consecutive Tuesdays of intensive wedding discussions, the feedback was awesome!! Brides, grooms, parents all loved it! In fact, we were shocked to see so many couples attend together... and the grooms were engaged, asking questions and taking notes! Attendees were able to connect with helpful wedding pros and recently married couples, having one-on-one conversations, and getting advice. The camp was an incredible event; its success was well beyond our expectations.
We've received so many requests for a second camp that we're doing it again!
Our bridal bootcamp is the only one of its kind for Nashville brides. I've designed it to teach you vital aspects of wedding planning that will get you keep focus and stay smart. It is MUST ATTEND if you want to make good decisions and hire the BEST vendors for your style, your budget. You can have the wedding of your dreams but with the help of pros and the hindsight of other brides, we can help you avoid common pitfalls.
Space is intentionally limited to give you one-on-one help. Register today, BEFORE thousands of couples get engaged on Valentine's Day and during early {free} registration.
You are welcome to come alone (you will meet others!) with your groom, mom, or bridesmaid - but just make sure you are there! Register at www.smartbridenashville.eventbrite.com. (You can also be recently engaged or soon to be engaged.)
Special thanks to Sarah of Music City Events who has stepped up to help manage our event again this year. Event photos are courtesy of JHenderson Studios.
Graduates of the 2011 camp, Kevin and Leah, will be among this year's panel.
Pros and recent brides (Natasha and Krista) answering questions.
Let’s face it, brides-to-be often splurge on the one big item for their day, their wedding dress. And sometimes, the cost of the gown breaks the bank. With this in mind, we’re overjoyed to announce the annual Goodwill Wedding Gala.
The Goodwill Wedding Gala is a one-day, bridal super sale that will take place on Saturday, March 17, at Goodwill’s Rivergate store. Trust us, the store will be transformed into a bride’s dreamland and will be filled with deeply discounted wedding dresses, shoes, veils, accessories, along with dresses for your bridesmaids, mothers, and rehearsal dinner. You want it and it will be there!
To learn more about the Wedding Gala, we took an extensive tour of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee’s main processing plant, which is located in Nashville. We knew that the gala was a great way for brides-to-be to get crazy deals on dresses but we wanted to know about the organization and how the Gala benefits Tennesseans in need of help with their job search. Here’s how:
Betsy and Ashley of ABG. All photos courtesy of Scott of the Goodwill.
Brides-to-be: Get a deal on your dream dress and help someone in your community go from no job to a job.
For you brides-to-be, you’ll have the opportunity to shop among well over 300 new and pre-owned dresses all for less than $400! As a bonus, Nicholson Cleaners’ has graciously cleaned each pre-owned dress!
Previous brides: Donate your wedding attire, receive a tax deduction and help brides-to-be save!
For all you brides who’ve already walked the aisle, we encourage you to spread the word to donate your wedding attire – from your bridal gown to wedding shoes. Ask your bridesmaids to donate their dress.
Everything you and your girls donate (dresses, shoes, accessories, etc) is a tax deduction and will undoubtedly bless future brides. Can you imagine? Something that you loved on your wedding day can now be used to do the same for another love story! It’s time to clean out your closet and give. Stop them from just collecting dust and warm the heart of a new bride! All you have to do is donate your gently-used wedding items to Goodwill’s main office at 1000 Herman Street in Nashville or contact Natisha Moultry at 615-346-1665 to setup a pick up.
Bridal salons + clothing stores: Clean off your racks and make room for your fabulous new collections!
If you own a bridal salon, why wait for a sample sale? Instead, donate your dresses, shoes, veils, and any bridal items to the gala. No donation is too small; it’s tax deductible and will make room for the latest collections with little effort. Goodwill will even pick it up.
How your donation or purchase benefits Tennesseans with their job search:
What you may not know is that every donation helps fund Goodwill’s Career Solutions programs, most of which are free to the thousands of Tennesseans who visit each of the 17 Career Solutions Centers located in Middle and West Tennessee.
After taking a tour of Goodwill’s warehouse with Ashley last Monday, I write these words totally bewildered and nearly speechless. There’s no person out of reach. Every corner of Nashville’s warehouse radiates with purpose and hope. Hundreds of people are working each day at the processing plant simply because of the generosity of area donors. The company has 1600+ employees who work in a variety of departments within the organization, from the warehouse to teaching job skills.
Natisha of Goodwill (right) with Ashley and Betsy of ABG
With each donated item that is sold in one of Goodwill’s 30 stores in Middle and West Tennessee, 89 percent of the proceeds get poured back into the mission through free counseling services, job assessments, trade and skill classes, and many other programs. Almost all of them free! Goodwill is building workers from the ground up while inspiring them to dream big!
We were so inspired by our tour, including the wall quotes placed all over the facility.
Nashville bridal community: Let’s make a difference. At the 2011 gala, our donations and purchases generated revenue for the all the communities served by Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Donate your wedding dress and accessories by March 12 or save the date to find your dream dress at Goodwill’s Rivergate store from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 17.
I am super excited to introduce the Nashville bridal community to our newest blogger, our Spring intern, Betsy. According to Betsy, "My love for weddings began as a child while watching my mom tie loopy bows, arrange elegant flowers, encourage nervous brides, and comfort happy-teared mothers. Holding her hand, I walked many aisles with my mom, enchanted by the weddings she had planned and the princesses of brides she had befriended. Each time I entered a new fairy land. Though these days are long past, few things make my heart do somersaults like a wedding. As a junior at Belmont University, majoring in English Writing, I couldn't devise an internship more perfect than writing for Ashley's Bride Guide. Truly, it's a joy to share in the magic of the wedding world!"
Betsy is a delight; she's super spunky and the sweetest girl you will meet. If you see her at Sunday's bridal show or out and about, please say hello. Until then, enjoy her first interview with Sarah of Noah Liff Opera Center...
Betsy - ABG writing intern!
PLEASE NOTE - the event below has been cancelled.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Willard from the Noah Liff Opera Center, a Nashville wedding + event venue, to learn more about their fundraising event, “Rubies and Ruffles,” which you won’t want to miss!
What is the Rubies and Ruffles event?
The event is a fundraiser for Wish Upon a Wedding, the first non-profit wedding wish organization in the world, which recently opened a branch in Nashville. Through fundraising and linking arms with area vendors, Wish Upon a Wedding collects money and resources to grant wedding wishes for couples facing terminal illnesses and extreme life-altering circumstances. After an application process, a couple is selected for a free of charge, wedding of their dreams. This event, Rubies and Ruffles, is a fundraiser to help raise awareness and money for Wish Upon a Wedding, which will serve chosen couples in the area.
When does the Rubies and Ruffles event take place?
Rubies and Ruffles is taking place from 6pm to 9pm on February 18, 2012.
Who is hosting the event?
The Noah Liff Opera Center is hosting Rubies and Ruffles. The Noah Liff Opera Center is located about 12 minutes from Green Hills and 10 minutes from the downtown area at address: 3622 Redmon Street, Nashville, TN, 37209. You can learn more about Noah Liff Opera for weddings and events atnoahliffoperacenter.com.
Who can attend Rubies and Ruffles?
Anyone is welcome to attend this event!
How much does it cost to attend?
There are three varying costs: general admission is $100, per couple $150, and a table of ten is $75 per person.
Any details pertaining to how the evening will unfold?
Rubies and Ruffles is a cocktail/black tie event. This elegant evening includes a delicious dinner, dessert, music, and even dancing, all flawless for a Valentine’s weekend celebration! There will even be some surprise guests to polish the night off!
How can the community participate?
Your presence at this event is key for it being a success! You’re also encouraged to donate through the Noah Liff Opera Center website or through the Wish Upon a Wedding website. Many brides and grooms, for instance, have found a special joy in granting donations to Wish Upon a Wedding in honor of their names newly joined together.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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