Wonderful Eco Friendly Inspiration for Your Nashville Wedding

Monday, February 22, 2010

A few months ago, Latrice of Opulent Couturier worked with some of Nashville's finest to create lovely tablescapes to inspire Nashville brides.  Starting with an inspiration board as a source of creativity, she brought together wedding elements and created "Eco-Love", an eco-friendly tablescape that would be great for your wedding!

If you are seeking something like this for your big day or even want something completely opposite, you can work with an event stylist like Opulent Couturier to create the dream look for your day.

Image Credit: Row 1: Left: bklynbrideonline.com Middle: vintageindie.typepad.com Right: IntimateWeddings.com  Row 2: Left  wedding.blogdig.net  Middle: IntimateWeddings.com Right: Brides.com   Row 3: Left , Middle, Right - All from Brides.com

You created an inspiration board (above) and then proceeded to create the actual wedding tablescape. How did these images serve as a source of inspiration? 

I get inspiration from so many things!  This particular inspiration board & tablescape was inspired by a recent conversation with a friends daughter who is very eco chic.  Our conversation consisted of what her dream wedding would be like,  the type of decor she wanted at her eco-friendly  wedding at the Biltmore  Estate in North Carolina.  Her vision is to incorporate lots of greenery, burlap or mosquito netting and a totally organic menu & gluten free wedding cake for their guest.

Which elements were most important? 

All the elements on this table were equally important for this tablescape.  I wanted to style a 100% eco friendly table with the look of elegance.   The burlap linen from Connie Duglin was very important, it really set the tone for the entire tablescape.   I found  a awesome Etsy designer - BrooklynRehab  that customized the "Eco Love" tree slice for personalized statement on the table.  I was able to have a real tree trunk cut for chargers & those were placed under the clear glass plates.  Hillary at Brocade Designs used small pieces of greenery under the clear plates for a added detail.  

The center of the table was completely covered in moss & the tree trunk candle holders were hand made by a local designer. The candles were all 100% beeswax.  Please note: that when using beeswax candles they do tend to burn much faster than normal wax candles.  So if brides wanted to incorporate  beeswax candles for their wedding & reception it would be helpful to have extra candles on hand!  

The stationery used for the tablescape was designed by LePenn Designs.  The menu cards were made of 100% recycled paper as well as the place cards. The table number for a detailed effect was framed in frayed burlap material.  The topiary place card holders were from Kate Aspen.

What type of bride did you have in mind for this tablescape? 

This tablescape style is definitely for the green bride that wants to track the carbon footprint for her wedding day.  However it could also appeal to the bride that likes a more rustic look also!

What do you love most about the elements of this design? 

I love the fact that with the exception of the glass plates, everything was 100% Eco Friendly.   

What would you add if you were to do again? 

Absolutely nothing!  I was very please with the end result of this tablescape.  It had so much character and its definitely something that was not been seen for a wedding tablescape design!!

What's the most lavish aspect of the tablescape? What's DIYable?

The  rich moss greenery & tree bark candelabras created a very lavish look.  The tree trunk chargers are diyable if you can operate a chainsaw to cut them equally the same width.  The stationery elements could also be a diyable project.

Photography credit: Donald Yeager Photography

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Posted by Opulent Couturier | Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Luxury Wed Finds 0 comments »

Wedding Trends and Tips from Luncheon with Event Planner and Designer Tara Guerard

Thursday, February 11, 2010

We had so much fun at the Nashville Lifestyles Bridal Show at the Hermitage Hotel.  The weather had started to improve, the sun was shining and the turnout was quite good! Lots of brides looking for great ideas and inspiration who attended with their moms and friends. We even saw a couple of grooms and that's always a good thing!

Photo source: NashvilleLifestyles.com

The highlight of the show was the luncheon with Tara Guerard.  You might recognize her name from the books Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South and Weddings by Tara Guerard; It was exciting to hear what she had to say and she filled us in on her favorite wedding ideas and gave us predictions of trends to come.

The Hermitage Hotel - bridal registration desk

General wedding ideas / answers to attendee questions.

• Traditional weddings are back!  Modern weds are on the decline as couples return to the basics, focusing on important ingredients
• It's a party! You want your guest to really enjoy the event.  Have flip flops (summer) or wraps (fall/winter) so your guests are comfortable. 
• Rehearsal dinner should incorporate what the groom likes - sports, music, maybe at his favorite venue.  It should also be very different (menu, vibe) than the wedding reception.  If you are doing a seated dinner for wedding, try a buffet for rehearsal.
• Guest books rarely get looked through by couple.  Try a signed picture, wishing well or something more creative.
• Most brides are sporting two wedding dresses - their wedding dress and something short for the reception.

She encouraged working with local vendors (we second that!) and thinking locally - for example, when thinking of your menu try to stick to locally product, and to be as environmentally sound as possible, create your menu with seasonal items.  Which brings us to a topic I hold dear... 

Food:

• Small is the new big.  If serving hors d'ouevres, make sure they're actually small enough where just one bite is all your guests need to take.  Mini ice cream sandwiches are also a neat addition.
• Provide bags for your guests to take wedding cake home (but of course, save some for yourself!)
• Minimize clutter and eyesores and instead of having ugly chaffing dishes with a buffet, have serving stations or work with your caterer and florist to make the food stations pretty.
• Food in martini glasses are out!  
• Signature drinks are still very popular and make the reception more efficient by minimizing waiting lines at the bar.  
• Consider station cocktail parties versus seated dinners.
• Try to minimize lines by having a huge bar with ample servers and bartenders.  Tara suggested one bartender/server per 50 guests.
• Candy bars are still in, which we love:).  For one event, she used rolling carts to travel to guests during reception. 

 Some great finds based on Tara's wedding forecast - Clockwise: Ice-cream sandwiches from marthastewart.com, easy bite hors d'oeuvres from Chef's Market, candy buffet by Rhonda Patton Weddings, snazzy serving station by A Catered Affair

Tara chatting with moms.  Photo source: NashvilleLifestyles.com

Color:

• "Blue is out" and lavender is still a hot color.
• Pinks and pale peaches making their way back into color schemes.
• In the fall, expect to see more jewel tones.

Do-it-Yourself:  

• A huge proponent of DIY, Tara had fantastic ideas for favors.  She suggested using etched glass as place cards which, at the end of the night, turn into unique favors for your guests!  Don't have the budget to offer every guest an etched glass?  Just do etched, monogrammed glasses for the bridal party.  
• Monogramming is a lovely, traditional detail, and can be even more meaningful when you know an aunt or you have a grandmother who knows how to embroider.  Have her monogram some linen napkins just for you and your groom.  Or monogram the ribbon that's going around your bouquet for a sentimental touch.

Clockwise: Monogram hanging floral by Enchanted Florist,  DIY getaway car decorations and etched glass place setting from MarthaStewart.com, DIY program by The Thirty Something Bride (thirtysomethingbride.com)

• For out-of-town guests, keep it simple and print the information booklet yourself.  Provide a small container or mints or just a small bag of candy and include bottles of water with labels you made yourself vs over the top, out of town guest baskets.  Spend the money elsewhere.
• Something creative and economical that I've seen brides do is recycling their ceremony flowers and incorporating them into reception decor but one thing I've never seen that Tara suggested was using pew markers, ribbons and all, to decorate the getaway car! 

A point she reiterated was to think locally and to really work with your vendors especially your caterer and your florist - really involve them in your planning so everything goes together perfectly. 

Speaking of vendors, we got to see several of Nashville's premiere companies present at the show too.  Some of them made great use of their space.  Wedding 101 (wedding101.net) turned their area in the hotel's lobby into a romantic seating area.  It really welcomed you to their space.

Social Graces (socialgraces.com) used antique manequins and furniture to display their custom stationery.

We saw our favorite lighting company, Nashville Event Lighting and got to chat for a bit.  Models glided around dressed in the prettiest gowns from the Cotton Mill while harpist Phyllis Taylor Starks filled the rooms with classic wedding music. Also there were Maples Wedding Cakes (maplesweddingcakes.com), Classic Party Rentals, the Governor’s Club (thegovernorsclub.com), King Jewelers (kings1912.com), OSHi Flowers (oshiflowers.com - fabulous florals), Feria Cinematic Imagery and American Laser Centers (www.americanlaser.com).  We truly were in great company that day.

Tara will be speaking this May at The Wedding Experience, by StudioWed, which could be a great excuse for a weekend get-away! 

Thank you to all the brides who came by to say hello, it was such a pleasure to meet you all!  If you picked up a 2010 Bride sticker from us that day, don't forget to submit a picture of you with the sticker on your bumper!  Remember: each picture of a bride and her sticker on her car means another $5 to our relief fund to help Haiti. You can find more details about that here.

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Bridal Shows & Events, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Inspiration & Trends, Luxury Wed Finds 0 comments »

Good Stuff - Free Wedding Labels, Escort Cards and More!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Gotta love those Wedding Chicks - Jocey & Amy, for providing us with great freebie downloads! I was surfing the web on Friday night for Stationery finds and ran across this great freebie!

Source

Click here to download!

Thanks Jocey & Amy!!!

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Posted by Opulent Couturier | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Invitations & Paper Goods 0 comments »

Nashville Weddings on a Budget: Creating the Perfect Budget

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Tips for The Penny Pinching Bride
Hillary Capes, Nashville Wedding & Event Planner
http://www.YourDayofFairyTales.com

So you are officially engaged and you are starting the planning process. You have done your research, you have even set a wedding date, but where do you go now?  The first thing you should do after you have your wedding date selected and have spread the word about your engagement is to set the budget.

Many websites can provide you with an easy formula to distribute your budget easily once you determine the budget, but how can you determine how much you can spend.

1. The first thing to consider is who is contributing to the wedding. Tradition states that the bride’s parents paid for a majority of the wedding with the groom’s side picking up things such as the rehearsal dinner, the brides bouquet, etc. Many brides do not follow this traditional etiquette and many are paying for their own weddings. So talk to family and see who is contributing what.
2. Create a best scenario guest list and go off of that. If you know in your area that catering is very expensive, you can expect to spend between $80 and 100 per person. For a 200 person wedding this can be approximately $20,000. If you have a large family and an extended list of friends, you can expect to have a larger budget if you want a full sit down meal.
3. How much can you logistically save for your wedding? If you make say $500 a month, you know that you can’t save $1000 and still live. So be realistic about how much you can save.

Once you have created the initial budget you then need to break it down by category.

Here is a breakdown from Bride’s Magazine I love!

This chart is pretty accurate and that’s why I like it! I did make one change and included a portion of the budget for wedding planner. It’s a small portion of the budget to save you a day of hectic and scurry.

With these helpful tips, you are on your way to planning the perfect budget friendly wedding!

Hillary

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Posted by Ashley | Filed under: Advice & Planning, DIY & Budget Wed Finds 0 comments »