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 & Trends
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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 Wedding
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Chef's Market and Catering has always been a favorite of mine just from personal experiences with the company - they not only produce great, custom menus for their customers but they are also able to decorate the food tables according to the theme of the wedding. Recently they provided a dessert table with a selection of sweet treats that would make Willy Wonka jealous. The table decor and set-up complemented the couple's gorgeous wedding that took place at the Country Music Hall of Fame. We reached out to Genna of Chef's Market who walked us through what inspired the look and decor of this fantastic dessert buffet and how the Chef's Market team brought it to life according to the couple and planner's vision.
All Photos: SB Childs Photography
What was the inspiration behind the dessert table you created at the Country Music Hall of Fame?
Genna: The bride and groom wanted their wedding to feel very upscale and elegant with a rustic/country influence and their venue (the Country Music Hall of Fame) was the perfect place to pull that off. Their wedding planner, Angela Proffitt, asked us to provide the vintage style table used for the dessert display and with the ‘vintage chic’ look in mind, we did the rest ourselves!
How did you incorporate the bride and groom’s vision into the design as well as the dessert selection?
For the display, we used old windows, lots of earthy textures and vintage styled items like serving trays, milk bottles, and of course the table, to give it a shabby chic feel. We created a moss tiered ‘wedding cake’ to hold the pie pops and used apples under glass, not only for color but also for that rustic influence they wanted.
With it being a fall wedding, the bride and groom wanted to incorporate the season into the dessert selection, so we did lots of apple related desserts (Apple Pie Pops, Baby Lady Apples dipped in Caramel & Chocolate, etc). We also made cupcakes of their choice (Red Velvet, Hummingbird) and had an assortment of their favorite cookies for guests to grab on the go.
What other kinds of desserts can you make?
We try not to limit ourselves when it comes to creating desserts. We love experimenting with recipes and trying new things to make sure our client’s menus are as personalized as possible. Our most popular desserts tend to be cupcakes, truffles, cookies, and dessert shots, but we’ve also done things like mini tiramisu, individual pies, fruit tarts, and more.
What makes a Chef’s Market dessert table stand out?
We have a true passion for creating great food and beautiful presentation. Whether it’s a buffet, plated dinner or a dessert display, we put a lot of energy into making sure it will wow our clients and their guests! We really listen to brides and grooms to make sure we understand their vision for their wedding reception in order to incorporate that same look into any of the food displays we put together.
What a beautiful spread to match a beautiful wedding. Thank you to Chef's Market and SB Childs Photography for sharing the details from the wedding. For more of what Chef's Market can do for your special event or wedding, check them out online at ChefsMarket.com.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Cakes & Food, Inspiration & Trends, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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Friday, April 13, 2012
Kevin and Leah are graduates of our 2011 Smart Bride Bootcamp, but you may recognize them from our 2012 camp. They returned this year to share what they learned while planning their Nashville wedding. If you missed the camp, you truly missed a treat. They were lively, entertaining and very honest about what they loved and learned through the process! I can't sufficiently recap all of their nuggets of wisdom, but here's what you definitely need to know...
Kevin and Leah hired a photographer whose work they fell in love with. While he was a good photographer, he wasn't a good wedding photographer (please know that there is a difference). The photographer lost images from their wedding so they were lucky to have a family friend, Claire Marie Photo, who also took photos that day AND they had hired a pro wedding videographer.
I am happy that Kevin and Leah were still willing to share their photos and their wedding day with us. With or without all of their photos, there is sweet love and a forever marriage for Kevin and Leah and that's all that matters in the end.
Leah + Kevin
Wedding Date ~ November 6, 2011
Ceremony Venue ~ Riverside Chapel SDA Church
Reception Venue ~ Mere Bulles
Guests ~ 275
My Budget
$10,000 - $20,000
My Wedding Team
Venue + Caterer | Mere Bulles
Planner | Dayna Jaye, a family friend
Photographer | Claire Marie Photo
Videographer | FullFrame Digital Cinema
Gown & Accessories | David’s Bridal, Etsy
Groom’s Attire / Groomsmen Attire | Ambassador’s Formal
Bridesmaids Attire | The Bridal Shoppe of Murfreesboro
Hair | Sarah Purcell, friend of the bride
Makeup | Shea Moore of MAC
Stationery | Invitations were designed by Octane Designs in Lexington, Ky.
Programs were designed by the couple and printed at Copy Express in Murfreesboro
Personalized thank you notes from Design in August (see them here: designinaugust.com/stationery-hello/).
Ceremony Musicians | Seth Costner, Rich Brinsfield, Troy Logan, Travis Logan, Raffeal Sears, Deaundrea Walker, Royce Mosley, Danelle Corbin - friends of the bride and groom
Reception Musicians | George Seay, groomsman (geetheblogger.tumblr.com)
Cake Artist | Cupcake Collection
Floral Designer | The bride had her bouquet designed by a family friend
Guest Accommodations | Hilton Suites Brentwood
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
We'd describe our style as modern, sophisticated, simple, classy, modest and slightly quirky.
Bride heads down the elevator to the couple's first look as friends watch from above.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
Though our budget and guest list may have occasionally had more influence than we'd like, we would often sit down and think of ways to turn lemons into lemonade. By that, we mean that we worked to ensure every element felt like "us."
Before the ceremony began, we played a video that we had created a year prior to announce our engagement on Facebook. While the bridal party waited for the ceremony to begin, we had a big UNO tournament where everyone played, even the bride in her dress! Then, we expressed our love for music by having what we jokingly call a "mini-concert" with five songs performed during the ceremony. Kevin sang his wedding vows in the form of an original song. Leah even convinced the entire wedding party to collectively sing "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles.
As for decor, we wanted the atmosphere to reflect the simplicity of the fall season with lanterns with lighted candles lining the center aisle. The flower girl tossed leaves instead of flowers.
What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
Our wedding day was truly a day of love, family and friendship. Though there were some stressful moments leading up to the wedding day, we would not have replaced any of it for the world! We had a large bridal party – 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen – and it was so great to see our friends establish lasting friendships among themselves outside of our relationships with them. Being surrounded by all of the love was definitely our favorite part of our wedding day.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
Our biggest splurge was our videography and our “after party,” or second reception at Mere Bulles. Before getting engaged, Leah knew that she wanted to work with Full Frame Cinema and we adjusted our budget to accommodate her wishes. And we’re so glad we did! They were everything and more that we could ever hope for in a vendor.
As far as the second reception, we knew that we were going to have a large number at the ceremony and we wanted something a bit more intimate for our bridal party and family members. We had a dessert reception at the church immediately following the ceremony for all the wedding attendees. Later, we hosted an invite-only "after party" at Mere Bulles in Brentwood, where we were able to relax, eat, dance, and spend quality time with our closest friends and family.
We saved by enlisting the help of family and friends whenever possible and appropriate. For example, Kevin's aunt is a talented artist and seamstress. She hand-made all our boutonnieres and corsages. She also contributed to several of our other ideas for decor. Other family members and friends helped us decorate the venue. A close family friend even offered to help coordinate our wedding, and it was one of the most valuable gifts we received.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
We would have got our coordinator involved earlier in the process, compensated more of our volunteers for the sake of increased accountability and secured references on vendors of high-ticket services. Regarding the vendors, it would've been more useful to discuss the experience of working with someone outside of only the wedding day.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Pay for the aspects you consider to be priorities (i.e.. photography, videography, decor, etc.), and leave DIY projects and assistance from volunteers to details you consider flexible and less vital.
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Posted by Megan |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings
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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 Booths
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