Wednesday, June 22, 2011
When Nate and I first got engaged, we sat down and made a list of the things we wanted and needed to make our big day complete. The usual things were on that list – great photography, delicious catering, good music, etc. One thing that wasn’t on it was a videographer. While we would have loved to have it, we just didn’t think we could afford it and if something had to go, that was it. We would have photos, and surely that would be enough to help us remember our day.
Bill & Deanna Vincent of First Dance Pictures at work
Enjoy our highlight clip courtesy of First Dance Pictures
As time went on, we started to doubt that we could do without it. Since we didn’t think we could afford a professional videographer, we started to wonder if maybe a friend or a family member could help us out. There are a couple of problems with that idea though. First, none of our friends or family are what we would call “great” with a video camera as far as we know. Secondly, who would we ask? If we asked a wedding guest, they would have to spend the day behind a camera and miss out on the actual festivities. And we didn’t feel right about asking someone who we hadn’t invited to the wedding in the first place.
After a little bit of thinking, and some moving around of the budget, we finally decided to hire a professional videographer. We actually ended up hiring our videographers, First Dance Pictures, because of Ashley’s Bride Guide. I had worked with Bill Vincent, one of the owners, at CMT a few years back and ABG was advertising a special that First Dance Pictures was running – it was perfect! We were able to get amazing videographers for a great price and not break our budget!
Once we met with Bill and Deanna we knew we had made the right decision! They were with us throughout our day and caught some amazing moments! We both cried watching our highlight video and immediately sent it to our family and friends. We received our final DVDs last week and had an afternoon filled with laughter and tears (mostly from laughing too much). It was the perfect way to capture every little moment of our day and we’re so glad that we ended up doing it. The quality of the video is only something that professionals could have brought us. If you are on the fence about hiring a videographer, take my word for it and do it! You will remember your day forever, but there is so much that you won’t see or won’t be able to remember that you’ll be glad you have it on video later on.
Nate and I on our wedding day
All images courtesy of Betsy Limbaugh Photography
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Posted by Newlywed Sara |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Photography, Real Nashville Brides
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Thursday, June 2, 2011
Chris and Cressie got engaged in New Zealand last October after dating long-distance for over five years. And how did he propose? He asked Cressie to change her Facebook status to “engaged”! To celebrate their engagement, they threw a 1950s murder mystery party with a surprise reveal - their wedding date! Jennifer Fox Photography captured the thematic night full of throwback costumes, décor and even food. Enjoy the details as Cressie takes us through her DIY evening.
Chris Lewis + Cressie Teague
Engagement date ~ October 14, 2010
Wedding date ~ June 2, 2012
Our Blog: http://chrisandcressie.com/
Why host an engagement party? Why a themed party?
We got engaged on a trip to New Zealand but because we were so far away no friends or family could join in our celebration and excitement (except on Facebook) so a home town party was in order. We also wanted to officially announce the wedding date at this party and give our two sets of families and friends an opportunity to meet and mingle.
The theme developed out of a previous party I hosted - a 1920's Murder Mystery Birthday Party two years ago. I received rave reviews from my friends in attendance and pictures we posted from the 1920's party went viral; we even won a FREE 1950's Murder Mystery Party from the creator Dinner and a Murder (a wonderful Tennessee company). I was astonished at the support of family and friends who encouraged me to host another mystery party! Our engagement was the perfect catalyst to set the party into motion! As for the 1950's, I adore the fashion of that decade and I grew up singing along to Grease. It was the perfect decade for all of our guests who ranged in age from 25 to 85.
Costumes added to the fun and helped guests connect to the era of the murder mystery game!
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
Everything was DIY (are you impressed? Because we are!). The decorations were provided by myself and a few family members. Most of the items were borrowed, like a yellow rotary phone, cookie jars and dollies. I created the placemats out of old records and personalized them with 4-inch circle stickers created on my ink-jet printer. The goodie bags were white lunch bags that I ran through my printer and personalized with our logo. The dessert stands were records that were crazy-glued to $1 candle sticks from Dollar Tree. They were perfect for holding the petit fours. Prizes for Best Costume, Best Performer and Wealthiest Player were created by framing records that were spray painted to mimic the gold albums of recording artists. The table runners were cut from 1950's fabric featuring Elvis, I love Lucy, Betty Crocker and other retro scenes. All of the flowers were created from coffee filters and sprayed with food coloring to match the table runners. Pictures of Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk and other period characters were framed and placed around the house. The restroom was re-named a "Fall Out Shelter" and a personalized "Drive-In" sign was created from foam board and placed beside a flat screen TV that played commercials from the 1950's.
Tell us about the costumes!
I love sewing costumes as a hobby. I design and create sci-fi, Civil War reenactment , and the occasional renaissance fair costumes. So I naturally jumped at the challenge of 1950‘s period costumes for this party. I created my yellow dress along with Chris's plaid jacket, the five "diner-girl" aprons/hats for the servers, 2 poodle skirts and 3 pill box style hats for guests. We asked that guests wear 1950's attire and they did not disappoint. Several guests also made their own costumes and everyone was extremely original.
What was the most important design element for you?
My dress! I love the “Beautiful Blonde Pineapple” dress that Frenchy wore to the prom in Grease and I based my dress off this design. I also added a matching bolero from a dress I saw on the Lawrence Welk show.
Can you believe she made this dress? So beautiful!
Vendors
Venue | Paris Henry County Heritage Center in Paris, Tennessee. It is a historic 1920's Italian Villa turned museum and rental facility. Norma Steele, the director, was so accommodating and a dream to work with.
Murder Mystery Game Creator | dinnerandamurder.com
Decorations | DIY with set-up assistance by Dana Wyatt
Photography | Jennifer Fox Photography. The fantastic Jennifer Fox took all of our pictures, set up the photo booth and even took pictures in the rain in front of the 1956 Chevy. She really captured the fun mood of the party.
Food | My mother, grandmother and aunts provided all of the food. We wanted our guests to feel like they were in a 1950's diner. Period appetizers included stuffed celery, molded jello, popcorn and casseroles. For dinner we served hamburgers, hotdogs, pork loin sandwiches and french fries in baskets with paper liners. Banana splits and other ice cream creations were served with the petit fours and cake for dessert.
Cake | E.W. James & Sons
Petit fours | Peggy Ann Bakery - Huntsville, AL
Invitations | iPhoto/Apple Printing
1956 Chevy | family friends
Big thanks to Cressie for sharing her awesome party with us! The extent of DIY is so impressive! If you're not feeling as creative, test-drive your wedding planner, photographer, and other vendors by planning an engagement party first. We have an extensive list of planners who have enough creativity for you engagement and wedding celebrations.
All images by Jennifer Fox Photography.
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Posted by Megan |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides
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Friday, May 13, 2011
Drumroll....Stephanie and Justin's engagement pictures received the most votes in our Spring 2011 Facebook Engagement contest! And based on the huge number of votes they received, it's no wonder they have a guest list of 330 people! Thanks to their photographer, Sara E Rose Photography, the two were able to tell their beautiful love story via their engagement photos, which do an amazing job chronicling their history and is a great idea!
Enjoy their sweet love story and the details of their quickly approaching wedding day.
Stephanie Lewis + Justin Hayden
Engagement date ~ February 12, 2010
Wedding date ~ June 18, 2011
How did you meet:
We met in the NICU at Baptist Hospital. I was a premature sick baby and he was a orange jaundice baby. We were there together even though I was born two months before him. Justin says this is where I fell in love with him. That I saw this tan hot baby with cool shades on and that I have been in love with him ever since. I don’t really remember it being like that but he swears by it. He says he had amazing “game” even then. We then happened to attend St. Edward’s together, K-8th grade. I don’t really remember him until the second grade. We were both in Mrs. Clinard’s class and I had a huge crush on him. In the third grade, he asked me to be his girlfriend and made me a valentine that said, “I love you and I hope you love me too”. Aww- so sweet! We were best friends all through grade school. We then attended high school together. We never dated, always dated other people but remained great friends. We always had a strong opinion on who the other one dated. People always told us that we would end up getting married but we never really believed them. It wasn’t until he went to Iraq that everything changed. Before Justin went to Iraq, he called my mother (which is like his second mother) and told her he thought he was in love with me and had to tell me before he went away. He did not get the chance to tell me before he left, but he let me know as soon as he got home. We wrote letters to one another and still stayed in close contact while he was away. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. I also realized while he was away that I loved him more than a friend. So, as soon as he got home from Iraq we started dating... and the rest is history! I feel like our whole lives have led up to this and that we are truly soulmates. He is my best friend, my past, my present, and will be my future.
This is the reason why I really love our engagement photos. They are not of us just standing by a random tree but they tell our love story. We went to our grade school and took photos. We took some by our lockers, in our 5th grade classroom, library, etc. He even sported his 8th grade football championship jersey- GO SAINTS!!! I would highly recommend to any engaged couple to let the photos tell your story! They are so much more meaningful and special. Sara Rose did an amazing job of capturing our story!
Tell me about your proposal:
Justin called me and told me that when I got home he had a small surprise to kick off my birthday weekend. He told me to come inside and sit on the couch, with my eyes closed. He then put in my lap the cutest yellow lab puppy (she is now the grown yellow lab in the pictures). I was so surprised and excited! Justin told me that the collar she had on belonged to his childhood family dog. I thought it was cool but didn't pay too much attention to the collar! He kept talking about the collar and finally he took the ring off the collar and got on one knee. I never even noticed the ring! I We named the puppy Lucy; we both love the Beatles and so we thought since she came with a beautiful diamond ring we would name her after the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
Who have you hired for your wedding team?
Wedding venue I Church of the Assumption
Photographer I Sara E Rose Photography - I would recommend Sara Rose to anyone and everyone! Not only is her work beautiful but she is so wonderful to work with. I was a bridesmaid in a wedding she shot and I loved her from the start. I asked for her card and once I saw her work and price- it was a done deal! She is fun, prompt, genuinely cares, and most importantly wants you to LOVE your photos! I cannot wait for the wedding pictures!.
Bride’s Dress I The White Room Too
Bridesmaids’ Dresses I The White Room Too
Groom's Attire I Men's Warehouse
Floral Designer I Phillipe Chadwick of Chadwicks. Phillipe is friend of ours since kindergarten! He is just getting started in the wedding business and does beautiful work. We feel so fortunate to have him as a friend and florist! :)
Rentals I Classic Party Rentals
Invitations I Target and then got them printed at Quick Print.
Reception Venue I The Fleming Center at The Cathedral of the Incarnation
Lighting I Nashville Audio Visual
Caterer I Ribbons of Chocolate Catering - so yummy and amazing price! Pam Hogancamp (owner) is so sweet and helpful!
Cake I Sam's Confection Connection - We cannot wait to eat this cake!!! The wedding cake will be strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.
Groom's Cake I A surprise for the groom! :)
Videography I Pureform Media, Brendan Donohue
Music / DJ I The Mad Dog Company. We are also having a friend, Shane McAnally, who is a very talented songwriter and singer perform a song.
I can honestly say, that all of my vendors have been so easy to work with and very helpful!
What's your wedding style? Traditional with a twist :)
What's your wedding budget? $20,000; We are inviting about 330 guests.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides
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Thursday, May 12, 2011
Today's couple received the second most Facebook votes in our contest. So, not only are they our runner up, but we really liked their photos too, especially Meg {ABG's community manager}! Photographed by Wendy C. Photography, Becky and Mike are adorable! They did a fantastic job choosing great photo locations and Wendy truly captured their deep love connection + chemistry.
Mike Jarrell + Becky Aguiar
Engagement date ~ December 24, 2010
Wedding date ~ December 10, 2011
Our Blog: http://mikeandbecky.blog.com
How did you get engaged?
(I told him no holiday/birthday proposals but what girl is going to say “No, propose on another day” when her man has bling in her face on Christmas Eve? Not me!)
We got engaged after the Christmas Eve service at my hometown church in Louisville, KY. Our church lobby was decorated for Christmas and we decided to get our family picture taken in front of one of the trees. Mike took the picture of me and my family. Then my mom suggested that Mike and I get a picture together. He walked over, wearing his LARGE winter coat, and turned to smile at the camera. I asked him to take off his coat because I didn’t want him to wear it in our picture. He said he wanted to keep it on and I said “Fine, you’re going to look stupid in this picture”. About that time my mom said “smile” and I smiled and he got down on one knee. I honestly have no idea what he said in his little “Will You Marry Me” speech because I was so surprised (aren’t I the worst woman ever?!) but I saw the ring and freaked out. YES! YES! YES! It was so special to have my family there and to have pictures of the actual moment to show friends and family.
Who have you hired for your wedding team?
Wedding Ceremony I Eastland Baptist Church
Wedding Reception I The Belmont Mansion
Photographer I Wendy C. Photography (AMAZING lady and photographer! Love her). The site she put together for us to share with our friends and family is: BeckyandMike.WendyCPhotography.com
DJ I Irwin Entertainment
Baker I Doing a dessert table so we’re not getting a huge cake. Just a bunch of little things from a local store. I have one in mind but need to taste test (YUM!) before I commit.
Floral Design I Ruth’s Flowers (we are only getting flowers as bouquets for me and my bridesmaids…the church and reception hall are already pretty well decorated for Christmas and adding anything else would be overkill…or so I think.)
Caterer I NO IDEA! I have a small budget for this so it’s been tricky so far.
What's your wedding style?
The ceremony is going to be very small. We’re only inviting about 100 people so the style will be intimate and romantic. The wedding will be at 6pm so there will be tons of candles and rose peals. The reception will be a little different. Since we’re having our reception at The Belmont Mansion, we’ve decided to have a Williamsburg/Victorian reception to go along with the art and decor. We will be decorating with fruit, flowers and candles. The Belmont Mansion will be decorated with garland for Christmas so we’ll be using bold colors (purple, blue, teal, gold) to help incorporate the garland but not make the event feel like a Christmas event.
What's your wedding budget?
Small. Is that the correct answer? We are trying to do the wedding and reception for under $6,000. It has been a challenge but its fun to shop around and get a great deal.
Anything else you want to share?
We just got our Save the Dates together this week. I should have a copy of our invites to share sometime in August if you’re interested. We have a friend of ours who is a graphic designer creating them and who also created our Save the Dates. Our invitations will use a purple graphic element (also used on our Save the Dates) and will be very simple. We are using purple as our color since that is what the girls will be wearing. Lapis to be exact.
Our personal blog is: mikeandbecky.blog.com. We created this blog to keep our friends up-to-date on our planning and decisions…and talk about our dogs. (Sorry, we are THOSE people) Since we’re only inviting 100 people to the wedding a lot of our friends aren’t able to come to our big day. We set this up in hopes that people could read this and know what was going on with our planning. It also helps communicate some of our decisions to our friends and family since the majority of them don’t live in our state.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sloane is a bride-to-be and a fellow blogger. She and her fiance Dave selected the talented Krista of Krista Lee Photography as their wedding photographer. They entered our Facebook Engagement Contest and I'm glad they did. Their photos are modelesque and super vibrant. That's why I've selected them as one of my favorites.
Meet them today...
Sloane Cavitt + Dave Logue
Engagement date ~ May 27, 2010
Wedding date ~ September 10, 2011 (a 9/10/11 wed!)
Bride's blog ~ blingblingcupcakequeen.blogspot.com
Tell me about your proposal:
I will tell this from my point of view...I am sure Dave has a completely different story :)
It was Thursday, May 27th and I had just gotten home from work! Dave came home shortly after me and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. Due to going to see the midnight showing of Sex In The City 2 the night before and working all day, needless to say I was a little tired. I chose to stay in for dinner and told him I would make pulled chicken BBQ sliders and we could go out to dinner on Friday night! Dave went upstairs to change as I pulled chicken from a rotisserie chicken for dinner. He came downstairs kissed me on the neck as he put a diamond princess cut solitaire in front of my face! With chicken all over my hands I started jumping up and down, screaming and crying. I finally let him get down on one knee to pop the question! There was chicken all over the kitchen, to which the dog managed to clean up for us. I was speechless, and that never happens. It was the most amazing night that I would never change anything about!
Ashley: They actually stood in the water fountain to capture these amazing shots.
Who have you hired for your wedding team?
Wedding Venue I Scarritt Bennett
Photographer I Krista Lee Photography
Floral Designer I Melissa Spaid
Band I Bueller
Reception Venue I WO SMITH School of Music
Caterer I Bacon and Caviar
Lighting I Nashville Event Lighting
Save The Dates I Magnet Street
Wedding Planner I Meredith Zeller of Bridal Blueprints
What's your wedding style? Classic/contemporary - black, white and crystal with a music theme
What's your wedding budget? $30,000
Would you like to share anything else about your wedding plans?
My centerpieces are mini chandeliers that I bought at Z-gallerie. Our guest books are 2 black guitars for people to sign. Our charger plates are vinyl records and we are giving those as our favors. We are currently trying to decide if we want a cake or mini chocolate chip cookies with icing in the middle because that is our favorite food. Our band is an 80's band and they are AMAZING! We got the most amazing lights to go over the dance floor from Nashville event lighting. They are 4 chandeliers. I LOVE chandeliers!!
I am so excited to get married!! Thank you so much for making us a finalist!!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides
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