Monday, December 3, 2012
I'm often asked by brides for ideas for their bridal shoots. Usually, your photographer will have some good locations in mind. But sometimes, what you want is right under their nose and they don't realize it. Such is the case with Noah Liff Opera Center. Most seasoned wedding photographers know about the space, have probably shot beautiful weddings there, but may not think of it for bridal shoots.
If you are going for a contemporary, sleek look for engagement, bridal portraits, or even post-wedding shots with hubby, Noah Liff Opera Center could be the location for you. Rates, details and contact info are below.
Photos: Joe Hendericks Photography (above and below)
1) What type of portraits can be done/have been done at Noah Liff?
Engagement and bridal shots have been taken here as well as album covers, magazine features, and video work.
2) Why is the space so attractive to photographers, couples?
It is a very sleek, modern look with inside and outdoor areas available for shooting. The glass, chandeliers, and unique look attracts today’s modern and fashion-forward couple.
3) Which areas of the space are best for photos?
The Grand Ragsdale Lobby, the Bettye Johnson Balcony, and the outdoors areas are always popular places. The MOST popular place is our Grand Staircase - a beautiful feature of the Noah Liff Opera Center.
Photo: Jonathon Campbell Photography (above)
4) What are the fees to take photos at the space?
Bridal and engagement shots are included for clients hosting their wedding and/or reception at the Noah Liff Opera Center. In other cases, the fee is $80 for a two hour session.
5) What should a bride or groom/photog think about as they consider for a Noah Liff bridal shoot?
Most of our popular shooting locations are indoors so it is a great place to consider without worry of weather. Rain, sun, cold or hot weather – you do not have to reschedule anything! We also include the use of our dressing suite, so a bride can dress here which eliminates any worry about wrinkles in her gown. If desired, our makeup suite is available too!
6) What should a bride or groom do in order to take photos at the venue?
Please contact Sarah Willard to schedule your photography session at 615-832-5242 or [email protected].
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Engagements & Proposals, Photography, Wedding Venues and Locations,
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Friday, November 30, 2012
(Helpful tip - now is a good time to log into your Pinterest account and prepare to pin goodies from Cressie's unbelieveably creative, yellow and grey wedding at the Nashville Zoo.)
Some gals were born to design. I'm not one of them, so I blog about all of the wonderful things I WISH I could design.
Cressie is one of those girls, born to design beautiful things. Attorney by day and designer by nature, her DIY skills are irrefutable; as soon as I saw the photos, I simply had to learn more about her wedding details. And that's when she reminds me that we featured her Murder Mystery Engagement party last year. AHHH - another one of my favorites! And that's when I knew for sure that this girl is in a class of her own.
Peruse her engagement photos and then marvel at her wedding at the Nashville Zoo. Cressie shares all of her DIY details below - from how she basically did EVERYTHING but design her own wedding gown. Yes - that includes making her bridesmaid dresses, designing the paper goods and treat bars, to sewing seat cushions for her family, creating a travel map for her guest sign-in and yes - designing her own photobooth.
Her wedding will certainly inspire you. But, I'll caution you - her wedding will give you DIY envy. If you love one of her venue/vendors, at least you can hire them to help you. If you love one of her DIY projects...you are on your own. Don't fret. Be realistic and gauge whether your skills are up to par. If they are, make it work! I feel like such a slacker....
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Cressie and Chris
Wedding Date ~ June 2, 2012
Ceremony Venue ~ Historic Croft Home at the Nashville Zoo
Reception Venue ~ Jungle Terrace Pavilion at the Nashville Zoo
Guests ~ 200
The couple's private first look before the ceremony.
My Wedding Team:
Planner: Bride planned; day-of assistance from Todd of Sharp Garden Center in New Johnsonville, TN
Photographer: Krista Lee Photography
Videographer: Cliff Fulton of Shannon Fulton Photography
Gown & accessories: Justin Alexander gown and Benjamin Adams shoes from Something Blue Shoppe in Hartselle, AL
Men's attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaids attire: Designed and sewn by the bride
Hair and Makeup: Dana Bell Wyatt (who was a Bridesmaid herself!)
Stationery: All created and designed by the bride; wedding hanky invitations and reception table runners produced by Spoonflower.
Ceremony music: Mockingbird Musicians
Reception music: Justin Caldwell and the Downtown Band
Transportation: White 1961 Cadillac Deville from At Your Service - Nashville Wedding Cars
Caterer: Taste of the Wild Catering by the Nashville Zoo and Jimmy Ashby BBQ from Camden, TN
Cake Artist: Petit Fours by Peggy Ann Bakery of Huntsville, AL
Floral Designer: Sharp Garden Center in New Johnsonville, TN
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Chris loves to travel and take pictures of native wildlife. In fact, we got engaged in New Zealand after visiting a Kiwi bird and Penguin sanctuary. On the other hand, I have a hobby of creating 1800’s period gowns for reenactments, antebellum home tours and events such as the Southern Belle School in Columbia, TN. I knew we had to find a venue to incorporate Chris’s love of exotic animals and my love of historical southern homes. Thus, the historic Croft House within the Nashville Zoo was the PERFECT choice.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
Guest experience before style was first on our list. When we were looking at the many event locations inside the Nashville Zoo, we knew we had to incorporate the Wild Animal Carousel into our cocktail hour. Everyone -young and old- enjoyed riding the carousel and we got some fabulous pictures and video thanks to Krista Lee and Cliff Fulton.
Chris had several ideas to personalize our event such as a ceremony refreshment cart with lemonade to serve our guests as they arrive and a “Guess the Honeymoon” map. Guests were asked to pick their favorite travel spots since Chris kept the Honeymoon secret from everyone (including me, the Bride) until we arrived at the airport.
I also created fan programs and canvas flags for guests to wave after “the kiss” to encourage audience participation.
What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
I really have too many favorites to list, but the sweet and unexpected speech that my Dad gave during the reception is at the top.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
I splurged on music and I am so glad that I picked the right musicians for our wedding. I really wanted a variety of live music and Nashville is the BEST city in the world to find talented wedding musicians. Many of our guests were visiting Nashville for the first time and we HAD to showcase the city’s talent.
Mockingbird Musicians were a delight to work with and they customized a special playlist incorporating our love for Star Wars, Lord the the Rings, Jurassic Park, and Gone with the Wind into our ceremony music. We encouraged everyone to “guess” the movie theme song as they were waiting on our ceremony to begin.
Our reception and cocktail hour band, The Downtown Band, oozes talent with their John Mayer and Sting cover songs but also ROCKED the tent with dance favorites all night long. Our guests are still commenting on the music from the evening.
I saved money in several areas but most required extensive DIY. Instead of renting linens, I purchased table covers at a deep discount online and donated them to a local school district after the wedding. To dress up the plain table linens, I designed and cut table runners in the shape of a “double wedding ring quilt” and had them printed at Spoonflower.com. I also sewed 174 ceremony chair covers, each with ribbons flowing down the back for the ceremony.
Since I clearly love textiles, I wanted to incorporate heirloom sewing and quilting into our wedding. The lovely ladies at the Quilting Bee in Camden, TN helped me order large quantities of fabric for various quilts and for round personalized seat pillows that I made for immediate family members to reserve their seat for the ceremony. I also made mini quilts for menus and directional signage using garden flag stands to hold the quilts around the Zoo. My guestbook was, you guested it, quilt fabric squares.
My ribbon aisle runner was created with flowers from Sharp Garden Center, 6ft wooden dowels, ribbon, paint cans covered with fabric and quick setting cement to hold the dowels. Yes, I am proud to say that I learned how to mix cement for my wedding decor!
Instead of renting a photobooth, I made one with my Dad over the course of 4 months. I provided the software and the technical equipment (recycled from my old college computer) and my Dad engineered a wooden case that was durable, functional and able to travel. It was a great father/daughter pre-wedding activity. My Matron of Honor, Dana Bell Wyatt, painted the vintage-looking photo backdrop and my sister-in-law helped run the booth during the wedding.
Photo Booth created and designed by bride.
However, with all of these DIY wedding projects, I had to say no to the biggest wedding project: Sewing my own wedding dress. As a hobby seamstress and quilt teacher, I knew I was up to the challenge but my parents and groom urged me not to tackle this project due to the potential stress associated with this task. Thankfully, I found a wedding dress that I fell in love with and I knew in my heart that I could never replicate the tiny embroidered details of the dress without a team of dedicated seamstresses.
As a consolation prize, I designed and created my Bridesmaid dresses. I used tulle and satin to create an illusion neckline and embroidered Beatles' lyrics along the hem: All You Need Is Love and Love Is All You Need. The dresses also included my favorite addition: POCKETS!
Bridesmaid dresses designed and sewn by bride!
We also saved money on alcohol costs for the evening. Chris’s brother is an award-winning brewmaster and graciously donated all of our wedding beer complete with custom labels. The types of beer were based on our favorite brews from our worldly travels. This was truly the best wedding gift and we got to share it with the people we love! Thanks so much Drew!
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
Nothing. Everything came together beautifully thanks to the Nashville Zoo Events Team and my florists, Todd and Terry, of Sharp Garden. They were ROCKSTARS. The amount of hauling, unpacking, and setup involved was staggering and both teams finished all wedding setup in only 3 hours! They made everything run smoothly so I could focus on my groom and family. I cannot thank them enough!
What words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
As Fleetwood Mac would say “Go Your Own Way”! Don’t be persuaded to have a typical cookie-cutter wedding. Add your own personal flair and enjoy every minute with no regrets!
Cressie's sweet note to the Nashville Zoo:
"Amanda,
I cannot thank you enough! It was more wonderful than we ever imagined! You and your staff did such an amazing job and everything ran so smoothly. I cannot thank you enough for making our Wedding day so memorial and best of all FUN! I am extremely grateful for all of your hard work and assistance. I couldn't have pulled off my dream wedding without you and and your team! My hubby was also unbelievably impressed- he looked at me and said that was perfect and so "us" as we were leaving the zoo! My guests were also impressed with the zoo, the Croft house and the carousel but the thing I am asked about the most is the FOOD and if I could share any recipes. We were all blown away with the quality and presentation of the food. My guests are still raving about the pretzel bar! Although I wasn't present for set-up and break-down of the event, my parents were extremely impressed with your team and their assistance with everything. They have raved about their teamwork and helpfulness with the reception setup and the speed in which your team worked was almost super human!
All of my vendors (my wedding was their first zoo wedding for most of them) also praised you and your team for being one of the best venues in the area. My florist/coordinators were deeply impressed by the way you accommodated their needs and so quick to answer questions! The Nashville Zoo will always hold a special place in our hearts and I will never forget what you and your team did for us! Please send me the name/email of your superiors so I can brag about you and your team! Also I would be glad to be a reference for any potential zoo brides and will sing your praises from the rooftop!"
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Venues and Locations,
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Regalo Design, a Nashville Wedding Planner, Florist and Event Decorator is having an end of the year inventory sale. If you are looking for high quality linen and event décor with low prices this is the where you need to find it!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Noon - 8:00pm
7009 Lenox Village Drive Suite 103
Nashville, TN. 37211
Here is the link to see the photos for all of the items for sale.
http://www.regalodesign.com/sale
BUY THE ENTIRE LOT FOR $26,000; BUY ALL THE LINEN FOR $16,000; BUY ALL THE DÉCOR OR 10,000
ALL SALES ARE FINAL
CASH, BUSINESS CHECK, CREDIT CARD ACCEPTED
ALL ITEMS REQUIRE TN STATE TAX at 9.25%
PLEASE BRING TRASH BAGS, BINS or BOXES to PACK UP THE INVENTORY. Bins are an additional $5.
Here is a list of the items available.
Quantity /Item Description /Price
TABLECLOTHS
20 BLACK 120" Round Polyester Tablecloth $10.00
27 IVORY 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
35 WILLOW GREEN 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
28 BLACK 90 x 156 Rectangle Polyester Tablecloth $10.00
35 SILVER 72 x 72 Square Pintuck Overlay Tablecloth $10.00
19 SILVER 120' Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
10 GOLD/CHAMPAGNE 120' Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
25 NAVY 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
25 GOLD/CHAMPAGNE 72 x 72 Pintuck Overlay Tablecloth $10.00
14 ORANGE 72 x 72 Pintuck Overlay Tablecloth $10.00
24 PURPLE 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
15 HOT PINK 72 x 72 Pintuck Overlay Tablecloth $10.00
9 APPLE GREEN 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
1 TOURQUOISE 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
25 LIGHT PINK 72 x 72 Pintuck Overlay Tablecloth $10.00
41 WHITE 136" Round Polyester Tablecloth $12.00
29 WHITE 120" Round Polyester Tablecloth $10.00
5 WHITE 85 x 85 Square Polyester Tablecloth $8.00
26 IVORY 90 x 156 Rectangle Polyester Tablecloth $10.00
37 IVORY 120" Round Polyester Tablecloth $10.00
3 WHITE 90 x 156 Polyester Rectangle Tablecloth $10.00
24 ROYAL BLUE 120" Round Pintuck Tablecloth $18.00
18 CHOCOLATE BROWN Satin 90 x 156" Tablecloth $12.00
15 IVORY Crinkle 90 x 156" Tablecloth $12.00
2 WHITE 52 x 114" Polyester Tablecloth $8.00
2 WHITE 72 x 72" Polyester Tablecloth $6.50
1 WHITE 48" Round Polyester Tablecloth $6.00
1 WHITE 108" Round Polyester Tablecloth $7.00
2 WHITE 90 x 90 Polyester Tablecloth $8.00
1 NAVY Pintuck Rectangle Tablecloth $12.00
15 Burlap 90 x 132 Tablecloth $45.00
RUNNERS
70 ROYAL BLUE Pintuck Table Runners $3.50
15 RED & BLACK Damask Table Runner $3.50
67 PURPLE Pintuck Table Runner $3.50
27 Periwinkle Crinkle Table Runner $3.50
59 CHAMPAGNE/GOLD Pintuck Table Runner $3.50
43 BLACK Satin Table Runner $3.50
CHAIR SASHES
250 PEACH/CORAL Satin Chair Sash $1.25
242 WHITE Satin Chair Sash $1.25
250 SILVER Satin Chair Sash $1.25
101 LIGHT PINK Pintuck Chair Sash $1.75
207 PURPLE Pintuck Chair Sash $1.75
322 WILLOW GREEN Pintuck Chair Sash $1.75
300 HOT PINK Satin Chair Sash $1.25
300 LIME GREEN Satin Chair Sash $1.25
151 CHOCOLATE BROWN Satin Chair Sash $1.25
339 CHAMPAGNE/GOLD Pintuck Chair Sash $1.75
NAPKIN
202 TOURQUOISE Polyester Napkin $0.50
389 GOLD Polyester Napkin $0.50
700 ROYAL BLUE Polyester Napkin $0.50
263 WHITE Polyester Napkins $0.50
232 BLACK Polyester Napkins $0.50
340 HOT PINK Polyester Napkins $0.50
211 GREY Polyester Napkins $0.50
170 LAVENDER Pintuck Napkins $0.60
CHAIR COVERS
309 BLACK Folding Chair Polyester Chair Cover $1.75
363 WHITE Banquet Chair Polyester Chair Cover $1.75
DÉCOR
2 WHITE Square Column 28 1/2" Tall $25.00
2 WHITE Cylinder Column 35" Tall $35.00
1 Wooden 8ft Arch Arbor Square with Moss Planters $250.00
1 WHITE 4 tier Cupcake Dessert Tray with Twine 23" Tall $25.00
29 Crystal Cut Glass with Silver rim 4 x 6 wide $15.00
87 Glass Milk Bottle 1 Quart $5.00
15 Frosted Eiffel Tower Vase- 24" Tall $8.50
1 Ostridge Feathers $250.00
2 Clear Eiffel Tower Vase- 19 1/2 " Tall $6.50
1 Clear Glass Slant Vase- 24" Tall $15.00
6 Pink Galvanized Pail 5 x 6 wide $3.00
6 Pink Galvanized Pail 8.5 x 5 wide $5.00
6 Pink Galvanized Pail 7 x 8 wide $7.00
5 Purple Galvanized Pail 5 x 6 wide $3.00
6 Purple Galvanized Pail 8.5 x 5 wide $5.00
6 Purple Galvanized Pail 7 x 8 wide $7.00
5 Orange Galvanized Pail 5 x 6 wide $3.00
6 Orange Galvanized Pail 8.5 x 5 wide $5.00
6 Orange Galvanized Pail 7 x 8 wide $7.00
4 Purple Metal Decorative Star $5.00
3 Pink Metal Decorative Star $5.00
6 Clear Glass Pillar Candle Holder 15" tall x 6" wide $10.00
18 Green Glass Wine bottles 11" tall $5.00
17 Pink Glass Wine bottles 11" tall $5.00
2 Wrought Iron & Glass Hurricane Candle Holder 13 x 4.5"wide $10.00
10 Brown Clay Pot LARGE 7 x 8 Wide $10.00
17 Brown Clay Pot MEDIUM 6 x 5 Wide $8.00
23 Brown Clay Pot SMALL 4 x 4 1/2 Wide $6.00
14 White Pot LARGE 7 x 8 Wide $10.00
58 White Pot MEDIUM 6 x 5 Wide $8.00
25 White SMALL 4 x 4 1/2 Wide $6.00
5 Hurricane Vase 20 high x 5 wide $18.00
3 Hurricane Vase 14 high x 5 wide $12.00
34 1/2 Gallon Glass Milk Bottles $7.50
16 White Poof Topiaries $3.00
12 White Stagecoach Lantern 16 high x 6 wide $10.00
10 5 Gallon Burlap Buckets with Crème Ribbon $10.00
1 Crystal Chandelier 13 x 12 Wide $25.00
20 Chinese Paper Lanterns- White $3.00
12 Chinese Paper Lanterns-Yellow $3.00
10 Chinese Paper Lanterns- Purple $3.00
12 Chinese Paper Lanterns- Green $3.00
10 Chinese Paper Lanterns- Pink $3.00
10 Chinese Paper Lanterns- Orange $3.00
8 Wooden Produce Crates 17 high x 12 wide $10.00
6 Glass Hurricane Candle Holders 23 high x 7 wide $50.00
12 Mercury Glass Gold Candle Holder 19 high x 6 wide $40.00
4 Grey Urn Planers 14 x 14" Wide $15.00
10 6ft Tall Manzanita Branches- Natural Red $100.00
4 Clear Cylinder Vase- 15 1/2 x 10 wide $25.00
20 Clear Cylinder Vase- 15 1/2 x 8 wide $20.00
19 Clear Cylinder Vase- 12 x 8 wide $15.00
1 Crème Bird Cage- 10 x 11 $10.00
2 35" Crystal Swag Valance filled with 66 garlands $15.00
5 Plastic Grape Bowls 5 x 6 wide $2.50
1 Aisle Runner 60 ft. $15.00
20 White 8 x 10 wide White Glass Vases $12.00
1 Natural Birch Bark Shavings 14" square box $25.00
2 Tulle Fabric (Large Container) $100.00
1 Off White Voile Fabric 54 Yards 118 wide (Never Used on the spool) $200.00
2 Moroccan Candle holder 41" $20.00
4 Candelabra Wrought Iron $25.00
60 Purple Glass Candle Holder $1.00
60 Fuchsia Glass Candle Holder $1.00
60 Turquoise Glass Candle Holder with Flower Design $1.25
93 Plastic Mint Julep Cups $1.50
8 31.5 LED Branches $12.00
4 2ft Tall Manzanita Branches- Natural Red $20.00
1 Photo booth Supplies $50.00
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Contests, Giveaways, Specials, Florals, Details & Design , Wedding Planners & Coordinators,
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
In an ideal world, you could afford a quality photographer like Jenna, an album, and a disc. But if you have to choose, always choose a quality photographer first, then add a disc or an album. You can always add any products you couldn't afford later. Which do you purchase now? The disc or the album? Hopefully Jenna's advice will help you decide.
In addition to being a top-notch wedding photographer, Jenna of JHenderson Studios is also very insightful and always willing to share advice to help couples make better decisions for their wedding, such as deciding between a wedding album vs DVD.
Always feel free to contact Jenna for more help or visit her website www.jhendersonstudios.com to learn more about her and see her portfolio.
Jenna of JHenderson Studios:
A lot of my brides choose a disc over an album, even though they cost about the same (in my pricing at least, I can't speak for other photographers).
There are pros/cons to each. The disc offers the freedom to do whatever you'd like with photos, but many people don't do much more than post them to Facebook or make a handful of prints. Or, if they do make their own albums, it's not nearly the high-end quality that my professionally designed and bound albums would be. An album, however, only contains so many photos, and the disc has all the photos.
Personally, I prefer tangible, hold-in-your-hands photos, and quality over quantity. So, I would definitely select an album. I put our personal photos in albums all the time, because I want my kids and grandkids to be able to sit down and look through them. If I only posted them to Facebook, they would just float around in cyberspace for all eternity. I didn't look at my grandparents' photos on a computer!
Something else....a lot of people will not treat their disc with care. Couples should always make back-up copies, and store one in a fire-safe or safety deposit box for safe keeping. Also, technology changes so often, couples should be sure to modify their digital files as things change. Think about 25 years ago when everything was on VHS...you would have a hard time finding a VHS player today, so in 25 years, are we going to have a hard time finding a DVD reader? Just food for thought, I guess.
Quote from a JHenderson Studios bride who got only a disc:
"There are many brides out there like me who prefer the flexibility and convenience that comes from purchasing a disc. After all the chaos from the wedding, it took us a while to settle in, get organized, and wrap our minds around decorating. The disc gave us the freedom to print out unlimited photos for frames, order photo canvases and create memory books at our convenience, which was perfect for me since I was often indecisiveness as to what amazing photos to use! It also allowed us to digitally share photos with family and friends."
Quote from a a JHenderson Studios bride who got both a disc and an album:
"I love my album. I was hesitant to buy one because of the cost, but I would grab it if there was a fire. I also have a disc, and I've saved the photos on my computer, but I haven't looked at them much. I prefer looking at photos in the album because I spend more time actually looking at each photo, rather than just scrolling through several hundred on my computer screen. I'm bad about making my own prints. We printed out a few for frames, but they weren't larger than a 4x6. "
You can read more via a more in-depth discussion on the topic via the JHenderson Studios blog.
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Posted by Ashley King |
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Royal Icing recently joined the StudioWed wedding planning boutique. (StudioWed is a great resource for brides and grooms looking for help finding vendors from photographers to planners. Think of them as a great complement to ABG. We help you plan your wedding from home, in your pajamas. They help in person. Got it? Great. Moving on.)
Royal Icing offers custom cakes and they are gorgeous! I met Carolyn, bakery owner, many years ago. Her designs were stunning then and she keeps getting better. If you're not familiar with Royal Icing, visit their website to learn more or email StudioWed at [email protected] and they will set you up an appointment with Carolyn to discuss your special day!
party cakes
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Cakes & Desserts, Wedding Resources,
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