Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Today’s real bride story is provided by Irene and Mark, who were married in August. It was an elegant and intimate affair and the bride incorporated “quintessential Nashville” touches so that her guests could get a taste of our lovely city!
Thanks Irene and Mark for sharing your day with us!! And, a special thanks to Gina Bilyeu Photography, who provided the images and was the couple’s photographer.
About us:
Bride: Irene from Gulfport, MS
Groom: Mark from Bloomsburg, PA
My wedding details:
Wedding date & time: August 9, 2008 2:30PM
Ceremony and Reception location: Holy Family Catholic Church, Brentwood (small chapel)
Reception location: Cheekwood Museum of Art & Gardens
# guests: 20
Wedding Style and Unique Touches:
My wedding style: I wanted the wedding to have a classic, timeless, and mostly an intimate feel to so the hair was worn down, the length of the bridesmaid dresses were cocktail length, the flowers were soft colors and textures. The Museum at Cheekwood reflected the overall style and was the inspiration for all the details.
My colors and why I choose them: Blue, silver, and cream – I wanted something elegant and not overwhelming
Wedding wow factor: The table setting at the Loggia in the Museum with the beautiful flower arrangements in the crystal candelabras and all the candles I think “wowed” the guests the most. Also, many of the guests loved having the calligraphy used on the envelopes for our invitations. It is surprisingly affordable and added a lot to the invitations, which were simplistic in style.
Favors: Goody bags filled with mini Nashville treats from Loveless Cafe
Personal touches: Customizing the menu with Chef Paul at Cheekwood, hiring a calligrapher to address the envelopes for our invitations, renting a Hummer limo to make it easier for our guests and to spend more time with everyone (no one getting lost or having to worry about driving after all that partying), and making a weekend out of it for everyone to share and be a part of. Most of our guests were from out of town and some have never even met so we reserved a block of rooms at the Doubletree downtown for the entire weekend. This way everyone could see most of what Nashville is famous for and get to know one another.
Most special moment for me: Having all our closest friends and family members there enjoying the wedding and one another.
The kids in my wedding… Our two boys entertaining us with a very special concert and the baby, our nephew, having fun with the special “kids” menu we customized for them.
My wedding vendors:
Invitations, wedding programs, menus, and place cards – custom made and printed at The Paper Place @ Bandywood Drive in Green Hills
Wedding Dress – Badgley Mischka @ B. Hughes Formal and Bridal
Bridal Shoes – Grazie’s @ Arzelle’s on West End
Hair & Makeup – Stephanie from the Rodney Mitchell Salon (Hillsboro location)
Bridesmaid Dresses – Ann Taylor
Groom’s Tux and boy’s suits - MTux
Groomsman’s suit – his own
Cake – Signature Cakes by Vicki
Florist – The Tulip Tree
Photographer – Gina Bilyeu
Solo Guitarist (for reception dinner) – Craig Duncan Music
Engagement and Wedding Bands – Tiffany & Co.
My Faves:
I highly recommend Gina Bilyeu, our wedding photographer, Ashley at The Paper Place, and Mark/Carrie at the Tulip Tree, our florist – they were all exceptional and so great to work with as was all our vendors but I worked with these 3 places the most (and probably demanded the most from these three).
My Wedding Rewind:
What I would do differently if planning again? I’m a procrastinator so planning a little more in advance might have saved us some money and stress. We planned the wedding ourselves in about 3 months, there were a lot of extra “rush” fees included that could have been avoided.
Biggest waste of time or money? Nothing, everything was worth it.
Best value for the service/product? Gina Bilyeu – I searched tons of photographers in the Nashville area. Pictures or capturing memories from a wedding will last forever so it was one of the most important aspects but also I found out while researching could be the most expensive. I feel extremely fortunate that we were able to find Gina out the hundreds of photographers to choose from at such a reasonable price for really beautiful work. I don’t think anyone could have been better.
Neatest find? Each other