Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Hey Nashbrides,

I just got off the phone with Shannon, my girl over at myOWNvitations to learn a bit more about their open house. (BTW, she did the fabulous black, white and red wedding invitation that’s on my current love list - see below.) Anyway, you know I love wedding stationery and wedding cakes so I am super-duper excited about their upcoming invitation open house. I’ve never been to a paper party (but I’ve certainly been to a million jewelry/pampered chef and beauty product parties against my will). But, this is a must-attend party if you are a modern, stylish Nashville-area bride who wants custom wedding invitations and paper that makes your statement.

(Shannon says: This Asian-inspired invitation with concise, modern wording let’s everyone know that your wedding will be a party to remember! The coordinating origami folded program is held closed by bamboo skewers. What a fun twist!)

Shannon’s invitations are all about the paper - she uses the most interesting textures for her invitations. And, because all of her work is custom, she can do all of the coordinating pieces like labels for your welcome baskets, save the dates, etc, which you’ll see first hand at the open house!

(Shades of orange and coral work great for both summer and fall weddings. The shimmery metallic backer adds an elegant touch to this invitation.)

The party will be held at a super-chic downtown Nashville loft and will be a lot less congested/rushed than a bridal show where you have to scream just to talk and can forget about discussing important questions - like prices, timeline, customization, etc. At this event, Shannon promises that you can expect one-on-one q&a with the designer.

You know you’re in love with these invitations too. Your wedding invitations set the tone for your wedding. So, contact myOWNvitations asap to rsvp for this wedding paper party. This event is open to Nashville’s most stylish brides, planners…and geeky bloggers like me. See ya there!

(A pale blue paper embossed with a bold pattern adds interest and texture to this classic patterned invitation. The layers are held together with a single crystal brad.)

(Pink and gold have been a wedding scheme favorite even before Martha said it was cool! This imported fuchsia cotton paper is flocked with a beautiful gold pattern. Add a shimmery gold ribbon and a rhinestone buckle and you have an invitation that is absolutely regal!)

(Strawberry is a fresh new take on the ever-popular pink! It’s paired with chocolate in this contemporary geometric pattern to create an invitation that is simple and modern, yet interesting. Who doesn’t love a chocolate covered strawberry?)

(What better way to make your invitation represent you as a couple than adding a cute photo? The invitation is wrapped in a shimmery plum jacket and tied with a delicate organza ribbon.)

Anyway, be there or be square (…my throw-back phrase today). No seriously, if you want a hot invitation that wows your guests, come out and see the latest in wedding invitation fab.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Welcome Today’s Guest: Southern Fancy is a bridal blog written by Anna, a Nashville bride2be and a true Southern belle.

Even though The Mister and I are getting married right outside of Nashville in Franklin, Tenn., it feels more like a destination wedding. You see, all my family is in Mississippi and his is either in Arizona or Chicago. Plus, our closest friends are scattered about the country. So any way you look at it, our guests are traveling from near and far, and they’re having to pay a pretty penny to do so. To welcome them from a long day of travel and to show them our appreciation, it is only appropriate for us to give each person (or couple or family) a basket of goodies when they check in at the hotel.

First things first, I searched online for some inspiration. I looked no further than Kate Parker Weddings. She has the perfect welcome basket for cities like Dallas, Chicago, Boston, NYC, San Diego and San Francisco, among others. And as fate would have it, she has one specifically for Nashville weddings.

This fabulous basket includes:

* 1 3-pack of cookies from The Christie Cookie
* 2 packs of Goo Goo Clusters (which are made in Chattanoga)
* 1 tin of tea from Nashville Tea
* 2 (11oz.) bottles of Fiji water
* Custom map including 4-5 points of interest for the wedding weekend (rehearsal, ceremony, reception, etc.)
* 1 Map of Tennessee from the Tennessee Visitors Bureau
* Medicine Kit including Advil, Tylenol, and Pepto-Bismol.

At the price of $34.00 (plus shipping), I think this is totally worth it; however, I am in need of about 30 of these bad boys, which would cost me a little over $1,000 total. Soooo, I decided I could create something similar and set a budget of $10 per basket.

Here’s what I plan on including:

* A Franklin-area brochure (free)
* Copy of The Nashville City Paper or The Rage (free)
* Custom map of the wedding location and directions (paid $10 for custom design from Etsy seller MTK Designs. The price is now $15. Again, totally worth it.)
* A pack of Goo Goo clusters
* Tiny bottles of Dickel Tennessee whiskey (made in Tullahoma; about $1.50 per bottle); You could also go with small bottles of Jack Daniels (made in Lynchburg).
* Bottled water
* Either a pack of orange slices or apple rings from Apple Barn Cider Mill (this is a place in the Opry Mills Mall that has lots of yummy food and candy made in Tennessee)
* Can of Altoids or packs of gum
* One Spirit of Nashville postcard ($12.99 for a pack of 29). Y’all, these are so awesome, you have to see them now.

Ashley Adds:

Want more ideas for your Nashville wedding gift baskets? Follow this topic on our message board.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Sammy, my husband John’s best friend, came to town this weekend to spend time with us. I rarely see Sammy and my husband works Saturdays so Sammy’s hanging with me. My plan was to go to the bridal show today but after considering that Sammy probably wouldn’t enjoy the event (just a hunch) and $50 is a lot to spend on someone who wouldn’t enjoy the darn thing anyway, I’m home with him. (Hope I don’t regret this forever! John - you owe me one:)

As I steal a few minutes to blog today, I am a wee-bit jealous of all the fun that everyone is going to have at today’s Nashville Lifestyles Bridal Ball. It’s taking place at The Hermitage Hotel, one of my favorite Nashville wedding venues. I really wanted to go because Tara Guerard is speaking and she is oh-so-talented. She’s like the Ace of Cakes guy, coming to your town, live and in person. If you aren’t familiar with Tara, she is a top ”event producer” and author of Southern Weddings. (I’ve got to find a fancy way to describe what I do:).

My friends at A Magical Affair are going to take tons of pictures and promised to share every single detail. Hillary say I’ll be there in spirit. Expect a fabulous update next week.

Now, more highlights from my fabulous event on Sunday, the Nashville bridal break. (Tara - you can add these fantastic Nashville wedding finds to your preferred vendor list. I’ve checked them out and they’re good to go.)

The Personal Touches - What’s an engagement/wedding without a celebration of who you are and all the wonderful aspects of being engaged? These two vendors do just that - bring “you” to everything they do.

Selah Shop by Kat of Selah Style and Events - Kat is one of the most spectacular chicks I know. She does stunning event (wedding) design but she has a very strong fashion background. The combination is truly magnificent. She is in the process of launching a line of bridal accessories/attire and debuted pieces of her line at my bridal event. She brought the cutest bride tees, bridesmaid tote bags and adorable “underthings” as she calls them. Her goodies make great gifts for your bridal party or great indulge items for this special time in your life. Let everyone know you’re a bride; these items keep you cute even when you’re being an ugly bridezilla.

Designs in Paper- Yes, I’m always talking about Designs in Paper but I think they are the neatest things since…since forever! Donette (pictured chatting w/brides below) and Steve approach every project with a blank slant and come up with something completely custom to express your personality, theme, etc. For instance, for my party, they created Happy Valentines Day confetti and gave a bag of confetti to everyone who attended. DiP (as they liked to be called) made “The Future Mrs.” buttons to every bride2be, which the brides are still raving over. They even made AshleysBrideGuide.com confetti for me, which I picked up after the event and plan to use again and again. (So you will see it at the Opry Mills show and the Perfect Wedding Guide show!)

They made some neat confetti for the Lipstick Jungle premiere on Thursday and it was soo cute. They made mini lipsticks with jungle prints. They never cease to amaze me. And, the good thing is - they are paper experts so they can create paper around all aspects of your party or wedding theme - from save the dates, invitations to confetti and t-notes.

If you have an enviable wedding budget, head over to The Hermitage to meet Tara and Nashville’s top vendors for the high-end Nashville bride.

Well, that’s a wrap - back to the couch for more b-ball with Sammy! I love Sammy but John owes me big…it’s going to be a great Valentine’s Day.