I work from home, I recycle, I turn off lights when I leave the room, I carpool to wedding events…I’m getting there. Once I sell my SUV (they’re oh-so 90s) for a mini-cooper like Kat’s (of Selah Style), I’ll be a bona-fide green thumb.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think to have a green wedding (although green was my primary color - does that count?).
So, as I plan weddings vicariously through you, I wanted to make sure my green brides didn’t feel left out.
Portovert is a website that I love, devoted to green weddings.
As you spend a few weeks enjoying this new site, I’m inviting Nashville’s wedding experts to send in pics of their green weddings, eco-friendly inspiration boards, green goodies, and more.
In the meantime, here are my fave goodies from Portovert.
Chic and eco-friendly dress by Deborah Lindquist - gorgeous attire that’s also easy on the environment.
These matchsticks are actually plantable seeds from Matchstick Garden.
A year ago, we gave away these National Arbor Day Foundation trees, branded with my previous employer’s name. People loved them! In fact, they were great conversation starters.
Yummy, yummy, yummy and good for Mother Earth. These cupcakes are made by Miette Cakes. They don’t deliver the yum to Nashville but contact our Nashville cake designers to have them recreate this organic treat.
For more green goodies, visit Portovert or google green weddings and let me know your fave wedding green sites.
I’ve had a crush on Wonferful Graffiti for a long time. I think they are one of the most extraordinary companies ever. I would marry them if I could, especially their lollipop invitations, which I love. They offer so many neat touches for the bride who dares to be fabulous. Their items are splurge items BUT they add instant elegance to any wedding or event. Check them out and you’ll love them too.
Well ladies, it’s hump day. So, I figured I should get off my hump and give you the update you have been waiting for…The unofficial, unauthorized, but oh-so-reliable skinny on the Saturday’s show.
This show had so many new vendors. Many were young women (who know young women) and fellow “brides turned business owners” who have returned to the wedding world to showcase their newly discovered talents. Which I love!
As you know…I went, I saw and I conquered! You saw the Party Patrol video so you already know that I had a ball. But, that was just a taste of the show.
20 vendors made “Ashley’s A-List”. (Hey - if Oprah can have a list so can I:) I will share them all with you over the next few days.
Here are my faves from the paper and music categories. They are all Nashville-based wedding vendors so support local, buy from them and enjoy great local, in-person service.
Get ready to add these fabulous finds to your short list:
myOWNvitations - truly unique stationery and paper products, designed by Shannon (who I almost knocked over while filming the Party Patrol video! Sorry Shannon - thanks for being a good sport.)
Designs in Paper- original, custom stationery, invitations, etc. Really cute ideas that are out of the box. The brainchild of Donette. I love the monogrammed confetti. Can’t wait to get some of my own.
Relish - really cute site that allows you to design your custom invitations online.
Harlow Salon- I met Shana of Harlow on MySpace and was sooooo excited to see her at the show! I adore her work and her grand personality. (grand - a word I picked up from my 90 year old, southern-belle piano teacher.) While she does all things beauty, she seems to love wedding hair and makeup. She is awesome and was doing demos at the show. Check out her wedding hair video in my vendor directory.
Check them all out and let me know your favorites by voting on this blog post. Simply leave a reply with your favorite vendor, based on their website or your experience with them at the show. Did I miss someone spectacular? let me know! (How do you reply? Just click comments below.)
I attended the Enchanted Brides bridal show which took place on Thursday, Jan 3. There were probably 100 vendors in attendance. It was an upscale event. I really liked the valet parking - helpful. There was also a red carpet at entrance which was a nice touch, as this show was for the “discriminating” bride. Based on my guess, it was ideal for brides who budgets exceeded $40K. All in all - it was a great show.
My favorite vendors from the show:
The Bake Shoppe - I have a soft spot for Kellie and Amy since I hired them to do my wedding cake:) Awesome to work with and they do great work. Maples Wedding Cakes - Wow! I kept hearing about Maples, even visited his site which doesnt do his work justice. Have pics - will share later. Wedding Musician Company - They did my wedding music; great music with an elegant and professional staff. Can’t go wrong with them. Elaine McCord Floral Designs - She did my wedding flowers and everyone loved them; great value for the quality and service you get.
I’ll tell you more about each of these vendors later as I have pics to share. But, here is my favorite vendor of the evening:
Photo Booth Nashville – I immediately clicked with Amy of Photo Booth. She was very personable and is also a recent Nashville bride! She got married in April of 2006, a date she forgot initially due to “pregnancy amnesia”. I have heard about the whole pregnancy amnesia thing. Very weird. I can’t imagine being more forgetful than I already am. What am I blogging about? Oh yeah – the photo booth.
I was really interested in this photo booth thing. I saw it at least year’s show but didn’t have a chance to check it out. So, Amy spent a few minutes telling me all about it. She said when she got married, she considered the whole “camera on the table for every guest” option but found the photo booth to be a more interactive and fun alternative. Only problem – no one offered the photo booth in Nashville…Fast forward, Amy and her husband Joe (my “myspace friend”) now offer the photo booth option for Nashville brides. (Gotta love Nashville brides! We see a need and fill it. When life gives us lemons, we start a lemonade stand! You go Amy!)
So, I stepped into the booth and that’s where the magic happened. The booth was a lot more high tech than I expected. I was looking for a physical button to push. Instead, the whole process is operated via a touch screen. (How old do I feel? First the iPhone now the photo booth - case closed, everything is now buttonless.)
Here are my pictures. I wanted to take them with Hillary and Courtney of A Magical Affair, but they were off being adults and networking. Instead, I was making silly faces in the booth.
This is such a neat touch to add to your wedding reception. Note, they’re a hot item so contact Amy and Joe asap if you want to reserve for your day.
Oh – Joe said you receive a CD of all of the pictures so you can use send each guest a copy of their picture as a thank you card or include in Christmas gifts. Amy and Joe can tell you all about the photo booth so give them a call to learn more.
Don’t want to take my word for it? Check out what others are saying about the photo booth…
If you are thinking about creating a website for your wedding, you absolutely should.
- It’s a fun way to share your planning.
- Your family and friends will love it!
- It is a helpful way to keep folks informed.
Plus, many of my bridefriends regret not creating one.
I used Wedding Window to create mine. Loved them! They offer tons of templates, ranging from classy to modern to fun. Plus, you can update your design/colors based on your wedding theme. It was user-friendly so I was able to create a fabulous website in no time. (My guests thought I designed it myself!) It wasn’t free but I loved their designs and it was worth having a url that I created and was easy to remember.
There are many other good options, like ewedding (my second runner-up) or wedding tracker. Want a free one? Check out other wedding planning sites like Perfect Wedding Guide or Brides Edge which offer them free when you register.
There are generally three options when it comes to creating a website for your wedding:
1) Free template website - free options that offer basic designs, a longer url for your website address (something like www.weddingchannel.com/ashleyandjohn)
2) Fee template website - more premium design options, more features, you usually choose the url and you can keep it short (like www.ashleyandjohn.com)
3) Custom site - very premium price, usually designed by a graphic artist who tailors it 100% to you
So, instead of having dear Aunt Sue interrupt your bridal luncheon, simply direct her to your wedding website for directions and more!
My friend Ben recommended I check out Zoe Tops, a site offering custom cake tops for couture brides (and wanna-be couture brides like me:) I remember seeing the toppers at a bridal show last year. But after revisiting the site today, I was reminded just how cute these darn things are.
If you are anything like me, you are tired of the same ole’ wedding stuff. How unique is a unity candle - really? Why not spend your hard earned wedding budget on items that represent…you? And, nothing represents you like these custom wedding cake toppers which I love, love, love!
Michelle, the awesome artist, works with each couple to create fabulously fun toppers that represent their personalities. So regardless of what you’re into, she can capture to make your simple cake memorable.
What’s on “Ashley’s list” today is what’s on “Oprah’s list” tomorrow so get your Zoe Top while they’re still affordable.
Visit her website to see more creative toppers and wedding favor/gift ideas.
Yesterday, I attended Enchanted Brides Show at Cheekwood. It was a really good show, in spite of the rain and the walking from building to building.
With every show, you look forward to your sampling of cakes and finger foods - most were good, a few stood out - like the heavenly frosting on the Dulce Dessert cupcakes. Yum! There were not a lot of food samples available, which was kinda disappointing for me and Gracen, my buddy who is also a wedding planner. Ok, enough about the food:) Here’s the scoop -
We walked around, chatted with many of the vendors - some friendly, some not so friendly. (Note to vendors - why set up a booth and spend all that money and time to reach brides if you aren’t going to be nice to your booth visitors? Put on a smile, get ready to chat it up and treat every person as a potential client.)
Here are my informal awards - drum roll please…
Best Personality:
Ace Photography - Arlene, the photographer’s wife, spent a lot of time telling us all about the beautiful photographs, storybook options, what brides should know as they hire a photographer, etc. She was easy to get along with, patient and well informed. I didn’t meet her husband, the photographer but she represented the team well.
Most Unique Service/Product:
It’s More Than a Song- A custom wedding song for your wedding! How fabulous is that! I didn’t have a chance to find out the cost while I was there. But, Ellen, the creator of this neat concept was very friendly and we have plans to meet so I can learn all about it. She did give me a cd of a few songs and they were awesome, very professionally done. So, if you want something that will totally set you apart from every other wedding, this might do the trick. Plus, it is something that you will have forever and it makes a great favor.
Bridal Bootcamp- David Whitley and his wife Amanda (who happens to be a wedding photographer) offer a fitness bootcamp for brides. Boy could I have benefitted from that when I was getting married. He has classes and sends an e-newsletter to brides to get them active and motivated to get fit before they get hitched! (My words not his:) I plan to meet with David to learn more about his services…stay tuned.
Best Splurges:
Ribbons of Chocolate- Ever seen a chocolate shot bar? I hadn’t. What a fun addition to a reception. Gracen and I were still on our sugar high so we didnt have a shot but really loved the concept. According to the cute and personable “chocolate bartender” you choose your flavor - be it raspberry, caramel, pineapple, etc - then he adds a shot of chocolate and the party begins:) So, now you can tell your friends that you will have an open bar, chocolate bar that is.
Ace Photography - In addition to being personable, Ace offered the most beautiful, metallic storybook photo album I have ever seen. The book was so large and the pages were so beautiful. The cover of the book was a picture of a couple and the book was metal! OK - that’s going to last - forever.
Karen Hendrix Couture - Karen offers a “design your own dream wedding gown” service. While I spent all of my time trying - running from salon to salon to find the perfect dress - Karen has a team of designers who can create yours especially for you. She also carries other designer lines.
Lastly, I’ll add It’s More Than a Song to this list too. Imagine how “rockstar” it would be to have your own song.
So, that’s my recap of the bridal show. The show seemed to primarily target the luxe, couture and diva brides (budgets of $40K+) but there were certainly vendors & venues there for every bride’s budget. Plus, since there fewer brides at this show than most, you have more one-on-one time with wedding vendors. Visit my event calendar to find their next show.
