What’s New at LVD, A Designer Consignment Bridal Shop

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

LVD by The Dress Theory Bridal Shop has quickly become one of our favorites when finding the perfect gown for our brides.  This Houston Station location is filled with a wide array of gowns for any bride, from Boho simple to chic Sarah Seven lace, and vintage-style Claire Pettibone.  Along with their gowns is a wonderful selection of headpieces to add to your wedding ensemble.  We are truly addicted to these gorgeous gowns at LVD!

“Stylish.  Savvy.  Selective.  Sophisticated,” is LVD's motto, and we couldn’t agree more.  Did a dress catch your eye?  Check out their website or give them a call.  Don’t wait, though!  These beautiful selections could be gone by the time you get there.

LVD Nashville
LOCATED INSIDE OF HOUSTON STATION
10AM TO 6PM, THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
LVD, A Designer Consignment Bridal Shop
438 Houston St.
Nashville, TN 37203

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Posted by Ashley King | Filed under: Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, 0 comments »

Afraid To Be Different? Bold Bride Says “Be You. Let You Shine.” Shares Her Mandarin & Yellow Gowns

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

I discovered Tiwana's happy bridesmaid dresses after accidentally spotting them on a friend's computer.  The bold colors grabbed my attention, and I had to know more about this bride and the gowns she selected for her bridesmaids.  After learning Kat of Katalac Photography, the photographer, was also an ABG bride, I knew this feature was meant to be!

Kat put me in contact with bride Tiwana and we discussed her Nashville wedding.  What inspired her?  Who designed the richly colored frocks?  How dare she go so bold? :) 

Below is everything I learned about this non-traditional bride.  May her approach remind us all to "let you shine" on your wedding day and the remaining 364 days a year!

What inspired your style?

My personality.  I thought about “all things me” and how I wanted my guest to remember my wedding.  I wanted to make sure that when they thought about my wedding, they thought that it really was Tiwana’s style and personality.  I am a very bold and classy girl; lively but elegant, and I wanted that to show through my style.

How did you choose such bold, unique colors for your bridesmaids? 

Pinterest was my first stop!  I had no idea of the color scheme at first.  I wanted something that was bright and bubbly (like me), yet soft enough to portray elegance.  When I came across this wedding party that had orange and yellow (a lighter color though), I thought, "This could work."  So I began to search for color schemes with orange, yellow, and gray (to soften it up with elegance).  I had lots of help from my friends and of course my (now) husband as well.   

Did your bridal party love your color scheme initially or did it grow on them after they saw it all come together? 

They all loved it initially.  They all said the colors really say, “Tiwana.”  I was a bit skeptical even after it came together, mostly concerned that the elegance would not shine through the bright colors.  I wanted fun but I wanted elegant.

Were your bridesmaids dresses custom made or purchased from a retailer?  

My bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by Alfred Sung, from his Dessy Group Collection.  It was after I found this designer online that I really nailed my bridesmaid dress colors.  I ordered color swatches in the yellow and orange colors he offered and landed on “daisy yellow” and “mandarin” from the Aflred Sung Dessy Group Bridesmaid Collection.

Did you allow them to choose their own styles? 

Yes.  I sent them all the styles I liked and they each choose from my selections. 

What advice would you give to brides who want to do something less traditional, bold for their wedding? 

I would say go for it!  These are the days of “non-traditional.”  Be yourself and let “YOU” shine through on your day!!  After all, when you think about your wedding years from now, the last thing you want to say is, “I did that to make ‘blank’ happy.”  There will be a lot of people with input about what the day should look and feel like, but if you stick with your vision, you will be more excited and less stressed.  One of my most memorable visions of my wedding is when I think about EVERYTHING; my dress, all the decorations, colors, etc.  I think, “My wedding was everything I imagined it would be because my friends and family helped bring 'my vision' to life (and my husband)…but really me!"

Tiwana and her groom

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Posted by Ashley King | Filed under: Bridesmaids & Bridal Party, Inspiration & Trends, Multicultural, African-American weddings, 0 comments »

Anthropologie’s BHLDN Collection Hosts Exclusive Gown Preview for Nashville Brides

Monday, August 17, 2015

Anthropologie's wedding brand, BHLDN (pronounced beholden), CJ's Off the Square, and a group of handpicked wedding vendors came together to showcase the BHLDN gown collection to Nashville-area brides.  Taking place on July 15, 2015, the Preview Party invited an exclusive group to see the line before the gowns are available in stores.  Our team was unable to attend (hate that we missed it!), but we do have photos of the super chic event and some of the gowns that left attendees swooning.

We were lucky to catch up with BHLDN's PR rep, Jessica, who was happy to tell us all about the collection and the event.

Tell us about the BHLDN collection.
Brought to you exclusively by Anthropologie, BHLDN (pronounced “beholden”) focuses specifically on weddings.  Our carefully edited collection of heirloom-quality wedding gowns, mix-and-match bridesmaid dresses, and artisanal accessories and decorations cater to the bride in search of unusually beautiful things.  Through collaborations with top designers like Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Catherine Deane, Jenny Yoo, Tadashi Shoji, and more, BHLDN is proud to carry many exclusive styles.

Which bride is most attracted to BHLDN?
Our customer has a vision about her wedding.  She’s a woman who wants to create an event that reflects her own unique perspective and vision, putting a twist on tradition.  Our customer is confident, has a strong sense of her own personal style, and is looking for a wedding or party dress that reflects who she is, creating a look that is uniquely hers.  She is looking for a dress to wear, not a dress that will wear her.

What should Nashville brides know about BHLDN?
We go beyond the dress.  We’re looking to really connect with our customer on her most-special occasions.  We want to help a woman create a wedding that reflects her own unique perspective and vision- it’s not so much about our point of view as it is about capturing hers.  Our objective is to focus on personalization.  We’re part of an amazing organization that prides itself on nimbleness and customer-centric responsiveness, as well as creativity in product and design that isn’t found elsewhere.  Our Nashville customer has always had a strong loyalty to Anthropologie so we know that she will love BHLDN’s offering when it comes to finding the perfect look for her special day.

Why did you choose Nashville for your trunk show?
We were thrilled to bring a taste of BHLDN to Nashville for the first time.  Thanks to the recent opening of our Atlanta shop inside Anthropologie, we know we have an extremely dedicated customer base in the South.  Nashville brides have been envying their neighbors to the south and we wanted to be able to give them the in-store experience that they deserve.

What made CJ's Off the Square and the selected vendor team perfect for the BHLDN event?
BHLDN chose to host the event at CJ’s because it is widely known as the area’s premier wedding venue, and it reflects the brand’s overall aesthetic.  During the event, many of the rooms on the first floor of the house were decorated with unique furniture that created lovely vignettes and seating areas.  Gowns were displayed on iron garment racks placed in the drawing room under a vintage chandelier.  Visitors easily navigated the space to admire every layer of tulle and lace, and selected gowns that they wanted to try on.  Two rooms in the front of the house were rearranged to create a bridal salon, where BHLDN stylists met with brides in pop-up fitting rooms.  A third salon was located on the second floor of the house in the bridal suite.

How can brides purchase BHLDN?
Customers can schedule bridal consultations with our expert in-store stylists in one of our two standalone boutiques located in Chicago and Houston or in one of our six shop-in-shops located inside Anthropologie stores in Atlanta, New York, Georgetown, Chestnut Hill, MA, Beverly Hills, and Seattle.  Customers are also welcome to walk in and browse the collection at any time.  They may shop the full collection and learn more at bhldn.com.

BHLDN Preview Party Vendors

Photography: Jenna Henderson, Photographer
Location: CJ’s Off the Square
Dresses, Shoes, Accessories: BHLDN
Flowers: Enchanted Florist
Vintage Rentals: Southern Events Party Rental Company
Catering: Main Event Productions
Lighting: Bright Event Productions

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Posted by Ashley King | Filed under: Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, 0 comments »

Melissa + Kenny Share Their Proposal Story + Engagement Shoot at Steeplechase

Friday, August 14, 2015

One thing we often hear about photographers here at Ashley's Bride Guide is how important it is that they make you feel comfortable in front of the camera.  Let's face it: we aren't all models, and we don't all feel natural in front of the lens.  Nyk and Cali are known for making Nashville couples feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera.  It was no different with Melissa and Kenny.  Their friendship started all the way back in middle school and grew into love after college. Nyk and Cali captured that love under the colors of fall. 

How did you and your groom meet?
Kenny and I actually met in middle school!  It’s so funny to look back at pictures of the two of us during that time because we had no idea what was in store for us.  We were friends throughout middle school and high school and stayed in touch throughout college.  I moved to NYC after college, and Kenny came there one weekend to visit a friend.  We had so much fun that weekend reconnecting, and we kept in touch much more after that trip.  This all led to us visiting each other more often and eventually to our first kiss – the rest is history!

Tell us about your proposal - with all the details!
We took a two-week long trip to Europe and visited Spain, France, and Italy last summer.  We had been talking about rings and getting engaged so I had a feeling that it might happen on this trip; however, Kenny carried the ring around and waited until the very last day!  At that point, I was convinced it wasn’t going to happen so I was completely surprised.  We were in Cinque Terre, Italy and little did I know Kenny had been planning everything out with our bed & breakfast owner, Marta, for weeks!  We were walking down to dinner (Kenny claims that he was nervous but I really couldn’t tell) and he told me he wanted to walk off near the water.  We walked to a little spot right on the waves, and I could tell that his heart was beating faster than usual.  He started saying all of these sweet things and then out of nowhere, Marta showed up and told us this story about how she had just gotten off the boat and we should let her take a picture of us.  At this point, all I could think about was how she was ruining my engagement BUT she was really getting us to the correct spot.  I, again, didn’t know but there was a photographer hiding in the rocks so she was getting us into position.  Kenny got down on one knee, and I started crying and sat down immediately.  Obviously, I said YES, and Marta brought red roses and wine over to us – everything was absolutely perfect and the best engagement I could ever ask for!

Why did you decide to do engagement pictures?
Our AMAZING photographers, Nyk & Cali, have a blog, and we fell in love with so many of their photographs.  We loved all of their engagement photos and just thought it was such a special way to kick off our wedding season!

Why did you choose the location of your engagement shoot?
Honestly, Nyk & Cali picked it!  Since our photos were taken in the fall, we wanted a place that would showcase the season and have tons of multicolor leaves.  They let us know that they had done some work at Steeplechase recently, and those photos turned out wonderfully so we took their word on it!

What characteristics were you looking for in a photographer?
We did a LOT of research on photographers and really wanted to find someone who made us feel comfortable.  I have a good friend, Libby, who used Nyk & Cali for her wedding and she could not say enough fabulous things about them.  She told me over and over again that her photos were her favorite part of her wedding and that’s exactly what we wanted!  So we contacted them, met them, thought they were wonderful, and really felt like we found exactly what we were looking for.

How did you work with your photographer to achieve the photos you envisioned?
Honestly, they were easy to work with!  They made us feel comfortable and are so easy-going.  We really didn’t have to do much work to get what we wanted!

What was the engagement picture experience like?
Great!  I think it’s something that can make people feel uncomfortable if you don’t feel connected to your photographers.  To us, that was the most important thing.  Nyk & Cali made us both relax, and I think that showed in the way the final photos turned out!

Do you plan to use these photos for your wedding?
Of course!  We have already used them for the website and are planning on using them for rehearsal dinner slideshows, framed photos, and hopefully much more!

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Posted by Holly Nashville Newlywed | Filed under: Engagements & Proposals, Photography, 0 comments »