A Delightful Day Wedding & Event Planning: Going Above and Beyond

Monday, September 20, 2010

When I first entered the Nashville wedding scene, A Delightful Day Wedding & Event Planning was a fairly new wedding planning company that I connected with immediately.  Mary Alice, the founder, was dedicated and it showed.  That was in 2007 and year over year, I've seen A Delightful Day grow into an even more amazing group of fabulous planners with creativity, great execution and a zeal for serving Nashville brides.  Their brides love them and if you need a planner, I'm sure you will love them too!

Ashley's One-on-One with A Delightful Day:

Company Name: A Delightful Day Event Planning
Website: http://www.adelightfulday.com
Main Contact: Mary Alice Sublett
Associate Planner/Coordinator: Leigh Barker
Contact: 615.938.0711 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Number of Years in the Business: 5 1/2 years

How did you get started in weddings? I got started in the wedding industry in college and as a newly engaged bride to be. With my personalty, I love being involved in details and really seeing a wedding brought to life, so after working on some weddings for some friends and bride's that arrived by referrals, A Delightful Day was born. Being a native Nashvillian, it has certainly given me the opportunity to get to know many in the industry here and know what Nashville has to offer local brides and destination brides to Nashville. We have grown into a company that offers many different facets to brides and provide the support that they need to plan the wedding of their dreams; planning their event, design/florals, and custom papergoods!

What do you like most about weddings? I love all of the excitement of the planning process, the stresses and all, and seeing a bride walk down the aisle to her groom, tears in their eyes and anxious thoughts, and know that we have everything under control. Also, seeing the overall design come together that we have worked so hard with our brides on and see their excited faces when they see it for the first time! We really try hard for that first look experience so that we can enjoy their enjoyment of their wedding dreams come true!

What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why? We had a wedding in May of this year, Tami and Brent, and Tami and I had put in so much work together to create this dream day for her and Brent. Their wedding was the following weekend of the flood and we had to find a new location for her in 5 days. It was stressful, but we stayed calm through it all and had a beautiful event that Tami and Brent loved every minute of. That’s what makes this passion worth it every day!

What is your service philosophy? We go above and beyond for our brides and aim to provide our clients with a stress-free and positive experience. Brides are so busy now with careers, family, sometimes kids, social lives, so wedding planning is something that we want them to be hands-on with, but not left feeling overwhelmed. We also pride ourselves in guiding our clients in creating a "signature look" that is unique to each couple. From colors, theme, to florals and small details, we make experienced recommendations for our clients in creating an intimate celebration that is truly their own!

What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you? I feel that we have a interesting connection with each of our couples and that is truly a relationship that you can not only trust that we're going to advise our clients on what is best for them, but also we have the ability to share our opinions on what has worked in the past and what hasn't. Also, being in the same age group as the majority of our brides I feel we have the best understanding of trends, education, and experiences to help them plan the best wedding for them. Also, the wonderful relationships that we’ve built with fellow wedding vendors in our years of experience gives brides a more personalized experience.

Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style? There are so many FANTASTIC Nashville vendors, but here are a few of my favs: I love Jay from Maples Wedding Cakes! His flavors and tastes are to die for, as well as design. We love Dove Wedding Photography for their style, but also the friendship and trust that we have developed in them. Alison Bryant at Classic Party Rentals has been my calm in so many storms... what would I do without her. Rhonda Patton has such a grasp for modern design and displays that with our clients. Brocade Design Arts, Hillary Robson, has such an eye for florals and talent that just oozes out of her! She is always looking for new challenges for brides designs.

What are your favorite wedding websites? Neatest wedding find? Some of my favorite wedding websites include: iloveswmag.com, the Southern Weddings blog is full of southern inspiration and goodness!; The ultimate in southern gorgeousness, the Weddings Unveiled blog, weddingsunveiledblog.blogspot.com and their magazine is incredible for inspiration; stylemepretty.com of course has been a source of all types of inspiration for brides; weddingchicks.com is another great blog for continual inspiration and they have a great little wedding boutique; one other website for great inspiration, DIY projects, and real wedding galleries based on type is oncewed.com, which also offers the ability to purchase used wedding dresses.

A neat wedding find would have to be the Etsy wedding section. Absolutely wonderful unique pieces that speak who you are for your wedding, for example these adorable cufflinks you could give your lovebug (i.e. fiance’):

Etsy.com/listing/56366626/personalized-love-crush-hand-engraved?ref=cat1_list_9

Or an adorable clutch to give to your bridesmaid’s as one of their gifts, in your wedding color to match their attire:

Etsy.com/listing/55543610/customize-your-lotus-flower-pochette?ref=cat2_list_34

What's one way brides can save money / be more economical without sacrificing her vision? When you begin your planning, really sit down and discuss with your fiance’ what your priorities are. Create three items that are your top priorities, i.e. photography, having a videographer, hiring a planner, florals, favors like a photo booth, having a full bar, etc. and that will assist you in delegating your budget appropriately. From there, you can see what items aren’t necessarily as important to you and you won’t plan to spend as much of your budget on those items. One way to really enhance a space, but not necessarily dig too deep into the wallet is lighting! Many brides believe lighting is a luxury/high end item, when in reality it is more affordable than you think and can truly create a completely different space. With that, you can be a little more savvy with your florals/floral budget, and not require an extreme amount of florals for your space.

For the platinum bride, what is the one thing youve always wanted to see? Oh.... SO MANY THINGS! One item in particular is doing a completely separate, decked out area for a lounge/dance party complete with unique lounge pieces, extreme lighting, and truly modern vibe! I love seeing the pictures of these in magazines and just yearn for that event one day!

Does your company do anything special that a green bride might want to know? For our brides, a lot of times we will contact a local hospice company that will take their wedding day florals and rearrange them to take them to hospice patients and nursing homes for them to enjoy for the rest of their floral life! Many brides wonder what will happen to those florals, and I think that that becomes an area of waste, so this in turn allows for someone else to have a little cheer from their wedding for several days following!

You can follow A Delightful Day on Twitter, become their fan on Facebook and see more beautiful weddings they've done on their website.

Photography credits: McLellan Style, Phindy Studios, Gray Photography, Creative Push, Joy Marie Photography, Chris & Adrienne Scott.

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Posted by Ashley | Filed under: Wedding Planners & Coordinators, Wedding Resources 0 comments »

A Romantic, Whimsical Tennessee Wedding at Fairview Plantation

Friday, September 17, 2010

Earlier this week we introduced you to Sarah Goude, planner and lead designer of Regalo Design.  Sarah's extensive creativity spans floral and event design, and we are excited to share a real wedding that Regalo Design helped conceptualize and plan.  This July, Julia and Erik tied the knot at Fairview Plantation in Fairview, TN.  Their wedding has great little details that made it theirs and the overall feel was very elegant, and whimsical - just what the bride had hoped for.

Julia & Erik Elrod's Tennessee Wedding by Regalo Design 

Bride: ~ Julia Blackford

Groom: ~ Erik Scoggin Elrod

July 10, 2010 at 7:30pm

Ceremony & Reception Location ~ Fairview Plantation, Gallatin, TN

Guests ~ Approx. 180

Wedding Style:

What was your wedding style? I would consider my wedding style whimsical, romantic and feminine.

What were your colors? Why did you chose them? Our colors were ivory, champagne, and touches of very light pink and mint green (Sarah suggested the touches of mint green and it added such a beautiful "touch" to the feel of the decor at both the ceremony and reception)

What did you use for inspiration? Magazines? Blogs? Websites etc.? All of the above. I pulled ideas from magazines, websites and blogs...but mostly from Sarah with Regalo Design who had wonderful suggestions such as our "Candy Bar," Guest Book, etc.

My Wedding Scoop:

What did your guests love? It is difficult to choose just one as I heard several different, "I just loved ..." Our guests truly enjoyed the soft, romantic feel of a candle-lit evening wedding by the lake, along with the hundreds of votives that lit every table at the reception. The food was a hit along with the "candy bar" that we gave as favors (although guests enjoyed it throughout the evening as well!)

What did you give as wedding favors to your guests? Each guests chose candy to take home with them from the candy bar in little pink favor bags. Everything from jelly beans to taffy

How did you personalize your wedding? Upon arrival, our out of town guests were presented with "Welcome Bags" which were handmade by Regalo Design. Each room had custom labeled bottled water, along with homemade caramel apples and chocolate covered pretzels. Each guest also received a map of "The sites and sounds of Nashville" for fun things to do while in town as well as directions to the venue. At the wedding, guests drank custom labeled champagne that read, "Julia and Erik, July 10, 2010" during the toast.

What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen? The bridesmaids, along with the Mothers, etc. received a "Spa Day" that included manicures and pedicures. The Groomsmen received a $50.00 gift certificate to each of their favorite places, placed in a large tumbler of their favorite sports team.

What was your most special moment of the day? Walking down the aisle to Erik.

Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them? We did...3 special "babies" who are the children of the Best Man. Haley served as "Flower Princess" and along with purchasing some of her wedding day attire, we also bought fun, "girlie" lip glosses, makeup, headbands, etc. Keaton, the ring bearer, received "Firefighter" boots and $50.00 for his piggy bank. Michael, who escorted his brother and sister, received a $50.00 gift card to the local movie theatre...he is a total movie buff!

Did you Do It Yourself? Or, did you leave it to the professionals? We definitely left it to the professionals. I couldn't have done it without Sarah of Regalo Design. From our initial meeting to hours of meetings and planning to calming my wedding day "Sarah, has the rain subsided? jitters," I am so very thankful for her. She made my wedding day more meaningful and special than I could have ever imagined.

Wedding Vendors:

~ Planner, Decor and Flowers: Sarah Goude, Regalo Design
~ Cake(s): The Bake Shoppe
~ Caterer: Fairview Plantation
~ Photographer: JCG Wedding Photography
~ Videographer: George Wiley with 345 Media
~ Bridesmaid Dresses: Elizabeth Michaels
~ Rings: Genesis Diamonds
~ Music: Top Tier Band
~ Bridal Gown: Arzelle's Bridal
~ Tuxes: Arzelle's Bridal
~ Accessories: The White Room
~ Transportation: (Regalo Design arranged)

Wedding Rewind:

What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning? Nothing. Although we had a little rain, it was a perfect day.

What do you consider the best value for the service and product? Hands down...our wedding planner/coordinator, Sarah Goude of Regalo Design

What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding? The candy bar. Everyone loved it!

What was your biggest {and best} splurge? The custom labeled champagne. It added a special touch to each table. We saved a few bottles to remember our day.

Thanks Julia and Erik for sharing your day with us!  Special thanks to Regalo Design for connecting us to Julia.  For more of Regalo Design's work, visit their website. There are also more pictures and some great wedding decor tips on the Regalo Design blog that you must see.

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Posted by Ashley | Filed under: 0 comments »

Veggie Menu Options for Your Wedding Guests by A Catered Affair

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Typically when I think of vegetables at a buffet station, I think of a platter of cold, grilled vegetables like asparagus, limp artichokes, slimey peppers and lackluster mushrooms.  I still eat them, don't get me wrong - it's nice to strike a balance between all the heavier hors d'ouevres that comprise the rest of the buffet. But there are times I wish the vegetable options were given as much attention as the meat and deep-fried foods are in preparation and presentation.  Well, someone at A Catered Affair must have heard my pleas because this week, they had a blog post on some of the vegetable station items, that are appealing both visually and in the flavor department. When we find great blog posts, we always like to share them with you...

Featured Blog Post by A Catered Affair - We Make Veggies Look Gooooood!!

Grilled Zucchini Firecrackers

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend eating at least three to five servings of fruit and four to eight servings of vegetables daily. However, a 2005 survey of close to 350,000 adults in the U.S. found that, on average, people in the United States eat 1.6 servings of fruit and 3.2 servings of vegetables, well below recommendations. This made me wonder, perhaps people aren’t eating as many fruits and vegetables due to the fact that they aren’t as attractive visually and tastefully! This is where Main Event Productions’, A Catered Affair, takes the stage and steals the show! Check out what we have done with a few fruits and vegetables…

Endive sppons with olive and sun-dried tomato tapanade

Teatime tomatoes

Bananas are healthy right? Banana pudding in mason jars - my favorite way to get healthy:).  - Ashley (Image courtesy of Dove Photography)

Diamond fried flatbread with mascarpone filled fig

Visit A Catered Affair's Blog for more wedding menu ideas. All images courtesy of A Catered Affair.

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Cakes & Catering 0 comments »

DIY Wedding Flowers + Advice From Import Flowers!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

We like giving you the resources with which to accomplish your wedding vision.  A lot of you are DIY brides who love being more hands-on with certain details with your wedding and we're all about that too and today's post is for you - the DIY Flower Bride.  If you haven't yet, definitely stop by Import Flowers, right off Murphy Road and 37th Avenue North in Sylvan Park.  Run by Lou Farrell, Import has been providing flowers to Nashville's professional florists and flower enthusiasts for years.  But, they also serve lots of DIY brides and are there to help should you choose to take on your wedding flowers yourself.

"Ive passed this building many times and never knew what wonderful goodies were inside!" - Ashley

Lou introduced me to Jasmin Trenary, one their floral designers who has, in her three years with Import Flowers, worked with tons of the D.I.Y. brides who walked in the door. So as you endeavor to take on their wedding flowers by yourself, know you'll be in good hands when you seek her guidance.  She and the rest of the very experienced staff at Import Flowers are extremely knowledgeable and are there to answer your floral questions.  I asked her to give us some good advice for how to succesfully achieve great flowers and to get as close to a professional look all by yourself, as well as what is available for Fall weddings. 

Know your date first, it will impact flowers, colors

Jasmin advises looking through magazines and websites to figure out what colors you are going for, and when you've picked a date so they can advise you on getting flowers that are available. Try to have at least that (the date and the colors) and have that settled upon before you go into Import Flowers.  The staff there start by providing you with a list of flowers avaialble for that season or time of year.  With Fall in mind, I did ask her what flowers would be great for, say, a September wedding and the options seem to be pretty endless - hydrangeas, calla lilies, roses, mums, carnations, gerber daisies, bells of Ireland and lots of greens.

Vibrant, blue hydrangeas and some softer lighter blue hydrangeas.

Gorgeous calla lilies.

If you look carefully you'll see my new favorite lily - a goth-y, all black calla called the Schwartzwalder.  Talk about dramatic! And of course, gorgeous orange/yellow callas. I think they're called Sunset callas.

Gerber daisies and a few purple hydrangeas sneaking into frame.

"If you choose purple for your color palette, be sure to avoid going monochromatic.  Instead, pick one flower that is the shade of light lavendar and one that's a darker shade so the tones are complementary and not clashing."  Advises Jasmin, "If brides don't have a color palette in mind, I suggest they go with neutrals like greens and white."  When it comes to working with ribbons or dresses to pair with bouquets, "try to complement instead of trying to match your swatches" says Jasmin.

Other great Fall color options to try are using food rather than foliage like pumpkins or berries.  However if you're going for something less masculine and would like to use mainly flowers, Jasmin suggests the Camel rose and to try "magentas and brigheter golds vs. yellows - it's more feminine, fun and festive vs. it looking like a holiday centerpiece."

Camel rose - a softer, rust colored rose. (Image courtesy of sepaldesigns.com)

Lighter shades of hydrangeas

Jasmin showed me some succulents they had at Import Flowers that day, that she's helped D.I.Y. brides use in centerpieces and even bouquets. "They will root and grow, and are often used in Terrariums, or in living centerpieces of some variety. They can be used on bouquets too, or in arrangements that aren't necessarily "living" they're tough as nails and will live for weeks, re-root from small cuttings, and can be removed from bouquets and centerpieces and be planted."

Echeveria Agavoides succulents

As a fan of terrariums, I think living centerpieces are a fantastic idea - it's unique, they're a great way to start conversation at the table and maybe if you're feeling generous, guests can take them home to keep for much longer than cut flowers.  I'd mused that it's interesting these were catching on and Jasmin had a great point, "I think thats one reason why they're so popular right now, they fit in with the "green" lifestyle, as there is no waste from them, they continue living. As well as how cool they look."

Image courtesy of StyleMePretty.com via GreenWeddingShoes.com

Wedding Flower Tips & How-To's

Because ABG brides are internet savvy, I asked for some recommended websites for great D.I.Y. tips and Jasmin suggested WonderHowTo.com which has instructional videos. They have great how-to's,  from picking the right flowers for your wedding to creating your own centepieces.  Another site is Save-On-Crafts.com which is a HUGE resource for supplies for floral needs as well as other wedding and craft supplies that will make any D.I.Y. bride giddy with glee.  The internet has tons of wedding sites with flower inspirations but bear in mind that it's always best to get a second opinion - bring pictures of what you like to your meeting and Jasmin and the Import Flowers team will be able to tell you if what you are looking for is available, and if it's not they can work with you to find alternatives to achieve the same look.

Import Flowers carries many varieties of flowers.  With a large front area filled with buckets of flowers to their three coolers of roses, lilies and varieties of gorgeousness I can't name, you have so many options from which to choose so make sure you give yourself a lot of time.  The best part is, they never rush you, and are always at the ready to answer your questions. 

Roses in every color of the rainbow!

DIY Flowers Pros & Cons

"It can save money to do the flowers yourself and it's really really fun for some people" Jasmin told me when I asked what the realistic pros and cons of DIY flowers are.  "However, it's a lot of work, a lot of phyiscal, tiring work to do your wedding flowers on your own."  She also pointed out a few more things to keep in mind like 1) Keeping the flowers fresh till the day of your wedding: Do not refrigerate the flowers.  Keeping them in an air conditioned room is enough. 2) Transporting flowers  - "it's best to build and put everything together there. After teh ceremony or reception, check with the venue to see what the policy on flowers are. Some churches will use the flowers the next day for their service.  Check with your caterer or relatives to see who can help remove the flowers after the reception.  If you rented the vases, the rental company will have their own return policies so check with them as well and plan everything."

A huge thank you to Lou Farrell, Jasmin and the wonderful staff at Import Flowers who let me snap pictures and talk to them when I came by.  You can find Import Flowers online at their website.  Don't hesitate to give them a call, or just stop by and have a look - you'll be amazed what you'll find for your Fall wedding, and your DIY floral needs!

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, DIY & Budget Wed Finds 4 comments »