New Nashville Wedding Venues

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Nashville is growing and 2009/2010 brides have so many more options, especially when it comes to finding the wedding venue that suits them best. Last year, I introduced you to spanking new venues, such as One Eleven, Aerial, Embassy Suites Murfreesboro, Uptown 162, aLoft and Hutton Hotel - all new options for Nashville weddings. 

This year, here are a few additional venues that are now on the scene.  I do not know much about these venues just yet BUT I do look forward to seeing these spaces transformed for weddings.  (Brides - contact me if one of these is your venue so we can share your amazing pics with other brides!)

The Red House The Red House is considered "...the newest party and entertainment venue in downtown Franklin...The Red House is a unique, vibrant entertainment venue in historic downtown Franklin, Tenn. It is available for events of all kinds, including receptions, rehearsal dinners, private parties..." I was hoping to attend a luncheon there today but I was sick. I do hope they extend another invitation to check out this cool spot.

The Baber House, a Gallatin wedding venue - According to their website, "The Baber House at Kennesaw Farms is the perfect setting for weddings, events and socials of all varieties. Located off Nashville Pike in Gallatin, Tennessee, its location is convenient and its setting is breath taking. Built in 1856 by its namesake, Washington Baber, the mansion and its grounds are surrounded by history."  Visit their website for more info and for photo credits

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Nashville Event Space is "a collective group of distinguished event and wedding venues in the downtown area".  They also manage Uptown 162, where I hosted my Sex and the City party last year.  It was a hot spot!  Here are a few new spots of theirs that I really like. (They have like 9 venues total.)

1) 3rd aVenue - very industrial This venue was nominated in my best of Nashville weddings.  Unfortunately, it was too new to receive many votes but it did pique my interest   

2) The Loft

3) The Cellar - modern ambiance

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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide | Filed under: Wedding Resources, Wedding Venues and Locations 0 comments »

Love These Wedding Program Fans

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Every time I see these cute program fans I think, "what a great idea".  In fact, if your wedding is taking place between now and September, it's a great idea!  Keep your guests cool with these fabulous fans that dual as wedding programs.  I saw a great assortment at Williamson County Weddings and Events.

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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide | Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods 0 comments »

Custom Wedding Stationery for a Real Nashville Wedding

Monday, March 23, 2009

I've heard about this fantastic wedding from so many Nashville wedding vendors.  But, this is the first sneak peek into this amazing Nashville wedding that took place at Opryland Hotel.  Today's wedding recap is told from Designs in Paper, a custom stationer's perspective, which is a great perspective because we get to see the extravagant paper details that normally we miss. Wedding paper goes beyond your invitations.  Don't forget about your wedding programs, menu cards, seating cards - all of these elements go a long way and carry your theme throughout.

Guest Blogger: Designs in Paper, a Nashville based, custom paper company.

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since this Tennessee Titans player and his beautiful wife were married! We have incredibly fabulous photos from Gray Photography that we have been so excited about showing off Janina and Reynaldo's 'big day' paper with. One of our favorite parts about doing paper goods is getting to do the entire celebration ... and it's great to keep the look of your day cohesive... Janina and Reynaldo picked an A7 pocket fold invitation since they had a number of guests traveling from out of town - with their accommodation information, custom map to Gaylord Opryland and then a custom RSVP card for each guest. We created a custom monogram and then also watermarked their 'H' on the invitation as well as the inserts. As we started getting closer to the wedding, we met to look at programs, escort cards, menu cards and table numbers... all with their same monogram, their 'H', fonts, colors and styles. We thought you'd also love getting to see how they all fit in --- and how beautiful it all was... Thanks SO much to Zach and Jody ... check out their the Gray Photography blog for more photos of this wedding and their awesome work...

and Congratulations to Janina and Reynaldo!

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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide | Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods, Real Nashville Weddings 0 comments »

2009 Wedding Catering Trends from Down South Delights, Part 2

Monday, March 23, 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009 On Wednesday, Brocade shared wedding catering trends from Chef's Market.  Today, I will expound upon the wedding catering trends by featuring a guest blog by Down South Delights. Guest Blogger: Rita of Down South Delights, a boutique-style catering company. Plated dinners for smaller weddings - This year with the economy we are seeing very few plated dinners for weddings or large groups. Some brides are opting to spend their budgets on very formal plated dinner for small receptions. For example, we have a bride that is a true foodie and we are creating a 10 course formal French style plated meal for 20 guests. This is the bridal party and family only. Formal plated receptions last much longer and really keep guests confined to their respected tables. I highly recommend that if your guest list is over 100, you should not have a plated dinner. For smaller groups I do recommend plated dinners. Mini Appetizers & Fun Food Stations - This is the hottest trend of the season for brides to have at the reception. Almost 90% of our brides have ordered some type of mini appetizer or food station. This year's favorites are Shrimp & Grits Station (Very Southern, indeed!) and the Custom Salad Station- chefs create and toss custom gourmet salads for each guest. This is one of my favorite things to serve. Over 30 items of fresh gourmet ingredients.

For the mini appetizers some of our faves and most popular include: *Mini Takeout boxes filled with lobster lo mein complete with chopsticks *Mini Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Shots *Mini Gourmet Burgers with artisanal condiments (These are super hot this year, not only in Nashville) *Shots of Peach & Apple Cobbler/ Strawberry Shortcake Shots *Mini Layered Cobb salad *Classic Mini Hors D’ Oeuvres - Shrimp Cocktail shots & Shots of Garlic Ranch with Veggie Sticks

veggie shots

Classic & Always Fabulous - Since we are in the south a fabulous southern themed buffet is always in style and sure to please your guests. A lot of my brides whose family is in from out of town request true southern fare with flair. That is something that I love to cook as I know ALL of the guests will enjoy. No matter how many food snobs or picky eaters attend they still fall in love with true southern cuisine. With the economy this is the best bang for your buck as well. The classic buffet of 2 entrees, 3 side items, several chilled side items, yeast rolls, and cornbread is affordable and chic. Add some peach iced tea and strawberry lemonade you are good to go! This menu works really well for couples having their reception at local historic sites like Belle Meade, Carnton, Travelers Rest, etc.

classic style

So here is a tip that I wanted to share not only with my brides, but those that have already found their caterer. When planning your reception, make sure and share with your caterer the ambiance that you are trying to create for your reception. Are you wanting a chic, streamlined, modern look? Maybe you are opting for the traditional classic wedding with ivory, silver, and lots of simple elements. Are you planning a stylish Town & Country rustic affair with neutrals and wrought iron? Or maybe you are having an over the top reception with hot pink, black, and lots of sparkle. You may wonder where I am going with this! You need to plan with your caterer how they are going to scape your tables because if you do not share this info they may show up with a very modern euro style table setup for your romantic traditional southern wedding reception.

modern style set-up

A great caterer will design your food tables to match your room décor. IF they do not have any choices then you may want to look elsewhere. This is one of the main elements besides great tasting food that we plan. Each bride gets a custom design for their reception complete with matching colors and decor. It really does make a difference if your food tables compliment or clash with the rest of your reception area.

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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide | Filed under: Cakes & Catering, Inspiration & Trends 0 comments »