Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009 I have blogged about Southall Eden Farm before but I never got a chance to formally spotlight them to tell you all about their capacities, room options, etc. I hope to feature many Southall Eden Farm weddings over the upcoming year but for now, join me at their open house Thursday - Sept 15th. It will be a fun evening for brides and planners. If you are interested, contact me for more details.
Vendor of the Day: Southall Eden 3270 Southall Road Franklin, TN 37064 Area: Leiper's Fork Contact: Shannon O'Kelley 615.775.4080 Shannon at southalleden dot com http://www.southalleden.com
About Venue Southall Eden is a 5 acre farm located in the rolling hills of middle Tennessee, just two miles from the picturesque village of Leiper's Fork and minutes from historic downtown Franklin. Its rustic charm make it a perfect location for those seeking a natural yet elegant setting for a wedding, corporate event, or party. Its hillside setting offers views of the rolling pastures and horse farms, while its 1904 farmhouse and turn of the century barn create an authentic farm atmosphere. It is a brand new wedding venue!
What options does your venue offer? Ceremony- yes Reception- yes Showers/Parties- yes Guest Accommodations-no Photo shoots- yes
What rooms/capacities options are available? Outdoor - Unlimited Indoor - Most brides who want indoor seating will choose to rent a tent. The back lawn will accommodate a 40x40 tent, while the front lawn will accommodate a 40x70 tent. For small private events, the Party Shed will seat 40 people at 60 round table and the Dining Pavilion will seat about 25.
What catering options do you allow? Onsite catering- no Outside catering- yes Outside alcohol allowed- yes, client to provide insurance
Is an on-site event coordinator available? Yes, Dawn Schenkel of Premier W.E.D. is our preferred on-site coordinator. She is familiar with the ins and outs of the farm and is a valuable resource for brides planning an event here.
What is your pricing model? Please check our website or email us for rates. We accept checks, credit cards (service charge may apply).
Which bride budgets are ideal for your venue? All
What else should brides know about your venue? What makes your venue / special packages unique? Even though Leiper's Fork is just a short drive from Nashville and the airport, the uniqueness of the area makes it a destiniation wedding even for Nashville residents. The property offers a variety of useable outdoor spaces so that each bride can configure her ceremony and/ or reception exactly the way she wants it, while the natural beauty of the setting makes designing a beautiful wedding an easy task. Southall Eden is a private residence that will only host a limited number of weddings each year, allowing it to maintain its boutique charm. Finally, the farm is owned and operated by a GIRL who knows what girls want! Owner Shannon O'Kelley has enjoyed attending the weddings of many of her friends over the past few years. Observing their experiences with wedding venues across the nation has been invaluable to her in establishing Southall Eden (hence the women's bathroom being twice the size of the men's!!).
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Posted by Ashley King |
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Thursday, August 27, 2009
Again, Phindy Studios wows. This time, they are joined by Rhonda Patton Weddings and A Delightful Day, creating the ultimate wedding dream team. This was a wonderful wedding - classic blue with modern touches. And the ceremony church...wow! Enjoy and have a great weekend.
Guest Blog: Phindy Studios, a Nashville wedding photography company. Be sure to visit their blog for amazing high resolution from this wedding.
Paul & Jennifer were married last month at the beautiful Church of the Assumption in Germantown and then had an awesome reception at Belle Meade Plantation. It was a perfect day, start to finish. We are really going to miss working with this couple, we couldn't ask for nicer clients. Paul & Jennifer, we hope you guys had an amazing honeymoon in Europe and we wish you the best as you start married life in Canada!
The incredible team of A Delightful Day helped Paul & Jennifer plan this wedding long distance and coordinated some amazing vendors (see below).
Cake - The Bake Shoppe , Lighting - Nashville Event Lighting
Flowers - Rhonda Patton Designs
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings,
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
This was a great wedding! It's ultra modern and luxe infused with very personal aspects. This couple had a clear vision for their wedding day and worked with a great team to make it theirs. I really love that they gave their groomsmen "their favorite book". That is such a great bridal party gift idea!
Plus, it took place at Cellar One, a new Nashville wedding venue. You know that I love hearing about new wedding venues!
Thanks Lisa Marie and Mark Daniel for letting me feature your wedding!
Bride - Lisa Marie of Houston, TX
Groom - Mark Daniel of Columbia, SC
Our wedding details - April 25, 2009 at 6:30pm
Ceremony location - River View Courtyard
Reception location - Cellar One
Guests - 60
Wedding Style:
My wedding style Modern mixed with classic touches
My colors and why I choose them
Apple green (for spring), Steel (elegant & evening), Ivory (touch of light!)
My theme
We really wanted our wedding to reflect us. Everything had a personal touch. The ceremony music was informal while the overall feel was a little more formal; it was June Carter and tuxes.
Personal touches
Save the date postcards, out of town guest gift bags, Polaroid photo booth, creating our own small touches (ex. rehearsal dinner menus and gift bags) to tie the entire weekend together
Wedding wow factor
Unity sand, our ceremony music ("La Vie En Rose" by Louis Armstrong, "It Never Entered My Mind" by Miles Davis, "Times A Wastin" June Carter & Carl Smith), my parents performing songs dedicated to us at our reception
Favors Cds of our favorite songs
Gifts for bridesmaids / Groomsmen
Bridesmaids: manicure, pedicures, luncheon, necklaces Groomsmen: flasks with their initials, books (favorite author, music book), and a personalized gift
Most special moment for me?
Seeing each other before the wedding (we did our formal pictures before the ceremony) and having a moment alone before the evening began
My Wedding Vendors:
Planner: Nashville Event Space, Mindy Dees Cake: The Sweetest Day, Stephanie Felts, so artistic! the cake was amazing!
Caterer: Chef's Market, guests loved the food! Southern comfort fried chicken, shrimp and grits, mashed potatoes, green bean; it was delicious!
Photos: Hannah Elaine Photography, the best! - Can't imagine working with anyone else! Our pictures are incredible and she perfectly and creatively captured the feel of the day!
Invitations: The Paper Place and Kate Page Calligraphy
Bridal gown: Nicole Miller Bridesmaid dresses: J Crew
Tuxes: Men's Warehouse
Rings: Genesis Diamonds; my center stone was the one my father gave my mother; it's now a family heirloom! Florist: A Village of Flowers, so easy to work with and the flowers were unbelievable!
Hair and Makeup: Trumps Salon, they are so great and took care of all the girls!
Dress Alterations: Elegant Alterations, Cathy is amazing! Wedding Night: The Mulberry House, a beautiful, private cottage where we stayed that weekend; we didn't want to leave! We left for our honeymoon a couple weeks later.
My faves
We made the wedding about us, we designed and created everything that we wanted, the unity sand (our vase is sitting on our mantel), choosing some of our favorite songs for our ceremony music, having a small wedding so we could chat with everyone, our pictures, the flowers (peonies, hydrangea, kale, cherry blossoms), dancing
How I find my vendors
Friends
My Wedding Rewind:
What I would do differently if planning again?
My husband and I planned everything together, I loved that time with him! Our wedding was everything we wanted it to be!
Biggest waste of time or money?
The band we hired, Ivory Joe & the Midnight Howlers was a waste. Our friends ended up putting together a great playlist towards the middle of the reception and got everyone was up and dancing. It was a blast!
Best value for the service/product?
Our flowers, they were gorgeous!
Neatest find
We loved the Polaroid photo booth! We used my grandpa's old Polaroid camera, set up a booth in what was once a phone booth at the bar in our venue, had someone take the pictures, and then paste them into a scrap book. Everyone signed their names and wrote great messages to us! The book is sitting on our coffee table and we love going back through it!
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Resources,
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What a yummy wedding. That's all I could think as Amy told me about it. Catering by Chef's Market, Maples' sour cream and almond wedding cake and a candy buffet? Talk about a deliciously romantic day!! I can almost taste it.
Thanks Amy and Andy for letting me feature your wedding!
Groom - Andy of Nashville, TN
Our wedding details - Saturday, July 18, 2009
Ceremony location - Saint Henry Catholic Church
Reception location - Reception Hall at Saint Henry Catholic Church
Guests - 200
Bride - Amy of Nashville, TN
Wedding Style:
My wedding style I would say our wedding style was classic.
My colors and why I choose them Light Blue, Periwinkle and a hint of Lime Green. I love hydrangeas and knew I wanted to use those as my flowers, so that is where the blues came into play. I met with Shannon with Chef's Market and she suggested we use green apples on the buffet, that's where the green came in.
My theme We really didn't have a set theme. However, Andy and I met at UT during a football weekend, so there were little touches of UT things. We had a orange and white cupcakes as the Grooms Cake. My garter was orange with T's on it. We left through our guest shaking UT pom-poms and chanting G-O V-O-L-S, Go Vols Go! Personal touches We had several personalized touches. I wore my mother's veil from my parents wedding that was 33 years ago.I also had a lucky penny that I taped to my shoe that was worn by my grandmother and mother when they got married. I would also say the touches of UT things were very personal! I also had personalized wine bottle. Wedding wow factor We decided to do "late night food" and so many of our guests loved that! Chef's market made mini cheese burgers, and their famous spinach artichoke dip with chips. Favors We had a candy bar with m&ms, jelly beans, green sour straws, and Hershey kisses. Also, guests could take the UT pom poms with them after our leave.
Gifts for bridesmaids / Groomsmen Bridesmaids: Monogrammed Tote Bags, Monogrammed mini coolers, flip-flops for the reception (we tied ribbon around them which was same colors of their dress), and beach towels. I did a pool/beach theme since the wedding was in July and It's Hot! Groomsmen: Monogrammed Coolers
Most special moment for me? Looking into Andy's eyes, holding back tears while he is telling me it's okay, while saying my vows. I felt at that moment we were the only two people in the church. It was an amazing feeling! My Wedding Vendors:
Cake: Maples Wedding Cakes (maplesweddingcakes.com/) Everyone loved our cake, It was sour cream and almond! Not only does Jay make beautiful cakes, he makes sure they taste great too!! Caterer: Chef's Market (chefsmarket.com) Photography: Mary Davidson Photography (marydavidsonphotography.com) Mary is so easy and great to work with! She took great pictures! Videographer: Dynamic Video (dynamicvideo7.com) Jennifer is really good at what she does, she captured some great moments of Andy and I and our guests on video! Invitations: Carte Blanche (everythingcarteblanche.com) Bridal Gown: The White Room (theultimateweddinggown.com) They have such a wide variety of dresses! Kristen-Michelle is awesome to work with! Bridesmaid Dresses: Arzelle's (arzelles.net) Tuxes: Bittner's Rings: Genesis Diamonds (genesisdiamonds.net) Great customer service! Music: Dwanna and The Prime Time Band (http://www.primetimediva.com) Flowers - Family friend
My faves Dwanna and The Prime Time band know how to make everyone have a great time and their music is great!! Chef's Maket was fabulous not only is the food wonderful but, the staff is great too! Shannon is so easy and great to work with! She has great ideas and I knew with everything in her hands,our wedding day would be perfect. I love that fact that they don't only handle food, but also can handle other details. How I found my wedding vendors I found a few vendors at the Nashville Bridal Show and through friends, word of mouth and through the internet. My Wedding Rewind: What I would do differently if planning again? I would try my hardest to not be worried about the little things, because in the end it doesn't matter! Biggest waste of time or money? Nothing! Best value for the service/product? Chef's Market, their service is wonderful! Advice for other Nashville brides? Get many different price quotes from serveral vendors and do your research. Enjoy the process and know that everything will be Perfect! And most importantly HAVE FUN! It goes by so fast!!
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Posted by Ashley King |
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Monday, August 24, 2009
Like yesterday's couple, Sarah Kate and Craig also wanted to incorporate parts of their heritage (Australia) into their wedding day. They also gave ipod nanos as bridesmaid gifts - so cute...I'd certainly love that as a bridal party gift! Sarah Kate and Craig are clients of Dynamic Video.
Jennifer of Dynamic Video was kind enough to provide still video images for their wedding feature but check out their video, which will give you a great taste of their big day.
Jennifer also had this to add: "The ceremony was stunning and the reception a blast. I also captured the rehearsal dinner and was touched by how these two families living worlds apart made such a connection. Having your rehearsal dinner videotaped is such a wonderful gift. It's the evening that were two families connect, and also when the really touching and funny stories are told. I was really moved by this wedding and enjoyed working with all of the family members."
Here's their wedding video, courtesy of Dynamic Video
Thanks Sarah Kate and Craig for letting me feature your wedding!
Sarah Kate of Brentwood, TN + Craig of Perth, Western Australia
Wedding Date ~ April 18 at 6pm
Ceremony Location ~ Brentwood Hills Church of Christ
Reception Location ~ Vanderbilt Legends Club, Franklin TN
Guests ~ 215
My wedding style
Vintage Romance
My colors and why I choose them
Sage Green, Champagne, and Ivory. Green is my favorite color and I wanted the bridesmaid dresses to be a soft green color. I felt that champagne complimented the sage nicely. I preferred ivory since it was neutral and delicate.
My theme
I didn't have an actual theme for the wedding; yet, I wanted the decor, lighting, and ambience to exude a romantic and enchanting feel.
Personal touches
We hung both an American and Australian flag (5" X 7") from the ceiling rafters over the dance floor. The groom's cake had mini American and Australian flags decorating it. We wrote our own vows, which proved to be very sentimental and special.
Wedding wow factor
Going by the feedback and compliments we received post-wedding, the guests loved the authenticity of our happiness and the way we interacted with the guests, both on-stage at the ceremony and at the reception. One guest remarked that there was an atmosphere of love that was actually palpable. I got numerous compliments on my dress and style. We also got plenty of compliments on the chocolate grooms cake. Delicious!
Favors
Since Craig is from Perth, we wanted to incorporate Australia into our wedding favors. So, we arranged 4-piece coaster sets in ivory organza drawstring bags. The coasters were black with different scenes of Australia in a central square. (i.e. beach and ocean life, outback, wildflowers, famous indigenous animals).
Also, we had several out of town guests - 10 family members and friends flew over from Australia and several out-of-town family members in America came to Nashville. So, we provided welcome baskets for all our out-of-town guests. We filled them with brochures and pamphlets of must-see sights in Nashville, stamped post cards of Nashville scenes, and quintessential American goodies (Girl Scout cookies, Dr. Pepper, Goo Goo clusters, blow pop lollipops, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - candies not available in Australia, bottled water with personalized welcome messages from the bride/groom, and more)
Gifts for bridesmaids / Groomsmen
I gave each of my bridesmaids a hot pink iPod nano, personalized with individual messages on the back. I love music and wanted to give them something that reflected my personality and was a bit unconventional. Craig gave his groomsmen silver utility Zippo lighters engraved with their initials.
What I did for the kids in my wedding
The only kid involved in our wedding was Craig's 9-year-old nephew, Christian. He was both our ring bearer and reader. We didn't have any flower girls. For Christian, we included some extras in his welcome basket: a Frisbee, stuffed animal, a small game, and autographed country music CD's. Also, we intentionally provided fried chicken fingers at the reception for the kids attending the wedding, knowing that most children like chicken.
Most special moment for me
Wow, it is hard to pick just one moment. However, I would have to say walking down the aisle with my dad to the theme song of the movie Cast Away. The musical choice was sentimental to my family and very emotional. I soaked up the moment of making eye contact with my guests and smiling at Craig, waiting to join him at the end of the aisle.
Wedding Vendors:
Planner | Julie Fox Fletcher of Everlastings (Juliefletcher{at}comcast{dot}net)
Cake | Dessert Designs by Leland
Caterer | Vanderbilt Legends Club
Photography | Katie Mosley
Video | Dynamic Video
Invitations | Buchanan Ink
Dress | Hob Nob (Australia)
Tuxedos | Street Tuxedo
Rings | Memphis Jewelry Music
Ceremony Musicians | Wedding Musicians Company
Soloist | Kim Keyes
Music Reception | DJ Doug Griffin
Flowers | John Conger
Gifts | Donna Birtles
Hair | Sarah Adams of Backstreet of Hair, Brentwood TN
Make-up | Sheila Davis Curtis of Shine, Nashville TN
My faves
I absolutely loved the cakes. They were gorgeously designed and tasted delicious! The chocolate truffle cake was heavenly. Also, I loved working with my talented photographer Katie Mosley. She is a friend of mine and was so calming and organized with great ideas for locations and shots.
My make-up looked stunning and I felt so confident, thanks to artistic Sheila Davis Curtis. Complimenting my make-up, my friend Sarah Adams turned by hairstyle vision into a romantic reality. Lastly, the flowers were breathtaking. John Conger is such a visionary and added so much detail and beauty to the decor with the flowers he arranged.
My Wedding Rewind:
What I would do differently if planning again?
I planned my wedding from Australia with the big help from my parents in Nashville. They did most of the planning and organizing stateside. The only thing I wish I could have changed was being in Nashville with them as we planned together. It would have been a lot easier and made for some great memories.
Biggest waste of time or money?
A few things: I was warned by my wedding coordinator that there is always tons of wedding ceremony programs left over. So for 215 guests we ordered 125 programs and still had some left over. We ordered way too many embossed monogrammed napkins for the reception. Actually, the catering staff overlooked our napkins and used their own at the buffet lines and only used ours at the cake table. If you have monogrammed napkins, make sure to have the catering staff uses them.
Best value for the service/product?
Dynamic Video did an incredible job! It was an exceptional value and Jennifer was so easy to work with. She created a package that really met all our needs. She even rush-delivered a highlights video to be shown at our reception in Australia, just two weeks after the wedding. It truly brought tears to our eyes! Our Australian guests felt like they had been at the actual wedding.
I couldn't even imagine pulling this wedding off without our wedding coordinator. Julie Fox Fletcher was worth every penny and more! Katie Mosley was invaluable (professional, creatively talented and fun!) as our photographer.
Neatest find
Donna Birtles Gifts: she is such a talented, friendly individual with great, unique ideas for all types of occasions. This woman truly goes the extra mile to meet your wedding (and all occasions) needs.
Advice for other Nashville brides?
Remember why you are there. Enjoy your wedding, take time to visit with your guests. At the end of the night thank God for your beautiful day and ask him to remain the center of your lives as husband and wife. Oh yeah, take a minute before you leave for a big group hug with your mom and dad.
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Posted by Ashley King |
Filed under: Photography, Real Nashville Weddings,
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