Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Perhaps you’re set on wearing your mother’s gown or have fallen in love with a vintage gown. While yes, they can be beautiful and sentimental, restoring a vintage gown can be quite an undertaking without help from qualified professionals.
Before you take one step in any direction – from removing the gown from your mother’s memory box or placing a bid on eBay, Rhonda Wernick, owner of Nashville's Oakwood Cleaners, highly recommends that get a true assessment of your gown.
Know your goal:
Oakwood starts with your goals. Oakwood’s recommendation for you will depend heavily on what you want to do with your gown. Some brides want a full restoration. Others want to creatively use pieces of their mom’s dress and add it, perhaps the lace, to their own modern dress. The sky is the limit but it all starts with your goals.
Before they assess the state of your dress, the pros at Oakwood want to know: What are you going to do with it? What’s your end goal? Do you want it restored or cleaned? Do you plan to wear it or display it? Do you want to wear it as your gown or do you want to use parts of the fabric to add to your gown?
After 33 years, Rhonda's own bridal gown was starting to turn pink and yellow; the hem was unraveling. Their gown-cleaning expert was able to restore the color and it’s now in great shape.
Get your gown fully assessed:
Once Oakwood knows what you want to do, they will take a look at your gown to see how they can meet your goal. That begins with an honest assessment of the condition of the vintage gown In this assessment, they will be determining: When was dress last worn? How old is the gown? Was it preserved? Is there hidden damage? How has the gown been altered - taken in or let out? What’s the fabric? What’s the condition of the fabric?
“The entire dress had brown, coffee-like spots (sort of like the close up on the lace). We spent a year restoring it and fixing areas in the lace that had torn due to age and such. I think it turned out beautiful.“ ~ Rhonda
Give yourself time and hire an expert:
As you consider a gown restoration, give yourself plenty of time for the following reasons:
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Depending on type of fabric and condition, it may take months to restore. Plan ahead - if it's your grandmother’s gown, it’s even older than your mom’s so it could take up to a year. Decide early so you can weigh your options.
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If it needs to be let out, it’s nearly impossible to match fabric. It’s easier to make smaller than larger because you can’t predict how fabric will react.
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It will not be easy to alter a gown more than 2 sizes - whether it's vintage or new - because you are essentially making the gown over and sometimes it just doesn’t work.
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Stones, pearls, and bead work can sometimes lose their luster.
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If you don’t like your mother’s gown or it can’t be restored, Oakwood can sometimes pull lace and add it to a newer gown to incorporate old and new. Or, they can even take top from one gown and add to bottom to another gown. You have many options so take it to a pro, like Oakwood, and see what they can do to help you.
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Have a pro like Oakwood fully inspect the gown to give you a full assessment and get an idea of what it will take to clean, restore, or alter.
“She bought the gown here in Nashville in 1967 and it was originally a size 2 and was altered for her oldest daughter to a size 12. That was accomplished with extra lace and added gussets. When her youngest daughter wore it, it was taken back down to a size 4. You can imagine the difficulty all of that took!” ~ Rhonda
Notice the color difference between a garment that has been restored versus one that has not.
Photos: Oakwood Cleaners
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Alterations + Gown Preservation, Advice & Planning
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Bonnie Marcus Collection, a fun line of stationery, is now available at Nashville's Paperkuts Studio. The line includes options for every bridal event you might have - from engagement parties to casual weddings. What Kim, owner of PaperKuts, likes most about the line is its sophisticated yet girlie design, which using sketched images.
Check out some of my favorite invitations from the Bonnie Marcus Collection below and if the Collection's style suits your fancy, contact Kim, mention ABG and receive 20% off your order!!!
The Bonnie Marcus Collection is great for:
Wedding announcements
Engagement party
Informal wedding
Bridal shower
Bridal luncheon
Thank you notes
Save the date
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
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Monday, September 10, 2012
We love bouquets, but we especially love when they are unique - which is a given when working with Rhonda of Rhonda Patton Weddings & Events, who can do both unique and traditional! But did you know, beyond the flowers and such used to fill a bride's bouquet, there is another important element...the length of the stems. Rhonda wrote a blog addressing the issue of nosegay-style bouquet stems. According to Rhonda, the stems should be approximately 6 inches long or less with a great diameter; just long enough to hold and round enough for balance!
Read on to see what else Rhonda has to say and be sure you talk to your floral designer, or contact Rhonda if you haven't hired your designer...
Photo by Jamie Howell
From Rhonda: I cringe when I see a nosegay-styled bouquets with stems as long as a bat. I refer to them as "bat bouquets"
The Top 3 Reasons Bat Bouquets are Prohibited:
1. The nosegay bridal bouquet should compliment the bride's stature and not overshadow the bride or the dress.
As a florist, I must see you in person to size you up so that I can ensure your bouquet size compliments your stature.
2. The stems of the bouquet should not poke or pry the dress once held below the navel.
Rule of Thumb: Hold the bouquet below the navel. Tilt the bouquet vertically and horizontally and if the stems swipe, poke or pry your clothing then the stems are too long.
3. The end of the bouquet should have a clean cut and be free of thorns, protruding floral wire and debris. Long stems are permitted with pageant-styled bouquets. Nosegay and cascading bouquets typically have a stem length of less than 6 inches.
Left photo by Josh Reeder
Photos by Joshua Gull
Photos by Divine Images
All uncredited photos from Rhonda Patton's website and Facebook page.
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Posted by Megan |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Details, Design & Florals
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Friday, September 7, 2012
How do you plan a wedding in three months? With focus and a little wedding vendor knowledge to start. Emily planned her wedding quickly and definitively, but luckily she knew the work of Donald Yeager Photography and knew she wanted him to be her photographer. And she picked well!! Donald captured amazing photos of this downtown Nashville wedding with a lovely knod to the Army. We hope you enjoy all of their moments as much as we did.
Emily + Aaron
Wedding Date ~ April 7, 2012
Ceremony Venue ~ Woodmont Christian Church
Reception Venue ~ The Pinnacle at Symphony Place
Guests ~ 200
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Budget
$10,000 - $20,000
Wedding Team
Wedding Coordinator | Suzanne Jeffers with Belle Events
Photographer | Donald Yeager Photography
Videographer | Tiff Canady -- long time friend of the bride’s family
Gown | Arzelle’s
Bride’s Accessories | Earrings: “something borrowed” from bride’s mother
Groom’s Attire / Groomsmen Attire | Army dress blues uniform
Bridesmaids Attire | Purchased online: Inweddingdress.com
Hair + Makeup | Unruli Salon
Stationery | Prim and Paper
Caterer | Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant
Cake Artist | The Bake Shoppe
Floral Designer | Franklin Flower & Gift Gallery
Ceremony Musicians | Church organist Michael Graham
Reception Musicians | Darnell Powell, DJ
Rentals | Southern Events
Lighting | Nashville Event Lighting
Transportation | Grand Avenue
My Wedding Details
How would you describe your style as a couple?
We are classic and fairly traditional with a touch of modern.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
The ceremony was more traditional in a beautiful church and incorporated Army traditions such as the saber guard ceremony. Our color scheme was a classic spring palate of purple and green. The reception was both modern and romantic, located in a high rise building in downtown Nashville with beautiful skyline views.
What was your guests’ favorite aspect of your wedding?
Everyone loved the overall atmosphere at the reception. The lighting, music, and high energy dancing with the amazing views of Nashville really made it a fun and special celebration!
What drew you to choose Donald Yeager as your photographer over everyone else? Did you enjoy working with him?
Donald was my sister’s photographer for her wedding, and I loved her pictures so much that I knew I wanted him to be my photographer as well. I loved working with Donald! He captured every part of the entire wedding day, but more importantly he was so fun to work with and added to the joy of the day.
Did his photos really make a difference in capturing the memory of your wedding day?
Absolutely! Donald captured emotions on Aaron’s and my face that were real and genuine, instead of so many posed pictures that other photographers focus on. To me those candid pictures are what make the memory of our wedding day so special.
What do you value most from choosing to hire Donald Yeager Photography?
Donald provided all day photography without being overpriced, and now I have hundreds of beautiful wedding photos that are frame-worthy. I don’t think I could have found anyone better!
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
I splurged on the wedding reception site (The Pinnacle) because it was such a unique high-rise location with amazing views of Nashville, and we were able to make it work within our budget.
A couple of DIY projects we did were assembling the favors and the silverware set-up (napkin folding and ribbon tying) ourselves.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I really don’t have any regrets looking back at the planning process. We had a short engagement, only three months long, so I had to be quick to make decisions and really know what would make my wedding day “perfect.” I am typically an indecisive person, so the shorter time frame allowed me to focus on what was most important and not spend too much time worrying about insignificant details.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
If you don’t have a wedding planner, get a wedding coordinator for the last couple of months because they will make everything including your wedding day stress free!
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Posted by Megan |
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Thursday, September 6, 2012
Whether you are viewing the room from the inside or out, the Rotunda (or round room) is a fascinating sight at the Country Music Hall of Fame. It's also part of what makes weddings at the Hall of Fame so rich.
Photo: Tuck Hinton Architects
Photo: Dove Wedding Photography
The circular design
It's no accident that brides choose the circular design of the Rotunda for their important wedding ceremony and sometimes their reception too. The circle symbolizes eternity, has no beginning and no end, and is all encompassing. It is a popularly used symbol that is very significant in weddings, hence the use of wedding rings. Like the circle, marriage is an institution that is to remain unbroken. (Note the inscription on the walls of the Rotunda.)
The Rotunda is one of the few places where you can wed in the center and be completely surrounded by your loved ones. Imagine the humbling experience of saying your vows as your family creates a circle of love around your marriage. How awesome. Given the circle's eternal meaning, it's no wonder why so many brides are drawn to the Rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame. This unique room allows your guests two seating options - 1) in round - where the guests encase the wedding couple in a circle 2) or traditional - seating right or left of couple.
If you are looking for an incredible venue, one that is symbolic and historic, the Rotunda room at the Country Music Hall of Fame might be just the venue for your wedding day.
Visit their website or contact Mary Ann at 615-416-2034 to learn more about the Rotunda or other (equally beautiful) space options.
Photo: Dove Wedding Photography
Wedding ceremony in the Rotunda. Photo: Joy Marie
Wedding reception in the Rotunda. Photo: Courtney Davidson Photography
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Very Nashville!, Wedding Venues and Locations
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