Celebrations by Design is Passionate About Organized, Personalized Weddings & Her Couples!
Monday, July 9, 2012
We have known and worked with Toni of Celebrations by Design for many years. She's one of our favorite Nashville wedding planners and it's about time that we interviewed her to give you insight into how she works, her style, and philosophy. It's always important to know why your vendors are in the wedding business, what drives them. If they truly love weddings, their passion will always shine through. You can see as much from Toni's excited responses and through images of her work and raves from her couples!
Photo by Meishach Moore
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Photo by Shanna Mahoney Photography
About Celebrations by Design
Main Contact: Toni Carroll-Smith
Phone Number: (615) 538-8664
Email Address: TSmith{at}EventsbyCBD.com
Twitter: @EventsbyCBD
Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/CelebrationsbyDesign
Website: www.EventsbyCBD.com
Photos by Ace Photography
How long have you been in the business?
8
How did you get started in weddings?
I’ve always LOVED weddings and I started to notice the same things at different weddings and some of the weddings were so unorganized that I couldn’t take it! Lol! I always felt there had to be a better way! After assisting a few family members, friends, and co-workers, I discovered that I had a sincere passion, talent, and love for wedding and personalized event planning. I enjoyed finding different and personalized elements to complement the occasion and the person/couple it was being designed for. It became apparent that event planning and design was a natural calling.
After several years just doing it for fun I decided to follow my dream and open an event planning business. With motivation, encouragement, and the pure enjoyment of wedding and event planning…Celebrations By Design was born!
What do you like most about weddings?
I can definitely say that I really enjoy the ENTIRE process of planning a wedding! I’m a hopeless romantic and I LOVE everything and anything that has to do with weddings! Weddings are so special and I love helping couples make their wedding as special and unique as they are!
What’s one of your favorite wedding photo and why?
This is one of my favorite pictures because this was a design that I’d wanted to do for a long time! All I was told was to “Just make it PRETTY!” and that it had to be a certain shade of PINK! After being unsuccessful in trying to find that ‘perfect’ shade of pink in the lamp shade…I went and bought the material and covered the lamp shades myself!
Photos by Kristen Steele Photography
What is your service philosophy?
At Celebrations by Design…our clients are our #1 asset! Our objective is to offer our clients couture wedding and event planning that’s innovative, timeless, stress free, and unforgettable! We achieve our goals by combining a chic sense of style, refined attention to detail, and cutting edge event-planning!
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? Why should a bride hire you?
Good question! Why don’t I let some of my previous and current clients handle this category for me!
Hey Toni!
Well we are home from a super relaxing honeymoon and still can't get over what a great wedding and fun party we had :) Thanks so much for helping to make it all happen and work out smoothly. Thanks again for working so hard, it was a great success! I have had constant compliments on the beautiful ceremony and fun reception. Exactly what I wanted :) - Sarah
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Toni’s services have been invaluable to us. She keeps us on track with regular meetings where she brings us up-to-date on the progress, where the budget stands, deposits needed and what’s expected of us next. She has done tons of legwork, scouted locations and negotiated for me things I would never have been able to do on my own. Toni has saved me from a great deal of stress! Now I know why people hire wedding planners (and regret when they don't!). - Tuwanda (exert taken from The Pink Book blog)
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The wedding turned out better than I anticipated….and I have heard wonderful reviews…..I was even told that I had the most beautiful wedding ever…..as well as the wedding of the year….that is all thanks to you. -Kemekia
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Ms. Toni,
We wanted to tell you Thank You again for everything you did in making our wedding day a success! Everything was BEAUTIFUL! People are still talking about it today! Not only were you our planner/coordinator, you were and still are a good friend.
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We will recommend you to everyone we know! We love you and we appreciate you! Don’t stop what you are doing! - Love, Dustin & Tyra
Photo on right by Shanna Mahoney Photography
Photo by Meishach Moore
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors?
Unfortunately, I don’t have 5 favorite Nashville vendors! Nashville has so many great vendors that are very helpful, very professional, and have great style! Although I don’t have any favorites, the vast array of vendors helps me to better serve my clients and match them up with the appropriate vendors for their celebrations!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?
OMG!! I am a wedding JUNKIE! I watch David Tutera, Dianne Valentine, Platinum Weddings, Say YES to the dress, I even watch Tori Spelling and her husband give wedding planning a go!
What are your favorite wedding websites?
Here are a few of my favorite websites!
Ebay!
munaluchibridal.com
TheBridesCafe.com
theknot.com
marthastewartweddings.com
weddingstylemagazine.com
stylemepretty.com
etsy.com
Photo on left by Ace Photography; photo on right by Shanna Mahoney Photography
Photo by Meishach Moore
For "budget savvy" brides, what's the one thing you think should always make it into a budget?
There are actually two things I would suggest to the “budget savvy” bride concerning services that should be in their budgets…
1) Definitely hire a planner! Nashville has plenty of talented wedding planners and coordinators that will provide you with an invaluable service! It’s one of the best investments that you could make for your wedding!
2) Definitely invest in a good photographer! For as long as I’ve been in the wedding industry I’ve heard “I don’t want to spend that much on pictures. Pictures are pictures!” NEGATIVE!! A good photographer can help you remember that special day for a lifetime…in the BEST way! Why invest all of that money and time on your special day (making it the best that it could be) and then not have a qualified photographer to capture it?!
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
I think the biggest misconception about wedding planners is that they are not needed! That is SO not true! As a wedding planner, I’m well aware of the “in’s and out’s” of wedding planning and I would definitely hire a wedding planner/coordinator if I were getting married! I would want to enjoy my wedding day just like the next bride and I wouldn’t want the stress of the planning or most importantly the stress that comes on the actual wedding day!
Not to mention wedding planners/coordinators are connected to some of the best vendors in the industry and will help guide you in the right direction and add value to your wedding experience and your wedding day.
Photo by Meishach Moore
About the Author:
Megan
I’m new to the wedding industry. Before getting engaged I literally avoided any websites for weddings only because I knew, once I delved in, I would become obsessed…. And it’s true. Once I got engaged, I did become obsessed and luckily, about that time, I started working in the wedding industry. So my interest increased on two levels. Now I am a newlywed and still enjoying the industry. I love writing, social media and connecting to people; happily, I get to do all of this with ABG.
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Posted on July 9, 2012 |
Filed under: Our Featured Advertisers!, Wedding Planners & Coordinators
