Thursday, October 3, 2013
Years from now, while looking back on your wedding pictures, what is the one thing you know you’ll be glad you splurged on? If you said “wedding cake” then Signature Cakes by Vicki has just the cake for you - an extravagant wedding cake.
Vicki Nelson, owner and lead designer for Signature Cakes by Vicki, creates a variety of wedding cakes (from classic to lavish) that instantly draw a “wow” from anyone who sees them. They are memorable in both taste and design.
For instance, her extravagant cakes, usually crafted with multiple tiers, can possess hand-dyed bold colors in fondant icing, large bows and flowers, elaborate gold and silver accents, pearls and diamonds, drapery, cascading sugar flowers, cameos, monograms and many other elaborate details.
Vicki's cakes come in gourmet flavors such as - white chocolate truffle, strawberry white chocolate cake, caramel butterscotch cake, chocolate truffle cake, almond white chocolate cake or red velvet cake.
Signature Cakes’ extravagant wedding cakes are carefully crafted by applying time and expertise to make sure each cake exceeds any bride’s expectations.
If you’re the kind of bride whose opulent style allows for no sacrifices, make sure to contact Vicki Nelson and her team at (615) 513-2266 to create your show-stopping cake.
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Posted by Intern Laurie |
Filed under: Cakes & Desserts, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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Wednesday, September 25, 2013
What's in your welcome bag? That's what we were left wondering after featuring Chris and Amy's wedding last month. As a Tennessee native now living in Los Angeles, Amy returned to Nashville for her wedding and created welcome bags for her out-of-town guests.
We reached out to Amy to get a full list of her bag's contents in order to help you plan for your out-of-town guests.
As we'd hoped, it was full of Tennessee goodies!
What was the idea behind using blank (no-design) beige bags for your welcome bags?
We just wanted plain brown bags. We had everyone’s name printed on little manila tags and tied them to the bags with twine. The design of the bags went along with the rustic venue, the Fontanel. The bags are plain and that’s what we wanted, they went with the feel of our wedding. They had a simple southern feel, especially the twine.
What components did you include in the welcome bags?
My mother and I worked hard on those. Especially my mother, because some of her friends were coming in from afar and she wanted to showcase good Tennessee stuff. Everyone got Goo Goos, Moon Pies, a miniature bottle of Jack Daniels and an RC cola or two. Maps of Nashville and a list of things to do downtown and in the area. And some basics like water and Advil. My mother also found little mini boxes of Martha White cornmeal, which were really cute. There was also a wedding agenda. The bridal party had a slightly different agenda, while the guests had agendas that invited them to additional events and also made them aware of the shuttle service from the hotel to the wedding venue.
We had so many items left over, my mother bought way too much stuff.
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Who were the gift/welcome bags given to and how were they distributed?
The bags were for the out of town guests. Most people were staying at the hotel where we were, in the Hilton downtown. So we personally delivered them to the hotel, to be held for everyone when they checked in. There were a couple of people who we knew were staying nearby and we had a happy hour welcome on Thursday (since this is when a lot of people came into town). So, we gave a lot of them out at that happy hour too.
How important do you feel that the welcome bags were to the guest experience?
I think they liked them. I think that some of the items appealed to some individuals and not others (i.e. some people may not drink whiskey, while some might not like Moon Pies). I think it’s probably important. I have been to some destination weddings and I think it means a lot to get there and see that people are thankful that I came all this way and left some cool things for us during our stay here.
I think the addition of the wedding agenda was a big help because not a lot of people are checking the website to get the additional information. I think it’s really nice to show out of town people that these are the things that Nashville and Tennessee are known for. It gives them refreshments in case they get back to the room late and need something small to snack on. I think it’s very handy.
Photos: The Collection
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Posted by Intern Laurie |
Filed under: Destination Nashville Weddings!, Guests, Gifts & Favors, Real Nashville Brides
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Gilbreath and the team at Houston Station to discuss their open vendor policy. I know brides and planners love their open vendor policy, but what exactly what does it mean and how does it benefit you as a bride?
Here's what I learned:
Bring Your Own Vendors:
At Houston Station, you have complete control over your wedding experience. The venue space is very versatile. You can decorate it as much or as little as you’d like. Extravagant floral designs spanning wall-to-wall or sweet and simple sunflowers lining a 6-foot aisle, the choice is yours.
Since the venue doesn’t require you to use a specific set of vendors, you have the flexibility to recruit whoever you like for whatever you like: your flowers, your linens, your catering, your wedding cake...the list goes on and on.
The team at Houston Station will provide you with a preferred vendor list, which is an excellent starting point and it’s worth noting that these vendors are experienced in working events at the venue, but by no means are you forced to stick with this list. If you do stray from this list, however, you need to make sure that any vendors you hire are licensed and/or insured.
If you’re working with a planner, this makes it even better because your planner is open to work with the vendors he or she is familiar with, thus reducing stress on all parties involved.
Maximize Your Budget:
The great thing about Houston Station is that it can fit almost any bride’s budget.
From big to small, it doesn’t matter if you want the largest and most lavish wedding of the century or if you want something quiet and intimate, you’re only obligated to pay Houston Station the venue rental fee and parking for valet services. (Valet is required for all weddings at Houston Station.)
The rest of your budget is up to you. And, since you can bring in your own vendors, or recruit family members and friends to do some of the work for you, you have complete control over your vendor expense.
Also, since Houston Station does not offer all inclusive packages, you never have to worry about wondering just where your money is going. You know exactly what you’re paying for and exactly how much you’re paying.
Guess what? You can bring in your own alcohol. That’s right, no asking if the drink charge will be by the head or by the drink. Houston Station does require that all alcohol be served by a licensed and insured company with ABC certified, card-carrying bartenders.
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Elizabeth Gilbreath and her team have received five star ratings from Yelp, Wedding Wire and Perfect Wedding Guide.
If you’re a bride who loves the idea of creative freedom in planning your big day, saving money, then you’ll want to reach out to Houston Station for more information. Give their five star team a call at (615) 289-7225 for more details.
Photography: Krista Lee Photography
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Posted by Intern Laurie |
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Friday, August 30, 2013
"A lot of people are very into food now. The food has become an important part of the reception at the wedding and not just an, ‘Oh, we had people and we had to feed them."
This is what Bradley Russell, catering sales manager of Chef’s Market, had to say when I had the opportunity to speak with him about his scrumptiously creative menu and gorgeous set up for the CMT Awards Show after party, and how this could be applied to a local wedding reception.
Chef’s Market, an award-winning event caterer, with trendsetting, fun and unique menu offerings, catered the CMT Awards Show after party at Rocketown, this past June. The party started right after the televised CMT Awards Show at 9:30 p.m. It hosted such celebrities as Kevin Bacon, Lenny Kravitz and Dog the Bounty Hunter.
gourmet tater tots
The menu lineup featured:
Three passed hors d’oeuvres including steak fries, avocado tacos and crawfish corndogs.
Scrumptious selections such as fresh hand rolled sushi, inside-out BLTs, mini salmon burgers, churasco beef skewers and “grown up” tater tots (with brie and bacon) lined one long, illuminated, turquoise and emerald green buffet table, set up in the center of the room.
Innovative sweets like candied ginger cotton candy, bourbon chocolate truffles with candied bacon and pineapple margarita lollipops covered the desert table.
green tea cones with wild rice orzo
cocktail shrimp with bloody mary shooters
Bradley, who had the opportunity to create the tablescape (table design) and the menu, elaborated on his vision and how it came about. He was given a lot of creative freedom from CMT. They provided him with insight on what type of foods the guests weren’t too particularly fond of, but outside of that anything else was fair game.
Bradley says that when he tablescapes for an event, he, “doesn’t want the food displays to look like they landed from outer-space in the middle of the room, they have to relate and match the decor and design of the overall event that you want it to enhance.”
The atmosphere of Rocketown is intimate and contemporary, so Bradley wanted his tablescape and food to give off this same vibe. He scoured Nashville in search of the tools he needed. Once he found them, he and his team set up tiered platters made of glass and lucite, and lots of LED lights accenting the venue’s colors. Bradley felt like his creation was the perfect complement to the venue.
So, as a bride, you’re probably wondering how all of this applies to you?
Wedding inspiration is everywhere, even celebrity events
Fashion, home design, and food trends usually start on the celebrity scene, where ideas are big and creativity is limitless. Chef's Market's menu and table design was right at home for the Hollywood crowd but it works for weddings just as well. In fact, Chef's Market has one wedding in October where the bride is following the same set up and many of the same food elements as the CMT Awards Show after party for her own wedding at the Adventure Science Center.
Whether serving Hollywood or Nashville brides, Chef's Market works with clients based on their venue and their inspirations to create the perfect menu and display for their events. For some engaged couples, food is becoming the most important part of the wedding and their budgets are reflecting this. So are the creative freedoms that go along with it.
Bradley says that clients are looking for fun foods, especially brides. Food is becoming a focal point at wedding receptions. It’s a great conversation starter and one of the many features that people will comment on long after your wedding day.
To brainstorm your reception and menu ideas with an artist talented in both food and design, make sure to contact Bradley Russell at (615) 851-2433 or [email protected].
miniature bison burger sliders in petite novelty takeout boxes
peanut butter chocolate mousse cups
chocolate truffles with praline topping
ginger and pineapple cotton candy
pineapple margarita & strawberry pistachio lollipops
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Posted by Intern Laurie |
Filed under: Cakes & Desserts, Inspiration & Trends
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Monday, August 26, 2013
If you have your mind set on a downtown Nashville wedding, then we have some fantastic news for you!
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's event space is expanding. As a matter of fact, it’s more than doubling in size. I had the opportunity to speak with Mary Ann Chipkevich, marketing coordinator of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, about the details of the expansion, and I was in awe at the amazing details she provided.
In addition to its already spectacular wedding spaces such as - The Curb Conservatory and Courtyard and the Hall of Fame Rotunda - the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will now offer three new wedding space rentals.
Mary Ann recommends utilizing each of these spaces in conjunction for a full ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner reception so that your guests can smoothly transition from one event to the next. Construction on these spaces is scheduled to be complete in October, but the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is already taking wedding day reservations.
As if this expansion wasn’t already spectacular enough, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is also integrating with the brand new Omni Nashville Hotel, a gorgeous four-star accommodation set to open its doors on October 1. This is a HUGE bonus for the Nashville wedding scene.
The Omni Nashville Hotel will be directly connected to The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, with doors opening on 5th Avenue, and will feature over 800 luxurious hotel rooms, five culinary and entertainment venues, a relaxing spa and a rooftop pool deck with spectacular views of the city.
If you decide to have your wedding ceremony and/or reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, think of how convenient this will be for your wedding party and guests if they can simply walk down a connecting hallway to their hotel room after your rehearsal dinner and/or wedding reception. Also, if any of your guests need to return to their hotel room for any reason during the reception, they can quickly do this and still have time to get back to the festivities.
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With Omni’s prime downtown location, your out-of-town guests can take advantage of some of Nashville’s finest attractions. They can take a tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum before the wedding. If they feel like venturing out further, they can catch a show at the Ryman Auditorium and for some late night fun they can check out the honkey-tonk bars on Broadway.
These new expansions and this wonderful union of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Omni Nashville Hotel are a win not only for you, but also for your wedding party, your guests and your entire wedding experience overall.
Make sure to check out all the great services the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has to offer for your big day. For additional details on the new additions or to inquire on booking one of the amazing new event spaces, contact the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum by phone at 615-416-2034 or by email.
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Posted by Intern Laurie |
Filed under: Destination Nashville Weddings!, Nashville-Style, Guests, Gifts & Favors, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Wedding Venues and Locations
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