Friday, September 3, 2010
From September 11th through the 13th, The Vanderbilt Breast Center presents Brides Against Breast Cancer, a fund-raising event for the Making Memories Foundation which works specifically to help people who have Stage 4 breast cancer.
Brides, if you haven't found your wedding dress yet, plan to attend as you will have an opportunity to help others while finding your dream bridal gown (for less)! The event will feature hundreds of beautiful gowns including designer and couture gowns available at discounted rates.
Brides and breast cancer supporters will travel from all over the state to attend so be sure to tell your friends that the Airport Marriott is offering a special room rate of $99 for brides and guests on Saturday September 11th and Sunday September 12th. For more details visit our bridal events page or Brides Against Breast Cancer.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Attire & Accessories1 comment »
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Earlier this year, I learned that my friend Tori was engaged! I was so happy for her. We went to lunch and she shared her "how we met" story and all of the juicy details, including her plan for a Florida destination wedding. I don't know much about the Florida wedding scene so I hoped she was in good hands. But once she said she'd hired Photographix to shoot her wedding, I knew she'd at least have amazing wedding pictures! She was off to a great start.
I strongly encourage all Nashville brides who are planning a destination wedding to take your favorite Nashville wedding pros with you. One of the easiest to take is your photographer! If you are a destination wedding bride who has yet to hire her photog, you are in LUCK...
Photographix is giving away free wedding photography to a destination couple! The contest ends on 9/13 so visit their blog asap to learn more about the contest.
Florida Destination Wedding for a Nashville Couple, Tori and James
Wedding images + story courtesy of Photographix
Tori and James got married in Rosemary Beach Town Hall in Florida. The setting was perfectly perfect and couldn’t have fit them better. Christina Gshwandtner of Fete Weddings & Events, designed the whole event and it was beautiful!
The ceremony was small with only about 60 people in attendance. Most came from Franklin, but some as far as New York as well. We loved meeting everyone, they were all so nice and inviting.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and the town of Rosemary is just adorable! We could have spent the whole weekend photographing them. Every nook and corner was different, it was really hard to choose just a few spots!
Wedding Planner: Christina Gshwandtner – Fete Wedding & Events (feteevents.com)
Photographers: Photographix
Flowers: Fisher’s Flowers
Catering: Dine by Design
Tori's Dress: Judd Waddell
James’s Suit: J. Crew
Tori's Shoes: Steve Madden
Location: Rosemary Beach Town Hall
Hair & Makeup: Two Fishes Artistry
Wedding Cake: Confections on the Coast
Tori's Pearl Necklace: Buki Designs
If you are planning a destination wedding and haven't hired a wedding photographer, run over to Photographix for their free wedding photography contest!
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings2 comments »
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wedding dress trends are everywhere - magazines, websites, blogs, we just love our gowns. What about our grooms? Don't we want them to look good too? For the longest time, we kept hearing one name mentioned from the mouths of brides whose grooms have looked sharp at their weddings - Street Tuxedo. We are really excited to shine our spotlight today on Street Tuxedo, a locally owned and operated tuxedo rental company whose goal is to make the wedding experience enjoyable and easy for your groom.
There are many reasons that I love Street Tuxedo (and invited them to be an ABG sponsor). They take care of Nashville couples. They have great inventory which is all available locally (so they can respond faster than places that have to order.) When you go to their stores, they take care of you like family because it's a family-operated business. They are accessible, with 3 Nashville-area locations: Cool Springs, Murfreesboro and Green Hills. Added bonus - If your groomsmen are not in Nashville, Street can also serve them - via their partners - from coast to coast. They should be your first stop for attire for your groom, groomsmen.
Company Name: Street Tuxedo
Website: http://streettuxedo.com
Locations: Cool Springs, Murfreesboro, Green Hills/Nashville
I love this photo by Joe Hendricks Photography. Disclaimer - this picture is from a real Nashville wedding not a party at Street Tuxedo, even though that would be one way to encourage him to go!
Ashley's Bride Guide goes one-on-one with Meghan (Murfreesboro location) of Street Tuxedo
Number of years in the business: 26
How did you get started in weddings? Mr. Street bought Kornman’s Department store in Madison, TN in 1984. He rented tuxedos there as well as sold mens clothes (jeans, underwear, etc.) He realized that a lot of the profit was coming from the tuxedo sales and rentals. So he decided to sell off all of the random men’s wear and focus solely on tuxedo sales and rentals. And here we are 26 years, 3 locations, and thousands of weddings later.
What do you like most about weddings? I love when the bride and grooms come in to pick out their tuxedos. The bride’s entourage watched her try on countless gowns now it is her turn to sit back, relax, and watch the groom model different looks until the perfect one is found. Another thing that we always enjoy is when all of the groomsmen and the groom come in to pick up their tuxedos. The camaraderie and fellowship with each other is so fun to watch. Everyone is so excited to be reunited for the happy occasion.
What’s your favorite wedding picture and why?
I love this picture because of the pure joy you see on both of their faces. They are a lovely couple.
What is your service philosophy? We have to remember that although we see multiple weddings done each weekend, the brides and grooms that come into our stores are doing this for the first time. And we have to stay excited and fresh about what we do. Each Groom has a different idea of what he wants to wear on his special day and we will try our best to help him find his perfect look!
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? First: We are family owned, therefore we care about what we do and treat our brides and grooms like family. Second: We have tuxedos in stock available for try-on. Why should your groom pick his tux out of a catalog? Third: We go above and beyond the call of duty when necessary (taking a set of studs and cuff links to the church just minutes before the wedding begins) Lastly, we have the largest selection of styles and colors in Middle Tennessee.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors? We work very closely with the ladies at The Bride Room and I think that the brides and grooms appreciate the convenience of the 2 stores being so close. We have so many photographer friends and wedding planners that we love working with that it is hard to narrow it down. I must say that the Nashville Wedding industry has some top notch vendors. Nashville brides are so lucky to have such fabulous people to choose from.
Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit? If we do not have what they are looking for then it must be something really off the wall so I usually recommend GOOGLE!!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends? I watch the awards shows - ESPY’s, Oscars, Globes. We may not always agree with what the celebs are wearing but they have a big influence on the current trends.
What trend do you love?
I love the grey tuxedo look…it is very versatile. It can be used in casual weddings as well as semi-formal weddings…and it looks great with all dress colors.
What trend do you hate? I don’t hate any of our tuxedos….but I am tired of BROWN! I have been there, done that….about a million times! We still get calls about brown tuxedos all the time.
Which trend are you glad to see go? Long tuxedo coats!!
Which trend are you sad is gone? I think the wedding industry has gotten away from formal weddings. We are seeing more and more neck ties, suits, even no coats at all. I miss the days of the ultra formal weddings…so classy.
What are your favorite wedding websites? I love to look at photographers blogs: Gray Photography, Kristyn Hogan, Jonathan Campbell, Evin Photography, Gambill Photography and of course Ashley’s Bride Guide!!
Neatest wedding find? Neatest wedding find is the new Fantastic Flipbooks, they were at a recent bridal show and after a long day of speaking with brides the Street Tuxedo crew went to their booth and made a flipbook, HILARIOUS!! It’s so much fun! Love this idea!
I KNOW! My niece loves the flipbooks. She makes me flip the books over and over. She likes the pictures and the nice breeze the flipped books provide on her face:).
For the platinum bride, what is the one thing you’ve always wanted to see? Being a tuxedo shop, we love when the bride and groom “make it formal”, meaning white tie and tails for the wedding party and all guests in tuxedos as well.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry? There are a few..COLOR! We have every color imaginable. Not everyone knows that you can also RENT SUITS, it’s not just tuxedos. Also, tuxedo shoes get a bad rap…the manufacturers have started making tux shoes more comfortable, we get compliments on the comfort all the time! Another misconception is if you have out-of-town groomsmen they can go get measured at any tuxedo shop across the country. It is a courtesy we all do for each other!
I'd also like to give a shout-out to Rachel Street (member of the Street family who serves grooms/brides at at the Green Hills location) who is engaged!! I love that her wedding will be intimate (15 people!) and all about what's important to her + her fiance. Kudos for sticking to your own priorities.
You can view more info on real Street Tuxedo weddings in our inspiration gallery or on their Grooms/Groomsmen Facebook photo page.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Attire & Accessories, Grooms1 comment »
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Very simple post today: If you have yet to hire your wedding photographer, you are luck! Here's a great one to check out: The Collection, a fabulous wedding company comprised of Krystal, Erin and Jessica. Visit their website and blog, then give them a call. If you book by 8/30 and mention ABG - you get a free iPad to display your wonderful wedding photos wherever you go!!
The Collection photographers are incredible but the iPad limited offer makes them even more delicious!
Call them asap and be sure to check with them regarding specific offer details.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Photography & Videography0 comments »
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Everyone is raving about Thistle Farms - from Opulent Couturier (who first mentioned the organization to me - thanks girl!) to The Thirty Something Bride, who visited Thistle with me and who shared her story on her blog today.
So why are we all in love with Thistle? Because Thistle Farms is a great Nashville non-profit that supports local women while offering great gifts for women, bridesmaids and wedding guests!
About Thistle Farms
Thistle Farms is a non-profit business for women who have survived lives of violence, prostitution and addiction. Thistle Farms creates bath and body products that are good for your body and that support and empower our sisters - from Nashville to Rwanda. All of the proceeds go directly to the women in the program for transitional living, counseling, job skills, etc. While based in Nashville (located on Charlotte Avenue), they are changing lives in our backyard and the entire world!
My Visit to Thistle Farms
To learn more about the group, I was invited to visit Thistle Farms, a day that was life transforming. The day started with a meditation session where the group of recovering drug addicts, prostitutes, visitors (like me, Tabitha, Louise and the Jonathon Campbell Photography crew), volunteers and staff shared life affirmations. Listening to their trials, experiences made us all realize that regardless of our backgrounds, our human story was the same - our lives were parallel and that self-love and survival are universal goals.
The topic of the day was secrets and how their existence keeps us imprisoned while our release frees us. After sharing my love story last month, I could totally relate. I could also relate to a group of women working together to raise one another, thereby raising humanity and the Nashville community specifically.
Pictured above: Carolyn (a Thistle Farms volunteer who invited ABG to visit) + wonderful survivors showing me how the products are made.
Words will not do my visit justice so I encourage you to 1) visit Thistle Farm yourself to learn more about the organization and unique opportunity to help other Nashvillians by introducing your church, girlfriends, fellow bloggers or out of town gift lovers to TF and 2) consider being a Thistle Farms bride/supporter!
5 ways to be a Thistle Farms Bride / Supporter!
1) Leave a comment, spread the word and we will donate!
The easiest way to support Thistle Farms is to leave a comment + spread the word! When you share today's post on Twitter or Facebook, ABG will donate $1 to Thistle Farms. How easy is that? Just share this post on Facebook or tweet the link and mention @weddinggirl and @thistlefarms and link to this article (here's the shorten link - http://bit.ly/beMN3W). Simple!
2) Purchase gift baskets for your bridal party, birthdays, new baby or any occasion where a fabulous gift is needed!
For the select few people you've invited to be a special part of your big day, consider personalized gift baskets from Thistle Farms. Filled with your choice of four fragrances (tuscan earth, citrus vanilla, lavender healing and tea tree mint), pick the size of basket filled with handmade bath and body products that fit your needs and pocketbook. Each basket will also contain a personal note from the bride and groom."
We loved this! it would be a great gift for your bridesmaid to pamper them during your hot summer Nashville wedding!
3) Give your wedding guests Thistle Farms favors - from lip balm to scented satchets
Thistle Farms Lip Balm is a perfect one to use at a wedding!...Pick from five scents of handmade lip balms (tuscan earth, citrus vanilla, lavender healing, tea tree mint, unscented – or let us choose a mix of scents), which will be attached to a keepsake postcard with the Bride & Groom’s names and wedding date."
4) Host a Thistle Farms bridal shower
Instead of a typical bridal shower, host a unique Thistle Farms Bridal Shower. Two of our trained employees will come to you, share their personal stories of hope, and tell you about our products. Sample our divine Body Polish...or smell our naturally fragrant candles. Celebrate your special day with women and products that truly say 'Love heals'.
3) Consider a {donation} wedding registry in lieu of gifts
Donating funds to a charity in lieu of giving guests favors is a very socially responsible and heartfelt way to thank your friends and family for sharing in your wedding. Thistle Farms will create a beautiful framed piece of artwork on thistle paper to let your guests know that a donation has been made in their name to the organization.
4) Buy every day products - from geranium spray (aka bug repellant) + candles to shower gel - to pamper yourself!
5) Volunteer and give of your time, love!!
AshleysBrideGuide.com is proud to support them and excited to share the many ways that EVERYONE can support this wonderful Nashville jewel. Special thanks to Carolyn Snell who is a wonderful person and the Thistle Farms volunteer who invited me to visit and to Jonathon Campbell Photography who took time out to not only capture my visit but to meditate + share this incredible experience.
Find out where you can pick up their awesome wedding products via their website or via their Thistle Farms wedding blog post.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Bridal Showers, Luncheons, Parties, Guests, Gifts & Favors, Inspiration & Trends9 comments »
