A few months ago, I had the incredible opportunity to work with Jim of VidSigs. He was referred to me by Chef's Market and after I saw his amazing video on The CupCake Collection (whose cupcakes and story I LOVE) I couldnt wait to work with him.
I went to his house and chatted for an hour about my love for Nashville weddings, brides, wedding pros and the result was this spectacular video that tells a little about me. I really like Jim's unique ability to weave my story together while letting my personality shine.
Here's my video...
Capture your story...
Jim believes that engaged couples should have a fabulous AUTHENTIC engagement video - timeless enough to cherish forever, practical enough to share with friends as a save-the-date at your rehearsal dinner or wedding reception.
Jim's got a great way of pulling out key details of your story and keeping you comfortable enough to speak freely. My session was actually fun! What I like most is Jim did 7 modifications (yes 7) until I was completely satisfied with the end product.
HOW TO WIN YOUR "LOVE STORY" ENGAGEMENT VIDEO!
Email me by October Oct 29and tell me your love story - how you met, knew he/she was the one. Your entry doesn't have to be long, just tell your story in less than 300 words. Easy.
You must live in the metro-Nashville area and have your video shot by December 1.
I consider Amber of Lotus Blossom Photography a local DIY wedding expert. She often shares Tips for Brides, including an occasional Money Saving Money series designed to help brides everywhere save money without sacrificing their dream wedding. DIY brides love Amber because she's knowledgeable but also a terrific wedding photographer!
A few weeks ago, she featured Amanda and Ben's DIY wedding on her blog that I thought was great! It featured all of the elements that I love about a DIY wedding - personal style, crafty projects and out of the box creativity. What I appealed most to me was the couple's wedding color palette -sunshine yellow and fresh blue, their down-home lemonade beverage bar and their signage.
If you are a DIY bride or simply seeking unique ideas for your wedding, I hope theirs will inspire you to add your own signature to every aspect of your wedding.
When we had our Sex and the City 2 party in May, we worked with a team of phenomenal planners, one of whom was Amy Thomas who owns Swizzle Events. She is such a thinker, anticipates your needs and makes sure you are taken care of. Plus, she is quite a creative visionary and has come up with some beautiful events and concept shoots. I would absolutely trust my wedding to her and I don't make too many out right endorsements. But, I am 100% confident in her ability to execute. She is the type of planner you want to help you plan a beautiful wedding but also be directing your day in the event it rains and you have to change ALL of your plans.
One thing that stands out the most about my experience working with Amy is that she is so tactful and logical. I can sometimes get overwhelmed, with a challenging vendor or situation. Not Amy! She's the calm one who can help me see beyond my mini-crisis. Here's more about Amy...
Meet Swizzle Events...Wedding Planner + A Bride's Best Friend!
Number of years in the business
Almost 9 (6 years in corporate & 2½ as a business owner)
How did you get started in weddings?
I actually began my special events career in the coroprate world and gradually began to plan weddings for friends and friends of friends. It was a natural progression since I use many of the same skills to plan both corporate events and weddings.
What do you like most about weddings?
My favorite moment of a wedding is the «first glance» when a groom sees his beautiful bride on their wedding day. Love it! I also love creating the design concept for weddings. I have so much fun pulling together all the colors, flowers, and that special touch that makes the bride say «Wow!»
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why?
I love this photo of an outdoor wedding. It's full of southern charm. The quintissential backyard ceremony.
What is your service philosophy?
I believe that it is important to strive for creative excellence and bring integrity to all of my work. As a small business, I want to give each client a personal, yet professional planning experience. A wedding or special occasion is a defining moment in your life that calls for an unforgettable celebration. My team and I will help you make the most of that moment by keeping the planning process organized and creative.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category and why should a bride hire you?
First, and foremost, I am a consummate professional. Regardless of the budget or size of the wedding, every client deserves my full attention, and they get it! I am also very organized and leave no detail behind. And, I believe that I am a very creative and resourceful person.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?
This is a tough question! Nashville has a wealth of wedding vendors! Here are five favorites (in no particular order): Nashville Event Lighting, Blue Nova Design, Jonathon Campbell Photography, Designs in Paper, and it's a tie between Allison at Classic Party Rental and Peter at Music City Tents.
Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit?
Emily at Simpy Yours Weddings or Susan & April at Defining Moments
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?
Well, I'm a huge blog junkie anything from the big standards to the quirky. I love Green Wedding Shoes, Snippet & Ink, Southern Weddings Magazine (the blog), Flights of Fancy, Style Notes. And, Ashley's Bride Guide, of course! The list goes on and on. I also like the magazines but to be honest, I look at them for the eye candy and don't really use them as a planning tool. My favorite wed mag is hands- down Real Simple Weddings.
What trend do you love? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE dessert tables! I love how they can be styled as chic and sophisticated or fun and whimsical. And, who doesn't love a good dessert? Even better, let's just fill an entire table with delicious little bites of yumminess.
You've got to see this wedding inspiration shoot conceptualized and styled by Amy and her team of wedding pros. Photographed by Jonathon Campbell Photography.
Is there a trend that you hate?
Well, I can't say that I hate this one, but I don't really see the practicality in having two wedding dresses. I know, for a platinum wedding, it's just part of the glamour. But really, for many brides, it's just an expense that isn't really in the budget.
What about a trend that you are glad to see go?
Fondant wedding cakes – while it's not officially gone, I have seen a resurgence of buttercream. Hallelujah! Icing that actually tastes good enough to eat.
Is there a trend that you are sad is gone?
I like change, so it doesn't really sadden me to see a trend fade to the background. And really, if a bride truly loves something, it usually gets worked into the plan somewhere regardless of the trends.
What would be doing if you did not work in weddings?
I would be a photographer, not necessarily a wedding or lifestyle photographer. I'd just like to create beautiful art.
Where can we find you if you’re not working with a bride?
Driving a minivan full of kids and baseball equipment. I spend a lot of time driving my kids from school, to baseball, to cubscouts, to playdates . . .
Why do I love McCoy Made? I'm drawn to their photography style - timeless, vibrant, full of life, eye-popping colors, pics that make you smile and swoon:). I would hire them in a heartbeat. Plus, Noelle is a sweetheart and Mark is hilarious. I enjoy hanging out with them, which is what you want in a photographer, a team can be thrown in (and fit) with your family, friends. You gotta be comfortable with who you hire. Are they competent? Check. Do you connect? Check. Alll systems a go!
With backgrounds in design and architecture, photographer duo Mark & Noelle McCoy use their visual prowess to take beautiful pictures of weddings. Each shot tells a picture, every significant detail is captured for the couples to forever look back on, and I completely respect how they believe in creating a relationship with their clients to properly portray each subject's personality.
If you've not met the McCoy crew, read my interview with them below. I know you'll love the pics. And, if it's your wedding style, you should definitely give them a call and see if you connect with them.
Meet McCoy Made Main Contact: Mark and Noelle McCoy
Website: http://www.mccoymade.com/ Studio#: 615.435.3711
Email: markandnoelle at mccoymade.com
Twitter: @mccoymade
How fabulous is this picture? Wow, wow!
How did you get started in weddings?
Photography had been a hobby for us for years. We actually learned back in the film days on a 35mm camera, shooting black and white film and developing it ourselves! After shooting a friends wedding as a favor, we were hooked and have been moving forward full speed ever since.
What do you like most about weddings?
The people we get to meet! We are honored that people choose us to be the two people they spend the most time with on their wedding day. And we don’t take that lightly.
We pour our hearts into creating an artistic collection of images that document a couples wedding celebration, and at the end of the day it is our goal to make people happy with what we do.
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why?
Oh my gosh! Really? We can only pick one?!?! Ok. We’re going to pick this image as our favorite for today. What we love about it, is that it tells the entire story of the love a father has for his daughter as he prepares to give her away. This father walked down the long porch, with his eyes closed nearly the entire time, taking deep breaths, thinking about how much he loved his little girl. The bride’s eyes were filled with tears as she clung to her dad, knowing that she was moving forward into a new chapter of life. We loved this moment.
What is your service philosophy?
Open communication, laughter and honesty. We believe that every client is a potential friend, and now some of our close friends were first strangers that hired us and trusted us to photograph their wedding. We know that people will feel more relaxed in front of our camera if they look at us as trustworthy friends behind the camera!
What are your strengths compared to other photographers?
Probably one of our biggest strengths is that Mark and I are a team! We can shoot the exact same moments from two different angles, resulting it two totally different images.
Who are your favorite Nashville wedding vendors?
Ashley’s Bride Guide (of course!)! ABG is SUCH a great resource for Nashville brides, I always recommend it to the girls we meet. We also LOVE working with the ladies over at Nashville Event Spaces, and Hillary with Brocade Designs does a fabulous job. There are so many amazing Nashville vendors, it’s hard to choose just a few!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?
Ashley’s Bride Guide and Southern Weddings (swsmag.com) are great resources for girls in the south. After that, perusing the pages of Grace Ormond, or style magazines like Vanity Fair and Martha Stewart.
Is there a wedding trend that you love?
The first glance, where a bride chooses to see her groom before the ceremony. We see more and more couples doing this, and it is FABULOUS. It’s incredibly romantic and intimate. Plus, it allows a lot of relaxed time for portraits so that after the ceremony everyone can let the celebrating begin!
What advice would you give to brides on the wedding planning process in general?
I would say, hire a great coordinator. He or she will be worth their weight in gold! When it comes to choosing your photographer, be sure that you connect with their work and with them as people first! Second, look at the packages they have to offer. Because if you’re not totally in love with your images, a bigger album at a cheaper price isn’t going to be the heirloom album you’ll look forward to enjoying for years to come. And remember, your photographers will not only be with you all day on your wedding, but you will be working with them for months after your wedding creating your album and wall art. So, being sure your personalities click is important!
There are more stunning pictures on the McCoy Made Blog. Definitely visit their website and give Mark & Noelle a call if you're in need of a photographer for your engagement session or your wedding and let them know you learned about them on Ashley's Bride Guide!
Did you know there NASHVILLE WEDDING VENDORS with F RATINGS with the Better Business Bureau!
No pretty pics in todays post - but hopefully my simple message will save you stress and money. I hear nightmare wedding stories about unprofessional wedding vendors ALL the time. Many are well known companies that you see everywhere and have great pictures/designs. But everything isnt as it seems.
As you plan your wedding, it is important that you hire the very best vendors that your money can buy - from a professionalism, creativity and value standpoint. Many consumers, including myself, have hired unscrupulous businesses and it's never any fun to lose your money or be treated unkindly. When I got married, there were no websites like ABG or WeddingWire to help with reviews or local guidance. I hired a wedding videographer who didn't deliver as promised and wouldn't take responsibility for his mistakes. He was rude and I did the best I could to resolve the matter but made sure I let the Better Business Buereau know so that other brides could be on alert.
I recently had another run in with a HORRIBLE carpet cleaning company and am taking steps to 1) recover my costs and 2) submit reviews so that others can be warned. However, what good is submiiting reviews if no one researches a company before they hire? That was my mistake - I was moving too fast, needed their services asap and didnt take time to call around to find a better company. The carpet mishire wasnt nearly as emotional as the wedding videographer because wedding planning is a lot more emotional in general and anything goes wrong leaves a lasting bad taste.
Don't hire bad wedding vendors!
You can hire great wedding vendors. Here are some quick tips that I recommend as you hire EACH wedding vendors.
1) Start by vending local wedding resources via ABG, your wedding planner, friends,, online, bridal shows, referrals, etc.
2) Before you make a call to them, check the BBB immediately!! Search for the business using advance search by wedding categories or search by business name.
3) If they are not listed on the BBB or have a A rating - great! But, there are a few more steps.
4) Spend time googling them - see if brides/bloggers are talking about them positively/negatively. Positive comments? Proceed!
5) Schedule a meeting - get to know them - do you like them? Do they seem honest? Do you get a good vibe? Are they a good marriage of what you want/need vs just being the cheapest? Yes - Keep them on the list.
6) Then, check their website - are they on Twitter or Facebook? Great! Read their communications - go back a few weeks or months even. Follow them. Are they consistent with their personality or do they present one face to you and another (bashing their brides) on Twitter?
7) Are they connected, well liked by others in the Nashville wedding community? If they aren't connected to other wedding vendors and no one is talking about them - that doesnt mean they aren't a great vendor BUT it could mean there is less accountabiity. What's that mean? If someone is well connected in the Nashville wedding community aka has friends and a reputation, they are less likely to mire their image/brand and will be more likely to work with you to resolve any issues. Again, this isnt always the case but sometimes vendors with an established name on the line will work harder to keep that good name.
8) When in doubt, always know that you can contact ABG. We have worked with some great wedding vendors and some not so great ones. We won't tell you not to hire a vendor BUT we will strongly recommend others. READ BETWEEN THE LINES!
Working with a bad vendor already?
If you are having problems with a vendor you've already hired, document your issues via email conversation/certified mail. Work productively to resolve the manner. No one is perfect; it's all about how the company works with you to resolve the issue. That's what counts in the end. Please be fair. Make your concerns/issues known and give them time to satisfy you.
If you can not resolve the problem, contact your credit card company and initiate a dispute. (Always pay with a credit card when you can for this reason.) Submit a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Then, post reviews on ABG, WeddingWire, facebook (if they have a page), etc. ABG will pull any advertiser from our website with 3 negative written reviews from brides.
I hope these tips will save your sanity! You don't need unnecessary stress as you plan your wedding but bad hiring happens to all of us. Be proactive and you'll be fine!
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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