Have you visited this little gem? It is boasts a modern atmosphere with fun, popular music pumped in through the speakers and bright, energetic colors that help to brighten any mood. If you are bride that wants to be remembered and has many unique aspects planned for your big day, I recommend this facility. They have different, versatile spaces [both inside and outside] that can be used for any sort of occasion - like a bridal shower! [If interested, contact Kristin McBryde at 615.435.8700.]

Monell’s / Lillie Belle’s

One of my friends had her bridal luncheon here a little over a year ago. If you are a bride that plans on having a soft, vintage wedding, this would be a great venue choice for you and your bridal party. It is an old English style house that has been renovated into a tea room. It definitely has a lot of down South charm too. Whether you are having a small gathering or a large one, this facility is equipped to handle it all.  And, if by chance you are looking for other locations for parts of your wedding festivities, they are able to accommodate that as well! Be sure to take a look this this sweet little treasure.

 
The Palm

If you are a downtown bride who likes all things fancy and classy, then this is the place for you.  This venue screams elegance and formality. It’s a place everyone is familiar with, even if they have never been there. My favorite part of it all is the cartoon drawings of all the regulars from the past 80 years. What a great conversation starter or game to play with your favorite ladies (and gentlemen).

Mere Bulles

Can’t make up your mind? Why not try a combination of all three? Mere Bulles has just about everything a girl could dream of for her bridal shower. There are many private rooms in which to hold your shower, and each have their own unique flair which is sure to jive with your wedding vibes and ideals. If the photo and room variety don’t convince you, then I’m sure the Southern charm will. The plantation/antebellum mansion feel is enough drive any Southern bride to their establishment. And, if you happen to need a little more visual stimulation for this venue, check out the virtual tour provided by Dynamic Video.

When we asked others in the Nashville bridal community for their favorite bridal shower venues, here were some of the responses:

@TnBellaWeddings to @weddinggirl: …Don’t forget Cabana! It’s loud & hip w/great drinks & delicious food! And for a less noisy party the room in back is great.
@RhondaHendricks to @weddinggirl: Hotel Indigo

@SwizzleEvents to @weddinggirl: For a trendy/contemporary bridal shower, I love Virago’s. Delicious sushi and awesome lounge seating.

@HartzPhotograph to @weddinggirl: What about Arrington Vineyard, low key, beautiful, great wine and you can bring your own food or have it catered in!

@dandyLionevents to @weddinggirl: rumours east! chic, rustic, chill.

Cakes by Shara says: “Gaylord Opryland Hotel,Hermitage Golf has beautiful room you can rent for showers plus on site catering. Mambu has little rooms that might be cool for a shower, Sambuca has a upstairs room as well as The Acorn that are really nice for private parties. The Park Cafe is nice too. Chappy’s, Miro, The Pfunky Griddle, You can also rent out the Big Bad Wolf Smokehouse grill for a shower some of the best smoked meats I have ever had!”

Dynamic Video says: “…CJ’s off the Square for a bigger reherseal.  Have one at Tayst next weekend should be yummy”

Jennifer Edwards Milam of Reveal Events adds: “Loaga (low-sha, not sure how to spell that) in the Cheekwood Mansion, Southhall Eden Farm, Hermitage Hotel Veranda, Belle at Bell Meade, Tent in any park are the first that come to mind:)”

Ashley adds - if you have a small bridal shower, Hutton Hotel has a great private room, seats 15-20.  No fee - just food and drinks for your intimate crowd.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have an enjoyable bridal shower.  Oh - some of these venues would also work for a rehearsal dinner location.

Have fun planning, ladies!

Every so often there comes a trend where you just have to stop and stare in awe. Some times you stop and stare because you can’t believe someone did that. And, some times you stop and stare because you love it and want it in your wedding!

At Weddings: The Bridal Show, I had one of those moments, and it was fabulous.  But I was warned.

Ashley had told me before the show, “be sure to check out The Bake Shoppe” and I’m glad I did. They’d worked with Arzelle’s Bridal to find the five most popular wedding dresses.  From there, The Bake Shopped used the gowns for inspiration to give Nashville brides and idea of how you can take your dream gown and use it to inspire your wedding cake!

We got the exclusive and are elated to share the entire, delicious process with you - from the gown and the sketch - to the final, inspired cake.

First up - An Alvina Valenta bridal gown (Style # 9609).  This gown is perfect for the bride who wants to add drama to her wedding. It is ideal for a night wedding with candlelight surrounding the bride and her groom. The sash is a perfect touch to add just the tiniest bit of romance.

In the sketch below, you can see how the cake designer picked the sash as the focal point. It drapes down the cake just as the sash drapes down the dress.

You’ve seen the dress and the design; now, see the final product. It is a beautiful cake that accents the high point of the dress without overtly pointing it out!  How incredible!!  I’m still in awe.

Next - The Cotton Bride by Chris Kole bridal gown (Style # B1047). This gown is fitting for an outdoor setting in the summer. It is made with a light fabric and would be quite comfortable on your big day. No need to worry about “glistening” {since we fine Southern ladies do not sweat}.

There is no sketch to go with this gown/cake transformation, but you really don’t need one with it anyway. You can see which detail the designers chose to showcase, which is the intricate pattern. With the cake, they used soft spring color hues that would look lovely at an outdoor wedding.

Then - a Watters & Watters bridal gown (Style Positan0). This gown is for the pure bride who dreams of the simple and beautiful. This gown makes a statement but isn’t overwhelming. It is a perfect destination wedding gown.

For the cake, the designers chose to highlight the intricate details throughout the dress. The centerpiece of the cake is definitely the simplicity of the design.

After seeing the dress and the cake design, you will not be surprised to see the end result. The designers took their time and really thought about how to make it all flow together just like the pattern on the dress flows.

Check back tomorrow to see the other two cakes. You won’t want to miss them!

Today’s blog was written by Cassandra, an ABG bridal blogger.  She is also a Nashville bride-to-be and writes from her unique perspective!  Read more about Cassandra’s here.  

There are many different kinds of photographers in the wedding world. Some have been married; some have not. Some have been in the business for awhile; some have not. No matter who you choose, you should pick someone that you trust and can get along with.

Kristyn Hogan is one of those photographers. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Weddings: The Bridal Show on January 17th. Not only does she take beautiful photographs, but she is a joy to talk with as well. And, if you have been drooling over our ad in HER Nashville, Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer provided the stunning wedding images for the collage.

Kristyn is a lifestyle and documentary wedding photographer capturing the story of fabulous weddings in Nashville and around the world. She has been involved in art since she was a little girl. “When I was 9 years old I picked up a camera and fell completely in love. I even dressed my 3 year old baby brother up in a suit, wrapped a white sheet around the neighbor girl, and took them into the backyard to take their ‘wedding photos‘.” Now, that sounds like true passion to me!

Kristyn loves weddings. She especially loves capturing moments in a life that will be cherished forever with generations to come. “I love creating art out of life. I love stopping motion and holding onto it forever.”

Vendor Spotlight: KRISTYN HOGAN lifestyle photographer

How did you get started in weddings?
I picked up a camera when I was about 10 years old and never put it down. A friend asked me to photograph their wedding when I was 18 years old, and 6 years later, I just never stopped! Since then I’ve photographed over 100 weddings all over the world from Nashville to Iowa to the Caribbean.

What do you like most about weddings?

I am a photojournalist and a romantic at heart so weddings are really the perfect place for me to be, capturing real moments and real love, weddings are just full of them!

What’s your favorite wedding pic and why?

This is such a hard question! Even narrowing it down to 15 drives my husband nuts because I can never decide! So today I’m going to pick 2. I love these because they are at the core of what I’m about, capturing emotion and moments on a wedding day.

I love this first because it tells such a strong story of the bond between this bride and her friends. I feel such a strong connection to all these girls because later the maid of honor crying here as she watches her best friend say her vows became one of my brides as well and I was able to experience as they all celebrated again on her day!

I love this photo because of the joy and spontaneity of the moment. This was my 2009 Hurricane Ida wedding that I shot in Mexico and on their day after photo shoot we ran to the beach during a break in the rain and before I even had a chance to do anything the groom picked up his bride and ran her into the ocean. You can’t pose moments like that.
 

What is your service philosophy?

Tell the story. And tell it well!

What are your strengths compared to others in your category?  / Why should a bride hire you?

I am consistently inspired and moved by the people that I photograph and feel so blessed to be given the once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph a woman’s wedding day.  To me, that is such a high honor.

Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?

Nashville is truly like no other place I’ve been in that we are teeming with amazing people serving the wedding industry and I have so many friends that I am blessed to work with! Hillary at Brocade is magnificent. For wedding planning, I don’t think you can find better than Mary Alice from A Delightful Day and Kristin from Simply Stunning Events. 2Duce2 rocks it in the cinematic videography house. And lastly, I’ll defer to my favorite source for Nashville vendors, read below.

Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit?
I am blessed to be a part of the amazing StudioWed Nashville which is filled with amazing hearts in the Nashville wedding industry. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of us.

What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?

Well, I’m not going to lie, I have seen every episode of Say Yes to the Dress. What can I say, I’m a sucker for wedding dresses! But to inspire my work, truly, I watch people. I don’t necessarily want to capture the trend, I want to capture the real moments that are timeless and true and will be cherished forever. And there is no inspiration like the inspiration of the people I photograph.

Let’s discuss current wedding trends -

What trend do you love?

Infusing a wedding with the couple. I love when a wedding day reflects the bride and groom and things aren’t done just because a wedding is “supposed” to look or be a certain way. Oh, and I love when brides wear fun colored shoes!

What trend do you hate?

I’m not a big fan of the tradition that family photos have to be stiff and on the altar. Does anyone ever actually like the way those look? I completely love doing family photos and I love when brides want relaxed portraits with their family in a location that is actually nice for pictures. And 10 times out of 10, even traditional grandma ends up loving them.

Past trends -

Trend I’m glad is gone?

The 80’s . Source: Google Images.

Trend I’m sad is gone?

Ancient times when the groom had to protect his bride by fending off attackers on horseback? That could be interesting to photograph   Source: Google Images.

What are your favorite wedding websites? / Neatest wedding find?
It’s amazing how many online resources we have today for planning weddings. Even when I got married 2 ½ years ago there weren’t nearly as many as there are today. A few that I have enjoyed recently: Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, The Bride’s Café, and Etsy for all sorts of amazing finds!

Advice for brides?
Have fun, put as much emphasis on your upcoming marriage as on the planning of the wedding and hire a wedding planner, trust me, you’ll need one! Oh, and hire an awesome photographer : )

Today’s blog was written by Cassandra, ABG’s newest bridal blogger.  She is also a Nashville bride-to-be and writes from her unique perspective!  Read more about Cassandra’s here.