Your Bridal Bouquet: Find the Perfect Length with Help from Rhonda Patton Weddings + Events

Monday, September 10, 2012

We love bouquets, but we especially love when they are unique - which is a given when working with Rhonda of Rhonda Patton Weddings & Events, who can do both unique and traditional!  But did you know, beyond the flowers and such used to fill a bride's bouquet, there is another important element...the length of the stems. Rhonda wrote a blog addressing the issue of nosegay-style bouquet stems. According to Rhonda, the stems should be approximately 6 inches long or less with a great diameter; just long enough to hold and round enough for balance!

Read on to see what else Rhonda has to say and be sure you talk to your floral designer, or contact Rhonda if you haven't hired your designer...

Photo by Jamie Howell

From Rhonda: I cringe when I see a nosegay-styled bouquets with stems as long as a bat. I refer to them as "bat bouquets"

The Top 3 Reasons Bat Bouquets are Prohibited:

1. The nosegay bridal bouquet should compliment the bride's stature and not overshadow the bride or the dress.
As a florist, I must see you in person to size you up so that I can ensure your bouquet size compliments your stature.

2. The stems of the bouquet should not poke or pry the dress once held below the navel.
Rule of Thumb: Hold the bouquet below the navel. Tilt the bouquet vertically and horizontally and if the stems swipe, poke or pry your clothing then the stems are too long.

3. The end of the bouquet should have a clean cut and be free of thorns, protruding floral wire and debris. Long stems are permitted with pageant-styled bouquets. Nosegay and cascading bouquets typically have a stem length of less than 6 inches.

Left photo by Josh Reeder

Photos by Joshua Gull

Photos by Divine Images

All uncredited photos from Rhonda Patton's website and Facebook page.

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Florals, Details & Design 0 comments »

Bride Plans Perfect, Army Wedding in 3 Months and Donald Yeager Photography Captures it All

Friday, September 7, 2012

How do you plan a wedding in three months? With focus and a little wedding vendor knowledge to start. Emily planned her wedding quickly and definitively, but luckily she knew the work of Donald Yeager Photography and knew she wanted him to be her photographer. And she picked well!! Donald captured amazing photos of this downtown Nashville wedding with a lovely knod to the Army. We hope you enjoy all of their moments as much as we did.

Emily + Aaron
Wedding Date ~ April 7, 2012
Ceremony Venue ~ Woodmont Christian Church
Reception Venue ~ The Pinnacle at Symphony Place
Guests ~ 200

Budget

$10,000 - $20,000

Wedding Team

Wedding Coordinator | Suzanne Jeffers with Belle Events
Photographer | Donald Yeager Photography
Videographer | Tiff Canady -- long time friend of the bride’s family
Gown | Arzelle’s
Bride’s Accessories | Earrings: “something borrowed” from bride’s mother
Groom’s Attire / Groomsmen Attire | Army dress blues uniform
Bridesmaids Attire | Purchased online: Inweddingdress.com
Hair + Makeup | Unruli Salon
Stationery | Prim and Paper
Caterer | Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant
Cake Artist | The Bake Shoppe
Floral Designer | Franklin Flower & Gift Gallery
Ceremony Musicians | Church organist Michael Graham
Reception Musicians | Darnell Powell, DJ
Rentals | Southern Events
Lighting | Nashville Event Lighting
Transportation | Grand Avenue

My Wedding Details

How would you describe your style as a couple?

We are classic and fairly traditional with a touch of modern.

How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?

The ceremony was more traditional in a beautiful church and incorporated Army traditions such as the saber guard ceremony. Our color scheme was a classic spring palate of purple and green. The reception was both modern and romantic, located in a high rise building in downtown Nashville with beautiful skyline views.

What was your guests’ favorite aspect of your wedding?

Everyone loved the overall atmosphere at the reception. The lighting, music, and high energy dancing with the amazing views of Nashville really made it a fun and special celebration!

What drew you to choose Donald Yeager as your photographer over everyone else? Did you enjoy working with him?

Donald was my sister’s photographer for her wedding, and I loved her pictures so much that I knew I wanted him to be my photographer as well. I loved working with Donald! He captured every part of the entire wedding day, but more importantly he was so fun to work with and added to the joy of the day.

Did his photos really make a difference in capturing the memory of your wedding day?

Absolutely! Donald captured emotions on Aaron’s and my face that were real and genuine, instead of so many posed pictures that other photographers focus on. To me those candid pictures are what make the memory of our wedding day so special.

What do you value most from choosing to hire Donald Yeager Photography?

Donald provided all day photography without being overpriced, and now I have hundreds of beautiful wedding photos that are frame-worthy. I don’t think I could have found anyone better!

Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?

I splurged on the wedding reception site (The Pinnacle) because it was such a unique high-rise location with amazing views of Nashville, and we were able to make it work within our budget.

A couple of DIY projects we did were assembling the favors and the silverware set-up (napkin folding and ribbon tying) ourselves.

Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?

I really don’t have any regrets looking back at the planning process. We had a short engagement, only three months long, so I had to be quick to make decisions and really know what would make my wedding day “perfect.” I am typically an indecisive person, so the shorter time frame allowed me to focus on what was most important and not spend too much time worrying about insignificant details.

In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?

If you don’t have a wedding planner, get a wedding coordinator for the last couple of months because they will make everything including your wedding day stress free!

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings0 comments »

Eat, Wed and Be Weary?  Health Scores Are As Important When You Wed as When You Dine

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Those bright, yellow signs at restaurants always catch my eye because I want to make sure that I dine at restaurants committed to the proper handling of what they serve me.The health code signs are required to be posted for the public and include all of the things that a restaurant has done correctly or incorrectly to ensure your food is safe to eat.

What you may not know is that when you hire your cake artist and wedding caterer, you should also be asking for their health code score. After all, you are hiring them to feed your 200 closest friends and family and it's your job to keep them safe.  

Vicki of Signature Cakes by Vicki is a Nashville cake artist that has a 100 health code score! This is not an easy feat, but it does show that Vicki and her staff not only make great looking and tasting cakes but they are also made in a way to minimize health issues for your guests.  

We reached out to Vicki, who is an authority on the subject, to learn more about her health score and also discuss what you, as a bride or groom, might want to consider as you hire a cake/catering professional.

What does it mean to get a score of 100 from the Tennessee Department of Health?

A score of 100 is very hard to receive and maintain. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “you have to have all your “I’s” dotted and your “T’s” crossed.” Besides having to be immaculately clean, you know eat off the floor clean, you have to know and perform every rule of law according to the Tennessee Department of Health. And believe me, there are a plethora of rules! Here’s an example of the kind of attention to detail that the health inspectors are notorious for.

The first time I was inspected in my new bakery before we opened, the health inspector asked me, “Do you wash your pans and utensils from left to right or right to left.” I looked at the triple sink and thought to myself, obviously there’s a right answer here. In all my years of working in commercial kitchens, that was a new one on me. I replied, “I know that there is a correct way, would you please instruct me.” She replied, “Since your hand washing sink is on the left next to the triple sink, you must wash from left to right. That will put your dirty utensils on the left. That means that if you have any splash and contamination from washing your hands, it will splash on to dirty equipment, not clean utensils. The clean utensils will be all the way to the right side sink board.”

There are rules for storage. There are rules for materials that cabinets and counters are made from and coated with. There are rules for temperature for the refrigerators and temperature of the water. There are even rules about what type of light bulbs you are allowed to put in the fixtures. That very first inspection I received a 99 instead of a 100 because my broom’s bristles were touching the floor and the rule of law is that the broom must be upside down, bristles up. Since then our score has been 100 four inspections running or 2 years.

How many cake professionals are typically this highly regarded?

It is very difficult to receive a 100 and even more difficult to maintain it - there are few who do. I suggest that brides and grooms ask to see the current inspection report that should be posted in every bakery. If they do not see it, they can log on to the Tennessee Department of Health website (dogwood.healthspace.com/tdh) and put in the name of the bakery/restaurant to see the history of their scores. If you cannot find the bakery in question, ask the bakery what name is on their license/permit.

A lot of brides consider family friends or casual bakers versus professionals to do their wedding cake. But, these folks do not have a health score. What does this impact?  Why does it matter that a bride hire a cake artist have a health score?

Health scores are provided by the Tennessee Department of Health to protect and inform the public.  Could your family, friends or cake amateur do a good job?  Possibly, but the standards set by the health department are in place to protect the public from bacteria, germs and disease.  For instance, we are provided with a disclaimer issued by the health department that each staff member must sign.  It requires each worker to STAY HOME if they are sick.  They make the commitment to do that and the owner of the company expects them to abide by it.  That is just one example of providing a safe envirnonment for the production of your wedding cake.

Do pros usually have sort of liability insurance when it comes to maybe food poisoning or other things that might impact the health of their guests?

Yes they should and usually do.  We do.  It is not required by the State but is required by certain professional organizations like TWESA.  

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Cakes & Food0 comments »

Regalo Design Takes Alabama Style to Belle Meade Mansion

Friday, August 31, 2012

Regalo Design featured one of their amazing wedding on their blog (here) and we decided to reshare with you for your weekend delight. 

From Regalo:
"The couple, both from Alabama, picked the perfect spring day for an outdoor wedding at the historic site. Jessie wanted a vintage classic feel for their wedding day, with lots of green and white with champagne for an accent. We achieved this with cream linens and champagne overlays, beautiful hydrangea, roses, and greenery for their flowers, old wooden crates for decor, and a tin for the groom’s cokes that sat beside the head table."

Jessie + Chris
Wedding Date ~ April 20, 2012
Ceremony + Reception Venue ~ Belle Meade Plantation

Planner, Flowers, & Decor | Regalo Design
Catering | Ribbons of Chocolate
Lighting | Nashville Event Lighting
Ceremony Music | Silver Strings
Band | II Da Maxx
Rentals | Southern Events
Photographer | Hollis Photography
Tent | Nashville Tent and Awning
Videographer | Andrew Reed
Transportation | Grand Avenue
Cake | Cakes by Rebecca
Hair | Korie Bernard
Parking | Parking Management Company
Bartender | Julie’s Bartending Service

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings0 comments »