Thursday, September 9, 2010
Every month is a great way to visit StudioWed Nashville, especially if you need help planning your wedding! From helpful workshops to intimate vendor showcases, there's always someone there to help you every step of the way.
This month is no different. StudioWed has another themed Open House in store for you, plus a super giveaway! Here's the scoop:
StudioWed's September Open House: An Opportunity to Meet Nashville Videographers One-on-One
Join Mary Alice and Leigh and their team of videographers at the StudioWed Videographer Open House on September 14th. The Open House is from 6 p.m. till 8 p.m. and will feature some of Nashville's top videographers. This is your chance to get to know the creative forces behind FocalPoint Cinematic and McNeal Wedding Films.
Specially for brides who attend the Open House, if you book one of StudioWed's videographers either that night or by September 28th, you will receive a $200 credit for additional upgrades to the package of your choosing. RSVP here to attend the Open House. Here's a taste of their videography skills.
FocalPoint Cinematic Weddings on Vimeo.
McNeal Video on Vimeo.
Bride Emergency Kit Giveaway
All Nashville brides who visit StudioWed this month will be entered to win this awesome Bride's Emergency Kit by My Mojuba (Mymojuba.com), which contains everything you could possibly need on your big day to avoid any of those snafu's or wardrobe malfunctions.
For details on how you can win this emergency kit, check out StudioWed's Blog.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Bridal Shows & Events
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Some brides tend to not make hair and makeup a huge priority in the wedding planning process - I know I didn't. But boy am I glad I squeezed out the extra money to get my makeup done by someone other than myself because it was well worth it. Your face is going to be photographed from all angles, all day long both from a distance and close up. While it's not a huge expense, professional makeup can be a neglected detail and I encourage you to really do your research and find a great makeup artist.
My interview today with Amy Lynn Larwig will help you jumpstart your search for a bridal makeup artist. I've seen girls who have had their makeup done by Amy, brides of all skin tones and hair color and they all have, without fail, looked spectacular. Let's get to know her a little better, and be sure to check out her portfolio video at the end of the post!
Nashville Wedding Resource Spotlight: Amy Lynn Larwig
Pictured: The famous Amy Lynn; Photo by Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer
Picture courtesy of Daniel Meigs Photography (DanielMeigs.com)
Number of years as makeup artist: 8.5 years
How did you get started in weddings? By accident. I didn’t want to do weddings originally. But I got asked by some photographer friends of mine, so I tried it out and kinda fell in love.
Picture courtesy of Gregory Byerline (GregoryByerline.com)
What do you like most about weddings? Everyone is happy! It’s a fun occasion and I’m around during the girly time, so the mood tends to be light.
What’s your favorite wedding picture and why?
The first part of my promo video showcases a bridal shoot I did with Chris & Adrienne Scott. I loved this shoot. The bride has such a presence. She let me have free range to do what I wanted, so I pulled her hair back to keep it simple and easy to maintain. And added some silver shimmer to her lids to really light up those blue eyes. A soft pink lip and cheek kept the look romantic and fresh.
Picture courtesy of Chris & Adrienne Scott (ChrisandAdrienneScott.com)
What is your service philosophy? I create clean, modern looks that fit you. Each face I work on is personalized and made to fit your unique style.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? What sets me apart from other vendors, is the attention to detail. Before a brush even touches your face, a ton of questions about your skin, makeup routine, and wedding have to be answered. All these elements are pulled together to customize a look. Each high end product used has been tested personally by me and is applied with the utmost precision. Once the look is complete and you feel great in it, it’s all written down on a face chart and pictures are taken to ensure continuity on wedding day. There are other details included to make sure the beauty portion of your day is an experience, not just a task.
Picture courtesy of Evan Baines Photography (EvanBaines.com)
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors?
Chris & Adrienne Scott (ChrisandAdrienneScott.com) - This couple not only creates images that will melt you, but they are an absolute joy to be around. They make the experience such fun and really pull YOU out.
StudioWed - Technically, not a vendor, but a tremendous resource for brides and a great place to meet and talk about your wedding.
Chef’s Market - By far, the most amazing catering in Nashville. Beautiful food, and everything is delicious. They really take the time to build the perfect meal for your event and tastes.
The Bride Room (thebrideroom.com) - These women make each bride feel as if her day is the most important one ever. They get to know their brides individually and are so super sweet.
CJs Off The Square - A beautiful venue that makes planning your wedding a complete breeze. Amy and CJ are great listeners that take into account every detail of your dream day. They are super organized and definitely know how to get things done.
Picture courtesy of Zach Goodyear Photography (ZachGoodyearPhotography.com)
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends? I read the local wedding blogs. I also keep up with fashion magazines to see the upcoming trends. Zink is probably my favorite mag for fashion/ makeup.
Is there a wedding trend that you love? Casual, fresh looks. Loose tousled hair and clean, young makeup. Lots of pinks on the cheeks, bright eyes, and soft lips.
Photo Courtesy of Evoke Photography
Which wedding trend are you tired of seeing? The vintage thing. Red lips are pretty, but they tend to be hard to maintain. Especially during, “You may kiss the bride”.
Is there a trend that you are glad is gone? In the words of a hairstylist friend of mine, “Deep fried updo’s” Crunchy curls pinned up prom style.
Pictures courtesy of Google.com
Which trend are you sad to see leave the scene? A lot of brides are letting go of false lashes, which breaks my heart. I think even the most natural pair just give such an “umph!” and everyone looks good in them.
Photo courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photoraphy
What are your favorite wedding websites? I'm really jamming on custom made hair pieces. They are a fun way to add some pizzaz to your wedding ensemble. Anything by Jessica Frame (HeadlineofFluffandFringe.com)
Custom headpieces by Jessica Frame. Pictures courtesy of Chris & Adrienne Scott
Etsy has some great stuff too, such as Bridal Couture - etsy.com/shop/bridalcouture or Tallulah Opal (etsy.com/shop/TallulahOpal)
What advice would you give to brides on the wedding planning process in general? “It’s just not that serious." This tends to be my advice for life in general. Some brides spend all their time fretting over the perfect shade of green, or the precise amount of flowers in their bouquet, or the height of their bridesmaid’s shoes. They lose sight of the reason for this celebration in the first place…. You are getting married! When you find wedding planning becoming overwhelming, keep in mind that the number one priority is starting your marriage together.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry? “I can do my own makeup.” This is HORRIBLE! You might do a great job on your makeup for work and hanging out with friends. But makeup for camera is a whole other beast. It takes special products and techniques to look good in professional pictures. It makes a world of difference in the end result of those images.
Amy Lynn Larwig, Makeup Artist. from Mark Brown on Vimeo.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Health & Beauty , Wedding Resources
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Tuesday, September 7, 2010
We love real weddings where pretty much all the vendors are ABG favorites. Why? Because we know they will deliver above the bride's expectations and create a spectacular wedding - from design to photography. Today's real wedding couple really made full use of the fabulous resources we have here in Nashville and had a wedding day that was just simply beautiful. Photographed by Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer, here is a look into a lovely summer wedding at the Governor's Club. It's filled with the most delightful details. I LOVED the bride's shoes. Enjoy!
Real Wedding: Leigh & Mica's Southern Summer Wedding at The Governor's Club
Bride ~ Leigh from Madisonville, KY
Groom ~ Mica from Austin, TX
Aug. 7, 2010 at 6:00pm
Ceremony and Reception at The Governor's Club, Brentwood TN
Guests ~ 110
My wedding style? Casual and fun
My wedding colors and why I choose them? Purple and green. We were going for a colorful, summery feel.
My wedding theme? Southern
Wedding wow factor? Our venue - Pleasant Hill mansion at the Governor's Club is beautiful.
Wedding favors? Individually wrapped monogram cookies. Heba from Dream It Up Cookies did a great job designing them to match our invitations. dreamitupcookies.blogspot.com
Personalized touches? Mica and I have a pug. He couldn't make the trip with us to Nashville, but we found ways to include him in our wedding day. For example, instead of a traditional ring pillow, ourring bearer carried a stuffed pug with rings tied to its collar. Mica and I also used pug salt & pepper shakers to designate our seats at the reception instead of place cards.
We also personalized our ceremony music. Mica walked down the aisle to a string version of Don't Stop Believing, by Journey, and I walked out to a string version of Time After Time. Our recessional was In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. We love 80s hits!
Gift for bridesmaids? Bridesmaids - jewelry boxes from Z. Gallerie, sparkly bottle openers, also from Z. Gallerie, and metallic gold wristlets
Groomsmen? Beer glasses, personalized bottle opener/key chains, and coolers
Most special moment for me? Definitely the vows. We went with the traditional vows, and I'm so glad we did. It was by far the best moment of the day for me.
My wedding team:
Planner - Mary Alice from A Delightful Day did an awesome job!
Cake - The Bake Shoppe did our wedding cake and our groom's cake. Both were beautiful & VERY delicious.
Florist - Enchanted Florist. Caprice is amazingly talented and lovely to work with.
Caterer - In-house catering at the Governors Club. The food was delicious! I wanted a very Southern menu, and they did a great job fulfilling my requests for things like sweet potato casserole, mac 'n cheese, and fried okra.
Photographer - Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer. The photos I've seen so far are beautiful!!
Invitations - Minted - minted.com They have great customer service.
Dresses - I bought my dress, the bridesmaid dresses, and the flower girl dresses at bridal boutiques in Austin, Texas.
Music - Cosmo Creations. Brent did a great job! cosmocreations.com
Draping - Blue Nova Designs
Specialty Lighting - Nashville Audio Visual nashvilleaudiovisual.com
Leigh + Mica's wedding team, including A Delightful Day + Kristyn, in action!
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My favorite wedding vendors - I highly recommend all of the vendors listed above.
What I would do differently if planning again? I would send someone out the week before the wedding to drive the route from our hotel to the venue to make sure there were no last minute problems. All of our guests were from out of town, and we found out the night before the wedding that the road between our hotel & the venue was closed. I don't live in Nashville, so I had no way of knowing this in advance. Apparently, our venue manager had known about it for months but didn't bother to tell me. This caused me a LOT of unnecessary stress the day before my wedding, as I tried to figure out how in the world to tell 110 people that the directions I'd painstakingly written and mailed to them in their invitations were not in fact going to get them to the venue.
Also, if your venue has its own tableclothes, make sure they go all the way to the floor. We used the Governors Club's linens, and we didn't find out until the day of the wedding that they didn't go all the way to the floor. I don't think our guests noticed, but my mother was horrified.
Biggest waste of my wedding budget? I honestly can't think of anything that was a waste of time or money. Everything we put into planning this wedding was worth it. 
I will point out a potential waste of money that I avoided - rented table runners. I was quoted $345 to rent 16 table runners. I bought them online instead for less than $60. The quality was great and the color was perfect, so I was really happy with that decision.
Best value for the service/product? Definitely the lighting. The specialty lighting really added a lot to our reception, and the price was very reasonable. We used Nashville Audio Visual and they did a great job.
Neatest wedding find? I LOVED our invitations. I felt like they perfectly represented the theme and tone we were going for. We used a firefly & mason jar design by Minted.
Advice for Nashville brides - I have a tip for brides - Don't forget to pack flip flops to change into for dancing during the reception! I loved my wedding shoes, but towards the end of the night my feet were killing me! Other than that, my only advice is to enjoy it. It goes by so fast!
Thank you Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer for the gorgeous wedding pictures and special thanks to Leigh and Mica for sharing your wedding day with us.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Luxury Wed Finds
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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 & Accessories
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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Remember when you were little and you tried to make your own flip book of a stick figure walking or a plane flying? Ok maybe that's just me but I've always loved the concept of flipbooks. That's how cartoons were back in the day and I thought it was just the coolest thing!
When Ashley and I saw the Fantastic Flipbooks (FantasticFlipbooks.com) booth at the bridal show I (confession) squealed a little because it just took me back! What a retro adaptation of an old school innovation! It was high-tech back then and now that it's 2010 Fantastic Flipbooks has managed to take it to a whole new level.
Fantastic Flipbooks will transform a 10' X 10' space and electricity into a great activity that will keep your wedding or party guests happy. This is sure to put a smile on anyone's face and it's so easy to do. Plus, the cute books are a great momento that will serve as a party favor that will not get trashed! Ashley and her niece enjoy flipping through the books of complete strangers (because they are so much fun to just see) so imagine how much fun one featuring you and your bff would be!
They describe the process like this: "We start by taking sixty super-fast pictures of people being fabulous in our booth. They can dress up, perform a skit using our props, be silly or sweet or just flat out crazy. Then in less than two minutes, we print and assemble a cool take-home video (no batteries required) in a paper flipbook. You can even add a message or graphics on a custom cover."
The books can also be customized - They will "work with one of our designers to create a custom cover that matches the theme of your event. Include logos, names, dates or pictures - just about anything you want! We can also have a personalized message scroll across the bottom of the pages like a news ticker."
If you're interested in having them at your wedding, definitely give them a call or email them at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Definitely visit FantasticFlipbooks.com to watch a demo video, and to find out more details on how it works and what your options are! This really would make an awesome favor that you and your guests can take home and enjoy for a long time.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Guests, Gifts & Favors
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