i met Courtney Gleaves, Sales and Marketing Manager for Hard Rock Cafe Nashville, over lunch where she gave me a tour of the restaurant and its event spaces. I haven't been to a Hard Rock Cafe since I visited the Washington DC location in 1997. Before she contacted me, I had no idea that it was even rentable for weddings and events.
Courtney was a great host, showing me all around, treating me to lunch and giving me an overview of the company's history and mission. She was especially proud the the company's commitment to stellar service and charity, donating millions to end hunger. I asked what steps the company takes to cultivate customer service focused employees and she shared with me their unique training program that requires all levels of management to walk in the shoes of other employees - including wait staff, cooks, etc.
I liked that concept and philanthropic nature but was curious as to whether their mission was theory or was actually being embodied by the staff. It sounded all rainbows and fairy dust. Although I was happy with my interactions throughout the day - from the valet guy to my server - I was curious as to how well the team lived up to their mission when a "bridal blogger" wasn't around:). Anyone can treat one person well, when they think that person matters. But what's most important to me is that my brides, their families and guests are treated well. That's a tall order!
On New Year's Eve, I decided to attend a party at Hard Rock with my then beau. (We've since broken up but luckily for Hard Rock, it had nothing to do with their NYE party. I don't think!:))
The party was fantastic! The service was top notch. Every Hard Rock employee that we encountered that night was happy, which makes a difference. It was like Disney for adults. They weren't just pleasant but were helpful. As you can imagine, the bar was super busy but the bartenders were attentive and courteous and even made recommendations. The were unflappable, even with the hectic nature of the night. They served entrees all night long and the food was inventive and well presented.
We had a blast and even bumped into other wedding pros like Scoobie and Lisa of Scoobie Photographic Images and Sarah of Music City Events.
And the view - awesome! We were able to enjoy all of the activities taking place on Broadway via their oversized balcony but were also able to retreat inside to the private space that was equipped with a private entrance, stage, and full bar.
What does my experience on NYE have to do with your wedding? If you are seeking a perfectly placed downtown location that is all about food and service that just happens to have a great view and great spaces, you definitely want to add Hard Rock to your short list of venues to consider. The spaces are more than you would expect and the team at Hard Rock is dedicated to ensuring you have a wonderful event - from rehearsal dinners, bachelor parties to wedding receptions. Plus, Hard Rock is all about music and love and which are great themes for a Nashville destination weddings.
The view from their balcony!
The restaurant. I love their slogan/sign.
(Photos above - Scoobie Photographic Images)
The upstairs private event space.
Museum quality memorabilia is everywhere!
Another view of the balcony from the inside.
The fully functional stage with concert worthy sound capabilities.
A Hard Rock Cafe guitar can be signed by your wedding guest and taken home and framed. (Photo above - Scoobie Photographic Images)
Courtney is gearing up for CMA this week so if you'd like to know more about the space, contact her and schedule a tour asap! She can be reached at +1-615-742-9900 Ext. 103 or via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
All photos are from my tour unless otherwise noted.
Nashville Party Authority is known the city over for DJing weddings, parties and celebrity bashes and have received many "best DJ awards", from City Search to The Knot. They offer a medley of services beyond DJing, such as lighting, photo booths and karaoke, which would be such a fun addition to a grooms lounge or rehearsal dinner.
Get to know more about them via my interview with owner, Blair Saldana. They could be a great fit for your wedding entertainment.
Tell me about your service offering.
We are a full time Wedding Entertainment Group specializing in DJ Entertainment, Karaoke, Lighting, Photo Booths & Destination Weddings.
How many years have you been in business?
We are celebrating our 25th year collectively as the Nashville Party Authority.
How did you get started in weddings?
Weddings are our #1 source of revenue and always have been. Early on we realized that weddings best showcased our backgrounds in Radio, Performance Arts and Public Speaking so we made a conscientious effort to professionally meet the increasing demand for our wedding services. To put it simply:Weddings chose us, we didn't choose weddings, and we are very pleased that it worked out that way.
What do you like most about weddings?
A wedding is a very positive event. Wedding entertainers have a wonderful opportunity to entertain two people (and their guests) who are embarking on the most spectacular adventure of their lives. It doesn't get any better than that.
What's your favorite wedding pic/video and why? Why?
We entertained at a wedding that was professionally videographed where the Bride & Groom--huge Predator fans-- made their Formal Entrance & Introduction to AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck'. The couple wanted a very professional but slightly "campy" sports announcers voice. I've done a lot of voice over work and have state-of-the-art sound equipment, so no problem. That was great in and of itself but then, 'Gnash', the Predators mascot, made a surprise entrance and that just put it over the top. The crowd loved it! I loved it because it was so different and it had aura of spectacle (in a good way.)
What is your service philosophy?
In a few words--"The Bride Is Always Right" (even when we disagree with her.)
The Nashville Party Authority believes it is our mandate to bring the bride's vision of music and entertainment to life to the very best of our ability. We certainly offer suggestions based on our expertise; communication is a key ingredient to our success and
We are always honest with the client--we don't say we can move mountains when we obviously can't--but in the end the client is boss. If we can't comply with the couple's vision and requests, I don't sign the contract.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category?
Experience and industry recognition. In our 25 years in business The Nashville Party Authority has performed at literally hundreds of weddings. We have entertained at virtually every venue and with a slew of wedding professionals in Nashville and the surrounding area. It's no coincidence that we've worked with and are sought after by the who's who of wedding industry insiders and professionals.
What attracts brides to your service/company?
Our reputation.
What would previous couples say was the main reason they selected your company?
First of all we say the right things. Again, communication is critical and we are able to convey our style, procedures and philosophy to our clients. More importantly, we have the testimonials from satisfied clients that back up the things we say and that gives our clients the confidence to ensure the entertainment protion of "their most special day" to us. Then we back up what we say and what others say about us with award-winning action.
Describe the bride/couple that is most attracted to your service/company?
I believe it is the bride that has dreamed about her wedding for a long time, one that has a confident vision of her day but who is open to suggestions from industry professionals that is the most attracted to the Nashville Party Authority.
What is the most innovative aspect of your industry that brides and grooms might appreciate?
There have been huge innovations in lighting recently that have impacted the wedding scene. Two major trends are uplighting and customized monogram lighting. Either one, or both, of these lighting packages can enhance the venue and upgrade the ambiance. Also there is a trend toward more elaborate, club style lighting at receptions and some couples have opted to go old school with a mirror ball package where an announcement and a featured Funk/Disco request signals the "lighting" of the mirror ball. It's a real crowd pleaser.
How should brides and grooms contact to learn about your venue and wedding services?
Main contact: Blair Saldana
Visit our website: nashvillepartyauthority.com
Call us: 615-391-2322
Email us: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Follow us on Twitter: @NashvilleDJ
Conect with us on Facebook: @NashvillePartyAuthority
Photos provided by Nashville Party Authority. Where noted, photos by Joe Hendricks Photography and Gray Photography.
Today's guest blog contributor is Emily of Simply Yours Weddings, a favorite Nashville wedding planner and brand new mommy! She and her crew of hand-picked wedding pros recently came together to showcase a lovely new wedding venue, Belle Meadows Farm, via a styled photo shoot. The theme was nothing other than Pioneer Woman. I've definitely not seen that concept before. Love Nashville's innovative wedding pros.
I'll let Emily tell you all about the venue, their photo shoot and why she loves Belle Meadows for Nashville brides.
"It all started with the venue. I happen to know the family that owns the venue and I knew they were hoping to open up their gorgeous (and then functioning barn) and turn it into a venue. Belle Meadows' barn is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The Wilsons (the owners) have an eye for beautiful things. You can tell from the minute you approach the property in Lascassas that they put such intentionality into the design. At the time of the photoshoot, it was still a functioning barn with their horses and sweet little donkey living in its stalls. But even then, the barn had a ½ kitchen, a bathroom, a porch full of rocking chairs, and a wood-burning fireplace with a flatscreen television hanging over the mantel. The land itself... there seems to be no end of possibilities for photos, ceremonies and more. Not to mention it was the cleanest animal barn I have ever been in!
Since then, they have moved all the animals out, knocked down their stalls and started creating a big open space that can be used for any number of purposes and layouts. They have also added saloon-type bar and finished their GORGEOUS Bridal Suite. The options of where you can have your ceremony, the various ways you can set up a reception, even for a 200 person guest list, continue to grow. I think that in itself makes it a welcome addition to our Middle Tennessee venue options!
With that in mind, I wanted to pull together some of my dear and talented friends and flex our muscles to create something fun and beautiful as well as show off the potential of the venue. The barn, the Wilsons' home and the land it sits on is breathtaking. After I visited the venue a number of times, I could not wait to show it to Jennifer and Courtney (my collaborators!) and let our imaginations run wild. Once all the pieces came together, Jennifer and I loaded up all the goodies we own personally into our cars and just got to playing! We wanted to just let the inspiration come naturally in that space with the weather, the Fall, the Barn, the Bride... and it just flowed out of us all day long! All of the items you see in the pictures are rentable from either Jennifer or myself with the exception of the farm table (from Southern Events) and the chairs (from Stewart's Special Events.)
The bride you see pictured is a former bride of mine and Courtney's from last Spring named Katie. She was so gracious and willing to put her divine JLM Couture dress back on and play in the fields with us. Her hair and make up were styled by Sammie Peterson, a wonderful h&m artist out of Murfreesboro. (Who also happens to be a dear friend of mine! I fully believe in showing off my talented friends) ;)
However, when we were planning to do this, Jennifer and I also started hatching a side plan. We have a deep love for all things involving the Pioneer Woman. She is a blogger who turned her love for food, photography and fun into two amazing cookbooks and now a TV show on the Food Network. We took our mutual love for her food and her spirit and we decided if we were going to put all this time and effort into an inspiration shoot, we should use it to our advantage and have a party! So after all the pictures had been taken around the farm, and all the styled shooting complete, we set up a gorgeous table with more friends (Kristin Vanzant, Kristen Steele, and Becca George) and settled in for a crock pot style- bring your favorite Pioneer Woman recipe party! It was a perfect Fall night to settle into the smell of fabulous food, the gorgeous surroundings and lots of laughter. As the sun settled behind the trees, we lit a fire in the fireplace along the side porch of the barn, gathered all the rocking chairs around the hearth and enjoyed the mess and wonder of s'mores. We sat there together as women who love this industry and love being creative in new spaces, and we all agreed that Belle Meadows is a perfect place to celebrate ANY event with friends and family.
So brides - no matter where you are located in Middle Tennessee, you should check out this venue! It is located off of the main highway that runs through Lascassas which is accessible either by driving through Murfreesboro or via backroads off I-40. It is worth the trip for your guests to come and enjoy the beauty of the Southern countryside in all its glory and for you to find a place you can enjoy for your special day!"
Jennifer Hamilton of Jennifer Hamilton Events and Emily of Simply Yours Weddings
"Kristen Steele of Kristen Steele Photography, Becca George of Modern Vintage Events (not pictured) and Kristin Vanzant Photography brought food to the party for fun following shoot."
As I was looking through photos from Alana & Blayne's indoor garden wedding, whose floral design I featured last week. I spotted a photo booth from my friend Elaine of Picture This Nashville.
If you are not familiar with Picture This Nashville, the booth style is different than traditional booths. It is open air (meaning no structure to walk into for photos) and is operated by an interactive kiosk. The associated photo album that you as the bride and groom will receive is highly customized, as you can read about in a via this link.
While their wedding was a formal event with an opulent floral design and seated dinner, I was happy to see that the couple didn't leave out the fun aspect. They brought in Picture This Nashville as as sure-fire way to entertain their wedding guests.
I've been in the wedding industry, listening to Nashville brides for 7 years. I've heard it all - vendors they love, hated, advice they'd give other brides, etc. One recurring theme is how long it takes photographers to get brides their images. This topic is debatable. I know that photographers have valid reasons for why it takes so long. I'm not here to argue one way or the other. But, I will say that fast, QUALITY service is appreciated and not very common.
For that reason, She+Him Wedding Photography is a wedding photography company that is on my radar. They produce great wedding images, are creative and relaxed and pride themselves in quick turnaround, ensuring quick communication and fast delivery of wedding images.
I'd like for you to meet them today via my interview with Liz, one-half of this photography duo.
First up - what's the orgin of your business name? From the moment I learned about your business, I've been curious.
Will had been shooting weddings prior to us getting together. We kept his name on the business for a while and then when we decided to shoot weddings more full time, we wanted a name that reflected both of our roles… While we are aware of the band She+Him, we just really liked the ring of the name.
Ahhh. I must not be a cool kid because I'm not familiar with the band. But, I will hop online to listen right now! What photography services do you offer?
We shoot weddings and engagement photos. We have 3 packages that range from 2,000-3,500.
How many years have you been in business?
Will has been shooting weddings for 5 years… Liz joined the team a year later. We started the She+Him brand a year ago to engage brides that are more in line with our aesthetic.
How did you get started in weddings?
Will is a commercial photographer on the side. To learn about all of the different specialties within the photography umbrella, he assisted a wedding photographer that shot weddings nationally and internationally. Once Liz joined the efforts, we discovered the joy in shooting weddings and getting to know all of our different brides and grooms on the best day of their lives.
What do you like most about weddings?
The thing they love most about weddings are the couples they get to meet. The process of telling a wedding story is extremely intimate. Will and Liz begin the process knowing relatively little and end up feeling like they’ve made life-long friends.
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why?
We really cant isolate a single favorite image. Out favorite wedding is Ellen + Brandon’s, the wedding that’s featured on our website. It embodies everything we enjoy about shooting a wedding.
What is your service philosophy?
Will is the artist. Liz is the organizer. The two of them firmly belive a bride and groom should have an amazing experience that is both stress-free and yields gorgeous results. Their goal at the end of a wedding day is to deliver images that transcend time and trends.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category?
With many companies you are forced to choose between stuffy/run of the mill imagery or a hard to reach photographer where you wait 6 months to a year to see anything. Our company is both left brained and right brained. We deliver an experience: beautiful imagery AND quick communication, day of planning, and fast turn-around times.
What attracts brides to your service/company?
We attract brides that care about their photography. We will treat you like an individual instead of giving you a cookie cutter schedule and photos. We will deliver the type of photos you want. We attract the busy, “I don’t know anything” brides and also the “I’ve looked on Pinterest and want to try all these shots” brides.
What would previous couples say is the main reason they selected your company?
“We selected Will and Liz as our wedding photographers first because of positive references from friends, and the because of their portfolio. We were drawn to their unique style, and how those being photographed always seems relaxed and comfortable. As expected, this is how we felt during our two photo shoots with them. Their ability to create an assuring environment allows for great and natural photos. We were thrilled with our choice of their service.”
We couldn’t say it better ourselves.
Describe the bride/couple that is most attracted to your service/company?
The bride/couple that is most attracted to She+Him would be someone who has an opinion about their wedding photography. We aren’t marketing ourselves as everybody’s wedding photographer… we are artisans. We want a bride/couple that will appreciate the time and energy that we put into creating beautiful portraits. We tend to line up best with DIY brides that are laid back and create a day that is about celebrating the two of them.
We seek weddings that are a true reflection of the couple.
What is the most “now” aspect of your business or industry that brides and grooms might appreciate?
The most now aspect of She+Him is really something that comes from the past. We love the look of film and the look of a photograph that isn’t overly processed. The era before ours was concerned with quality over quantity. We want to embody that age of craftsmanship. Oh, and because we love film, we shoot instant peel-apart film… just because it makes us happy. Turns out, our brides love it too!
How should brides and grooms contact to learn about your venue and wedding services?
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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