Tuesday, April 30, 2013
For the last few weeks, I've shared our first and second design challenges featuring the work of Elliott Events. Through these challenges, it was my goal to show you how Tiffanie, owner of Elliott Events, works with each bride to create something reflective of their personality, preference and wedding vision. Take a look at our last design challenge, where Elliott Events was able to create 3 very diverse styles based on each bride.
Ashley & Matthew at Loveless Barn
Their Wedding Design: DIY Meets Country Chic
Ashley and Matthew were married at Nashville's famous Loveless Bar. Loveless has a country, rustic vibe, which set the tone for her wedding. To complement the venues look, Ashley wanted a country chic wedding. She wanted to DIY many of her projects but hired Elliott Events for other projects, such as the wrapped jars. Together they collaborated to achieve her dream wedding design.
Stephanie & Billy at Baber House
Their Wedding Design: Grand, Classic Wedding
Stephanie and Billy got married at Gallatin's Baber House. They reached out to Elliott Events for a classic but grand wedding. To achieve their look, Tiffanie created 15 large centerpieces with roses to complement the chandeliers.
Whitney & Phillip at Lost River Cave (Bowling Green, KY)
Their Wedding Design: Bright, Bold Presence
How do you design for a cave wedding so the design doesnt get lost? Elliott Event figured it out! When Whitney of reached out to Elliott Events and requested a design that was simple but bright and with pieces that were large enough to standout in a cave, She didnt want any bling and opted instead for a clean fresh look. Tiffanie assessed the space, considered Whitney's desires and created a bold concept that was clean and striking in the dark, natural space.
As an all-inclusive planning company, the Elliott Events team is unique in that they offer planning, floral design and draping. This one-stop resource affords brides a plethora of options without having to work with more than one vendor. But, it really boils down to whether the Elliottt Event's approach works for you. Contact Tiffanie to get to know her and see if there's a fit.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Wedding Planners & Coordinators
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Most brides are on the lookout for something that sets their wedding apart from everyone else’s. Some choose a unique venue. Some go with an outrageous dress. Some brides are searching for a grand gesture, while others are looking for just a little something to keep their guests talking for months and years to come. One of the most interactive ways to pep up the entertainment at your wedding is a photo booth. Remember, a photo booth should NOT replace a professional photographer, but it's an excellent addition to your wedding.
If you are considering a photo booth for entertainment at your wedding, keep reading to learn more about booths based on our convo with Amy at Photo Booth Nashville.
Photos: Meishach Moore Photographers
ABG: Are photo booths still popular?
Amy: Yes! We get as many calls today as we did when we opened in 2007 as the first provider of digital photo booths in middle Tennessee from people saying “what a unique idea! I’d never heard of having a photo booth at my wedding until someone told me about a wedding they were at that had one.” Anyone that has seen Photo Booth Nashville at a wedding, party or corporate event can attest that it’s still a great way to preserve memories from the occasion and literally bring people together for some good, clean fun!
Custom graphics with your info + wedding date
ABG: What makes Photo Booth Nashville stand out amongst the crowd?
Amy: Our booths offer a choice of color or black-and-white prints and we offer a wide variety of props if clients choose to include them. It has been our experience that “busy” backgrounds tend to distract the eye from the people in the photos, and they’re typically obscured anyway, so although customized backgrounds are possible we advise against them. From small children to grandma and grandpa, photo booths bring out the creativity in everyone, so gimmicks like special effects on photos have never been necessary in our booths.
ABG: How does Photo Booth Nashville stay on top of the trends/technological advances in the industry?
Amy: We’re the only middle Tennessee photo booth company that belongs to the International Photo Booth Association (americasphotoboothassociation.com). We’re part of a large network that is constantly working together to improve our products and share ideas to make the photo booth experience we provide second-to-none. Many other providers build their photo booths in their garages so they simply don’t have the benefit of collective research & development and product support that we do.
ABG: What should couples ask before signing a contract with a photo booth company? Anything they should be aware of?
Amy: Especially in today’s economy, pricing is very important. We encourage potential clients to ask lots of questions about what is included in their rental. Is their advertised price inclusive of scrapbook, attendant, and high-resolution digital copies of the photos from their event? Many companies advertise a low price then gouge clients as the event approaches with expensive add-ons.
Almost every company advertises unlimited prints like we do, but it’s important to ask about sitting times. Unlimited prints won’t mean much if each sitting takes 4 or 5 minutes. Other questions should include quality of digital copies included (some companies provide only low resolution digital copies and up-sell for print quality discs), what city their booths originate from, and how many booths they own (make sure they have a back-up in the event of equipment failure).
Ask what their booths are made out of – ours are all-steel construction and weigh over 800 lbs. In other words, the size of the check you write is important, but the old adage “you get what you pay for” definitely applies for photo booth rentals. We like to say you can serve McDonald’s hamburgers at your reception and save a lot of money on catering, but you’ll be serving your guests McDonald’s hamburgers.
Guest comment book using their photo booth pics! Photos: Joe Hendricks Photography
With Amy’s advice on how to shop for photo booths, I hope I’ve made your search for something exciting to add to your reception a little shorter. So put on your best smile or silly face, get out there and get creative with Photo Booth Nashville!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Photo Booth, Reception Entertainment, Photo Booths
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Jessica and Heyburn hosted their wedding ceremony and reception at Houston Station. Their wedding is certainly Pinterest worthy but it wasn't born from Pinterest wedding. Instead, this is a wedding of a bride and groom who look inside for inspiration - from hosting a campsite to not even having true wedding colors. Design was tasteful and sophisticated but was second to the overall experience. They wanted to make sure their day encompassed what they love as a couple - favorite cupcakes, DJs, and a venue that spoke to their values.
I encourage you to do the same. Look inside and do what feels right.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jessica and Heyburn
Wedding Date ~ November 3, 2012
Ceremony and Reception Location ~ Houston Station
Guests ~ 150
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Classic, simple, and useful
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
We both love the outdoors and we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding day, so we brought in trees, moss, flowers, feathers and lots of succulents. Houston Station has a very cool outdoor area behind the venue where trains come by so we used this area to stage a mini campsite. We brought in a vintage Coleman grill and lanterns as well as hay bales/blankets for people to enjoy s’mores and a good time!
In terms of a “color scheme,” we didn’t really have one. We just blended things together that we love and it all came together.
We chose Houston Station as a venue because it has a very “Nashville” feel to it, which we love! We also appreciated how the building owners have preserved much of the original feel.
We both gravitate towards well made products, (many times the things we love were made before we were born), we brought in a lot of vintage pieces like mason jars, tables, signs, and a Hungarian baby bath tub for drinks.
What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
That’s a tough question, besides the time we got to spend with or family and friends, we loved our DJs and cupcake tree.
Some of our first dates were spent at The Five Spot in East Nashville where Electric Western (DJs) spin on Monday nights. We really felt like Jacob and Reno from Electric Western tailor made our wedding music list for us.
We are a big fan of Ivey Cake cupcakes, so we had a 6 foot tall cupcake stand with 15 different flavors to choose from. People who came to our wedding still talk about how much they loved the cupcakes.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We did a lot ourselves and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Close friends also helped us out designing our invites and programs, hunting for mason jars out in the country, and hand making signs for us. We love great quotes, so every wedding favor (hand-made chocolate suckers) had a special quote tied to it.
The one area we splurged would be the coffee bar at Houston Station. The coffee bar is part of Houston Station and it just adds a nice touch to any event. The owner hand makes each drink, and our guests loved his lattes.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
We could drive ourselves crazy with that question, instead we are content.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Plan and focus on your life together not just the one day!
Couple's Wedding Team:
Venue | Houston Station
Photographer | Joshua Gull Photography
Gown's attire & accessories | Watters Brides, Robin Haley Jewelry
Men’s attire | J. Crew, Zara
Bridesmaids’ attire and accessories | J. Crew, Robin Haley Jewelry
Hair | The Mirror Salon (owner, Maria)
Makeup | Sophia Smith
Guest accommodations | Hilton Garden Inn Nashville Vanderbilt
Stationery | Sophia Smith (designer)
Ceremony musicians | Silver Strings
Reception DJs | Electric Western
Caterer | Bricks Cafe
Cake artist | Ivey Cake
Floral designer | Geny’s Flowers
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Hi, I'm Ashley and I started AshleysBrideGuide.com (aka ABG) in 2006 to help brides and grooms, like you, across the Middle TN area plan a wedding - no matter your budget or whether you are planning locally or hundreds of miles away. At one point, I was like you - planning a Nashville wedding, didnt know where to start, was a busy professional with little time.
I created ABG to inspire and educate you so that your time and energy is better spent enjoying your engagement! Here are 10 ways our site, social networks can help:
1) Read daily for expert advice and ideas. I blog 5 days a week, M-F and cover just about every topic you'll need as you plan your Nashville wedding. I interview wedding pros to ask the info you need to know, especially wedding venues to get their capacity, fees, etc. I also attend bridal shows and take photos in the event you aren't able to attend. You can either choose a topic and find exactly what you need or just read each day's feature. You're sure to find the info that you need. You can easily access my daily blog from our homepage. It appears under the section The Wedding Scoop.
2) Find top wedding pros to hire for your big day. Use the vendor directory to find your planner, photographer, cake artist, DJ, photo booth, etc. I know just about everyone you need for your wedding and have listed the Nashville wedding pros that support our website and our brides. You can easily search by keyword or by the category that you need. Be sure to check out all of advertisers. They keep our resource free for you and are some of the top wedding pros around town.
3) Save money by starting with our list of savings for ABG readers. Before you hire anyone, check out the bridal savings page to see what specials are available for ABG readers. No point in shopping without a coupon right? You may find someone that you have not considered or you may find a special offered by someone you've already contemplated. Either way, why not save and put that budgeted money elsewhere, whether it's $100 or $1000!
4) Find local bridal events and workshops. Only ABG lists most of the bridal happenings. If you want to get up close and personal, meet wedding pros, taste cake - our bridal calendar will help ensure you don't miss a must-attend event.
5) Get inspiration via our photo gallery! Our inspiration gallery is full of wedding photos from Nashville weddings. Check it out to get ideas, share photos with your friends and find local wedding pros based on their bridal eye candy. What's great about our gallery is that you can search by wedding style and color and includes the links to the local pro responsible for the fab.
6) Find hundreds of Nashville weddings, inspiration all in one place. It's one thing to fall in love with a wedding in California and then not be able to hire any of the wedding pros. It's another to swoon over Nashville-area weddings, with the confidence that the talent is right in our backyard! With one phone call, the pro could be booked for your wedding day and off creating something custom to your wedding vision.
Want your wedding featured? Let's talk. Email me.
7) Discover other Nashville wedding blogs. We have a list of dozens of Nashville bridal blogs by brides/newlyweds (many are now becoming moms!) and wedding pros. You are sure to find some goodies to add to your follow list.
8) Stay informed with our emails. For those truly serious about being a savvy bride, we suggest that you subscribe to our email to receive it weekly (click here to sign up) or daily (sign up here). That way, you won't miss ANYTHING that we feature on our site.
9) Contact me if you still need help. Struggling to decide between two venues? Wnat to know the best show to fly in to attend? Email me and I'll help any way I can.
10) Follow us online for more ideas. Want to stay in the loop beyond what we share on ABG? Get social and like us on Facebook fan page or follow us on Twitter via @weddinggirl. In fact, if you find something amazing in Nashville weddings, post it on our fan page or send it to us via Twitter so that we can check it out too! We also have some great Pinterest boards so pin pin pin!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Advice & Planning
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Alana & Blayne’s big day took place at the Loews Hotel. While their wedding took place inside, they envisioned a garden wedding and turned to no other than Caprice of Enchanted Florist to make their dream a reality. Who else right?
Purple panache Through details captured by Dove Wedding Photography, see how Enchanted Florist brought this elegant purple garden to life. See the full feature via their blog feature here.
Full details via the Enchanted Florist blog. Contact Enchanted Florist at 615.859.9002. to discuss your floral design.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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