Monday, February 18, 2013
Attention all budget-smart or vintage seeking brides: I've got a hot-off-the-press goody for you this week...The Goodwill Wedding Gala Look Book is now available and you can see it here before anywhere else!! Take a few moments to enjoy some of my favorite looks and then check out the entire digital magazine, which includes a small sampling of the dresses that will be on sale (all for under $400) at the Goodwill Wedding Gala.
How gorgeous is this wedding gown! I can't believe it will be available for under $400 at the Gala.
The Gala will will offer dresses for brides, bridesmaids, moms and flower girls too!
Enjoy the full Look Book below! (Visit the last page of the book for vendor credits.)
If you are not familiar with the Goodwill Gala, here's a quick synopsis:
The Goodwill Wedding Gala is the ultimate way to save on your wedding dress. The Gala will take place from 6am to 10am on Saturday, March 16 at the Goodwill Store in Rivergate located at 2101 Gallatin Pike North in Madison, Tennessee.
The dresses:
You will find bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, cocktail dresses, mother of the bride/groom dresses, flower girl dresses, and more from Alfred Angelo, Allure, Eden Bridals, Mary’s, Watters Brides, etc. No wedding gown will be priced over $400!!
The organization:
Proceeds from the sale of these items will benefit the mission of Goodwill. Goodwill helps provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.
The inside scoop:
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Be sure to arrive early - last year there were 350+ brides in line at 6am to get their dream gown for less!
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Attendees will be treated to refreshments provided by C&K Catering.
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Rhonda Patton Weddings will provide inspirational wedding designs.
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Pre-owned wedding gowns have been cleaned by Nicholson Cleaners.
To read all about the organization, the event, and our tour of the Goodwill facilities, read our full feature via this link. For more information, visit giveit2goodwill.org or call 615-346-1601.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Bridal Shows & Events, Bridesmaids & Bridal Party, DIY & Budget Wed Finds
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Let’s face it, brides-to-be often splurge on the one big item for their day, their wedding dress. And sometimes, the cost of the gown breaks the bank. With this in mind, we’re overjoyed to announce the annual Goodwill Wedding Gala.
The Goodwill Wedding Gala is a one-day, bridal super sale that will take place on Saturday, March 16, at Goodwill’s Rivergate store. Trust us, the store will be transformed into a bride’s dreamland and will be filled with deeply discounted wedding dresses, shoes, veils, accessories, along with dresses for your bridesmaids, mothers, and rehearsal dinner. You want it and it will be there!
To learn more about the Wedding Gala, we took an extensive tour of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee’s main processing plant, which is located in Nashville. We knew that the gala was a great way for brides-to-be to get crazy deals on dresses but we wanted to know about the organization and how the Gala benefits Tennesseans in need of help with their job search. Here’s how:
Betsy and Ashley of ABG. All photos courtesy of Scott of the Goodwill.
Brides-to-be: Get a deal on your dream dress and help someone in your community go from no job to a job.
For you brides-to-be, you’ll have the opportunity to shop among well over 400 new and pre-owned dresses all for less than $400! As a bonus, Nicholson Cleaners’ has graciously cleaned each pre-owned dress!
Previous brides: Donate your wedding attire, receive a tax deduction and help brides-to-be save!
For all you brides who’ve already walked the aisle, we encourage you to spread the word to donate your wedding attire – from your bridal gown to wedding shoes. Ask your bridesmaids to donate their dress.
Everything you and your girls donate (dresses, shoes, accessories, etc) is a tax deduction and will undoubtedly bless future brides. Can you imagine? Something that you loved on your wedding day can now be used to do the same for another love story! It’s time to clean out your closet and give. Stop them from just collecting dust and warm the heart of a new bride! All you have to do is donate your gently-used wedding items to Goodwill’s main office at 1000 Herman Street in Nashville or contact Natisha Moultry at 615-346-1665 to setup a pick up.
Bridal salons + clothing stores: Clean off your racks and make room for your fabulous new collections!
If you own a bridal salon, why wait for a sample sale? Instead, donate your dresses, shoes, veils, and any bridal items to the gala. No donation is too small; it’s tax deductible and will make room for the latest collections with little effort. Goodwill will even pick it up.
How your donation or purchase benefits Tennesseans with their job search:
What you may not know is that every donation helps fund Goodwill’s Career Solutions programs, most of which are free to the thousands of Tennesseans who visit each of the 21 Career Solutions Centers located in Middle and West Tennessee.
After taking a tour of Goodwill’s warehouse with Ashley last Monday, I write these words totally bewildered and nearly speechless. There’s no person out of reach. Every corner of Nashville’s warehouse radiates with purpose and hope. Hundreds of people are working each day at the processing plant simply because of the generosity of area donors. The company has 1600+ employees who work in a variety of departments within the organization, from the warehouse to teaching job skills.
Natisha of Goodwill (right) with Ashley and Betsy of ABG
With each donated item that is sold in one of Goodwill’s 32 stores in Middle and West Tennessee, 88 percent of the proceeds get poured back into the mission through free counseling services, job assessments, trade and skill classes, and many other programs. Almost all of them free! Goodwill is building workers from the ground up while inspiring them to dream big!
We were so inspired by our tour, including the wall quotes placed all over the facility.
Nashville bridal community: Let’s make a difference. At the 2012 gala, our donations and purchases generated revenue for the all the communities served by Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Donate your wedding dress and accessories now or save the date to find your dream dress at Goodwill’s Rivergate store from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 16.
(Editor's note: This article was first publised in Jan 2012; only important details have been updated. Betsy is a former ABG intern.)
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Bridal Shows & Events, DIY & Budget Wed Finds
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Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Street Tuxedo's tan suit. It's the most popular suit chosen by Nashville grooms and brides for their casual weddings. Think Southern farm, rooftop dessert reception, Franklin garden brunch, historic East Nashville house, or Cabo beach. No matter where you wed, if it's casual, the tan suit is probably a great option for grooms and groomsmen.
What makes the tan suit great is its surprising versatility. While it is more casual than a black, blue, or grey suit, it can easily be dressed up or dressed down. How? Many Nashville grooms have paired it with the jacket, pants, and vest. Others have left the 3-piece look for the groom while the groomsmen wore a newsboy hat, sleeves rolled up with pants and suspenders. Still others have gone with a vest, pants with the white shirt and bowtie. Shoes also make a difference - for dressier weds, brown leather works. Other grooms completely flip the look by rocking brightly covered Converse, cowboy boots, or something more eclectic.
Nashville couples having beach weddings often go for a linen colored suit instead of the tan. The linen colored suit is lighter, less fitted, and has a fuller leg. It looks great with a pop-color necktie, barefoot with pants rolled up.
Photo: Kristyn Hogan
Photo: Jessica Holloway Photography
Unless noted, photos: Street Tuxedo Facebook page
Visit Street Tuxedo, which is Nashville owned and operated and has four VERY convenient Nashville-area locations (so there's no reason to run to a mall-based, chain location when there's a superb Nashville company to style you). They are also offering a great January special: groomsmen who pay in full by January 31 get 10% off their suit/tuxedo. Like them on Facebook to learn more.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Contests, Giveaways, Specials, Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Ashley, a budget Nashville bride, was married last Fall and was one of the lucky brides to find her wedding dress at a steal at the 2012 Goodwill Gala, after reading about it right here on AshleysBrideGuide.com. Ashley is a sweetheart and was kind of enough to share her story with me, and you, to help other Nashville brides discover the deals that are available at the Goodwill Gala and how to navigate this incredibly unique event.
Ashley and Grant
Wedding Date ~ October 7, 2012
Guests ~ 85
Budget ~ $3 to 5K
Ashley wasn’t sure if she would find her dress there but definitely thought it was worth checking out.
She’d tried on a few gowns at David’s Bridal and found a few styles that she liked and also determined the size that she wore in bridal gowns. What she didn’t know was that what she learned at David’s Bridal would help her for the shopping adventure of a lifetime.
Ashley and her "true friend" camp out at the Goodwill Gala!
Ashley arrived at the Goodwill Gala at 11pm with one of her girlfriends, who she calls "a true friend." They camped out, sleeping on the sidewalk until two more friends joined them at 5am. Ashley’s then fiancé, Grant, brought Ashley and her faithful crew coffee and donuts and the girls turned the campout into their own little party.
The doors opened – at 6am sharp.
And the madness ensued! It was hectic and fun. There were people grabbing everything and she was so happy that she’d enlisted her friends for help. Ashley and her friends grabbed every gown they could, within her size and created a human fitting room to cover her as she tried on gowns. Her girls pulled dress after dress over her head. Luckily, she was prepared, only wearing a body suit, which made it easy for things to fit over her without being completely…naked... in the middle of the store! The scene was insane.
Then she found it…
There was no mirror in this human dressing room but the moment she put it on, It felt right. Then she saw the look on her friends’ faces, which said it all. As she walked to find a mirror, strangers complimented her on the dress even asking if they could have it if she decided against it. But that wouldn’t happen because when she saw it, she was 100% certain that it was the right dress.
Arriving at the gala, Ashley didn’t really have a budget for her dress. No gala gown is priced over $400 but she wasn’t sure she would like anything she saw at the Gala. But she did! She found the perfect dress. It was clean. It didn’t need to be altered. She did decide to turn to a seamstress friend to reinforce a few seams but other than that, it was the deal of a lifetime.
…she paid only $139 for her dress at the Goodwill Gala!
Wedding Vendors
Dress I Goodwill Gala
Photographer I Nathan Morgan - Website & Facebook
Venue | Montgomery Bell State Park
Ashley’s big day
Ashley and Grant’s goal was to have a simple, casual wedding with personal touches; they were also determined to stick to a budget ranging from $3000-5000.
Along with 85 guests, Ashley and Grant got married on October 7 at Montgomery Bell State Park. She kept it simple by having her ceremony at their chapel, with its cute stained glass windows and then proceeded to their lake side pavilion for their sunset reception.
She splurged some…
Sticking to her budget was important but she also wanted to make sure her guests had a great time and ate well. Even with her modest budget, Ashley was able to serve her guests a full buffet dinner, thanks for the affordability of catering at Montgomery Bell State Park.
... and saved some
Buying her dress at a fraction of the cost at the Goodwill Gala wasn’t the only way Ashley saved. She also bought much of her wedding décor from Goodwill, including blue glass bottles that she collected over several months. She also made her own wedding signs and display boards. She found her photographer online and thought he’d be way out of her price range. But, because he’d just moved to Nashville, he was willing to work with her and gave her a great deal. In fact, Ashley asserts that she loved working with Nathan, her photographer, and he and her dress find were the two things that she never doubted.
Ashley highly recommends that budget brides check out the 2013 Goodwill Gala. “I like saving money and it was an adventure that added to my wedding experience. Plus, I received many compliments on my dress and on our budget wedding. No one could believe the dress came from Goodwill for $139!"
You never know what you will find at the Goodwill Gala. This year's takes place on Saturday, March 16 so mark your calendar and prepare to save!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Contests, Giveaways, Specials, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings
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Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Annual Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Tour will take place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel on January 4 and 5. Aside from being able to buy a designer wedding gown at a discount, the gown tour benefits a worthy cause. The VIP event will be held on Friday, January 4 followed by the Gown Tour Sale on Saturday, January 5.
Meg, the show manager, shared these details about the event:
"Brides Against Breast Cancer is a non-profit organization whose funds contribute to programs and services for cancer patients and their families. We have expanded outreach and educational efforts to bridal shows around the country to ensure that everyone impacted by cancer have the resources and information they need in their battle with cancer.
Wedding gown sales are an important fund-raising event for BABC. We have over 100 charity bridal shows across the nation bringing 700-1000 couture and designer gowns with us at a discounted price.
At our shows we create a boutique like atmosphere, setting up the ballroom into thirds. 1/3 dressing rooms; 1/3 gowns; 1/3 bridal partners. We create an intimate setting by helping brides-to-be say yes to the dress! Extra fun events are such as VIP power hours before the bridal show which offer the brides signature pink drinks, lite bites, and fun giveaways! In each city a grand prize is offered as well-usually a weekend stay in that hotel! Also, each of our exclusive vendor tables will have a raffle item donating their free services to the brides, guests and volunteers. So come say yes to the dress and attend your local Brides against breast cancer bridal show!
Ticket information is available here."
We love to help our local bridal partners in each city so message .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) regarding vendor/bridal partner opportunities that will help promote your business as well as help those impacted by cancer!"
Click here for volunteer opportunities.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Contests, Giveaways, Specials
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