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Eco-Friendly Ideas for Your Green Nashville Wedding: Locally Sourced Catering Options

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Happy July! 

It's Ashley with iHospitality, here again.  As we get into the thick of summer, great food is making center stage whether at a BBQ, family reunion or summer dinner party.  I decided to dig deep into my knowledge book this month to provide a great list of caterers that love to keep locally sourced food on the menu.  Nashville is surrounded by so many great family owned farms and producers, and I thought it only appropriate to highlight the caterers who support them.  Incorporating a locally sourced, seasonal menu on your wedding day truly brings you up close and personal with the farm to table movement. 

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Image by tāyst Restaurant

Local Kitchen Catering

Telephone: 615.383.1953
Contact: Erika Woodard (615.419.4342)
Email: localkitchencatering {at} gmail {dot} com
Website: localkitchencatering.com

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Images by tāyst Restaurant

Local Kitchen Catering is a division of tāyst, the first green certified restaurant in Music City. Chef/Owner Jeremy Barlow has always sourced the majority of his food ingredients locally because in his words, "it's just better food".  Local Kitchen Catering currently sources 95% of their food ingredients locally. For the big day, you are guaranteed to have a customized menu of your very own filled with seasonal ingredients and the eclectic flair Chef Jeremy Barlow is known for.

Terra Delicious

Telephone: 615.207.4983
Email: terradelicious {at} gmail {dot} com
Website: terradelicious.com

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Images by Terra Delicious

Terra Delicious is the organic, vegan truck on wheels that can offer your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner a punch of green sunshine. Tia Pewitt is the owner of "The Lady Bug", her organic catering and event vending truck. She is all about buying local and organic, boasting 80% locally sourced food on her menu. Turnville Creek Farm is one of her favorite farms, as they carry great organic produce along with sustainably raised flowers. Terra Delicious can definitely handle all your small catering needs, just give her a shout.

The Inn at Evins Mill

Address: 1535 Evins Mill Rd, Smithville, TN 37166
Telephone: 615.269.3740 or 615.597.2088
Email: info {at} evinsmill {dot } com
Website: evinsmill.com

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Images by Evins Mill

This hidden gem property is located one hour east of Nashville, offering luxury amenities and packaged in a bed and breakfast type setting. Each catering experience at the Inn at Evins Mill will almost always include ingredients from one of the 20 local farms and suppliers they support. Owner William Cochran stated their Gourmet Pasture beef with Millstone dry rub is a must try. They have really embraced the farm to table mantra and continue providing updates on their efforts via their blog, Our Table.

perl Catering

Telephone: 615.479.4649
Email: perlcatering {at} gmail {dot} com
Website: perlcatering.com

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Image from perl Catering

Perl Catering is a new catering treat in Nashville focused on locally sourced and organic food ingredients. Owner/Chef Robert Spinelli has cultivated relationships with local farms in Nashville for many years and he felt it only natural to highlight their food when he broke out on his own. Their caramelized onion bisque is becoming a favorite in Music City and makes a great option to the customized seasonal menu perl Catering provides to all brides.

Posted by Green Nashville Weds | Filed under: Cakes & Food, Eco-Friendly Weddings 0 comments »

Eco-Friendly Ideas for Your Green Nashville Wedding: Arboreal Wedding Invites + dandyLion Events

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Hi,  It's Ashley of iHospitality {not to be confused with Ashley of ABG}.  I offer green consulting and sourcing services.  What's that mean?  I can advise you on your green event or help you find great green supplies and vendors. 

Okay, so this month I went on the hunt for a green minded invitation & stationary company in Nashville.  This search was way more daunting than expected, but I can now say I found one.  Actually, I found a pretty awesome company along with including one of my favorite event planning company's and a pretty cool Georgia wedding.

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Arboreal Paper (ArborealPaper.com- provides lovely, earth-loving wedding invitations 

Contact: Erin Pfister
Email: hello at arborealpaper dot com
Twitter: @arborealpaper

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ABG adds - We loved Aboreal at first sight!  We saw their work at The Bride Room's party and believe us, it's even prettier in person.

Arboreal is an invitation & stationary company based right here in Music City.  I definitely feel my search was worth the wait because I absolutely love their products.  Erin Pfister is the brains behind the company and the designs.  She really has a knack for merging eco-friendly paper with upscale, sleek designs that brides will love.  She credits her knowledge of all things paper to her days at Social Graces in Hillsboro Village.  Erin’s role at the store allowed her a chance to really listen and learn what brides were looking for.  She realized they did care about the environment but still wanted great looking invitations that did not have the usually flecked or “dirty” paper look as you see with many eco-friendly style papers.   So, in December 2009 Arboreal was launched right inside Erin’s Nashville home with a focus on eco-friendly paper, soy inks and great design.  Of course, the great design was effortless as Erin has been a graphic designer for over 10 years. 

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Eco-friendly-wedding-stationery

When I first found the Arboreal site, I was clicking through like a kid in the candy store…uncovering a new style of eco conscious stationary & invitations.  I sent her a quick email then waited and hoped she would have a teeny bit of time to chat with me.  Thank goodness she did!  Erin was a wealth of knowledge and I could truly tell how much she loved what she did.  She also wants to sit down and chat with each one of her brides to make sure they will love their custom invitations.  Erin kicks it into high gear delivering flawless custom invitations meant just for your big day.  Personalized service and her ability to add “green” to her projects is what sets Erin a part from the crowd.  Arboreal also carries a full line of stationary and recently introduced journals & hang tags in several boutiques in Tennessee, Alabama & Florida.   

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dandyLion Events (DandyLionEvents.com) - a sustainable event planning company

Contact: Lindsey
Telephone: 615.439.0652
Email: Lindsey at dandylionevents dot com
Twitter: @dandyLionevents

dandyLion Events is a sustainable event planning company and one of the first true green event vendors I encountered in Music City.  They offer floral design, photography, event design & planning with sustainability always in mind.  Lindsey Huddleston is the owner and I actually meet her when she did a blog post on my little ole company back in 2010.  Lindsey has a great spirit and even greater ideas, just check out the company name (yes the lowercase “d” is on purpose).  This company is perfect for the bride looking for a unique wedding day experience.

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Nashville-eco-friendly-wedding-design

dandyLion started in February 2009 and this 3 women team creates experiences for their clients by incorporating reclaimed, recycled & upcycled items  while encouraging clients to use their own home decor pieces in their event.  They are all about taking a blank canvas and transforming it from top to bottom.  Being green is also part of their core operation as they operate paperless and use local vendors.  This will also not be the last post on dandyLion, as I think the owner is great plus they have several green inspired events coming up, including a Nashvegas inspired wedding along with a dark carnival theme wedding.  Stay tuned, I definitely can’t wait.

Green Wedding Inspiration

I thought it only fitting to highlight one of dandyLion event weddings as our Real Green Wedding feature this month.  dandyLion put on a sweet, simple wedding on April 30, 2011 at The Solarium in Decatur, GA. Brent & Jessi Cerrato choose dandyLion for their design and event planning.  The couple went with local vendors for each aspect of their wedding including locally grown food at their reception.  I love the handmade paper cranes incorporated in the ceremony décor.

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Their invitations included a perforated rsvp card that could be mailed back as a postcard (how flipping neat is that).  They also incorporated personal items for their reception décor along with reusable pieces.  The exposed duct work and wood floors provided a great palette for their paper lantern inspired design.  Brent & Jessi really dove head first into making their big day absolutely memorable and green. 

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Nashville-eco-friendly-wedding

If you are a wedding vendor in town that incorporates green into your mix, I want to hear from you!  Contact me at ashley at ihospitalitytn dot com or visit www.ihospitalitytn.com.  Seeking green vendors for your event?  See how iHospitality can help.

Posted by Green Nashville Weds | Filed under: Eco-Friendly Weddings, Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Wedding Planners & Coordinators, Wedding Resources 0 comments »

Eco-Friendly Ideas for Your Nashville Wedding: Juice Bar, Green Disposables + More

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I (Ashley of ABG) met Ashley Currie of iHospitality at a TWESA event, after being introduced by Amy of Photo Booth Nashville (who knows EVERYONE).  She thought we should know one another and she was right!  We became fast friends.  You can't walk through Farmer's Market with her without being stopped by Nashville farmers or a green thumb.  We both love supporting local Nashville business / community so it's a good match!

Considering that I know NOTHING about being green, other than reusing my printer paper and conserving trips, I asked Ashley C. to guest blog each month to share her latest green wedding finds, for Nashville wedding pros, brides + grooms for whom sustainability is a priority or anyone who wants to be kinder to our Earth.

Guest Blogger: Ashley of iHospitality, Our Green Wedding Expert 

ashley currie green nashville weddings

Ashley Currie of iHospitality, whose mission is "keeping 'green' on the menu".

 

Green Nashville Wedding Resource: Juice Gypsies

Online: Juice Gypsies via Facebook
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone: 951-265-0092

Juice Gypsies is our green vendor this month. I actually met these lovely ladies during an Earth Day event last month. They were my next door booth neighbors during the Living Well Sustainable Marketplace event. Katie Burrows and Lauren Christensen started Juice Gypsies, a mobile juicing company, earlier this year. They create pure juice cocktails using only fresh fruit and vegetables. Signature drink names range from Wild Root, Yipee Cayenne, to Gypsie Greens. Offering healthy, tasty juices made to order right in front of your eyes is their mission.

This refreshing take on the mobile food truck craze would be an awesome accent at your reception or bridal event. I say ditch the cash bar and bring on the juices. I think the Juice Gypsies would entertain a good spike in the juice request, if you ask nicely. Their juices are like V8 amped up 50 notches along with a one-of-a-kind stainless steel juicer that complements their mobile setup. You can search "Juice Gypsies" on Facebook to find where they will be serving up juices next or to book them for your upcoming big day.

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juice bar nashville

They look like they know organic juice to me!  ~ Ashley of ABG

Green Nashville Wedding: Jenny + Will

My green wedding this month is Jenny and Will Harrison, ceremony on April 2, 2010 in Athens, GA; reception in East Nashville.

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This couple embody sustainable living and proved it by pulling off a gorgeous, green-inspired wedding and reception for less than $5000! They incorporated many different green elements, including having the ceremony in the bride’s mom’s backyard. From flower seed paper invitations (along with planting instructions), whole plants (not cut), family borrowed china place settings to the bride and groom choosing TOMS as their wedding day shoe of choice. Less impact on the environment was definitely on this couple’s mind.

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Their reception was held at a later date in the couple’s East Nashville home. Jenny and Will wanted green disposables that were compostable, as they had a composting bin in their backyard. Jenny also wore her beautiful handmade wedding dress again for their reception plus had locally made beer from Yazoo Brewing Company.

This couples motto definitely falls under the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. They have their own vegetable garden, line dry their laundry (yes, this means no use of the conventional dryer) and Jenny is also one of the founders of FEAST, a community supported kitchen project coming to Nashville very soon.

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I am excited to highlight the green wedding scene in Nashville. If you are a wedding vendor in town that incorporates green into your mix, I want to hear from you!  Contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit http://www.ihospitalitytn.com.  Seeking green vendors for your event?  See how iHospitality can help.

Posted by Green Nashville Weds | Filed under: Eco-Friendly Weddings 0 comments »

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