Transform Your Wedding Reception with Lounge Seating.  Here’s How:

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

At bridal shows, we're always blown away with the latest in wedding guest seating.  Now, you can really wow your guests with a wedding reception area that goes beyond the typical 60" round banquet tables with chairs around them.  Why not make your wedding look and feel like you've invited your guests into your home?  Comfy, cozy lounge seating makes it easier for people to gather and mingle.  If you're a little apprehensive about stepping out of that box, Julie Hurst of Liberty Party Rental has the tips and ideas for the hottest lounge seating trends for your wedding.

Expert Advice - Lounge Seating from Liberty Party Rental

Lounge seating comprises of several elements, the most distinct of which are banquettes and axis furniture.  Banquettes are the larger, bench seats you will recognize, a lot of times with a taller back to them almost like you're at a chic, L.A. club.  Axis furniture are the smaller, 2.5 foot by 2.5 foot sectional pieces that come in a corner piece, a chair or ottoman.  "Both are just as nice, they're all very versatile.  Some people have used both banquettes and axis seating, but a majority of clients go with one or the other," advised Julie.

Liberty Party Rental is the only rental company in Nashville that carries their banquettes.  "They come in  four different colors (black, brown, ivory and white) and some of our brides have brought in their own fabric which we can wrap around the banquettes for a smaller extra cost."  This is such a great idea, since lots of wedding decor is based on color schemes so this way, your furniture could complement your palette if you want to branch out beyond the four basic colors offered.

So what are some ways that lounge seating has been used?  One way is what Julie has dubbed a Quiet Room. "Brides had a bar set up separate from the dance are, where people could mingle away from loud music, filled with lounge furniture instead of tables and chairs they had banquettes and butcher block coffee tables and groupings of axis furniture. They created an actual lounge.

Left: Banquettes.  Right: coffee table for a more relaxed option

Estate Style is when banquettes are set up on one side with chairs set across a long dinner table.  This also works for plated dinners where guests don't constantly have to get up to get more food. 

Estate style seating. I love how it lends a touch of elegance to a garden style party.

Using a punch of color with colored pillows is also a fun way to complement your wedding's theme.  Julie tells me that what's been popular among brides is renting the white or natural seating and having pillows as accent to pull their colors in.  Liberty Party Rental has pillows available in an array of colors.  You can see what your options are under "Creations" on the Liberty Party Rental site under the "Elements Collection" that is a list of all the items that go into lounge decor. If you can't find a color that works, you could also find pillows you do love to use. "Depending on the colors, some brides have purchased pillows themselves to use as accents to match their color scheme."

"Lounge furniture has become the trend with weddings – even if brides are on a tight budget they’re figuring out how to splurge to have at least a section of lounge furniture. More and more people are doing the lounge because it’s becoming a décor item. It’s a focal point, like if they have a dance floor, they surround the dance floor with axis furniture."  Julie and her team at Liberty Party Rental will work with you to make sure you're making full use of your budget, whether or not lounge seating is what appeals to you.  And if it is, you've definitely gone to the right place for it.  Click here to visit their website if you haven't already found a great rental company with which to work for your wedding!

And if you're a bride who has used lounge seating for your wedding, we would love to see your pictures!! You can email us, or if you have a blog, let us know how to find you! We'd love to see what inspired you.

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Luxury Wed Finds, Wedding Resources 1 comment »

Fabulous Nashville Brides Should Know: Brocade Design Arts, Wonderful Wedding Floral Designer

Friday, October 1, 2010

I love that wedding florals have progressed beyond simple bouquets.  These days, flowers take centerstage to complement the food, the colors and the lighting.  They can be larger than life to create a feeling of opulence for a big, spectacular wedding or more subdued and simple for more intimate settings. Behind those wonderful designs are floral designers like Hillary Robson who owns http://www.brocadedesigns.com. Hillary's an artist who loves her work and loves what she does with weddings and brides, and that passion is totally your gain.  If you don't know her, you should!

Spotlight on Brocade Design Arts Nashville

How did you get started in weddings?

I’m one of those people that were always enamored with weddings. I think maybe I grew up in an age where the pageantry of weddings were super celebrated and that impressed upon my young mind—like Lady Charles & Di, or even Luke and Laura. I can vaguely recall the thrill of being a flower girl in my uncle’s wedding and how I knew that one day, I’d be the bride. I didn’t play with my Barbie’s in a “here we go to work, and come home, and get dressed…” but instead it’s “Barbie’s Wedding!” over and over again. I have played an integral role in most of my close friend’s weddings long before I was involved in the business, and I’ve never grown tired of the planning and execution of an event that celebrates two people in love. I went into the business of weddings in December of 2007, when I realized that this passion of mine could become a career.

What do you like most about weddings?

There are two moments that I love most about weddings. The first is when I meet with a bride for the first time, and I learn about her vision, the vendors she’s using, the space she’s using, and we dream up the décor for her day. The second is the very minute I’m finished with a wedding setup and I see that vision come to life. I love the dream to reality aspect of what I do, and I love knowing that I’ve helped a bride execute her dream and make it into something that is real and tangible, and something she and her husband will remember forever. The other thing I love is when I watch their ceremony and I see that look on the grooms face when he first sees his bride walking down the aisle—it makes me cry every.single.time.

True confession: my favorite thing to do is to make bouquets. It’s like therapy for me, some people take long walks, some people lie on a couch, some people paint—I make a bouquet. It’s guaranteed to lower my blood pressure and let me slow down and just be creative and artistic. Some of my favorite bouquets from this past year were the ones I made for Kristin Kaplan & her wedding party last September. Everything came together and was so perfectly coordinated—and full of color, texture, and depth. I like to think of my bouquets as little works of art—and it’s such a beautiful thing to see a perfect bouquet come together that is absolutely redolent of the bride’s style.

What is your service philosophy?

First and foremost, I’m a perfectionist. While I can admit (freely) to being a bit type-a, I think that this serves my brides in the best of ways. I take their wedding day as seriously as though it was my own, and I expect nothing short from all of my team members. I believe in providing my brides with the very best level of service, with complete and utter attention to detail, flawless execution, and a commitment to using only the highest quality materials.

What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you?

I think that perhaps my biggest strength is that I put a lot of myself and the love for what I do into every event that I’m part of. I think it’s important to create a relationship with my bride and her groom—so that I can truly know them, their tastes, and more importantly—their vision for their day. I feel that if I don’t have that personal, real connection that I’d miss out on a detail that I know they would delight in. Details are something I take VERY seriously (just ask my design team members and planners that have worked with me in the industry—I make nothing short of three “final review” trips around a reception setup to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect, and I’ll stare at a table to find out what is “missing”). I believe that brides can always trust that I’ll be a million-percent committed to everything looking as fabulous as possible.

Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?

Kristin Kaplan, Simply Stunning Events—amazing to work with, super-attentive to detail and a perfectionist like me, I love working with Kristin because I know she can always get the job done with class and style!

Chef’s Market: Delicious food and endless style. There’s a reason that they are so hot in Nashville—it’s because they are awesome!

Nashville Event Lighting: I have watched Blake and his company go from a few can lights to an entire lighting production, and I couldn’t be more proud to have watched the evolution. They are excellent from design to customer service, and always a pleasure to work with.

The Bride Room (TheBrideRoom.com): The ladies at the bride room have a genuine love for all that they do, and they work with brides to help them to find THE dream dress. They are so kind, so conscientious, and so wonderful that I recommend them to every bride I speak with that has yet to find her gown or her bridesmaids’ gowns.

I must confess—we are so lucky to have so many wonderful photographic professionals in our community that I can’t just pick one, I have to pick several of my favorites, all for their genuine personalities, attention to detail, and excellence: Donald Yeager Photography (my fiancé and talented artist behind the lens); Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer (Sweet beyond compare and amazingly talented); The impeccable McLellan Style (MeLellanStyle.com) (wow is all I can say!), and I could literally go on for days…

Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit? 

I recommend Melissa with Vintage Florals, A Village of Flowers, Fresh! by Carry Ann, and Rhonda Patton of Rhonda Patton designs. I try to give brides a few referrals so that they can synch creatively and on a personal level with their designer.

What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?

I’m in love with Martha Stewart, have been forever, and so M.S Weddings is a staple of my reading materials, as well as other regional & national wedding mags. I follow Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, and a variety of other national & local wedding blogs, tivo all the wedding shows, and read a lot of different bridal blogger posts to hear from brides about what trends they are following.

What trend do you love? 

I love that brides are willing to experiment and mix-and match with fun and funky containers, found objects, et cetera—this is a very Style Me Pretty inspired trend and it’s a lot of fun to come up with fabulous components that integrate together but are all unique. We participated in a shoot styled by Opulent Couturier’s Latrice at Front Porch Farms with Kristyn Hogan, lifestyle photographer. It was great to embrace the rustic, vintage feel with many different containers—from mason jars to antique-inspired tins.

Is there a trend that you hate?

I don’t really hate anything – I am always open to experimenting with something new and different, and even if I might not think it’s my innate style, I like the challenge of trying something I might not gravitate to naturally. I think that my main peeve is seeing certain things get overused and overdone, which is a natural occurrence because brides are presented with ideas that seem unique to them but may be something I’m doing every weekend. I take these occasions as an opportunity to provide a new twist on something that is tried & true and make it different and fresh

Is there a trend that you are glad is gone? The only trends I’m glad are gone are trends that tell the same color story. For a long time, Tiffany Blue & Chocolate Brown, Colbalt & chocolate, and green & white were really big color schemes, and it got challenging to keep coming up with fresh & new ideas—I love that we are starting to see more bold and creative mixes of colors, like Vibrant orange & blue & grey, or color palettes that embrace a range of colors—these are the most exciting to work with, so I like any opportunity to get out of the good ol’ tried and true.

Which trend are you sad to see leaving the wedding scene? I admit that I’m sad that very few brides want to do a “traditional” white wedding. An all white wedding is such a unique & thrilling challenge as a designer—selecting flowers that integrate together to provide visual depth in an all white scheme is so much fun, and I look forward to that coming back in once again. One day.

What are your favorite wedding websites?

ABG is one of my faves, of course, as well as Style Me Pretty, Wedding Bee, Southern weddings, etc etc—I prefer blog-based sites with editorial content, because I feel you get so much more out of them. My newest neatest wedding find is shoesofprey.com, where you can custom design your own shoes (for your wedding or whatever else).

Advice for brides?

I’m getting married next June, so I can say completely that brides—I know what you are going through. That being said, as both a bride and a vendor, my biggest pieces of advice are as follows: 1. Hire only vendors you like: Don’t let price or style be your only deciding factors. Make sure that you have a connection & relationship with the people you are hiring. It’s important that you feel completely confident and assured that you have people working for your wedding that you honestly trust and respect and know they feel the same way about you. 2. Read your contracts: Yeah. It’s not fun, and you may have to get out a dictionary to understand some of the terms, but read through and know what you are agreeing to… it will prevent you heartache and confusion—and don’t work with a vendor that says they don’t “need” you to sign a contract. That’s a red flag. 3. Hire a wedding planner: I think this is maybe the most important thing you can do. The savings and benefits of a wedding planner will offset the investment in having one—and the less stress and relaxation you’ll experience is worth their weight in gold. 4. Do what you want. Who cares what anyone else says, what your mom thinks is pretty, what your bff tells you is the “thing” to do… it’s your day. Own it. I hear so many brides say “But, I don’t want to hurt so-and-so’s feelings,” or “Well, my dad is paying for this so he gets to decide.” Advice is great, and contributions to your day are wonderful, but at the end of your day—it’s yours. Don’t have regrets, make decisions that you love and can live with, and everyone else that loves you will understand. No one’s going to resent you for having the wedding day you want to have, don’t be afraid to speak your mind.

You can see more of Brocade Design Arts' work and get some fabulous ideas for your wedding flowers on their website!

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Inspiration & Trends, Luxury Wed Finds 2 comments »

DIY Wedding Flowers + Advice From Import Flowers!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

We like giving you the resources with which to accomplish your wedding vision.  A lot of you are DIY brides who love being more hands-on with certain details with your wedding and we're all about that too and today's post is for you - the DIY Flower Bride.  If you haven't yet, definitely stop by Import Flowers, right off Murphy Road and 37th Avenue North in Sylvan Park.  Run by Lou Farrell, Import has been providing flowers to Nashville's professional florists and flower enthusiasts for years.  But, they also serve lots of DIY brides and are there to help should you choose to take on your wedding flowers yourself.

"Ive passed this building many times and never knew what wonderful goodies were inside!" - Ashley

Lou introduced me to Jasmin Trenary, one their floral designers who has, in her three years with Import Flowers, worked with tons of the D.I.Y. brides who walked in the door. So as you endeavor to take on their wedding flowers by yourself, know you'll be in good hands when you seek her guidance.  She and the rest of the very experienced staff at Import Flowers are extremely knowledgeable and are there to answer your floral questions.  I asked her to give us some good advice for how to succesfully achieve great flowers and to get as close to a professional look all by yourself, as well as what is available for Fall weddings. 

Know your date first, it will impact flowers, colors

Jasmin advises looking through magazines and websites to figure out what colors you are going for, and when you've picked a date so they can advise you on getting flowers that are available. Try to have at least that (the date and the colors) and have that settled upon before you go into Import Flowers.  The staff there start by providing you with a list of flowers avaialble for that season or time of year.  With Fall in mind, I did ask her what flowers would be great for, say, a September wedding and the options seem to be pretty endless - hydrangeas, calla lilies, roses, mums, carnations, gerber daisies, bells of Ireland and lots of greens.

Vibrant, blue hydrangeas and some softer lighter blue hydrangeas.

Gorgeous calla lilies.

If you look carefully you'll see my new favorite lily - a goth-y, all black calla called the Schwartzwalder.  Talk about dramatic! And of course, gorgeous orange/yellow callas. I think they're called Sunset callas.

Gerber daisies and a few purple hydrangeas sneaking into frame.

"If you choose purple for your color palette, be sure to avoid going monochromatic.  Instead, pick one flower that is the shade of light lavendar and one that's a darker shade so the tones are complementary and not clashing."  Advises Jasmin, "If brides don't have a color palette in mind, I suggest they go with neutrals like greens and white."  When it comes to working with ribbons or dresses to pair with bouquets, "try to complement instead of trying to match your swatches" says Jasmin.

Other great Fall color options to try are using food rather than foliage like pumpkins or berries.  However if you're going for something less masculine and would like to use mainly flowers, Jasmin suggests the Camel rose and to try "magentas and brigheter golds vs. yellows - it's more feminine, fun and festive vs. it looking like a holiday centerpiece."

Camel rose - a softer, rust colored rose. (Image courtesy of sepaldesigns.com)

Lighter shades of hydrangeas

Jasmin showed me some succulents they had at Import Flowers that day, that she's helped D.I.Y. brides use in centerpieces and even bouquets. "They will root and grow, and are often used in Terrariums, or in living centerpieces of some variety. They can be used on bouquets too, or in arrangements that aren't necessarily "living" they're tough as nails and will live for weeks, re-root from small cuttings, and can be removed from bouquets and centerpieces and be planted."

Echeveria Agavoides succulents

As a fan of terrariums, I think living centerpieces are a fantastic idea - it's unique, they're a great way to start conversation at the table and maybe if you're feeling generous, guests can take them home to keep for much longer than cut flowers.  I'd mused that it's interesting these were catching on and Jasmin had a great point, "I think thats one reason why they're so popular right now, they fit in with the "green" lifestyle, as there is no waste from them, they continue living. As well as how cool they look."

Image courtesy of StyleMePretty.com via GreenWeddingShoes.com

Wedding Flower Tips & How-To's

Because ABG brides are internet savvy, I asked for some recommended websites for great D.I.Y. tips and Jasmin suggested WonderHowTo.com which has instructional videos. They have great how-to's,  from picking the right flowers for your wedding to creating your own centepieces.  Another site is Save-On-Crafts.com which is a HUGE resource for supplies for floral needs as well as other wedding and craft supplies that will make any D.I.Y. bride giddy with glee.  The internet has tons of wedding sites with flower inspirations but bear in mind that it's always best to get a second opinion - bring pictures of what you like to your meeting and Jasmin and the Import Flowers team will be able to tell you if what you are looking for is available, and if it's not they can work with you to find alternatives to achieve the same look.

Import Flowers carries many varieties of flowers.  With a large front area filled with buckets of flowers to their three coolers of roses, lilies and varieties of gorgeousness I can't name, you have so many options from which to choose so make sure you give yourself a lot of time.  The best part is, they never rush you, and are always at the ready to answer your questions. 

Roses in every color of the rainbow!

DIY Flowers Pros & Cons

"It can save money to do the flowers yourself and it's really really fun for some people" Jasmin told me when I asked what the realistic pros and cons of DIY flowers are.  "However, it's a lot of work, a lot of phyiscal, tiring work to do your wedding flowers on your own."  She also pointed out a few more things to keep in mind like 1) Keeping the flowers fresh till the day of your wedding: Do not refrigerate the flowers.  Keeping them in an air conditioned room is enough. 2) Transporting flowers  - "it's best to build and put everything together there. After teh ceremony or reception, check with the venue to see what the policy on flowers are. Some churches will use the flowers the next day for their service.  Check with your caterer or relatives to see who can help remove the flowers after the reception.  If you rented the vases, the rental company will have their own return policies so check with them as well and plan everything."

A huge thank you to Lou Farrell, Jasmin and the wonderful staff at Import Flowers who let me snap pictures and talk to them when I came by.  You can find Import Flowers online at their website.  Don't hesitate to give them a call, or just stop by and have a look - you'll be amazed what you'll find for your Fall wedding, and your DIY floral needs!

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, DIY & Budget Wed Finds 5 comments »

Fantastic Flipbooks - Unique Retro Entertainment for Your Nashville Wedding

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 0 comments »