Friday, March 21, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Before Swoozie's opened in Nashville's Green Hills area, we couldn't wait. We wouldn't be jealous of Atlanta much longer, Swoozie's was finally coming to Nashville! Fast forward, Swoozie's has been here for 6 months or so and...we're still loving it! This love is proving to be no temporary crush. I'll admit, I've visited several times and have been way to excited to chronicle for ABG readers. It really is like a Candyland for big girls...I wanted to shop and see, not take pictures and notes. But luckily, the ABG community always has my back. Latrice has written a blog on Swoozie's that I have been following. Now that her three-part series has ended, she's letting me "borrow" it so I can share all of the goodies with you. I've mentioned Latrice before, she's amazing. She is a shopper like I've never seen. Tons of style and always found at the neatest Nashville boutiques, but I'll spare you more of my blah, blah, blah...enjoy this Friday Find. Guest Post: Latrice of Bridal Opulence, a Nashville wedding planner Swooning over Swoozie's!
Nashville has some of the greatest places to shop, by far. Just recently in the Green Hills area the brand new Hills Center opened with all the latest trendy boutique like stores. One of my all time favorite specialty stores in the center is called Swoozie's!! This hip little happening spot is the best place for anything gift related or paper/stationery related. I am a huge fan of paper products so every time I go in the store I stay for at least an hour. There so many gift-y books & journals for the newly engaged bride-to-be. This table in the picture carries a Tiffany blue & chocolate theme, which is a really happening color for weddings this season. There were cute little notepads, books, etc that range in price of $12.95 & up. They also offer a printing service at the store and will personalize your items for a small fee, making everything so special. One of the cutest items by far was the "Wedding day survival" kit, which is priced at $34.95 Swoozie's also carries the most creative paperware - that includes plates, beverage napkins & cups - great for that bridal shower, engagement party, etc. Check out this "Because I'm The Bride, That's Why!" foam cup ($6.95) and the "Tie the Knot Bride" beverage napkins ($4.95). Stationery is another reason that Swoozie's has such a huge following of loyal customers. The stationery by far is the cutest I've ever seen, and would make your bridal shower invites, save the date cards & also wedding invitations truly stand out. This is the place for those DIY Brides!! The average price for this category starts at $8.95 & up. So if you are a DIY bride and have a love for stationery.....Swoozie's is the place to be! Selecting the right bridal party gifts can be a huge task if you don't have anything in mind. Luckily, Swoozie's has gifts for both your bridesmaids & groomsmen. Selecting the perfect gift for the men in your party can be intimidating. Swoozie's has the most perfect set of gifts for that hard-to-shop-for man & they also can do monogramming & engraving. I am all about personalization!!! The crocodile leather black flask are a perfect "manly gift"!!! They have "groomsman" engraved on the silver hardware, it looks great. Also, the picture would be a nice added touch that could be given and either place a picture from the bachelor party or your actual ceremony as a thank you gift. Swoozie's also carries a wide array of koozies, which you can never have too many of those. The pictured wedding frame "The Guys" retails at $19.95, this frame is also available in "The Girls" & also "Mother & Father of the Bride" Swoozie's makes it so easy to shop for your bridesmaids & also for your flower girl. There are so many unique and fun gifts to choose from in the store & also on line. We will start with your bridesmaids: in the picture below the black & white motif is amazing! With this collection comes notecards with can be personalized for an additional $5; cute wine bags, coasters etc. Notecards are a favorite of mine. In this age of emailing, a hand written note is always top on list. It's also an etiquette thing as well. So you can never go wrong in getting personalized stationery for yourself or your party. Other ideas that you can pick up at Swoozie's are personalized soaps, carry all bags, burlap initial wine bags & also initial wine stoppers. Wine stoppers start at $14.95 Initial soaps start at $11.00 & Carry all bags start at $19.95 & up Market Tote - Turquoise with Brown Trim Price: $19.95 Perfect little gift for your flower girl! For your bachelorette party, girls night out, Swoozie's can personalize a sash for you to wear so everyone will know it's your special night. Swoozie's...your one stop shop for bridal party gifts with a personal touch!! They also carry the cutest selection of table decor. Currently they have 3 that really struck my fancy & I would like to share them with you. This black & white table setting could be the theme for a very chic bridal shower. Incorporating a Tiffany blue, pink or red to the color scheme would definitely make the color pop!!! Also you could request that your guest wear colors that coordinate with your color scheme. This would create really super cute pictures. For a Nautical or Beach theme: This is so adorable and with a little creativity, you could incorporate sand to your table center pieces for an added effect. Bachelor Cook out: All American Theme This table decor would make for a great afternoon Bachelor cook out with the fellas. You could carry this theme out and incorporate all things baseball. What a fun cookout this would be & I would even suggest renting a cute little old fashion popcorn popper for your guest.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Guests, Gifts & Favors, Invitations & Paper Goods, Wedding Resources
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008 A couple of weeks ago, I met with Rhonda of Rhonda Patton Weddings (event floral designer). She is simply amazing and is super creative. When we met, we discussed some neat elements for weddings and one thing most people overlook - the kids! Now, I know that some of you are having adult only weddings which is totally cool and something I considered at one point. But, my hubby and I have way too many nieces, cousins and god kids to have excluded kids. So, we made sure we included them in our big day. Here are some of the ways we incorporated or entertained kids...
5 flowergirls + 1 ring bearer + 1 bell ringer + 1 bible bearer = a whole lot of cute kids I wrote a poem and mailed it to each flowergirl asking them to be in our wedding. They felt sooo special getting mail (you remember that feeling) and a special invitation to be in our wedding. I printed my poem on hot pink and green adorable paper. Click here to view/reuse my flowergirl letter. A few folks thought we were crazy for including so many kids in our wedding ceremony. We thought they would be adorable and they were. Now, I will say that the kids in our circle are amazingly well behaved so I knew they would not pose a problem. Plus, we didn't have any kids in our ceremony under the age of 5 (which was a big help!).
Honestly, if we could do it all again, I would probably have a kid-only ceremony as they were the EASIEST aspect to coordinate. The kids are simple - little girls' dresses don't need altering, their weight doesn't fluctuate as much as adults (they don't diet for special occasions) and they usually don't care about their hair because they are accustomed to not really having much say so anyway:). The boys were even easier!
The wedding reception We had the kids sit with their parents but we did provide each with custom M&Ms, a custom wedding coloring book (with our names) and crayons. The neatest part of the reception, loved by parents and kids, was their favor. We invited all of the kids in the wedding party to have their photo sketched by a professional caricaturist. We hired a guy through The Nose (spent like $350 but money well spent). They had great customer service. In fact, the week before our event, our hired caricaturist was sick or something and wasnt going to be able to make it. The owner of The Nose contacted me, offered a refund or another artist. We went with another artist, who showed up on time, dressed appropriately and drew the most fun pics! He asked each kid what they wanted to be when they grew up and drew them in their chosen profession (similar to the one attached by Marlee, one of the artists). What a neat touch!
The kids loved their pictures and framed them for years to come. John and I were drawn too (which was a great memento but it took 20 minutes of our time at the reception, keeping us from our guests). After our wedding party kids were sketched, we invited other kids at the reception to have their pics drawn too. After sharing my story with Rhonda, she shared a kids table that she recently created for a bride. Again, as an event floral designer, she does more than just flowers. Here's the scoop from Rhonda...
My bride wanted to honor her daughter and daughter's friends by having a special table for the tweens (ages 8-12). The bride's daughter's favorite color was purple therefore the bride specifically requested the table to be purple.
Rhonda's recipe for the purple passion inspired table:
Purple Linens
Mini Candy Bar which also served as the centerpiece. Sweet treats such as (M&Ms, Skittles, Bubble Gum, Hershey Kisses, Jolly Ranchers, Nerds and Pop & Rocks)
Purple polka-dot take away pails
For brain teasers, we added soduku, cross word puzzles, seek n finds, with girly-girl ink pens, journals, coloring books and crayons
For some night fun, we added glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces
For safety, we used battery operated candles
Not only did the tweens adore this table but the adult guest absolutely thought the idea was brilliant because it kept the tweens entertained the entire night. Even the guest were dabbling into the candy bar. This is a great way to recognize the kids/youth at your wedding.
It was a huge success and the tweens had a blast filing their candy pails. And most of all... these things can be purchased inexpensively and the dollar tree, Walmart, etc.
Contact Rhonda Patton Weddings for DIY wedding ideas or help with your wedding decor/flowers.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Guests, Gifts & Favors
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Welcome Today's Guest: Southern Fancy is a bridal blog written by Anna, a Nashville bride2be and a true Southern belle. Even though The Mister and I are getting married right outside of Nashville in Franklin, Tenn., it feels more like a destination wedding. You see, all my family is in Mississippi and his is either in Arizona or Chicago. Plus, our closest friends are scattered about the country. So any way you look at it, our guests are traveling from near and far, and they're having to pay a pretty penny to do so. To welcome them from a long day of travel and to show them our appreciation, it is only appropriate for us to give each person (or couple or family) a basket of goodies when they check in at the hotel. First things first, I searched online for some inspiration. I looked no further than Kate Parker Weddings. She has the perfect welcome basket for cities like Dallas, Chicago, Boston, NYC, San Diego and San Francisco, among others. And as fate would have it, she has one specifically for Nashville weddings.
This fabulous basket includes: * 1 3-pack of cookies from The Christie Cookie * 2 packs of Goo Goo Clusters (which are made in Chattanoga) * 1 tin of tea from Nashville Tea * 2 (11oz.) bottles of Fiji water * Custom map including 4-5 points of interest for the wedding weekend (rehearsal, ceremony, reception, etc.) * 1 Map of Tennessee from the Tennessee Visitors Bureau * Medicine Kit including Advil, Tylenol, and Pepto-Bismol. At the price of $34.00 (plus shipping), I think this is totally worth it; however, I am in need of about 30 of these bad boys, which would cost me a little over $1,000 total. Soooo, I decided I could create something similar and set a budget of $10 per basket. Here's what I plan on including:
* A Franklin-area brochure (free) * Copy of The Nashville City Paper or The Rage (free) * Custom map of the wedding location and directions (paid $10 for custom design from Etsy seller MTK Designs. The price is now $15. Again, totally worth it.) * A pack of Goo Goo clusters * Tiny bottles of Dickel Tennessee whiskey (made in Tullahoma; about $1.50 per bottle); You could also go with small bottles of Jack Daniels (made in Lynchburg). * Bottled water * Either a pack of orange slices or apple rings from Apple Barn Cider Mill (this is a place in the Opry Mills Mall that has lots of yummy food and candy made in Tennessee) * Can of Altoids or packs of gum * One Spirit of Nashville postcard ($12.99 for a pack of 29). Y’all, these are so awesome, you have to see them now.
Ashley Adds: Want more ideas for your Nashville wedding gift baskets? Follow this topic on our message board.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Guests, Gifts & Favors, Luxury Wed Finds, Real Nashville Brides
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Sammy, my husband John's best friend, came to town this weekend to spend time with us. I rarely see Sammy and my husband works Saturdays so Sammy's hanging with me. My plan was to go to the bridal show today but after considering that Sammy probably wouldn't enjoy the event (just a hunch) and $50 is a lot to spend on someone who wouldn't enjoy the darn thing anyway, I'm home with him. (Hope I don't regret this forever! John - you owe me one:)
As I steal a few minutes to blog today, I am a wee-bit jealous of all the fun that everyone is going to have at today's Nashville Lifestyles Bridal Ball. It's taking place at The Hermitage Hotel, one of my favorite Nashville wedding venues. I really wanted to go because Tara Guerard is speaking and she is oh-so-talented. She's like the Ace of Cakes guy, coming to your town, live and in person. If you aren't familiar with Tara, she is a top "event producer" and author of Southern Weddings. (I've got to find a fancy way to describe what I do:).
My friends at A Magical Affair are going to take tons of pictures and promised to share every single detail. Hillary say I'll be there in spirit. Expect a fabulous update next week.
Now, more highlights from my fabulous event on Sunday, the Nashville bridal break. (Tara - you can add these fantastic Nashville wedding finds to your preferred vendor list. I've checked them out and they're good to go.)
The Personal Touches - What's an engagement/wedding without a celebration of who you are and all the wonderful aspects of being engaged?
Designs in Paper- Yes, I'm always talking about Designs in Paper but I think they are the neatest things since...since forever! Donette (pictured chatting w/brides below) and Steve approach every project with a blank slant and come up with something completely custom to express your personality, theme, etc. For instance, for my party, they created Happy Valentines Day confetti and gave a bag of confetti to everyone who attended. DiP (as they liked to be called) made "The Future Mrs." buttons to every bride2be, which the brides are still raving over. They even made AshleysBrideGuide.com confetti for me, which I picked up after the event and plan to use again and again. (So you will see it at the Opry Mills show and the Perfect Wedding Guide show!)
They made some neat confetti for the Lipstick Jungle premiere on Thursday and it was soo cute. They made mini lipsticks with jungle prints. They never cease to amaze me. And, the good thing is - they are paper experts so they can create paper around all aspects of your party or wedding theme - from save the dates, invitations to confetti and t-notes.
If you have an enviable wedding budget, head over to The Hermitage to meet Tara and Nashville's top vendors for the high-end Nashville bride.
Well, that's a wrap - back to the couch for more b-ball with Sammy! I love Sammy but John owes me big...it's going to be a great Valentine's Day.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Bridal Shows & Events, Guests, Gifts & Favors, Inspiration & Trends, Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Wed Finds
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
When I got married, I reserved several hotels based on different budgets, for my out of town guests. I really appreciated the hotels that offered complimentary breakfast for my guests and affordable rooms for families. In my search for great options for Nashville brides, I visited Kimberly of Courtyard Marriott to learn more about their guest rooms. Since I am a big trip advisor fan, I favor candid hotel pics, provided by travelers over pics provided by hotels:). So, after Kimberly provided me pics to place on the Courtyard's listing in the vendor directory, I decided to go and view them myself... Pleasantly surprised! The hotel looks just like the pics Kimberly sent me. She told me the hotel had been remodeled just a few years ago which is why the rooms look so new. (See candid pics below.)
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Anyway, we chatted about guest accommodations in general and here's what I learned. What should brides know about this hotel? This hotel boasts smartly appointed guest rooms, plush new bedding and furnishings ergonomic workspaces and free high-speed Internet. There's a fitness center or outdoor pool for unwinding. A 24-hour market for sandwiches salads snacks and beverages. And each morning an affordable breakfast buffet in the Courtyard Cafe featuring eggs cooked to order. A business library is located by the lobby and offers high-speed Internet a computer printer work stations and informal meeting space. This airport hotel in Nashville is also conveniently located 2 miles from the Nashville International Airport with free shuttle service available (contact hotel directly or use phone board at baggage claim). Hotel Highlights: - This hotel is nonsmoking - Courtyard Nashville Airport has 145 spacious newly renovated guest rooms with upgraded bedding - This airport hotel in Nashville is less than 2 miles from the airport with free shuttle service - You'll find Nashville's famed attractions entertainment and sports near this Nashville TN hotel - Complimentary on-site parking - King rooms or dbl/dbl rooms for your wedding guests - Outdoor pool and indoor hot tub Do you offer a discount/complimentary room for bride/groom? Yes, I can give the couple a discount with 10 paid guest rooms. What's required to reserve the room block? Contract; Rooms will be held up to 2 weeks prior to date of arrival. At check-out, guests are billed for their rooms individually. How do you handle welcome gifts, weekend agendas, directions? We can give guests their welcome gifts upon arrival along with directions or any other items. Can you coordinate transportation from your hotel to the bride's wedding events? Yes. We can work to arrange transportation for a fee. What advice do you offer Nashville brides as they consider guest accommodations? Consider families as they have special needs than couples/singles. If you need guest accommodations, consider the Courtyard Marriott. Their rooms are nice and new and they are close to the airport, Opry Mills and Gaylord. Plus, Kimberly is offering a special rate ($89-99) and FREE breakfast (which I asked her to include:) if you mention ABF. The hotel is a great, clean and comfortable option for all budgets and family sizes. Call Kimberly for all the details -615-493-2941.
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Posted by Ashley |
Filed under: Guests, Gifts & Favors
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