Again, The Clarksville Brides Wedding and Event Showcase was one of my favorite bridal shows. This show is one of the best produced shows in the Middle TN area. It is well organized, well attended and offers a good mix of local vendors. I really like how they treat brides - from the apple cider flutes at registration to the Q&A panel with recent brides. This year, each bride walked away with a business card portfolio containing all of the show's vendors. How thoughtful! It's just what brides need to stay organized. I mean, who is going to carry all of the brochures, folders, postcards around as they plan? Beth of ClarksvilleBrides.com and staff thought of everything for this show that keeps getting better. If you missed it, consider attending their January show. And, as always...here are the show highlights: 1) Earth Origins - This was my favorite booth! Rebecca was so nice and oh-so hygienic! How would I know? Well, her booth was right next to mine and after each neck/back/hand massage, she thoroughly sanitized the ENTIRE area, including the chair, her hands and she even replaced the head cover each time with a disposable covers. There was always a bride/mom waiting for a massage and they seemed super relaxed when their service was over. Rebecca travels to your location - whether it be bridal showers, day-of or whenever. And, she is very affordable and professional. I like this girl and who doesn't need a massage? This would be a very neat treat for your bridesmaids!
2) Rockelle Bridal Makeup - I have been looking for airbrush makeup everywhere! It is so Hollywood and looks glam! Rockelle did a demo of the airbrush makeup technique...I was jealous that I wasn't the guinea pig but I was "working". Rockelle also did the makeup for the fashion show and the girls looked great. She does airbrushing (not cheap but definitely worth it) and regular makeup for weddings. She serves the Nashville and Clarksville area and doesn't charge a fee for Nashville weddings.
3) Yvonne Chamberlain Photography - Love Yvonne's work! Plus, she is so friendly and professional and really likes brides (some really folks don't:). Yvonne and I chatted at length with a bride all about her wedding and Yvonne had a genuine interest in what brides today seek in photography. A photography who always wants to learn is a very good skill set!
4) Cozette Winters Photography - nicest ever! She came over after seeing me struggle to put up my banner. We became fast friends. I saw her work last year but after another take, I was reminded of her amazing work.
5) Something Blue Bridal - A new bridal gown shoppe that opens in Springfield, TN on September 20, 2008. I can't wait! There are not many bridal salons with great service and Vanna, the co-owner, was full of personality! Her daughter, Abbey, is super-chic, youthful and strikes me as someone who would definitely tell you if a wedding dress is for you...or not:). Honesty is priceless.
6) Vegas Bridal - Cari is actually based in Indiana but ships all over the country. Her store sells couture and designer bridal gowns. She is the exclusive retailer of Tulipia Couture. She also sells designer sample bridal gowns for a fraction of the retail cost.
7) The Bride's Boutique - offers premier wedding gowns. Here are a few of my favorite bridal gowns.
8) Catering - C & K Soul Food - Boy was I glad that these folks started letting vendors "sample" towards the end of the show. They offered BBQ and Swedish meatballs and an amazing raspberry cobbler. I don't even like raspberries but I did like this sweet treat. Contact Corey or Kristie at 931.302.0844. It was really good!
Lastly, the cake dive that I featured was filmed at the show. Check it out here.
UPDATE - Joan of Joan of Art just sent me a great slideshow from the Clarksville bridal show. She's another great photographer, as you can tell by these vibrant pics. She even made me look like a cutie - see pics 12 and 13. Thanks for sharing Joan!!
Whether you are seeking pampering for your wedding day, bridal party or a gift for the bride-to-be, here are a few pampering spots that might be of interest.
I have been in Spaaaah Heaven! Over the weekend, I hung out w/a gal pal at the Relache Spa at Gaylord. We arrived early, had our car's valet parked (complimentary if you're going to the spa) and headed in for some pre-pampering fun. Now, our plan was to start with a quick work-out, then proceed to the whirlpool or pool, head to lunch and then have our spa treatments. But, after walking what seemed like a mile from the Magnolia parking to the Cascade area, we decided that was work-out enough! (Note - you can park closer to the spa but there were so many people checking in that we decided to park and walk through the amazing hotel.)
We headed to the sauna and then to the pool. It didn't feel like we were in Nashville. I mean - I have stayed at Gaylord before but I'd never enjoyed the hotel's amenities. This time, I soaked them all in! I've been to lot of spas - a few in Nashville and a few in other cities - and Gaylord's Relache ranks right up there in terms of pure pampering and full luxury. Everything about it is lavish. I simply love their relaxation room - stocked with strawberries, grapes and fruity water. And, as corny as it sounds, I really love their ladies locker room. It's really like a big room with showers, lockers, steam, sauna and pretty much everything a gal needs to prepare for her tranquil day. I love everything about this spa. The only recommendation I would offer Relache is to fix their billing system. Everytime I go, my bill is wrong. They are always really nice about it but after an amazing day of relaxation, who wants to wait 15 minutes to have your bill corrected? But really, that's minor. The spa is large enough to accommodate your entire bridal party and well worth it!
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit A Moment's Peace spa in Cool Springs. While I didn't receive a service, I did get a chance to tour the spa and hear one of their lead aestheticians (Loretta Brank) discuss tips for healthy summer skin. The spa is an amazing 6200 square foot space, much larger than you'd think, and offers just about any service that you'd need - from hair care, skin care to spa services. This spa will be on my "try" list. I am not sure how it compares to Relache but I am certainly willing to give it a try. Plus, the aestician seemed very knowlegdeable and seemed to love her job, so I bet she is great at what she does. Plus, the spa was voted the #1 spa in Williamson County (by Franklinis.com and Southern Exposure magazine) so I think it's worth a visit. They just added a couple's room that offers a couple's massage area and couple's shower.
A friend of mine is a masseuse so I always want to know which spots she recommends. She worked at Relache and while no longer there she speaks highly of the spa. She also visited Escape Day Spa and loved it! What she liked most was their couple's massage area. She said that it has like a jacuzzi tub for two that is in the couple's room. I simply can't wait to check it out myself because it's hard to find a place that has "real" space for two because some places say they offer couple's massages but you end up being in separate rooms - so what's the point? Anyway - when I check out Escape and A Moment's Peace, I'll let you know. In the meantime, feel free to contact them yourself or comment on this blog by adding your Nashville spa recommendations. Happy July 4th! If you are traveling (like me), please be safe and enjoy your holiday weekend.
I visited Relache Resort and Spa for my birthday and I will say that it is my favorite spa in Nashville. I plan to check out others (price shopping:) but Relache is hard to beat! So, I was super excited when - a few weeks ago - Julie Wilson at Releache gave me a discount code that is a steal! If you have ever been to Relache and planned to return OR want to go, here's a sweet deal. Most locals view Relache as pricey; it is a luxury but now is the time to try it out! From now until June 30, call 615-458-3791 and mention the code BABB to receive special rates.
Custom Specials - all $99
Choose from:
Customized 50 min massage or facial
Customized manicure and pedicure (80 mins)
Specials include gratuity, valet parking and access to steam/sauna/pool/whirlpool.
Today's guest post is by Fit Bride, our newest bride blogger and a reporter with NashvilleEdge.com.
Just finished the first session of week three and we definitely kicked it up a notch. We’re getting more into abs, which I need, endurance, did so many suicide drills I was considering its namesake, and really getting into testing the strength we have been working so hard to build the last two weeks. When you start regularly working out and doing strength training, you can wall into a serious rut if you don’t test yourself a push a little bit farther each time. You probably won’t even notice adding an extra 30 seconds on to your push ups, but you will the next day.
You can never truly progress if you just let yourself get better at the same routine. Know what I mean? It’s one thing to finally feel like you breezed through your workout, but that means you are just building better endurance and it is crucial to keep going and make it harder. I left today with a beet red face, breathing hard, with muscles shaking. That’s exactly how you want to feel. The more you sweat, the more you work.
I used to workout with a girl in college and she never broke a sweat. I looked like I had just gone swimming next to her. But she was never breathing hard either. If you don’t have the discipline to push yourself, that’s what a great trainer is for. I would never have done five, field-length, suicide drills in a row if I didn’t have Paul, the Focus Fitness trainer, right there cheering me along the way.
Knowing that I gave myself, and more importantly my heart, much-needed cardio vascular exercise, made me feel so much better when I got into my car afterwards and heard the radio hosts talking about how Nashville was just named the worst heart-healthy city for women. The first thing people think of when they hear something like that about their city is that obesity must be higher in this area. They never imagine that their average sized frame, could also have poor health just because they are not exercising it enough. Everyone you pass down the street could be a candidate for heart disease. The young 20-something that likes to go out late and sleep in all day, the mother who is too busy taking care of everyone else but herself, or the middle-aged man who thinks lifting weights is the only working out he needs. It could be anyone who has some reason or another for just not being able to get to the gym. I used to be that person. I tend to work all day and cover events at night. I realized that as the day goes on, so do my chances to get to the gym. It had to be first thing in the morning or never. That’s why this camp is perfect. One straight, high-intensity, hour at 6am. In fact, you get more energy for the rest of the day than if you didn’t get up and get your heart going. It goes by fast because you are never doing the same thing for more than a couple minutes. 60 minutes of constant rotation between aerobic and anaerobic drills. Run sprints and once your heart rate is up you switch to squats with kettle bells to catch your breath while still working. In the above photo we were alternating between a kettle bell squat and using the resistance band to tone triceps and back. Working multiple muscles in one motion is key.
It may be difficult at first, but for most of us who work during the day and/or have children, have to get up even earlier to find the time for yourself to exercise. Trust me, after a while you will get used to it and become a better morning person and love the feeling of self-empowerment for getting out of bed and working hard before many of your friends and family are even awake. I have even started recruiting some family and friends to take the challenge, but it could just stem from envy with all the flexing I did around them this weekend…Either way, they and you will thank me for it.
I am super excited to introduce Fit Bride. She's a fun, chic bride who is planning an amazing Nashville wedding. She is letting us into her bridal fitness program and I feel like I am getting healthier just having her around.
Today's guest post is by Fit Bride, our newest bride blogger and a reporter with NashvilleEdge.com.Intro: Hey fellow brides! Focus Fitness offers a four week, outdoor bootcamp program, three days a week from 6:15am to 7:30am. It is an intense, group exercise outdoors, rain or shine, 100% commitment and attention from the trainers and no cancellations. The exercises are unique to keep you challenged and interested, with your body always guessing what's next, results are guaranteed to surprise you. Get the body you never thought you could have without the fad diets and boring gym machines. Get down and dirty and in the best shape of your life the old fashion way, hard work. As a bride myself, I know what it feels like to want to become the best version of yourself for your day. Focus Fitness is especially focused on brides. They have intensive programs specialized for brides-to-be to work on your individual needs and desired results. The bootcamps are on constant rotation, so you can keep track of my experience and results and if it is right for you, you can enroll in the camp right after mine or closer to your wedding day. After every session I will blog about my experiences and results and I promise to be completely honest,especially with my weight and measurements...Yikes!
Day One: I had my first Bootcamp session this morning at 6am and even though it was tough getting up, I'm in love with starting my day early! I know this sounds insane but I honestly thought I was going to be the only person up and running when I left my house at 5:30am. Turns out there were so many people biking and running and walking their dogs AND Starbucks was even open! I had no idea that it opened at 5AM! I know I'm supposed to be quitting, but this addiction will have to go gradually and it doesn't help that when I have to get up at 5:30am I pass right by one on my way to the camp.
(my trainer)
We rotated between aerobic and anaerobic exercises to keep our heart rate up and our bodies guessing what was coming next. I didn't do as bad as I thought and it helps that everyone is encouraging you along the way, especially the trainer, Paul. I did realize that, although I can knock out a pilates 100 like no body's business, I am literally terrible at your average military style sit up. You could say that and push ups will be my everest for this bootcamp. But I'm not kidding about what I said before that our bodies get lazy on us and only fit with the certain exercises that it is used to. If all I do is pilates, my body will not run a 7 minute mile. I rarely do abs. That is something I am lazy about. I was doing sit ups with a fellow bootcamper who is also a mother and she killed me! She was unbelievable in her sit ups! And she didn't even cheat! I couldn't even get off the ground and I'm 23! It's like Paul says, there is no such thing as getting too old to exercise, there are just unconditioned bodies. I have even heard my 20-something friends say that they are too old to do this workout class or to go running with me. Look at Madonna. She is well into her 50s and could kick any 20-something's ass, and would from what I've heard of her, just to prove that you can grow older AND stronger!
We only get one body to go through this life with and I plan to keep mine not only moving, but running around as long as I can. And as long as you don't let it get lazy on you, you should never feel like you are too old to exercise.Check out this video from my first day in the Focus Fitness Bootcamp on the homepage! Stay tuned as I keep you updated on my journey to become a "Fit Bride". *Daily confession-I did have a large glass of sweet tea for lunch. That is one of my weaknesses I admitted in the beginning, but I promise to quit until this camp is over and then only one every now and then. But the rest of my meals were healthy. Fresh fish and fruit! And still trying to drink water throughout the day. I just don't have time to pee every five minutes
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
Send us your wedding tips, creative ideas, or your own wedding
photos to share. We’d love to hear from you »
