Two weeks ago, I hosted a wedding planning workshop with the super talented ladies of Kerried Away Couture and Love Bird Style. The event was extremely informative.
The evening started with a walk through of two real weddings by Jessica of Love Bird Style. Not only is Jessica a planner/designer but her own wedding, which took place at Historic Cedarwood, was featured on Style Me Pretty. She shared her wedding which was inspired by a quilt. She walked us through the color selection, theme and overall design. She then shared a second wedding and a mock inspiration board. Brides had a lot of questions about how to create their own inspiration board, which you can learn about via the video below.
Next up, Kerri and Lane of Kerried Away Couture. Kerried Away Couture offers custom bridesmaid dresses (locally and nationally). They discussed how custom bridesmaid dresses are designed, how to select appropriate styles and fabrics for your party and mothers.
Joy of Joy Chambers Photography was on hand to grab great photos and I manned the video camera to capture some great advice for you!
If you are a bride and were not able to attend the event, please take time to watch the videos below or reach out and contact Kerried Away or Love Bird Style for a consult for custom dresses or wedding design/planning.
Kerri (left); me (middle); Lane (right). Both ladies wore Kerried Away designs.
Video: Determining Your Wedding Style
Video: Creating Your Inspiration Board
Custom clutches by Kerried Away Couture
Custom bridesmaid skirt options by Kerried Away Couture
Video: Choosing Your Wedding Color Palette
Custom Kerried Away bridesmaid dresses for a fun, outdoor wedding
Video: Choosing Your Bridesmaids Dresses
Custom mother dress by Kerried Away Couture
Video: Choosing Colors for Your Mothers Dresses (Mother of Groom or Bride)
The Kerried Away Couture studio
Lane (left); Kerri (middle); Jessica (right)
It was great to meet Adrienne (left) a Nashville bride.
Fall is one of my favorite times of year where the weather is almost perfect and the trees are changing colors and becoming a fiery dance of yellows, reds and oranges, colors that are such a beautiful backdrop for weddings, especially those that are outdoor. As we've mentioned before, Cedarwood has had some stunning weddings both because their venue is great and their design team even more so. We look at a few of their fall themed weddings for inspiration and hopefully you'll be able to find some ideas that catch your eye for your own wedding!
Trick or Treat!
First up is a whimsical, fairy-tale come-to-life Halloween themed wedding. It combined the most fantastic parts of halloween (twinkly lights, bright colors and candy) with the wonders of weddings with beautiful table arrangements and a decked out cake covered in hand-shaped pumpkins, leaves and fall flowers. The matching lanterns hanging over the tables were also a nice touch, adding color from every angle. More from this three-part Halloween Themed Wedding here.
It's hard to not think of UT whenever you hear "orange wedding" here in Nashville. Thankfully, the shades of orange used in this wedding are akin to the orange you see the leaves become in the Fall and are much more pleasant and chic. From the metalic orange monogram to ribbons and flowers, the outdoors flowed into the reception area to create a seamless Fall feel. There are a lot more pictures to be seen - if this is what you envision your wedding day to look like, definitely click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.
Some of the more vibrant colors that go well with Fall wedings are the jewel tones like teal and purple. This wedding complements those colors with bright pinks/fucshias to really give pops of color. Using an orchid for a boutonniere is a rather classic look but the contrast of the rich purple against the navy suit lends a more contemporary look and feel. Definitely not for the faint of heart, the purple and bright pink combo isn't as popular as the classic orange/gold/yellow for fall but it's always fun to see and such a treat for all. More from this wedding here.
Cedarwood has done tons of gorgeous weddings on their grounds with all sorts of color shemes and themes. Be sure to check out more of Cedarwood's Fall Weddings, or look at our Inspiration Gallery for more great ideas for your wedding! All the best!
Just because your wedding venue is a plantation or a farmhouse doesn't mean you are limited to just "country chic" or "rustic" or even "vintage" looks. Especially in a location like Legacy Farms where you can choose from a few different settings both indoors and out to create a look and feel that is right for your wedding. At their recent open house, I had a chance to see each space decorated in a certain fashion from (of course) country style to a fall-inspired table to a gorgeous Winter Wonderland. When Enchanted Florist is involved, you can expect floral and event decor that's nothing short of phenomenal and once again, the guests and I at the Open House were wowed by their imagination and design skills which seem to know no limits.
The covered bridge at Legacy Farms is my personal favorite area. They turned it into a ceremony location with chairs lined up on both sides and flower petals that match the suspended Asian umbrellas strewn on the ground. It's such a fun, festive look but the bridge looks like it could be transformed to be a wonderland of any sort.
Front of the Mansion
What greeted me as I arrived at the venue was a gorgeous fall-inspired ceremony and reception dinner table set up. Rows of wooden pews with an the aisle flanked by pumpkins and leaves faced the house where you could exchange your vows on the front steps. For the dinner, there was a beautiful long table decorated in oranges and yellows. This would be perfect for an October or November wedding or, really, if you're just that into fall and are over summer!
Inside the Mansion
Set by a French window overlooking the front lawn, a long, elegant dinner table was set. Candlesticks, votives, silver chargers and serving pieces sat with shimmery silver ornaments and votives and a luxurious center arrangement of roses and flowers sat atop beautiful linens.
Main Event Hall
The main area (which we've seen set up for a wedding here) was used to accommodate visitors with a live band and buffet. Upstairs, there was more great design to be seen. There were audible gasps of delight as you entered the barn loft upstairs in the main event hall. Upon entry, there was a table set up in a Winter Wonderland theme with sparkly ornaments, cool purples and blues and silk and satin fabric. It was exquisite.
The table was but an extension of the ceremony area around the corner where twinkly lights, frosty tree branches feathers and more floral arrangements completed this Winter Wonderland and if not for the fact that it was in the high 90's outside, it would have felt like we were actually at a winter wedding.
How's this for winter wedding inspiration?
Courtyard
Every usable area at Legacy Farm was decorated - even outside there were antiques set up to show what they have on hand for decor. The courtyard between the Event Hall and the Mansion also had tables set up and tucked away, in a sheltered area, was a country style section. There seemed no limit to the design capabilities of all the vendors involved that day and I'm glad I was able to visit!
Thank you to Legacy Farms for hosting a beautiful Open House, we look forward to seeing more weddings take place there. Big thank you as well to Ace Photography, who has shared their style shoot at the Open House in three parts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Fall is in the air and if you're newly engaged, you might be inspired to have a Fall wedding. If so, today's post is just for you. While there aren't hard and fast rules when it comes to wedding fare, it's always nice to keep with the seasonal themes.
We turned to Jim Hagy, owner of Chef's Market & Takeaway, for ideas for an autumn wedding reception. Jim has been in the restaurant business all his life and his team at Chef's Market knows how to put together a menu and food presentation that you and your guests are sure to enjoy and remember. Here's great advice for creating your fall Nashville wedding menu, by the folks at Chef's Market.
Autumn is one of my favorite times of year for a reception; although I find it difficult to define exactly why. It could be that the local vegetable and fruit harvest is at its peak, the warm, rich colors of fall, or (more practically) it could be that the outdoor temperature is 20 degrees cooler on average and I can mark a summer heatstroke off my to-do list. Based on the number of receptions we have booked this year, fall is a favorite time for couples as well. Below are some new and exciting ideas and trends I see for this upcoming fall season.
Tablescaping and Design:
Wanting their guests to feel at home, couples have long been breaking free of the tendency to think that a fall wedding reception has to be formal or traditional. The trick is to make it comfortable and elegant at the same time. A stylish look for table tops and food presentation for the autumn 2011 season is what I call “rustic bohemian”. The look is clean and earthy, incorporating farm house tables, antique baskets, wooden cutting boards and using roughly torn brown butcher paper as under-liner for food. In the past, this style might have been accented with an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables on the tables for a farmers’ market look -- no more. Cleaner lines are in. A look of abundance is a must, but it should come from the prepared food, not the props or randomly thrown fodder. Decor should have function (i.e. fresh herbs in rustic pots with silver scissors for guests to snip and add to their food).
I love the warm, comfortable colors of fall -- ivory, taupe, black, eggplant, marigold, browns, and copper. These hues are classics that have long been on autumn wedding inspiration boards and are still popular. The surprising color I am seeing this fall is red, a bright red, and it makes sense. What color is your eye drawn to when seeing a hillside of trees with turning leaves? Vibrant red. In the past, I have played it safe with a rusty red, but this year I’m taking a clue from Mother Nature and throwing in cherry red.
Food:
Because couples really want a comfortable environment that’s not stuffy or pretentious for their guests, comfort food continues to be on trend. But there are new trends in comfort food, such as grits, boneless beef ribs, savory cupcakes, and home-style desserts.
Grits: Shrimp and grits have been around receptions for a while…for so long now that it was just added to Shoney’s menu. In other words: Bye, bye shrimp and grits; it was fun while it lasted. However, we’re not ready to give up on grits just yet. A grits station where guests pick from a smorgasbord of grit features can make the whole concept a fresh idea again. Maybe Lobster and Brie Stone Ground Grits, Smoked Gouda Grits, or Wild Mushroom and Gruyère Grits, with an awesome display of toppings like apple wood bacon, caper berries, and fire roasted corn for guests to garnish however they’d like.
Boneless Beef Ribs: Something we continue to perfect here at Chef’s Market are boneless beef ribs, which are reasonably priced and versatile with an endless number of ways of preparation. The way I describe boneless beef ribs to brides and grooms is to ask them to imagine the best pot roast they have ever eaten then multiple that by ten. Whether they are French Braised with a Mushroom Duxelle, are marinated in Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce, or are one of our many other short rib recipes, reception guests always rave about our ribs. In addition to being affordable, beef ribs travel well from our kitchen to the reception site.
Left: Image by Dixie Pixel Photography. Right: Image by Chef's Market
Dessert:
There will always be a place in a wedding reception for the classic wedding cake with its manicured tiers and beautiful design, however, current trends in desserts are moving away from the fondant and toward an assortment of the bride and groom’s favorite desserts instead. Ideas include a variety of home-style cakes, a collection of tasty pies, or a combination of the two. Many brides are opting for a smaller wedding cake, surrounded by bite sized favorites such as cheesecake lollipops, our famous cake truffles, mini apple and cherry pies, and pecan diamonds. Another great option is to include a family favorite which our pastry chef will make from your recipe.
Image courtesy of Chef's Market
Image courtesy of Chef's Market
Savory Cupcakes:
A new idea we’re hoping will soon catch on in Nashville is the savory cupcake. We are doing a lot research and development on Lasagna Cupcakes in our kitchen this summer. Expect to see Benton Farms Prosciutto and Butternut Squash and Classic Bolognaise Cupcakes among others on our fall menus. (ABG Adds: I asked Chef's Market to describe these to me and they say these savory lasagna cupcakes are just small baked pieces of lasagna that are easy to eat with your hands. They look like mini cupcakes but are savory. Sounds great to me!)
Thanks Jim! These are all great ideas and the idea of lasagna (or even Mac n Cheese!) in the form of cupcakes sounds delicious to me. For more ideas and to see what Chef's Market has been up to visit their Chef's Dish Blog. You can also visit their website and contact them for more information on how they can bring their amazing catering to your wedding.
Brides, grooms, and wedding guests love photo booths. Every time I watch a wedding show on TV (Four Weddings is one of my favorites), the brides and guests name the photo booth as their favorite aspect of the wedding; they are still crowd pleasers. It's great entertainment. And no matter whether you go with the traditional booth or a new concept, like Picture This - it's sure to make the event more fun for your guests.
I attend bridal shows to see what's new and what brides are loving. At the last bridal show I attended, the Picture This Nashville booth was very popular. It's a virtual booth, one that uses a computer monitor/kiosk instead of a physical booth that guests climb into. It's a unique service to add to your reception and to get a full appreciation of how it works, you need to see, touch, play with it.
There are two things that I think are great about Picture This Nashville: 1) They offer a full refund if you change your mind* and 2) Their booths take up very little space, if that's an issue at your wedding venue.
Read my interview with newlywed Elaine, co-owner of Picture This Nashville, and then head over to their website to learn more.
Contact Info
Name: Picture This Nashville
Main Contact: Elaine Pardo Ingram
Phone Number: 615-352-0024
Email Address: elaine {at} picturethisnashville {dot} net
Website: www.picturethisnashville.net
Twitter: picturethisnash
Facebook fan page: Picture This Nashville
How did you get started in weddings?
My husband & I were looking for something new and exciting for our wedding. When we came across this company we loved it so much we bought the rights to the Nashville - Middle, TN Area.
What do you like most about weddings?
I love dealing with happy people. Working a wedding and seeing the smile on peoples faces makes what we do so much fun.
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why?
This video show how much fun using our service can be.
What is your service philosophy?
We understand that in the glory days of planning your event you want it all but the reality is as you get closer the expenses get out of hand. *Picture This Nashville will give you a total refund 60 days before the event. I was a bride that lost a lot of money on wedding show specials.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you?
A bride should shop around to make sure that they like our service. We are not the traditional photobooth by any means. We take up less space then the big booths and for cost of one machine you can have two. The biggest selling point is our guestbooks. We really take pride in those. We understand what the couple is going through and want to make it as smooth as possible.
Touch screen photo booth kiosk...
with a customizable screen.
A few Nashville wedding pros working + having fun at recent Nashville wedding!
Customizable Photo Guestbook
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors?
Visions by Valeshia – Photography – Valeshia rocks
Trupix Wedding video – Luke and Samantha are so much fun and they get you a great product.
Branching Out florist – Vikki really does magic
Fontanel Mansion – Bradley is a hoot Designs in Paper – Donette and Steve make ordering your invitations and programs so easy.
Visit Picture This Nashville to learn how their photo booth works and see if it's a good addition to your wedding entertainment.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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