Friday, December 3, 2010
After a crash course in traditional Chinese weddings when my husband and I got married, I have a newfound respect for ethnic wedding traditions from all over. There are no shortcuts; every little thing is symbolic and the wedding ceremonies, though long, are as beautiful and meaningful as they are elaborate. In today's real wedding feature, we get a quick glimpse into what I can only imagine to be an amazing day for Sneha and Lee. Starting with a traditional Indian wedding ceremony, the couple cap the night off with an elegant reception. The wedding was photographed by McLellan Style (who we LOVE) and planned/coordinated by A Delightful Day Event Planning (who we also LOVE). It's thanks to them that we get to share this spectacular wedding with you!
South Meets East - An Indian Wedding in Nashville
Bride ~ Sneha Channabasappa
Groom ~ Lee Oakley
Wedding Date & Time ~ June 5, 2010
Ceremony ~ 10:30 a.m. at Sri Ganesha Temple
Reception ~ 6:30 p.m. at the Hutton Hotel
Guests ~ 250
Wedding Style
What was your wedding style?
I really wanted our wedding to be a reflection of me and Lee, and we both like very clean, modern designs. So, I would say that our style was modern and chic.
What were your colors?
Why did you chose them? Pink and gold. Pink and gold are two of my favorite colors.
Did you have a theme? What was it?
I love the Indian paisley design and I really wanted to incorporate it into our wedding. We did it on a minimal scale, so as not to overdo it. For example, our florist made a large paisley design out of rose petals on the wedding aisle-runner, it was incorporated into our wedding cake design, in the lighting elements at our reception. We also had paisley themed wedding invitations in our pink and gold colors.
What did you use for inspiration?
I got my inspiration mostly from my mom’s sarees and other Indian fabrics that I had seen. Because Indian weddings aren’t always featured on wedding blogs and websites, I did a lot of Google searches to find designs that I really liked.
Wedding Scoop
What was your budget?
We did not have a budget, but our wedding ended up costing around $100,000.
What was your wedding WOW factor?
Our guests continue to tell us how much they loved the flowers from Oshi Flowers and the food from the Hutton. We also received a lot of compliments on our ice sculpture. My favorite WOW factor element was the giant chandelier we used over the dance floor.
What did you give as favors to your guests?
We gave out two favors. At our wedding, in traditional Indian fashion, we gave gift bags that contained a box of Indian sweet and savory snacks, along with some fruit. For our reception, we gave everyone personalized Loveless Café jams. The labels had our names, wedding date and the phrase, “Spread the love.” They were so cute!
How did you personalize your wedding?
We used a lot of my mom’s vintage sarees and Indian fabrics for decoration, did custom “Just Married” M&Ms in our wedding colors with our save the date picture on them (our save the date picture had our faces photoshopped onto a little cartoon Indian bride and groom).
What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
We purchased all of their bridal party outfits and jewelry for them.
What was your most special moment of the day?
Walking into the Temple wedding hall and seeing all my family and friends, and having Lee and his family participate in our cultural traditions. It meant a lot to me. It was also so exciting to see Lee waiting for me.
Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them?
We had kids at our ceremony, but not at the reception.
Did you Do It Yourself? Or, did you leave it to the professionals?
We left a lot to professionals, but my mom and her friends made all the snacks and sweets that were given in our gift bags and out of town guest bags.
Wedding Vendors:
~ Planner: Mary Alice Sublett, A Delightful Day
~ Cake(s): Maples Wedding Cakes
~ Caterer(s): Hutton Hotel; Sitar Indian Cuisine; Woodland’s Indian Cuisine
~ Photographer: McLellan Style
~ Videographer: None
~ Stationery: Ajalon Printing and Design (Santa Rosa, CA)
~ Bridesmaid Dresses: Om Boutique (New Jersey)
~ Rings: Genesis Diamonds
~ Music: Aaron Hartley of Hartley Entertainment
~ Decorations/Detail: Oshi Flowers, Specialty Ice Carvings, Nashville Event Lighting, Classic Party Rentals
~ Bridal Gown: Shamika Silks (India) and Om Boutique
~ Tuxes: None.
~ Accessories: Mother’s and Grandmother’s jewelry
~ Flowers: Oshi Flowers
~ Transportation: None
~ Gifts: Loveless Café and homemade
~ Henna: Beth Boyd Hendrickson of New World Henna (Memphis)
~ Hair and Make-Up: Chase Taylor (Hair); Rachel Dwyer (Make-up)
Who were your favorites? {the ones you would highly recommend to your best friend}:
McLellan Style (Sean and Melanie McLellan are amazingly talented and wonderful to work with); Beth Hendrickson (so sweet and super talented); Maples Wedding Cakes; Oshi Flowers. Actually, I would recommend every vendor we worked with. They were all amazing and made the day perfect!
Wedding Rewind
What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning?
I would invite more people – we had so much fun and I would just want more people to join us for it!
What do you consider the biggest waste of time and/or money?
I feel like we used our wedding dollars very wisely. I can’t really think of anything that we “wasted” time or money doing. I carefully considered every decision, so if I thought it was a waste money (e.g., limousines), I just didn’t do it.
What do you consider the best value for the service and product?
I felt like the lighting, chandelier and ice sculpture provided huge designs elements for little money. I had originally wanted to do a lot of draping in our reception ballroom, but found that I could get a bigger WOW factor with these three elements for far less money.
What was your biggest {and best} splurge?
Definitely flowers. Flowers were one of my most important elements. We used a lot of orchids and they were gorgeous! We rented 12 foot palms for the cocktail area and ballroom at our reception. They were a little expensive, but really worth it. They were gorgeous and really made the rooms feel you were transported to the tropics. We also splurged on our letterpress invitations, but they were gorgeous and really set the tone for the event.
Thank you Sneha and Lee for giving us a look into your very vibrant, extremely beautiful wedding day! We hope you're both having a blast being married to each other and we wish you all the best in your life together. Thank you also to A Delightful Day Wedding planning and McLellan Style (McLellanStyle.com) for sending us the pictures, they're gorgeous! Please don't hesitate to visit A Delightful Day online to find out more about them and to check out some of their other weddings. Be sure to let them know you're an ABG bride and you'll receive a special gift when you book them for your wedding!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings
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Thursday, December 2, 2010
It's time for another fabulous Open House at StudioWed Nashville. If you are just got engaged or are looking to wrap up your wedding planning before the holidays, this could be a great opportunity to meet some of Nashville's finest wedding resources.
On Tuesday December 14th at 6:00 p.m., get to know The Bride Room (bridal gowns), Street Tuxedo (men's attire), Uncle Classic Barbershop (men's grooming/pampering), Amy Lynn Larwig (bridal makeup) and StudioWed's wedding planners A Delightful Day Event Planning and Simply Stunning Events.
Grooms usually get the short end of the wedding planning focus but at this open house, your groom will meet a few great resources for them too! Here is a sampling of what you will find at the event:
A wedding by Simply Stunning Nashville. (Picture courtesy of Chris & Adrienne Scott)
Such a pretty candy buffet at a wedding by A Delightful Day Event Planning (Picture courtesy of Creative Push)
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Amy Lynn Larwig (Picture courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photography)
Tuxedo by Street Tuxedo. Gown from The Bride Room (Pictures courtesy of Kristyn Hogan, Lifestyle Photographer)
You can register for the Open House here! Then get all the questions you need answered ready, grab your groom and head on over to StudioWed on December 14th!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Bridal Shows & Events
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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
If you're looking for that one piece of wedding panache that will complete your theme or look, today's post may just be what you're looking for. I spoke with Julie Hurst, Liberty Party Rentals Director of Marketing who shared with us a list of really fun, unique rental items that we hope you'll like.
Custom painted bar
A custom painted, six-foot wood bar is a cool added touch to personalize your wedding. Liberty Party Rental just needs a color swatch and a few specifics such as your monogram or wedding scheme. Custom painted bars require a two-week lead time so be sure not to change your colors at the last minute!
Custom bars go great with the lounge furniture where banquettes can be custom wrapped in the fabric. -Julie Hurst
Battery operated pillar candles and votives – Since venues and churches don’t allow open flames, we now carry a good inventory of these candles and votives. - Julie. The pictures don't show it but these fake candles flicker and aren't obviously fake till you get up close. It's a good alternative to open flames!
Mason Jars – It’s been chic to do Southern weddings. We have a great inventory of mason jars you can use either in a cluster for centerpieces filled with flowers, or filled with jellybeans or M&Ms or anything to coordinate with your wedding colors. You can even use them for specialty drinks.- Julie
Liberty also carries a wide variety of glassware so you don't have to always use boring glass tumblers.
Swimming Pool Covers
If you're planning a wedding in your parents' (or anyone's) back yard and they have a pool, covering the swimming pool with a stage deck is a way to maximize space. Now you're not bound to the perimeter of the pool but now you're using the area the pool takes up! Trussing and covering with stage decks and then carpeting it, we can cover part or even all of the swimming pool. - Julie.
Dessert Display Stands
Liberty Party Rental carries a rental item I've never seen but now that Julie's told me about it, I'm going to be on the look-out at the next wedding I attend! A spoon wall!! The spoons can be used to hold either appetizers or desserts in bite-size portions.
Liberty also has a five-tier cupcake stand, again perfect for hors d'oeuvres or cupcakes!
Heart shaped table - We've used a heart-shape table at a Valentine's Day party. It's also great for showers. - Julie. By combining a square table and two half-round tables, your typical rectangle buffet table is now a romantic heart-shaped table!
Liberty Party Rental has a huge inventory of rental items. and Julie and her team are there to help you get creative and create a look that's exactly what your mind envisioned for your wedding. Remember when you give them a call, tell them that we sent you!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Anyone can take a picture. Not everyone should, can or is qualified to take phenomenal wedding pictures and that's why professionals like Brian Kaplan Photography exist. Everytime I hear a couple say "My relative/friend isn't a real photographer but he/she has one of those fancy DSLR cameras" my stomach just feels all twisted with concern. Maybe some people just aren't concerned with photography and don't care if their wedding is photographed well - more power to them. For the rest of us who want to cherish memories, preferably ones in which we look awesome, then a professional photographer is key.
Brian Kaplan's style of photography is a great mix of illustrative and candid. He captures the scenes you may have missed and sets his subjects up using really cool angles to tell a story instead of just, "Here's the bride and groom again." Each picture shows the couple's personality, their affection for each other and the fun they're having and that takes such a skilled eye that Brian possesses.
Stylish, Modern Photography by Brian Kaplan Photography
About Brian: My purpose is to create photography that truly moves people through artistic expression and to transform the way you think about wedding photography. I strive to capture emotion, impact your memories, and to make your experience as delightful and respectful as possible. I love art, music and tattoos, adventure, and the great outdoors. I am a big thinker but also relish the small details. Most of all I love being a part of such a beautiful day and being able to give you a gift that will last for generations.
These first three pictures follow Brian's couple, Jonathan and Nicola from their engagement sessions to their wedding day at Benton Chapel.
From another engagement session, Richard and Ishita also had Brian as their photographer at their wedding.
There are so many things about this photo that blow me away.
I almost feel like I'm being rude and interrupting this couple's private moment! Such a romantic shot!
Video slideshow of Sara and Tim from Brian Kaplan on Vimeo.
Brian's packages start at $2,900. The basic package includes full wedding day coverage (up to 10 hours), unlimited images captured, online viewing and ordering, and all high-resolution images on a disc. For your other options or to see more of his work visit the Brian Kaplan Photography website and contact him if you have more questions.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Photography & Videography
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Monday, November 29, 2010
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! For those of you who got engaged over the holiday - Congratulations!!! You found our blog just in time to read our handy-dandy list of private dining venues for your bridal events.
Some brides are hotel brides, others urban loft brides. But regardless of where you choose for your wedding location, you will likely need a restaurant to host your many special occasions from your engagement party to your rehearsal dinner or even holiday parties!
Believe me, it's not easy to find a great restaurant that can accomodate private parties with a smile. But our list is a great start. What's even better is that many of these restaurants can accommodate your wedding reception (if thats of interest) or can cater your event if you choose another locale.
Here are some of our favorites and favorites suggested by Nashville wedding planners...
Mere Bulles
Contact: Carlin McQuiddy (Wedding Coordinator)
Telephone: 615-467-1945
E-Mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: MereBulles.com
I am a HUGE fan of Mere Bulles. They have A++++ service and go above and beyond to ensure that you enjoy your service as much as you enjoy their food. I went for a 12:30pm brunch at Mere Bulles last week and the atmosphere and staff were so great that I continued my meeting until their 6pm dinner! No kidding. I sat at the same table for about 8 hours. Their staff didnt kick us out. They were so hospitable and kept filling our water, asking if we needed anything. I expected to be asked to leave but they didnt, They kept serving us. And once they really closed, we continued our conversation in the parking lot for another 30 minutes. I noticed my waiter, Bill, coming towards me with my to-go bag! I was amazed that he was unfazed by us taking his table hostage all day and still brought my food outside. UNREAL service.
PLEASE add Mere Bulles to your list of private party venues to consider. You will not be disappointed. In fact, you will probably quickly become a fan just like me!
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Picture courtesy of MereBulles.com
Picture courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photography
Buca Di Beppo
Contact: Holly Curtiss
E-mail:[email protected]
Website: Bucadibeppo.com
Buca di Beppo is, on a normal day, known for it's family-style Italian dining. Heaping portions of delicious appetizers and entrees, you know you'll leave completely satiated at the end of your meal. Specifically for rehearsal dinner, parties or showers only (no wedding receptions) they offer a semi-private room for your event and feature seven specialty banquet menus from which you can choose.
You'd be very surprised at how affordable their party options are. Think bridal shower, bridesmaid luncheon or rehearsal dinner. Good food, great location, awesome value! I'm a picky eater and even I loved their food:).
Pictures courtesy of Buca di Beppo
The Mad Platter Restaurant and Catering
Contact: Margo Brownson (Catering Director)
Telephone: 615-252-2563
Website: TheMadPlatterRestaurant.com
The Mad Platter is one of Tabitha's favorite restaurants. You all know she's a fan of good, quality food and she could NOT stop raving about how great every meal she's had at the Mad Platter has been and loves the fact that they are a very green-minded business. Located in Historic Germantown, The Mad Platter is a really romantic spot and the food will not disappoint.
Stoney River
Contact: Kristen Lee
Telephone: 615-340-9550
Website: StoneyRiver.com
Pictures courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photography
We received rave reviews from some wedding vendors who were hired for a wedding at Stoney River. Great service, excellent food and everything was on time and efficient. Stoney River is an intimate, almost formal looking venue with the pressed linens, stoik wood tables and ambient lighting, perfect for smaller weddings or rehearsal dinners where you are surrounded by those nearest and dearest.
Who doesnt love Stoney River? Add it to your list!
Maggianno's of Little Italy
Contact: Rachael Paul (General Manager)
Telephone: 615-514-0280
Website: Maggianos.com
Hearty, authentic Italian-American fare, elegant rooms and a professional staff, Maggiano's of Italy is one of the lesser known options for celebrating special occasions. The restaurant offers a bar service as well, and has lower rates for children under a certain age. Choose either a seated, served dinner or buffet style.
Pictures courtesy of Maggianos.com
Jimmy Kelly's
Contact: Mike Kellly or Angie Smith
Telephone: 615-329-4349
Website: JimmyKellys.com/privateparties.htm
Pictures courtesy of JimmyKellys.com
Another Nashville institution, Jimmy Kelly's is a wonderful location for a rehearsal dinner or a more intimate gathering for your wedding dinner. They have a patio that can be tented for special events. The interior is like a charming old home with fireplaces and cozy rooms.
Merchant's Restaurant
Contact: Leah McDonald
Telephone: 615-254-1892
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: MerchantsRestaurant.com
Since switching management this year, Merchant's Restaurant on Broadway in Downtown Nashville has taken on new life - from the same people who started the Patterson House, Merchant's Restaurant is now much more sophisticated in style and service and may just be the perfect spot for your event.
Pictures courtesy of MerchantsRestaurant.com
These are just a handful of restaurants in Nashville as suggested by brides and people in the wedding community. Contact their banquet/event coordinators for more details on having your event at their venue, and be sure to let them know that you saw them on Ashley's Bride Guide! Big thanks to Jonathon Campbell Photography, Hillary Capes-Smith and everyone else for sharing their favorite restaurants with us on Twitter and Facebook! Feedback from local wedding professionals is priceless and is hugely appreciated by us and our brides.
If you have a restaurant you love for weddings or parties that we didn't list, we'd love to hear from you so please don't hesitate to leave us a comment!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Bridesmaids & Bridal Party, Wedding Venues and Locations
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