Friday, December 23, 2011
We are ending the week with our overall favorite Nashville Real Weddings from 2011. While this is not an easy task, the weddings below are stunning, unique, and overall flawless.
1) eHarmony Love: Kate + Justin's Zoo-Inspired Wedding
Married: May 28, 2011
The two met on eHarmony and fell in love. Then, giraffe keeper Kate married Justin at Scarritt Bennett with a Houston Station reception. The whole day was zoo-inspired with vintage touches; from a giraffe topper to venue's exposed brick. See more of this wedding here.
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Planner: Austin Floyd with Last Minute Planners; Venue: Scarritt Bennett & Houston Station; Photos: Krista Lee Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
2) Miranda and Grant's Ecletic Garden Wedding
Married: May 14, 2011
I am a big fan of intimate weddings. I think it takes a lot of guts to slash that wedding guest list in half and focus on what the two of you really want. Not only did Miranda and Grant keep it intimate, they were not afraid to mix gutsy flair with traditional details. You can see their personalities throughout their ceremony and reception and you can tell that they had FUN! CJs off the Square is always a great backdrop for an outdoor Tennessee wedding and Ace Photography captured the essence of their day splendidly. See the full wedding feature here.
Planner + Venue: CJ's Off the Square; Photos: Ace Photography; Loved by Ashley of ABG
3) Bethany + Jay's Franklin Wedding
Married: June 2011
The stunning bouquets and flowers throughout are enough to take your breath away, but then you see the ruffled wedding cake that favors the bride's ruffled dress... Oh my! The details are astounding. For all of the University of Tennessee fans, make sure to check out more photos on Evin's blog - including one of the groom's cake (a replica of Neyland stadium!).
Monogrammed Decor: Bella Grace by Bethany (the bride)
Venues: Brentwood Baptist Chapel + The Factory's Bldg 8; Photos: Evin Photography
4) Liesl + Dean's Intimate, Tuscan-Style Wedding
Married: October 20, 2011
This beautiful couple, shot by Kristyn Hogan, hail from South Africa and Australia. The two met in Florida on a yacht and were together for three years before tying the knot in an ode to the time they spent together in Tuscany. Between their story and their elopement on Mooncake Lake, I was enchanted and hope you are too. Read Kristyn's blog for more info and photos.
Planner + Venue: Historic Cedarwood; Photos: Kristyn Hogan; Loved by: Meg of ABG
5) Corely + Jake Combine Two Families at their Opryland Hotel Wedding
Married: June 2011
A wedding in the Crystal Gazebo, celebration in the Magnolia Ballroom - with names like that and the added peacock theme, it's bound to be stunning! And the smiles on the bride and groom, as well as those of their sons, proves that this was a happy union. See Joe's blog for more from this happy day.
Planner: A Magical Affair; Coordinator & Venue: Gaylord Opryland Hotel; Photos: Joe Hendricks Photography
6) Jamie + Andy's Downtown, DIY Wedding
Married: April 30, 2011
Jamie impressed us earlier this year when we first shared her wedding, and we just can't get over it! All of the decor she did herself with the help of family and friends. Her amazing husband even DJed part of their reception. The whole day was an impressive success and in the end, they had a great wedding, but these two are more focused on the long term - having a wonderful marriage!
Venue: The Hope Center & The Anchor Fellowship; Photos: Pear Image Photography; Loved by: Sara of ABG
7) Cannery Ballroom Transformed for Julie + Nicholas' Elegant Summer Evening
Married: July 10, 2011
A simple , though lovely, ceremony at Scarritt Bennett would hardly have prepared these guests for the amazing site they would see at the Julie and Nick's reception. The Cannery Ballroom was transformed (in fact, you can watch the transformation on Dove's blog). Intricate details made the room jaw-dropping: crystal and wrought-iron chandeliers, flowers hanging over and overflowing on tables, monogrammed boxes, custom pieces, and even a suspended cake by Jay Qualls.
Planner: Elegant Weddings by Angela; Venues: Cannery Ballroom; Photos: Dove Wedding Photography
8) Sean + Thalia's Greek Orthodox Wedding
Married: July 2011
Greek Orthodox weddings are a true example of devotion and faith. During the ceremony, the bride and groom do not say a word to each other (no vows) as their presence alone is enough to state their devotion to one another. You've got to see the beauty in that! Following tradition, Sean and Thalia's reception was full of dancing, breaking of bread, and there was lots of style with the lovely draping. There was even a bit of teasing - see the blog photos for a shot of the groom with a bottle of Windex ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding").
Venues: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church + Durego; Photos: Joe Hendricks Photography
9) An Australian Marries an American at Kings Chapel: Suz + Philip
Married: October 2011
These two could be models, they are to lovely together! The ceremony took place at the intimate Kings Chapel and the decor was designed by Suz, who chose a vintage theme. Guests traveling from as far as Australia would not be disappointed as the reception hosted an espresso bar from Beve Coffee and chocolate covered marshmallows. See more of the design, treats, and venue on Evin's blog.
Venue: King's Chapel; Photos: Evin Photography
10) Great Gatsby-Themed Wedding: Liz + Jamie
Married: May 21, 2011
Liz and Jamie were married at Cedarwood's unique and amazing outdoor cathedral, with a reception reminiscent of The Great Gatsby. As Cedarwood puts it, moving to the reception, "guests were transported into a wonderland of high stepping vintage style." But words alone cannot do this wedding justice, instead see the full feature on Cedarwood's blog in Part 1 and Part 2, or watch the short video below.
Planner + Venue: Historic Cedarwood; Photos: Dove Wedding Photography
Nashville Wedding Video :: Liz + Jamie from Catchlight Cinema
Really and truly, these weddings are just a few of the highlights from this year. There have been so many great weddings of impressive scale with wonderful vendors; weddings that will be talked of for years to come, but we have one blog post and we must limit the amount shared!! But check out more great Real Weddings that we have featured this year and post your favorites to our comments or our Facebook page. We love being impressed by creative brides and planners!
So here is to a great year of weddings in 2011! We are so looking forward to what 2012 will hold!
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Posted by Megan |
Filed under: Cakes & Catering, Photography, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Planners & Coordinators, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Before the wedding, there's one very vital detail every bride and groom have to focus on: Invitations. Gone are the days of boring script on shiny stock with a ribbon tied around it thanks to innovative designers with a love for weddings. Now we're seeing invitations that give guests a preview of what's to come with matching monograms, themes, and colors. We've seen a lot this year and here's today's roundup of our favorite custom invitation designs that we loved.
1) Southern Farm Wedding Style
This festive wedding invitation prepares the guests for an evening of outdoor fun and joy at the wedding. From the string lights to the wild flowers at the bottom, it tells people everything they need to know about the wedding. Plus, I love the song request detail! That's so considerate! More from Elisa and Grant's day here.
Invitation by Southall Eden Paperie. Picture by Brooke Boling
2) Burlap & Bling
Donette from Designs In Paper explained that the couple, Tracy and Chris wanted some bling and and some rustic charm added to their Southern-style wedding. "This suite is just all about the South - we can be relaxed and yet, very refined and elegant all together." Perfectly executed! (More from the wedding here).
Invitation: Designs In Paper; Photos: Left, Kristyn Hogan. Right, Mary Rosenbaum Photographs.
3) DIY Cool
You're probably thinking "Is there anything about this wedding they didn't love?" Truth be told, no. Nothing. Not only are Jamie and Andy one of the coolest couples we've ever had the joy of featuring, but their wedding details were unique and so much fun and their invitations were no different. (More on the details here!)
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Invitations: Emily Keafer; Photos: Pear Image Photography
4) Textured Invites
In my perfect world, all invitations would be printed using letterpress. I am a big fan of Arboreal Paper's work, but this one particular invitation is a favorite because of it's simple lines and typeface. There's something so chic and contemporary about the red orchid outlines on white space!
Design and Photos: Arboreal Paper
5) Music City Themed
For Claudia and William's wedding, Designs in Paper designed this stationery suite that reminds me of the honky-tonks downtown; a culture so quintessential to this city. To match the couple's Nashville themed wedding, they custom-dyed twine in their wedding colors to pull the whole look together. More here.
Design: Designs in Paper; Photos: Ace Photography
6) Fabric Invitations
What will these artistic designers come up with next? These invitations were custom made and printed on handkerchiefs! They're so charming and are such a wonderful keepsake! Be prepared to be wowed by the rest of the wedding here.
Design: Lucky-Luxe; Photo: Leslee Mitchell Photography
7) Classic Romance
From this Great Gatsby inspired wedding, the bride and groom went with a classic damask patterned wedding invitation to match their yellow and white color scheme. One of Sara's favorites, she loves the bright colors of the matching suite of stationery and "how all the pieces are tied together so well." For more from this wedding go here.
Design: Photo: Aerialist Press; Dove Wedding Photography
8) Eco-Friendly
From one of our Green Nashville Wedding posts by iHospitality TN, here are some more gorgeous invitations from Arboreal Paper. What I love with clean lines and letterpress, our blogger Sara loves with eco-friendly goods and services and picked these as one of her favorites. More from this post here.
Design and Photo: Arboreal Paper
9) All About Us
Your wedding is, contrary to what some crazy relatives like to believe, all about you and your groom. For this wedding Designs In Paper acknowledged the couple's ownership of their special day and incorporated a logo that "carried throughout a reception" - the logo was used on all the paper and other elements in the wedding. The look is an updated twist on classic invitations and is so pretty! More wedding details here.
Design: Designs In Paper; Photos: Evin Photography
10) Silhouettes
We love how the Miranda and Grant's silhouettes were used on the invitations and throughout their stationery, complemented by the curved shape of the invitation itself. See this ABG Real Wedding Feature here.
Design: Williamson Co. Weddings & Events; Photos: Ace Photography
11) Poster Style
"I love this vintage flower graphic because it's not too girly," explained Shannon O'Kelley of Southall Eden when I asked why she liked this invitation. The black and white poster style print on the invitation give it a fun, vintage feel without being all worn or faded and is a style, Shannon says, is becoming more popular as well. More from this vintage farm wedding here.
Design: Southall Eden Paperie; Photos: Memory Snap
It's amazing what you can do for your invitation these days with a combination of a bride and groom's vision and a designer's creativity! These are but some of the fantastic work we've seen and we can't wait for more in the coming year. Check out our list of invitation designers - we're confident you'll find someone to suit your style from this list!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Inspiration & Trends, Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Today's roundup features more favorites from the year - more beautiful work today in flowers, specifically bouquets. The colors would make a rainbow jealous! Check out these gorgeous arrangements put together by the deft, skilled hands of our favorite florists and crafty friends. Enjoy!
Photo by Ace Photography. Loved and designed by Cedarwood Weddings.
1) Special Touches
If you look carefully at this seemingly classic bouquet by the design team at Cedarwood (yup! Not just a venue!) you might notice the tufts of antique lace tucked into the peonies, ranunculus, and roses. Brilliant.
2) Simply Enchanting
Enchanted Florist lives up to their name with very mesmerizing, consistently beautiful bouquets. We asked Caprice to send us a few of her personal favorites and we have to say the anemone bouquet (below left) is absolutely stunning with the vivid, purple and green centers surrounded by the soft, white petals. The bouquet on the right is just so soft, dreamy, and vintage - beautiful!
Left: Photo by The Collection. Right: Photo by Ace Photography. Loved and submitted by Caprice of Enchanted Florist.
3) Tres Chic
This loose, Tuscany inspired bouquet looks like they just picked wild flowers and tied them together for a dreamy, natural look. (By Cedarwood).
Photo by Kristyn Hogan. Loved and submitted by Cedarwood
4) Pop of Color
Yellows and whites make for such fun, warm bouquets like this very full, round arrangement also by Cedarwood.
Photo by Brandon Chesbro. Loved and submitted by Cedarwood.
5) Absolutely Unique
This succulent bouquet from Miranda and Grant's wedding (here) reflected the couple's unique personality and style and is kind of arrangement I hope we see more of in 2012.
Photo by Ace Photography. Bouquet by Enchanted Florist. Loved by Megan and Tabitha of ABG
7) Do-It-Yourself Beauty
There wasn't really anything about this wedding we didn't love. The bouquets were hand made by the bride, Jamie, using fabric and are just so cool! See the rest of the wedding details here.
Photo by Pear Image Photography. Bouquet by the bride. Loved by Megan of ABG.
8) Back in Black
While I do love flowers, it's always really cool to see what floral designers can do to kick things up a notch. This next bouquet is unlike anything I've seen before and I would love to see a brides take on this style for a wedding - it's adventurous, it's edgy, and so darned cool. More from the shoot here.
Inspiration Shoot + Photos by Hartz Photographic. Bouquet by Brocade Designs. Loved by Tabitha of ABG.
9) True Blue
More anemones and a beautiful, elegant all-white bouquet for the bride. This is one of Sara's favorites from this Nashville bride's destination wedding in Savannah, GA.
Photo by Lotus Blossom Photography. Loved by Sara of ABG
10) Falling for Fuchsia
The vibrancy of this next bouquet is not to be ignored. Fuchsias, purples, and lavenders are clustered together for a rustic yet chic look for a statement bouquet by Cedarwood. As Sara said "I love the bright colors of this bouquet and how it stands out so well in pictures." See the rest of the beautiful details here.
Photo by The Collection. Floral design by Cedarwood. Loved by Sarah of ABG
10) Red Hot
There's something so sexy about rich reds and blacks. This next bouquet made by GreenFinch Floral Design has black magic roses and red roses with feather accents - VERY awesome.
Photo by Karen Alisa Photography. Floral design by GreenFinch Floral Design. Loved by Sara of ABG
Truth be told, it was hard to just pick a few. Be sure to check out our gallery for more awe-inspiring pictures of floral design and bouquets by our local designers - they're quite breathtaking. Again, if you have any of your own to share, please do send us the pictures on our Facebook page because we firmly believe you can't have too much inspiration!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals
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Tuesday, December 20, 2011
As we continue our trek back through Nashville's 2011 weddings, we bring you the favorite designs and decor as submitted by the Ashley's Bride Guide staff and participating members of the Nashville bridal community. The only thing we regret is that we could only choose a few! Enjoy the ones we have the space to share.
1) Movie Theme at Carnton Plantation
A large percentage of the weddings we see here in Nashville have a Southern twist to them. It's definitely fun to see weddings, like this one from A Delightful Day/StudioWed, in which the couple puts personal touches to their Southern venue with a movie theme! As Kelly Stack says, "I loved the quirky quality of her details, the fabulous ribbon-bedecked biscuit bar and cake buffet, the open-air layout of her Carnton Plantation reception, the long rectangular tables and fruitwood folding chairs, the fabulous mix-and-match florals in vases by Brocade Design Arts, and the Southern cooking by A Dream Come True was heavenly."
Planner: A Delightful Day Event Planning; Photos: The Collection, Erin Lee; Loved by: StudioWed
2) Mason Jar Love
I love, love mixing antique china plates and mason jars, especially for an outdoor wedding; so of course, I had to choose this one! The bride and groom actually own a decor business, which created easy access to vintage decorations, and according to Cali, they toasted each other with Mason Jar wine glasses!
Decor: Not Too Shabby Designs; Photos: Cali Ashton Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
3) Creative Fall Colors
ABG Blogger Sara loves all of these fall color options, especially those that vary from the typical red/brown/orange palate. More on the inspiration here.
Fall Inspiration: Historic Cedarwood; Photos: Rachel Moore Photography; Loved by: Sara of ABG
4) Eclectic Circus Theme
My first thought when I saw this wedding, it's cooky - in a good, fun way! Marathon Village is love for many indie, eclectic brides and this one takes the cake. From the ring bearers coming down the aisle in a circus wagon, to the elephant centerpieces, cotton candy, balloons, even the cake looked like a three ring circus! The overall theme was well displayed, but in no way tacky.
DIY Design by Bride & Family; Photos: Photography by Susie; Loved by: Meg of ABG
5) Eco-Friendly Options
Sara said that she really likes "the idea of such amazing decorations being eco-friendly since a lot of decorations for a wedding are just tossed at the end of the day." We all agree, which is why we love the green posts by Ashley of iHospitality. More eco-friendly decor options from the extensive decor inventory at Cedarwood.
Decor: Historic Cedarwood; Photo: Dove Wedding Photography; Loved by: Sara of ABG
6) Destination - Island of Ocean Blues
As a nod to our brides that marry elsewhere but take Nashville vendors with them, here is a beach side wedding that Kelly with StudioWed sent over. "Mary Alice & Leigh RAVED about this gorgeous wedding for months after it happened! The two of them flew to Fishers Island in New York (a "beautiful relic of a bygone era!") for this gorgeous summer wedding." -Kelly
Planner: A Delightful Day Event Planning; Photos: McLellan Style; Loved by: StudioWed
7) Victorian Elegance
I am always impressed or intrigued by photos from Ace Photography, which is why I constantly follow their blog. This elegance of this wedding in a Victorian home really is stunning.
Venue: Top O' Woodland; Photos: Ace Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
8) Parisian Style
Sara loved this post because it displays all of the different options that brides have when they wed at Cedarwood. We all love this shoot that Kristyn did of French tablescapes - so romantic!
Inspiration Shoot: Historic Cedarwood; Photo: Kristyn Hogan; Loved by: Sara of ABG & Team
9) Backyard Wedding
When you hear "Backyard Wedding" it usually brings to mind a simple affair, perhaps thrown together at the last minute, but this is anything but that image. Doug and Lea actually built the pavilion below just for their wedding. It was an intimate wedding in regards to who they invited - only those with whom they had lasting friendships. The moment I saw the wedding, I fell in love and had to share! (Be sure to check out Joe Hendricks' blog to see more photos - including their rose pinata!)
Planner: Weddings by Mary Natalie; Photos: Joe Hendricks Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
10) A Wedding for All Seasons
This summer, the folks at Main Event Productions assembled a dream team of wedding pros for the open house of their new venue, Legacy Farms. The result was pure deliciousness and bridal eye candy! To demonstrate the diversity of the venue and its many options for the Tennessee bride, the design and decor pros styled each area with a different seasonal theme. You can view all of the images via Ace Photography's blog in a Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 series. However, below are Ashley's favorite's from the inspirational shoot. The beauty of such a wonderful inspiration being created in greater Nashville is that you can actually hire this dream team to recreate a similar look for you vs. coveting them from afar!
Inspiration Shoot - Venue: Legacy Farms; Floral Design + Event Styling: Enchanted Florist + Events Plus; Photos: Ace Photography; Loved by: Ashley of ABG
Share your favorite wedding design and decor from 2011 with us, either as a comment below or on our Facebook page. Keep watching for more of our favorites!
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Posted by Megan |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Details, Design & Florals, Wedding Planners & Coordinators
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Monday, December 19, 2011
As we close out the year, we'd like to reflect and share our Favorite Cakes of 2011. The cakes below were submitted by the Ashley's Bride Guide staff and participating members of the Nashville bridal community. We hope you have fun taking a glimpse back at the year too!
1) Sugar flowers
If you've ever tried to frost a cake, you know that it takes an extremely skilled, steady hand to achieve just a swirl on top of a cupcake, nevermind intricate details like lace or beading. These cakes by Signature Cakes by Vicki are just two examples of years of experience - Sugar flowers that look like real flowrers, frosting that looks like real lace. Stunning.
Cake: Signature Cakes by Vicki; Photo: Twine + Twig Studios.; Loved by: Music City Events (left) I Cake: Signature Cakes by Vicki; Photo: Gray Photography (right)
2) Beautiful details
My personal favorite of all is the carousel cake by Signature Cakes By Vicki. I'm not sure how I'd eat this cake, I'll bet I would find a way but just to have it to look at would be enough for me. And would you believe the detailing on the cake with the pink flowers?
Cake: Signature Cakes by Vicki; Photo: ABG; Loved by: Tabitha of ABG
3) Sweet style
Rhonda Patton, a woman with exquisite taste and a great eye for wedding design, sent us this beautiful tower of a cake by Crumb de la Crumb. "I just adored this cake! It's so stylish!!" Rhonda told us. I'm inclined to agree - that's the kind of cake that makes people go "wow!"
Cake: Crumb de la Crumb; Photo: Roland's Photography; Submitted by: Rhonda Patton Weddings and Events
4) Top that
Emily of Simply Yours Weddings has a knack for finding the cutest, quirkiest brides with really fun taste. This cupcake tower from Amanda and John's wedding has a lovely cake top.
Cake: The Bake Shoppe; Cupcakes: Gigi's Cupcakes; Photo by A New Heart Photography; Loved by: Simply Yours Weddings
5) Game for love
This next cake was sent to us by Music City Events. The top Apples to Apples tier is an actual cake made by Cupcake Collection to celebrate the fact that the groom proposed to the bride using a board game! How awesome is that? I do agree, this one's a favorite.
Cake: The Cupcake Collection; Photo: Jonathon Campbell Photography; Loved by: Music City Events
6) Cascading flowers
The cake below was a show-stopper at a Love Boat wedding that we featured earlier this year. It is by the renowned wedding cake baker Sylvia Weinstock and is one of Megan's (ABG blogger) favorites.
Cake: Sylvia Weinstock ; Photo: Jonathon Campbell Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
7) Cupcake glam
Fellow ABG blogger Sara loves the idea of using Crumbteenies by Crumb de la Crumb for weddings instead of just cake. These are so cute!
Cupcake + Photo: Crumb de la Crumb; Loved by: Sara of ABG
8) Wild wedding
A lot of our favorites from this year weren't your typical cakes, like this cake topper from Kate and Justin's zoo-inspired wedding, even though it's such a simple design.
Cake: Rebecca's Wedding Cake Design; Photo: Krista Lee Photography; Loved by: Meg of ABG
9) Mini-us
When Sara got married, we LOVED her super cute cake topper and edible penguin. See more from her wedding here.
Cake: Sweet G Treats; Photo: Betsy Limbaugh Photography; Loved by: ABG team
10) Get stitched
We saw some great cakes at bridal shows this year and simply can't leave them out. This first one was by The Bake Shoppe - I love the stitch pattern and the buttons they made. This is a great cake for crafty brides!
Cake: The Bake Shoppe; Photo: ABG; Loved by: Tabitha of ABG
11) Mid-summer's night
When a cake designer's son weds, you expect nothing less than a fabulous cake! And, that's what we got. Take a look at one of our favorite groom's cakes. This is not one cake but several 3-D cakes in the couple's Shakespearean theme.
Cake: Signature Cakes by Vicki; Photo: Chris Weaver Studio; Loved by: Ashley of ABG
12) Jack, the Tennessee tradition
The Jack Daniel's cake from this featured wedding blew us all away.
Cake: The Bake Shoppe; Photo: Myrick Studios; Loved by: Ashley of ABG
We're excited to see what 2012 trends bring us with cake design. Do you have any favorites of your own? Tell us what they are in comments or on our Facebook Page, we'd love to see them. Join us tomorrow for another roundup of our favorite things from 2011!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Cakes & Catering
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