Thursday, November 18, 2010
The White Room in Lebanon, TN has a huge range of bridal gowns and accessories, and what Nashville brides love about their selection is the range not just in styles but prices. The White Room owner Melanie sent us some new gowns they have that brides are just in love with from Pronovias, one of the lines The White Room carries.
Adela from the Fashion Collection
Brides, I am told, like Pronovias for its moderate pricing and quality material. "The gowns have great construction to them - they have a built-in corset so girls don't have to worry about strapless gowns shifting or falling off" said Melanie. Personally, that's a plus. I still have images of brides pausing to hike up their dress for fear of having a wardrobe malfunction so a built-in corset to secure the gown to your body is a great idea that lots of well-made gowns should have.
Left: Galante Right: Formentera
Famosa - A more Grecian style of gown.
Feria - Melanie pointed out that this one is very much like what Carrie Bradshaw wore in her first attempt to marry Big in the SATC movie.
Unlike most non-custom-made gowns, Pronovias manufactures the gowns in Spain where the beadwork and lace are different and have more of a unique look. Melanie added, "All the dresses have great boning, the lines on the gowns and the cuts of the gowns are made really well."
Lacier and frilled gowns. Left: Agosto Right: Fina
Alison - the one-shoulder strap is SO fun!
Left: Ferma Right: Festin
The White Room has plenty more gowns by Pronovias to suit your tastes. These are just few of the favorites Melanie wanted to share. We'll have more new gowns from The White Room again pretty soon so definitely check back! In the meantime, visit The White Room's blog for more bridal gown trends and to see the full line of what each store carries, visit their website.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Bridal Gowns, Men's Attire & Accessories
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
At ABG, our goal is to make things easier for Nashville brides who are looking for services for their wedding day. We partner with local wedding pros, attend bridal shows and read blogs and share our findings to help you make a decision.
If you haven't hired your wedding videographer, today's feature might help! First Dance Pictures, a husband and wife team who pre-wedding videos, that you can screen at your wedding, and wedding day videos that allow you to relive you important day forever. It's nice to have options!
Nashville Wedding Resource Spotlight: First Dance Pictures
Contact Info
Name: First Dance Pictures
Main Contact {first and last name}: Bill Vincent
Phone Number: 615.473.2625
Email Address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Twitter: @firstdancers
Facebook fan page: First Dance Pictures
Number of years in the business: 1.5 yrs
How did you get started in weddings?
Bill has a telecommunications degree with a minor in music. He has worked in the corporate world for over 20 yrs shooting and editing video with companies such as Deloitte & Touche and CMT. In 2008 Bill began seeking new business possibilities, and started looking into shooting weddings. When we looked at how much wedding videos had changed from our wedding (circa 1989) and how they had gotten so creative, we knew this was our calling! Deanna is a master at organization and manages the business, as well as getting very creative shots of the day along with Bill.
Bill & Deanna (owners of First Dance Pictures), photographed by Kristen Steele Photography
What do you like most about weddings?
We LOVE seeing the joy in our couple’s eyes on one of the happiest days of their lives. Bill loves being creative and designing a wedding film to match the personality of each couple with highlights of their special day. Deanna loves to see all the new and exciting things each bride brings to the day. Although some elements remain the same, each wedding is SO different. They never disappoint!
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why?
It’s very hard to name a “favorite” because we put so much of ourselves into each one! Each piece is reflective of the couple, the day, and the energy that the couple brings to their wedding. Plus, after spending so much time working on them they become like family – it would be hard to name one. However, we do work to keep our demo updated with current stuff, and we rotate clips to keep it fresh. We work very hard to make sure every piece we do would be something we’d be proud to display for future clients.
What is your service philosophy?
We work hard to get to know our couples as much as possible before the wedding. We enjoy getting to know each of our couples so that we can deliver a truly unique product. What we DON’T want (and what our clients don’t’ want either) is just another wedding video. There are plenty of budget videographers that will give you a no-frills video. Our clients are attracted to us because we are going to give them something more – more personal, more entertaining and stylish. Having said that, we also are very cautious in making sure we don’t insert too much of us into their day. The last thing we want is to have to edit out all the things we do or say! Our style is not to be in your face, because we know that having a camera around can make you feel uneasy - so we work to make you feel comfortable. We feel truly honored to be a part of each couples big day – we know how important their day is, and want to help couples enjoy it without being conscious of our cameras every second.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you?
There are many new & upcoming wedding filmmakers/videographers popping up due to the economy, and the relatively low cost of starting up as a videographer. With that, you’re going to find that some of these companies really haven’t had a lot of experience. You’re also going to find fly-by-night companies who, when things get too busy, just stop answering their phone and move away, leaving a couple without anything. We are established in the community and are members of TWESA, WEVA, and maintain a high standard and good reputation with other vendors and our community. We are dedicated to professionalism and very high quality work. Anyone can pick up a video camera and say they are a wedding videographer – this particular profession doesn’t require a license, and you get lots of people who do it because they think it’s easy money, or because you don’t necessarily need formal training. It’s another thing altogether to have years of live event filming experience, knowing what to do if problems arise, and knowing how to treat everyone involved with the ultimate courtesy, respect, and professionalism. We do that, from the moment we meet the couple until the final DVDs have been delivered – but we have the added advantage of formal media training, years of experience, and a creative vision and passion for what we do. Plus, we won’t show up in jeans and a tee-shirt for your wedding!
My wife Deanna and I started this business not because we wanted to make a quick buck, but because we LOVE working with couples and have a passion for creating work that will hopefully be cherished for a lifetime. We want each of our couples to have a beautiful and unique vision of their wedding, and of themselves. It’s more than just a “wedding video” to us, and to our couples. Our clients have spoken, leaving us testimonials that we are very, very proud of – we plan to continue that level of service to each and every couple we work with.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?
(Besides Ashley’s Bride Guide ) Amy Parman at CJ’s off the Square (Franklin, TN) – so friendly and professional with a fabulous event space
Sara E. Rose – Photographer – Sara is a sweetheart! LOVES her clients like family
Enchanted Florist – incredible arrangements – beautiful and very professional
Middleton Entertainment (Jason Middleton-DJ) – nice professional set-up with lights
Nashville Event Lighting – we love great event lighting!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?
I tend to read blogs of all stripes, as well as geeky film sites and forums quite a bit. We also keep up on what others are doing in our area. ABG is a huge resource for us as well!
What have you discovered as a neat wedding find?
One of my “heroes” in the wedding filmmaker business is Kevin Shahinian – he’s an amazing director with incredible wedding films, travelling all over the world to make his masterpieces. We would love to work with a couple to do something even slightly like this someday! pacificpictures.net
For the budget bride, what's the one thing you think should always make it into a budget Video of course! When the cake is eaten, the dress is cleaned and put away and the flowers have wilted, the only thing left will be your memories. Pictures are a static memory of the day, but video tells the entire story of the day. There will be so many things that you won’t remember, or even see, so we capture those moments that you will treasure for the rest of your life. It’s one of those things that can seem so optional before the event, but after the event it’s forever too late, and so many brides realize too late that they should have done it. It is said that not getting video is the biggest regret that couples have after the wedding day.
For the platinum bride, what is the one thing you’ve always wanted to see? We really want to work with a couple that would like to do something really creative, such as a music video or a short film around them and their wedding. Especially in Nashville with all the songwriters and performers, we think there’s a good opportunity to get really creative and have a lot of fun – we just need to find the right couple who is willing to put the time in to do it! We feel like there is a Nashville couple that might want to do a Hollywood-style short film, and we would love doing that. If you’re out there and reading this, hit us up and let’s do something really different!
What advice would you give to brides on the wedding planning process in general? Hire a wedding planner! If you can’t afford one, then designate someone who can coordinate and “direct traffic” the day of the wedding. The day is stressful enough, so you don’t need to be worried about who is supposed to be where and when.
We hope you like the videos they've shared. You can watch more wedding videos on their website, and follow their blog to see the latest clips and highlights from weddings they've done. Let them know that you saw their spotlight on Ashley's Bride Guide if you decide to give them a call!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Photography & Videography
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Friday, November 12, 2010
There are so many reasons why I just had to share Jennifer and Kent's spring Nashville weddings. First - I love that they were able to have such a wonderful wedding on a $10,000 budget. That takes a lot of DIY creativity, skill and discipline! Second - I appreciate that they had a two-part wedding, with an intimate ceremony followed by a dessert reception. This goes back to the discpline aspect. Often, it's hard to keep the guest list from morphing into a village of people. It is hard to tell people they can't attend your ceremony/dinner. But they did just that - kept their ceremony and dinner very intimate.
This approach is non-traditional and I love it! I hope their story gives you the courage to sit down with your fiance and family and plan a wonderful wedding that makes sense to you. Whether it's a brunch reception, classic family gathering, or even a fun jam session - your wedding can be fiscally responsible (on $10K or 100K) and meaningful to you and your fiance.
I hope that Jennifer and Kent's wedding will inspire you and encourage you to stay within your budget and personal vision.
Jen & Kent's Wedding by Jonathon Campbell Photography
Bride ~ Jennifer King
Groom ~ Kent Campbell
Friday April 2, 2010
6:30 p.m.
Ceremony ~ Cool Springs House, Brentwood, TN
Dinner ~ Stoney River, Nashville
Guests ~ 45
Dessert Reception ~ Saturday April 3, 2010, Stoveworks in The Factory At Franklin
Guests ~ 150
What was your wedding style?
Our ceremony was traditional and classic, but our dessert reception was fun and whimsical! We both wanted a very small, private ceremony where there wouldn’t be so much chaos that we wouldn’t remember the night or have the ability to speak to everyone. We heard from so many friends that they barely remember their own weddings that we wanted to avoid being overwhelmed. We wanted it to be about us…simple and “Southern” from beginning to end!
What were your colors? Why did you chose them?
Our colors were red and aqua. I just love the mix of those two colors and what they could bring to the décor and “feeling” of day. They just feel like Spring to me.
Did you have a theme? What was it?
Yes, but most people didn’t realize it. Kent is a graphic designer, so he worked a bit of our “history” into our stationary. Our first date was at Kemah Boardwalk on Galveston Island in Texas. So, he used the ferris wheel as part of our invitation design. Most people just assumed it was a cute little graphic, but to us, it was a sweet reference to a place that means the world to us.
What did you use for inspiration?
I bought entirely too many bridal magazines. Some were helpful, but after a while, I realized that many of them were so full of ads that they weren’t very helpful with a non-traditional wedding.
I did love every issue of Martha Stewart weddings and found that website helpful, along with theknot.com. But, as it came down to making decisions and especially finding local vendors, blogs were much more helpful and offered practical advice. Ashley’s Bride Guide and blog ended up being the most helpful to me for great ideas, inspiration, and its where I found my amazing photographers Jonathon & Sharon Campbell.
What was your budget? $10,000
What was your wedding WOW factor?
We had the most compliments on the dessert reception. It was meant to be a fun time to celebrate with family and friends. The night just went by so fast, we’re so happy we had our ceremony the night before in a more intimate setting. Many of the guests mentioned how much they loved our make-your-own S’mores bar, which was a last minute addition to our menu.
What did you give as favors to your guests?
We didn’t do any traditional favors. I’ve been to so many weddings where favors are left on the tables or thrown out, that we decided to spend the money on additional desserts at our reception (i.e. the S’mores bar).
How did you personalize your wedding?
Kent restores antique cars and trucks, but one that he began restoring with his father when he was only 15 means more than any other, his 1956 Ford F-100. We really wanted that truck to be our “getaway” car at the wedding, but since it is back in Houston, there really wasn’t a way to make that happen. So, I surprised him by having Homestyle Bakery bake a groom’s cake for him that looked just like his truck. They did a wonderful job. Also, Kent took the ferris wheel design from our stationary through both our dinner and dessert receptions by designing guest name cards, menu and food place cards.
What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
I gave my bridesmaids monogrammed totes bags with personalized journals that I made for each of them, along with their jewelry for the day. All of Kent’s groomsmen are “car” guys, so we searched for quite a while for the right gifts. Finally, on one of our many trips to Sears for Craftsman tools, I happened upon a barbeque set that was made to look like Craftsman tools. The guys thought they were great.
What was your most special moment of the day?
Our “first look” was absolutely the most special moment for both of us. After rushing around and all the madness of the morning, that one moment where we finally got to see one another and be alone was just something I can’t describe with words. Jonathan and Sharon (JCP) were so quiet and sensitive to that moment that I forgot they were there. Those moments together were priceless and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. For any bride who can forgo the traditional, I definitely recommend a “first look”.
Did you DIY and if so what was your favorite project? Why?
DIY all the way! Even though my poor husband had to go through many revisions, our invitations were my favorite project because we it was the main project we worked on together.
Wedding Vendors:
~ Planner: Me and my wonderful mother
~ Cake(s): Homestyle Bakery, Antioch
~ Caterers: Stoney River on West End and Stoveworks @ The Factory in Franklin
~ Photographer: Jonathon Campbell Photography
~ Stationery: DIY, with my groom as the graphic designer: jumpstartgraphics.com
~ Bridesmaid Dresses: I let each of the girls pick out their own dresses, I just asked for them to be red.
~ Rings: Brentwood Jewelers
~ Music: As for our live music, our good friend and husband of one of my bridesmaids, Mark Box played acoustic guitar. We trusted Mark so much, we just let him play whatever he wanted. He played something lovely as I walked down the aisle and it was perfect! myspace.com/markboxrocks. For our dinner and dessert receptions, we made playlists from our own music libraries and set up our Bose iPod dock.
~ Decorations/Detail: DIY – lots of candles, and flowers put together by some lovely bridesmaids, family and friends.
~ Bridal Gown: Arzelle’s – About 6 weeks from the wedding, I went to pick up my dress at a bridal shop (who will remain nameless) and was shocked to find it was too short! The dress shop had forgotten to order it with extra length. Since I’m 5’9, it ended up being about 3 inches too short. There was not enough time for them to get another dress in, so thankfully, they refunded my money (which is almost unheard of in the bridal industry) and my mom and I went on a mad dash to find a dress that would work straight from the rack. Thank goodness for Arzelle’s sample sale. I walked in and ended up buying the very first dress I tried on. The only alteration needed was a bustle!
~ Men's attire: The guys wore their own black suits. We provided the white dress shirts and ties.
~ Accessories: My jewelry was on loan from my amazing friend Brandon Emamalie at Brentwood Jewelry. Brandon found the most perfect necklace and earrings for my wedding day. I felt like a million bucks!
~ Flowers: Bridal and bridesmaids bouquets were designed by Emma’s florist. As for all the other flowers, my mom and two of my bridesmaids made a trip to Import Flowers the day before the wedding, where we got dozens and dozens of roses, carnations and daises for the centerpieces. With the help of friends, family, and the dozens of vases I’ve been collecting for years, we were able to keep total floral budget under $600.
~ Transportation: Since we didn’t have my husband’s ’56 truck here in Nashville, we decided to drive away in his car. Sadly, the night before the wedding, two deer ran directly into the side of it while he was driving through a construction area on Concord Rd. So, the morning of the wedding, he ran out at the last minute and rented a gorgeous Black Dodge Challenger. Neither of us wanted to return it!
~ Gifts: Pottery Barn and Bed, Bath and Beyond
Who were your favorites?
We can’t speak highly enough of Jonathon & Sharon (of Jonathon Campbell Photography.) They took time to get to know both of us before the wedding to make sure they really captured the moments that were important to us as a couple. The two of them work so well together and compliment each other in such a way that made us feel completely at ease. From the moment you meet them you notice two things: 1) they are absolutely in love with each other and 2) they are extremely professional. They are the perfect photography team and have become great friends through this process.
We recommend Brandon at Brentwood Jewelers to everyone. He was just great to work with. He was honest about everything and really respected our budget and the work they do is the highest of quality.
What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning?
What a great question! I would definitely spend less time stressing about every tiny detail. If your budget is small and you are doing a lot yourself, you should resign yourself to the fact that you might forget something or something might go wrong. Even if you have a wonderful wedding planner, something can still go wrong; but try to remember that in the end, you’re going to be married to the man you love regardless of anything that goes wrong.
*The night before our wedding two deer ran into my husband’s car, I realized we hadn’t reviewed the vows, nor had we finalized the music playlist for our dinner and dessert receptions. The morning of our wedding, my bridesmaid and I got locked out of our ceremony location (with our car keys, purses and cell still inside) for more than an hour, my parents were two hours late, I was more than an hour late for my hair appointment, I forgot my flower girl’s hair bow and my groom was 2 hours late because he had to go rent a car and his brother (best man) left his suit pants back in Texas. Still, at the end of the day, I was JUST as married to the man I love even though things weren’t “perfect”. The moment I saw him during our “first look” session, all the worries and stress just faded away. So, if I could start all over….I would just enjoy the ride!
What do you consider the biggest waste of time and/or money?
I didn’t have too much money to waste, but for me it was little craft projects that I ended up not finishing. Although, I would say the total was probably less than $100.
What do you consider the best value for the service and product?
The best value we got was getting flowers and making our own arrangements from Import Flowers. They have an amazing selection of fresh flowers every day of the week and made it very easy for us to stay under budget.
Also, having our receptions at a restaurant, rather than renting a location and bringing in an outside caterer saved us quite a bit. Since so many of our guests were Southerners, we knew we couldn’t go wrong with steaks from Stoney River and desserts like Chess Pie and Banana Pudding.
What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding?
1) An embroidered “texas” handkerchief (which reminded me of my husband) that I found at Pangea. I wrapped it around my bouquet before I walked down the aisle.
2) A non-guestbook from Uncommon Goods where guests could fill out little pieces of paper with wishes and notes to us.
We had SO much fun reading them when we got home from our honeymoon. We have some VERY funny friends and family members!
What was your biggest {and best} splurge?
Having two receptions was definitely a bit of a splurge. But, we really wanted to have a small ceremony and dinner, yet still be able to celebrate with a larger group of family and friends. So, to us, it was worth it!
All photographs courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photography. Click here to visit their website and blog!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Real Nashville Weddings
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