Friday, May 7, 2010
You all might already know that I love love love quirkier weddings where the bride and groom have their signature cool style, one that's VERY distinctly theirs and they're not just following trends. Today's wedding comes to us by way of Jenna Henderson of jHenderson Studios. She really manages to capture the personalities of each couple she photographs. Very cool.
This couple (the bride happens to be Hannah, a wedding photographer whose weddings we've loved featuring) got married in this fabulously worn looking venue in Clarksville, TN called the Customs House Museum. The day looked like a blast! So without further ado, here's Jenna and a few of our favorites from the Westphall/ Blanton wedding!
Guest Blog: jHenderson Studios
I often say to Joshy, "Next time we get married, let's do such and such." Meaning, of course, that I have no intentions of getting married to anyone else, but rather what we would do should our wedding magically be in the future somehow. Chances are, we would probably do things differently, just because I get to see all kinds of great ideas for great weddings...and bad ones too. I know what works, what doesn't, and what's going to make stellar photos. Enter Hannah, my bride. Hannah happens to be a wedding photographer.
First, let me say it is a ginormous compliment to be selected to photograph a wedding for a wedding photographer....and intimidating! But, it think it really kept me on my toes, and I'm proud of what I wound up with. Of course, a lot of that has to do with my subject. Hannah & John's wedding was perfectly detail-oriented, personal, funky, & fun...starting with the ceremony venue. It was literally an abandoned church with the doors and windows boarded up sitting on an empty street in Adams, Tenn.
Despite how that might sound, it actually turned out to be really quite awesome. Pretty much everything was DIY...boutineer, bouquets, "yay" flags, food, cake, center pieces...Hannah even made her own dress! Check it out for yourself.
For even more beautiful wedding pictures and the awesome little details that went into the wedding, visit Jenna's blog.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Photography & Videography, Real Nashville Brides, Real Nashville Weddings
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Renegade Bride... Live What You Love... Enough for Ever After... A Bride in Boots... The Budget Savvy Bride... Big Spoon, Little Spoon... Becoming Mrs. Dial... Little Miss Southern... Sassy Bride on a Mission... 100 Days to Plan a Wedding... Thirty Something Bride... First Comes Love... Planning with Sarah Elizabeth... another Nashville bridal blog?
The search
We're on a search for Nashville's Best Bridal Blogger! We're looking for the most read or most loved Nashville bridal blog. If your readers love your blog, we want to know why!
Or, if you are an ABG reader and love one of the blogs listed above or one we don't know about, vote and tell us your favorite.
Who is the funniest or most helpful blogger? Is there one that you love to hate? Tell us who and why.
What you win
The gal voted Nashville's favorite bridal blogger gets:
~ 2 free VIP party tickets to our {sold out} Girls Night Out party + complimentary makeup + mini-manicures at party
~ 2 free party tickets for your most loyal blog readers (must also be brides 2 be); time to meet-up!
~ Free promotion of your blog on ABG for 1 full month (free banner on our site, featured blog posts)
~ Best blog badge to place on your blog for all of 2010
How to enter/vote?
We'll select a winner based on the number of comments from your readers/ABG readers posted on our site this week.
Bridal bloggers:
~ start with a vote for yourself, telling us why your blog is a great resource for other brides
- send all of your blog readers to this blog post from Tuesday, April 27- Monday, May 3. Have them comment on this post, including your blog's name and why it's a must-read
- all bloggers who post the contest on their blog will receive a free ticket to our Girls Night Out party - so we can all hang out; you really can't lose
ABG readers/vendors:
- vote today for your favorite bridal blogger. Just add a comment and include the name of your favorite Nashville-based bridal blogger (bride to be or newlywed with a blog) and spread the word via facebook/twitter
The blog with the most votes on our site wins!
Follow Nashville weddings via email, twitter or facebook.
...coming soon
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Contests, Giveaways, Specials, Real Nashville Brides
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Friday, April 9, 2010
Weddings don't just happen overnight, and the planning process is as significant to a couple in love as the marriage itself.
With every wedding there's a dating and proposal story leading up to the "I do"'s. Today's post is the first of many that we're happy to chronicle because we believe that engagements are as real and romantic as weddings are.
To kick things off, we'd like you to meet Meg and Matt who are a 2010 couple. Their pictures and story reached us with much credit to Jonathon Campbell Photography who shot their engagement session and who will be capturing their wedding. I love this story because the proposal is told from Matt's perspective which is always fun to see and (I'm such a sap) I started to tear up a little because, well... you know what? I'm not going to spoil it for you - read on!
Bride-to-be:
Meg Morrison - Gainesville, GA
Groom-to-be:
Matt Zink - Washington Court House, OH
How did you meet?
We met through an interesting connection of mutual friends. Matt went to college at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and became friends with Ryan through football who was from Pittsburgh. Meg went to University of Tennessee with Jacqui who is also from Pittsburgh. Jacqui became good friends with Matt through visits at home and hanging out with Ryan. Later, when Matt moved to Nashville knowing no one, Meg had lived here for 1 ½ yrs. SO when Matt called Jacqui for someone to hang out with, no one knew Jacqui she was thinking we would make a good match. She sent Meg to meet up with Matt that night, and the rest is history.
How did you know this was “it?” Did you talk about it a lot? Or was it just understood from day one?
It wasn’t known from day one, but we definitely talked about it before Matt proposed. We knew it was “it” because everything was just natural. We didn’t have to try to make it work. So when our friendship turned into a relationship, we didn’t have to question if it was right.
When did you get engaged?
Arrington Vineyards, Franklin, TN on April 3, 2009
How did you get engaged? Tell us all about the proposal!
(From Matt's point of view) Before the actual proposal, Meg went on a cruise in February of 2009 with some friends, and I said I was going to Ohio to visit my family for the weekend. But, I was planning all along to head to Georgia to ask Meg’s parents for their blessing in marrying their daughter.
Asking Meg's parents went off without a hitch, except for one thing: I had planned to propose to Meg on our San Francisco trip in September, but Meg's parents said they couldn't keep the secret that long. This meant I had to set the wheel in motion much earlier than anticipated, and began searching for a new and creative way to propose. After a few quick phone calls, both sets of parents were very excited to learn they would be a part of the proposal plans.
I went down to Arrington Friday before the proposal to check out the grounds, and see if there was anything the people there could do to help with this special day. They reserved a picnic table at the top of the hill overlooking the grounds with rose petals in a wine glass, and made sure that no one else would be around to disturb us.
The plans were to have both sets of parents show up 45 minutes after we arrived, and sneak in the lower entrance out of Meg's view. Problems arose when Meg was held up at work and there was extra traffic on the way. After a few frantic phone calls/texts, I was able to delay the parents a few minutes. We went through the tasting with me feeling anxious the entire time, as I could see the staff watching us knowing what was in store. We picked out a great bottle of wine, headed to the top of the hill to have a glass, and watch the sunset. I told Meg to check out the view down the hill, while I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring.
I told her about my little "trip home", and after a look of shock on Meg's face, I got down on a knee and proposed to her. She said yes of course (or we wouldn't be writing this article!) and we headed back down to the vineyard building greeted with applause from the staff, and our family waiting with cameras ready.
Oh, did I mention this was the first time all the parents met each other? We enjoyed a delicious dinner with wine, and the newly created family we were bringing together.
We love your engagement pictures! Looks like you had a blast. Tell us about that experience.
We loved our engagement session! Jonathon and Sharon Campbell were amazing!
We met a couple weeks before the engagement session for dinner, and got to know each other and they really paid attention to what we as a couple were about, as well as our thoughts and ideas on locations. We ended up doing shots at the Werthan Lofts in Germantown and the Union Station Hotel in downtown Nashville. We thought an urban setting with an industrial feel and a very polished staple of Nashville would be excellent fits for us, and the pictures turned out above and beyond our expectations!
What matters most as you plan your wedding? life together?
What matters most while planning the wedding is we have to step back from time to time while looking at every single detail and realize that the purpose of the wedding day is for us to be bound in marriage. Planning the food, entertainment, etc. has been an adventure, but we also know that this is just the beginning of our lives together, and this is the event to celebrate this beginning.
Was there a decision that nearly triggered a meltdown in your wed planning process, something that might help others in your shoes?
We have had some trouble with the wedding party, as well as keeping in the budget. We haven’t had an official “meltdown” but we still have 4 months of planning to go! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for as smooth sailing as we can get.
Couples disagree. Let's keep it real and help other engaged couples not kill one another! What has been your major couple disagreement and what have you done to compromise?
The major disagreement/compromise for us has been finalizing the guest list. With any wedding comes a budget, and as a result tough choices have to be made in terms of who to and not to invite to the wedding. We both are blessed enough to have many amazing people in our lives and it has been very difficult to have to say “no” to some of them.
What's the one must have for your wedding day (such as a particular service, product, vendor)? His? Hers?
We had to have a great live band. We wanted to keep the Nashville feel of the wedding, and what better representation than live music? Our band is the Nashvegas All Stars and we’re excited about tearing it up on the dance floor!
Please let us in on some of your wedding details.
Our style: Best described as comfortably modern ambiance with a cocktail hour vibe
Our colors: Teal, chocolate, and a blush pink
Who have you hired so far?
Venue: 3rd Avenue South
Planner - Randi Events
Photography - Jonathon Campbell Photography
Band - NashVegas All Stars
Catering - Chef’s Market
What do you most look forward to after marriage?
Well, the obvious answer here is the honeymoon! It will be good to get away and relax for a while after the wedding day. After the honeymoon, we are very excited to get settled into our new lives together and start planning for the future. After the chaos has died down, we can begin to save up to travel the world, eventually have a family, and just enjoy going through each phase of married life together.
Any words of wisdom for newly-engaged couples?
Talk things out. Don’t assume the other person wants something without asking, it will save a lot of time having to change plans and mending hurt feelings. Also, go to a marriage workshop, or pre-marital counselor through your Pastor/Officiant. It’s a good eye opener and as a bonus, saves you money on your marriage license!
Congratulations Meg and Matt and thank you for sharing your story and advice with us. We wish you all the best and look forward to your wedding planning updates!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Photography & Videography, Real Nashville Brides
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Here's a super fun wedding with a modern twist, courtesy of Lotus Blossom Photography, who always manages to capture such joyful aspects of a wedding.
What ABG loves about this wedding is that just because you're having a destination wedding doesn't mean that you can't hire {great} Nashville wedding vendors you love/trust...or still check out ABG for ideas everyday:).
Thanks Cathryn and Michael for sharing your special day with us!
Bride - Cathryn Renee Kelton of Nashville, TN
Groom - Michael Robert Formichella of Long Valley, NJ
Ceremony - Memorial Chapel, The campus of Emory and Henry College in Emory, VA
Reception Location - The Martha Washington Inn and Spa, Abingdon, VA
Guests - 100
My wedding style
I would say our wedding style was classic with a slight modern twist. I kept the color scheme simple, but elegant with black and ivory, and used classic cut A-line dresses. Our modern touch came from using tropical flowers for the arrangements. It added a sophisticated touch of color.
My colors and why I choose them
We used black and ivory. Black and white is such a classic combination, and everyone looks good in black. I chose ivory instead of white because my dress was ivory.
My theme
I didn’t start out with a theme, but it ended up being lace. My dress had lace trim, therefore I ended up choosing bridesmaid and flower girl dresses that incorporated lace in their designs to carry the theme throughout all the girls. It ended up looking gorgeous having the lace common to everyone.
Wedding wow factor
Our guests loved the candy buffet we had at the reception. We bought apothecary jars in various sizes and filled them with various candies we purchased at bulk warehouse stores.
Favors
In lieu of wedding favors we provided black and white organza bags at the candy bar for guests to take home their favorite candies.
Personalized touches
Other than the standard monogrammed cocktail napkins everyone has, our cake had our initials incorporated into the design.
Most special moment for me
It’s hard to pick a most special moment because there were so many, but I would have to say during our rehearsal dinner, Mike’s sister and her partner who are in a band called Driftwood Fire, dedicated a song for us and sang for everyone.
What I did for the kids in my wedding
I bought our flower girl two My Little Ponies for being in the wedding. She was more excited about her ponies than getting to wear her princess dress.
Gift for bridesmaids
I bought each bridesmaid a necklace with their birthstone in the pendant. I also ordered a tote bag set that I had monogrammed for each of them.
Groomsmen
Mike chose his groomsmen's gifts based on each one's hobbies. He bought his best man a nice pocket knife, one groomsman is into art, so he bought them a set of nice artist pencils. The other three groomsmen are his fraternity brothers, he bought them Max (from Where The Wild Things Are) bobble heads because Max is their mascot.
My wedding vendors
Photography: Lotus Blossom Photography
Dresses: The White Room
Hair: Hannah Young
Invitations and Bridesmaids’ tote bags: Exclusively Weddings
Cake: Brenda Maus (Rocky Mount, VA)
Reception and Rehearsal Dinner: The Martha Washington Inn and Spa
Ceremony: Memorial Chapel, Emory and Henry College
DJ: Grant Smiley (Abingdon, VA)
My faves – highly recommend
Bridal gown/bridesmaid dresses - The White Room
Hair - Hannah Young
Photography: Lotus Blossom Photography
The Martha Washington Inn & Spa
How I found my vendors – bridal shows, wedding planning resources, friends:
My sister bought her wedding dress from The White Room which is one of the reasons I decided to get my dress and bridesmaids’ dresses from them. The biggest reason though is they have an amazing selection, and the girls are wonderful to work with. It is worth the short drive to Lebanon to check them out!
Hannah Young has been a long time family friend, she did my sister’s and my hair for my sister’s wedding and our hair looked beautiful.
Amber of Lotus Blossom Photography and I have been friends since middle school. She’s been interested in photography as long as I’ve know her. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would have wanted to do our pictures. We have gotten so many compliments on the quality of our pictures, I HIGHLY recommend Lotus Blossom Photography to anyone.
Mike and I met in college, which is why we chose to get married at Emory and Henry College. The town of Abingdon, VA reminds me of Franklin, TN. It is very historic which beautiful old buildings dating back to the late 1700’s. We chose to have our rehearsal dinner and our wedding reception at The Martha Washington Inn because it is a beautiful Plantation home, and the service is amazing. The staff was easy to work with and the food was wonderful. If you are thinking about having a beautiful mountain wedding, please give them a call. Not only do they do receptions, they can also do weddings.
My wedding rewind
What I would do differently if planning again
I gave myself a lot of unneeded stress trying to make everyone happy. Everyone, especially your parents are going to have an opinion and will want something a certain way. While there are compromises that have to be made in planning any wedding, I finally learned that you have to put your foot down sometimes, because you can’t please everyone, and most importantly you need to please yourself.
Biggest waste of time or money?
Decorations at the church, you’re at the church for a short period of time, and no one really notices them. I’m glad we just decided to do pew bows, but we didn’t even need to do that.
Best value for the service/product
Lotus Blossom Photography, you get two photographers to cover your event, not just one. Hannah Young, she does beautiful hair and doesn’t cost a small fortune. Artificial Flowers from Michael’s - we were able to have tropical flowers in the fall at a fraction of the cost.
Neatest find
We found beautiful inexpensive apothecary jars for our candy bar at Hobby Lobby.
Advice for other Nashville brides?
1. Don’t feel like you need to go to the big box bridal stores for your dresses. Independent boutiques have better selections, and you’ll be surprised that their prices are very similar to what you’d find at the chain bridal stores. Besides, you don’t want to have the same dress as 1000’s of other girls. Those of you getting married right after college, please think of this. I had 7 friends get married the summer after we graduated college, and they all went to a chain bridal store. A few weddings had the same bridesmaids’ dresses, but in different colors. The nice thing about an independent bridal store, if you don’t like one aspect of a dress’ design, you can have it taken off or you can have something added. They don’t do this at the chain stores.
2. Your bridesmaids, and groomsmen for that matter, are spending a lot of money for you. Get them something nice in return. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Go shopping after a major holiday and you’ll get great deals on nice things. I got my girls a diamond and birthstone necklace from Kohl’s as part of their presents. They were $100.00 necklaces on sale for $30.00. Shop around and wait for sales, I was able to pick up my girls’ tote bag sets from exclusivelyweddings.com on sale. They were normally almost $50.00 for the set, I got them for $20.00.
3. Give yourself at least a year to plan. You don’t want to be rushed, this process is stressful, and you don’t want to make yourself crazy. We picked one or two things to take care of a month, because we did that, two months before my wedding we had all of the planning finished. I had time to sit back and enjoy the last few months of being engaged.
4. Think about artificial flowers. They’re much cheaper than real flowers. The tropical flowers we used would have cost us a fortune if we used real flowers. Our artificial flowers looked so real, people at the reception tables had no idea the centerpieces were fake until we told them.
5. Lastly, have fun. Wedding planning can be a huge headache, but it doesn’t have to be. Stay calm, learn to compromise, and enjoy this period in your life. It goes by before you know it!
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Posted by Lotus Blossom Photography |
Filed under: Destination Weds & Honeymoon , Real Nashville Brides, Real Nashville Weddings
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009 Today's Guest Blogger: Brandi Montgomery, Nashville bride Continued from yesterday... Upon leaving the booth, I saw the most colorful vehicle you could imagine with a sign advertising military discounts. I told you guys my fiance was veteran so whenever I see military discount I always check it out. The great thing is, I found an awesome way to save money on our honeymoon. I will definitely be placing this in open view for my fiance.
4) Most Interesting Booth - Cook Travel LLC, 1-800-828-8077 WHAT DO THEY OFFER: All Inclusive Luxury Vacation packages to Sandals and Beaches resorts SPECIALS: 10% off current promotions for military couples 5 and 6) Best Presentation of Services / Products - Tie between Glitz Bridal and Ribbons of Chocolate WHO: Glitz Bridal, 615-646-9964 WHAT: Bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and accessories SPECIAL: 50% Off Semi Annual sale on August 7th and 8th What I liked best about the Glitz Bridal booth was the fact they had a live model to showcase their dress. Funny think, I walked past the booth admiring the dress before I noticed she was real. The bridesmaids designs were also great and non generic for those of us who love originality.
mashed potato bar
WHO: Ribbons of Chocolate, 615-449-4368 WHAT MAKES IT HOT!!: They offer chocolate, white chocolate (can be tinted to match your colors,) caramel and cheese fountains. They also offer catering services There were lots of sweet things to eat at the bridal show, my favorite, chocolate. In my search for a chocolate fountain, I found something out of the box, modern, and HOT!! An orange colored tinted white chocolate fountain and a lovely mashed potato martini bar (I'd heard about them, but never seen the concept.) The owner Pam, can tint your fountain to match your wedding using white chocolate and also offers catering. To top it off she was extremely nice and informative. SPECIAL: Make sure you tell her you saw it on ABG:) 7) Best Overall and Best Value - Wedding Cake Designs Last but not least...what have I missed, WEDDING CAKE. There was Wedding Cake EVERYWHERE, and we sampled all of them. There were some really great cakes including the White Chocolate Truffle by Signature Cakes by Vicki (I ate 4 of the sample bites.) Maples Cakes had some really trendy fun designs with great use of color. However, Wedding Cake Designs stood out to me the most. Her cake tasted awesome, and she serves cake shots adorned by a ribbon (coordinated with your colors) with a foil stamp. I LOVED her cakes so much I was going to book on the spot, (I couldn't b/c I hadn't cleared it with my fiance.) She is also offering 10% of to ABG readers who book soon. This makes the price of the cake less than $400 for a 4 tier cake, and under 4.00 a cake shot. In my opinion she had the taste, look and presentation that encompassed everything I was looking for...Modern, Chic, and Frugal. Luv it! Why is she hot!: She does custom cakes and cake shots; her designs are great Specials: 4 tier cake under $400 and cake shots under $4.00
Overall, I had a great experience at my second bridal show. I found my cake, photo booth, honeymoon plan and have some great leads on linens, venues, and attire. I didn't really go to many of the photography booths, that's the one thing I already have. Oh, I did fail to mention I reserved my fiance's tux on the spot, which gave him a free tux and $30 off his groomsmen tuxes. What a way to end a Divalistic Day!
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Bridal Gowns, Men's Attire & Accessories, Bridal Shows & Events, Real Nashville Brides
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