I love when I get to feature a real wedding. Some ask - what's the difference between a real wedding and an unreal wedding? A real wedding showcases real brides, working with a real budget. An unreal wedding is a photoshoot that is provided to inspire. Budget is really no obect because you don't have guests to serve (1 table setting that is to die for) no mother to appease...get where I'm going:).
So, it is with my delight that I present today's real wedding, submitted by Kristyn Hogan lifestyle photography. It is a vintage, do-it-yourself winter wedding. It has some great detail and took place in Murfreesboro, using many Mboro wedding vendors.
About us -
Bride - Andrea Fisher, Murfreesboro, TN
Groom - Daniel Brame, Hopkinsville, KY
Wedding date & time -
February 6, 2010 at 5:00pm
Ceremony location -
Third Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, TN
Reception location -
The Vine, Murfreesboro, TN
Number of guests -
74
My wedding style and theme -
We had a smaller, intimate wedding since we both had family who lived out of state. We chose a vintage theme to reflect our shared aesthetic. Our reception decor was from my own collection of treasures passed down to me from my mother and grandmother, as well as items that caught my fancy at various antique stores in the community. Even our venue, The Vine, was vintage; it is a converted 1930's garage!
My colors and why I choose them?
My colors were black, ivory, and mossy greens. I really liked how classic the combined colors of black and ivory looked together, a softer version of black and white.
Wedding wow factor?
Our family and guests repeatedly admired how intensely personal and unique every detail of our wedding was. From the invitations to the first dance, we selected styles and themes that let our personalities shine through. We chose gentle, acoustic music, worship tunes, and upbeat jazz classics that were out of the ordinary for a wedding. We concluded the ceremony by having the best man read a Jewish wedding blessing from a prayer book his mother gave us, a nod to Daniel's heritage. Everyone loved the vintage theme of the reception.
Gift for bridesmaids?
I got my girls monogrammed black and white tote bags from L.L.Bean. Inside the tote bags I added little things that would come in handy, including black flip-flops, lip gloss, hand lotion, and a vintage embroidered hankie to carry during the ceremony.
Gift for groomsmen?
Daniel got his guys watches from his favorite website, www.ThinkGeek.com. These watches had a detachable USB memory stick. All of the men are geeks at heart in one form or another, so this was right up their alley!
Most special moment for me?
Seeing Daniel's face for the first time on our wedding day, when the doors to the sanctuary opened. The love and tenderness and awe and pure joy I saw there was something I will always carry with me.
My Wedding Vendors
Cake - Julia's Bakery
Cupcakes - Patty Collins, friend of the couple
Caterer - Goodness Gracious
Photography - KRISTYN HOGAN lifestyle photographer
Invitations - I purchased pocket folders and envelopes from www.cardsandpockets.com, designed the invitations myself, printed the inserts at Kinko's, and assembled them with my bridesmaids and fiance's help.
Dresses - David's Bridal- To my surprise, despite negative reviews from everyone I knew who had recently gotten married, I had a good experience at David's ... with one notable exception ... I made the serious mistake of giving them my email address; the result was an unimaginable overflow of spam.
Rings - Engagement ring - Custom vintage-inspired ring designed by Daniel, crafted by Elsa Deutsch of ElsaRings.com; Groom's band - BlueNile.com; Bride's band - Platinum Jewelers, Franklin, TN
Décor - Antique Center I & II, Antiques Unlimited, Hylabrook Antique Mall; Personal collection of bride and friends
Day-of Coordinator - Jessica D. Foster
My Favorite Vendors – Highly Recommend
Goodness Gracious Catering, Murfreesboro, TN
Impeccable, personal service. They went above and beyond for me! I had mentioned I wanted to rent some topiaries for the decor and they hunted some down they had in their personal collection and let me use them at no additional charge. The food was fantastic, plentiful, and affordable. Our guests are still raving about it.
Flowers n' More, Murfreesboro, TN
You wouldn't guess it from driving by the small storefront, but Scott, the floral designer, is a miracle worker. I gave him a fixed budget and some ideas I had clipped out of magazines, then gave him creative control. My flowers were gorgeous, and the bridal bouquet was a conversation starter due the creative use of green herbs to accent the edges--my husband even sniffed the leaves to confirm it was so!
KRISTYN HOGAN lifestyle photographer
What can I say? As the saying goes, a pictures speaks a thousand words. Kristyn's photography truly tells the story of a wedding. I met Kristyn at my brother's wedding in 2007, where she took the pictures. Two years later, I knew the first person I'd talk to about doing our photography would be her. I knew that we'd forget much of the day in the months and years following our wedding day, but our pictures would remember for us, so it was very important that we both love the style and quality of the photography, and be comfortable with the professionalism of our photographer. Kristyn delivered. She captured moments from mine that are irreplaceable.
My Wedding Rewind
What I would do differently if planning again? Hire a wedding planner!
I knew what I wanted, and I'm fiercely DIY in spirit, so I was reluctant to hand over money and/or control to another person. However, while I was able to do a lot on my own or with the help of family and friends, the fee would have been worth it when it came to thinking of and planning for the small details.
Best value for the service/product?
My decorations and my coordinator. I bought candles from another bride on Craigslist after her wedding to use in the church ceremony. One of my bridesmaids helped me make recycled cupcake and cake plate displays out of thrift shop candlesticks, glasses, and plates, as well as moss letters. The rest of the reception decor was from my own personal collection of antique/vintage items, gifts or loans from friends, and a unique collection of additional items I purchased from antique shops in Murfreesboro.
Our coordinator was a friend and freelance interior designer, Jessica D. Foster, who single-handedly ran the show for me on the day of the wedding (even doing my hair and makeup) and used the items I had collected to turn The Vine into a candle-lit vintage fairytale. I trusted her, turned her loose with the help of my family and friends, and didn't see the result until the moment we entered The Vine ... it was magical!
Neatest find?
The song I walked down the aisle to, "Butterfly Waltz." My fiance and I had looked into ceremony music and decided to both separately find several songs we liked and then compare at a listening session together to make our final picks. We both said we were very excited about a particular song, but wouldn't say what it was. When we got together, we discovered that we had both fallen in love with the same song independently! We agreed it would be "my song."
After searching his house for days, my father made the most meaningful find--my mother's handmade mantilla veil. Mom passed away in 2008 after a two year battle with colon cancer. She had made both her wedding dress and veil herself back in 1979. Wearing the veil was my way of having her presence with us during the ceremony.
I bumped into Taira of Baughman Media Works at Saturday's Boro Bridal Ball. Seeing her great red and black booth reminded me of her new, similarly colored website that you can check out at bmediaworks.com.
Taira and crew have been really busy - new website, new blog and also a new announcement - new engagement announcements. What are they? A dynamic video in which a bride/groom announce their engagement, wedding date via a dvd that contains video and photo stills of the couple.
You can read more about the new video service for brides on her blog. According to Taira, "Photos and video are taken during your engagement shoot and this beautiful display of your upcoming day can be ready in as little as 24 hours." Here's a sample of the engagement announcement video.
Thinking of colors for a wedding is one of the best parts of planning. But if you're like me and are just a pansy for pretty colors, then finding that one perfect shade is somewhat a challenge!
Lucky for us (and our penchant for shopping online), Banana Republic was an unexpected source of inspiration! They delivered this Spring "hot color" email to Ashley, who immediately forwarded it to me. I think it's unanimous: the ABG team has officially got a crush on coral!
Coral can be a great color accent for Spring and can be tweaked to be great for a Fall wedding too.
Maybe it's the constant rain and gray that's been looming over us that's got me excited to feature this color but I honestly do like it. Pantone's particular shade of coral for Fall 2010 is aptly named "Living Coral." I will admit the first time I saw a dress in that color, I thought "that's weird" but boy was I wrong - after seeing it on girls of all sorts of skin tones, I realize that coral really brings their complexions to life (so "Living" is quite apropos) and I love what it does for the look of a wedding. Nothing like a splash of color to liven things up. It's delightful color, easily complemented by reds, whites and neutrals, or when alongside blacks and bolder shades, becomes a playful, Alice in Wonderland-ish type theme.
Pantone's Lipstick Red, Living Coral and Black (above) can easily be brought to life and makes a bold, chic color palette that's just stunning!
(picture source, stylemepretty.com)
Pantone's Living Coral, Pink Dogwood and Grey Violet (above) can be softened and creates an understated elegance. Below, we've created an inspiration board that's the signature of a spring wedding here in Middle Tennessee. We pulled these images from our design gallery to give you an idea of how you can use color in your palette.
Top: Custom invitations, Southall Eden | Wedding reception, Signature Events | Middle: Bouquet, Enchanted Florist | Coral, black and white cake, SIgnature Cakes by Vicki | Bridesmaids dress by Watters & Watters | Bottom: Sushi platter, A Catered Affair | Wedding design, Sasha Souza Events
We like coral with black or with gray. What other coral color combinations do you like? We would really love to see your ideas and inspirations - share them with us in comments!
I recently attended an open house at Events at 1418 and the Parisian theme was based on the movie Julie & Julia. (If you didnt see the movie, it's a film that contrasts the early career of chef Julia Child in Paris and aspiring chef (and Child-fan) Julie.)
Kellie Bryson, owner of Events at 1418, A Catered Affair and the Bake Shoppe worked with her joint teams to completely transform the space - from decor, desserts and catering - and to create an Ode to Paris evening that inspired Nashville brides and entertained event professionals. Being the simply girl I am, I asked Emily of Simply Yours Weddings to guest blog today, as her palette is much more sophisticated than mine. She appreciates fine wine and fancy food so she'll do a much better job describing the delicious details.
On a night in downtown Nashville, you don't have to look far for food, laughter, and fun. On this February night, Events at 1418 took us on a trip back in time and across the pond to a Parisian dinner party inspired by the recent film "Julie & Julia". Kellie and her talented team held nothing back as they created an atmosphere of incredible food and drinks as well as a beautiful display of all they have to offer.
From their sweet and accommodating bartending staff to their colorful chefs, down to the beautiful linens and tablescapes, all of it was produced right there within their exposed brick walls! Events at 1418 is a perfect venue for a rehearsal dinner or wedding reception! They literally have everything a planning couple would need right at their fingertips! Plus, they want to make each event extraordinary so they let the creative juices flow resulting in complete event concepts.
Many of the items served were straight out of Julia Child's cookbook (with a special A Catered Affair twist)! My personal favorite was the beef bourguignon. SO good! They served it as an appetizer over french bread, and I could not keep myself from going back for more! They also served many of Julia's dessert recipes, such as apple tarte with cinnamon creme fraiche, chocolate almond cake, and raspberry bavarian, just to name a few! They did such a great job finding sweet ways to incorporate their theme into the decor and the food. I know this would be true for any other event held at this wonderful location for couples just like you!
Of course, a sweet soiree like this one, brings out tons of fun people to eat, laugh and mingle! Here are a few shots of some of Nashville wedding people Ashley and I ran into!
From L-R Rhonda Hendricks of Joe Hendricks Photography, Dawn Stoika of the The Bake Shoppe, Amy Thomas of Swizzle Events, myself and Ashley!
So brides, if you are still looking for a reception or smaller party event space such as a Bridal Luncheon or a Rehearsal Dinner, look no further than Events at 1418! They will take incredible care of you for your event!
Thank you to Kellie and the whole team at Events at 1418 for an incredible evening!!
Last month, I was invited to check out Cedarwood, a historic home in Northwest Nashville. I'll be honest - for years, I've confused Cedarwood and Cedarvine (the now auctioned venue) because I simply didnt have a point of reference. My visit to Cedarwood changed all of that!
What I noticed immediately was Linda - the gracious and soft spoken event manager. She welcomed me, introduced me to her siblings, who co-own and operate Cedarwood and together - provide everything a bride needs. This is a full production team - which I hadnt expected. While their site said "designer, all inclusive weddings" I wasnt quite sure what it would entail. I now know. This family - all experts in their own right - purchased the home 4 years ago and made it something marvelous. The sister - Karen Wright (you've probably heard of her if you've followed top Nashville's floral design players) - Linda - has a background in event management and the brothers - not sure their specialty but they probably do the heavy lifting to keep the grounds maginificient.
I had a tour of the wedding venue and even in the dead of winter - it was still a sight to behold. From the barn to the enormous backyard to the the creek - I could just envision all of the wonderful family and friends gathered to celebrate an intimate evening.
I gathered a lot of great info on Cedarwood. Two main things you should know: 1) Cedarwood is a full service venue and they do it all WELL, especially the custom design and decor. Most brides just bring their photographer, guests and Cedarwood does everything else - how's that for an easy button! 2) Cedarwood offers full wedding packages that range from $16,950 for 150 guests - (even includes your bouquets/boutonnieres!) to $26,325 for luxury everything. If you are like me aka a hotel bride that wants everything neatly packaged so I dont have to do too much and coordinate a lot, then this could be a strong contender. And, you will find that the starting package includes just about everything the average bride would need, making it a wonderful "just show up" option.
What's also unique is that Cedarwood is a favorite place for many celebrity weddings - because it's tucked away off the beaten path, cozy and intimate AND it's pet friendly. The owners pet's freely roam the venue and they invite their guests pets too. It's the ultimate celebration nature - eco friendly and pet friendly too.
They encourage you to make the event your own - one couple brought a sentimental, vintage bed to add to the ambiance and guests took pictures - the staff will often decorate the tables with unique antiques (if on theme) to add character throughout.
Contact Info
Name: Cedarwood
Address: 3831 Whites Creek Pike
City, State, Zip: Nashville, Tennessee 37207
Area of Town: Northwest Nashville
Main Contact: Linda Wright
Phone Number: 615-876-9999
Email Address: [email protected]
About Venue
Come to Cedarwood for romantic outdoor weddings at a picturesque 1830's antebellum farm estate with historic home, vintage barn, rolling meadows, flower gardens and fresh natural spaces. Specializing in one-stop, customized, all-inclusive designer wedding packages for up to 200 guests.
Website address: www.historiccedarwood.com
Year your business was established: 2006
Your motto/philosophy: A one-stop-shop creating unique, highly customized and personal weddings.
Payment options accepted?
Cash, check
What options does your venue offer?
~ Ceremony and Reception
How many people can you accommodate?
Up to 200
How many events do you take per day?
2 (morning and evening wedding options)
What catering options for you offer/allow?
~ Outside catering? Yes
~ Do you have a preferred list of caterers? Yes
~ Is outside alcohol allowed? Yes
Is an on-site event coordinator available?
Yes
How many people do you have on staff?
5 full time and seasonal part time and catering staff
What is your pricing model?
All-inclusive wedding and reception packages
Which bride budget do you serve?
~ Moderate - Luxury
What else should brides know about your venue?
Cedarwood has an expanded, covered Pavilion and vintage barn which can be used in conjunction with our natural open spaces to give guests a variety of settings and experiences. All flowers are done in our on-site design studio. Packages include wedding planning, customized floral and décor, wedding director and all amenities needed for a unique, personal wedding celebration. You get your minister and photographer, and we do the rest!
What makes your venue so unique? What do you pride yourself on?
Cedarwood’s natural beauty plays a significant role in outdoor weddings. The property is on the national register of historic places and the main house was built in 1835. Beautifully appointed but not too fussy, Cedarwood offers a relaxed elegance that is perfect for a variety of wedding styles. The venue is pet friendly, adheres to “green” operating practices and thrives on “out-of-the-box” weddings that are high on style, low on stress.
What special packages do you offer?
Discounts for Friday and Sunday weddings. Theme and “green” weddings, elopement packages.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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