Tuesday, August 3, 2010
I always go on and on about how much I love food. One thing I tend not to boast is my love for flowers because unlike my foodie habits, I'm not familiar with the names of flowers and can't always wax poetically about them. That's why we have our Ashley's Bride Guide vendors - true professionals who are the go-to's for the things we love. The ones who, when you say "I like that bouquet that has those flowers, you know the pink and white ones with the things and the little whachamacallits?" know exactly what you're talking about.
Today's expert advice comes from Cedarwood who recently began a series of posts on their blog that I'm uber excited about called Bouquet Boutique. I'm sure you are thinking "Cedarwood is an event venue right? Why are they showcasing wedding flowers?". Well, Cedarwood is actually a one-stop shop for weddings. You bring yourself, your fiance, your guests and photographer and they do everything else, including A-H-Mazinggg event /floral design.
*Warning: The pictures you're about to see will make you swoon.
Featured Favorite Blog: Bouquet Boutique by Cedarwood
Photo by: Krystal Mann - The Collection
Picture by: Krystal Mann - The Collection
Often brides know exactly what they want in their bridal bouquet. When they don’t Cedarwood Designers start by helping them identify their favorite flowers, and more important, memories associated with flowers. Let’s take you, for example:
The scent of French Lilacs may remind you of gardening with your grandmother; Sunflowers of summertime on the family farm. Orchids could bring back the romance of trips to the tropics. These associations can enhance joyous wedding day emotions and even chase away an anxious moment. Think of your flowers as a personal attendant that will be close to you all day long.
Fresh wedding flowers are included in Cedarwood’s all-inclusive wedding packages, and every bouquet is custom made on-site for each bride according to her unique style and specifications. Some brides define each flower to be included in their bouquets, but many provide us with overall style and color guidelines and leave the details to Karen’s talented eye for creative design.
Whatever style, your bridal bouquet should be swoon-worthy and one more thing to make you feel beautiful on your wedding day! Remember to ask your photographer to take several close ups of your bridal bouquet in different settings so you’ll be able to appreciate it long after the wedding day blooms have faded.
Picture by: Krista Lee Photography
Picture by: Tec Petaja
Picture by: Anne Wade Parish Photography
Picture by: Dove Wedding Photography
Picture by: Krista Lee Photography
Picture by: Dove Wedding Photography
Picture by: Souder Photography
Picture by: Ace Photography
Picture by: Ace Photography
Picture by: Jen Kroll Photography
Picture by: Ace Photography
Picture by: Phindy Studios
Picture by: Angela Anderson Photography
Picture by: Krystal Mann - The Collection
Picture by: Shaun Ring Photography
Picture by: Krista Lee Photography
I can't wait to see what else they'll have on their Bouquet Boutique series. For more on Cedarwood and the services they offer, visit their website and be sure to check out the Cedarwood Blog for some beautiful wedding inspiration!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Details, Design & Florals, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010
When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of wedding planning, it's easy to overlook what's at the core - a marriage. Once in a while, we meet a gem of a bride whose vision isn't all about the glitter or themes but one who cherishes the moments that she wanted as part of her special day, with lots of unique personalized touches that were such a joy to see. For Lauren and William, their wedding was a day spent with family and friends from near and far, one that was capturedl in gorgeous photographs, and super fun photobooth pics.
Simply Vintage - Real Wedding Feature submitted by Photo Booth Nashville
Bride ~ Lauren Stephens
Groom ~ William Branson IV
Wedding Details:
April 10, 2010, ceremony 5:00 pm, reception 7:00 pm
Ceremony- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Franklin, TN (pivate ceremony, family only)
Reception: Houston Station, Nashville, TN
Approximately 140 guests at reception
Wedding Style:
What was your wedding style?
This is hard for me to pin down. There were definitely a lot of vintage elements, but the reception felt like a really fun mix of vintage and urban.
What were your colors? Why did you choose them?
Light Pink + Gray. The colors had the vintage feel I was going for.
What did you use for inspiration? {magazines? blogs? websites? etc.}
I mostly used blogs for inspiration. East Side Bride, Once Wed, etc. (Ashley adds - be sure to check out the East Side Bride's feature on Lauren's wedding. It's honest, candid and hilarious!)
Wedding Scoop:
What was your wedding WOW factor? {What did your guests love?}
There were a lot of things that continue to be talked about. One was the Photo Booth Nashville. The other? I played a song for my husband w/ my guitar and harmonica at the reception. I guess not many people had seen a bride with a guitar + harmonica holder.
What did you give as favors to your guests?
We had a photo booth, so the “favors” were the printed photo strips.
How did you personalize your wedding?
There were a lot of things that made our wedding very reflective of us. (Of course the photo booth + my guitar playing helped). The groom’s cupcakes had skulls on them, which is something of a theme in our apartment. My family + extended family are from Louisiana and we had a lot of guests from the wedding from Louisiana, as well. When we left, we had a Second Line Parade. It is a New Orleans tradition in which a brass band plays and those who follow twirl a parasol and a white handkerchief in the air. It was a way for us to bring my home state to our wedding.
What did you give your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
My sister was my only bridesmaid, so I ordered her a monogrammed Lucite tray. We gave our dads ties from Psycho Bunny, and we gave our cousins who were readers/ushers monogrammed money clips. I also had hair lovelies made for some close friends + female cousins from Oh My Deer on Etsy.
What was your most special moment of the day?
Pinning down one special moment would be pretty difficult, since the entire day was phenomenal. But actually walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing faces of my family smiling at me, and seeing William waiting for me at the end would probably have to take the cake.
Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them?
No, we didn’t have any kids at the wedding.
Did you Do It Yourself? Or, did you leave it to the professionals?
I honestly have to say that I am NOT much of a DIY-er. However, my mom did take on a couple of projects. One being that she hand stamped 100 handkerchiefs with fleur de lis + tied them with a cute ribbon for our second line parade.
Wedding Vendors:
~ Planner: Elegant Weddings By Angela (ElegantWeddingsbyAngela.com)
~ Cake(s): The Bake Shoppe
~ Caterer: Chef’s Market
~ Photographer: Laura Dart, D'art Photographie (DartPhotographie.com)
~ Stationery: Save the Dates were designed by my best friend, Megan Willoughby. The wedding invitations were SMOCK, from Salutations in Charlotte, NC. Tags for handkerchiefs + photo booth reminder were made by Erin Duffy at Social Graces in Hillsboro Village.
~ Bridesmaid Dresses: I only had one bridesmaid: my sister. We had her dress made by a wedding store in Charlotte, NC called Hayden-Olivia. This is also where I bought my wedding dress.
~ Rings: We had our rings made.
~ Music: For the ceremony, we had a good friend, Dan Hochhalter, play violin. At the reception, the Malemen were our band and they ROCKED. Everyone loved them!
~ Decorations/Detail: Nashville Event Lighting, Photo Booth Nashville
~ Bridal Gown: Vineyard Collection
~ Tuxes: No tuxes. Our dads + the groom had their suits made.
~ Accessories: Veil was made for me, purchased at Hayden-Olivia in Charlotte, NC.
~ Flowers: The fabulous Chase Rivers.
~ Transportation: We hired a trolley to take our family members who attended the ceremony from the hotel downtown to the church in Franklin. For that, we used Franklin Trolley. The bride + groom left the wedding + reception in a Packard that was owned by a friend of the bride.
Who were your favorites? {the ones you would highly recommend to your best friend}
Elegant Weddings By Angela. Hands down. She + Susan Able (our coordinator) helped guide us through the previously unavigated waters of the wedding industry and I did not feel that they let us down one time. All of the vendors they recommended were completely professional + helpful. I would recommend Houston Station (HoustonStationNashville.com) to ANYONE. Jeff Thornhill, who runs the place, is unbelievably helpful. Chef’s Market also went above + beyond.
Wedding Rewind:
What would you do differently if you could start back at the beginning?
Honestly, there aren’t a lot of things about the execution of the wedding that I would have done differently. (Let me also add that none of this could have been done without my tireless mother). However, I would have been more specific about the photographs I wanted taken at the reception.
What do you consider the best value for the service and product?
I have to say, Chef’s Market is the absolute way to go for catering in Nashville. They have catering down to a science. They are professional, helpful, great with logistics, and the food is great! I honestly would recommend them to anyone.
What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding?
It is more of an emotional thing than anything else. But all of the people who love you most in the world are all in one room, some coming from far, far away. It is an amazing thing to share that day with people who love you that much.
What was your biggest {and best} splurge?
This wasn’t built into our budget, so I have to say that the photo booth definitely takes the cake. We have the most hilarious pictures of our friends, and you can definitely tell which ones were taken later in the night. Everyone is STILL talking about it, 2 months later!
Congratulations and all the best to Lauren and William!
Pictures courtesy of D'Art Photographie (dartphotographie.com) and Photo Booth Nashville.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Luxury Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Originally from Singapore, Nashville was the first Southern city I visited in America. And after living here for more than 10 years, the people are still wonderful, the hospitality is great and the food... oh the food! I swoon just thinking about it. Southern food is delicious. It brings "comfort food" to a whole new level.
It's no surprise couples choose a hearty, might-as-well-be-home-made menu of classic Southern dishes to serve at their weddings. Down South Delights is one catering company that know how to satisfy that desire for some downhome cookin'.
Warning: Reading their blog is like going to the grocery store - don't do it on an empty stomach because you will want to eat everything you see! They seem to have such a flair for Southern fare (and, really, cuisine of any kind).
Featured Favorite Blog: Southern Catering at Coleman/Marable Wedding by Down South Delights
Barbara wanted a super chic modern wedding with Tiffany blue & chocolate integrated throughout the reception. They chose The Cannery as their venue which we are now on the list as one of their preferred caterers!! We started working with the couple last April and catered the engagement party too!
Mini Salads
For the menu they chose our strawberry almond chicken tarts, hot buttered seafood dip, a lavish fruit & cheese display, butter pecan chicken tenders w/ blackberry Dijon, a mashed potato martini station, garlic Cheddar biscuits with praline ham, Bourbon beef tenderloin on cream biscuits, zucchini artichoke fritters w/ spicy marinara, a mini salad display, and a spinach artichoke dip.
Zucchini artichoke fritters
Since the reception began in the evening the couple wanted the hors d’ oeuvres to be substantial and filling.
Courtney of A Magical Affair was the planner and we absolutely LOVE working with her and her team.They also designed the enormous candy buffet that was a hit all evening long.
The decor was handled by One Source Weddings which had a beautiful draped entrance and also some fabulous custom seating.
French Confection created the oh so stylish Tiffany Box cake.
Check out the cute banana pudding shots that we created and served after the wedding cake for a little snack for guests to enjoy.
Congratulations to the Marables!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Cakes & Catering, Real Nashville Weddings, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
When you visualize your wedding reception, do you see exposed brick and wood beams, large windows with the city skyline and a stage with a big band playing your first dance? If so, the Cannery Ballroom could be your dream wedding venue.
The Cannery Ballroom is one of the coolest places to see a live band or music act. But, it is also a great place for weddings where the bare bones of this old warehouse has been transformed countless times by many brides seeking a fantastic party with an urban, city feel.
Today, we go one-of-one with Telisha of The Cannery Ballroom. If this venue is of interest to you, be sure to give them a call/email.
The Cannery Ballroom - http://www.mercylounge.com/special-events/
One Cannery Row - Nashville 37203
Area of Town: The Gulch
Main Contact: Telisha Arguelles-Cobb
Phone Number: 615-469-6816
Email Address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Overview of venue:
The historic Cannery Ballroom presents a truly unique and engaging atmosphere for a variety of special events, including wedding receptions, charity fundraisers and corporate parties and private events, among others. Featuring interior brick walls, exposed beam ceilings and polished hardwood flooring, the Cannery Ballroom is rich with character and charm, making it one of the most distinctive and sought-after event venues Nashville.
What spaces does the venue has to offer?
Space for a wedding ceremony, reception, bridal shower or party
What type of room(s) are available?
The historic Cannery Ballroom presents a truly unique and engaging atmosphere for a variety of special events, including wedding receptions, charity fundraisers and corporate parties and private events, among others. Featuring interior brick walls, exposed beam ceilings and polished hardwood flooring, the Cannery Ballroom is rich with character and charm, making it one of the most distinctive and sought-after event venues Nashville.
How many people can the wedding venue accommodate?
The main ballroom can accommodate up to 1,000 guests standing, 500 for a cocktail reception or 250 for a seated dinner, with additional room for seating in both the main foyer and back lounge area.
How many events take place per day?
The Cannery only books one event per day. You have exclusive use of the venue for up to 12 hours.
What catering options for you offer/allow?
Our list of versatile and professional caterers can take care of all of your catering needs. You may choose from any of the following catering companies: Chef's Market, Copper Kettle, Clean Plate Club, Flavors Catering, Chef Works Inc. Our Event Coordinator will provide you with sample menus from each caterer and assist in deciding on the perfect menu for your budget and event. No outside alcohol is allowed.
Is an on-site event coordinator available?
All event rentals include the services of a professional event coordinator who can assist you with choosing beverage options or customized bar packages, as well as arrangements for linens, entertainment, lighting, florists, cakes and other party rentals at no additional cost to you. Choose from our list of Nashville's most professional vendors for all of your catering and rental needs!
Which bride budgets do you serve?
All
What else should brides know about your venue?
Viewings are by appointment only and space is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis-- don't miss the opportunity to make your own history in a place entwined with Nashville's past for more than 125 years. Contact Telisha Arguelles Cobb or 615-469-6816 today to schedule your personal tour or for pricing & availability.
What makes your venue so unique? On what do you pride yourself?
Built 1883, the Cannery was originally a flour mill and later a place to grind coffee. The building earned it's name when the Dale Food company bought it in 1957 and began processing food (jams, jellies, mustard, mayonnaise, peanut butter, etc.) eventually opening a restaurant called "The Cannery" in the early 1970s. The building housed a country music theatre in the late 70s and evolved into one of Nashville's primary music venues in the 80s and early 90s. Jimmy Cliff, Janes Addicition, Iggy Pop, Lenny Kravitz, Midnight Oil, Greg Allman, Robin Trower among others touring acts of the time played the Cannery.
What special packages do you offer?
Be sure to ask about our new specialty drink menus.
All pictures courtesy of the Cannery Ballroom's website gallery
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Wedding Resources, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Friday, April 23, 2010
What was once a shopping center in the heart of Belle Meade has now become a fantastic event space. The retail shops that used to inhabit S.P.A.C.E.S. seemed to have set the perfect area for a modern, almost industrial venue, bringing an "L.A. chic" option to the Nashville wedding scene.
They recently had an open house which Jennifer Neal Edwards of Reveal Event Style invited us to as her plus one. We were attending a wonderful tasting at Chef's Market that night and couldnt attend. But Jen did! And, she shared the following recap and pictures to share with you!
"Dutifully named "SPACES", it is an architectural, artful treat that boasts modern art forms - very metropolitan and edgy. The venue has a natural flow mingled with floating art crafted walls creating an exciting anticipation of what is around the corner! The organizers created a warm, welcoming environment infused with lighting provided by Colin (Tech Works Sound & Lighting). The textured linens (provided by Connie Duglin) were made of wonderful, crinkle taffeta in a color and texture reminiscent of rushing water. These flanked the feature art installation, a modern interpretation of a riverbed mirage.
I can just see an intimate wedding ceremony in the round! Ilex provided a lovely floating orchid candlescape. The table top florals were Asian inspired bamboo sculptures juxtaposed with tropical blooms and foliage. Each space within SPACES was dictated by lighting in hot colors including turquoise, hot pink and orange.
A floor inset of river stones with sleek silver orbs and iron tree silhouettes hosting a melange of earth tone glass and candle glow provided by the ever fabulous FABU (fabu.com). Absolutely stunning!
The culinary offerings at the grand opening were indicative of the atmosphere and what you can expect when you celebrate your special occasion at SPACES. The presentation was brilliant thanks to Kristen Winston Catering (kristenwinstoncatering.com). One eye-catching detail was the rockerfeller oysters on a half shell served on "shards" of plexiglass mimicking a bed of ice! Dessert Designs (dessertdesignsbyleland.com) provided pastry art cupcakes topped with pearlized sugar flowers. Glasses of wine and champagne clinked about as big band sounds filled the venue and enveloped the guest as they enjoyed every aspect and detail of this most wonderful new venue!" -- Jennifer
From the sounds of things, S.P.A.C.E.S. is going to be a wonderful venue that can suit all sorts of wedding styles from the simple, zen-inspired styles to over-the-top, spectactular tablescapes and decor.
I love the taller chiavari chairs - certainly beats standing all night!
It's all in the details - The simplicity of the bamboo and orchids don't take attention away from the food. Those pillows on the banquette are nicely complemented by the neon lights.
So pretty how the candlelight bounces off the orbs. Really gives it a magical feel without trying too hard.
Thanks again to Jennifer for a great recap of the evening. Hopefully we get to attend an event there soon. Until then, I'm really looking forward to seeing more pictures of events at S.P.A.C.E.S.
For more information about having your wedding at S.P.A.C.E.S., contact Anne Clayton at Music CIty Tents & Events (MusicCityTents.com).
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Wedding Planners & Coordinators, Wedding Venues and Locations
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