Simply Stunning Events

And I bring you....the New Simply Stunning Blog!

2009-11-23T06:44:00.000-06:00

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu! Goodbye old Simply Stunning blogspot blog! The next phase of the Simply Stunning make-over is here. First there was a new logo, then a new website, and now a new blog! From now on all posts will happen on the new blog site so please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds. You can also read all back posts from the beginning on the new blog as well so you won't miss anything. Therefore, mosey on over to the new site and check it out, I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

www.simplystunningblog.com

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Back in Town after a Beautiful Florida Wedding!

2009-11-19T08:39:00.011-06:00

Did you miss me? Probably not but in case you've been wondering about the slow posts and lack of tweeting, I am back from a weeklong trip to Florida! We wrapped the last wedding of the year a couple weeks ago with Andrea & Mario's Union Station affair (more to come later) and then bolted out of Nashville early the next morning for a long drive to Florida. Our first stop was at my parents new condo in Vero Beach, FL which was pretty awesome. The place is right on the water and so comfortable and relaxing! Check out the view!

After two days of basically lying around and/or eating for too much yummy food, we got back in the car and continued driving as far as you can possibly drive down the Florida coast to Key West! We were headed to the wedding of my beautiful cousin who also happens to be one of my best friends! She was a bridesmaid just a few short weeks ago at our wedding, and now it was time to return the favor! Check out the cute t-shirts Colleen & Steve wore to their joint bachelor/bachelorette party:

Finally it was time for the oceanside wedding! I'll have a full re-cap of all the gorgeousness in the near future, but here are a few teaser photos. First up, me doing my bridesmaid duties!

And finally a shot of Brian and I at the cocktail hour! It was a beautiful small, intimate ceremony, right on the beach, and I loved being a part of it! More details to come soon! After a couple more days in Key West, we packed up and made the very long drive home. And now it's back to work! I have some more news coming next week, so stay tuned!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding Planner

Photo from Nashville Photographers Chris & Adrienne Scott

2009-11-11T09:42:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to be planning the wedding of Yael and Evan next April and equally excited to work with the amazing Chris & Adrienne Scott Photographers! I adore their style and the feel of their photographs. Here is a shot from Yael & Evan's engagement shoot last week!

They are such an adorable couple and I can't wait for next April! It will be the first full Jewish wedding I've planned! (I once did a part Jewish/part Christian wedding). To see more of their shoot and Chris & Adrienne's work, check out the Chris & Adrienne Scott Photographers Blog!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding Planner

Full Wedding Recap - Jessica & Brandon

2009-11-04T08:04:00.003-06:00

Kicking off the recaps for the fall wedding season we have Jessica & Brandon's beautiful day! They were married on September 5th, 2009 at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN and I absolutely loved the color palate of vibrant shades of green, orange, peach, deep red, ivory, and camel as it was perfect for an end of summer/early fall event! All flowers and decor were done by Brocade Designs and she incorporated some neat touches such as the wheat in the bouquets and the long ribbons that hung from them. The ceremony was held in the garden in front of the enormous beautiful tree, with a reception following in the brand new visitors center! Until recently, all receptions had to be tented at Carnton Plantation but now they have a beautiful indoor venue! The dinner buffet provided by BB's BBQ was not only delicious but cost effective! I've had a lot of couples this year serve southern BBQ as it is both yummy and affordable (typically $15-$30 per person). All rentals were provided by Music City Tents & Events.

I was so excited to finally work with photographer, Tyler Andrews! I love how crisp and colorful his images are. He did a fantastic job capturing a truly lovely day! Check out some of his beautiful work!

Congratulations Jessica & Brandon! And thank you again to all the vendors for doing a wonderful job!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Creating a Shot List for Your Photographer

2009-11-03T09:42:00.006-06:00

I've had the pleasure of working with some of Nashville's best photographers this past year and I always try to be as helpful as I can to them on wedding day since photography is often a huge priority for every couple. In addition to creating a wedding day timeline that outlines exactly where and when all of the various posed photos will take place, I've found it very beneficial for couples to create a detailed list of exactly who and what they want photographed on their big day. Otherwise your photographers may not get a shot of you and your great Aunt or that necklace your mother gave you. And keep in mind not all photographers take extensive photos of the wedding decor so if that's important to you, be sure you let them know, and carve out a time in the schedule for them to do so.

I also advise couples to make the list of portrait photos they'd like with first names. For example, "Bride, Groom, Mom Kathy, Dad Jim, sister Karen, brother Mike, etc." as opposed to "Me, my Mom, my Dad, my sister, my brother". It makes it much easier for the photographer's assistant or in many cases your wedding planner, to help round everyone up quickly and move through the list at a fast pace, allowing you to enjoy more of your day. On that note, try to keep your portrait list to a reasonable length. You don't need a photo of you with every person in your extended family individually or every possible permutation of your family members. Lastly, inform your guests and other family members that this is not the time for them to get their own family portraits. You have paid your photographer to shoot YOUR wedding.

If you need some help creating a shot list and gathering all the neccessary information your photographer will need, my husband put together a neat worksheet that you can download on his blog over at, Brian Kaplan Photography, and he's also included his own advise as to why creating a shot list is super helpful!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding & Event Planning

Nashville Wedding Vendor Review - 2Duce2 Video

2009-10-30T10:24:00.008-05:00

I've decided to get work on a more formal blog schedule if I can manage it. I am aiming to do three blogs per week from now on with helpful tips and advice on Mondays, Nashville related wedding info on Wednesdays, whether it be vendor reviews, recaps of Simply Stunning weddings, or other Nashville happenings, and finally start the recaps and reviews of our own wedding on Fridays (hopefully you're not tired of hearing about it quite yet!).

Therefore, since it's Friday, if you haven't seen our wedding teaser video yet, you must check it out!

We hired the fantastic 2Duce2 Video led by husband and wife team Eugene and Heather Brown. They also have associate videographers on staff who are trained in the same video style. They are not only complete professionals but are so much fun to work with! I was entirely relaxed around them (even with a video camera constantly trained on me). What I love most however, is their unique video and editing style. It is sooo far from the cheesy, slow motion, 90's wedding videos of the past. The style is hip, with great lighting, vibrant use of color, and lots of very smooth panning (no shaky cameras!). The edits are clean, never abrupt, and they really tell the story of the day from beginning to end. It is truly stylistic and original videography!

Now, I'll admit we were a little hesitant in deciding whether to hire a videographer or not. Mostly because we weren't blown away by anyone in particular and I was more interested using our wedding budget for other things such as photography and decor. So we put it off, and put it off, and before I knew it our wedding was in six weeks and we still had no videographer. Fortunately I had just recently met Eugene and Heather at a workshop and I was sooo excited about their work! It wasn't hard to convince my husband either. So with only four weeks to go, we had our videographers!

If you are struggling with whether to invest in videography I urge you to truly consider it! While we also had fantastic photographers, they couldn't capture certain things like how I moved in my dress, or us actually saying our vows. And while the whole wedding day is still clear in my memory, some of the details are slowly starting to fade. But it's nice to know we will have it all on video for years to come and be able to show our children someday.

If you'd like more information on 2Duce2 Video, please visit their website and blog and email them for availability and pricing. If you think you can't afford them, ask about their associates, you can still get their signature style of video and editing but at a more affordable cost!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Wedding Guest Etiquette

2009-10-17T08:07:00.006-05:00

Today is an exciting day for me as I am I am going to a wedding!!....as a guest!!! One of my good friends from high school is tying the knot this afternoon so I have travelled back to my hometown of Wellesley, MA to attend the celebration. It's a weird feeling to not be working the wedding or have anything to do, in a few short hours she'll be walking down the aisle and I'm sitting here drinking coffee and eating english muffins in my pajamas. So in honor of my first time as a wedding guest this year I thought I'd give some tips and etiquette advice on how to be a good wedding guest!

1) Be On Time! No scratch that, be early!! This is one of my biggest issues as a wedding planner on wedding day. The invitation said 5:00 pm, it's now 5:05 pm, the bridal party is all lined up and ready to go, the processional music has started and I am about to open the doors....aaaand another crowd of guests comes walking around the corner and gives me a look like "wait? is it starting already?" Ahh yes it is, and you are officially late. Never assume that a wedding will start late. It's not a cocktail party, it's a ceremony, and most often a religious service, so if the invitation says 5:00 pm, you need to be in your seat at 4:45 pm at the latest. And if it will take you 15 minutes to get there, you need to leave 30 minutes before that to allow extra time for traffic and possibly getting lost. Does this mean you'll be twiddling your thumbs for a little while waiting for the ceremony to begin? Yes, probably. But that's why there is prelude music. So sit patiently and listen to the lovely musicians, maybe introduce yourself to a couple of guests seated near you, and enjoy.

2) Limit your photography during the ceremony. I've seen professional photographers practically get knocked out by shutter-happy wedding guests who jump into the aisle right as the bride is walking down it and completely ruin their shot. So please leave the photography up to the photographers, it's alright to snap a couple of photos throughout the night so you'll have something to remember the occasion by, but resist the urge to become the paparazzi.

3) Respect the guest list and seating arrangements. I touched upon this in a previous post on Wedding Guest Seating, but I'll say it again, if you were not invited with a guest, do not bring one. And if there is assigned seating, sit at the table you were assigned to. Never move chairs around or ask others to switch seats with you. And lastly if you ordered the chicken, don't change your mind at the last minute and decide now you want the prime rib. The caterers usually have very specific meal counts and they often don't make extra.

4) Drink alcohol in moderation. It's a wedding not a frat party. It's perfectly acceptable to have a fun time but don't overindulge and become THAT guest. You know the one I'm talking about.

5) Avoid bringing large and bulky gifts to the wedding. If you do, someone has to be in charge of figuring out how to get them home or get them to the bride and groom's hotel room. Have wedding gifts sent directly to the couple's residence. And if you are unable to attend the wedding, it is still customary to send a gift.

6) And finally, have fun! Weddings are wonderful occasions, I love them! (obviously or I wouldn't make them my profession). Introduce yourself to people you don't know, make new friends! Get out on the dance floor and celebrate!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding Planner

Wedding Monograms from I Do Originals

2009-10-14T12:35:00.014-05:00

I've been a fan of wedding monograms for a while now and feel they are a great way to add a cohesive element to your wedding. There are some great sites online that allow you to choose from a variety of ready made monograms or have a custom monogram designed for you but my favorite is I Do Originals! They have such beautiful ones to choose from and so many unique products. I decided early on to use a monogram as part of the decor elements for our wedding but I was trying to be careful not to over do it and put it on absolutely everything. We decided to use it on the Save-the-Dates, on the belly bands that bound our pocket-fold invitations, on the programs, and finally on the HUGE circular wall at the Country Music Hall of Fame (Nashville Event Lighting did a spectacular job with that!). Here are some photos of where our monogram turned up!

(Photo by Mclellan Style)

(Photo by Corinne Reese)

Thank you to I Do Originals for providing our beautiful monogram! To see more of their gorgeous work, click HERE!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding Planning & Coordination

Lindsay & Mike Are Married!

2009-10-12T15:46:00.005-05:00

It truly felt like fall last Saturday with the very cool temperatures but I could have done without the cloudiness. The adorable Lindsay and Mike were married at Walker Baptist Church in Franklin, TN with a reception following at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs, TN and the day was filled with fall colors of orange, chocolate brown, reds, and yellows, and lots and lots of pumpkins! I will have a full recap soon but in the meantime thought I'd share a hilarious video of the bridal march courtesy of the wonderful Jennifer at Dynamic Video. To set the stage here, this was by far the longest processional (time-wise) I'd ever done. Lindsay has a lot of favorite songs and really wanted them all to be included in their entirety which made for a total of 6 full length songs and about 20 minutes of music/processing. Finally it was Lindsay and her father's turn to walk and as they reach the end of the aisle....well just watch to see what happens.

Lindsay and Mike Caraccio- Never Ending Wedding March from Dynamic Video on Vimeo.

Apparently the pianist couldn't see that they had reached the alter and therefore continued to play the song until the very end! I hope to have a full recap of Lindsay and Mike's wedding very soon. I also have a few more recaps coming, I got a bit behind at the end of the summer (I blame the wedding) but there will be lots of great weddings featured in the near future!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding Planner

The New Simply Stunning Events!!

2009-10-07T10:37:00.007-05:00

Big news! Simply Stunning Events is moving on up in the world! We finally have a new website, new logo, new portfolio galleries, all sorts of fun new things! This has been in the works a while but I sort of got sidetracked in the last month due to that whole getting married thing. But now the website is up and I am so excited!!

Huge thanks to my girl, Hillary with Brocade Designs for all her hard work and assistance with the new logo. Graphic design is not my forte but fortunately she's awesome at it! Thank you also to the wonderful photographers who graciously gave me permission to feature their work, I am always so fortunate to work with such great talent all the time!

There are some great weddings from 2009 featured in the gallery section and I'll be adding more in the next few months as more of our fabulous clients have their big days! I am so excited for all the great events to come, I seriously have awesome clients, and get to work with the most fantastic vendors!

So without further ado, here's the new site! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

www.simplystunningnashville.com

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding Planner

The Unsung Heroes of Our Wedding

2009-10-05T12:53:00.009-05:00

There a few people that I'd like to thank for their various contributions to our wedding week that may have gone unnoticed by others. While the week leading up to the wedding was a whirlwind, I now have all these little moments to look back on and be thankful for!

- To my college roommate Lexi, for crawling underneath my dress to fix the ever growing hole in it with multiple safety pins and pricking herself many times in the process (more on that debacle later).

- To my coordinator Corinne, for randomly having a broach in her purse to hide the multiple safety pins.

- To bridemaid Cate's husband Mike, for running all the way back to the hotel to get my ID when the bouncer at Robert's wouldn't let me in without it (even in a wedding dress).

- To my friend Colin from high school, for doing the worm on the dance floor and teaching my mother-in-law how to "c-walk".

- To my cousin Sybil and her husband John, for traveling all the way from LONDON for the celebration.

- To bridesmaid Kate, for mowing my lawn two days before the wedding since my parents were coming to see the house for the first time and I was too busy.

- To all my bridesmaids, for breaking into a spontaneous acapella version of "Going to the Chapel" while in the limo on the way to the church.

- To my flower-girl (and new niece) Lilly, for telling me I looked like Barbie.

- To whoever took my iphone away from me, I now realize it was a very good idea. I had no idea what time it was all day and therefore couldn't mentally track the wedding day timeline.

- To my parents, for trusting in my planning abilities and letting me plan the whole thing by myself. They showed up having no clue what to expect and I'm sure that was nerve-wracking.

- To my brother Rick, for reading the Responsorial Psalm at the ceremony, hand gestures included.

- To my friend Adriane, for her amazing dance skills during the song "Don't Stop Believing", her leaps were truly stunning.

- To my florist and friend Hillary, for doing so much more than just wedding decor, she was my wedding savior in so many ways.

- To my friend Rob, who I sent to ask the DJ to play some more oldies, and instead requested "I'm On a Boat".

- To Brent the DJ for not actually playing "I'm On a Boat".

- To my friend Janna, for making really cool friendship bracelets out of the favor ribbons so that they wouldn't go to waste.

- To everyone who was out on the dance floor, for keeping the party rocking for hours!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville, TN Wedding Planner

Some Wedding Details from Mclellan Style

2009-10-05T07:09:00.015-05:00

I still can't believe we've now been married for over a week, every time I hear the word "wife" I still think "who's that? - oh wait, that's me!". I wanted to share some of the fabulous detail shots from the amazing Sean and Melanie of Mclellan Style. I started stalking their blog the day after the wedding and on Tuesday of last week I was rewarded with the first shots from the wedding followed by some of the details at the end of last week! While I will be doing more in depth posts about everything and giving the full stories of how it all came together, here is a sneak peak of our gorgeous event at the Country Music Hall of Fame! I do also need to give major props to by dear friend Hillary with Brocade Designs, she truly went above and beyond and blew me away with the flowers and decor. It came out even more amazing than I could have imagined! All of our vendors were spectacular, I'm sure there was some added pressure with the fact that I am a wedding planner and Brian is a wedding photographer (heck there was even quite a bit of pressure on me to put together something fabulous!) but they all rocked it! For more wedding goodness also check out our beautiful teaser video from 2duce2 Video! And you can find even more shots from the Mclellan's over on their blog!

Thank you again to all of our amazing vendors and to our family and friends for being with us and supporting us on such a wonderful occasion! Lots more to come about each of the wedding professionals who made this day happen!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville, TN Wedding Planner

We're Married!!!

2009-09-29T16:32:00.005-05:00

It's official! Brian and I are Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan! And let me just say it was by far the best day of my life! I definitely had some anxiety and nerves going into it, it was a whirlwind of a week leading up to it, but the day itself turned out fantastic. It was as close to perfect as I think a wedding can be (if i do say so myself) but of course there were minor bumps and hiccups here and there. I will be back to the regular blogging schedule as soon as I recover but don't worry, there will be many blogs to come about how it all came together and what it felt like to finally be a bride! (and not the coordinator).

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

When the Planner Plans - Choosing a Wedding Cake

2009-09-09T08:14:00.008-05:00

Here is the latest from the "When the Planner Plans" series on Ashley's Bride Guide! Be sure to check out her site daily for lots of great vendor information, creative ideas, and tips!

Many months ago I made a trip down to Murfreesboro to visit one of my favorite cake bakers, Jay with Maples Wedding Cakes! He has a beautiful showroom and I highly recommend making the drive to see it. Being able to view actual cake displays makes it much easier to make decisions about the size, shape, and decorative elements.

For myself, choosing a cake baker was definitely a tough decision because I know and love so many here in Nashville but when I really thought hard about it, I just couldn’t resist Maple’s sour cream and almond cake flavor and knew we had to have it for our wedding. When I met with Jay, I still tasted a variety of delicious flavors so that we could pick a second flavor for our guests to choose from. He had vanilla, chocolate, sour cream almond (of course), strawberry, lemon, and orange dreamsicle (another Maples favorite!) for me to try.

We also discussed the design of the cake and I immediately fell in love with one of his displays. We will be doing a square variation of this gorgeous four-tiered cake. I loved that it was simple and elegant but had the wow factor with the stunning broaches.

There are a few tips to remember when deciding on a wedding cake. First, be sure you have enough cake for everyone, don’t skimp on servings to save money. It’s always better to have a little extra left over than not enough.

Be sure the cake baker is licensed and insured and has a commercial facility that has been inspected by the state health inspector.

Ask whether they rent cake stands. Some shops do and some don’t but there is almost always an extra cost to rent one. They don’t just come with the cake so if you’d like to have a cake stand make sure to discuss it.

Happy tasting!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Wedding Stress Has Arrived

2009-09-08T17:19:00.013-05:00

Well, we are at 18 days and counting for the wedding and I can't believe how fast the last two months flew by! I think if one more person asks me "Aren't you so excited?!" I may punch them. OK I wouldn't go that far, but seriously of course I'm excited, it's our wedding! Unfortunately before I can get to the point of enjoying everything, I first need to finalize our timeline, confirm all our vendors, make all final payments, print and assemble 90 programs (and each program has about 10 steps to put it together), assemble welcome bags, print labels for the welcome bags, print and cut 150 menu cards, cut card stock for all the seating cards, pick up the favors, assemble all the favor boxes, tie ribbon on all the favor boxes, begin stalking all the guests that have not RSVP'd, and make a seating chart. I'm sure there's more but that's just what came to mind at this moment. That's a lot to do in only 18 days, not to mention I do have a real job and have many other beautiful weddings to work on as well.

Needless to say, I'm not sleeping very well. I've started having crazy dreams where my dress is the wrong color (sometimes it's pink, sometimes it's green), no one shows up to the wedding, or everyone shows up but no one has a good time, I'm hours late and don't have time to do my hair and make-up or shower. And all kinds of other crazy scenarios. That's if I even fall asleep. Usually I just lie there staring at the ceiling mentally running through my list or composing emails to people in my head while trying desperately to clear my brain of everything "wedding".

The good news is I have all kinds of wonderful family and friends arriving in the days before the wedding that I know will be happy to help with whatever tasks are left. Right now I'm trying as hard as possible to just let go of the things that I have no control over (which is darned near impossible for me, let me tell you) and focus on the fact that I'll be seeing so many amazing people, many of whom I haven't seen in years, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, high school friends, college roommates, friends from LA, Boston, and many other places, and then a whole bunch of fabulous folks I still have yet to meet, in only a couple of weeks. I'll also be finally marrying my best friend after almost four years! So hopefully that will get me through the craziness ahead.

I now have a newfound respect for all of the brides I work with, past, present, and future. No matter how far ahead you plan, the weeks before your wedding are inevitably insane. There's so much you just can't do until the last minute. I now feel your pain :) And I actually feel much better having vented all of this actually.

Nashville Wedding Planner

and Bride-to-be

Beautiful Bridal Shower

2009-09-03T11:44:00.022-05:00

While up in Boston in August, my lovely sister Ally and good friend/bridesmaid Kate along with help from my wonderful step-mom, hosted the most beautiful bridal shower! They managed to find an gorgeous old historic home in Weston, MA called the Henderson House. I had been trying to guess where my shower would be for ages but since I'd never even heard of the venue even though it was only 10 minutes from where I grew up, I couldn't figure it out. The first room was where brunch was held.

After brunch we moved outside since it was such a beautiful day out to open gifts.

The welcome table held the cake and a lovely bouquet comprised of some of my favorite flowers! My step-mom did a great job figuring out all the flowers and colors I loved and they were the inspiration for all the decor! My sister had made a poster board filled with photos of me throughout the years. Below is a close up of my cake! Big thanks to Sean and Mel of Mclellan Style for providing the photo!

My wonderful baby sister and Maid of Honor, Ally!

One of my best friends since 7th grade, the lovely Erica! (above) And my super fabulous cousin Colleen! (below). We've literally been close since we were infants since we're only 3 weeks apart in age. She's also getting married in November and it will be my turn to be a bridesmaid!

The guests were treated to some fun games during the gift opening portion of the day such as bridal gift bingo (where you fill out a board with gifts you think the bride will receive and then get to mark off a square each time you're right) and "How well do you know the groom?". For this, Ally and Kate had asked Brian a list of questions and I had to guess what he answered. I managed to get 10 out of 12 correct! Among the favorites, "What is Brian's favorite animal?" (a sloth) and "What is Brian's dream career?" (a stay-at-home Dad, no joke).

Erica did an impressive job on my ribbon bouquet, she has some serious talent. Here I am with four out of the six bridesmaids! Soon after the party was over I was whisked back to parents house for a quick change and to learn the details of my bachelorette party! More to come on that another time.... :)

Huge thanks to everyone who attended and to my bridesmaids and step-mom for pulling it all together, it was amazing!

Kristin Carolan

Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Changes are Coming!

2009-08-24T12:45:00.007-05:00

I do apologize for the lack of blog posts lately but I promise soon I will return to the regular schedule of 2-3 posts per week! I've got some big changes coming for Simply Stunning in the next month that I can't wait to announce! Also, wedding season part deux is rapidly approaching (five more weddings this fall!) And if you've followed this blog for a while you're also probably aware that my own wedding is almost exactly one month away, eeek! So needless to say, it's been very busy around here. Keep checking back for exciting announcements to come and more stories about the final countdown to September 26th!

Kristin Carolan

Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Full Wedding Recap - Raina & Jeff

2009-08-17T06:11:00.008-05:00

Raina and Jeff were married on June 27th, 2009, and I had a blast working with this Boston couple! The fact that they lived 1300 miles away from Nashville proved to be a bit of a challenge at times but it all came together on wedding day! Evan Baines did a beautiful job with the photography and I am always totally impressed with his work. The ceremony took place at Belmont Heights Baptist Church and the reception in the rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Raina loves orange and green which made for a lovely color palette. The florals were by fellow Mount Juliet resident, Carry Ann Misamore with Fresh by Carry Ann! The bouquets included orange unique roses and loops of bear grass.

The centerpieces were pillar vases etched with a lace pattern to match the brides lace dress filled with floating candles and sat on gold chargers. Beautiful yet cost effective! The bride's father made delicious baklava for favors.

The food was absolutely delicious! SoBro catering did a wonderful job with the menu and service. DJ services were provided by Brent Cantrell of Cosmo Creations and he kept the party rocking!

The two cakes were done by the fantastic Cakes by Shara. The wedding cake was four layers in a hexagon shape with the lace pattern imprinted in the fondant and accented with green ribbon and orange roses. The grooms cake was unbelievably cool! Raina and Jeff have a passion for Jeeps (they even made their getaway from the ceremony in one) so Shara made a replica of Jeff's own Jeep.

Congratulations Jeff and Raina! I hope to see you the next time I visit Boston!

Nashville Wedding and Event Planner

Simply Stunning Events

Flatscreen TV Rental from Nashville Event Lighting

2009-08-13T15:19:00.006-05:00

I love the folks at Nashville Event Lighting, Blake, Misty, and the crew are fantastic to work with and I have been fortunate enough to work with them on a number of events! In addition to event lighting the company is now offering a new product, a 50 inch plasma TV on a stand with a VCR/DVD combo or computer hook up. Why might you need one of these? It's a great alternative to the traditional projector slideshows that are common at many receptions and rehearsal dinners but tend to be very cumbersome. And it only costs $250 per day! Look how sleek and pretty it is!

Contact Nashville Event Lighting if you're interested in renting a TV or for all your event lighting needs! (Photographs by Photographix).

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding & Event Planner

Assembling the Pocket-fold Wedding Invites

2009-08-11T18:23:00.015-05:00

I'm baaaack!! I had a wonderful time in upstate NY and then Boston. I was able to spend tons of time with my baby sister (aka the Maid of Honor) and of course my parents. I got to swim, waterski, lay out on the dock (jealous yet?) and eat lots of yummy family dinners. We then made the drive to Boston where I spent time with some of my dearest friends from high school, and had my bridal shower and bachelorette party! (more to come on those another time). I did mean to put up some posts while I was gone, but let's face it, it was tough to turn on the laptop while sunbathing on a beautiful lake, I'm sure you understand ;). But now I've got lots of good stuff to write about, starting with....drumroll please....our wedding invitations!

First, I have to give props to the fabulous Hillary with Brocade Designs since she did an amazing job with the graphic design and helping to find the most beautiful papers. She has a gift for being able to understand what's in my head and make it happen! We were scrambling the week before I left for vacation trying to get everything ordered, printed, and assembled however we ended up not getting quite everything done. So I took all the pieces with me to New York (yes, I had a carry-on suitcase entirely full of paper products) and my sister and step-mom helped me to assemble them! Here's what we were working with:

We had chocolate brown pocket-folds, green backing paper, the actual invites, RSVP cards, RSVP envelopes, map cards, accommodation cards, a schedule of events, and rehearsal dinner invite cards for some of the guests. Yes, I clearly wanted to be very thorough and organized. We also were very fortunate that Brian's parents own a printing company and were kind enough to provide all the printing for us. Notice the rubber cement? It's really the way to go in gluing so many components together. It dries quickly and won't melt in heat so you can be sure your invite will arrive intact. Anywho, first we glued all the green backing papers to the pocket-folds.

The actual invitation went on top of the backing paper. Then all the invites were stuffed with the various pieces. The paper was a beautiful shimmery gold cardstock found at Craftstock Paper and Supply.

Once the pocket-folds were stuffed we put a belly-band around each one which had our monogram courtesy of I Do Originals! Instead of doing inner envelopes, Hillary wrote the guests names on the belly-band.

How awesome is her calligraphy, such cute and whimsical writing! She really can do everything I swear!

And that's it! They went out at the beginning of my trip and by the time we made it to Boston, the RSVP's were already rolling in!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding and Event Planner

Out of the Office and On Vacation

2009-07-27T08:30:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note that I will be out of the office until August 10th and on vacation with my family! I flew to upstate NY yesterday where I'll be spending a week at our family's lake cabin. Following that I will be spending a week in Boston for my bridal shower and bachelorette party, woo hoo! I will be posting some blog entries over the next two weeks however so stay tuned!

Nashville Wedding Planner
Simply Stunning Events

Creative Ceremony Music....Continued

2009-07-23T07:50:00.005-05:00

First I have to thank Phil with Phindy Studios for putting this video up on Facebook this morning because I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. Previously I wrote about getting creative with your ceremony music and choosing songs that have meaning to you and show off your personality. This couple did just that....

While I was originally referring to choosing music that was in keeping with the tone of a wedding, I have to admit, that was an entrance! I'm a little worried about Brian seeing this for fear he might get some crazy ideas.

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding Planner

Vanessa & Shannon - Full Wedding Recap

2009-07-20T08:15:00.015-05:00

Vanessa and Shannon's Nashville wedding took place on May 24th, 2009 during Memorial Day weekend at the beautiful Hilton Hotel downtown. Vanessa's favorite color was hot pink (can you tell?) which she chose to pair with navy blue throughout the ceremony and reception decor.

All the vendors did a fantastic job that day and a huge thank you to the staff of the Hilton for keeping everything running smoothly! Michael S. Wade did a beautiful job with the photography and Brian with Fusion Video Productions captured everything on video. Here are some photos of how all the elements came together!

Vanessa chose bottles of wine for her guest favors which doubled as the seating cards. She also made all of the programs and menu cards herself to bring in more hot pink and navy.

The florals were done by Floral Expressions based out of Clarksville and they did a fantastic job of making arrangements of varying heights. Some of the tables had tall vases topped with pink hydrangea, seeded eucalyptus, and curly willow while other tables had a grouping of three cylinder vases filled with hot pink water and floating candles. The bouquets were made up of hot pink peonies, roses, and calla lillies. The white chair covers, sashes, and navy and pink table runners were provided by BBJ Linens.

The delicious strawberry cake (because it had to be pink right!) was by one of my favorite bakers, Maples Wedding Cakes! And finally, MusiCity DJ kept everyone dancing for many many hours! Seriously, this crowd was on their feet for about 3 hours straight, I was quite impressed!

Thank you Vanessa and Shannon for allowing the Simply Stunning team to be a part of your beautiful wedding day!

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville Wedding Planner

Wedding Ceremony Music - Get Creative!

2009-07-15T13:49:00.006-05:00

For both Brian and I, music is a HUGE part of our lives, we both play instruments; he plays guitar, I play piano...and the clarinet (although I don't like to admit that one, and yes I was a band geek in middle school). We both have many favorite artists, musicians, and bands and a huge passion for all things related to music. It's become sort of an un-official theme for the wedding, since the reception venue is the Country Music Hall of Fame and we have a few other music-inspired elements (more to come on those later). So the ceremony music was something we were both quite particular about. We both wanted to choose songs, specifically for the processional and recessional that were important and meaningful to us. While I love Canon in D, it's a beautiful piece of music, I wanted something a bit more original. So what did we choose?

First I decided on only one song for the processional and my entrance because the aisle at the church is very short and if we used two songs we'd only hear about 1 minute of each. I'd rather use one full song that everyone can hear from beginning to end. So I chose a beautiful ballad about marriage called "If I Should Fall Behind" by Bruce Springsteen. The man is by far my favorite musician of all time and there's something so moving and honest about the song.

For the recessional we obviously wanted something upbeat and by another contemporary artist (no Bridal March for us!). We decided on "Meaning" by Gavin Degraw since he's another favorite artist of ours that we've been listening to since we first met and the song just fit well for the end of a wedding ceremony. We're also using another Gavin Degraw song a bit later in the evening, for our first dance! As for the prelude music we're giving our ceremony musicians free reign to play what'd they like (wedding appropriate of course). We were very fortunate that our church and Deacon allowed us to pick our own music and we didn't have to stick with anything religious (even though it is a Catholic ceremony) as with some religious sites one may not have as much leeway.

So I urge all you brides and grooms out there to get creative with your ceremony music! Pick something that inspires you and gives a positive message about your you and your relationship. Many couples just pick the most common wedding ceremony songs such as Pachelbel's "Canon in D", Wagner's "Bridal Chorus", and "Air" by Handel, and while they are all lovely pieces, why not think outside of the box a little? If you love these songs, try having them played during the prelude and then choose something truly meaningful for your entrance? Your guests will really remember it and what better time to listen to one of your favorite songs than while walking down the aisle!

Simply Stunning Events

Nashville Wedding Planner

Engaged Nashville - Girls Night Out

2009-07-13T09:36:00.003-05:00

Mark you calendars! Ashley's Bride Guide along with Sarah Elizabeth, who writes a fabulous Nashville bridal blog, will be hosting a Girls Night Out for all engaged brides in Nashville on July 23rd from 7-9 PM at Aloft. The event will give engaged ladies a chance to meet other brides-to-be, discuss your wedding plans, share ideas, and have fun!

Down South Delights Catering will be providing some delicious food and Aloft will be giving a complimentary cocktail tasting. So if you're a Nashville bride who would love to meet some other Nashville brides, you can RSVP HERE. Hope you see you there!

Be Kind to Your Wedding Vendors

2009-07-09T10:20:00.007-05:00

The wedding industry is quite unique for a variety of reasons. It's a tight-knit community of people who are essentially in the business of love. We work with couples on one of the most meaningful and monumental days of their lives which can be extremely rewarding but also downright stressful at times. There are rarely repeat clients so we work super hard on one big day for which there are no do-overs, and then chances are, we probably won't work with that particular client again since weddings are a one-time deal (there are exceptions to this for certain types of vendors). But don't get me wrong, we love our jobs! We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't love watching couples exchange life-long vows and then throw a huge party afterwards. :)

There is something to be said however for treating your wedding vendors with kindness and respect. We love to work with couples who love and admire our work and we'll go above and beyond for those couples who we have a real bond with. I truly believe the more positivity you put into the wedding planning process, the more positivity you'll get in return. It's a wedding after-all, it's supposed to be wonderful! This week I thought I'd give some tips on how to have the best possible relationship with your vendors during the planning process, on wedding day, and long after!

- Choose vendors that you love! Don't just hire someone based on price alone or because a friend referred them. There are plenty of vendors out there in every price range, so find one who's work you admire and who's personality you click with! You will be interacting with this person (or team of people) for many months so be sure you like them!

- Keep the lines of communication open. Stay in touch with your vendors, sometimes you may hire someone 14 months before your wedding so check in every 4-6 months, ask how business is going, and provide any new details about your wedding that they might need to know about. Before your wedding day provide your vendors with a detailed timeline of the wedding day (I've heard horror stories of vendors not being able to get in touch with brides before the wedding day and all they have is the location and time to show up but no other information, that's just not very helpful). On the flip side, please don't stalk your vendors. They don't need six emails from you every day. And when you do email give them a chance to respond, sometimes it may take a few hours (or a couple days) to give you the answer you need.

- Go easy on them. Things might get stressful, sometimes mistakes happen, and you may feel the need to vent your frustrations but stick to the issue at hand and keep it brief. Vendors are trying to do their best job possible. We really do want you to have the best day imaginable.

- Feed your vendors on wedding day! This is often overlooked! You can not expect them to work a 14 hour day with no breaks and no food. Make sure to coordinate vendor meals with your caterer (your wedding planner can help with this as well). If it's a buffet style dinner, often the easiest thing is for vendors to go through the buffet line after all the guests have sat down to eat their meals. If it's a plated dinner, you can arrange for your caterer to provide boxed meals or sandwiches in a separate room. You and your guests won't want photos or video of you eating anyway.

- If possible, make sure your vendors have a safe area to put their belongings. Photographers and videographers bring quite a bit of equipment and they can't carry it around all night long. I always bring a suitcase full of emergency items and need a place to stash it out of the way. If you don't provide a separate room or area, most likely it will get piled up in the corner of your reception space and that's just not pretty.

- Finally, once wedding day is over and gone, say thank you! (If your vendors did a good job of course). A nice thank you note (and tip if it's appropriate) goes a long way. Take some time to write recommendations on websites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire. It means a lot to vendors and really helps them book future jobs. And refer your friends and family!

Happy vendors make for a happy and wonderful wedding!

Engagement Photos are Here!

2009-07-08T10:37:00.017-05:00

First off, a belated Happy 4th of July! I turned off my computer for the weekend and focused on unpacking boxes and painting trim in our new kitchen. The highlight of our weekend however was paying a visit to Sean and Melanie Mclellan to view all of our engagement photos! They came out GORGEOUS if I do say so myself. I am always amazed at the emotions they capture and they way they stylize each photo to perfection. Without further ado, here are just a few of my favorites! (for the record it took about an hour to narrow it down to just these thirteen photos).

Seeing how the photos turned out was totally worth hiking for two hours and getting completely soaked from the spray of a giant waterfall. It helped that Sean and Mel are such great people and hanging with them is always a good time! Oh and a big congratulations to Sean for his recent 1st place win in the WPPI 8X10 competition! I can not stress enough the importance of hiring a photographer that you LOVE for your wedding. We are so happy that we did!

Bridal Shoe Dilemma Revisited

2009-07-02T16:06:00.003-05:00

A few months back I wrote about how difficult it was to find the perfect wedding shoes without spending a fortune. If you missed it, you can read about it HERE. While I've been lusting after these beauties from Cole Haan, I simply can't justify the $400 price tag.

So I kept looking, and somehow I have now ended up with three pairs of wedding shoes...yes three! First I bought a pair from the Unforgettable Moments by Lela Rose collection for because they were very affordable ($44.99 to be exact). And I like them, they were somewhat comfortable, but I didn't LOVE them. So I kept looking for something better.

Next, my good friend Adriane, who recently got married, happened to find a pair of never worn bridal shoes at her house. She had originally bought them to wear for her own wedding but later found a pair she liked more so she offered them to me! They are actually quite cute and VERY comfortable and they could be my "something borrowed"!

But alas, I wasn't done yet. I recently got a fabulous pair shoes by Bandolino at TJ Maxx (love that store!) and they were soooo comfortable. So on a whim I checked out their online store to see if they had anything that might work for a wedding and came across these beautiful strappy heels. So I bought them too (hey they were only $39.99).

And that's how I ended up three pairs of bridal shoes sitting in my closet. Obviously I need some help so which do you think I should wear??

Themed Engagement Shoot - Don Yeager Photography

2009-07-01T09:44:00.009-05:00

I had to feature this awesome engagement shoot by Donald Yeager for two reasons. First, the couple, Jim and Kelly, are our very close friends! Jim is actually a groomsman in our wedding and Brian will be a groomsman in their wedding! Second, they decided to do a themed engagement shoot which is such a cool idea. Instead of doing just a regular old shoot, they really wanted their photos to have a vintage, WWII era feel to them, so they dressed up and headed out with Don! I really think he did an amazing job at replicating the look. Here are some of the images:

So I challenge all you brides and grooms to get creative with your engagement shoot! Brian and I didn't exactly have a theme, if we did it would have been "really big waterfalls" or "hiking through a really humid forest" but we wanted a unique location and for the photos to look different from every other engagement shoot. Fortunately the Mclellan's had some great ideas about where to shoot so I think we accomplished it. For a couple of the photos you can check out a past post about it HERE. Have some fun with it! Get some photos that you'll really enjoy 20 years from now. Did anyone else out there do something unique or cool for your engagement shoot? I'd love to hear about it! And for more of Donald Yeager's great work, visit his website!

Raina & Jeff - June 27th, 2009

2009-06-28T15:55:00.002-05:00

My wonderful Boston couple, Raina & Jeff, were married Saturday at Belmont Heights Baptist Church followed by a rocking reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. There were a few reasons that I was especially looking forward to their big day. First, they are from Boston...my hometown, as were many of their guests, and how could you not love a room full of Red Sox fans? Next, I was eager to witness a reception at the Hall of Fame since the next time I see one, it will be my own! And finally, they were just a super-sweet, really FUN couple to work with. They had so much enthusiasm and I will always remember our many long-distance conference calls fondly! Once again, I was fortunate to work with the incredible Evan Baines who photographed the day and I'm excited to post a full re-cap in the next few weeks!

Creating a Wedding Playlist with your DJ

2009-06-26T14:11:00.005-05:00

Many things go into creating the right mood at your wedding reception, the decor and lighting are obvious examples, but often overlooked is the choice of music! It's important for the DJ to not only play songs that you and your partner love, but also songs that will resonate with the whole crowd. Many couples make the mistake of handing a huge list of their favorite songs to the DJ and saying "just play these, in this order, thanks". But that's forgetting the most important people at your wedding (besides you of course)....your guests!

I often advise couples to make 3 lists for their DJ prior to the wedding day. First a "Must Play" list which should include the biggies like your first dance song, and father-daughter dance song, and also some of your absolute favorites that you know you'll want to dance the night away to. Next, an "Absolutely Do Not Play List" which should include any songs you despise such as for example the Chicken Dance, or the Macarena, or the Electric Slide, etc. Also make sure to let your DJ know that the songs on this list are not to be played under ANY circumstances, even if people request them. Other songs you may want to add to this list are songs that remind you of past relationships since those might be a bit awkward to hear at your wedding reception. Finally, put together a "Possibly Play" list of songs that you both like and certainly wouldn't mind hearing. You can even get some requests from close family and friends to add. This will help the DJ get an idea of the styles of music you prefer and what kind of crowd he'll be playing to.

Once you've handed off your lists, leave it up to the professional! Wedding DJ's work hundreds of wedding receptions and they know which songs typically get tons of folks on the dance floor and which songs will clear it quickly. Even if you may not love oldies music, it's usually a big hit with the older crowd. The best parties I've seen include a wide range of music, usually some jazz and Sinatra during the dinner hour, followed by really well known songs to get the crowd up and dancing, then a good mix of oldies, classic rock, and current top 40 hits, followed by some hip hop and more pop hits towards the end of the evening. DJ's are also great at reading a crowd and taking note of which songs seem to be working and which aren't, so trust the person you've hired to do their job and you're sure to have happy guests and happy memories.

What music will be playing at our wedding reception? (which is now in less than 100 days by way and I'm starting to have panic attacks, but I digress). LOTS of Bruce Springsteen! Not only is he my favorite musician but many of Brian's relatives are from NJ and are big fans as well. I also love most classic rock hits and pretty much anything that can be defined as "pop" music. Brian loves Pearl Jam so I'm sure there will be some of that as well. We also have to include some country music since we are in Nashville! And finally, I will definitely request Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" because for some reason I always smile when I hear that song at wedding receptions...it just makes me happy. :) Stay tuned as next week I'll let you in on some of our plans for the ceremony music!

What songs do you love to hear at wedding receptions?

Full Wedding Recap - Jenny & Tim!

2009-06-23T10:48:00.021-05:00

Jenny and Tim were one of my favorite couples to work with! They were so relaxed and open to ideas and just wanted a beautiful wedding and for their 160 guests to enjoy some good food and good times. And that they did! Jenny and Tim were married on June 6th at the Owens Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood with a reception following at Travellers Rest Historic House. Evan Baines photographed this wonderful day and did a fantastic job capturing so many little moments!

I love the moments that Evan is able to capture in his photography. At this particular time, I had to hide Jenny by the side of the church since Tim was walking his mother down the aisle and they did not want to see each other prior to the ceremony. It turned out to be a sweet moment between Jenny and her Dad while the rest of the wedding party was lined up and ready to walk into the church.

If you look closely, you can see me cueing the flower-girls as the ring-bearers proudly head down the aisle! All the kids were adorable and so fun to work with!

This is one of my favorite shots of the day. Jenny looked absolutely stunning as she entered the church! You can also see in this photo the door wreaths made of green hydrangea and the pew markers made of silver tin pails filled with hydrangea, hypericum berries, and ivory and green roses.

Jenny's style was very natural and she loved ivory, cream, cornflower blue, and shades of green. Rachel Short Designs did a beautiful job creating various centerpieces of square vases filled with cream florals, hypericum berries, apples, and tea leaves, tall branches with hanging votive candles, and finally lanterns surrounded by sheet moss. The bouquets were comprised of green hydrangea, white hydrangea, and ivory garden roses and the men wore boutonnieres of mini green hydrangea.

Nashville Event Lighting did a wonderful job with can lights around the perimeter of the barn and string lights between the columns. The rentals were provided by Music City Tents and Events and consisted of natural wood folding chairs, cornflower blue table linens, and ivory napkins. Menu Maker Catering provided a delicious buffet of mixed green salad, carved beef tenderloin, herb-crusted chicken (aah-maa-zing by the way!), green beans almondine, glazed baby carrots, and a mashed potato bar (are you hungry yet?).

The cake was a sour cream and almond cake with vanilla buttercream by Maples Wedding Cakes (one of my personal favorites!). It was a simple four tiered round cake with cornflower blue ribbon at the base of each tier to match the linens.

Congratulations to Jenny and Tim! I wish you the best!

Tips for Creating a Wedding Registry

2009-06-20T08:39:00.004-05:00

As promised, here are some helpful tips for creating a wedding registry that will be sure to please you and your guests!

1) Register early! Don't wait until your invites have already hit the post office. Begin creating registries at least 6-9 months before your wedding. Not only will you be less busy during this time, but any guests who may want to send a gift early will appreciate you planning ahead.

2) Choose more than one store. Anything more than four is a bit overkill but choose places with different price ranges for items and add some variety! There are now photography registries, honeymoon registries, even mortgage registries so mix it up!

3) Only register for what you will actually need or use (this is something my fiance and I had some issues with). You might think you need that juicer so that you can make fresh pineapple juice every morning but really examine whether you'll have the time for that (and whether you'll want to deal with cleaning the thing after every cup of juice). Keep in mind you don't HAVE to register for kitchenware or bath supplies. Love camping? Register for camping equipment! Do you travel often? Register for new luggage or set up a travel registry. There's no point in getting gifts that will end up collecting dust in the attic someday.

4) Keep gift costs reasonable and register for items in a variety of price ranges. This concept is really really important. There's no faster way to anger your guests than to have them pull up your registry only to find the least expensive item is $100. Try to mix and match more affordable options with a few splurges. And don't ask for 12 sets of $300 china place settings. Most likely you'll end up with two and you'll have to buy the rest yourself to complete the set.

5) Make it easy for your guests to find your registry. Now, this does not mean you can include it on your invitation....no....never....don't even think about it. The best place is on a wedding website with the rest of the information about your wedding. Create links on your site that direct your guests straight to the store's website. And for your older guests who may not be computer-saavy, make sure your parents have your list of stores on hand so they can readily give out the information when asked.

6) Check your registries once in a while to make sure items have not sold out or been discontinued. Also, definitely check your registries often around the date of your wedding since most guests will buy gifts in the two weeks prior to your wedding date or in the two weeks after so be sure that there are still plenty of items to choose from in a variety of price ranges.

7) Write thank you notes promptly! I know some say you have until your 1st wedding anniversary to write your thank you notes, but personally I think that's far too long and just rude. Find the time within 2-3 months after your wedding and send them out!

Ashley & Trey - Engagement Photos!

2009-06-18T08:16:00.002-05:00

I absolutely adore this couple, they are so sweet and I am very excited for their Nashville wedding next January at the brand new Hilton Garden Inn! The incredible Phindy Studios (yes I talk about them a lot, because they are awesome) shot some beautiful engagement photos last month. Take a peak:

To see more work by Phil and Mindy of Phindy Studios, visit their website! And if you're looking for an affordable hotel for your wedding reception or for your guests to stay, visit the new Hilton Garden Inn in the Vanderbilt area. The hotel is opening in July and they are currently offering some great deals!

Thoughts on Wedding Guest Seating

2009-06-16T10:39:00.005-05:00

I've been working on a variety of different types of wedding receptions lately, from buffets, to plated dinners, to cocktail style parties. Many brides are often confused on how to manage where the guests will sit and whether they even have to assign tables at all. Here is some tips and ideas to think about as you plan your reception seating.

Q: Do I even need to assign seats for wedding guests?

A: Short answer, no, you can let your guests choose their own tables and seats but it will make things more complicated for everyone. First off you will need more seats than you have guests because people won't divide themselves up perfectly with 8-10 at each table. Some tables may only have 7 guests, while some might squeeze 12 chairs at a table. This also creates more work for your guests since they may have to walk around for a while asking "Are these seats taken?" before they can find a place to settle. It also creates awkwardness for any guests who may not know anyone else at your wedding. Honestly, most guests like having some direction of where to sit, but the final choice is up to you! If you do decide to forgo seating arrangements at least make sure you designate a table (and chairs) for yourselves so that you have a place to sit and eat.

Q: What is the difference between seating cards and place cards?

A: Seating cards (or escort cards) designate a particular table for your guests to sit at. These cards are usually arranged at the entrance to the party and guests pick them up on their way in. Place cards on the other hand are placed on the tables and inform guests which particular seat to sit at. These days many people opt for just seating cards and assign everyone a table but let guests pick their own seat.

Source

Q: How do I decide who to put at each table? It's really up to you whether to you group people by family and social circle, or to mix things up and try to get everyone to meet a few new folks. Just be sure to put each couple or person with at least one other person they know at a table so they don't feel isolated. Try to put younger wedding guests closer to the dance floor and older guests further from the blaring speakers. They will appreciate the thought.

And finally, some advice for the wedding guests: Please sit where the bride & groom place you! I have seen guests move chairs, even whole place settings, and re-group tables at plated dinners! This completely throws off the caterers who now have no clue who ordered the chicken and who ordered the beef or how many to bring to each table. It also doesn't look so nice when there are half empty tables since a few guests decided to squeeze extra chairs at other tables. Please be considerate of the bride & groom's wishes, they most likely put a lot of thought into who should sit where, so graciously accept your seating card and take the correct seat. Who knows, you might meet some great new people!

Our Newest Family Member

2009-06-14T17:14:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, around my birthday in March to be exact, we brought home a new family member! You may have read my post about our two adorable puggles, Dudley and Cali (if not you can go and read it HERE) who turned two years old last fall. Well, when we first decided to get a dog (or two) a few years back, I did tons of research on different breeds, scoured websites of various breeders, finally decided on two newborn puppies, and then we anxiously waited two months for them to be old enough to bring home. This time, the adoption experience was completely different. I did exactly what you're never supposed to do...walk into a pet store, fall in love, and bring home a puppy.

I blame my friend Adriane. She had recently bought a daschund puppy and one weekend I went to visit with her and see the new dog. She casually mentioned that the puppy's siblings were still at the pet store and for fun we should go say hi....soooo we did! Not long after we walked in, I picked up a cute little two pound chihuahua/min-pin mix and the little guy fell asleep in my arms! SOLD! The next thing I knew, I was on the phone with Brian begging him to let us have another puppy (which he surprisingly agreed to), he then came down to see the dog for himself, and after playing with him for another 30 minutes we were out the door with puppy in hand. And so I introduce to you my birthday present, our little guy, Jagger!!

Jagger likes to be either on my desk or in my lap while I work.

Here he is with Dudley asleep in the office. Basically Jagger is obsessed with Dudley, he follows him around and insists on being next to him at all times.

Cuddled up on the couch!

Full Wedding Recap - Robin & Stephen

2009-06-12T07:28:00.001-05:00

Robin & Stephen were married on May 16th, 2009 at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens with a wet but lovely outdoor ceremony and a reception in Massey Hall. Even though it had been pouring rain most of the day, the sky cleared just enough in the late afternoon to hold the wedding ceremony outside. Here are some of the favorite photos from Phindy Studios who photographed the day!

We had a fantastic team of vendors for this event! The floral design was done by Vicki Sanders with Branching Out Event Florist. Three different centerpieces of varying heights decorated the tables in colors of lilac, deep purple, light green, and bright pink. The brides bouquet consisted of white peonies, lavender roses, purple hydrangea, and white freesia. All the flowers were absolutely gorgeous! The rentals were provided by Music City Tents and Events. The tables were covered in sage green linens surrounded by fruitwood chivari chairs. Dulce Desserts provided a huge variety of desserts and a delicious chocolate and hazelnut cake covered with chocolate ganache.

Matchless Limousine provided shuttle buses for the guests and the awesome blue Jaguar in which the couple made their grand exit. Pat Patrick Band kept the dance floor rocking all night long! Photo Express Inc. provided a photo-booth for the guests to print photos of themselves which also doubled as the wedding favors.

Congrats Robin & Stephen on a beautiful wedding, I wish you both a future filled with happiness!

Wedding Registry Woes

2009-06-10T15:54:00.008-05:00

I had always thought registering for gifts would be one of the easiest aspects of planning a wedding. I mean it’s like going shopping without having to pay for anything right? Uhh, turns out…not so much. The first obstacle is figuring where to register. Since most of our guests (about 95%) are from other states, we wanted to register at national stores that had easy to use websites for ordering and shipping. We’re all about convenience since we know that guests don’t want to spend tons of time tracking down the right gift. So we decided on Macy’s because they have a good reputation, wide selection of choices, and let’s face it, everyone knows Macy’s. We also picked Crate & Barrel for the more stylish selections and just because I like the store. Finally we decided on something a little more obscure, a photo registry! Our awesome photographers, Mclellan Style, give their clients the option of setting up a registry where guests can contribute to photography purchases such as albums, prints, and canvases. And since photography is extremely important to us, we wanted to give the option for guests to help us out since frankly I’d rather have a beautiful photo canvas than another useless kitchen device.

The next hurtle was figuring out what to register for. Brian and I have now lived together for almost three years so we’ve already accumulated a lot of household stuff. But we headed out to Macy’s anyway last Valentine’s Day to get some ideas. Amazingly when you have a registry gun in hand, you find you need pretty much everything! Cappuccino maker? Sure why not! Wait, we don’t even drink cappuccino. Juicer? We like juice! Go for it! Would we honestly take the time to make juice from scratch when you can just buy it? No, probably not. Bakeware? I could learn how to bake! Maybe? Wait I don’t even have time to cook, let alone bake. While we’re at it let’s get some new comforters, all new towels, some pillows, and a new bed set. I guess we don’t technically need it all, but we’ve got to register for something right?

Here I am picking out some pretty new towels!

Brian registering for some more kitchen knives to add to his collection.

Attempting to figure out how to use the registry gun.

On another note, we decided against registering for formal china (what!? the horror!). We aren’t formal people so I know we’d never use formal china. Instead we decided on some cool everyday china from Crate & Barrel that we know we’ll actually use.

After we finished playing with the registry gun at Macy’s I checked “Register” off the to-do list and moved on to other wedding items. Then last month I decided to take a look at our registries online and noticed something disturbing…about 1/3 of the items we registered for had little red writing underneath with the words “No longer in stock, please click here to choose an another item”. Excuse me? But I already picked all my items, I don’t want to choose any more! Ugh. And so I had to spend another couple hours going back through everything and finding different items to add. It also seems every time I sign on to our registry pages there are another one or two items that have been discontinued or are out of stock. So apparently this registering thing is an ongoing process that will never end.

Tune in next week for some tips on how to create a useful wedding gift registry!

Jenny & Tim – June 6th, 2009

2009-06-10T15:49:00.005-05:00

Huge congratulations to one of my favorite couples, Jenny and Tim, who tied the knot last Saturday at Owens Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood! We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day, it was sunny with very little humidity. It has always been very apparent how in love these two wonderful people are and I am so happy I had the opportunity to work with them during such a special time in their life. The fantastic Evan Baines photographed the wedding and I know he is hard at work editing the photos so I should be able to do a full re-cap very soon!

Go Red for Women Luncheon

2009-06-02T20:46:00.018-05:00

Last month I had the great pleasure of helping to plan the annual Go Red for Women Luncheon for the American Heart Association, which took place at the Cool Springs Marriott. This is a wonderful cause that educates women about the dangers of heart disease and how to keep your heart healthy. They also raise money for heart disease research on how to treat and prevent it. The luncheon not only included a fabulous lunch for the 400 guests in attendance but it included seminars on healthy cooking and how to exercise properly.

I have to give a HUGE thank you to all the amazing vendors who contributed their time and services to help make this event a success! Carry Ann Misamore with Fresh by Carry Ann created the gorgeous centerpieces. Nashville Event Lighting did a fabulous job with the up-lighting and gobo of the campaigns slogan. Draping Designs provided the red pipe and drape behind the main stage and registration tables. Liz with Connie Duglin Linens gave us a huge discount on all 400 chair covers and ties. And finally Peter and Whitney of Dove Photography took time out of their busy schedules to photograph the event! Here are some of their amazing photos!

Hey look it's me with a boa! :) Once again thank you to everyone, it was such a pleasure to help coordinate an event for such a great cause!

The Beauty of Backyard Weddings

2009-06-01T09:29:00.009-05:00

Here is a blog post from Rashida about taking advantage of your own home and hosting a backyard wedding!

Ah, June is here! And weddings are in the air. This time of year many weddings are held outside and many couples are choosing to have a backyard wedding. The wedding that we coordinated on April 25 was a backyard wedding and it was beautiful. Ingrid Reed, owner of Cooking Creations Catering, has a very large property for Lindsey and Mike's wedding, and offered to host the wedding on her back lawn. How do you make a backyard wedding happen? Like all weddings, “it is all in the details”. For this type of event hiring a wedding planner is key since there are so many more considerations and there won't be a venue coordinator to help you out.

When planning a backyard wedding remember to use your surroundings as inspiration. If the backyard features a beautiful garden or cobblestone path, use that to your benefit. At Lindsay and Mike's wedding, there was a beautiful red barn. The photographer, Brian Kaplan Photography, was able to capture some amazing photographs with something most people may not have even noticed. Lastly, I must mention the importance of a backup plan! Don’t get caught in the rain. While tents might be expensive, if there's any possibility of rain, you must reserve one. This is an important tip for all outdoor weddings.

Below are some photos of various backyard weddings.

Source

With a backyard wedding it is important to create a focus point for the ceremony. This can include arches, columns, gazebos, or something unique as seen in the picture above.

Source

Backyard weddings will require you to rent chairs, tables, linens, and almost always a tent (unless you live somewhere it rarely rains). Also you will need to be sure there is adequate space for the caterers to prepare food and enough bathrooms for all the guests. Other décor can also be rented or purchased to create an event feel in an otherwise ordinary lawn. Two panels of white picket fencing were purchased from Home Depot to create a very pretty entrance (pictured on top). Lighting posts were rented to add ambience to the backyard wedding (pictured below). So as you can see backyard weddings can be gorgeous and intimate. And a final bonus, no site fee!

Vanessa & Shannon - May 24th, 2009

2009-05-28T19:13:00.008-05:00

Last Sunday, I coordinated the wedding of a fabulous couple, Vanessa & Shannon at the Hilton Hotel downtown and had a blast! Everyone had a GREAT time and danced for hours and the navy and fuscia color scheme looked gorgeous in the ballroom. Michael S. Wade was the photographer for the day and he did a fantastic job bringing out everyone's fun personalities. I will have a full re-cap soon and will share all the awesome vendors that made this great wedding possible! (I know I always say that, but I really do have re-caps coming for the last bunch of weddings, so stay tuned! They will be worth it!). A special thank you to my assistant for the day, Kristine, who helped tie 100 chair ties with me, because that's always fun! Congrats Vanessa & Shannon!

I have many more fun blogs in the works just bear with me for the next few weeks as life has been a tad nuts! Why you ask? Well.....Brian and I bought, fixed up, and have been painting our first house! This combined with 5 weddings in 8 weeks has eliminated much of my free time. Also, my wonderful friend and bridesmaid, Cate, is in town from LA to help with everything and keep me sane :). Lots of cool stuff to come!

Jenny & Tim's Engagement Photos!

2009-05-20T09:42:00.013-05:00

Wedding day for Jenny and Tim is fast approaching and I am very excited to be coordinating their ceremony at Owens Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood followed by a reception at Travellers Rest Plantation! The amazing Evan Baines recently shot their beautiful engagement photos at Radnor Lake and on 21st Ave. Take a look!

This photo is great because this couple LOVES coffee! So it was only appropriate that they got some photos drinking some!

To see more of Evan's work, check out his blog! Can't wait for June 6th guys!

Full Wedding Recap - Robin & Stephen - Rain or Shine

2009-05-19T09:14:00.007-05:00

Robin and Stephen tied the knot the past Saturday at Cheekwood and it was a gorgeous wedding despite the weather! Robin and I had been watching the weather all week hoping that just maybe the rain would let up in time for Saturday but we all awoke Saturday morning to heavy clouds, fog, and humidity...not a good sign. Then on our way from the hotel to Cheekwood, the thunder and lightning started, followed by a torential downpour! Hope was fading fast for an outdoor ceremony in the Wills Perennial Garden. Thankfully Robin was very calm and decided that afternoon that since the doppler forecast didn't look too dismal for the evening, we would set up the ceremony outside and hope for the best. So we did! A huge thanks to Vicki Sanders and her team with Branching Out who did an great job setting-up in the rain. Here's what we were dealing with:

Pretty, but definitely very wet. We all pushed on however and amazingly about an hour before the ceremony was to start, the rain stopped, the clouds turned from dark gray to a lighter gray, and we even saw touches of blue sky off in the distance! So we dried off all the chairs, the guests started to arrive (I got a few puzzled looks from those who couldn't believe we were going to attempt to do this outside), and the processional began! Then I spent 30 minutes crossing my fingers and praying that the sky didn't open up and drench us all.

But everything turned out great! I will have a full re-cap as soon as I get some professional photos from the fabulous Phindy Studios who shot the event! And this just goes to show that just because it's pouring the morning of your wedding, you still might be able to pull off a beautiful ceremony in the evening. Keep your eye on the doppler and weigh all the pros and cons to doing an outdoor set-up and check with all your vendors to be sure that no one minds getting wet. Fortunately we had wonderful vendors who were all very cooperative and willing to do whatever it took to pull off Robin's dream wedding! Robin & Stephen - hope you guys have a fantastic time in Paris on your honeymoon!

Engagement Shoot - Mclellan Style!

2009-05-12T22:46:00.007-05:00

Ahh! I have been waiting all weekend to see a few teasers from our engagement shoot last week and today, I finally got to see a couple photos from the ahhh-maz-ing Sean and Melanie Mclellan. Brian and I went on a little road trip last Friday to Burgess Falls State Park hoping to shoot near some waterfalls and umm...well...we saw some serious WATERFALLS. They were massive!! I was expecting like mini waterfalls, not ginormous 100 foot waterfalls. So needless to say, the photos are awesome! We hiked for about an hour and shot some photos along the way, then finally arrived at the big falls and as you'll see below, they are BIG. Check it out:

As Sean said, "too bad monitors aren't the size of walls" because that shot will be gorgeous on a huge canvas. The size of it now doesn't really do it justice. I am so excited to see the rest! We had such a blast with Sean and Mel, and are beyond blessed to have them as our wedding photographers! To check out more Mclellan Style awesomeness visit their blog!

Emergency Kit Necessity

2009-05-07T08:11:00.008-05:00

So funny story about Lindsay & Mike's wedding on April 25th....while the bride and groom were getting some photos taken, we were using the time to finish set-up in the tent, i.e. straightening the linens, placing the centerpieces, setting out votive candles, etc. And I swear every time we finished a table or two, a HUGE gust of wind would come, lift the tablecloths (and the centerpieces and votives with it) and blow it away. Actually at one point the entire tent almost blew away (no joke, since basically it's a giant parachute) and we had to get every male we could find to hold it steady while the stakes were put back in the ground. Fun times! During the midst of it all, my smart assistant Rashida asks, don't you have any of those tablecloth holder thingys? Noooooo, but now I do! Check it out, these table cloth clips are perfect for windy outdoor weddings! They keep all the linens in place so your perfectly arranged table decor doesn't take flight.

We found these at Oriental Trading and they were only $8.99 for 72 of them! I would highly recommend investing in these if you are having a tented wedding since you never know what the weather may hold.

Andrea & Mario's Engagement Shoot!

2009-05-05T06:54:00.001-05:00

I am super stoked for Andrea and Mario's wedding in November, they will be married at Christ Church Cathedral with a reception at Union Station. They are also planning a very large rehearsal dinner the night before at the Marathon Village event space so there will be two big parties in two days! Can't wait!

A couple weekends ago they had their engagement shoot with the amazing Chris and Adrienne Scott. These guys shoot fantastic photos and are now on my list of favorite Nashville photographers! They are also incredibly fun to be around. Check out the awesomeness...

To see more shots, visit Chris and Adrienne's blog!!

Help with the Planning Process

2009-05-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

Whew, things are getting busy! With five weddings in the next 8 weeks, I can confirm, wedding season is definitely here. And while I feel having a wedding coordinator to assist you on the big day is one of the best decisions you can make while planning your wedding (trust me, even I have one for our wedding!), some people may not have room in the budget for a day-of coordinator. But there are ways that you can still gain valuable help with your wedding plans. Consider asking a wedding planner for a consultation! Most planners will sit down with you and answer any questions you might have, recommend vendors, assist you with a to-do list, and give you advice...all for an hourly rate that is usually much less than the cost of a day-of coordinator.

Today I met with a couple planning a backyard wedding in June that were just starting the planning process and were completely unsure of how to begin (yes, June...as in next month). In only a couple of hours we ran through a list of everything they would need to do in the next 7 weeks, I gave them some helpful tips on how to save money in certain areas, recommended vendors, and did a walk through of their property to determine the best location for the ceremony and placement for the reception tent. We also talked about what they would need to order from a rental company to make sure they didn't forget anything. All on a Sunday afternoon!

Planning a wedding is a big deal, and it's hard (I am the first to admit it). There's a lot of information out there and research to be done. Why not trust someone who's already done all the research? Someone who can tell you what you need, how to get it, and what the typical cost is. If anything, you can save some serious time, and most likely money.

So there's my plug for wedding planners this season. :) Have a great week!

Lindsay & Mike - 4/25/09

2009-04-27T11:50:00.004-05:00

First I must comment on the weather on Saturday, it was GORGEOUS! The sun was shining all day and may have been a tad hot, but with the constant fear of April showers, we were very happy to see the sun for this outdoor ceremony and reception. Lindsay and Mike were married on the residential property of Ingrid Reed, owner of Cooking Creations catering, in Lebanon. Here is a photo of the happy couple after the ceremony! I will have a full recap soon but for a sneak peak go the Brian Kaplan Photography blog by clicking here. Congrats guys!

How to Give a Real Toast

2009-04-23T16:51:00.004-05:00

I came across this video a few months ago and was amazed...now this is how you give a toast!! The look on the Bride's face for the duration of the video is priceless. I hope everyone has a great weekend, I'll be up early and heading out to Lebanon tomorrow for Lindsay and Mike's wedding! Enjoy :)

Guest Count Drama

2009-04-23T09:05:00.004-05:00

I've been noticing a trend lately, and it's not necessarily a good one. The economy is making guest lists quite unpredictable. I wrote about this topic a while back however now with all my May and June brides beginning to get RSVPs in the mail, it's becoming very apparent that you no longer can predict with reasonable certainty how many folks are going to show up at your wedding. I have one couple who invited close to 300 guests and expected about 230 to attend. Now the final guest list is looking like it will be closer to 180 (for those of you that want me to do the math, that means approximately 40% replied with a "no"). On the flip side, I have a bride who originally wanted an average size wedding therefore she invited 180 people, figuring she'd end up with about 150 (to make matters more complicated the reception venue only holds 150). So far she's received close to half her RSVP cards back, and only one person has sent their regrets. Uh oh, panic time! So what's a bride to do?

Well, let's look at it from a few angles. First the emotional part. This is perhaps one of the toughest things to do, especially if you've always envisioned a big wedding. Whatever the RSVP card says, do not take it personally! If someone can not attend your wedding, it does not mean they don't love you or that they don't care, it just means there are extenuating circumstances (most likely financial) that are preventing them from attending. These days it costs on average somewhere between $500 and $1500 to attend a wedding out of town (figuring flights, gas, hotels, gift, rental car, etc). Trust me I know, I will be attending four this year all over the country. I am also the first person to take this type of thing personally since I am doing everything in my power to attend all the weddings I am invited to (including possibly taking on some minor debt, which I don't advise). I am already having nightmares that no one will come to our wedding. We are inviting about 180 people and I am PRAYING that we'll get at least 120. I know everyone will do their best to make it, but the reality is most of our guests live out-of-state (about 95% of them) and it will take a lot of time, effort, and expense to get here to celebrate with us. But I'm sure to be very disappointed every time I see "will not attend" checked on the response card. Hopefully I can take it all in stride and realize that it's not about the number of people who are there, the important thing is that Brian and I are making a commitment to love each other forever.

Now from a planning standpoint, the best way to avoid major problems, is to be prepared for anything! Do not book a reception venue that holds a good deal less people than you are inviting. If the space holds 200, don't invite any more than 220, because you never know, everyone you invite could make your wedding their vacation of the year, and they could all decide to come! On the flip side (can you tell I love that phrase?), don't book a venue too large. If you invite 200 and your space holds 300, it could look very empty if half of your guests can't make it. Same goes with the finances, it's pretty obvious that the amount of people that attend your wedding will greatly affect your budget. The more that come, the more meals, drinks, tables, chairs, and centerpieces you will need. So be prepared in case everyone decides to attend the big day. Don't base your budget on 140 people if you are inviting 200. And if a lot of folks can't make it, just look at the silver lining, you'll save some money. :)

Gifting the Bridesmaids

2009-04-20T10:06:00.010-05:00

Here are some thoughts on giving gifts to your bridesmaids from Rashida!

It can be very expensive to participate in a wedding. It goes beyond the cost of the dress and the shoes. I am in a wedding next month and I started adding up the cost. Here is a quick run down.

Item & Cost
Dress $185
Shoes $90
Hair $60
Manicure/Pedicure $40
Car Rental $75
Gas $100
Hotel $250
Food/Misc $50
Bachelorette Party $125
Travel to Party $100

TOTAL $1,075

It really adds up, doesn't it! Thinking back to my own wedding, my friends and family did the exact same thing for me. Not to mention all of the moral support they provided. Therefore, I really wanted to show them how much I appreciated them, but let’s be honest when planning a wedding BUDGET is the magic word. Well I lucked up and found a pearl necklace and earring set from Macys. They were like 75% off plus I used a Macy’s coupon for an additional 20% off. So I ended up paying about $20 for each set. I was ecstatic! I asked the girls to wear them during the wedding so I felt like I received double duty out of them. At lest that way, they wouldn't have to pay for jewelry in addition to the dresses and everything else.

For those of you that are considering giving jewelry to your bridesmaids, here is some help. These days, I love Overstock.com! They have awesome, quality merchandise at reasonable prices. Not to mention $2.95 shipping on your total order, everyday. I found some very cute jewelry on overstock.com for around $30 and that includes shipping. As an added bonus overstock.com has an internet best price guarantee. And if the price decreases over the next few days the will issue you an overstock credit for the difference. They have a huge selection to choose from. So check out what I found!

Sterling Silver FW Pearl Necklace and Earrings Set $27.99

Chateau D' Argent Sterling Silver Strawberry Quartz Jewelry Set $24.99

Diamond Illusion Earring and Pendant Set $22.99

Silver and Cubic Zirconia Necklace and Earring Set $22.99

Sterling Silver Pink CZ Necklace and Earring Set $26.99

Choosing Wedding Colors and Decor

2009-04-16T09:40:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, our blog series, "When the Planner...Plans" continued on Ashley's Bride Guide! If you need to catch up, you can read the last article on choosing a reception venue here. Read on to learn more about our wedding colors and plans for the decor!

When we last left off, my fiancé and I had chosen a reception venue, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum! Now we needed to focus on how to decorate it. First up, a color scheme. I always tell brides to look around their homes for some inspiration on possible wedding colors, chances are, if you like certain colors enough to use them in your home, you’ll probably like to see them as part of your wedding. Also, consider the season and location of your wedding; it is much easier to work with the colors that will exist in nature at the time of your wedding and in your venue, rather than against them. For our wedding I knew we had to have some bright green since it’s my absolute favorite color and Brian doesn’t mind it. In fact, much of our home décor is in shades of green. And since the Hall of Fame has a beautiful brown wood floor we decided to use that color as well. To accent the green and brown we looked to nature! Since our wedding date is in the early stages of autumn, we figured bright oranges and reds would compliment the green and brown nicely. We had an official color scheme!

There will be a little more red and a little less pink in the final product.

Next up, my favorite aspect of wedding planning, décor! I spent a few months searching for and collecting images online of ideas and flowers that seemed to work with our colors and then sat down with the immensely talented Hillary Robson of Brocade Designs to make some decisions. We studied the flowers in the images and decided to work with a variety of green hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids, white dahlias, white hydrangea, red dahlias, yoko mums, orange roses, green and amber spider mums, orange calla lilies, and red James storey orchids. These flowers all provided a good range of color and the modern, unique vision I was aiming for. We then broke down each aspect of the ceremony and reception décor and came up with ideas for the bouquets, boutonnières, church décor, and three different centerpieces in a range of heights to bring some interest to the reception hall. After the wedding I’ll reveal the final look since I don’t want to give it away with six months to go!

To sum up, when choosing your décor, find inspirational images online that spark your interest and bring them to your floral meetings so your florist and/or event designer can get a feel for your style and the look you’re trying to achieve. Work with the colors that are available at your venue and during your wedding season. And don’t be afraid to think outside of the box, especially if you are on a budget. A good florist will work with what you have and make affordable suggestions to keep you from spending a fortune. Hillary and I decided to do a very large, elaborate centerpiece on only some of the tables to give the room a big impact but keep the rest simple to save money. I cannot wait to see the final result in September!

Photos from the Brocade Design Arts Grand Opening

2009-04-14T20:33:00.014-05:00

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping my favorite "friendor" (that's right, friend + vendor = friendor) Hillary Robson, set up for the Brocade Design Arts Grand Opening! As I've mentioned before she now has an adorable shop downtown in the Arcade. I'm sure everyone knows that I love Hillary's work so I'll just cut right to the photos. :)

The outside of the shop with quite the variety of flowers!

Pretty yellow calla lilies.

Yummy cupcakes by Cakes by Shara!

Adorable favors by Latrice with Opulent Favors.

Hillary, Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide, and I.

Delicious chocolates from Schakolad Chocolate Factory

(they are doing the favors for our wedding!)

My fiance, Brian, and I relaxing on the comfy furniture upstairs in the consultation room.

Thanks to everyone who came out! We had a wonderful time mingling with all the fantastic vendors who showed up to wish Brocade the best!

Trash the Dress Sessions

2009-04-11T08:51:00.017-05:00

So what is Trash the Dress exactly?

Trash the dress refers to photography that contrasts elegant clothing with an environment in which it is completely out of place. The bride may effectively ruin (or trash) the dress in the process by getting it wet, dirty or in extreme circumstances tearing or destroying the garment. Usually brides decide to have pictures taken on the beach, but the possibilities are endless. City streets, rooftops, garbage dumps, fields, and abandoned buildings are only few examples of trash the dress session locations.
The session is usually done after the ceremony as an alternative to keeping and storing a dress that will never be worn again. Although as the concept has evolved some people are buying a second dress to “trash” and some are doing it before the actual wedding. So how did trashing the dress start? Well credit is given to John Michael Cooper, a Las Vegas photographer. Below is an insert from the NY times.

Christa DiPaulo Becker, 31, said that sitting in 2005 for her post-wedding Trash the Dress shoot with John Michael Cooper, the Las Vegas wedding photographer credited with starting the trend, seemed appropriate because she was feeling pretty “antiwedding” after the whole affair. Besides, she had no plans to wear it ever again despite the $2,500 cost of the gown. So submerging it in a mossy spring in Nevada (1st picture below) was no loss, she said.
Her only reservation? “The water was hypothermia cold.”

The photo trend in fact began with a yawn. Mr. Cooper, 41, said he was bored with the same old wedding photos, and so he persuaded several of his clients to pose after their weddings in grungy offbeat settings. “In fashion photography, they often put really pretty people in very ugly places,” he said. “I’m applying that technique to weddings.”

Here are some of my favorite Trash the Dress photos!

I can’t imagine being in freezing cold water and being this calm.

Did you notice the veil in the branch? I thought that was a great touch.

Talk about trashing the dress?

This is my favorite!

This is very high fashion. I can see this as an ad in Vogue.

This is what I like to call simple dramatic.

This picture makes a bold statement, while still having a sense of calm about it.

Photos courtesy of www.ProjectWedding.com.

My Bare Ring Finger

2009-04-06T13:32:00.006-05:00

Last Friday was a bit of a sad day. Don't worry I'm still engaged, I just won't have a ring to prove it for the next few weeks. :( But there's a very good reason. I had a visit with Jay of J. Yontef Diamonds and Custom Jewelry to discuss making a wedding band to match my engagement ring. Since I'd like one that lies flush to my e-ring and has coordinating diamonds, he had to borrow my ring for a few weeks in order to make a wax model of the wedding band. The band won't be a perfect circle but it was more important to me that the rings fit tightly together. I can't wait to see how both rings will look together!

For those who've never seen my engagement ring, I guess now is as good a time as any to show you the beautiful ring that Brian had custom made. Apparently I didn't make the purchasing process very easy for him. I would often show him rings I liked (since I work with weddings, I already had a subscription to all the major wedding magazines long before we were engaged! it was quite convenient) but my choices were all over the map. I really liked princess cut diamonds, but also the rectangular shape of emerald cuts. I liked solitaires with baguettes on either side but I also liked pave settings, but only if the center diamond is in the right proportion to the smaller diamonds....and the list goes on. I think he was about ready to have me just pick my own ring and be done with it. Fortunately his wonderful sister stepped in to assist with the process. She put Brian in touch with a fantastic jewelry designer near her home in Virginia, Masica Diamonds, and helped him pick the center stone. Together they took all the designs I loved and created a ring that is both classic and original.

It's a rectangular princess cut diamond in a pave setting. The picture below doesn't really do it justice since the lighting was really bright and I'm also a bad photographer.

I didn't really like the idea of being ring-less for the next month (people should know I'm engaged right? plus my ring finger feels naked) so I decided to get a stand-in. And it only cost $7.50 at Claire's. Can you tell it's fake?

If you're look for stunning custom engagement rings or wedding bands, definitely check out J. Yontef Diamonds if you're in the Nashville area or Masica Diamonds if you're near Washington DC. Both do incredible work!

Brocade Designs Open House

2009-04-04T10:56:00.005-05:00

Brocade Designs is having an official open house tonight from 5-7 PM at the new studio space downtown! There will be yummy treats and beautiful flowers on display so head on down to the Arcade and check it out!

Rocking the First Dance

2009-04-01T09:45:00.003-05:00

My favorite trend by far these days is a unique first dance. I love couples that really master a great ballroom number or just do something completely crazy, like in the following videos. I like to peruse youtube for awesome wedding videos when I'm procrastinating and it's amazing what you can find! Here's a couple doing their own version of the "evolution of dance".

Awesome right? How about this couple who decided to do the classic dance from Napoleon Dynamite.

I will admit that I've been dragging Brian to dance lessons but seeing as we never practice, it's looking like it might a lost cause. And while I had visions of us totally wowing our guests on wedding day, at this point I'll be happy if we don't trip, fall, and completely embarrass ourselves. Anyone else trying to rock the first dance?

Ahhhh Spring

2009-03-30T08:41:00.008-05:00

There's something about the change of seasons that really gets me excited. The anticipation of something new, a fresh start, new colors emerge everywhere. I love that all the trees are becoming green again, the temperature is getting warmer, and the best part? Spring thunderstorms! I love a good thunderstorm (but not the tornados that often come with around here).

So today I thought I'd feature some pretty inspiration boards of some of my favorite spring wedding colors. I love that brides are becoming more daring and unique with their color choices and not just reverting to the inevitable pink and green combo for spring weddings. First up, a muted pink, yellow, and blue color scheme.

Source

This just goes to show you can add a variety of color to your wedding without it feeling overdone or too rainbow-ish. Here's a common favorite, aqua (aka Tiffany blue) and red with a pop of apple green. Since these colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, they provide a nice contrast.

Source

This next one is much more unique, I love the pairing of green with canary yellow. Many brides are not big fans of yellow so it's rare to see in weddings, but it looks beautiful in spring.

Source

And since green is my favorite color (expect to see a lot of it in my wedding!) I loved this next board which shows off the very modern chartreuse and black. These colors definitely make a statement together and look very bold but elegant.

Source

What are your favorite spring color palettes?

Cute Save-the-Dates

2009-03-25T10:54:00.006-05:00

I not only enjoy planning weddings but I also love attending them too! And since I'm at that lovely age when it seems like everyone you know is getting married, I've been getting quite a few save-the-dates in the mail lately. I wanted to share this cute one from my college roommate. First the outside (please excuse my terrible photography):

I love the textured black paper...very cool! Then you open it up and inside is an adorable photo-booth strip! I like the little arrow letting you know it's also a magnet.

This save-the-date is simple but also shows off the couple's personality and gives you a taste of what's to come. Now please excuse me while I go book a flight to Palm Springs!

Robin & Stephen's Engagement Photos

2009-03-23T10:04:00.010-05:00

First off, you may have noticed that I changed the blog layout recently, I was just bored with the old one and I thought I'd mix things up. Thoughts? In the next few months I'll be working on a totally new blog header and layout but in the meantime, this should suffice!

Moving on! A few weeks ago one of my couples, Robin and Stephen, had their engagement shoot with the amazing Phil and Mindy of Phindy Studios! They were very fortunate to have a gorgeous 70 degree day and spent some time hanging around the Steeplechase at Edwin Warner Park. They were especially hoping to get some shots with their adorable doggies! I can't wait for what is sure to be a beautiful wedding on May 16th at Cheekwood! Enjoy!

Bridal Shoe Dilemma

2009-03-19T11:41:00.010-05:00

I'm having some serious difficulty finding wedding shoes....ok scratch that...I'm having serious difficulty finding AFFORDABLE wedding shoes. See I've already fallen in love with these beauties from Cole Haan:

There are two issues though, the steep 4 inch heel, and the steep $428 price tag. Worth it to wear for one day? No? Darn it! I have recently fallen for the Cole Haan bridal collection after first hearing about it from one my brides. Now I seem to hear more about the line everywhere I look. Check out the gorgeousness:

They are all made out of silk satin and most of them are dyable, which helps to justify the cost somewhat. At least after the wedding you can dye them black (or any other color of your choosing) and wear them out! They are also made with Nike Air Technology for ultimate cushioning and support. Another bonus! Hmmm, I'm quickly finding ways to justify this purchase. Would you spend that amount on wedding shoes?

All About Style

2009-03-17T08:33:00.010-05:00

Do you want to finally know who we chose to photograph our wedding? Why, Sean and Melanie McLellan of course!! There are many reasons why we chose this unbelievably talented duo but what stood out first and foremost, was their photography style. So I was very interested to hear that they had officially changed their name from McLellan Studio, to McLellan Style! It certainly makes sense, since they have worked extremely hard to create a style that sets their images apart. And I can't really say much more other than I basically drool over every photo they create.

Check out this great article on Don't Box Us In that explains the name change and what sets them apart in terms of their style. I can't even describe how excited I am to work with them and I can't wait to see what beautiful photos they create next!

Oh and P.S. - Happy St. Patrick's Day!! It's one of my favorite holidays since I'm very Irish and my absolute favorite color is green! Just some fun facts.

Brocade Design Arts Opens New Shop

2009-03-12T11:00:00.008-05:00

Y'all know I love Hillary with Brocade Design Arts. I love her so much that I asked her to do all the flowers and decor for my own wedding! (more to come on that later). She has such a beautiful style and she not only works wonders with flowers but also does fabulous graphic design work for invitations, seating cards, menus, anything really. And now she's gone and opened up her own shop! I'm quite jealous, I'd love to stare at pretty flowers all day. :)

The new Brocade Design Arts is located in the Arcade where the old Nashville Plant and Flower used to be and she's made some definite improvements! Check out the new interior.

As I mentioned in my birthday post, I picked up some roses (on sale every Wednesday!) last week and here they are almost a week later! So gorgeous.

So if you have some time, stop by the new store and take advantage of her daily specials! And stay tuned for more info on her official grand opening event on April 4th.

Accessories from Faccio

2009-03-10T16:42:00.012-05:00

Have you bought your veil or jewelry yet? How about your shoes? No? Well Faccio Bridal is hosting accessories designer Cheryl King this Friday and Saturday, March 13th and 14th, and she'll have tons of beautiful veils, headpieces, and jewelry on hand! They will also be offering a 15% discount on all purchases including their shoe lines!

How gorgeous is this veil?

How about these earrings? LOVE them!!

Anyways, I'll be there on Friday checking out the goods, and I'll give an update next week on my finds!

Birthday Fun

2009-03-09T10:53:00.010-05:00

Last wednesday was a very important day (at least for me anyway)....my birthday!! And I thought it would be a great day to leave my laptop at home and hit the town with my great friend Adriane. For fun, I thought I'd give a recap of our day! First stop, Commerce and 5th where country artist Jamie Johnson was playing a free concert!

Next we hopped over to Big River Grill where we met up with my wonderful fiance for some lunch. Since neither Adriane nor I could decide what to eat we ended up with like 4 different appetizers and they were all quite yummy.

After lunch we headed over to the arcade because one of my favorite florists, Hillary with Brocade Designs, just opened up her new store and I just had to check it out! I'll have more info about the store in another post but for now here are some photos of the pretty roses Adriane and I picked out.

Our final stop was this hidden gem, The Cupcake Connection! It's in Germantown and if you don't know where to look it can be a bit tough to find but we're sure glad we did! The cupcakes are delicious! And they do weddings and other events!

And there you have it, a birthday filled with fun! I should take days off more often, it's quite nice! Thanks to my girl Adriane for keeping me company!

Choosing a Reception Venue!

2009-03-04T09:19:00.010-06:00

Simply Stunning Events has been featured once again on Ashley's Bride Guide today with the third installment in the series, "When the Planner...Plans". If you missed the first two articles you can check them out here and here! Read on to learn how we chose our reception venue!

When my fiancé and I set out to find a reception venue, I’ll admit, we were a little lost. Of course I knew of many hotels, historic houses, plantations, and rooftop venues around the city but I had no idea what would fit our personalities the best. We were also dealing with the fact that 90% of our guests would be traveling from out of state so we needed a spot that was convenient and close to hotels.

Then it hit me….The Country Music Hall of Fame!! It was perfect! Both Brian and I are very into music (it has become the un-official theme for the wedding), he plays guitar, I play piano, and he works in country music. The venue is also blocks from downtown and many major hotels. Score!

We immediately started working through the costs and details of renting the space. We decided that we could manage to make it work with our budget but there were of course some concerns we had to consider. Here are some questions to ask before signing on the dotted line!

- Budget: Rental fees can range from $500 - $10,000 depending on the site but that fee isn’t the only thing to worry about. Ask what that fee includes (will you need to rent tables and chairs or are they included?). Are there any other hidden fees to consider? Cake cutting fees, corkage fees, etc? One thing we learned about the Hall of Fame was that they require a sound production fee in addition to the cost of your music. That fee ranged from $400 to $1700 depending on which space you rent and whether you’d have a band or DJ. That is a BIG addition to the cost of renting the space and we had to be sure that we could fit that in the budget as well.

- Vendor relations: Does the venue have a list of vendors that you must choose from? Are you allowed to bring in your own caterer or must you use the in-house catering? Are you required to contract certain vendors through the venue? At the Hall of Fame for example, you must use So Bro Catering (which I’m definitely not complaining about because they are fantastic!) and you also must book the band or DJ through the venue (meaning the sound production department does the actual hiring and you just pay the Hall of Fame directly). This can help save you time as your venue will probably recommend vendors that know the space well but be sure they are not overcharging you for the service (meaning they aren’t paying the band $3000 and then charging you $4000 for it).

- Logistics: How many people does the space hold? Does that number take into consideration the space for a dance floor? What time can your vendors access the venue to come in and decorate? How many hours does the rental include? How many restrooms are there? Will there be any other functions happening at the same time? Are there any insurance requirements? With the Hall of Fame they do require personal liability insurance (which only costs about $100 or so but still good to know about). Also we had to consider the fact that it is a museum and therefore would be open to the public until 5:00 PM. Fortunately our vendors can still come in to set-up anytime after 2 PM but it might be a bit more difficult for them to set up while people are walking around.

The Rotunda, seats 150 for a sit-down reception

The Conservatory set up for an event

View of downtown from the Conservatory

So there you have it! There are of course more questions to ask a reception site, but these should help you get started. A good wedding planner can also greatly assist you in finding a venue that reflects who you are and can help guide you through all the questions and considerations!

Salon Love

2009-03-03T13:34:00.006-06:00

I pride myself on thinking ahead, I feel I'm quite good at it. So it was no surprise to my bridal party when I emailed them about a month ago asking for the official head-count on who planned on having their hair done for the big day. Yes my wedding is not until September but I wanted to be very sure we could all get appointments at the awesome, Breon Hair Salon.

I regularly visit my girl, Carla, and she always does a fantastic job with my hair so it was a given that I'd hire her for the wedding. Turns out all 10 women in the bridal party (including my two darling flower girls) wanted to get their hair done! Good thing I planned on booking early since we'll pretty much be taking over the salon that morning. Since it would take forever to do everyone one-by-one, we going to go in groups of 3 or 4 and I'll probably go somewhere in the middle. Are you wondering yet how I'm planning to do my hair? Well, I've always been a big fan of the half-up, half-down look. Something like this:

Or maybe this:

That way there's no hair on your face, but you still have pretty curls and waves. I'm a little fearful however of the "prom curls" look. You know those tight ringlets that make you look like you're five years old? Carla and I have had a few discussions about this, and she has reassured me that she can do very loose curls and waves. One of these days, I'll get over to Breon Hair for a trial and I'll have some photos of how it all turns out! In the meantime, if you're getting married, and you will have quite a few people getting their hair or make-up done, be sure to book early! Saturdays at salons are very busy and can book up quickly. And check out Breon Hair Salon, all of their stylists are amazing, and they give the best head massages during your shampoo! If you don't believe me, check them out on Citysearch, they have tons of positive reviews!

Back to work!

2009-03-02T08:20:00.005-06:00

Whew! I made it through quite a week! As you probably noticed the blogs posts have been lacking (well actually non-existent) for a few days but I had good reason! Besides being out of the office for 3 days while attending a funeral in Connecticut, Saturday was Simply Stunning Event's first wedding of the 2009 season! Jamie and Chris tied the knot at the beautiful Oak Hill Assembly of God in Brentwood, followed by a reception at Top of Woodland Historic Bed and Breakfast. I'll have the official recap as soon as I've got some photos, so stay tuned!

Out of Office

2009-02-25T09:12:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone, my grandfather passed away last weekend therefore I will be out of the office until Monday March 2nd in order to travel to the funeral. I will answer any and all emails at that time and hope to get some new posts up next week!

Dress Shopping Tips!

2009-02-20T11:52:00.004-06:00

So you've got the ring, picked a wedding date, set your budget, compiled your guest list, and chosen your wedding venue, what's next? Often the first thing any new bride-to-be wants to do is go try on some dresses! There's nothing more exhilarating for a newly-engaged woman than hitting up the bridal salons.

- Know your budget! Before you even think of setting foot in a bridal salon, know what you can spend. In fact this will help narrow down which stores to visit as many might only carry dresses that are WAY more than you can afford. And be sure to factor accessories (shoes, veil, jewelry) and alterations into your budget.

- What's your style? Spend some time browsing the bridal mags and tear out photos of dresses you like. You'll most likely start to see a trend. Next look up bridal salons in your area that carry any particular lines that you like (as long as their in your budget) and schedule an appointment. Don't just drop in on a salon (especially on a Saturday). It's important to have the assistance you need in finding the right dresses and putting them on (some are tricky, trust me!) and the salon may not have an associate available if you don't make an appointment. And before you fall in love with a dress, make sure you know if there's a dress code at your ceremony venue. Some houses of worship require sleeves and/or don't allow any cleavage.

- I highly suggest visiting a salon or two by yourself before bringing an entourage with you. It helps to get an idea of what you like (and what you don't) on your own without the opinions of your entire wedding party. After you've figured out which styles work for you (mermaid? a-line? ball gown?) then take two or three helpful and honest family members or friends with you. If you take too many you'll be completely overwhelmed! Also don't bring anyone who's extremely opinionated, they'll just make you feel bad about your choices and make the whole process difficult.

- Keep track of your favorites as you go! You'll probably find you have one or two favorites at each salon you visit. Make a note of them (usually the salon will for you) and then after you checked out a few salons go back to try on your top picks. You also might be one of those brides that has the "this is the one!" moment. But don't worry if you don't feel that right away, sometimes it takes a few visits and some women end up narrowing the choices down one-by-one before deciding on "the one".

- Don't visit more than two or three salons in one day. While dress shopping is exciting, it's also exhausting and gets old quickly for some people. If you feel yourself getting drained, call it a day, and make an appointment for a another day.

- Dress comfortably and bring bottled water. Wear something that you can easily change in and out of (not tons of layers) and wear flip flops or flats that you can slip on and off. Don't forget bottled water and snacks, it's tough to make decisions when you're dehydrated and ravenous. You can bring your camera but don't expect to take many pictures. Most salons will not let you take photos until you actually purchase a dress. Annoying, I know.

- So you've found your dream wedding gown? Sleep on it! Or at least go out to lunch or dinner and think about something else for a little while. You can always come back to purchase the dress (unless it's a sample and then you might have to make a quick decision). Don't let pushy saleswomen tell you that you MUST buy it RIGHT NOW. If they do, then I'd find another store that sells the dress.

- Get measured correctly and buy the size! Don't pretend that you're going to lose 20 pounds before the wedding. If you do, it's much easier to take a dress in than let it out. Also, don't worry about the "size" number that the salon recommends. Bridal sizing is very different than street sizing so you if your jeans are a size 8, your dress will probably be a 12-14. Don't worry about it!

There you have it! There are many more things to consider but I don't think you want to read a novel. Are you curious about my dress shopping experience? Sometime in the future I'll write a detailed account (including salon reviews) but for now I'll tell you that yes, I did have a "this is the one!" moment but it took awhile. I first checked out a few salons on my own and found a few maybes but nothing I was in love with. So my step-mom and one of my bridesmaids, Kate, flew in from Boston to help with the search. We visited about five salons over two days and it wasn't until the last salon (the last dress I'd picked out to try actually) that I really felt not just like a bride, but like me. So we all went to lunch for an hour, then returned to the salon and I tried it on one more time, just to be sure. And that was it! I hopefully should be getting a call in the next month or so when the dress comes in and I can't wait to try the real thing on! Hopefully it still fits as I definitely gained a few pounds over the holidays. ;)

Social Invitation Showcase on Sunday

2009-02-19T10:06:00.010-06:00

If you're looking for some beautiful invitations, Williamson County Weddings & Events is hosting an invitation showcase this Sunday from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM at CJ's Off the Square in Franklin!

And the best part? It's free! However you must register here:

http://www.williamsoncountyweddings.com/registration.html

They have a plethora (cool word huh?) of different brands such as Monique Lhuillier, Encore Studios, Checkerboard, and more! Here are some photos of the pretty paper products:

Book Review: "Bride in Overdrive"

2009-02-18T07:48:00.004-06:00

I love to read, and while I own a library full of wedding books including the "must-haves" (Colin Cowie Wedding Chic, Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Bridal Bargains, The Wedding Book by Mindy Weiss, Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South...you know...the staples for any bride-to-be or wedding planner) I rarely pick up a "fun" book about brides and their experiences.

Bride in Overdrive by Jorie Green Mark tells the story of one bride's inner bridezilla that quickly surfaced after she becomes engaged and only gets worse as the wedding day approaches. The book (which is a true story) has some lighthearted humor and reminds brides how easily emotions can spiral out of control during such a stressful and momentous time in life.

Personally I thought it was a humorous, cute story, but a bit cliche at times. Of course some brides go all crazy once they start planning and Jorie's experiences are no different than the typical ones people hear most about: overinflated wedding budgets, insane diets, future in-law troubles, etc. There's nothing truly unique or new. But if you're looking for an easy read that will probably make you feel better about your own wedding tribulations, I'd suggest picking this book up. Especially if you feel you might be treading dangerously close to "bridezilla" territory.

And just for the record, I work with many amazing brides who don't go crazy, yes they have stressful moments, but they are nothing like how the media portrays brides these days. Planning any huge event is difficult and new for most people so naturally it ain't easy. I hope all brides will just try and have some fun with it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T11:30:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to wish all my readers a wonderful Valentine's day! Brian and I are keeping things low-key but making a point to spend the day together. We're off to lunch, then we'll be stopping by Macy's to register for wedding gifts! And tonight we're going to make dinner together and watch a movie. Nothing too crazy but it will be nice to spend some time together sans-laptops :)

I hope all you couples have a great day!

Anne Barge Trunk Show

2009-02-13T08:25:00.008-06:00

For all you brides out there on the dress hunt, don't miss the Anne Barge trunk show at Faccio Bridal beginning today! They will have over 50 gowns from the Anne Barge collection this weekend only, 2/13 and 2/14. Anne Barge is renown for her exquisite detail and impeccable craftsmanship and Faccio is the only salon in TN that carries her line.

If you can't make it out this weekend, be sure to make a stop at Faccio during your dress search. They have the most beautiful gowns and fantastic designers and the customer service is fantastic! Beth and Elizabeth work very hard to be sure every bride who visits them has a wonderful experience.

Call and make an appointment today! Next week I'll have some tips on how to make the most out of your dress shopping experience.

Engagement Season

2009-02-09T14:49:00.005-06:00

With Valentine's Day this coming Saturday, this marks the end of engagement season (you know...that time between Thanksgiving and V-Day when 19% of all engagements happen?) So to mark the end of this time, I thought I'd post one of my favorite proposal videos. This dude gets major props for creativity and the element of surprise! Enjoy!

Best Engagement Gift Ever!

2009-02-06T12:23:00.006-06:00

I've got undeniable proof that I've been into weddings for quite a while. Over the holidays, some close family friends, who've known me since birth, came over for dinner and brought with them an engagement gift. They insisted that I open it in front of them which intrigued me. What could it be? I opened the wrapping paper to reveal a blue Tiffany's box. Inside the box I felt what seemed to be a picture frame and when I unwrapped it, I could not believe my eyes! The frame was only half the present, the important part was in the frame. I present to you...the proof...

Yup, that's me, playing bridal dress up, when I couldn't have been more than six years old. For the record I have no memory of this event which made the photo even more entertaining. Turns out their daughter happened to be organizing many of their old family photos a few months back and came across this hilarity. Apparently, I've always been really into weddings, and becoming a bride. Who knew!?

Vendor Review: Michael Howard Photography

2009-02-05T11:37:00.008-06:00

Happy Thursday! I've finally recovered from the black death that seems to be infecting everyone these days and it feels so good to get back to my routine. Nothing bothers me more than being forced to rest and do nothing, I have an urge to be productive always. It's part blessing, part curse.

Since I was feeling better this week, I had a chance to meet with photographer, Michael Howard. I was very amazed at his talents and beautiful photographs! He has studied photography for many years (he holds a degree in photography), and this clearly shows in his level of technical skill. His style is a mix of photo-journalism and fashion photography which gives the photos a classic feel but with unique perspectives and colors that really pop. He does very little post work to his photos, meaning the final product is pretty much straight from the camera. That always impresses me for some reason. Instead of offering packages he prefers to let his clients choose what they want (a la carte) and coverage begins at $3250. Now on to the photographs, take a look!

I love the ring shot using the polaroids. So clever. If you're interested in seeing more, check out Michael's website, www.HowardPhoto.com or blog!

DIY Save-the-Dates

2009-02-01T13:08:00.002-06:00

First off I apologize for the lack of posts last week, I've been sick with an awful cold that won't seem to go away. My voice still sounds like a frog (well if frogs could speak) but I'm hoping I'll be back to normal soon.

Now on to my next DIY project, our save-the-dates! I've been waiting to post on this until I actually mailed them as to not spoil the surprise for any of our guests that read this blog. Moving on...

Brian and I worked together on the design (and by "worked together" I mean he designed and I annoyed him by making comments while watching over his shoulder). We were hoping for something that had the feel of Hatch Show Print, the legendary letterpress shop in Nashville. We would have actually ordered them from the shop except that it cost $4 per card (minimum) so that was just a BIT out of our budget. Instead Brian found some neat fonts, and through the magic of Adobe Illustrator (and about 4 previous tries) came up with this!

Luckily for us, Brian's parents own a printing company in New Jersey and they were kind enough to offer to print the cards free of charge. Score! They were printed on really pretty ivory linen paper and came with matching envelopes that had our return address pre-printed on the back. Now the next step was to address all the envelopes and find pretty stamps. Here's where my crazy OCD-self started to take over. I couldn't just WRITE out the addresses (my handwriting isn't that great anyway), I had to find a way to print them in the same font as the return addresses and in a pretty color. After fighting with my printer for about a week (no matter what I tried, it would not print the address in the right spot on the envelope) I figured out a trick. If I printed the address on a regular sheet of paper, it would print correctly in the center. So I taped an envelope to the piece of paper (I marked the paper first so I'd know where the exact center was) and then ran it through. It worked! And because I'm insane I taped each individual envelope to the paper and ran them through one-by-one (this took quite a few hours). Here's the set-up I had going on my desk:

Once the envelopes were addressed, stuffed, and sealed, I attached the pretty celebration stamps I ordered (because a regular stamp just wouldn't do of course).

And here's the final product!

I was definitely proud of my efforts, even though I probably could have made the whole process much simpler and less time consuming. Brian spent much of the week making fun of my need for everything to match perfectly. As far as I'm concerned though, I did compromise. My original plan was to line all the envelopes myself but since I couldn't find paper in the right shade of green, I gave up on that dream. Now I plan to take a couple months off before I tackle the invitations!

The Darling Flower Girls

2009-01-26T09:32:00.002-06:00

Probably the easiest wedding related decision we made was regarding our flower-girls. It was a no brainer that we would ask Brian's two adorable nieces (who will be 4 and 5 years old by the wedding date). To help them understand their role I purchased a couple of books about what to expect.

I wrapped the books and mailed them to Brian's sister with a note to call when they received them. So after they unwrapped the gifts, we asked them over the phone if they would like to be in the wedding. As expected they were pretty excited about getting to wear pretty dresses and walk down the aisle. I can't wait to see how adorable they will look! And I'm pretty excited that I can cross another item off the to-do list!

(My future niece and I over the holidays)

We Chose a Bridesmaid Dress!

2009-01-23T07:31:00.005-06:00

And the winner is................

I did one final poll with the bridesmaid's and with four votes, the satin dress with sash won out! It also helped that this dress was WAY less expensive than the other options. The actual dress will be "Pear" colored with a "Khaki" sash (it's actually more of an ivory color, and the green is a bit brighter than an actual pear....so whoever names the color swatches is clearly colorblind). Everyone seems to be happy though and I can't wait order the dresses and see the real thing!

Happy Friday!

Vendor Review: Phindy Studios

2009-01-20T14:16:00.003-06:00

Before I dive into writing about the awesome-ness that is Phindy Studios, I must inform you that I made the mistake of beginning the book, Twilight, last weekend and I have been up waaaay too late reading every night. It's like teen crack!! I finished it last night and it's taking all of my willpower NOT to go buy the next one in the series and start reading it right now. I need to get some actual work done first! So if you haven't read it yet, you MUST, but I warn you you'll get nothing done until you finish!

Moving on...I first learned about Phil and Mindy Thornton last year from my bride, Jessica, and the moment I checked out their work, I was in love! Their photos are breathtaking and their passion for weddings shows in the images. They have fantastic personalities and will make any bride and groom feel comfortable and at ease while shooting. They recently re-named and re-branded their studio for a great new start in 2009! I am so excited to be working with them on two weddings this year and know they will soon stand out as one of the best husband-and-wife photography teams in Nashville! Here are some of my favorite images:

You can find more information on their website or blog by clicking the links!

Great web find! I Do Originals

2009-01-18T14:21:00.010-06:00

Last week I received the following question from one of my brides "Any idea where I can find a unity candle that doesn't look like it stepped right out of 1986?". This reminded me of an awesome company, I Do Originals, that designs custom unity candles, aisle runners, banners, parasols, and more! They can even design custom monograms and logos for your event. I love their designs, all very simple and classy, and their candles are much prettier than what you'll find at Target or Michaels. Check out their website to view more beautiful work!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-01-15T09:27:00.003-06:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks getting back into the swing of things and I'm proud to say I'm almost completely caught up on emails! Unfortunately, the craziness of the past couple of weeks means I've been slacking a bit on the blog posts. But I promise I'll have more good stuff soon! I've been hard at work prepping for my first few weddings of the year, meeting new vendors, assembling and addressing our save-the-dates, writing copy for our wedding website, picking out our wedding cake, and tons more. Want more proof I've been busy? The winter 2009 edition of Martha Stewart Weddings is still sitting on my desk....untouched! I haven't even had a chance to open it yet! Shame on me, I know.

Alright, I'm going to get back to work so I can post some fantastic blogs soon on everything I've been up to!

Hiring a Wedding Coordinator

2009-01-12T09:40:00.005-06:00

Simply Stunning Events has been featured again on Ashley's Bride Guide! This is the second installment of my series "When the Planner Plans". Check out the article in all it's glory here on ABG or keep reading to learn more about hiring a wedding coordinator!

Once you've picked the date, it's time to get organized! The first vendor you should book is of course your wedding coordinator since she or he can assist you in finding venues, choosing vendors, creating a budget, and much more. Start by checking local wedding websites such as AshleysBrideGuide.com and pick 2-3 coordinators in your budget to sit down with. I highly recommend meeting a planner before you book her/him since you will be working with this person closely for the next year or more and you want to be sure she or he has a great personality and will be a good fit. To help, here is a list of questions you should ask before hiring a wedding coordinator!

1) How long have you been a wedding coordinator?

2) Is this your full-time job or part-time job?

3) What type of formal training have you had?

4) Are you a member of any major bridal or wedding/special event trade associations (ABC, ACPWC, June Wedding, Inc, ISES)?

5) What if you become ill or cannot come to the wedding? Who will stand in for you?

6) Do you accept commissions, kickbacks or professional discounts from any vendors you refer?

7) What is your coordination fee?

8) Will you help design the overall theme, decor and flow of the wedding ceremony & reception?

9) Will you provide me with a detailed budget outline?

10) Are you familiar with the best florists, photographers, caterers, bands, and DJs in my price range?

11) Will you read over the vendor contracts? What are some common traps to look out for?

12) Can you counsel me on etiquette matters and alert me to hot trends on the wedding horizon?

13) Will you create a timeline that tells everyone involved in the planning process what to do and when to do it?

14) For the day of the wedding, will you be willing to oversee the entire event by supervising vendors, troubleshooting emergencies, and soothing nerves? Can you share any anecdotes that required performing above and beyond the call of duty?

Lastly, ask for references, both past clients and other vendors. You want to be sure this isn't someone who decided last week she'd like to try planning weddings since she just planned her own and it was so much fun! (Trust me, planning one's own wedding is very different than running a successful event business).

So are you wondering now whether I hired a coordinator for my own wedding? You bet! Even though I am doing all the "planning" myself, when it comes to my wedding day I do not want to be worrying whether everything was set up properly, or if the vendors are on time. And it might be tough to cue the processional from the back of the line as the bride. So I hired the wonderful Corinne of Weddings with Reese. I definitely needed someone I could trust to execute my vision, handle any emergencies, keep my-type-A-self from obsessing over all the details. See, even wedding coordinators hire wedding coordinators since we know how valuable they are!

It's Bridal Show Season!

2009-01-09T07:28:00.010-06:00

It's a known fact in the wedding world that the period between Thanksgiving and Valentine's day is known as engagement season. Due to all the holidays and love in the air, 19% of engagements happen during this time. And with engagement season comes bridal show season!

Last night I attended the Enchanted Brides show at the Country Music Hall of Fame and saw many amazing booths and chatted with some of my favorite vendors: Juanita from Dulce Desserts, Wes from Pursuit Video, Jay from Maples Wedding Cakes, the ladies at Faccio Bridal Salon, Elaine from Elaine McCord Floral Designs, Amy with Photo Booth Nashville, and many more! Most of the year's biggest and best shows happen early in the year so even if your guy just slipped a ring on your finger, go check out a show to get tons of great information and ideas.

What can you do at a bridal show?

- Learn what colors and trends are going to be hot this year.

- Meet a variety of vendors and put names with faces of those vendors you've already started researching.

- Stay for the fashion show to see what dress styles are in and to get a feel for which designers you love.

- Some shows offer limo tours of various venues, it's a great time to get a quick idea of what types of places exist in your area.

- Sample a variety of cakes all in one location, then pick your top two favorites to set up a consultation with.

- Meet other recently engaged brides.

Here are some other tips on how to make the most out of your bridal show experience:

- Know your budget before you go! You do not want to fall in love with a particular vendor only to realize later you can't afford them. Bring a list of which vendors and services you need and how much you've budgeted for them.

- Bring a camera and notebook to capture your favorite ideas and to take notes on which vendors you spoke with and what you learned. You may meet 6 photographers, 4 bakers, 5 florists, 7 DJ's, etc. It's helpful to write things down or you won't remember who's who.

- Print labels with your name, wedding date, email, and mailing address to enter contests or attach to vendor information forms. It's much faster than writing out this information 30 times.

- Don't book vendors on the spot at a show. A five minute conversation with them is not enough. After visiting the booths pick 2 or 3 in each category to set consultations with. Do more research or hire a wedding coordinator to find out if a vendor is reputable.

- Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. There's a lot of food and cake offered but rarely do vendors offer anything to drink.

- Relax and enjoy! You'll probably feel completely overwhelmed especially if you're just starting the planning process but try to just take it all in. You don't need to make any decisions right away, just learn as much as you can and have fun!

To learn about upcoming Nashville bridal shows check out the events page at Ashley's Bride Guide!

The Bridesmaid Dress Search

2009-01-06T09:44:00.009-06:00

As I mentioned before, my holiday break was not completely void of wedding planning. Since 4 out of my 6 bridesmaids live in Boston, it was the perfect time to hit up Occasions Bridal Boutique in Wayland, MA. At this point, I'd already narrowed down the options to one line of dresses by Watters and Watters. Why did I choose this particular line? Well in short, because I'm crazy. I'm quite neurotic when it comes to certain wedding details, in this case; color . I had a very specific apple green color in mind and it took many visits to local bridal stores to check out their swatch books to find one line that carried a variety of fabrics in the right color I was aiming for. So, a couple days before Christmas, the girls and I met up and worked our way through the racks of dresses and narrowed it down to three. (Obviously these dresses aren't the right color, the final dress will be green).

So, thoughts? While all the girls said they'd be happy with any of them, they each had a different favorite (just to make things more difficult). Hopefully in the coming weeks we'll find a way to narrow it down to the final pick!

Here are some tips and things to consider when searching for your own bridesmaid dresses...

- Before you get the girls involved, narrow down the choices by color, style or even a certain line. Make sure you know what you're looking for before entering any stores or else the options can be overwhelming and the shopping experience can become a free-for-all.

- Consider all body types before choosing a style, what looks good on person might look awful on someone else.

- Try dresses on! I've heard of brides choosing a dress based on a website photo (you can probably guess how that turned out). Most dresses look fantastic on a size two, 6 foot model but they look very different on normal body. Make sure at least a few of your bridesmaids try on the final choices before making any decisions.

- Be flexible and open to all ideas. I gave my girls the power of veto over any dress they absolutely did not like or felt uncomfortable in. I also let them pick things off the rack they liked to try. After all, I'm not the one who's going to be wearing the dress.

- Consider the price tag. Don't pick a $400 dress without making sure everyone can afford it or at least offering to pay a portion to ease the burden. The average cost of dresses ranges from $150 - $250 but many are much pricier.

Happy shopping!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-04T17:15:00.003-06:00

I'm baaaack! I had a wonderful two-week holiday up north but I'm relieved to be back home with my fiance and puppies. It was slightly exhausting living out of a suitcase, sleeping odd hours, and driving for more than 20 hours to get back to Nashville. But tomorrow it's back to work! I am beyond excited for the new year and for all my wonderful clients who will be tying the knot in 2009! I'll also be attending four weddings around the country for close family and friends and I'm participating in my cousin's as a bridesmaid! And of course I have my own wedding coming up in the fall. Whew! Good thing I love weddings. It should be a fun and memorable year and I hope you'll continue to follow along with all the wedding craziness. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:18:00.004-06:00

I wish you a day filled with peace, happiness, and love.

Merry Christmas!