Black & White - Mid-Week Wedding Inspiration

Planning weddings can be a daunting & overwhelming task especially when you want to incorporate your personal style & personality to your wedding day! Brides and their wedding planners can & should get lots of design inspiration from home decor magazines. There is nothing worse or more boring than seeing wedding designs repeated over & over again only changing out the color palette.

Chic & contemporary wedding styles can look to home decor magazines like Metropolitan Home which is one of my personal faves for those little pops of detail that will be wow factors for your wedding guest.

As you are pinpointing your specific wedding style, pay close attention to colors and patterns that really make your heart sing. Whether its damask print, polka dots, or bold lines and patterns don't limit yourself or your creativity while in the wedding planning process.

Today's inspiration showcases the ever so classic colors of black and white mixed with pops of blue that create a wow factor! What will be your "wow factor" for your wedding or reception? I'd love to hear about it!!

Enjoy!

Image Source: Metropolitan Home & Polyvore

Tuesday Tasting Tonight - Wedding 101

Nashville brides, tonight kicks Tuesday Tastings being held at the Wedding 101 Studio at The Factory in Franklin!! Join Amy & Ashley and many of the preferred Wedding 101 vendors for a night of Q & A with Ashley of Ashleys Bride Guide!

This is an awesome opportunity to mix & mingle with other Nashville & Franklin Tennessee brides in a casual setting!

This event promises to be informative & fun!!!

Wedding Origami

Origami has become very popular in weddings over the past few years. Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.

The origami peace crane {pictured above} is a symbol of love, patience, understanding & loyalty. Which also are the traits of marriage. The origami peace cranes also symbolize peace, long life, prosperity and good luck! Who would not want to start their marriage out with all that rich symbolism? Brides can incorporate the origami peace crane into the rehearsal dinner decor and/or wedding reception decor if you had a zen themed event.

Cootie catchers or fortune tellers as they were called back in my school days are a neat way to get your wedding guest chatting at your wedding reception! How? These retro goodies can serve as a wedding reception "table talker" that sparks great fun!

Simply have them printed in a custom font, with the bride and grooms name, wedding date and even the table number. Inside the "Cootie Catcher" have interesting facts and tidbits about you & your groom! Your guest will have a blast trying to figure out who the fact or tidbit is about! Sure to break the ice & create a fun atmosphere!!

Image credit: Etsy

Etiquette Monday - Thank you notes

A thank you note should be sent within 24-48 hours after an event. However thank you notes for gifts should be sent within 1 week after the event. {Please Note} Brides have one year to send out thank you notes for their wedding presents. However I personally think they should be sent out within 1-3 months after the wedding so that your guest still have some recollection of your wedding day!

When addressing the envelope always use an honorific title {Mr., Ms., Dr.} this also applies when you're writing the greeting or salutation of your note. The only exception is if you know the person very well.

There is nothing more special than the power of a hand written note!!

Don't be tardy for the party!

For my readers that follow me on Twitter its no secret that I am a fan of The Real Housewives of Atlanta even in all its uncouth glory. There is something about the show that makes me tune in each week & watch/tweet with all my twitter peeps. Its really a blast every Thursday night!

After one of the 1st seasons episodes I've had this blog post just sitting in my "blog hopper" just waiting to hit to launch button.

Brides & wedding professionals as you are meeting with our respected vendors & clients its very important to arrive at all meetings at least 5 minutes before the scheduled meeting...I honestly believe 15 minutes to allow for setup if needed.

I understand that traffic woes happen, I mean its happened to me a few times, but brides be mindful of your vendors time when arriving late for scheduled appointments & vendors be mindful of your clients time because it could all have a snowball effect if there are additional meetings planned afterwards.

This makes me think of the movie Lean on Me with Principal Joe Clark when he stressed to the students, "When your on time your late & when your late your on time" its funny to hear it come from the actor Morgan Freeman who played the principal but its a very true statement.

Its proper etiquette to call your event professional or client at least 10 minutes prior to your meeting alerting them that you are running a tad bit behind. Its however unacceptable to phone 10 minute after your scheduled meeting time to say that you are going to be late. It really all goes back to common courtesy and respect with working with clients and event professionals.

So I leave you with something a little jam session courtesy of Kim of The Real Housewives of Atlanta! Be sure to think of this song when you are headed out to your next consultation!!

Enjoy & have a great weekend!!

Etsy Spotlight - LaVieja Tun Tun

I have been researching upcoming bridal trends for 2010 & I am loving what I see for bridal accessories! Last week I had the pleasure of attending the oh so chic bridal fashion show at The Bride Room Nashville located in Green Hills & they showcased so many fabulous gowns! All those chic gowns were paired with amazing bridal jewelry & hair accessories. Many of the gowns were paired with amazing 3+ strands of pearls which created a very romantic look to the gowns.

LaVieja Tun Tun's Etsy shop has amazing bridal jewelry that would compliment the classic, shabby chic or vintage bride. Their designs can be custom order with your wedding color palette for you & your bridesmaids!!

Do you have a favorite? I sure do & its necklace #4!!

Nashville Eye Candy - Brocade Designs

Brocade Designs is located in the Arcade in downtown Nashville! I was so excited to showcase some of the great eye candy from Brocade Designs & Hillary Robson. I've worked with Hillary on a few projects & I am always impressed by her floral knowledge as well as she makes me crack up laughing with her witty personality!

The designs of Brocade are fresh, airy & very classic which compliments a classic or garden themed bride/wedding or event. Brocade has also provided amazing floral designs for TPAC and The County Music Hall of Fame events, just to name a few!! The staff at Brocade are very flexible and always accommodating in meeting the needs of Nashville brides & Nashville wedding professionals!

For more information on Brocade Designs be sure to take a peak at their website & wonderful blog!! Brocade is also a preferred vendor in Wedding 101 in The Franklin Factory!

Children at your wedding? Consider a Nanny Service

Are you pondering having children at your wedding & reception but cringing at the cost that may add up in providing them with a kid friendly menu? Why not consider a reputable nanny service in your city! I recently had the opportunity to work with Nannies of Green Hills and can not say enough great things about their communication prior to the wedding as well as throughout the event.

Some key things to consider when thinking of adding the expense of a reputable nanny service would be but not limited too:

• Agency Fees
• Nanny fees which typical range from $10-$12 per hour for a minimum of 4 hours
• Are they an accredited & certified Nanny Service
• Screening process for their nannies.
• Do they have a consistent reputation of professionalism & integrity
• American Red Cross certification
• Service area within your city

After you have made the decision to hire a qualified nanny agency its important to also consider how you will communicate with your guest about this extra special service that will be provided for your weddings special little guest:

• Your wedding website
• Invitation suite with an card that describes the service & proper drop off times, etc.
• The day of your event, have proper signs to ensure your wedding guest are aware of the drop off location for the Nanny service. This is something that you as a bride can design as a DIY project yourself, or partnering with your wedding coordinator to add that additional design service within your contract.
• Ensure your wedding guest are aware of the pick up policy at the end of the event. If their child is picked up at the end of the event they should be leaving your wedding & not returning to reception out of courtesy for your request to not have children at the actual reception!
• If you are aware that a few guest may challenge the nanny service its best to have conversations with those guest one - on - one prior to the day of your wedding. This creates a better environment for all parties involved & the check in process flows very nice!

Its a great idea to have games, kid friendly food & movies to keep your special little guest entertained, such as:

• Board games & coloring books with crayons are always a hit with children!
• Kid friendly foods, like chicken fingers or nuggets, hot dogs, chips, cookies, goldfish & other snacks makes for very happy children!
• TV & DVD player or portable DVD player. Movies can be rented for any Red Box for only $1 and returned the next evening by 9pm! {Cost Effective}
• Also if time permits within the evening, the bride & groom can stop by the designated kids area to thank them for coming to the wedding! Its makes even your smallest guest feel extra special!

Nashville brides you have an advantage of having The Nannies of Green Hills, LLC located in our city! Andrea Tilley is a true business woman & has the highest expectations for the nannies provided by her agency. I am very pleased with the communication leading up to the event, during & after events.

For additional information on The Nannies of Green Hills, LLC be sure to visit their website or contact the agency directly!

Etiquette Monday - How to hold a wine glass

Always hold your wine glass by the stem, never by the bowl of the glass!

In a table setting all glass & stemware are place in the upper right of your table setting. Your wine stemware is placed in order of service. Always begin with the wine glass closest to you. The water goblet is usually larger and is always placed to the left of the wine glass!

Image credit: Real Simple

Unique Unity Ceremony

Image Credit: personal Iphone

Today's brides are becoming very creative when planning their wedding ceremony. Its great as a wedding planner to work with clients that want to make their wedding day truly their own by capturing your unique personality!

Your unity ceremony can be a way for you to make your ceremony your own!

Recently one of my brides added a twist to the Unity Wine Ceremony. The most common unity wine ceremony consist of the bride and groom will each take a carafe/decanter and pour it into a single wine glass & each drink from that same glass. Most common that wine from their unity wine ceremony is brought to the reception for the happy couple to drink throughout the evening.

Chelsea & Jordan's unique twist to the unity wine ceremony consisted of having a custom wooden wine box designed with their custom wedding monogram {which was simply adorable}. During the ceremony they actually nailed the box closed and will reopen it after 25 years of marriage. The contents of their wine box consisted of 2 bottles of wine, 2 wine glasses & also personal notes to each other that will be read after 25 years of marriage!

If you want to have a similar ceremony for your wedding, its also important to consider a few things when selecting your wine.

• Select wines that will age well & hold up its acidity for several years.
• Its best to keep wines in a dry & constantly cooled with little to no movement/vibration.
• Custom wine glasses are great for the box to have a keepsake on your 25th wedding anniversary.
• If you are not familiar with wine, there are many wine shoppes that would very helpful in selecting just the perfect wines. For this particular ceremony the amazing gentleman at The Wine Shoppe of Green Hills in Nashville were wonderful in passing along their aging wine expertise.

As always make your wedding day your own by incorporating ideas that capture your personality as a couple!d

Congrats to Chelsea & Jordan!

Wishing Chelsea & Jordan & very special wedding day today! You can follow our updates on Twitter! Be sure to follow @BridalOpulence & @MrsSmith909 or #MrsSmith909weds

Looking forward to a Opulent Event!!!

Congrats!!

Nashville Wedding Eye Candy - Rachel Jasper Designs

I had the pleasure of formally meeting Rachel Jasper at a recent Ashley's Bride Guide Blogging Bootcamp a few weeks ago. Prior to that I connected with her via Twitter & I immediately fell in love with her custom wedding stationery goodies!

If you read my blog on a regular I have this love affair with great paper, and a true weakness for luxe paper...call me a paper snob if ya wanna! LOL. I love great thank you cards, invites, you name it. Well Rachel Jasper Designs delivers in all that is fresh & trendy for today's modern Nashville bride wanting to set the tone for her wedding or bridal shower.

I selected some of my favorite wedding eye candy, however follow her on Twitter & be sure to take a peak at her Etsy Shop - Rachel Jasper Designs!!

A Vintage Bride - The Look Part 2

Are you a vintage bride?

You have the dress, the accessories & vintage decor...another huge part of the bringing your look full circle is definitely your photography. I posted recently about the vintage/whimsical wedding of Christy & Alex & their wedding photographer Krista Lee really took their vision and created very timeless wedding photos.

When planning your vintage inspired wedding its very important to consider your venue for the perfect backdrop. Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville proved to be just the perfect venue in tying together this vintage inspired wedding.

Take a peak at a few of their vintage inspired images & tell me what you think?

Wedding Vendors:

Wedding Consultant: Bridal Opulence

Ceremony Venue: Scarritt Bennett Center

Floral: Vintage Florals by Melissa Broadwell

Reception Venue: Cannery Ballroom

Reception Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting

Catering: Chefs Market

Wedding Cake: Sweet Dreams Cookie Co.

The Winner is......

We recently posted a Opulent Favors Freebie on our blog, wanting to know your favorite wedding favor & why its your fave. In a random selection courtesy of random.org's die roller the winner is comment #3: cdziuba - who loves the Hershey Bar Custom Wrapper favor!

Congrats to reader Cdziuba!!

Please contact us via email at info@bridalopulence.com to redeem your freebie courtesy of Opulent Favors & Gifts!

{Opulent Wedding} - Vintage Bride

Christy & Alex were married at Scarritt Bennett's Wightman Chapel.

I worked with Christy for almost a year & she had an amazing vision for their wedding of vintage meets whimsical. Its very important for brides to allow their personality & character to come out when planning their wedding. The color palette for the wedding was red, robin's egg blue, & navy. The bride selected the perfect vintage tee length dress with a lace overlay that was absolutely adorable. Too add pops of color the brides bouquet was accented with pink & blue.

This picture fits their personality so well!

Floral design by the wonderful Melissa Broadwell of Vintage Florals. Navy & White damask runners provided a great contrast on the robin's egg blue linen.

Christy had a very unique vision for the reception lighting & who else but the fabulous Nashville Event Lighting to bring this vision to life!

Photography was by the fabulous Krista Lee Photography. Her team was amazing to work with and really captured the bride & grooms personality perfectly

In the next post, I can't wait to share the vintage inspired images from Krista Lee Photography! Stay tuned....

Nashville Wedding Eye Candy - Krista Lee Photography

Krista Lee Photography sent us some amazing Nashville Wedding Eye Candy! I had the pleasure of working with Krista & her wonderful team on a wedding in July and the images she captured were absolutely amazing! {Stay tuned!}

Krista has such an amazingly sweet & quiet personality and her work is the total opposite! Its edgy, classic, vintage inspired/whimsical & just down right sassy!

Nashville brides I highly recommend the work of Krista Lee Photography! For more amazing eye candy be sure to check out her website & blog!