Bridal Makeup Inspiration - Kandee Johnson

Sharing a favorite bridal/wedding makeup artist tip... from Kandee Johnson who is an amazing makeup artist that I discovered almost a year ago. She has a fun personality & her videos make using cosmetics fun & easy!

This video is great for brides wanting to experiment on their wedding day makeup look at home! I definitely advise using a makeup artist for your actual wedding day, however if you are a DIY bride this video is for you!

Be sure to check out Kandee Johnson's channel on YouTube, blog here and follow her on twitter here!

Its all in the details - Etsy Picks of the Week

Laser cutting is the best way to cut intricate & precise details in paper, wood, metal and many other materials. You know that I am all about the details and as I was researching laser cut wedding invitations I ran across so many other lovelies that I just had to share.

Of course Etsy is the best place to discover many laser cut options, below are my faves!!

Candy Spotting - laser cut greeting & thank you cards {Love the detail}

Megan Auman Laser cut ottoman, perfect detail piece for a wedding reception cocktail space.

Hannah Christie - laser cut light rain lamp. Awesome for Asian inspired events.

Publique Shop - Great laser cut paper goods!

Laser cut place mat, perfect table number or place card alternative

Birdcage place mats - perfect for the birdcage inspired wedding or bridal shower table number sign.

Are you considering laser cut items for your wedding? If so, I would love to hear about what you are doing!!! Drop us a comment!

Nashville Wedding Eye Candy - Crumb De La Crumb

Snowman Birthday Cake designed for Taylor Swift!

Love her reaction....so cute!

Crumb De La Crumb is a newcomer to the Nashville wedding community but definitely are not newbies in the wedding industry! Crumb De La Crumb is a creative cake company serving Nashville, Tennessee as well as the majority of the Middle Tennessee area. They specialize in contemporary designs that include edgy, whimsical as well as traditional.

What makes CDLC so different from other cake designers in the Nashville area, has to be their cake infusion process. Cake infusion consist of marinating a cake in various flavors such as mango, key lime, Godiva Liqueur, Vanilla Rum and so many other flavors. Cake infusion makes the cakes extremely moist & they really create a WOW factor in your mouth & tummy!!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Lorie Burcham who is the owner & cake artist during a local networking dinner but most recently experienced the "Crumb Experience" as I call it during a recent tasting. She was extremely professional, my bride & groom sincerely loved the tasting process with her as she was very open with design suggestions & very flexible. I would highly recommend Crumb De La Crumb to Nashville brides!!

Take a peak at some of their amazing designs here, flavor options here, and be sure to follow CrumbGal on Twitter!!

Enjoy the Eye Candy!!

Congrats Eco Beautiful Weddings

In continuing with our Eco Chic blog theme today, I would like to wish Eco Beautiful Weddings a great launch party! If you have not checked the great first issue, be sure to check it out here!

Interested in watching the EBW launch? Tune in to Marry Me Live... the party starts tonight at 6pm CST

Eco Chic Invites

Are you wanting to reduce your carbon foot print while you are planning your wedding? Well look no further, Martha Stewart {who needs no introduction} and Pingg the leader in online invitations and E-cards have joined forces!

I am loving the online invitation designs from the Martha Stewart Pingg collection. They are perfect to bridal showers, engagement parties & other events. What I really love is the fact that they don't look like the typical Evite, and also through Pingg they can be posted to your social networks! Perfecto!!

Don't you just love it?

To start designing your Martha Stewart Pingg series invite or e-card click here!

Personalize your wedding reception lounge

I absolutely love to work with brides that have a creative flair & want to personalize their wedding reception. By adding pops of color, a custom gobo, decor and custom monogram pieces you can take make your reception memorable & truly your own.

Couples are becoming very creative in incorporating their new initials into their wedding reception lounge area. It can serve 2 purposes, a customized wow factor for the reception & also they can then be incorporated into their new home as a accent piece for the decor after the wedding!

Image Credit

Queen of Cashmere designs these adorably chic custom cashmere pillows above, they are definitely for the luxe bride. All the Queen of Cashmere products are custom and typically take about 6 weeks to fully design...you can't rush great quality!

Image credit

Those pillows would definitely take the lounge area shown above to the next level!! Don't you think? If you plan to have a lounge area at your wedding reception how do you plan to customize it? Would love to hear your vision...drop us a comment!!

The Countdown Begins.....

Ceremony Music - Nashville Chamber Players

Diane Davich is the Musical Director of the Nashville Chamber Players. Diane is great to work with from a planner perspective, they are very professional, prompt & their communication prior to the wedding ceremony is stellar! She also offers and encourages Nashville brides to make their ceremony unique through their musical selections. From informal gatherings to the most formal affairs the Nashville Chamber Players should be on your planning list of contacts for wedding ceremony music.

The Nashville Chamber Players offer the Classical Elegance of Chamber Music performed by Nashville's finest musicians. They have performed for over 1000 events and are very experienced at wedding performance.

Some of their many clients have included Vice President Albert Gore, Princess Anne, Reba McEntire, Senator Fred Thompson, Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, James Garner, Lee Greenwood, Mayor Phil Bredesen, the Nashville Symphony and others.

Image Source & information

For more information on the Nashville Chamber Players visit their website here & to listen to a few wedding ceremony musical options click here! Enjoy the sounds of The Nashville Chamber Players!

Wedding Wire 2010 Brides Choice Winner - Press Release

Nashville, Tennessee – January 19, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Bridal Opulence has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Planning!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Bridal Opulence is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Bridal Opulence is among the very best in Wedding Planning within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today here!

About WeddingWire, Inc.

WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

**We are so excited to be rated in Wedding Wire & blessed to have such great clients that appreciate & value our service! Looking forward to a awesome 2010!**

Tweeple Spotlight - onelove photography

onelove photography was founded by Sara Wolfram, an award-winning photographer who freelances for Getty Images year-round. In addition to shooting weddings and families, Sara also works with acclaimed Oakland A's and San Francisco 49ers team photographer, Michael Zagaris. Based in the San Francisco area, She travels regularly on assignment throughout the world, spending time throughout Europe, India, Israel, and Costa Rica and continues to follow wherever beautiful light and clients demand. Sara is known for her warm, documentary-style, rich with emotion. Moments captured through her lens are honest and real, alive with vibrant color and natural light.

Its great how social media connects you with so many amazing people. Sara found me via Bridal Tweet a networking community for people in the wedding industry! I am so glad to connect with her and be able to share her company with Nashville brides as well of all my readers!

Engagement Photography Giveaway - onelove photography

Are you dying for some CREATIVE and AWESOME Engagement Photos?

Want a FREE Engagement session, a FREE disc of the images, and a FREE online gallery of your images!

Well then I want to photograph your engagement session! Just cover my expenses to get to your destination — (plane tickets, accommodations and food) – or if you’re in Los Angeles or San Francisco, no charge! — and receive a fantastic photographer meeting you and capturing gorgeous, artistic and creative images of you and your fiancé!

AND to top it off with whipped cream and a cherry on top, I will also give you a complimentary 11×14 of your favorite image from the session!

Win this $750+ package!

TO ENTER: send an email to sara{@}onelove-photo{dot}com and include:

1. Your names and contact information.

2. Wedding date and location.

3. Your love story – how you met and got engaged and anything else fun.

4. Share with us a picture of you and your honey (I love web & blog sites!) - show us your style and who you are!

5. Make us fall in love with you and tell us why I can’t miss shooting your awesome engagement session!

OFFICIAL RULES: winner is to provide:

1. Travel (if outside Los Angeles/San Francisco), accommodations, transportation (to/from airport), and food for Sara for two nights/3 days (I arrive 1 night before your shoot for location scouting, the night of your photo shoot to download and back-up all your AMAZING images, and to give you a SNEAK-PEEK and SLIDE SHOW before leaving!).

2. Entries must be received by Saturday, January 30, 2010 at midnight PST.

3. The lucky couple will be announced on Monday, February 1st, 2010!

4. All information is kept confidential and Sara Wolfram / onelove photography DOES NOT share or sell your information to ANYONE.

*Thanks Sara for sharing this great giveaway! Check out more information on onelove photography check out their website here & blog here!

Good luck!!

Bridesmaids + The Bride Room = A Good Combination

The Bride Room caters to brides & their bridesmaids with styles for every body type, every budget & every wedding!

Be sure to make an appointment in their intimate bridesmaid loft to shop for the newest collections from Lela Rose, Amsale, Watters, Jim Hjlem and Lazaro. The Bride Room offers streamlined online ordering that makes it super easy for bridesmaids that are local or out of town.

For more information & to book your appointment in their intimate bridesmaid loft call 615.297.9899 or email thebrideroom {at} comcast {dot} net.

Be sure to follow The Bride Room on Twitter!

Nashville Eye Candy - Kristyn Hogan Photography

Kristyn Hogan Photography offers a fresh artistic vibe to wedding photography. I had the pleasure of formally meeting Kristyn at a recent Nashville Wedding open house at CJ's Off the Square. However we had connected via Twitter prior to this open house!

I fell absolutely in love & became a #Kristyn Hogan Groupie when she posted pics from a Mexico destination wedding of Sandra & Antonio! Check it out here. During the time of the shoot, there was actually a hurricane & Kristyn produced some amazing work! So needless to say she is very resilient and committed to creating amazing images for her clients.

Kristyn Hogan Photography has been a well kept secret within the Nashville, Iowa wedding community however I know that 2010 will be an amazing year for KHP!! Nashville brides, Kristyn is definitely a photographer that is committed to her clients & committed to her work!

For more information on Kristyn Hogan Photography visit her website here, blog here & be sure to follow her on twitter!

Venue Spotlight - W.O. Smith Music School

Planning weddings & events has proven to be very enjoyable for me! I love meeting new clients, special event details, flowers, design boards & more recently discovering new & exciting venues. Being in Nashville there are so many amazing event venues, but I really love it when clients have the desire to experiment/trust me and try new venue sites that are "off the radar" for many Nashville brides.

The W.O. Smith Music School, tugs on the heartstrings of a bride that wants a trendy venue but also has a philanthropic heart to give back to the community. The space is modern, flexible, has great natural & event lighting & convenient to downtown Nashville. Since 1984 the W.O. Smith School has introduced thousands of interested and deserving children within the Middle Tennessee area to the world of music.

The school is primarily supported by gifts, grants, arts councils, private & corporate donations.

Contemporary lobby is perfect for an elegant cocktail hour!

The Ira Hunter & Merrydale Woods Recital Hall seats around 150 for a formal reception or cocktails and the lobby capacity accommodates 150, so they have a capacity of 300 when utilizing both spaces.

Image Credit: Iphone day pics & Evening photo

For more information on the W.O. Smith Music School visit their site here. If you are musically inclined, be sure to inquire on how you can volunteer your time & give back to the Nashville Community!!

Top 5 Misconceptions about Diamond Engagement Rings

It seems like there are endless facts out there when you start researching engagement rings. From the 4C’s of diamond buying to the number of months salary you should spend on a ring, the ‘experts’ are always telling you how, and what, to buy. But what about the many wrong ideas buyers encounter as they search for the ideal proposal jewel? It’s time to take a look at the top five misconceptions about diamond engagement rings.

1. Only Size Matters

Let’s face it: If she only cares about the size of the rock, she’s probably not the right girl. But all kidding aside, most women aren’t looking for the largest ring out there; they’re looking for the ring that fits their style and personality. Women are educated about diamond color and clarity, and they too want to own a diamond that will hold its value--not a stone that is big but low in quality. Instead of going overboard in size, take the time to explore what kind of cut she likes and then go for the best quality that your budget allows.

2. Same is Better

While women sometimes envy a handbag or pair of shoes that a friend owns, they usually are not interested in having the exact same engagement ring as a friend or relative. Today, women truly value a special piece of jewelry that speaks to their husband’s ability to seek out the unique. The best tactic is to take the characteristics of another ring she likes, but then put a spin on it. For example, if she loves her cousin’s white gold, three-stone diamond engagement ring with a princess cut diamond, look for something in a similar style but with a twist: like this Three Stone ring made for a round center stone.

3. Matching bands are necessary

For a while, every single bridal designer was marketing a matching band with each engagement ring offered. While it might make the process easier for some brides and grooms, this notion of ‘matching sets’ has become a bit outdated. As engagement rings have become more unusual and less status quo, bands too have taken a turn for the unique. Women today are opting to stack simple bands as anniversary gifts, or to choose statement bands that they instead wear on their right hand.

4. White is Always Right

Yes, it’s still true that white diamonds and white metal are the number one choice for engagement rings. But it’s also true that women are much more open-minded to seeing alternate materials and colors in that little box. Yellow gold and Rose gold are seeing a renaissance in engagement rings right now, and rose is an especially flattering metal on most any skin tone. Colored diamonds are also experiencing a surge in popularity, and are a fantastic choice for an unconventional bride. A deep orange-yellow diamond ring or a natural yellow diamond floral ring may be just the thing to make her say ‘yes’.

5. You need to be an expert

Rest assured, you do not need to be a gemologist to choose the right diamond, nor a fashion expert to choose the right setting. Three simple steps can make the right choice a snap: First, do a bit of homework. Second, choose a reliable resource when shopping for diamond engagement rings. Third, make sure your stone is properly insured.

Shop all these styles and much more at Jewels Boutique.