Debbie + Carlos: Nashville Wedding Planner Has a Hollywood-Style Wedding of Her Own (with Karaoke!)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

We love sharing real weddings with our readers, and this one is a treat! Not only is the bride a wedding planner, but the affair had an Old Hollywood theme! Who doesn't love Hollywood?! And since Debbie is from New York, she wasn't looking for your typical Southern wedding. Taking their love for the theater, Debbie and Carlos chose to create a theme that every guest would love. This included guests finding their seats at the reception with movie tickets and enjoying a popcorn bar.

We also love things that aren't always tradtional. In this case, it's the wedding party - it was all male. Debbie had her two brothers as "Men of Honor" and her one-year-old nephew as the "Ring Dude." Carlos chose his brother as his best man and two best friends for groomsmen to complete the party.

The classy black and white evening was shot by Karen Alisa Photography. Karen also took the bridal party to Events on 3rd (the old Nashville Dinner Theater). The space made for grand, Hollywood-esque photos with its red staircase, exposed brick, and overall charm. We hope you enjoy the photos and theme!

Debbie + Carlos
Date ~ August 27, 2011
Ceremony ~ Holy Name Catholic Church
Reception ~ Hilton Garden Inn- Vanderbilt
Guests ~ 90

Budget

$10,000 - $20,000

Wedding Team

Planner | Me! I have my own business, Wedding Designs by Debbie
Day of Coordinator | Beautiful Weddings by Beth Anne - my teacher in wedding planning! (bethannesbeautifulweddings.com)
Photographer | Karen Alisa Photography
Gown | David’s Bridal
Bride Accessories | I made both headpieces myself and my veil was created from my mom’s veil.
Groom’s attire / groomsmen attire | Men’s Warehouse
Hair | Alicia at Altra Salon
Makeup | Susannah Smith White
Stationery | My own! - Wedding Designs by Debbie
Ceremony musicians | Singers - Tyson and Cori Laemmel and Josh Waldrep; Lee Druce on piano and organ
Reception Musicians | JD Music
Transportation | Nashville Luxury Limos
Caterer | Hilton Garden Inn
Cake Artist | Dulce Desserts - we had a two-tier cake and a side cake
Dessert Table | We had many different desserts (aside from our cake) including tartlets, red velvet cupcakes, lime meltaways, and cannoli's from Savarino's.
Floral Designer | Green Finch Floral Design - my bouquet had black magic roses and red feathers! (greenfinchfloraldesign.com)
Guest Accommodations | Hilton Garden Inn Vanderbilt

Wedding Details

We had an afternoon ceremony at Holy Name Catholic Church in East Nashville. This was followed by a cocktail hour at the Hilton Garden Inn-Vandy, then a sit down dinner reception with dancing and karaoke. The ballroom at the HGI is located on the 9th floor penthouse with views overlooking Downtown Nashville.

How would you describe your style as a couple?

We are very dramatic. We met doing theatre and wanted our wedding to show our love of artistic design.

How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?

We chose an overall style of Old Hollywood and our colors were black and white, with red as the accent color only in flowers. We started with the save the dates and had a friend, who is a videographer, take photos of us like we were in film noir movies. Those pictures were also incorporated in the table numbers.

At our ceremony, the programs were rack cards with a red curtain opening on the front (like an old movie theater).

For our reception, we had a movie poster of Carlos and I at the entrance of HGI that directed people where to go. Once at the ballroom we had a red carpet step and repeat banner with a photographer taking pictures of the guests as they arrived. He printed them out for them to take home and to be slipped in the clap board place cards at the tables. I created escort cards that were movie tickets corresponding to the table numbers, which were movie titles and pictures that Carlos and I took (all in black and white). I came up with movie titles that were based on Film Noir and 1930-1950's movies. Example: Citizen Garcia, Beauty and the Beard, The Lady From New York, etc. We also had a popcorn bar!

What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?

Our first dance. Two of our friends Zack Gresham and Jillian LaFave from Umbrella Tree, arranged, played and sang Ben Fold’s “Luckiest”.

Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?

We did not splurge at all. As a wedding planner, I knew shortcuts. Even though a lot of the wedding details seemed high end, I was able to bring costs down considerably by doing it myself. I think the invitations were the most extravagant, but since I sell them, they were at cost, plus I added my own touches to make them special.

Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?

I would have had some sort of greeter at the cocktail hour. We wanted the movie/old Hollywood theme to expand by having a step and repeat banner that guests took photos in front of. They were then printed out and guests took the photos and put them in the place card clapboard frames at the tables. I think there was too much going on and many people missed out on that aspect.

In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?

Do not worry about all the details, make it your own and be sure to not over spend.

Thanks for sharing your wedding with us Debbie and Carlos!

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings 1 comment »

Josh + Erin Share Their Engagement Story + Details on Their Industrial-Vintage DIY Wedding!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

We first met Erin and Josh at our bootcamp, The Smart Bride: Wedding Planning Workshop, back in January. Through their short interview, the two told us that the workshop helped them figure out how realistic their budget was and how Josh could be involved in helping Erin plan. From what we've seen so far, Erin and Josh have definitely made their budget work for them! We are so glad they reconnected with us to share their awesome engagement photos!

Shot by Becca Yager, their photos have a very personal edge as they chose locations they love. Some of their photos were taken at their favorite record shop, but most were captured at Old Made Good, an East Nashville shop that repurposes vintage furniture and antiques and sells hand-made jewelry and art from local artisans.The owners, Kate and Ashley, invited the couple to have their photos taken there at the very last minute and provided several props. "They were so hospitable about it and have become friends of ours since then," says Erin.

The couple will wed in Nashville's Germantown area with their reception at Marathon Village. A twist on the popular vintage style, Erin and Josh are leaning towards "industrial" vintage (read on to find out more!). Most of their wedding is DIY and Josh, a local DJ, is doing some of the DJing.

Enjoy their wedding plans and fun vintage photos!

Erin + Josh

Engagement Date ~ December 8, 2010

Wedding Date ~ November 19, 2011

How they got engaged.

Last fall, after spending weeks looking for the perfect engagement ring for Erin, Josh finally found the one. The one with both Josh and Erin's birth stones in the shape of a heart. Josh ordered the ring and waited. And waited some more. And then it came in the mail. And Josh immediately knew this ring would burn a hole in his pocket if he didn't propose as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Erin was hoping Josh was planning to propose during Christmas, slightly fearful that he'd wait until New Years, and extremely afraid he was holding out for Valentine's Day. She originally thought he might propose back in April when they were moving him across the country, but Josh is a bit of a slow mover.

So, with ring burning in his pocket all day, Josh drove home from work, hoping to meet Erin at home where they could take Jasper for a walk together and he could drop on a knee in a scenic location in East Nashville.

Erin had other plans. Mostly that she wanted to have dinner with their friend Taylor. And so they went to dinner. And the ring continued to burn in Josh's pocket. He thought of proposing as they were leaving for dinner, but Erin was on the phone with her parents half the drive. And the ring burned on.

Growing slightly antsy on the drive home, Josh tried to figure out how to propose. As they parked outside the house, he told Erin there was something funny he'd seen while walking Jasper earlier that she needed to see. So, in the dark, he led her down the block, pointed into the dark between two houses and, as she turned away from him, he got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and asked her to be his wife.

With the closeness to the holidays, Erin was shocked at the "early" proposal and exclaimed, "But it's just a Wednesday!" Then she started to cry and said that of course she'd marry him.

And then they spent the rest of the night on the phone and driving all over Nashville announcing the news to all their friends.

How many guests are you expecting?

We invited about 180, but we're expecting about 110-125 people.

What is your wedding budget?

$12,000

Who have you hired for your wedding team?

Ceremony Venue | Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reception Venue | Marathon Village
Photographer | Becca Yager did the engagement session and we're lucky enough to have her for the wedding too!
Catering | Down South Delights (Rita Rowland is amazing!)
Videographer | Ryan Bernal (also awesome!)
Bridesmaid dresses | Kerried Away Couture
The rest is all us, Old Made Good and Etsy!

Tell us about your fun wedding style.

Do-it-yourself, Nashville industrial vintage. Lots of lace, gingham, bowties, jeans and old work boots. We want it to look like a bunch of old-time factory workers who got cleaned up for a dance.

After a traditional Catholic ceremony, we're having a very laid-back reception where everyone can loosen up and enjoy themselves. Beyond serving dinner and a few toasts, the rest of the night will be one big party! Lots of drinks, dancing (Josh is a DJ and couldn't resist DJing his own wedding, at least for a little while) and merriment. No need to interrupt the good time by tossing bouquets and garters or doing money dances.

Tell us about your invitations.

We had parts of it printed but then crafted a lot of it ourselves.

You fell in love with the shops where you took your engagement photos.  What made that special?

We love Old Made Good! (oldmadegood.com) We have bought several decorations, furniture and other bits and pieces for the wedding (and our apartment) from the OMG girls. We first met them a few weeks before our engagement photo session and quickly became friends. They offered to let us use their shop and property for our photos and we ended up spending most of the day with Becca Yager there before pulling off a few shots in Grimey's, our favorite record store. We went to Old Made Good because we wanted a quirky, vintage feel, which they are all about, and we love to support our local artisans, craftsmen and women. We wanted to go to Grimey's because we are avid vinyl collectors and music is a huge part of why we fell in love.

Many thanks to Erin and Josh for sharing their engagement story with us! We were so happy to hear from you! Good luck with your upcoming nuptials - we hope to see more photos afterward!

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Posted by Megan | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides 0 comments »

Incredible Offer: Complete Wedding Photography for $1900 with The Collection’s Newest Photographer

Thursday, September 22, 2011

We are delighted to announce the arrival of The Collection's newest wedding photographer, Sarah Richmond!  Sarah is offering the first 5 brides that secure her for their wedding a Premier Wedding Photography Package for only $1900 (vs $2800).   If you have started searching for your wedding photographer, you probably have learned that finding a full photography package for less than $2000 is nearly impossible.  So, take advantage of this very rare opportunity - get great photos and save!

Special Offer Includes:

~ 6 hours of wedding day coverage with 2 photographers and 1 assistant

~ Wedding Day Image Collection Disc w/ Certificate of Reprint Rights

~ Facebook uploads of select images

~ Online slideshow of select images

~ Secure lifetime archival of all wedding day images

~ All images placed on Pictage.Com...and all for $1900 vs $2800

Who is Sarah:

Quite literally a small town girl, born and raised just south of Detroit. Since her childhood, Sarah has had an inherit love for a simple story and 80's power ballads. Photographing moments in the lives of her clients over the past two years, Sarah has discovered renewed inspiration to capture the beauty in the simplest of life's details.

These days Sarah lives in Franklin, TN with her best friend/husband Rob and their ridiculously entertaining children- none of whom share in her appreciation for an epic love song. When not busy photographing, Sarah and family love spending time together at the beach, reading good books, and most importantly eating large amounts of chocolate ice cream.

Her Portfolio:

Click here to see Sarah's wedding portfolio and bio. Please enjoy some of my favorites from her portfolio below.

Only the first 5 couples that hire Sarah will get the special promo so contact The Collection asap.  {Phone: 615.915.0093 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)}

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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Photography 0 comments »

Easy Ways to Save On Your Nashville Wedding Cakes & Desserts with Tips from Crumb de la Crumb

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Staying within budget is an important part of wedding planning for every couple. No matter what your budget, there are elements that you have dreamed of that you want to find ways to include in your big day. We sat down with Lori from Crumb de la Crumb to find out a few ways to save on your wedding cakes and desserts.

ABG: Can you share with us some ways for brides and grooms to save money on their wedding cake or desserts while still getting what they have always envisioned?

CRUMB DE LA CRUMB: The first thing is to be honest and upfront with your budget. If I know what your budget is, and I know we can’t meet it, I don’t want to waste your time. If a client doesn’t put a budget on our info form, we encourage them to do that so that we can know whether or not we can work with them up front.

If a client still wants to work with us but we can’t do exactly what they originally wanted, there are a couple of options we can offer:

~ We can make a simpler cake with fewer details and embellishments that will bring the cost down a bit.

~ Or, we can make a smaller cake that will feed up to 100 people.

~ If a couple is having more guests than that, they can get our smaller custom cake and then cupcakes or a kitchen cake (a basic sheet cake without design that is pre-cut in the kitchen). That will save about half on the remaining servings.

Be sure to contact Crumb de la Crumb for all of your event dessert needs. And remember that being upfront with your vendors is the first step to getting the wedding of your dreams for the budget you have in mind!

All photos courtesy of Crumb de la Crumb.

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Posted by Newlywed Sara | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Cakes & Catering, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Brides, Wedding Resources 1 comment »