Ashley Currie here again, owner of iHospitality and now newly engaged ABG Green Blogger!!! I look forward to providing many more resources in 2012 during my wedding planning process, as I love great budget finds plus "green" options.
I wanted to dive into bridal wear this month. No potato sack designs here, just organic and socially responsible wedding attire with chic, modern, traditional or vintage style.
So, what makes the bridal wear "green?"
1) The Material:
Cotton, Silk, Hemp, and Bamboo make up the major fabrics for current eco-friendly bridal designs. Alfred Angelo, a popular bridal designer created their Purely Alfred Angelo line with eco-friendly materials plus great design that appeals to all types of brides.
Bridal and Formal Shoppe - Purely Alfred Angelo
(line available here)
1630 S. Church St., Suite 119
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
615.890.7141
Website: Bridalandformalshoptn.com
Remember the 3 R's: Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. Bridal consignment is a great way to recycle and reuse bridal wear while saving money at the same time. Second Time Around by Peggy, a bridal consignment shop in Hendersonville, offers great dresses and updates their stock on a consistent basis.
Second Time Around by Peggy
121 Indian Lake Rd.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
615.822.6961
Website: SecondTimeAroundByPeggy.com
Left: picture by Second Time Around. Right: Picture courtesy of Lazaro catalog, available in size 10 at Second Time Around.
3) The Social Responsibility
Make sure your dress is made responsibly and not outsourced to sweatshops or other non-monitored facilities. Justin Alexander, a well known bridal designer, is a perfect example of a company that publicly talks about all they do towards maintaining social responsibility including: complying with relevant environmental regulations, minimizing waste, preventing pollution and establishing other key objectives to reduce their carbon footprint. Justin Alexander also makes an organic bridal line, PURE by Justin Alexander.
You've spent days, even months, searching for THE wedding dress. Whether you are restoring an heirloom, modifying an original, or simply cleaning your own gown after your big day, your dress is precious. While you may not think that where you take it matters, it does!
Oakwood Cleaners plays an important part in ensuring your dress is perfect, prior to your big day with fittings or after, preserving your memories forever.
When I mentioned Oakwood Cleaners to a recent bride, she replied, "Oh - I took my gown to Oakwood. I simply asked the most snobby woman I know where she took her dress and she said Oakwood. I knew she'd know the best place to take an expensive bridal gown for excellent service."
While her comment made me chuckle, we in the industry know that Oakwood is the trusted cleaner for gown care. But searching for a cleaner is not fun so we've done the research so you can enjoy other aspects of your wedding planning or get on with your new life together!
Meet Oakwood Cleaners
Contact Info
Name: Oakwood Cleaners
Main Contact: Rhonda Wernick
Phone: 615-620-6095
Email: Rhonda {at} oakwoodcleaners {dot} com
Twitter: @oakwoodcleaners
Facebook: facebook.com/Oakwood.Cleaners
Number of Years in the Business:
12 years
How did you get started in weddings?
We bought this wonderful business 6 months ago and one of the perks was our involvement in wedding gown cleaning, preservations, and alterations. It is so fun to come to our store at White Bridge Road and see all of the beautiful gowns.
What do you like most about weddings?
Watching the expression on the grooms face as the bride walks down the aisle. I also love all the creative ways everyone decorates the room and the different ways the food is served.
What's your favorite wedding picture and why?
Grace Kelly as a bride – she was gorgeous.
What is your service philosophy?
We know this is the most important time in your life and we want your experience here to reflect how special you are. We aim to do our best to make sure your wedding dress is altered to fit you like it was made for you and after your wedding, to clean your dress so that it looks as beautiful as you did wearing it on your special day.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? Why should a bride hire you?
We have one of the best wedding gown specialists here at Oakwood, DeNeal. She has a great eye for what can and needs to be done to your gown to make it fit like a glove. We also have our production manager at the plant, Natasha. She is our expert when it comes to cleaning your wedding gown, along with the girls that press it. Our employees at the White Bridge Road location have been thoroughly trained to carefully preserve your gown so it will look beautiful every time you open your box to take a peek. We strive to use the safest, earth friendly cleaning solutions so there will be no left over chemicals that could ultimately cause yellowing of your dress or odors.
Who are your favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?
Jayne Bubis Events (jaynebubisevents.com)
The Bride Room – Stephanie (thebrideroom.com)
Joy Marie Photography (joymariephoto.com)
Does your company do anything special that a green bride might want to know?
The gowns are dry cleaned using Green Earth® cleaning solvents. This is a silicone based cleaner that is earth friendly, gentle on fabric, delicate lace and bead work, and has no odor. We are a proud partner of Carbonfund.org, a leading nonprofit carbon offset and climate solutions organization. With each preservation we offset all carbon dioxide emissions that result from the process of cleaning and preserving your wedding gown – your trip to and from our specialist, all cleaning and the wedding chest’s manufacture.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
That any dress can be altered, no matter how big or small, and that we can get any stain or ground in dirt out of the gown. Some also believe that once their dress is preserved that they should not open the box for any reason. That being said, DeNeal does seem to work miracles with the gowns. I have seen her take a long sleeve, high neck gown and turn it into a sexy strapless vision. Natasha and the rest of our plant crew can take most gowns and restore them to their original state. We do ask that if you do want to look at your gown that you please open your preservation box and use the white gloves we have placed as often as you would like.
For any of your alteration, cleaning or preservation needs, please contact Oakwood Cleaners (www.oakwoodcleaners.com).
The White Room is officially making Black Friday, White Friday! Instead of shopping for stocking stuffers or standing in line for TV's, be strategic and shop for your dream dress for less and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
The White Room's White Friday Gown Sale will start Friday, November 25 from 8am - 2pm at it's two locations: one in Murfreesboro and one in Lebanon, TN. Each store will have hundreds of deeply discounted gowns that must go to make way for their new collections.
What you should know about the sale.
Prices will be from $99 and up. Gowns are on a cash and carry basis (cash and credit card are only forms of payment accepted). All sales final. No lay-away. They will also have formalwear (Prom) in both stores and tons of accessories.
What gowns/designers will be available?
I reached out to The White Room to give you an idea of the types of dresses and savings that will be available. I can't promise that these dresses will be unsold when you arrive but as of now, these and other great gowns are slated to be available on a first come first served basis.
The designers included are as follows:
LEBANON location will have gowns from Maggie Sottero, Allure, Casablanca, Pronovias, Stephen Yearick, Marisa
MURFREESBORO location will have gowns from: Maggie Sottero, Sottero & Midgley, Casablanca, Watters WToo Collection, ENZOANI, and Blue Mori Lee.
Prices will be from $99 and up.
Maggie Sottero “Tiffany” (in both stores) Original Price - $1469; Sale Price - $498 (left); and Maggie Sottero "Pamela" Original Price $799; Sale Price $198 (right)
Pronovias “Oleaje” Original Price $1250; Sale Price $298 (left); Pronovias “Malibu” Original Price $2268; Sale Price $998 (right)
Enzoani “Auburn” Original Price $1000; Sale Price $200 (left); Watters “Jasmine” Original Price $1348; Sale Price $600 (middle); and Stephen Yearick #13158 Original Price $3400; Sale Price $698 (right)
Our friends at The White Room in Lebanon, TN are hosting a Provonias Trunk Show this weekend. It is your opportunity to be among the first to see the newest 2012 designs from Pronovias. Plus, you will receive a discount on your Pronovias gown if purchased at this special event. The Provonias line features luxurious lace, rich fabrics, and regal beaded designs that we're told will leave you speechless.
Pronovias Trunk Show
The White Room LEBANON
Nov 10-12
Call now to schedule your appointment... (615) 449-9756
Here are a few of my favorites from the 2012 Pronovias collection. You will find dozens of gorgeous gowns at this week's trunk show.
I know what you're thinking. Is The White Room is worth the drive to Lebanon? Yes! Many of our readers have told us they LOVED their experience with The White Room. In fact, we happened upon this on their wall just this a few days ago...and she's in her Pronovias gown!
Two weeks ago, I hosted a wedding planning workshop with the super talented ladies of Kerried Away Couture and Love Bird Style. The event was extremely informative.
The evening started with a walk through of two real weddings by Jessica of Love Bird Style. Not only is Jessica a planner/designer but her own wedding, which took place at Historic Cedarwood, was featured on Style Me Pretty. She shared her wedding which was inspired by a quilt. She walked us through the color selection, theme and overall design. She then shared a second wedding and a mock inspiration board. Brides had a lot of questions about how to create their own inspiration board, which you can learn about via the video below.
Next up, Kerri and Lane of Kerried Away Couture. Kerried Away Couture offers custom bridesmaid dresses (locally and nationally). They discussed how custom bridesmaid dresses are designed, how to select appropriate styles and fabrics for your party and mothers.
Joy of Joy Chambers Photography was on hand to grab great photos and I manned the video camera to capture some great advice for you!
If you are a bride and were not able to attend the event, please take time to watch the videos below or reach out and contact Kerried Away or Love Bird Style for a consult for custom dresses or wedding design/planning.
Kerri (left); me (middle); Lane (right). Both ladies wore Kerried Away designs.
Video: Determining Your Wedding Style
Video: Creating Your Inspiration Board
Custom clutches by Kerried Away Couture
Custom bridesmaid skirt options by Kerried Away Couture
Video: Choosing Your Wedding Color Palette
Custom Kerried Away bridesmaid dresses for a fun, outdoor wedding
Video: Choosing Your Bridesmaids Dresses
Custom mother dress by Kerried Away Couture
Video: Choosing Colors for Your Mothers Dresses (Mother of Groom or Bride)
The Kerried Away Couture studio
Lane (left); Kerri (middle); Jessica (right)
It was great to meet Adrienne (left) a Nashville bride.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
Send us your wedding tips, creative ideas, or your own wedding
photos to share. We’d love to hear from you »
