Nashville Wedding Planner | A Delightful Day Event Planning Blog

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Engagement Photographer

Drew and I had the great fortune of trekking across a mini-mountain {me in ballet flats, Drew in cowboy boots} one GORGEOUS January Friday with Brett Price. By the time we got to the top {with a landing and the most stunning view}, I was peeling off layers and Drew had a new friend:) 

I'm saving some of the BEST for our save-the-dates and to display at our wedding, but Brett just totally blew me away with these. With a film-making degree from UNC's School of the Arts, Brett shoots with film and digital cameras {he pulled out at least five different varieties at our session}.  He even develops his own film in his self-created darkroom {a repurposed bathroom!}. Second-shooting for Jamie Clayton has helped him navigate through the world of wedding photography, but his natural and inherent talent speaks volumes on its own.

Brett Price is professional, visionary, an incredible photographer. And after hours of chatting about movies and rock-climbing adventures, Drew wants to be BFFs with him now. :) It takes a lot to make Drew comfortable posing for countless portraits and being goofy on film, but Brett made both of us immediately feel at home, holding our vintage suitcases and kissing and laughing nonstop.  And he truly captured the essence of our relationship. As cliche as that sounds, look at these pictures and you can't help but to see our personalities and love for one another. AHHH, adore!!!!!!

Swoon!

Interested in Brett Price's work for your wedding/engagement session/what-have-you? Email me at kelly@adelightfulday.com or email him directly!

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Beautifier

While I don't hope "it's all downhill from here," I am striving to be the prettiest I've ever been on my wedding day. {See? Prettiest thus far. I can still be prettier later.} Call it vain, superficial, whatever… our wedding day will definitely be the most documented day of my life, so why not look lovely on it? I've never had my hair or makeup legitimately professionally done. {Granted, I have had a couple of ex-makeup-counter-maven moms-of-friends do my prom makeup and gone to salons for horrible lacquered-curl updos from grades 8 to 12. I'm going to say for the sake of "professionalism," those don't count.} While I debated back-and-forth quite a bit about whether I wanted to go big or go home {after all, my matrons of honor are quite handy with a set of hot rollers and eyeshadow}, I finally figured that a couple hundred dollars to look STUNNING in all those $$$$ wedding pictures/videos was absolutely, totally worth it.

Who was I kidding, anyways? I've really been trying to be the most considerate bride ever to my bridesmaids {after the whole "hey guys, can you return those fugly dresses I made you buy last week, pretty please?!" episode}, and how considerate is it to deem your matrons of honor responsible for making you look flawless on camera and in real life? Not very. I want to be chill and cool and fun and very PRESENT on my wedding day, and that's not so likely to happen if I'm bossing around my bests to "get to curlin'." Not to mention, there were a couple occasions in high school when I'd make my sister take off the makeup she just meticulously applied on my face because "I want eyeliner on my top AND bottom lashes but not liquid liner, and it needs to be darker/lighter/more dramatic/less dramatic/more neutral/etc…" If I was anal retentive about high school homecoming, I should probably just hand over the reins to a professional who does this for a living and stop stressing. I've never seen anyone who looks less than impeccably gorgeous coming from Amy Lynn Larwig.  Not to mention, after observing countless consultations she's done here in the Studio, I know I'll get to enjoy the musical stylings of Britney and Rihanna while she's beautifying me! Amy Lynn is fun and EXTREMELY talented at what she does. I have full confidence that I will emerge from her beauty chair as the lovely blushing bride I dream of being! Now, for a little hair and makeup inspiration... {From top left, clockwise:  neutral hues, smoky eyes, red lips, curled and blond, curled and blonder, brown curls and green drops, bangs!, brown sideswept, pink & black, tawny, brown rolls, fascinator.}

Amy Lynn, I am so excited to work with you!!! I can't wait for my consultation and I am so excited to have you work your magic on me for our wedding! :)

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Cake

I probably couldn't count the number of times I have heard other wedding-industry folks saying, "I am so over wedding cake." And I can't tell you how far from truth that statement is for me! To say I l-o-v-e wedding cake is an understatement. My obsession with wedding cake is ranked just SLIGHTLY below my obsession with wedding dresses, if that tells you anything. Every single occasion I get to try different bakeries, flavors, or even just varieties of plain classic white wedding cake, I seize. {To the chagrin of my efforts to lessen my sugar intake.}

I could look at beautiful towering tiers of cake, architectural creations, stunning details, and elaborate designs all day long... but what's TRULY important to me is taste. My parents raised me to be a food {especially dessert} snob, and my standards are not low.  I may try every slice of cake I can get my hands on, but that doesn't mean I love them all without discernment.

Here are my standards:

1.  Must taste incredible {FLAVOR!}.

2. Must be moist and fluffy, but not sticky or gooey.

3. Must look beautiful. Not necessarily anything elaborate or crazy, just beautiful.

4. Must have options of flavors. I like plain white wedding cake, but I like it with a twist.

5. PREMIUM. INGREDIENTS.

6. BUTTER. Not oil, not shortening. Not anything but BUTTER!!!!!

7. This goes with the previous statement, but must have an incredibly good buttercream. I do not do fondant. And even if it's "good-tasting" fondant, I am a buttercream purist. Give me buttercream or give me death.

Fortunately, I was able to work with our budget and move a couple of numbers around to make it work to have my FIRST CHOICE BAKER...  

Dulce Desserts! The sweet little bakery across the street from StudioWed is notorious for making THE BEST cakes a bride can find! I have swooned over their buttercream since I first tasted it... it is truly unlike anything else out there. Indescribably delicious! Juanita's cakes are moist and fluffy, her frostings are out-of-this-world good, her fillings are scrumptious, and she has a SERIOUS talent for decorating. You simply step foot in Dulce Desserts and your mouth begins to water. {It smells that good in there!!!!} Her work is gorgeous, she's the sweetest person to work with, and her cakes are simply unbeatable. I didn't even bother taking Drew to any other cake tastings... after two years of weddings, bridal shows, and open houses, I knew what I wanted.

Cake Inspiration (from my Pinterest)

I won't spill the details of which flavors we're thinking or which design we decided upon, but I will give a hint:  it totally fits the pretty, classic, elegant, simple but lovely mood we're going for! :)

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Lighting

Just as God said, "Let there be light!", the second I walked into the Livery Stables {where we're saying our I dos!}, I knew I'd be making the same declaration soon. I love love love the barn feel of our wedding venue and can't be thankful enough that I won't be sweating-at-the-wedding, but one of the drawbacks of having an entirely indoor wedding site in an authentic barn is that there is VERY little natural daylight. We have the option of opening two of the huge sliding barn doors {there's one in front of the ceremony altar and one in the back that leads to the little green porch} and there are two teensy little windows on the side doors leading to parking, but there's still a lot of darkness to overcome. And while they do have these dimmable gorgeous black antique lanterns that hang from the ceilings, I've just always had my heart set on having the ambience of Italian string lights at my wedding.

{from Alisha & Erik's wedding}

Enter Nashville Audio Visual. They have a large selection of lighting options for brides {everything from string lights to chandeliers and more!} and the most competitive prices on the market.  I want to Belle Meade-ify the Livery Stables a little by making it look richly lit. What better way than swags of gorgeous string lights, "candlelight"-colored accent lighting, and spotlights on our scrumptious, beautiful wedding cake and bar?

{from Ambra & Aaron's wedding}

Needless to say, I'm stoked. And my guests won't be sitting in the dark! :)

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Planner

What does a wedding planner do when she gets engaged? Hires her own wedding planner, of course!  Despite the fact that I'm doing the legwork in advance of the big day, it was blatantly obvious from the start that I needed to hire someone to be my day-of contact and director. Hiring someone to be the "boss" on the day of your wedding is, indeed, an investment but one that pays back its worth thousands of times over. When July 21st rolls around, you better believe I am going to be taking a backseat, stepping away from my day job, and becoming Mrs. Bride-to-Be. I've had several experiences in this whole planning process where I've felt more like a planner than a bride, but you had better believe I'm going to be playing the role of Bride when the time comes. No bossing people around, no keeping track of what time it is. I am going to be 98% focused on what's MOST important:  I am marrying the man of my dreams. {Wow. It feels so crazy and emotional to write that! My heart literally fluttered. Mmm.} There will be a two-percent of focus on taking mental pictures 24/7, staying conscientious of every little moment, and living the surreal reality of the day and noticing/caring about how my dreams came to fruition... but ultimately, I'm going to be in a lovestruck daze.

{photo by Kristyn Hogan}

And who better to give the reins to than the woman who led me first to this beautiful, wonderful career I love so much?  I owe so much to Mary Alice Sublett {owner of A Delightful Day Event Planning and StudioWed Nashville} for allowing the 20-year-old, enthusiastic, wedding-obsessed college-student "me" an internship my junior year. And for letting me tag along to planning appointments, venue meetings, bridal shows, and industry events.  And for giving me responsibility, letting me see firsthand the crazy-chaotic wonderful world of ACTUAL weddings and what goes on behind the scenes.  And then for asking me to come back and be the Studio Manager here in November 2010, and for presenting me with the opportunity to work directly with other wedding vendors so I could accumulate all my lovely little jobs that allow me to do what I love and still survive post-college.

{Me, Mary Alice, Leigh, and Nicole from Asheville at the StudioWed Grand Opening in 2010!!!}

Mary Alice is the original Wedding Fairy Godmother.  When I was a senior planning my high school prom back in 2007, I remember reading A Delightful Day's blog for event inspiration.  That was my first exposure to the lovely world of wedding planning... a distant, fantasy world I only knew from things like Father of the Bride and the occasional Martha Stewart Weddings. During the first few weddings I shadowed with Mary Alice, I saw her assuming the role of comforter, advice-giver, boutonniere-pinner, guest-herder, decoration-transporter, skirt-fluffer, bustle-pinner, quality controller, and more.  She was the person everyone looked to, to answer their questions. Always composed {even when emotions were high}, professional, prepared {SO prepared... emergency kits, full contracts & details organized to a tee, clipboard in hand and iPhone at the ready!}. Brides never had any question that they'd miss their bouquet toss or cut their cake too late... Mary Alice was on the go, warning all the appropriate vendors what was coming up, communicating with the emcee, and gently tapping the shoulder of the parties necessary to complete whatever was ahead.

This woman knows where every parking lot is in the greater Middle Tennessee area, how much they cost, and how shady they are after dark.  She's worked with practically everyone, and can direct you to the perfect place to find whatever you need:  be it affordable but delicious cakes, the florist who goes above and beyond, a photographer for every price point... even the DJ she used at her own wedding! She knows the circuit like it's her backyard.  I have no problem whatsoever leaving it all up to her and her staff to connect the dots on our wedding day. I know she'll tell me if I have lipstick on my teeth, make sure my train and veil are properly fluffed and ready, and ensure that I eat SOMETHING before we jet-set in our vintage car to say adieu. My next project? Figuring out a way to video-conference Leigh Barker in on Mary Alice's iPhone on my wedding day so she can be there for everything while she's simultaneously saving the world for another lucky bride.  Trust me, I have gone through serious mourning over the fact that I can't have Leigh physically right there by my side for everything.  The three of us have been a team since I started back in January 2010 and it just isn't right for one-third to be missing when I get married!! Leigh always laughs when I "shoulder dance" in the background at clients' weddings... she needs to be there for fully-fledged REAL dancing. And to see how everything falls into place after years of hearing me say, "Oh, we're definitely doing that at our wedding!" or "I'm totally wearing this when I finally get married!"  Leigh played one PIVOTAL part in helping make Drew's proposal a surprise for me {seriously, she could be an actress-- that convincing!!!}, and she was one of the first few people I called after getting engaged.  While I'm secretly wishing the other bride would change her date, I will settle ONLY if we can figure out SOME WAY to have her be there while she can't really be there.  And then maybe having a "watch party" after the fact when we get our wedding video from McNeal!!! And then maybe definitely REQUIRING her to be there when we renew our vows {you know we will}.

Mary Alice and Leigh, you guys are the best ever. Thank you for taking me on two years ago and for all of your help with planning this wedding!!!!

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Videography

If you tuned in last week, I explained that the number-one priority for our wedding day to me is sufficient, beautiful, lovely, extensive documentation of the day. I am pouring my heart and soul into the planning and execution of our wedding and while it is obviously not the be-all-end-all of our MARRIAGE, it is a huge milestone and a symbolic ritual celebrating our love for one another and our lifelong dedication to each other in front of God and our loved ones. It's the kickoff of our marriage. And as crucially important as those vows are going to be, I don't want to forget a single line.

I want to relive the moment Drew sees me for the first time as his bride {a vision in white!}. I want to eternalize the change in my father's countenance as he meets me at the stairs when I come to walk down the aisle. And as much as I know I'm probably going to sob my ways through my vows, I want to be able to hear them over and over. I want to hear Drew take me as his wife, "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live." I'll hear it all on the day-of, of course, but judging from my experience getting engaged, it goes by SO FAST. The day will be a blur of excitement, happiness, euphoria, and blissful chaos. I'll be present in it, but I don't want a second of it to get lost. I want to hold on to it.  I want to show it to my children, let them hear their mother's and father's voices making that commitment years ago.  I want to watch it with my husband on every anniversary, hear our dear friends singing and playing heartwrenching violin solos.  I want to be able to see my sweet infant niece carried by her father years after she's grown.  I want to have a lasting record of Drew's and my grandmothers dancing and laughing with friends.  I want to hear the prayer said over me by my bridesmaids minutes before we make our descent down the stairs, long after it's been said.  I want to be 92, holding my husband's wrinkled hand, and watch the look on his face as the seventy-years-younger image of myself walks down the aisle to the song he wrote me decades and decades ago.

As my dear friend Lynette has said, time and time again, "Sometimes only video will do."  Fortunately for Drew and myself, Lynette and her amazing team at McNeal Wedding Films will be documenting every step, laugh, banter, smile, tear, and song on our wedding day.  From the moment my mother and sister help me into my dress  until Drew and I climb into our getaway car and wave goodbye, we will have our most special day taped start-to-finish.  We will have the tremendous fortune to relive every moment in vivid detail.

Things I'm particularly excited to have recorded forever:  My hilarious sister giving her speech. {There is NO telling what will come out of her mouth.} Our vows, of course. Dancing with my husband and my father. Our officiant's spiel on making a lasting marriage. Friends dancing ridiculously. AST's traditional sorority sing.  Feeding each other delicious wedding cake. Inevitably crying all day long. Being announced in as husband and wife! Our declaration as "Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Dellinger!" So, so many moments.

Lynette, I am so blessed to have you as a friend and colleague. I have tremendously enjoyed the past eight months of working with you directly, listening to your sound advice, sharing stories, and seeing weddings through your eyes. Drew and I are so so so excited to have you be right there with us throughout our wedding day... thank you for everything!!!

And now, as a surprise extra special feature, here's the long-awaited proposal video! Drew hid a camera in his computer desk when he proposed, so you can see it all happen in action! See why it's so important to have video? You just can't capture this in pictures. Special thanks to Lynette for capturing the video for us so we could edit it and post it online! :)

The Surprise Proposal from Kelly.

 

Inspiringly,

~ Kelly

 

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Photography

One of my number-one wedding priorities is definitely the documentation of the day. I want to be able to relive every second of that pivotal moment in my life... the ones burned into my memory forever and the ones I glaze over or miss because it does go by in such a blur. I've learned in the fifty days I've been engaged {yes, I'm writing this 12/30... I can count!} that life happens a lot faster once you've finally gotten what you've been waiting for than the time you waited for it. Since that spectacular Thursday evening in November, time has flown by insanely fast. It seems like yesterday I was gushing over the Amsale "Aspen" gown to Stephanie after The Bride Room got back from NY Fashion Week, weeks before I ever stepped foot in the salon to find and try on MY heavenly dream dress. It's been seven years since I first decided what my wedding color scheme was going to be {it has changed since then, for the record}, but I still remember the exact thing that inspired it so many years ago. I've seen brides who frame their wedding dresses and display them in their bedrooms on Pinterest {amazing idea, right?!} and I love clamoring over wedding portrait canvases in my married-friends' homes.

Weddings are just something magical - easily the most important party one will ever throw, but so much more than just that.  They're a celebration of a huge milestone in life, the declaration that your life will never again be spent alone, but in the company of another who will share it forever.  The only other occasion I can think of where someone's loved ones from all walks of life will be gathered in one central place, together, is a funeral.  As morbid as it might be that I just actually said that, think about it.  WHEN will your college roommates, your sorority sisters, work colleagues, childhood pals, near and distant family all be together to celebrate with you?  Unless you come from a really small town and never leave it, it's inevitable that people move on and move away and the opportunities to get together lessen and lessen.  Your childhood best friend who moved to Germany might not be able to justify a thousands-of-dollars plane ticket to come to your birthday party, but your wedding? Absolutely.

So with all that said, it's obviously very important to me that my wedding be properly, sufficiently, and beautifully documented. One of the ways to ensure this has been carefully choosing my wedding photographer.

Let it be said - it is difficult choosing the perfect wedding photographer when you are heavily immersed in the wedding industry as I am.  If you've ever looked at my "All Things Wedding" Pinterest board, you will see I'm no stranger to beautiful wedding photography. At this current point, I am pushing 1600 pins. In one board. That I've had since late January. To say I'm no stranger is a gross understatement. I am constantly perusing gorgeous wedding blogs and magazines. I've had the great fortune to work at a host of delightful weddings and see firsthand how they were translated from real-life to permanent frames. And through my beloved StudioWed, I've also gotten to see the best of Nashville's business.

Once I figured out approximately what I wanted to invest in wedding photography, I narrowed my choices down to about 15-20 vendors who offered the packages I thought were reasonable and in my price range.  Couple that with going back-and-forth a zillion times on our wedding date {September 29th? August 25th? Fall 2012? November '12? January '13? March '12? May 12th? July 7th? July 21st? July 22nd? July 28th?} and trying to find out photographers' availability for a date that wasn't set in stone... talk about a headache. For two good weeks, I forced Drew and my bridesmaid, Laurajean, to sit through entire gallery slideshows of different photogs' work. Even my friend and bridesmaid Heather, who lives in Kansas, had to endure constant text messages and emails asking her to visit blogs and tell me her perspective.  By the end of it all, I had interrogated a zillion people {including my former youth pastor circa 2002 who now has a fantastic photography business in Atlanta} and narrowed down the list dramatically, but it was still up to me to decide.

God gave me peace about getting married in July, so that helped us get one step closer. We wrestled with four or five potential weekends to set the date at, but after considering family circumstances and some of our other must-have vendor availabilities, we decided on Saturday, July 28th as our final* date. {* denotes the fact that July 28th is NOT actually our final date, it was just what we decided when we were going through this ordeal.} And so our choices were narrowed further.

From that point on, it was a simple decision as to who we'd go with. She had been a top contender throughout the whole ordeal, but I felt like it was my duty as a wedding aficionado to exhaust all my options before just going with who I knew was the right one. Part of my indecisiveness stemmed from the fact that I had planned out every detail of my wedding to the NAPKIN before we ever got engaged. Little did I know then in my compulsive planning that almost every thing I had anticipated wanting and having with ZERO question was not actually what I'd want or have in reality.  "You feel like you're breaking up with them," Hillary of Brocade mentioned to me last week when I met with her to discuss my evolving color scheme.  When you've lived with the idea of how your wedding will be for years and suddenly all those little details no longer fit perfectly into the big picture of reality, it isn't always easy.  As silly as it sounds, I have had to go into mourning for a few things I thought I wanted but couldn't have. That doesn't mean they're not still absolutely lovely and perfect for other weddings, and it certainly doesn't mean I'm not happy with the things for which I've changed my mind... it just means you don't always know what you want or what's best for you until it's all in hindsight.

So, with all that said, drumroll... we chose Kristine Neeley. Go to her website and tell me you aren't swooning. See? I knew you couldn't. Her work is a labor of love and obvious slice of heaven. The lighting, the cleanness, the classic quality. Her work exudes all the elements I have grown to REALLY value in planning my own wedding... timeless, elegant, classic, simple but perfect. {Much like my wedding dress!!! Eeeee!!!!} I am confident that I will never look back on my wedding album or prints and ever think for a second, "Gah, this looks so dated!" I brim with excitement over the possibility of flipping through our wedding pictures with my future grandchildren and marveling over how ageless they are.

I mentioned earlier in this series how crucial it has been to Drew and myself that we adore those vendors we work with on a personal level. Kristine I have known since my sophomore year of college {she worked for a while as the Director of New Student Programs when I was a student orientation leader} - she is the sweetest, most genuine, personable woman ever. Gentle, kind, selfless.  She's one of those people you hear about that stand as testaments to faith without ever saying a word about Christ.  That's the kind of person we've looked to work with on our wedding. I felt kind of silly after making the final decision that there was ever a question about it.  And when we had to change our wedding date once again {Ok, this is actually FINAL - July 21st!!!!}, I wasn't back to the drawing board just because the availability pool was suddenly back open.  She was it.  And just to further prove how fantastic/selfless/sweet/amazing/awesome she is, she has agreed to photograph our wedding on July 21st despite the fact that it's HER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Wow. So we will share an anniversary!

So now, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few more of her lovely pictures!

Love, love, love. So excited to work with you, Kristine!!

Inspiringly,

~ Kelly

Liked what you read? Read Kelly's other wedding-planning adventures, with links below!

Introduction
The Bride & Groom
The Dress
The Venue
The Entertainment

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Entertainment

In my experience, wedding bands are always hit-or-miss.  Don't get me wrong-- I've heard plenty of wonderful musical groups who keep the guests dancing until the cows come home, but when it comes to planning my own wedding, I'd rather not take the risk of having a so-so band no one will dance to. Enter Cosmo Creations. In the entire two years I've been with StudioWed Nashville and A Delightful Day, Brent from Cosmo Creations (based in Cookeville) has never, ever disappointed. Never cheesy, always SO professional. Prompt. Cheerful! Pleasant to work with. I've never had to worry about hearing some horrible "This is Cossssmo Creationssss!" dubbed over dance music at a wedding reception. [Dear all other wedding DJs, This is a wedding, not a dance club. Please don't confuse my guests by making them feel like they're at FUEL.] He can read an audience and play exactly what they'll respond well to but still stay true to the wedding couple's style and taste, no matter how diverse of a group the guests are.

(What a ladies' man!)

My fiance and I truly believe in working with wedding vendors we enjoy as friends... the people we hire on to work with us will be heavily involved in one of the most memorable days of our lives, so it's IMPERATIVE to have a fantastic team.  I met Brent at the StudioWed Grand Opening back in March of 2010 when he emceed our first party and have been impressed ever since. It seriously didn't even take me but a split second to decide we HAD to have Brent be our wedding DJ. No question. I will refer him to every and any bride that ever comes my way... I am that confident in his spectacular customer service and performance. {PS:  Cosmo's other DJs are wonderful too!!!!} So the day after I got engaged {okay, so a few weeks before I got engaged and Drew and I had talked tentative dates}, I emailed Brent and let him know we had to have him.  Fast-forward a few weeks and 3 date changes {things get complicated, y'all!}, and we are locked in with the best of the South's wedding DJs! Woo hoo!!! So so thrilled to be working with you, Brent!!! And as a little added bonus, here are a few of the songs we're playing at the reception! ;)

• "It's Raining Men" - The Weather Girls
• "Over the Hills and Far Away" - Led Zeppelin
• "Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton
• "September" - Earth, Wind, & Fire
• "Wagon Wheel" - Old Crow Medicine Show

Inspiringly, ~ Kelly PS: If you want us to set you up a meeting with Cosmo Creations for your future wedding, give us a shout at leigh@studiowed.net!!!

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Venue

Probably the most stressful part of wedding-planning (in my limited experience as a bride) has been finding a date + place. The venue determines so much about how your wedding will look, feel, how many guests you can accommodate, the list goes on... And there are so many factors that you have to take into account! Is it available on your date? Is there in-house catering, and if so, are you required to use it? What is the facility rental fee, and what does it cover? Are chairs + tables included? What do the chairs look like? Must you use a certain rental company for extras? Is any lighting included? Does someone stay on-site during the event who knows the ins and outs of the venue? How many hours are included for setup, cleanup, and the event itself? Are there handicap-accessible ramps and bathrooms? Is there ample parking or is valet required for an additional fee?
Thinking about all of those things gave me a major headache at the start of Drew's & my planning. It seemed so much easier to help a client find the perfect venue than having to decide myself! We had one particular place in mind that we'd fallen in love with for years, but once we realized all the costs related to having our wedding there, we knew we'd have to sacrifice some of our major priorities to stay in budget. Coming to grips with that was disheartening, but we kept our eyes and ears open to other venues we hadn't considered before.
Then there was the issue of big versus small wedding. For a couple of hours, we even toyed with the idea of eloping (I do have a soft spot in my heart for pretty city hall weddings!). That idea was nixed shortly thereafter... I knew the MOST important thing to me was that we be surrounded by loving, supportive friends and family on our wedding day. For better or worse, I have an enormous family, too!
After some exhaustive research (and sending inquiries about our summer date), we came to realize what our priorities were for deciding on a venue:
It had to…

• accommodate enough people to fit Drew's and my families and friends {our first-draft invite list was 200+ people!}
• be reasonably priced… ideally including chairs + tables
• have enough space to facilitate both our ceremony + reception
• look pretty!
• have air-conditioning! Southern summers are brutal. Despite my wanting to get married outside, I want MORE for guests to not be passing out and I don't care to be "sweating at the wedding!"
• be easy-to-locate for guests and reasonably close to both Drew's and my parents, who live a little over an hour away from one another
• be available for 10-12 hours to have ample time for setup/breakdown and the event itself
• have reasonably-priced catering options {either good in-house catering or the option to bring in our own choice of catering + beverages}
• We also wanted to work with people we really liked, too!

Since November marked the eight-month-away point from our tentative wedding date {July 28}, I knew we had to start making decisions fast. Holiday engagements are so popular, lots of venues and vendors get booked up in January - March. Considering that Drew wanted to be pretty heavily involved in the wedding planning and he'll be EXTREMELY busy come January (We're talking school, full-time work, and starting the CPA process, all at once!), we've been aiming to try to knock out as much as humanly possible before the start of the new year. So by Thanksgiving weekend, I was determined to be decisive.
At that time, we'd looked at pretty much all of the greater Nashville area… Brentwood, Smyrna, Franklin, Hermitage. One place we hadn't considered was my very own hometown:  Pleasant View!  I racked my brain and remembered my favorite local antique mall that had just been converted to an event space -- The Livery Stables. I emailed them that Friday night. Saturday morning I tried my luck at calling them (impatient much?) and they just so happened to have been meeting with another bride, so they'd be free to meet in person until 2pm! Everything fell into place:  Drew was at home with me after spending Thanksgiving with my sister's family, so we were able to see it together. We hadn't made plans, so we left within thirty minutes of calling them. My grandmother (Granny) stopped by to visit so she met up with us there… just perfect!

The Livery Stables was a horse grooming/boarding center back in the 1800s. While the space served a host of other functions through the years (post office, grocery store, fire engine station), it opened as an event venue this past July.  The owners have renovated it to be as true to its original form as possible (minus the dirt floor + lack of plumbing!). It's got a polished-but-rustic barn kind of feel, with pretty antique lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a green tin roof, and exposed wooden posts and beams inside. It kind of reminds me of Belle Meade Plantation's Carriage House and the barn at Traveller's Rest!

{Use your imagination... in July, there will be no ornaments hanging from the lanterns or Christmas lights strung up along the posts! Also, no ferns.}

The Livery Stables met all of our list of priorities… it's big enough to fit 225 people, the price was wonderful (and included tables and pretty, neutral stackable chairs), we can "flip" the space between ceremony + reception by having cocktail hour outside on the front porch, it's just country enough to suit Drew and myself, we can really fancy it up to fit our aesthetic, it's TOTALLY air-conditioned (yippee!!!!!), the drive (be it from Nashville, Brentwood, or Chapmansboro) is a breeze, it's easy to find (right off the interstate!), we can rent it from noon to midnight, they offer in-house catering (tasting to come!), and Kelly and Rhiannon (the owner and event planner) were WONDERFUL to work with. So sweet, accommodating, helpful, honest, willing to suit our needs as best they could… ideal situation.

By lunchtime after we saw it, the decision had been made. Venue? Check. :)

Inspiringly,

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Dress

So, confession. The part of wedding-planning I've been most looking forward to since, let's face it-- forever-- has been DRESS SHOPPING! As a self-professed dress fanatic (you should see my closet... more dresses than pants, tops, jeans combined!), I have always felt that a girl's wedding dress is the most important dress she'll ever wear. (Look at my A Delightful Day bio and my "Favorite Wedding Detail" answer!) When I read (with glee!) that The Bride Room was hosting their 3rd Annual Super Sample Sale, I immediately vocalized to Drew how extremely convenient and grateful I would be if he proposed in time for me to attend said sale. Not even kidding! Imagine my excitement when he proposed a perfect 10 days prior!!!! The very very first bit of wedding-planning I did was scheduling my first appointment with The Bride Room. Mom and I came on a Wednesday around lunchtime and spent the afternoon ooohing and ahhing at the gorgeous gowns. I came in with no expectations or limitations on what I would try on or want... I wanted the full wedding-dress experience, and boy, did I get it!!! The first dress I tried on was a beautiful Amsale crumb-catcher gown (ironic only because the one dress I'd seen pre-engagement that I was like, "MUST HAVE!" was Amsale's Aspen). Then, a dress my mother had picked out (the "Lasara" by Watters) struck both of us... so lovely. The A-line skirt was so unlike what I thought I'd wanted, but the design was so whimsical and romantic and the structured bodice with sweetheart neckline made me swoon. ADORE! I tried on dress after dress, loving all of them. And then Stephanie (my WONDERFUL and sweet helper throughout the process) showed me "Candy." I tried Candy on "just for fun" and fell madly, crazily in love. Her soft pink hue, the delicate hand-sewn detailing, the soft A-line shape, the tulle, the tiny star-shaped sequins... I was smitten. Mom was smitten. I strongly considered tossing what ideas I had about a color scheme for the wedding and even told Stephanie, "I would elope for this dress." Tragically her Fall 2012 Monique Lhuillier pricetag was a little too steep to justify, but lawdamercy, it was stunning. I was certain nothing else could ever compare. A couple days later, I took my best friend (Laken) and Mom to a local chain bridal store to try on their dresses. Laken, who's getting married a month before I am, found her gown there in March. While I tried on almost every single dress they had (it seriously took us, like, three or four hours) and many were very pretty, nothing stood out as something I just HAD to get married in.

(me in the Allure dress below!) (Beautiful dress, great deal... just not very "KELLY!")

I decided late Saturday afternoon that I was going to brave the lines and weather at The Bride Room's Sunday Sample Sale. While my best friend/MOH couldn't make it, Mom was up for the adventure. Saturday night I felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve... I could barely sleep. I woke up at 5am thinking, "IS IT TIME?! HAVE I MISSED IT?!" Mom and I left our Chapmansboro house at 8:30 to get there early for the 11 o'clock sale start. The whole event was planned meticulously... only 4 brides could come in at a time (first come, first served), so there was no chaos and gnashing/snarling over dresses. We arrived around 9:30 and I was Bride #3! (There was lots of jumping up and down and celebrating. :) I bought Mom a pumpkin spice latte in the meantime (no waiting out in the cold and rain! they thought so far ahead!!) and we came back for the countdown to 11 nervous and excited. The four of us first brides lined up outside the door at ten to 11 with our little posses in tow. Far from the cutthroat brides you see on TV, everyone was genuinely excited and friendly. We all had different body types and were looking for different styles... such the perfect situation! Stephanie came out and debriefed us about the process. We were allowed 4 dresses at a time (which were swapped out for new ones once we gave the thumbs-down), we had to be decisive when it came down to the wire, and all dresses had to be paid for in full at the time of purchase. I picked Lasara again, as well as a trumpet-skirt dress by Amsale, an A-line Amsale, and a pretty ethereal dress by Watters I'd seen on the Southern Weddings blog a few months ago that caught my eye. It was easy to narrow the four down to two. After re-trying on my top two favorites over and over (and hearing some insightful wisdom from Charlotte), I had a winner. To be honest, I really knew from the second I put it on I knew it was THE ONE. (Kind of how I knew Drew was, too! :) It was a little unexpected, but looking back, it's not so surprising. It's perfect, absolutely perfect, and we were able to complete the whole look by 11:45! Forty-five minutes after I walked in the door, I was walking out, having purchased the dress and accessories of my dreams!!!!!! (It made for a very happy Mother-of-the-Bride too!) Oh, and it totally made me forget about that heavenly pink dress. That's when you know.

Thank you thank you thank you to Stephanie, Jessica, and Charlotte of The Bride Room for all their wonderful help and making this process the best it could possibly be!!! You ladies made my day (ok, my life!) and I cannot wait to walk down the aisle in my STUNNING Bride Room gown!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiringly,

~ Kelly