Beautiful chalk signs for your wedding
Chalkboard signs have been a trend in weddings for the last year or so and will continue to be so.  They can be used to lend a rustic, vintage or indie trend to any wedding.



Simple DIY chalkboards can be used as programs or signs adding a nice simple touch. 


If you are wanting a more artistic option, check out Custom Chalk here in Middle TN.   They offer amazing and custom options.





"vendor"Elaine Roberts
Wedding Planner Benefit #2: I am the bad guy
At your wedding, you probably want everything to go smoothly with no disruptions.  So what happens when there is a problem?  Who gets to tell you uncle to stop drinking or make sure your ex-boyfriend doesn't crash the wedding?



Your new best friend - your wedding planner.

See we have no problem telling someone that have to leave the building or aren't allowed to attend.  If they are in the wrong place, we will tell them to please go to where they need to be.  It isn't that we are cold and heartless.  It is that we know what has to be done and we are detached from the emotions of the situation.  At the end of the day, we don't have to be related to them or stay friends with them like you do.  Having a wedding planner can save your relationship while still keep things running smoothly.
Summer wedding at the Observatory
Jessie and Justin were married at Dyer Observatory in Nashville on a beautiful summer day.  One of the first things that Jessie told me was that she loved the color pink.  We worked together to include her favorite color as well as Justin's art background.



A fun summer picnic was part of the feel that we tried to include.  Using an old family marriage license, I created their wedding invitation.  



The bridesmaids wore mismatched dresses that they chose themselves. 



Instead of table numbers, each table had a picture of a work of art with a theme of the stars or planets combining Justin's love of art and the observatory. 



Guests were treated to picnic style food and a lemonade bar with 4 kinds of lemonade and garnish with personalized mason jars.  There was also homemade limoncello. 




Instead of a traditional wedding cake, selected friends and guests brought homemade cakes for guests to enjoy. 



Later that evening, the Sugar Wagon arrived with custom ice cream sandwiches. 


Such a sweet couple.....




Venue: Dyer Observatory
Photographer: Alan Hudson
Florist: Trellis Designs
Catering: BEP
Dessert: Sugar Wagon
Invitation: Events by Elaine
Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Transportation: Grand Avenue
DJ: Ryan Crosslin


"real life"Elaine Roberts
Wedding Planner Benefit #1: I am not your family

Some of the benefits of hiring a wedding planner aren't on the usual list.  One of the perks and advantages of hiring a wedding planner is that they aren't related to you.

They aren't your family or friends.  They will give you an unbiased opinion about ideas.  They aren't trying to please everyone in your family...just you, the bride.  While they respect and value traditions, the won't try to convince you of something because "it's always been done that way."  Having someone who isn't emotionally invested can be a life saver.  We can step back and look at the big picture and find the compromise.

We can help negotiate through tricky situations.  Dealing with family can sometimes be one of the hardest aspects of wedding planning.  Navigating through these family issues with a neutral person can save your sanity and relationships.    

 

Read: 8 tips for dealing with family during your wedding

Are wedding blogs too over the top?
As brides, you are overwhelmed with inspiration on a daily basis.  In addition to TV shows and magazines, there are daily blogs.  Then there is Pinterest and other wedding collection sites such as lover.ly. 

At what point do you get bored looking at weddings?  Does everything start to look the same?

Check out this awesome article at Mountain Side Bride from a photographer to wedding bloggers...

" I’ve seen gorgeous wedding photography shot by colleagues turned down for publication. Why? Because not all of our weddings include brides sporting bird nests in their hair, or pretty, young Anthropologie-swathed bridesmaids, or meticulously stenciled miniature burlap dinosaurs holding up place cards made from the recycled issues of Rolling Stone, or weddings held in obscure meadows that can only be reached via bush pilot or a team of sled dogs. Sound over the top? It is, but you publish this stuff daily! So what is the reality behind many weddings?
Sometimes our clients get married in churches, country clubs, or even a VFWs (oh yes… it’s true!).
Sometimes
 they wear a simple silk wedding dresses, or employ florists instead of roaming the hillsides of Sweden picking wildflowers the morning of their weddings. Sometimes they are doctors, lawyers, or police officers who are too busy to make custom bird cake-toppers and who don’t have access to a baby-blue vintage bicycles. Sometimes their weddings are simple/normal/average."


Elaine Roberts
Elegant "royal wedding" at Hermitage Hotel

Heather and Ben were married in a gorgeous ceremony at Hermitage Hotel.  Although she was traveling for a lot of the time during planning, Heather and her mom created many DIY elements for her wedding.

The red, white and black color scheme added a very elegant feel to the day.

Each guest was given a small box of flower petals to throw as the couple left the ceremony. 

This elaborate and ornate cake matched many of the details on the brides dress.

Look at this great groom's cake - the WKU mascot

Custom framed escort cards for all the guests

A candy bar was one of the many details the bride provided for her guests. 

The color scheme added an elegant feel to the reception.  Red roses were the centerpieces throughout with red napkin rings, black napkins and an assortment of crystal candle holders. 

Check out this awesome kids table!

The head table was in the middle of the room.  The bride and groom had red and white pillows for their chairs.  

The bride changed dress for the reception

As a cheerleader, the bride performed a few stunts for her guests. 

The bridesmaids and groomsmen having some fun during photos. 

So beautiful!

Photographer:  Matt Andrews Photography

Venue Name:  Hermitage Hotel

Videographer:  Catchlight Cinema

Makeup Artist:  Shelly Nicole

Cake Designer:  Signature Cakes by Vicki

DJ: Brandon Cummings

Dress:  The White Room

Flowers: Belles Fleurs

Stationery:  Prim and Paper

Ceremony Music:  Blue Tone Music

Tuxedos: Street Tuxedo

Photo Booth:  Aww Snap!

real lifeElaine Roberts
Bridal Show this Sunday
This Sunday, November 4th will be the "Here Comes the Brides" bridal show in Franklin.

The show will held from 1 - 5 pm at the Factory in Franklin.  There will be lots of prizes, a fashion show and the bridal wars games.

Print this image for 2 free tickets.   I hope to see you at the show.


"bridal show"Elaine Roberts
Book Review: Handmade Weddings

If you are a DIY bride, this book should be your encyclopedia.

It is filled with ideas and projects for different styles of weddings from vintage to modern.  Each project gives the difficulty level, category (decor, ceremony, etc), time estimate, when to start before the wedding, whether it is a group or individual project and finally the cost for supplies (not tools).  This key is what makes this book so friendly for both experienced crafters and newbies.

In the front is a list of places to find inspiration as well as materials ranging from the usual to unique.  In the back is an appendix with multiple resources.  First is a list of tools broken down by type and usage.  Next, is a list of website resources arranged by project style.  Following that is a wedding planning timeline and then a guide to invitations.

The book is broken down into six distinct wedding styles.

  • Retro homespun
  • Girly romantic
  • Happy graphic
  • Organic minimal
  • Modern classic
  • Found

Each style contain nine projects in the style and color palette.  There are unique ideas for each section.

Check out this great book:  

Handmade Weddings: More Than 50 Crafts to Personalize Your Big Day

"books"Elaine Roberts
Recap - McConnell House Bridal Show
Yesterday, I visited the intimate bridal show at McConnell House.  This is truthfully my favorite kind of show; It is smaller, intimate and allows for more mingling.  Guests and vendors had time to talk, visit and enjoy the afternoon.

McConnell House is a beautiful house with multiple large rooms.  In addition to weddings, he versatile space lends itself to corporate events and private parties.

Some of the many great vendors in attendance were:
(Disclosure: I am not a photographer.  These were quick photos with my phone)

High Tone Entertainment provided the music and lighting for the event


John Jordan Films was in the entry showing brides his fabulous videography options.

The makeup and hair for the fashion show was provided by Marz and Bishop's Salon



The bar was giving complimentary champagne as well as multiple St. Germain cocktails

The apparel was provided by Arzelle's and Street Tuxedo


Flashtastic Photo booth was providing guests with a fun memento of the day. 



Something Detailed  had a display of their gorgeous invitations and stationery. 


Check out this great idea for a "guest book".  The front has a variety of phrases and Scriptures along with your wedding date.  The back (see sign on far right) has your name and space for all of your guests to sign.   Richard - 615.474.3034



Southern Events staged a stunning table with some of their rentals, as well as inspiration books for the brides.  All of the florals for the day were provided by Green Finch Floral Design





Cake and desserts were provided by Wolfe Gourmet Cakes.  Look at the Smores bar...


Fall Wedding - Muted Pastel Colors

Most fall weddings use colors inspired by nature - red, orange, gold, and browns.  However, you can create a beautiful fall wedding using pastel colors.  The trick is to use soft, muddy, muted, faded colors instead of bright spring-like or "Easter egg" colors.

(Madie Flourney Photography)

(Madie Flourney Photography)

Using darker colors such as brown, gray and black will keep a fall feel, while softer colors make a fabulous contrast.

Pastel shades lend themselves to a softer vintage style wedding as well as natural elements.

Using darker vases and elements can keep centerpieces from feeling too light. 

The tangerine color of summer fades into a beautiful antique color of orange, gold, and copper. You can still use traditional fall motifs such as leaves and pumpkins. Choose them in more faded pastel colors or as dark accent pieces such as black pumpkins. 

colorsElaine Roberts
I am the best wedding planner in the world....no really!

I am the top, premiere, best wedding planner ever!



OK so maybe not....

It seems as though the websites of every wedding professionals lists them as the premiere in their field.  But who decides if they are the top?  
Do they do the most weddings every year?  
Do they make the most money?  

Who really decides who is top. Is there a wedding czar who hands out levels? And how long does that last for. Is there an expiration date to being the top? If their website says that they are award winning or that they were chosen  in a bridal survey then it validates what they are saying.  But to say that they are the top.....do they really represent the very best in their field ? 

Saying that you are the premiere of your field is very arbitrary yet almost every wedding professional mentions it. Can every one be top? Well of course they aren't about to mention if they are the bottom of their field, lol.  It would be like a doctor saying they graduated at the bottom of their class.

But don't take everything you read at face value.  Even if they are the absolute pinnacle in their field it still may not make them the right fit for you.  Choose wedding professionals based on the services they provide, their ability to meet your budget and how well you work together not some boiler-plate words on their website.

Sincerely,

The most amazing wedding planner that has ever lived :-) 
"vendor"Elaine Roberts
DIY Wedding in Western Maryland

It rained and thunderstormed; then the clouds disappeared giving Hannah and Luke a beautiful wedding day.

They were married in the mountains of western Maryland at Country Acres Retreat.  This picturesque location has a rustic cabin, pavillion, and pond.

Hannah decided to create paper bouquets using

tutorials

she found online.  One of the bride's friends took on this labor of love and created over 200 origami flowers in different styles.   In addition to the regular colored paper, she used pages with Bible verses to incorporate the couples love of God.  The printed pages also helped to break up the color.

The bridal party took photos around the pond with the bridesmaids in mismatched jewel tone dresses.

After a quick dress change for the bride, the couple joined the guests for the reception.

Other fun elements  - check out the cute "wooden" pencils. 

Congrats Hannah and Luke...

otography: Chelsi Kling
Venue: Country Acres Retreat
Catering: Goehringer Catering
Flowers: Vicious Studios
Music: Kyle Bowman & John Meyers, Mark & Linda Treasure, Caroline Stahl
DIY Tutorials: Programs,Table Numbers

 

(Learn more about planning a destination wedding)

2 Ways your wedding can "pay it forward"
A wedding can require a lot of time, energy and resources.  Many brides are choosing to use their wedding celebration as a time to also give back to a charity.

The I Do Foundation makes it easy for couples and guests to donate to a charity of their choice.  There are many ways to do this, but here are the top 2:

Favors:
Instead of trinkets, mints or other small gifts for the guests, couples can instead choose a meaningful gift that is special to them.  You can opt to honor a loved one or family member with a donation to their favorite charity or in their name.  You can also have the donation go to a local charity in your community.

Select your charity and then place a card on each table telling guests of your donation.




Gifts:
Instead of guests buying you gifts, instead your guests can generously donate that money to a charity that you choose.  Provide your guests a link through your wedding website telling guests of your preference or include the information in the invitation.

From I Do Foundation: "By incorporating charity into life celebrations, we help families establish a pattern of giving that will last a lifetime."

"gift"Elaine Roberts
Congrats Lisa and Josh

Lisa and Josh came from Huntsville to get married at Bella Reed Farm in Franklin, TN.  The farm is privately owned and operated as a horse farm.  There are beautiful fenced pastures, a pond with willows, and a great barn available for weddings and events.

The day started out with rain showers, but thankfully stopped in time for the outdoor ceremony.  The weather cooperated and photos were taken around the property.

The horses even came out for a visit with the bride.

The reception was held in a tent next to the house.  Everyone had a great time dancing...especially the groom.

Two Fat Men catering provided some great food followed by dessert by Dulce Desserts.  

Venue: Bella Reed Farm

Photography:  Shannon Jenkins Photography

Catering: Two Fat Men

Flowers: Belles Fleurs

Ceremony Music: Silver Strings

DJ: Tony T

Rental: Grand Central