Lisa and Mike had known each other since they were young.  So when they decided to tie the knot, this intimate summer gathering was destined to be beautiful.

The ceremony was held in the gardens at The Cordelle.  

After cocktails on the patio, guests were greeted by a colorful, summer reception inside.   The tables had champagne linens with alternating napkins.  Lanterns and hobnail vases filled with beautiful roses filled each table. 

Guests enjoyed an inspired southern menu with shrimp and grits,  fried green tomato crostini, Jack Daniels marinated beef and honey glazed ham with sweet potato biscuits. In addition to wedding cake, there were cookies for the children and mini blackberry and peach cobblers with ice cream. 

Vendors

Venue: The Cordelle
Photographer: Derek Lee
Florist: Color My World
Caterer: Ribbons of Chocolate
Cake: Frosted Affair
Rentals: Southern Events
Ceremony Musician: Nashville Wedding Guitarist
Band: Top Tier
Lighting: Nashville Audio Visual
 

This lovely wedding took place at The Cordelle in Nashville. 

This outdoor wedding was filled with charming details and DIY touches.   

This wedding dress is stunning with the intricate lace!

The bride was very involved in the wedding design and details.  She created all of the centerpieces using vintage glassware with flowers and greenery sourced from near her home. 

She also created all of the bouquets for the bridal party. 

The bridesmaids all wore mismatched gold dresses. 

Guests were treated to a buttercream torte with strawberries as well as assorted pies. 

After dessert, guests had a wonderful time dancing along to the band and relaxing outside. 

Vendors:

Photographer: Sarah Gilliam
Venue: Hachland Hill
Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Cake: Blue Danube Bakery
Band: Roberts Western World
Transportation: Gray Line

I am a big believer that it takes a community of like minded individuals in order to be successful.  As an event planner, I have found that in the Nashville Wedding Planners Group.  This group of amazing women strives to make every member better at what we do. From networking with vendors to continuing education opportunities to sharing resources and ideas,  the main goal is to make Nashville a great place for weddings and events. 

Learn more: 

Marlee and Cory were such a sweet couple; you could see just how much they loved each other.  Here are highlights from their beautiful day at Traveller's Rest.  See more images. 

The bride wore a beautiful pink wedding dress and sparkly Keds.  

Their outdoor ceremony in front of an arbor was filled with emotion. 

The groom's boutonniere was an antique key with small photos. 

The couple's reception was in the crib barn.  The tables were decorated with antiques from the bride's family, giving each table a unique feel.  Every guest was given a small blackberry cobbler as a favor.   

Custom barnwood signs, painted by the bride, were scattered throughout the ceremony and reception. 

Vendors:

Venue: Traveller's Rest
Photographer: Stephanie Redder
Rentals: Grand Central
DJ: MidSouth Mobile DJ
Ceremony Music: Harpeth Trio
Flowers: Hayley Smith Designs
 

Watch Marlee and Cory tie the knot at Traveller's Rest barn. 

2015 weddings are filled with fun trends that share the spirit of the couple using personalized details that engage the senses. 

 Jenny Lindsey Photography | Derek Lee Photography | Josey Kay Photography | Rachel Moore Photography

Guest Interaction Couples want to give their guests a memorable occasion and an engaging social atmosphere. Food trucks will still be popular, not just for dinner but also desserts and food bites.  Local beers and wines will be popular along with bourbon cocktails and specialized bars. 

Styles  Two styles that are popular right now: 
Wild West style is taking the focus away from barns with leather, antlers and ranches. 
Boho relaxed, informal events with picnic style events, hand drawn maps and a 70's feel.

Floral  Greenery is still very popular with swags and herbs, but larger hedges and pieces are gaining popularity. Large installations such as hanging centerpieces and floral chandeliers are now trending on blogs across the country.  Unstructured centerpieces and arrangements  are being used. Loose, cascading bouquets and flowing ribbons are the top choice for brides. Tip: Engage the senses by using fresh fruit or a signature scent. 

Color and Design Copper will be joining metallics along with glitter and sparkle. While soft, muted colors are still popular, watercolors are being added. Couples are using one accent color to add a pop of personality or color blocking with bold, jewel tones.  Mixing patterns and textures adds depth and visual appeal.  

Stationery Design - Watercolor Menu:  J Amber Creative

Watercolor escort cards: J Amber Creative

Stationery Stunning invitations that give guests a taste of the event to come are part of a larger trend.  Couples are creating a "brand" for their event with fonts, icons and styles. 

Sweets Textures and design are very popular with metallics and patterns on wedding cakes, as well as incorporating lots of color. Watercolor designs are creating works of edible art.  Dessert bars with mini bites are popular serving doughnuts, ice cream, pies and other sweets. 

Attire  For brides, they are choosing a unique second dresses such as pantsuits. Grooms are following the mismatched trend by coordinating a mix match look for their groomsmen. 

Great Locations  In addition to remodeled warehouses and historic buildings, couples are including lofts, restaurants, galleries and unique venues to their list. They want places that feel fresh and unconventional. 

I knew from the first moment I met Kym and Ben just how much fun their wedding was going to be.  They had some amazing ideas for DIY projects and wanted to incorporate a lot of their personality into the day.  

Kym's outfit was a combination of vintage style pieces and fun, quirky pieces.  Look at her cat shoes!

Each bridesmaid wore a unique mismatched dress with a gold detail and carried gold lanterns. 

For the groom and groomsmen, the couple chose custom bow ties with each ones favorite super hero.  Kym then created custom boutonnieres from the matching comic book.  Such a fun way to add personality!

In addition, the bride crafted 8ft tall trees covered in pages from books and her own bouquet from paper flowers.  Signs were placed around the room with quotes from their favorite movies, TV shows and books. 

The custom program matched the stationery.  Guests signed this red & white quilt when entering.  Little bags of lavender were given out to be thrown as the bride and groom left.  In addition to dessert from the Loveless, the bride and groom had a chocolate cake with little wooden Spiderman toppers.

The couple and bridal party had a lot of fun with photos before the ceremony. 

Vendors:

Photographer: Gavin Nutt Photography
Venue: Loveless Barn
DJ & Photobooth: Fadd's Entertainment
Program & Stationery: Etsy

The warmth of the Florida sun, Spanish moss, and orange trees inspired me to create a couples dessert.  This charming display combines antiques, white dishes accented with orange and peach flowers, and gold details.  The cake, cupcakes, cake pops and scones all make a pretty setting for the vibrant colors. 

This fun wedding took place at one of my favorite venues - Houston Station.  The amazing team of vendors helped to create a wonderful day. 

Wedding planning can have its ups and downs. One day you're dreaming of a Pinterest perfect affair, the next you're working past midnight to get those seating charts together. It's understandable that planning a wedding can be stressful—and why it's oftentimes helpful to turn to family and friends for assistance. 

Wedding Paper Divas, a wedding stationery company, recently conducted a survey asking women who they found to be most reliable when planning their wedding. Between mom, dad, in-laws, bridesmaids and the groom, there's a lot of help to go around. See how brides answered below and the full survey on who they most dependable. 

I was again honored to participate in The Not Wedding, known as the Big Fake Wedding, in November. This event is unlike most bridal shows.  An actual couple renews their vows and then there is a party with food and dancing.  For this event, I created a ceremony backdrop, 3 reception tables and the flowers for the bridal party.

The theme for the show was Wuthering Heights so I immediately began to think about the moors - barren, foggy, windswept and ruggedly natural.  The whole design got started with this inspiration board:

First our lovely couple who is actually a vendor friend Mary Love (a floral designer and owner of Rosemary & Finch) and her husband Ben. 

Josie KAy Photography

our amperstand photography

josie kay photography

our amperstand phot0graphy

As part of my role in designing for the show, I created the flowers for the bridal party - the bride's bouquet, bridesmaid's bouquets and boutonnieres.  I wanted the brides bouquet to reflect the soft, muted look of the moors so I chose pale pink and white roses along with ranunculus accented with some wild stems, eucalyptus and greenery to give it a slightly natural look.  Flowing gray ribbon completed the look. Having never seen the bride's dress before the day, I was thrilled with the combination. 

josie kay photography

photography anthology

our amperstand

josie kay photography

My most time consuming project was creating the ceremony backdrop.  The simple arch and lanterns was finished with roses, flowing greenery and ribbons.  The gold hand lettering on the backdrop was quotes from the book "Wuthering Heights."  

our amperstand

our amperstand

This stunning head table was designed by Modern Vintage Events. 

PHotography anthology

photography anthology

In addition, I designed 3 of the reception tables and created florals for each one using the color scheme from the design board. 

our amperstand

our amperstand

josie kay photography

our amperstand

josie kay photography

Photography Anthology

See more photos on Ruffled

Event Location: Nashville, TN / Photography and Rehearsal Dinner: Our Ampersand Photography / Photographer: Photography Anthology / Photographer: Josie Kay Photography / Day-Of Coordination and Floral + Event Design (Table 7): Elliott Events LLC / Floral + Event Design (Personal Flowers, Ceremony Backdrop + Tables 2, 4, 6): Events by Elaine / Floral + Event Design (Head Table + Tables 1, 3, 5): Modern Vintage Events / Venue: Ruby Nashville / Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Wedding 101 / Wedding Dress: The Bride Room / Hair: Salon Nfuse / Makeup: Michelle Brooke / Bridesmaids’ Attire: Bella Bridesmaids / Groomsmen Attire: Street Tuxedo / Catering: G Catering & Events / Wedding Cake and Groom’s Cake: The Frosted Affair / Cupcakes: Connie Cakes / Desserts: Ben & Jerry’s / Desserts Bar: The Sweet Trend / Ceremony Musician:Sereno Strings / Entertainment: Kari & Billy LLC / Photobooth: Nashville Photoboot / Event Rentals: Liberty Party Rental / Wedding Invitations: Nesting Project / Menus and Menu Cards: Memoria Design / Save the Dates: J. Amber Creative / Videographer: The Kellys’ Productions / Transportation: Nashville Party Bus / Health Services: Nashville HealthNote / Wedding Website Builder: SquareSpace / National Travel Vendor: Bliss by Luxury Concierge Travel / National Linen Vendor: LinenTablecloth / National Sparkling Wine Sponsor: Ferrari / Media Partners: flower Magazine, The Knot, Inspire Weddings and Marriage Magazine, Nashville Lifestyles Weddings, Weddings 101 Nashville, Perfect Wedding Guide, and Ashley’s Bride Guide

Autumn and Joe knew they wanted their wedding to be simple and different.  This daytime event gave them what they wanted.

The bridesmaids wore dresses of their own choosing in pinks and grays.  While the groomsmen looked dapper in gray shirts, suspenders and yellow bow ties. 

Some of the many unique details included hanging their mothers wedding gowns, a cigar bar and a hot tea bar.  Guests signed a custom puzzle.

After the reception and a quick dress change for the bride, the couple left to a shower of colorful flower petals.

Vendors:

Photography - Erika Chambers Photography
Venue: The Martin Center
Decor & Flowers: Events by Elaine
Bride bouquet: Handmade by a friend
Invitation, program & puzzle: Graphics and design by the bride's father and brother
Bride's dress: David's Bridal
Brides second dress: ModCloth
Groom's Suit: Macys
 

Fall is a time of harvest and bounty as well as a time for being thankful.  I wanted to put together a simple styled shoot celebrating the harvest.  This homespun gathering is filled with fruits and vegetables.  Oil lamps and doilies add to the barn door table and wooden accents. 

Floral arrangements with wildflowers and fall leaves as place cards keep the natural elements. 

I am so happy to introduce the new & improved Events by Elaine.

While staying busy with clients, it can be very easy to overlook the business. 2014 has been a year of investing back into my entire business.  After taking a critical look, I knew that the website no longer reflected my business goals and wasn't functional with modern technology.  Additionally, the overall brand and message needed fine tuned. Here is the before:   

I started the process at the beginning of the summer.  The first step was to move to a new online home. Thanks to Squarespace, the website and blog have a great online space with a mobile friendly interface and more features.  This created a custom place that is clean and simple to use.   

But I knew that the look and feel of my business needed refreshing and revising.  A rebrand was in order and help was needed. So I reached out to Meghan of OFD Consulting who also brought in Becky of RP Design.   

Meghan wanted to start the process by giving the site a new feel that was warm and inviting.  They started with a Pinterest board of colors, fonts, images and designs I loved.  Here is a little peek:

From this insight, Becky created the new logo and color palette that would be the face of my brand:

Meghan then worked with me for months to create a brand that better reflected who I am.  She patiently helped me revise my business focus with input on the new website and images, marketing, client services, revised the copy, and made creative suggestions such as the wonderful new homepage.  Her knowledge helped create a plan for my business into the future as a small, bespoke event planning company.  Without her guidance, my business wouldn't have this fresh and exiting new start. 

I can't wait to see what 2015 holds!

Since Pantone released their top colors for 2015, I have been thinking of fun and fresh color combinations for weddings, parties and events.  Here are 5 palettes to consider for your upcoming wedding. 

1. scuba blue, toasted almond, and lucite green -  The green and almond lend themselves to a natural wedding whilte the scuba blue adds a fun pop of color. 

2. aquamarine, glacier gray, and marsala - The light blue and gray provide a cool complement to the warm tones of the marsala red. 

3. strawberry ice, toasted almond, and tangerine - These fun and warm colors and perfect for a summer wedding or the bride who loves vivid colors

4. aquamarine, glacier gray, and classic blue - A palette of blues and gray creates a cool and fresh feel for any season.

5. custard, glacier gray, and lucite green - Lending itself to a range of styles from natural to vintage to whimsical, this combination is very versatile.