The Sweetest Inspiration

I have talked before about creating a storyboard to help you design your wedding. Well, no one does it better than Abby Jean over at Style Me Pretty. Abby calls them inspiration boards and does them on her computer. This week she is showcasing some of the best of the best entries in an Inspiration Board Contest among her readers.

Wow! What an embarrassment of riches. I could spend all day just ooohing and ahhhing over the beautiful ideas. All perfectly pulled together by Abby’s deft touch.

She has been generous enough to post a list of how-to hints and tips on how to put your own inspiration board together.

Thanks Abby, you always inspire me.

Wedding Cake Nightmare

I don't even know what to say, except have a laugh my friends.
Oh, and if you do encounter anything like this...run as fast and as far as you can.

Ah, Silk Tablecloths

One last note on my trip to look at linen and it is the piece d’resistance. Look at the cloth used on the cake table. It is a new fabric and pattern just introduced by BBJ Linen. I had told you that this company was founded on the idea of using gorgeous fabric to create beautiful table linen. If this isn’t living proof I don’t know what is.

The cloth is called Blue Spray and is made of silk organza. Here Marymac and Joyce have paired it over a taupe lamor base cloth. It is also available in Green Spray.

This may not be the table cloth to use on all 20 tables at your wedding but it certainly will make a statement on your cake table, guest book table or escort card table.

While we’re here, check out the chair jacket. It is also silk, just perfect if you are having a sweetheart table.

Linen: BBJ Linen

Images: David Wright Photography

Fun with Chair Ties

How is that for different. The table cloth is orange Bengaline and the chair is dressed and bound in moss and persimmon lamour.









I just thought this was as clever as could be. What are you going to do to dress up those little folding chairs that so many people are using? Why give them a tie, of course. That always adds a well dressed edge.

All images: David Wright
All Linen and design: BBJ Linen

I'll post the gorgeous cake table tomorrow.

I loved this overlay. It is called Monte Carlo and the colors are too die for. MaryMac paired it with a black under base and chair color and then accented her creation with Cerise Lamor napkins and chair tie. You have got to love the creativity of the staff at BBJ.





The centerpiece is from Ed Vance over at the local Flower Express. What a hidden treasure he is. Whoops! I guess he's not so hidden any more.

Piccadilly Toile

This has to be one of my favorite tables. Well no I loved them all.

The base linens are Eggplant and Moss Lamour and the drape and over lay are a new toile named Piccadilly. I love how they paired the stark black and white with the pale green and eggplant instead of the ubiquitous red or hot pink.












The chivari chairs are wearing the newest fashion in covering, a chair jacket. How cute is that.

Decor Bonanza!!

I had the best time today. I went over to the BBJ Linens showroom to see some of their new offerings. It seems that once a year the company runs a friendly little in house competition to see who can design the loveliest tables. WOW with their selection of gorgeous linens how can you go wrong.

In the true tradition of southern hospitality the showroom here in Nashville threw open their doors, stocked the bar and loaded down the buffet with tasty morsels. The guest list included the who’s who in the local event industry. Always fun to see old friends and meet new ones.

BBJ Linens was started 25 years ago by three women upset by the terrible selection of linens available. Working from home they began to create their own linen using beautiful fabrics. Today BBJ has 15 showrooms spread across the country and a huge team of fine professionals to help you plan your décor needs.

Their website is not only some of the prettiest eyecandy around but also has a great interactive tool to help with making decisions. For more personal service just call 1-800-405-6944 and they will hook you up with your nearest showroom. Then one of their reps like MaryMac here in Nashville will talk you through the process; send you swatches or even a whole table cloth until you are happy with your choices. In some cases, you can even hire their production crew to come and tie all of those beautiful but tedious chair ties.

Dear friend David Wright took a ton of pictures for me today. So many wonderful shots in fact that I’m going to break them up into a couple of posts with full details on fabrics. Keep reading.

Wedding Gown Magic

If you ever wondered how your beautiful wedding gown get to the salon... it comes in an itty bitty box.

Inside out. So if you don't think much about the fact that your salon steams your gown for you before you see it for the first time, you might want to zoom in on that next to the last photo. Just thought you should know. Special thanks to Ann Miller at Glitz Bridal.

DIY Centerpieces

Those of you that are frequent followers of the Dish know that I am not a huge fan of DIY weddings. Having said that, I also know that there are a ton of brides that are ready to take the hand-made plunge. Centerpieces seem to be a favorite. So here goes…

First my rant. If I see one more lonely little bowl filled with water and one or two floating candle I may just scream. The same goes for a single pillar candle surrounded by rose petals. If you are going to take on this project, how about using a little creativity girls? I am well aware that for most of you saving money is the object, but you are going to have to think outside the box a little for that. Also remember that the standard height rules apply: either tall enough to see under or low enough to see over.

The one on the left I found on Indie Bride: Simple, clean, cheap and easy. If you are going for that urban zen look you can’t beat it. Change the single flower to suit your style. An orchid would be lovely but a rose would look outdated.

The one on the right would work for anything either county or garden. It is simply a flat of wheat grass with flowers in water picks stuck down in it, tie a ribbon around the flat or wrap it in fabric. Easy enough.This one has daisies but change up the fabric and use tulips for spring or for fall use deep colored mums and sprinkle the grass with fall leaves.

We all know that everyone looks better in candle light. If you want to go this route the key is to mass the candles. See if you can order plain white or ivory pillars by the case. Get a case of several different sizes and mix them up on the table. Rent some inexpensive serving trays to put them on and fill in the rest of the tray with stones or coffee beans or even cranberries to fit your mood. Get creative. Tuck a single bloom in among the filler an BOOM, pretty, unique and reasonable inexpensive. Just remember to find out what your venues rules are regarding candles.

Another popular DIY centerpiece is to fill bowls with beautiful fresh fruit. The only problem with that is finding enough pretty fruit the day before your wedding. Plus if you buy that much fruit at the grocery store you may end up paying more that if you had had the florist do standard arrangements. This might help: limit you selection to two or three kinds of fruit that will be in season at the time of your wedding. Arrange with your caterer to order the fruit through their wholesale produce vendor. Rent the bowls. It’s worth a shot.

I would love to see your DIY centerpieces. So send them on.

(Vicki, please don’t hate me)

How to Get Better Wedding Photos

I have to admit that I am maybe the most photophobic person in the world. I hate pictures of me, I hate having them taken and I hate when they show up in the press.

When you consider how many wonderful professional photographers I have as close personal friends you would think that I would have gotten over this by now. NO, not a chance.

I can get away with hiding from the camera most of the time but if you are a bride to be you don’t have that luxury. What is a girl to do?

Take a look at the blog Lara has put together for A Softer Image Photography. There are some great posts on how to pose and how to be more comfortable in front of the camera. The single best tip is to show your photographer a picture of yourself that you do like. That and relax.

Image courtesy of A Softer Image.

Just How Over The Top Would You Go?

I have talked before about how it goes when the pros plan their own wedding. Now most people I know in the industry kind of just run off and do it quietly. Occassionally one of us decides that they want to completely blow the top off of every other wedding they have ever planned.

Today I ran across one of those weddings. A planner that does a lot of event at Atlantis in the Bahamas, Harith Wickrema just got married and did he take it to new levels.

Here are a couple of quotes to give you an idea of the level of obsession that sometimes creeps into weddings.

“The dramatic entrance he had planned for his bride — via barge on Atlantis' serene lagoon — also brought obstacles. Chief among them was getting the barge to glide over the water without the disruptions an engine or propeller could cause. After input from Atlantis' in-house aquatic experts, Wickrema decided to have two underwater divers guide the barge from beneath. Add to that a surge of mood-setting music and a wash of light atop the water to create a shimmering effect, and “nobody could see how that barge was floating,” he recounts.”

Ummm. Ya. Divers to escort the bridal barge. You have included that haven’t you??? I think the picture is post barge ride

“During planning and setup of the complex event, “I was very involved,” the producer says. “I only relinquished my walkie-talkie a half-hour before the ceremony.”

I can’t even comment on that. Not even the worst bridezilla would admit to that

You can read the whole article here

Is The Strapless Gown Finally Fading?

What joy! How refreshing! Finally a collection that had a variety of necklines. The designs for next season from 2Be Brides are all over the board on necklines. There are halter tops and Sabrina necklines, High necks with beading and deep plunging V’s. There are cap sleeves and long sleeves.

Then there is the beading! I spent a day at market this spring with Leanne Stoiche the wonderful woman that designed most of the beadwork for this line. She then went to the factories in China to make sure that what she envisioned was want was produced. It is beautiful and her efforts show. One of the new gowns has over 18,000 beads. If you look closely at the gown with the green beading you will see a perfectly executed claddagh at the neckline.

And then of course you know me, if there was bling to be found I would find it. Nora from Erica Koesler brought her line into town to garnish the models with veils, jewelry and headpieces. True to form, yours truly looked smashing in a borrowed pearl and Swarovski headband for last night’s dinner. Thank you Nora.

Glamour, What Glamour?

So you had the misbegotten notion that everything to do with the bridal industry was glamorous, did you? It’s not. The work that goes on just to get gowns to this point is a ton of work. The designers stand back stage having done all they could. Now it is up to whether or not the buyers like it. If they don’t you will never get to see it and all their labors of love will have been for nothing. Its amazing the power the buyers have when you think about it. I’ll have shots of the gowns for you tomorrow. They are beautiful.

On the Road Again

Your Diva is on the road again. This time it is off to Philadelphia for the preview of the news offerings from 2Be Bride. This is a beautiful private line that is only available from salons in the 2Be group. What is so cool about that is that you won’t see your gown everywhere and the salons in the group are all topnotch. That means you will get the knowledgeable staff and fabulous service you deserve.

I’ll update you on the new designs as soon as I see them. From what I hear everybody at 2Be is over the top excited by this season’s gowns.

You can find out more or locate a salon at their website

Just Because It Sounds Offbeat…

Doesn’t always mean it is. I ran across this wedding in a cemetery. How beautiful. Before you jump to conclusions and start thinking Goth and vampire and black capes, take another look. Yes it is quirky but beautiful and romantic.

The bride and groom are history buffs and the cemetery is adjacent to the church where they worship. Harkening back to the early days of this country when there were few public parks cemeteries were used as picnic grounds.

Check out the rest of the images at David’s blog. I really like the one of the piano player.

I just love to run across the unexpected.