A couple of weeks ago I took a friend of mine shopping to help her find a few dresses to wear for a wedding and a rehearsal dinner. I wanted to help her find something fun and versatile, which brought me to the little black dress. Every woman needs a black cocktail dress, it can get you through a last minute party, a night out on the town, an outing to the symphony and the list goes on. Also, black goes with any skin tone and you can always have fun pairing it with some sassy shoes or jewelry. We ended up at White House Black Market and found exactly what she was looking for. When looking for a piece of clothing I know I’m going to wear over and over I usually like to go with a classic style. I put together a few looks based on what we found. My friend ended up choosing the sleeveless black dress and the flirty blue Cascade Ruffle dress for the rehearsal dinner. What’s great about these dresses you can wear the same shoes and jewelry with both and no one will ever notice!

So your big day is mere weeks away and life is a blur to say the least. One of the things people keep telling you is how important it is to savor the moment. And while you have heard everything from how you should decorate your tables to what you should wear, the advice about savoring the moment is very true. It is not going to be easy and it will definitely take some major wedding day focus. The truth is this momentous occasion in your life, the one you have been planning and obsessing over for a year, will be over in a blink. Acknowledge this, make your piece with it and on your wedding day stop every once and a while to savor the little moments. Take mental notes of how amazing it is to feel so beautiful and special with all your loved ones around. Pictures will last forever but if all you can remember is something borrowed and something blue, all those lovely details will be missed.

Image provided by A Memory Lane Event

With the amount of discounted websites & flash sales, it pays to be an internet savvy bride to be. Nearly Newlywed offers designer dresses, think Monique Lhuillier & Oscar de la Renta, at discounted prices. We’ve all seen discounted dresses before, but Nearly Newlywed is a place where we can buy, alter, send back or keep the dress. Nearly Newlywed keeps in minds that even though brides are saying forever to their groom, they might not be saying forever to their dress. Some dresses for sale also have a guarantee for buy back, which means Nearly Newlywed will buy back your dress (up to 8 months after your big day) for 30% of the final sale price. If that wasn’t enough, you can also make up a Pinterest board & have Nearly Newlywed help you find the perfect dress! Get shopping.

I thought I would compile my favorite evening looks from the Fall 2012 RTW shows. The standouts for me were Tory Burch with the glamorous evening gloves which would be a fun addition to a bridesmaid dress, especially if you’re having a more formal wedding and Oscar del la Renta. It was the simple little touches that stood out for me, the brooch on a dress or fishnet stockings can really let you have fun with your bridesmaids and encourage them to add their own style.

Love this beautiful bridal luncheon!  Such great use of bold colors…from the cake to the flowers, even in the candy bar.  Enjoy these stunning images by Wasio Photography.

I was so excited to be invited by Michelle of Burlap and Brooches and Sara Fried of Fete Nashville to their Leap in the City Event at Sambuca this past February. Sambuca is a great local restaurant here in Nashville and happens to be one of my favorites. They have a newly expanded Sky loft Lounge designed for 70-100 guests and it’s ready to host rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions and bachelorette parties. The food was wonderful and I had my first ever bacon wrapped Quail which was really good!

Dulce Desserts made the most delicious cupcakes and I was happy to find out they make most of the desserts for Sambuca’s special events. The lush flower arrangements were by Ricky Minder of Ode Floral Artistry and the detailed charcoal and candy apple red linens were provided by Jennifer Byler of Connie Duglin Linens.

Daiva Grubb of Designs in August whom I had the pleasure meeting that night created the logo and paper designs for the event and I loved how they turned out.

Melissa McBryde of Grand Avenue Transportation provided the fancy Mercedes Benz for the fun photo shoot outside.

The always charming and very talented Gregory Byerline was the photographer for the night. Thank you again to Michelle and Sara for throwing such a fun party!

Other sponsers for the night: Nashville Audio Visual  // Chris Wheeler Films // Reed Thomas Lawrence 

If you are in the Nashville or surrounding areas, there is a super fun event coming up – How to make your own wedding guest book!  This great class is brought to you by The Skillery.  What a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding and have something cool to display after your wedding that includes messages from your guests.  Make sure to check out the class & all the other amazing events The Skillery has to offer…Register here!

These days a lot of couples live together before getting married. Translation: They don’t need the pots & pans or fancy towels.

A wedding registry is perfect for already nesting couples to splurge or upgrade on products. But it’s also a great time to add some great accent pieces that will be memorablel wedding gifts. Launched in 2010, Antiquaria has quickly become one of my favorite houseware shops. From the colors to the patterns, it’s a great place to put some color & personality into your classic pieces.

Antiquaria owners, Bailey Amon & Emma James met when Emma hired Bailey to do calligraphy for her wedding invitations. Since then they have successfully worked together creating Antiquaria & custom invitations. Antiquaria offers registries for any occasion. Check out their shop here.

It’s that time again, the models have taken to the catwalks and the designers have displayed the best of their collections. Fall Ready to Wear 2012 has come and gone and I’ll be highlighting a few of my favorites. Starting out with Marchesa  which I always look forward to seeing! Georgina Chapman and Keran Craig thrusted us into a realm of otherworldliness with their shimmering silhouettes and tulle. White feathers were sewn into the bodices in wing formations and gave the collection a sort of dreamy but still glamorous feel.

I was thrilled to be invited by Jennifer Hamilton of Mr.and Mrs. Events to the attend The Nashville Wedding Planners Group  February Meeting. It took place at the Bride Room, one of my favorite dress shops in Nashville. The ladies that run it are as sweet as can be and really do care about each individual bride. They also have gorgeous dresses which The Bride Rooms’ very own Jessica modeled for us as Stephanie and Charlotte explained how you can style a dress 3 different ways by adding unique accessories.

Our entertainment for the evening was Phyliss Sparks playing her lovely harp as we walked in and were greeted with champagne provided by Hamilton Bartending Services. B.Jackon’s Bakery made us some yummy desserts to snack on for the night.

Hillary with Brocade Design provided some pretty spring-like centerpieces for decor and we lounged on furniture brought in by Classic Party Rental.

The night ended with taking pictures in the Picture This photobooth. They have a unique setup that differs from other photobooths I’ve seen Nashville so be sure to check them out. All of the lovely photographs were taken by the talented Mandy Whitley.

Thank you ladies for inviting me to such a fun evening of fashion and getting to know some more of Nashville’s great wedding vendors!