Fridays with Hillary

Sit back, grab yourself a cold Dr. Pepper, put your flip flops on and enjoy Friday's with Hillary! Starting this week, I am going to be video blogging every Friday and letting you know what is up with Your Day of Fairy Tales and Life in General. I will be presenting planning tips and other wedding related tips! Enjoy!

*Photos Courtesy of McCoy Made and Jennifer Herniak

It's Almost here! How to stay calm during this hectic last few days!

I really cannot believe that it's almost here!

  We have 10 Days until our wedding! 

Source

It seems like just yesterday that we got engaged, but in reality it's been 2 years! My family will start arriving Monday and to be honest, I am ready for it just to be over! The last few weeks have been extremely crazy and hectic and yes, I will admit, there was a point in which last week, I was ready to call it off! But the last week or so, people can't get over how calm, cool and collected I appear! 

Here is how I have stayed calm the last few weeks:

1. Breathing

(source)

 Every time I start to get anxious or nervous, I close my eyes and start breathing big deep breaths! I probably look absolutely ridiculous doing it, but hey! It has helped me through some difficult ones the last week (ie, my mom's veil not matching my dress, my shoes not being ordered when I ordered them a month ago, etc)

2. AC DC

Ahhh.. My favorite band of all times! These guys can help ease the stress by rolling down the window's and blasting it as loud as your radio can take it!

3. And last...

Ice cream from Sonic with this guy! This is my 95lb lab Rudy! Isn't he the cutest! Best of all, he doesn't talk back about any of my ridiculous ideas and actually thinks they are great as long as he gets his Ice cream and you pet him! :)

Have a Great Week!! 

Real Wedding: Engagement Pictures

I would be lying to you if I said these last 3 months have been easy. In fact, they have been BUSY VERY busy! I have had several weddings, as well as focusing full steam on our wedding which is happening in 31 days! 31 DAYS! When we started this Journey 2 years ago, I had 500+ days to plan our dream wedding. I am down to 4 weeks, 1 month! Hard to believe that in just a short time, I will be someone's wife!

I wanted to take time and share a few of our engagement photos from the ever so talented Mark + Noelle McCoy of McCoy Made out of Franklin. We <3 these two and CAN'T wait to have them capture our wedding day!

So without further ado.. Our engagement pictures.

Like I said, We are really excited to have them be a part of our special day and if you are looking for a WONDERFUL photographer duo, Check out Mark + Noelle!

Hillary
Your Day of Fairy Tales
Nashville Wedding and Special Event Planner

Changing wedding plans

Have you ever had an uneasy feeling about something and knew it wouldn't work? Have you wanted to prove yourself right that it would be the way you thought it would be! I have been that bride this week.

When we first made our wedding guest list, I thought we MIGHT be doing good to have 100 people show up. Now let me tell you, this is before my mom and grandma got wind of my plans for a semi small wedding. Out guest list currently stands at 160 invites. Yes you read that correct. We are send out 160 invites. So let's do the math.

160 invites x at minimum 2 people per invite= a whopping 320 people!!!

Now the rule is to account for approximately 75-80% of your guests. The percentage goes down if a good majority is from out of town. Well from talking to family, that percentage ain't gonna go down! CRAP! When i figured on a decreased 60% i still come up with a 192 guest list!! So what do I do? I am already freaking out about the size of our venue and now we are talking possibly adding another 100 people! ( side note: the cutting of the guest list just isn't gonna cut it because most of them are unfortunately people James and I forgot to add in the first place.)

So what is my plan b? Our original plan A.


Our church is a little white church in the middle of some fields with cows grazing around. When we first were planning, we decided to just go the tent route and have it right there together. Well... The July heat won and we eventually moved the wedding to October. We found a place we loved in town that was relativley inexpensive compared to the pricey tent I had been quoted. But as I previously stated, it only holds 100 people and our guest list is 175.



So here we are two months before the wedding, two weeks before invites need to go out, and I am dealing with a reception venue change. It will all be worth it to have peace of mind October 16 that all our guests will have a place to enjoy their meal.

Have you had to change anything major when you got down to the wedding wire??


Hillary
Nashville Wedding and Event Planner

The most important part of your wedding day: The ceremony

The flowers. The cake. The uplighting. Weddings have gotten away from what really matters and moved more towards the superficial of what is "expected at weddings."

 Source

    I'll be the first to admit to you, that I am (or was) the same kind of bride. I work in the wedding industry. I research wedding trends A LOT and I read A LOT of blogs. But today, I had a revelation. It's not just about the whole wedding. It's about those 10-15 minutes that most people just want to get through so they can get to the party.

      Brides! This is the most important 10-15 minutes of your life and you are trying to rush it! Savor this moment with your one true love. Does it matter if the aisle runner is really straight or if the flower girl makes a fuss? No, what matters at the end of those 10-15 minutes is that you and your now husband are married. savor the moment. Look in each other's eyes. You will never have a wedding day with each other.

   I had every intention of turning this into a planning your wedding ceremony post, but after reading a blog post from Lara Casey, I am going to go transparent and just put it all out there. I met with one of my brides today and I have to tell you, she truly is a blessing sent from above. I rarely put my spirituality out in the open, just because as a planner and maybe a future educator, I want to appear transparent and open to all religions and types of ceremonies. I am still that same planner.
    My faith is strong. Always has been always will be. In the last year since I graduated college, my faith has definitely been tested. I never in all my dreams imagined that I would not have a "9-5" job after a year. Never imagined that God would truly bless me with some of the best clients and some clients who would test me as a coordinator and planner. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT.

My bride today asked if we could have prayer before we left. Okay. Fine. Great! Man. Talk about an unexpected 10 minute prayer making such an important impact on you. I have been thinking about who I am as a planner, who my target bride is and what it is I want out of life since I left Mt. Juliet today. I want to be the type of planner who serves brides that care more about the ceremony than they do getting drunk and wanting the most important 15 minutes of their live to fly by so they can hit the bar. I want to be a servant to my clients and serve them, but not be taken advantage of. I want to grow relationships with my clients and form friendships that last well beyond their wedding planning days. I am tired of the craigslist bride who takes advantage of you for your Month of Coordination or a bride who tries to wheasel every service out of you for full planning of $2000. I want to make a difference and I want to put God first in everything I do, even my wedding planning business. "I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.

A sermon that the pastor who is marrying us preached a few years ago sticks with me every day. The scripture comes from James 4:13-16.

 ¹³ Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” ¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. ¹⁵ What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil."

We don't know where our lives will be a year from now, let alone tomorrow. Make the most out of what you have now and make things happen while you have the time! I am ready to make things happen!

Engaged since 2008, but why 2010 to get married?- 4 months to go.

To give you a little background, James and I got engaged on December 12, 2008.  I was still in college and attempting to finish in 3 years. To view our entire engagement story visit here...Clarksville Brides: Hillary and James

But why 2010 to get married when I could have easily planned our wedding in a year? Here is why. 2010 has been an exceptionally busy, but exciting year in the Capes household.  In April, we celebrated my grandparent's 50th anniversary. This event was truly special and celebrated what I consider to be the essence of making a marriage last and true love.

(Circa 1960)

Here are some pictures from their event:

Our family is super talented so everything was completed by us for the event! My sister, Courtney, took the photos, my grandmother made her own cake and catered the event and my mom and aunt, Sonja, did the flowers!

 Yesterday, we celebrated my mom and dad's 25th anniversary. A wonderful surprise celebration was held at my mom's office suite here in Charlotte!

(Circa 1985)

Today is their real anniversary and also the anniversary of the day we moved to Tennessee 15 years ago from Illinois on their 10th wedding anniversary!

So why 2010? We believe that with having these VERY special events in 2010 resulting in long lasting marriage is an omen that ours will be a long lasting wedding as well! 

Why did you pick your wedding date?

Real Wedding Inspiration: Pink!

I don't know about every other woman or girl, but when I was a little girl, I LOVED Barbie dolls! In fact, I still get a new Holiday Barbie EVERY Christmas! But what I loved infact was the pinkness of the dolls! Everything was pink and all her accessories were pink.  Now what I love is a Bride who utilizes every shade of pink and pulls it off fantastically!

Photos by: Erin Thacker Photography

Flowers by: Flowers By Trish and your day of fairy tales

Look at the variety in these flowers!

The Bride wanted a beautiful floating gerbera daisy arch to be married under!

Beautiful Favor Table Display incorporating varying shades of pink

Beautiful Cocktail table arrangement. Notice the fushia uplighting provided by Nashville Audio Visual

Check us out next week for some more wedding inspiration!

Real Nashville Wedding Recap: Rebecca + Joey- March 20, 2010

Wow. It has been a while since I have posted a blog and to my readers: I apologize. Things certainly have been crazy around here and for that we have many blogs and inspirations to show you!

The first Real Wedding we are pleased to feature for this year is the wonderful Spring time wedding of Rebecca and Joey! Rebecca contacted me in Mid- January and contracted me for Month of Service. From the moment we met, I knew that their wedding was going to be fun filled and full of love by the way she talked about Joey!

Rebecca and Joey: Here is to a life time of happiness and many more years to come!

Rebecca is a zookeeper at the Nashville Zoo and works with the Birds! Several elements of her wedding included birds or bird feathers!

Rebecca choose a color palette of dark blue, apple green and white to represent the bird she most closely works with at the zoo.

The beautiful Edgefield Baptist

All the Wonderful Vendors who this day could not have happened without:

Photography: Tiffany Zajas
Reception Venue: Holiday Inn-Opryland
Ceremony Venue: Edgefield Baptist Church
Cake: The French Confection
Flowers: Hermitage Florist
DJ: Nashville Party Authority
Officiant: Ralph Griggs

Inspiration Tuesday: Clementine and Pewter

Having been looking for inspiration for a bride that is getting married in September, I stumbled upon this Pantone wedding inspiration board. I absolutely LOVEEEE Pewter mixed with a bright pop of color.  This color combo and think it would be perfect for a fall wedding or even a bright cheery summer outdoor wedding.

Happy Planning!

And The Winner is... and History of the Garter

Miss Kriss!! 

Congrats! In March, we will be doing an even better give away to make up for our missed February! 

In the mean time, Here is a little History of the Garter.

"Tossing the wedding garter is an old  time held tradition.  It is said that in the days gone past, the bride and groom had to  show proof of their wedding consummation.  In order for it to be proven, it was common tradition to have people like family and friends come into the room with the couple.  The "witnesses" would obtain the garter as "proof" of the consummation.   Also having any article of the under garments was considered to be good luck so sometimes things would get out of hand in the newly wed's bedroom as crazed onlookers snatched at clothing to get for good luck.  This was not appreciated much by the bride nor many grooms, hence the groom started tossing the garter out so that no one would need to obtain it themselves. 
( How barbaric this sounds! glad things have changed since then)  

 

Source 

 

Because of modesty, this tradition has been modified and moved from the bedroom to the reception.   Now today we have the traditional garter toss, which is meant to bring good luck to the man who catches it.  He is said to be the next one to marry.  In some cultures the men stand and wait for the garter to be tossed.  Other cultures they actually compete for it.  The men may compete for the garter in a foot race or by horse (this is a medieval practice).  At least it is better than having the men chase the bride and put her upside down to get the garter off... This is what used to happen!  In yet other places, they even auction the garter off.  As strange as these twists on the wedding garter tradition may sound, it's all just a tradition.  Take it or leave it. 
or should I say "Take it or Toss it! "

Source

Are you participating in this tradition? Why or Why not? What was your deciding factor?

Give A Day- Get a Day: GREAT HONEYMOON MONEY SAVER

I'm sure you have all seen the Muppet commercials where they are building a house with Jamie Denton from Desperate Housewives. Well these commercials have ignited a spark so I went to the website to see what it was all about. When I got there, I quickly realized there were 200+ volunteer opportunities in the Middle Tennessee area. WOW! As I begin looking through them one particular stands out to me. Project Linus is a nationwide charity that provides blankets to children in times of dismay. Some of the most noteworthy that PLN provides to are:

Monroe Caroll Jr Children's Hospital
Vandy NICU
TN Dept. Of Children's Services
Ronald McDonald House
Wilson County Fire and Rescue
and many more.

Now you're probably thinking what does this have to do with wedding planning.. WELL IT DOES!

You see James has never been to Disney World nor Florida and that is where we are honeymooning. Being a Budget bride myself, this is a GREAT way to not only give back to your community, but also get a FREE TICKET TO DISNEY which saves $45 each! That is $100 we can put towards something else!

So, what do I want other blogger brides to do with this information? I want you to check out the website, and find a way that you can volunteer.

2010 is the year to pay it forward and do something for others!

Happy Planning!

Countdown to the Wedding Contest- 8 months to go

So it has been very busy the last 2 weeks here at Your Day of Fairy Tales and we completely forgot our Countdown to the wedding contest!

With 8 months to go til the wedding, I can guarantee that things are going to get even more hectic! So this month's contest is for ........

An ITunes Gift Card or app Store gift card worth $25. James and I both LOVEEEEEEEEeee our iPhone's and infact we both spent $10 this week on downloading the newest Lady Antebellum album (Which if you haven't done so yet, you need to because it is A-H-M-A-ZING!)

So.. How do you enter?

Comment on this blog and tell us what album or apps you would download with an iTunes or App Store gift card.

(** Entries MUST be posted by 11:59 cst Sunday January 30, 2010 to be eligible. Engaged couples only please. Previous Winners not eligible**)

Happy Planning!

Packages

Here are our 2012 wedding packages

Month of Planning

This is our alternative to day of coordination. Coming in just on the weekend of your wedding makes it difficult to know exactly what is going on and we don’t want to cause more stress. This package is for the bride who has planned everything herself and just wants someone to be there to make sure the photographer shows up when they are suppose to. Prices start at $500

Prior to Wedding:

- Unlimited phone and e-mail communication

- 3 consultations

- Review of contracts to ensure client’s best interest

- Wedding timeline down to the minute

- Ensure all necessary items are in place to be transported on wedding day to ceremony and reception location. (guestbook, favors, place cards, etc.)

- Confirm all vendors for the wedding weekend

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Partial Wedding Planning

You’ve done most of the work yourself, but want a professional to help where it matters. Maybe you are about to go over budget and still have several vendors to hire. If this sounds like you, then this is the package for you! Prices start at $1750

- Attend up to 4 Vendor consultations

- Unlimited phone and e-mail communication

- 5 face to face consultations

- Recommend wedding vendors in client’s price point

- One final walk through of ceremony and reception location

- Review of contracts to ensure client’s best interest

- Wedding timeline down to the minute

- Ensure all necessary items are in place to be transported on wedding day to ceremony and reception location. (guestbook, favors, place cards, etc.)

- Confirm all vendors for the wedding weekend

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Full Wedding Planning

This package is perfect for that busy bee of a bride who is too busy to do all the little things for the wedding. We take care of those so that you can enjoy being engaged and spending time with your fiancé. Prices start at $2250

Prior to Wedding:

-Comprehensive Wedding Consulting, Designing, and Planning

-Overall Design of wedding

- Assist in invitation and paper selection for wedding

- Help secure venue for ceremony and reception location

- Work with couple to establish food and beverage menu for reception

- Help establish a workable budget and checklist of items to be accomplished

- Help envision the décor, theme, and colors tailored to the couple

- Coordinate wedding day transportation for bride and groom and/or any out of town guests

- Go to onsite visits with couple to visit florist, cake, DJ, catering, etc.

- Give guidance on wedding etiquette and the latest trends

- Make hair and nail appointments for the bride and wedding party

- Help secure rental of tuxes for wedding party and groom

- Prior to wedding day, contact all vendors to ensure time of delivery and itinerary

- Finalize wedding day itinerary

- Follow up RSVP’s

- Review and negotiate all contracts

- Help with the selection of favors, gifts, and/or out of town baskets

- Make arrangements for wedding day hotel room block for bride and groom and/or any out of town guests

- Recommend vendors for florist, hair/nail salon, cake, DJ, catering, etc.

- Unlimited Contact via Email and Phone

- Unlimited Face to Face Consultations

- Assistant “Wedding Day Coordinator” included

- One final walk through of ceremony and reception location

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Real Wedding Planning Tips: The Kids in Your Wedding

Now a day's brides and grooms are struggling with the concept of including (and even inviting) children to their wedding. When we were figuring out our wedding party we had no question whether or not we would include children in our wedding party. This is why:

Meet Kenny who is our ring bearer



and Jessie, our flower girl.

(How could you not want these cute kids in your wedding?)

Attire for the children is just as important as the groomsmen and bridesmaids. For Jessie, we are considering a very flowwy pretty party dress that she can have fun in. Kind of something like this:



I am going to DIY this flower girl basket that I found online. I don't like the birds though so those will definitely stay off! I think adorned with some beautiful blossoms it will make for a very rustic but elegant flower girl basket, which is definitely what we are going for.



Now for Kenny, I really do not want him to match the groomsmen, but want him to be his typical cute self.(This little boy yells Amen in church at the most appropriate times and the whole church dies laughing)


This Eton Suit is adorable and at a price of only $35.00 who can beat that. Kenny will not carry your traditional ring bearers pillow. I was looking for a way to incorporate more green into the wedding and found this beauty online. Another DIY project but unfortunately this can not be completed until the day before. Isn't it cute? I will adorn it with a pretty pink ribbon and voila!

Now, how are you outfitting the kids for your wedding? I would love to hear your ideas!

Keep on Planning,

Hillary