Wedding Recap: The First Look Part 2

         When we left off, James and I had finished getting ready and were ready to begin our pictures with Mark and Noelle. We decided on taking all our pictures beforehand because as a planner, I realize how important it is to not keep your guests waiting. Some of my more traditional family had a problem with this in the beginning, but looking back at our wedding day, I am very thankful that we did take all of our portraits beforehand. I must also add, brides: Make sure you have a shot list for your photographers before your wedding. This is one thing that I regret everyday because the pictures of my mom and I and my dad and I are limited. I blame myself for not being more proactive and doing this, but rather trusting myself that I would remember all of these on the wedding day.

Wedding Vendors:

Photography: McCoy Made

Flowers: Patricia Capes

Videography: 2Duce2 Videography

Rentals:Classic Party Rentals

Lighting: Nashville Audio Visual

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

count down til we are married contest

That's right folks, it's time for yet ANOTHER count down contest! We are at 10 months from today until we get married! So excited!



Last month's winner Cassandra won a fabulous dinner and a movie package to Regal Movie Theatres and the Melting Pot! Congratulations Cassandra!

So what is this month's you might ask? Well, another thing that James and I enjoy doing is going to good ol Wal-Mart or Target and Acting like total goofballs!

With that being said, this month's contest if for a $25 gift card from either Wal-Mart or Target.



To enter: Leave us a comment telling us what you and FI would do with your gift certificate and how it would strengthen your relationship. We will randomly select one winner using a randomized method.


(** Entries MUST be posted by 11:59 cst Sunday December 20, 2009 to be eligible. Engaged couples only please.**)

In the mean time, What do you think about this bouquet for a springy outdoor wedding?

Until Next Time,

Hillary

Penny Pinching Bride- Finding the Perfect Budget Engagement Ring

While the holiday season is rapidly approaching us, the engagement season is as well. “Silver Bells” and “Merry Christmas” are familiar phrases of the holiday season, but “Will You Marry Me” is a very popular phrase for couples.

This holiday season will be a penny pinching one for many, requiring many people to get creative in their search for affordable engagement rings. But, there are ways to get a quality ring without breaking the bank. Take into consideration these 5 easy pointers to save money on your soon to be fiance’s engagement ring!

1. Be educated! - You hear everyone talking about the 4 C’s (Clarity, Cut, Color and Carat) engagement ring shopping. If you don’t know what those are, stop reading right here and visit Shane and Co.’s website (shaneco.com) for jewelry education. This website will teach you everything you need to get the best bang for your buck when engagement ring shopping. Going in uneducated on the ins and outs of ring shopping could land you with a bad buy for your money. Know what kind of ring your fiancé wants and what color most of her jewelry is. If she has a right hand ring that is yellow gold, buying a white gold engagement ring could end up costing you more money than you anticipated. Talk to your fiancé’s family and friends about what type of engagement ring she would like as well.

2. Choose a smaller stone to propose with- There is no shame in buying your future fiancé a starter ring and updating the ring on an anniversary to come, such as 1 year or even 5 year. Shane Co. offers this service and also a free lifetime warranty.

3. Don’t be afraid of higher end department stores. Some higher end department stores such as JcPenney, Macy’s, Belk, and Dillard’s offer quality rings at a fraction of the price. When we got engaged last December, James told me that it was a temporary ring and that he wanted to get me a different ring eventually. We were out shopping one Sunday at JcPenney and found a great 1/3 of a carat nearly colorless, small inclusion ring for $300! That was too For example this Blue Nile (www.bluenile.com) ring sells for $1600.

www.bluenile.com

Did you know that you can find similar rings for around $500 or $600. This ring below can be found at Wal-Mart (Don’t cringe, read below) for $398!

Walmart.com

4. Don’t Settle for a Ring that is not “the Ring”- Too many men regret that they did not take longer in searching for the perfect ring for their fiancé. If you don’t find the ring by when you wanted to propose, don’t worry about it. She will still love you if you propose at a least expecting time. Be 100% sure before you buy.

(Bravo Bride.com)

5. Scout eBay, Craigslist or pre-owned bridal sites, like Bravo Bride - Many recent divorcees sell their engagement rings and wedding bands on these websites for sometimes as much as 75% off. Just be on the look out and make sure everything is legitimate before purchasing.

6. Remember- No matter what amount you spend on an engagement ring, it is the love and thought that you put behind it and how happy you will be when you are husband and wife.

Happy Planning!

Nashville Wedding Planner: Vendor Feature: McCoy Made Photography

I have had the pleasure over the last 3 months to really get to know Mark and Noelle McCoy of McCoy Made (http://www.mccoymade.com). You might remember them from their previous name of McCoy Studio. Their new name and website are very user friendly and I just love their video blog series "Mondays with the McCoy's." In fact, here is the Monday with the McCoy's that we were featured on!




Here are some questions I asked the McCoy's in our interview!




1. Who are you and what do you do?

We are Mark and Noelle McCoy, of MCCOY MADE. We are a husband and wife photography team who travel the globe doing what they love to do, capturing couples uniting themselves in marriage.

2. What budgets do you work with?

We will try and work with anyone! But, we do have a base starting point that we believe is geared towards the bride who is recession savvy but still wants fabulous imagery. We take on a limited number of weddings per year, therefore ensuring that we work with brides who love our work and who like our personalities!

3. How many weddings have you been involved in?

So far for 2009 we have shot 25 weddings and we will 5 more this year!

4. What is one of your strengths in the industry?

Being a husband/wife team, we like to take pride in the fact that we pay just as much attention to the groom as we do the bride! There will always be two perspectives of the same moments, and we can be in two places at once. We have started several new polices for 20

10 here in our studio, one of our favorites is that we will be scheduling your GALLERY PREMIERE within two weeks of your wedding date! So, everything will be completely edited and ready to go shortly after you return from your honeymoon.

5. What makes you different from other vendors in your category and why should a bride and groom hire you?

The most important difference MCCOY MADE has that no one else has, is us. We take our jobs very seriously, but we love to laugh at ourselves as well. We strive to serve people with our hearts, and keep communication lines open.

Our style is simple but we believe that our images speak volumes. We always take time to get to know our clients so that their gallery can be a personal reflection of who they are. While we cover weddings in a journalistic way, we don’t like to limit ourselves by a “genre” of photography. We are hands off and unobtrusive in our coverage, but we do believe that there is a time for gorgeous casually posed images of the bride and groom and bridal party. We understand that family images are heirlooms that record your family in one of the most important events of your life.

6. What areas of Middle Tennessee do you service?

We serve all of Middle Tennessee, and beyond! We have captured a bride and groom in Italy, and at the latter part of the year will travel to Guatemala to cover a wedding!

7. Describe your favorite wedding or special event you have worked with?

This one is hard. I don’t think we’ve worked with a bride and groom that we didn’t fall in love with! Our favorite part of any wedding, is the people. But, if we had to pick just one, it would be a wedding we shot this past summer on a horse farm. The farm was theirs, and the horse drawn buggy the bride arrived to the outdoor ceremony in, was theirs. They all wore cowboy boots, and the groom wore a Stenson hat. All theirs. They were so true to who they are, not a single detail was a forced replica out of the latest magazine. That it made the entire event special (and more fun to be a part of and capture)!

8. Do you have any money saving tips to offer couples planning a wedding?

Do your homework. Hire a coordinator. One option that we offer, is that a bride can register with us! People can buy gift certificates to be put towards helping the bride and groom purchase their pictures or album after the wedding!

9. One more last piece of wisdom for the couple…

Always interview people. For photography, knowing that you “click” is important (no pun intended!). You want to get along, and feel comfortable, with your photographer, as they will be with you all day long. Always ask to look at sample wedding albums so you can get a feel for what you’re signing up for.

Thanks Guys! If you are looking for a photographer, definitely give Mark and Noelle a call! They are wonderful and funny people and even better photographers!

Nashville Wedding Planner: Vendor Feature: 2duce2 Videography

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting for supper the fabulous Heather and Eugene of 2duce2 videography this week! Now, if when you think wedding videography, you think of an unsteady, handed camcorder from Wal-Mart, think again! Heather and Eugene have a UNIQUE and fascinating approach to something that was once boring and unattractive.

If you think that you can't afford a videographer, think again. Heather and Eugene's prices are reasonable and are very budget friendly compared to other videographers in the area. Plus, their videos are the best I have seen, so why wouldn't you hire them?

Here is a teaser from a wedding they recently videographed. I love how they captured everything from the beginning of the day til the end of the day when you are exiting.




Check out their website at www.2duce2.com

Ways to Destress with your groom!

The last few weeks have been very stressful for both James and I. I have been meeting with clients and having vendor meetings. James has been working about 45 hours a week for the last few weeks. So destressing has been on my mind most definitely.

Here are a few ways you can destress with your fiance:


1. Only talk about wedding planning one or two nights a week. Guys get overwhelmed by all the color and vendor talk easily and let's face it, but their brain's can't handle as much information overload as a female's does. By only wedding planning with him two nights a week, you are limiting the wedding information overload.

2. Plan a date night every week. Find something you both enjoy doing or a new adventure and go and do it ever week. I was looking at the fab- Gray Photography blog this week and they had a great tip! (http://www.grayphotograph.com/blog/) They had a craft night for one of their date nights! GREAT IDEA!

3. Plan a weekend getaway. Escaping to the beautiful Florida panhandle, or going to enjoy the picturesque mountains of a fall Gatlinburg Day, is a fun and adventurous way to escape the stress from work and wedding planning. Hotels run specials during the week and there is likely to be less people during those times.

And just because every blog is better with some kind of inspiration post.. Here is my favorite inspiration board of the week.