1. Blue gift bags hold sunflowers and roses and lemons make unique place cards. Burlap makes a casual table cloth. {source}

2. A feasting table makes the most of the narrow confines of this barn. The mismatched china and garden flowers in mason jars give it a shabby chic look. {source}

3. Blue chairs, stemless glassware and lanterns are brightened up by simple arrangements of sunflowers in milk glass vases. {source}

4. A collection of bright colorful cans are re-purposed as vases and fill with garden grown zinnias. {source}

5. This look is perfect for a wine country or summer field wedding. The color palette of white with pale sage and brown is fresh and summery. {source}

6. This tented wedding is a result of the use of the tanned golden browns of a late summer field. The chairs really make it. Shop the picture with the rental firms in your area to see what alternatives they can offer. {source}

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The first time I encountered this talented staff was many years ago, I was still doing cakes so it had to have been bask in the dark ages. I was doing a cake for a wedding at, of all places, the church I attended and the reception was in the parish hall/ cafeteria where my kidlets went. I won’t say the room was ugly, it just had to be one of the coldest places ever. Not sleek and modern, just cold, too high ceilings, too much glass and too much neutral tile, even the wood trim seemed cold.

When I went to install the cake I was amazed, that cold space had been transformed into slice of New Orleans! Over the years, Jim & Cheryl have just gotten better and better. Their work still amazes me.

Since I can’t give you a taste of their marvelous food, enjoy the pictures in their gallery and check out their blog, Chef’s Dish (Love that name, ) Shannon Bate, Catering Director does a wonderful job a sharing her inspiration.
I love finding spectacular talent in my own back yard. Sometimes you need to look closer to home.

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A few months ago I set up a blog for a recent client/long time friend. When I went in today to tweak a thing or two I caught up on my reading.

I had always known that Kellie was one of the greenest caterers around. Still, I was tickled green to see that she is posting about it.

The Main Event Blog

To all my about to be bride readers; take a look at some of the wonderful ways that your vendors can incorporate a green attitude into what they do for your wedding. To my readers in the industry; Kellie is a shining example of how all the little choices you make everyday, really do make a difference.

Check out Kellie’s blog for The Main Event, while you are there, check out her gorgeous cakes.

Keep up the great work Kellie.

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Last Sunday just before the crack of dawn, they assembled. Groggy from weddings and parties the night before, the members of The Tennessee Wedding and Events Specialists Association traded their pearls and heels and other wedding day finery to don jeans and muddy work boots. Did I say muddy? Make that extremely muddy. They turned out in mass to pitch in on the build of a Habitat for Humanity house.

Each year TWESA picks a philanthropic cause to champion as a way to give back to our community. This year we chose Habitat and are we ever glad we did. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences we have ever participated in.

We were involved in one of the biggest build days in Nashville history. There were sixteen houses going up simultaneously. TWESA managed to break a few records for build teams. We had the most participants show up for a build ever and we hung the cabinets in the kitchen in 90 minutes; usually a four hour task. Woo Hoo! What can you expect; we are after all a bunch of over-achievers.

Add to that the amazing job our caterers did. Now think about it, when you put the finger on some of the top caterers in the city to feed a hungry work crew they tend to go a bit over the top. So much so that we started inviting the work crews from the surrounding houses to join our feast. They thankfully accepted.

To really get the full picture, check out the images a couple of our photographers took for us. (Now you just knew these guys wouldn’t be able to leave their gear at home) Dave Pavol was our official photographer; you can view his images here. David Wright joined the mix. That is his image above and there are more on his blog.

If you are a member of a wedding related organization let me know about your philanthropic works. I’ll spread the word.

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Your wedding gown might not seem like the place to make an environmental statement but a quick search of the internet will prove you wrong. A search for “environmentally friendly wedding gowns” brought up 206,000 hits. First think recycle. You can either buy vintage or reuse one that is in the family. A good seamstress can recut a dress to a more modern style to suit your taste and figure and in some ways you are carrying on a family heirloom. If what you crave is new that is also now an option. There is of course silk but also silk hemp blends and a fairly new synthetic fabric make from cellulose called tencel that is very soft to the touch. You can either buy gowns ready made or purchase yard good to have a gown custom made for you. All those options also hold true for bridesmaids.

Jewelry

With how much has been said and written about so called conflict diamonds many socially conscience couples are forgoing the traditional engagement ring altogether. A diamond is considered a conflict diamond if its profits is used to fund war, or it is mined or produced under unethical conditions. In fact there has been such a backlash against diamonds that in 2001 diamond industry figures convened and formed a new organization, the World Diamond Council. This new body set out to draft a new process, whereby all rough diamonds could be certified as coming from a non-conflict source. Dubbed the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme it tracks the origin of rough diamonds and follows the stone through it life. If you are considering a new stone you can look for its certification. Such jewelry stores as Tiffany & Co, Zale and even QVC have started marketing “Ethical Jewelry”.

Not everyone has complete faith in any system, especially one as steeped in human rights violations as the diamond industry. If that is you the best way to go may be to use recycled stones and precious metals. Both GreenCarat.com and BrilliantEarth.com specialize in using recycled materials. Better yet, recycle the family jewels. You can have pieces collected from both families recast into one beautiful new set to symbolize your joining.

After the Wedding

Consider taking your honeymoon close to home. You will be so tired anyway after all that planning and partying that not having a seven hour flight might be a relief. You will also reduce your carbon output.

When it comes time to preserve your gown you can even do that in an environmentally friendly way. Oakwood Cleaners, in Nashville,TN operated by Surendra Kumar is one of the most modern facilities in the world. Specializing in a non-toxic cleaning process they preserve and restore wedding gowns for customers all over the country. Most telling was when Kumar told me that the process is so gentle on fabrics that shops like b. Hughes Bridal and Formal and Ann Frances Couture trust them to pre-clean gowns before the wedding. That just isn’t done. Normal dry cleaning methods can sometimes be so harsh to delicate fabrics that salons usually only spot clean a gown if needed between the portrait sitting and the ceremony for fear of damage. I take that as a huge vote of confidence.

Just how green you decide to go is up to you. Whether your color is a hint of green or more of deep foresty green the people that supply you are catching on. As more and more couples make greener choices and ask for what they want the more resources like money and time the vendors will put into finding solutions. So you see, it really is up to you.

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Then on Saturday your Wedding Diva is off to Wedding Channel Couture Show in NY. I will post more on that as the schedule fills up. I know so far that Reem Acra, Amy Michealson and Judd Waddell are already on tap. This market is with a completely different entourage than in seasons past. What fun

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