Planning a Nashville Wedding? Let's Talk!

Are you one of the lucky brides-to-be who has found herself newly engaged this holiday season? First, CONGRATULATIONS! Next, we need to talk...

Your head is probably swimming. You're both excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Your family is asking you about a date, your friends are asking you about colors and flowers and who gets to be in your bridal party. You're excited to get started, but you've probably never done this before, and you suddenly find yourself faced with an unbelievable number of decisions to make. You want to plan a beautiful, unique wedding, but where in the world do you start?
This does not have to be you! Let me give you a couple of examples of how we can help:

• We do not charge a rental fee to use our ballroom space for a reception. That's right. No. Fee. As in, free. Some venues in Nashville charge up to $6000, JUST to use their space. That's not counting food, decorations, anything! Make sure the money you spend is buying something tangible for you and your guests to enjoy, not an empty room.

• We can plan both your wedding ceremony AND your reception under one roof. Couples expecting lots of out of town guests find this especially helpful since we have a complimentary airport shuttle and complimentary parking. Picture it: your guests check in to their two-room suite, they enjoy free snacks and drinks at our nightly Manager's Reception, they sit down to a free, full, hot breakfast in our restaurant the next morning, they attend your wedding ceremony in our gorgeous indoor garden atrium, they party down at your reception in one of our spacious ballrooms, and then they just take the elevator to their rooms when it's over. You can't get much more stress-free than that!

• Our wedding packages are competitively priced, and we work very hard to give you a great value for your money. We have menus to choose from if you don't know where to start, or we're more than happy to work with you to create a special menu for your wedding reception if our pre-set menus don't fit your tastes. You can preview our packages and everything they offer here.

• I have ten years of event planning experience, four of them spent at this hotel focusing solely on weddings. Need a calm person to talk to when things start getting out of control? Can't figure out where to start looking for a photographer? Clueless about traditions or the typical flow of weddings? Want to go over the setup of the ceremony and reception just one more time to be sure it's perfect? I'm only a phone call or an email away. The "A" in my name stands for "Anti-stress." :) Plus, you don't have to pay a wedding planner or coordinator, because I plan all of our weddings, and I'm here on site for all of them.

Beautiful location + dramatic ceremony entrance + happy guests + great food - stress = Happy YOU! We work hard to create the event you envision, and here's proof in the words of satisfied customers themselves. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to see pictures of past events and keep up with what's going on.

If you're looking for a wedding venue in Nashville for an indoor garden ceremony and indoor ballroom reception, or you need space for a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, or just some overnight rooms for guests flying in from out of town, a visit to the Embassy Suites Nashville Airport should definitely be on your "To Do" list. Call or email me today and let's talk about how we can help make this big job a little easier for you.

Yep, that's more like it! Weddings and Wedding Planning Are Sweet at Embassy Suites!

We ♥ Our Clients!

This week, we decked the halls and trimmed the trees to prepare for a special Holiday Luncheon, planned specifically to thank our clients for being the wonderful people they are. We had a great turnout, and it was so delightful to have so many of our friends here at the same time to share in the festivities! We thought we'd post a few pictures in case some of you missed the party:

This is Jamia Pace, our sales coordinator, checking in guests and gathering their donations to Second Harvest Food Bank.

The Christmas Tree in our Atrium, along with some festive music!

This is the table setup, thanks to our friend Jennifer French Byler and our HEROES at Connie Duglin Linen. They always keep us looking pretty!

A little festive libation -- Pomegranate Mimosas!

Yummy fruit, cheese, and French bread display

The lovely ladies at my table -- sweet people, great conversation!

Networking, Networking, Networking

An overhead shot of half the atrium

Again, we're so thankful to all of you who could make it, and to those of you who couldn't, hopefully we'll see you soon. Thanks for "believing" in us -- we look forward to a spectacular 2011 with you!

It's About That Time...

♫ "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go-ooooo...." ♫

Yes, it's Christmas time again. It seems like it really snuck up on us this year, don't you think? This year has been busy for us with weddings, and now we've got holiday parties going on, so our kitchen and banquet staff members are working as hard as Santa's elves to make everything beautiful for the holidays! If you haven't stopped by the hotel to see the Christmas decorations, you should definitely come in and say hello!

As an added bonus to the holidays, ENGAGEMENT SEASON is officially here!! Did you know that 33% of all engagements occur between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day? If you are newly engaged and planning a wedding in Nashville, we hope that you'll consider us as a venue for your events. We work very hard to offer competitive, affordable wedding pricing, and our service staff is truly second to none. We've all worked together for a long time, so we have the knowledge and experience to give you the stress-free day you deserve. Combine that experience with affordable packages, great food, and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere, and it's easy to see why everyone says Weddings Are Sweet at Embassy Suites. I'm taking appointments for complimentary tours and consultations throughout the holidays, so call or email me and let's chat! I want to know all about what you envision for your upcoming wedding.

While you're thinking about different vendors for your big day, be sure that you put Doerman Photography on your list of people to contact. I worked with Michael and his team for the first time a few months ago, and I'm really impressed with their work. He's got a style that sets him apart from the other photographers I've worked with in the past, and I highly recommend him. Here are some of the lovely photos he was oh-so-kind to share with me:

This is the groom and his groomsmen hanging out in our lounge before the ceremony

The bride and her maids in our lobby before the ceremony

Love, love, love this picture -- this is the bride and her dad coming down the elevator for the ceremony. This type of dramatic entrance is totally unique to our property!

The wedding ceremony in our Atrium

A sweet moment during the couple's first dance

A nighttime shot of the bride and groom in our Atrium

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy holiday (and engagement!) season. We're looking forward to helping you get the New Year AND your new life together off to a great start!

Classic Never Goes Out of Style

Happy Monday, Nashville! How has your summer been so far? It has been a busy one for us, and I am a little behind on my blogging. :) We've had lots of weddings this summer! Since my last post, I've worked on the weddings of Danielle & Phillip, Sarah & Luke, Renee & Kevin, Chelsea & Patrick, Ambria & Matthias, Jenny & Willey, and most recently, Tamara & Nigel. It never ceases to amaze me how different every event can be and how much care goes into the little details that personalize each one. It's those little things that make each one different that I love the most, and that's exactly how your guests will feel if YOU are planning a wedding. Don't be afraid to be creative and really infuse your celebration with personal touches. There are lots of inexpensive ways to do that, and if you need help brainstorming, I'll be happy to help.

One of our recently newlywed couples, Renee & Kevin, have been kind enough to let me post some pictures that I took of their event here at our hotel. Check this out:

This is the wedding ceremony in our indoor garden atrium.

The lovely bride...gorgeous dress, perfect hair and jewelry...just wish

I'd gotten a shot of her great red shoes!!

The bride and her maids

The amazing reception setup, here in our Carolina Ballroom. Linens provided by Connie Duglin Linens. Centerpieces provided by Fresh by CarryAnn. Menu cards and cute little favor boxes provided by the bride.

And this is the bride and groom making their exit after the ceremony in the atrium. I think this is one of my favorite pictures we've taken here --I feel really lucky to have captured that special moment of happiness. Such a sweet, stylish, classy couple...Renee and Kevin were wonderful to work with! Best wishes to them and all of our summer newlyweds.

We still have some limited dates open this fall and we're booking for next year, so call or email me soon if you'd like to be the next to experience why Weddings Are Sweet at Embassy Suites!

Surviving the Flood

After almost 14 inches of rain in two days, many areas of our beloved city are in distress. Downtown is flooded for blocks, including many landmarks, historical sites, businesses and hotels. Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills Mall have both sustained pretty serious damage. Several residential neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city are devastated. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.


Our hotel was lucky enough to come through the storm unscathed, so we wanted to post a quick note to our clients and friends that everything here is OK.


We have no damage, and there is no trouble getting to or from the hotel -- the airport and all the interstates are open. All meetings and events are proceeding as scheduled. If any of our valued colleagues have any groups that need to be displaced due to damage or flooding, please keep us in mind. We're happy to help! Here's hoping to things in Nashville are back to business as usual soon!!

EARTH HOUR

On March 27, 2010 at 8:30pm, we'll be doing something to help save the planet. Join us by signing up for Earth Hour and turn the lights out on climate change!

Lovely Bridal Show Pics!

We recently participated in the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show at the Frist on Sunday, February 21. Did you attend? If not, you missed a very nice boutique show with lots of information, lots of cupcakes, and lots of people ready to help with every aspect of your wedding planning!

Here is a snapshot of our exhibit, which was designed with a retro 1940s-1950s theme to introduce our new Hollywood Glamour upgrade for wedding receptions! If you are a Glamour Girl and you're looking for a reception venue that will help you infuse this kind of style into your event, give us a call!

We call these Mar-teenys! They were filled with lemonade for the show, but how fun would it be to have real martinis or your signature cocktail passed in these miniature glasses during your cocktail hour? The possibilities are endless...

Special thanks to Connie Duglin Linen for providing the linen for the show! =)

Rachel & Jeremy: Black & White Damask, Red Roses Everywhere, and Lots of Love!

Rachel and Jeremy are a lovely couple with wonderful families, and we were so happy to help them with their recent wedding reception. Definitely one of the most beautiful we've had here, their reception had a classic, polished elegance with decorations featuring black and white damask table overlays and chair ties HAND MADE by the mother of the bride! Here are some of the pictures they were kind enough to share with us!

The Knot Unveils the Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010 | TradingMarkets.com

Interesting read...find out what's ahead for this year! Some wonderful ideas!!

The Knot Unveils the Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010 TradingMarkets.com