Vendor of the Month (ASHLEY'S BRIDE GUIDE) | CHATTANOOGA EVENT BLOG

Hey guys!  We are very excited to present our first Vendor Feature this year!  I (Bridget) love her site!  She is based in Nashville, TN which is only a couple hours away from Chattanooga.  Those of you brides out there looking to have your wedding in Nashville you MUST check out her site.  I love looking at blogs especially wedding blogs and her's is no exception to the list!  So I hope you guys enjoy Ashley's interview head over to her site check out all she has to offer and make sure to tell her we sent you!

1. Name:  Ashley King

2. Website/Blog Name:  AshleysBrideGuide.com 

3. How long has your site been up and running?  3 years

4. What is your favorite part about blogging and working within the wedding industry?  Finding great things, informing people unable to come to Nashville to plan their wedding, meeting brides who my blog has helped! 

5. Aside from your site/blogging is there anything in the wedding industry that you do or would like to talk more about?  I love the bridal business and really enjoy consulting others on creating a great blog. i also like to learn from great business minds in the wed industry and helping everyone be better at what they do/love. 

6. What advice do you give others who would like to start a blog or site devoted to the wedding industry?  Commit to it, be passionate about it and make it a true reflection of who you are and what you love.  don't try to copy others' model for success. create your own. 

7. From all your time blogging about the wedding industry what is one piece of advice that you could give to brides and/or grooms in their planning process?  Start with your values and priorities.  They are unique to you and should drive every decision - from who to hire to where to wed.  Your goal should not be to be featured on style me pretty.  If thats the case, you're priorities are misaligned.  It's a great honor but a strong marriage should really be your focus during your engagement.  It's easy to lose sight with ALL of the amazing blogs, shows and magazines but let's help one another keep first things first.

8. Since we are wedding photographers what is one trend in photographing weddings that you love the most?  Engagement photos that really allow the couple's personality to shine!  Doesn't have to be at the city's landmark but could be at their home over thanksgiving dinner.  Just whatever is truly adored by the couple. 

9. What are other blogs, photographers, vendors, etc inspire you the most and you love to check out on a regular basis?   There are too many to name!!!  But one of my nashville favorites is cedarwood because they attract great brides + do it all for the bride (from venue to styling) making every wedding gorgeous!!!  http://www.cedarwoodweddings.com/

10. Let us know a little more about you and anything else you would love for everyone else to know:   I'm launching a new bridal resource in february.  It is still under construction but I know you and your readers will LOVE it.  You can enjoy a sneak peek at trueweddingjunkie.com.  the site will help everyone find the best blogs around the world, by category or by region!  It's sure to be a blog lover's delight and will help everyone find great blogs and local resources more easily.  Your fellow blog friends (brides or wed pros) can join during pre-launch and take 50% off their blog membership with your modern star code (PSSAC10F) or can get a completely free listing if they add our junkie badge to their site (F2691DWS)!  Your coupon expires 2/28/2011.  

Make sure you check out this video of Ashley on WSMV-TV from January 20th.  She gives tons of great advice on planning your wedding!  Click here to check it out!

QUINCEAÑERA TRENDS I CHATTANOOGA QUINCEANERA BLOG

Planning your Quinceanera can be a lot of fun, but it definitely has a few stressful moments as well. After all, you have a lot to plan. You need to remember the food, invitations, the location, your dress, and more. One important decision you need to make is the cake for your Quinceanera.

When it comes to the right cake, you'll find that there are many different choices available. There are different styles, flavors, colors, and sizes that you can choose from when it comes to your cake. So, here are a few ideas to keep in mind that will help you out as you choose the cake for the big day.

First of all, you need to remember that you have to get started with plenty of time. If you end up wanting a cake that is going to be quite elaborate, the chef making the cake is going to need some time. So, start making your choice early on.

Choosing the right bakery is definitely important when you are picking out your cake. No matter what kind of cake you go with, the right baker is important. Talk to several bakers that do these kinds of cakes. Ask to see their portfolio so that you can see the types of cakes they have done in the past.  Here are some ideas!! 

Wedding Websites Trend | CHATTANOOGA WEDDING BLOG

As we start to rely more and more on technology and the internet Wedding Websites are become more and more popular.  Just think Facebook is widely popular and we post just about any and everything on there and the same with Twitter.  Why not make a separate free or paid for website/blog for your wedding.  It's the best way to inform your quests and wedding party of what you are doing.  You can list your location, times, pictures, ideas for colors, decor and tons more in one spot.  I think it is especially an easy way for you as the bride and groom to keep up with everything you are doing.  Have it in one location and resort back to it wherever you have access to the internet.  Beats carrying around a heavy notebook everywhere right? I've researched some great services for free websites.  A lot of these companies offer very customizable sites and even things to help you with organizing and planning your wedding.  How can you beat that?  Below you will find some of my favorites along with sites from real people who are using these services.

1. http://www.mywedding.com
They offer a wide variety of services from blogs for inspiration to lists of local vendors and more besides just the websites!

Real couple website: http://www.mywedding.com/michaelandrachelsmith

2. http://www.ewedding.com

They are a free websites that features things from quizzes and polls, custom domain names, unlimited photos, audio/video, mailing lists and event calenders.  Loads of ways for you to customize a site to work for you.  

Demo couple website: http://www.ewedding.com/sites/demo:322:322

3. http://www.weddingwindow.com/

I love how customizable these are they turn out really awesome as you will see with the real couple website.  The free website is only for 10 days but you can upgrade to a paid website as you wish.  Definitely worth checking out.

Real Couple Website: http://sehrandiltifat.weddingwindow.com/indx.cfm

4.http://www.sharedweddings.com/

This site has great things they offer for instance they have a forum.  A great way to chat it up with other brides and grooms and get help with your site.  They offer great online rsvp options for your quests and password protection if you like.  They also offer many templates to choose from.

Real Couple Website: http://www.sharedweddings.com/NickandMel

5.http://www.momentville.com/

One cool thing about this site is the shared custom themes.  Others have created awesome themes for you to use for your site.  They aren't just a website site they also have many many useful tools for the couples and forums.  

Demo Couple Website: http://www.momentville.com/example/show?theme_id=125

6. http://www.wedsite.com/

This is a paid site, but I thought it was worth mentioning.  They have super cute flash websites for your wedding.  They offer 7 day free trial and it's worth checking it out.  They are so cute!

Demo Couple Website: Just click on samples and check them out.

And because EVERY post needs a picture here is a picture of recent session.