Should you Rent Bridesmaids Dresses?: A vendor review of Rent-The-Runway

Rent the Runway allows you to rent bridesmaids dresses online instead of purchasing them. We mentioned them in our last post, 3 Places to Buy Bridesmaids Dresses for Under $100. To expand upon this article, here are the pros and cons of using this dress rental service.

Pros:

*     Convenience: Everything is online, which saves you shopping time. The dresses are delivered right to the bridesmaids’ front doors, anywhere in the United States.

            *  Price: Your style isn’t the same as your girls’ styles. The dress you pick out may not be something that they want to wear again. With Rent-the-Runway, your girls save money by renting instead of purchasing. The blue dresses pictured in this article cost about $40 to rent.

 * Value: The company will send you 2 dresses for the price of one. Not sure if you need a size 0 or a 2, a 10 or a 12? You can get both. This provides a better chance that the dresses will fit.

Cons:

*   No room for error: For a Saturday event, your dresses will be delivered on Thursday. So if they don’t fit or are damaged, there is not much time to correct the issue. The dresses must also be in the mail by Sunday, so your bridesmaids will spend Sunday driving around looking for a UPS drop box (perhaps plan ahead for this one).

           *  The dresses aren’t identical: Take a look at some of these pictures from one of our weddings that used Rent-the-Runway. Do you see how the dress on the left  in the above photo is a different color? Well, the company doesn’t do a great job with throwing out old dresses. This dress was faded and threads were hanging off the hem.

      Next picture, above, you can see the dress in the center has a fold under the bust. This girl had to choose between a bold colored, new dress that didn’t quite fit, or a faded, ratty-tatty dress that did. She chose the new dress, but you can tell in the pictures that it isn’t quite right.

Overall, our experience with Rent the Runway has been positive. The bridesmaids usually appreciate the lower cost, especially when the bride wants them to wear full length ball gowns. Our recommendation is that you consult with your bridesmaids. They have to  pay for and wear the dress, so they should get a say in whether their money is going towards buying or renting. 

Our readers love to hear your stories. Share your experience with Rent the Runway in our comments section below! 

Wedding Musicians Company

Think you can’t afford live music for your wedding? You’re wrong! Wedding Musicians Company offers live musicians for a modest price. They offer single musicians and ensembles.

If your wedding is a low-key affair with no dancing, consider a single musician to set the mood. They can play favorite songs or light background music. If your wedding is a more extravagant event, they offer a variety of professionals, such as the string quartet, jazz trio, and many more. Vocalists are available, as well. Nothing says class like live, instrumental music.

One DJ in Nashville quotes $700 for 4 hours of DJ services. That’s insane! Wedding Musicians Company offered one of our brides a package that included violin services for a ½ hour ceremony and guitar services for a 2-hour reception for less than half the cost! And remember, this is LIVE music, not a guy with some records and a boombox.

The owner of Wedding Musicians Company will email with you to help you find a selection that works for your ceremony. Contact him through their website: www.weddingmusicianscompany.com

Whichever live music option you choose, Wedding Musicians Company is sure to add a touch of elegance to your event.

Make Me Blush Make-up Artistry Review

By Kayla

After researching several hair and make-up stylists for weddings specifically, I found a place with the prime location in Hendersonville, Tennessee, called Make Me Blush Artistry.  I found them on Facebook where they had several photos and useful information.  Although they have no website, their Facebook page is plenty.  I am very thankful I found them due to their location and price.

The owner is easy to contact, quick to respond, and very reliable.  The prices are also fantastic in comparison to most other places I checked out for weddings.  Make Me Blush gives you the option of you and/or your wedding party to either come to their main studio location or going to you.  I chose to go to their studio location since it was just me and on the way to my wedding venue.  I got complete hair and make-up as well as a trial look for the wedding the week before all for only $175 dollars.  All other places I looked charged at LEAST $300 for the exact same thing.

The owner and her assistant were very nice and went out of their way to please.  They even provided a variety of drinks for me to choose from during the main hair and make-up session before my wedding.  They asked to look at several photos of examples that I would like my hair and make-up to look like for my wedding before actually beginning on my look.  Luckily, I already knew I wanted to use clip-in extensions for my look and discussed this with the owner of Make Me Blush before the trial appointment so she was able to give me some good suggestions about where to go and what kind of extensions to look for, because although they put in extensions, they do not provide them.  I honestly cannot think of one negative comment about my experience with Make Me Blush.

Blue Moon BBQ

By Kelsey

Guests often travel a long way and buy fancy gifts for weddings, so many brides feel that the least they can do is offer some good food and fun. The problem is that catering is SO expensive. We met with one caterer who had a $5000 minimum food purchase requirement, which didn't include cake or alcohol. That's insane!

BBQ is the latest wedding trend for affordable event catering, and Blue Moon is our go-to BBQ place. They don't have a minimum purchase requirement, and they're prices are competitive. We have used them for multiple events and weddings, and each time guests rave about the food. They're just so thankful they didn't have to eat another dried out chicken breast type of wedding meal.

Worried that BBQ isn't classy enough for your wedding? Skip the buns, use forks, and put it on fancy plates. I promise, your guests will love it!

If you need a Blue Moon recommendation, our vote is that you go for the mac n' cheese. Seriously, it's awesome. They're flat, pancake-looking cornbread is also wonderful.

To give an example, one of our weddings ordered 2 types of meat (pork & chicken), baked means, mac n' cheese, slaw, cornbread, tea, & lemonade for 75 people, and the total cost was about $800. That comes to about $10 a head, and if you've done any research on caterers, you know that this is an excellent price!

Blue Moon BBQ is located in Lebanon, TN, so they're great for any weddings on the North & East sides of Nashville. They have delivered on time every time that we've used them, and they are good about keeping the food hot. Just watch out for their delivery van; it's tie-dyed with a pig on top, so you might want to hide it in the back, out of view of your pictures.

When you call, talk to the owner, Tom. He's very helpful, and he doesn't need a ton of notice, so Blue Moon is great for last minute weddings, or if you've blown your budget and need to make a caterer change to cut costs. 

Enjoy!

How to Save $300 or More on your Wedding Cake

By Kelsey

The average cost of a wedding cake for 150 people is about $600, and we can all name brides who have spent WAY more than that. Wedding cakes are a beautiful part of your special day, but it is a lot of money to spend on something that will be destroyed before the night is over.

If you’re on a budget, your wedding planner will tell you to pick two or three aspects of the wedding that are most important to you. You’ll spend more money in these areas and make cuts on the others. If a 6-tiered masterpiece cake is the most important item on your list, then stop reading now and go for it! I’m sure it will be awesome.

If, however, you would like to save some money on the cake, then we would like to present an alternative: Nothing Bundt Cakes.

Nothing Bundt Cakes offers two-tiered cakes that serve 30 people for $65 each (prices from Cool Springs location website). You can get 5 cakes to serve 150 people for $325. That’s over $350 in savings!

That also means that you can try 5 different flavors (I’m in love with the white-chocolate raspberry, while my husband loves the red velvet.) A lot of guests will wait around just to see the cake-cutting and have a slice, and there’s nothing worse than a bad tasting wedding cake. Well, I can promise you, these cakes taste amazing. But beware, if you have multiple flavors, guests will want to try them all. You’ve saved so much money, maybe you can afford to buy a bit extra.

Worried about a plain looking cake? Well, if An Elegant Encounter is doing your flowers, we can order extras for the cake. Your cake(s) can match your bouquet! Besides, “naked cakes” are all the rage right now. Check out some of our favorites on our Pinterest page.

With Nothing Bundt Cakes, you can still have beautiful cakes for your pictures, while actually enjoying the flavor. It is a literal case of having your cake and eating it, too. Trust me, your guests are going to RAVE about these cakes.

The Hermitage: A Nashville Wedding Venue

By Kelsey

The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, is one of my favorite wedding and event venues in Nashville. The staff are friendly and helpful. The property is gorgeous. And you can’t beat the Southern charm.

First things first, the Hermitage is absolutely beautiful, and a great place for photo opportunities. In the fall, it is surrounded by colorful leaves. In the winter, you may get lucky enough to get a little snow, and you won’t beat those pictures!

The main mansion on the property is the home of President Andrew Jackson. Due to its historical value, it is not available to rent for functions. However, one thing that that makes The Hermitage unique from other local venues is that it offers mansion and museum tours for wedding guests. I can tell you that a lot of guests kind of hate waiting around at cocktail hours. At The Hermitage, guests can spend time touring the property in between the ceremony and reception, while you take photos.

Other buildings on the property include a cabin, the chapel, and Tulip Grove Mansion. The cabin is used for larger wedding receptions. The staff can also have a tent brought on site for outdoor receptions. The chapel is a small, quaint little space for ceremonies. It isn’t elaborate, but one or two lucky guests can sit in Andrew Jackson’s personal pew.

My favorite building on the property is Tulip Grove Mansion, which was built for the nephew of the President’s wife, Rachel. It is perfect for small to mid-size wedding receptions. Beautiful on the outside and inside, the brightly painted interior walls help brides avoid the hotel-ballroom feel. You might have heard one thing to throw you off: Tulip Grove doesn’t have public bathrooms, so the staff rent a trailer-bathroom for weddings. Don’t let this scare you! It’s super nice, and hidden in back, out of site for your pictures.

I actually only have one negative thing to say about all of my experience in working with the Hermitage. It is that they have a contract with Liberty Party Rental, so you have to rent your party supplies from them. It can be hit-or-miss with Liberty, as some of their staff can be rude and unhelpful. However, the nice thing about the contract is that they deliver the tables, chairs, plates, etc. the day before the wedding, and the Hermitage staff will pack it all up for them to pick up the day after the wedding. This eliminates a lot of hassle for busy brides. And Liberty’s selection is adequate.

One final thing about the Hermitage is that they only host one wedding per weekend. This is awesome because you won’t be competing with other brides for space and time. The staff will be completely devoted to your wedding.

All in all, I 100% recommend The Hermitage for your wedding or event. An Elegant Encounter loves working with them, and we hope to plan or provide flowers for your wedding at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. 

Historic Rose Mont: Nashville Venue Review

By Kayla

Rose Mont, a grand historic home located in Gallatin, Tennessee, is where I exchanged vows with the love of my life on April 16, 2016.  The home was originally built in the 1800s, and although there have been some renovations along the way, it still holds true to the time.  With the vintage feel, old Southern charm, and beautiful rose garden, I would definitely recommend using this location, as far as beauty and price goes, for any wedding with guest expectation fewer than one hundred people. Be prepared, however, to deal with the very intimidating, rude, and unhelpful house manager.

                    Our experience with the site manager was not pleasant due to her rudeness, lack of understanding or empathy.  I arrived about thirty minutes earlier than agreed upon in the contract on the day of the wedding.  I realized this, however, and never once asked to go into the bridal suite or enter any area until the time I had agreed to arrive, although I did seek the manager out to let her know that I was there, apologized for being early but because I had finished with my hair and make-up early, had no other option but to come straight to the venue.  She made a rude comment and continued sweeping off the front porch.  I needed to use the restroom, which are outside located in front of the ball room and right behind the rose garden, however, they were still locked, and I assumed I wasn’t allowed to use them until the time of the contract agreement, so I did not even attempt to ask for them to be unlocked.  One of my bridesmaids also arrived after me, although early as well, and waited outside with me until about 5 minutes until the contract arrival time and finally asked if the manager would unlock the bathrooms because at this point both she and I had to use them.  The manager made another rude comment, a few sounds of disapproval, but did unlocked the restrooms for us to use.  

                The day before the wedding when we were scheduled to go decorate, she stood in the bridal suite the entire time my bridesmaid and I were placing my wedding gown and other items needed for the next day in the room.  It was almost like she had no trust in leaving us alone in the room for a moment.  One of my biggest complaints is that she did not turn on the air conditioner in the ball room the night before the wedding, which made my flowers begin to turn faster than they would have had the AC been on through the night.  We also had to request that we be able to use the air conditioner located in the bridal suite while dressing for the wedding.  She would also come up and regularly turn the air conditioner either off or down each time we would exit the room.  

                   The manager was very stubborn when it came to the set-up of the chairs in front of the house for the ceremony.  I had wanted only 50 chairs on each side of the aisle and for them to be arranged in a very specific way for which I provided a picture to the manager.  At first, she told me no, they put the chairs their own way because of the gravel path in the front of the house.  After much debate, my maid of honor was finally able to convince her to have the chairs set up in a similar fashion as the picture I showed her.  Unfortunately, she still put one hundred chairs on each side, which made my wedding look empty, and still did not arrange the seats exactly as outlined in the photo.

                    When we were developing the contract, we told her the time the event starts and gave her an end time. We paid for 2 more hours on top of the usual 8 hour contract.  We paid for the two hours ahead of time just IN CASE we happened to go over the 8 hour time limit.  We were never informed that the 2 hours paid in advance would not be refunded even if those two hours were not used.  We just assumed that if we did not use the two additional purchased hours over the already set 8 hours, we would be reimbursed for those two hours.  We were wrong in that assumption.  Despite that our event was completely over, cleared, and everyone, including staff and manager were gone 2 and a half hours before the 8 hour contract time was up, we were not refunded the 2 extra hours that we did not use.  As previously mentioned, 8 hours comes included in the price regardless of leaving earlier or not, therefore we did not expect to get back any money for leaving earlier than 8 hours.  We did pay an additional 300 for two extra hours just in case the event happened to last longer and we did expect that money to be refunded, especially since no staff was left at the venue.  The manager said she asked the venue committee for permission to refund the money, but she claimed they refused to refund it.   

                      Despite the venue manager, however, our wedding was beautiful and inexpensive for the type of venue.  All pricing information can be found at the Rose Mont website which also holds a great deal of other useful and interesting information.  If you choose the venue, I recommend being just as firm with the manager as she is with you and to have absolutely everything in writing.