Just before Lindsey and Johnny's wedding, we got together with Lindsey to do some Bridal Portraits for her.  This girl was an absolute hoot!  I had not met Lindsey before the wedding day but she was cool as a cucumber and seemed ready to just get the show on the road :)  Well, I think a picture is worth a thousand words so I will let these speak...

I loved this great photo of Lindsey and her parents - they just look so happy for their daughter :)

The wedding was at Lindsey's parents' rural home and it was such a beautiful setting and perfect day weather-wise.

I am a bad blogger...not just somewhat relaxed in my posting schedule, but bad...awful actually.  I can sit and talk and carry on about weddings all day and night - if you don't believe me, just get me started next time you see me and you will see!   :)  But, sitting down for a few minutes and writing up a blog posting about one of the weddings I am involved in...now that is another matter!  I think I prefer chatting to writing since I like feedback and commentary that comes from talking to someone face to face.  Still, I am trying to resolve to get more consistent with my postings and I figure what better time to start than at the end of the busy wedding season...after all, in theory I should have more time on my hands now, right?

So first of all, I want to give you a quick update in case you missed my post in early October about this.  In addition to doing all my regular planning, photography, invitations, etc., I am now a part time employee of Williamson County Parks and Recreation (like REALLY part time as in an hour a week)!  I have signed up to teach a Wedding 101 class.  It is kind of a wedding boot camp where we cover all things wedding related.  It is on a monthly class schedule and is offered by Longview Rec Center in Spring Hill.  So basically, we had 4 sessions 1 hour each in length in October (on Thursday nights) - except for last night which was our last session...I don't think anyone wanted it to be over so we basically stayed last night until we got booted out when they were closing the center! 

If you are a DIY bride and you don't want to or cannot afford to hire a wedding planner, I defnitely suggest signing up for this class (of course I might be slightly biased regarding the quality of the course content since I designed it, but I don't think so)! I shared budget tips, ideas for low cost decor, what you need to ask all your vendors and look for in your contracts, what should be in your wedding day emergency kit, and the actual budget template I use for the weddings I do.  In addition to the great course content, you also get the opportunity to share and discuss all things wedding with like minded brides, mothers, aunts, and friends...all of whom are in the midst of the planning process so they have wedding on the brain just like you!

The next class starts next week.  In November we are just doing 2 sessions due to the Thanksgiving Holiday and Veterans Day so there will be 2 sessions that are 2 hours in length each.  The sessions will be on Thursday, November 4th and Thursday, November 18th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  One of the main goals with this class is to keep it affordable so the class fee is only $15 with an additional $10 fee for class supplies.  Please note that due to a busy holiday season, we are not offering any Wedding 101 classes in December so the next chance after November to take the Wedding 101 class will be in January...don't worry, I'll keep you posted!

For more information or to register, you can contact Williamson County Parks and Recreation directly at 615-302-0971 ext 10 or you can just show up a few minutes early on Thursday night (November 4th) and register at Longview in Spring Hill. 

You can also find out more information at www.wcparksandrec.com/facilities-parks/longview-rec-center

Now, because I don't like to have any post without a picture, here are a couple of sneak peak preview photos from a wedding we did a month or so ago.  We can't actually take credit for the decor since we just did the photography for this wedding, but I totally LOVED her color scheme.  Tune in next time to see the super cute way the bride used her colors in the decor! 

The bridesmaids carried cute (and affordable) paper parasols instead of flowers!

Are you engaged? Do you think you can't afford to hire a wedding planner?

By Heart and Hand is excited to announce that we are teaming up with Williamson County Parks and Recreation to offer an affordable Wedding Planning 101 class at the Longview Recreation Center in Spring Hill! There is a month long class starting THIS THURSDAY which will cover all the basics of wedding planning. It will meet Thursday nights in October and will cover an array of topics from design and decor to budgeting and scheduling. See Details below and call Longview Rec Center of Williamson County Parks and Recreation to register TODAY!

WEDDING PLANNING 101

Will you marry me? YES! .Now what.? No worries! Join our Wedding Planning 101 class to learn the basics of wedding planning-designed specifically for your unique wedding day. Whether the big day is in a month or in a year, wedding planner Meropi Falkenburg will assist you in your planning! During this 4-week class, you will learn how to make your wedding special for you and your guests, while staying on budget and learning something along the way. During the last class period, you will do an activity based on what you have been learning all month, whether it be favors, invitations or just making decisions! Feel free to bring your significant other, or whomever is helping with the wedding!

Days: Thursdays

Dates: October 7-28

Session Length: 4 weeks

Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm

Ages: Adults

Class Fee: $15.00

Supply Fee: $10.00

For more information or to register, please call Williamson County Parks and Recreation directly at

(615)302-0971, ext. 10. You can also check out their website at:

www.wcparksandrec.com/facilities-parks/longview-rec-center

As I sit today and reflect on what has been going on for the last 5 or 6 days in the Middle Tennessee area, my thoughts wander.  I cannot really get motivated to discuss weddings, invitations, and cute ideas for using the latest color scheme at your event. 

On the one hand, the devastation of the recent floods is overwhelming.  We suffered damage to our property but thankfully our house and our lives were spared.  I ache for those not so fortunate who have lost their homes and belongings and even more for those who lost their lives so suddenly and unexpectedly.  The rain was fierce when it started on Saturday.  I left home around 7:30 am for a wedding that day and something about the ferocity and rate of the rainfall made me very nervous.  As is typical in Tennessee, my primary concern was a tornado...I never could have, in my wildest imagination, had an inkling of what was to come.  By Sunday evening, we had received 20 inches of rain at our house in rural Santa Fe, Tennessee.  I couldn't get back in until Monday and even then the journey was a precarious one.  Our little farm is a mess and we will no doubt be cleaning up and paying for the damage for months to come, but we are some of the lucky ones.  Our home is still standing, our family intact.

In contemplating the events of the past few days, I feel very small in the grand scheme of things.  I guess Mother Nature has a way of showing you how fragile life is.  The media can also make you realize how insignificant our little city of Nashville (and its outlying areas) is when considered on a worldwide scale.  At least initially our 500 year flood, which for many will be the biggest story of their lifetime, was overshadowed by more significant news stories in the rest of the world.  When I review the destruction that can be thrown upon us in a matter of a day or two, it can be disheartening and quite honestly, frightening.  But no sooner than you start to feel sorry for this town, this place, you hear of a story of a miraculous rescue or an unselfish act of heroism. 

I have friends and even family that reside all over the world.  I will admit now that there have been times when I wished that I lived somewhere more glamorous than Music City, USA.  I was not born in Tennessee but have lived here since I was very young so Nashville is truly my home.  There were times when Nashville's "simple country folk" stigma has followed me in my travels to other places around the world and I am sad to say that I have been almost ashamed of other people's thoughts, in my travels, on where I live.  The people of Tennessee that I know are simple, but in a good way that others not native to this area may not always understand and sometimes mock.  We may value time with family and friends over fancy cars or designer clothes, we may rather spend our evenings on a porch swing than to go out to a snooty restaurant for a fancy meal, and when our neighbor needs help, we would rather reach out to them than to turn our backs.  If that is simple, I am happy to trade a big city, glamorous life for a simple, country one. 

Today I am proud to be living in Tennessee.  They say that stress and tragedy reveal the true nature of people.  In the midst of the drama of the last week, seldom have there been news stories about looting, stealing, or corrupt people preying on those who were affected by the flooding, although I am not so naive as to believe those may not come.  The stories I have heard have been stories of bravery, heroism, and unspeakable courage.  Even people who themselves have suffered losses have turned to their fellow citizen to find out how they can help someone worse off than them.  The volunteer spirit is alive and well in Tennessee and I am proud of the way we have banded together and responded to this crisis. 

We get so busy in our day to day lives that sometimes we muddle through without really paying any attention to the person next to us at the traffic light or behind us at the grocery store.  While it is sad to me that it seems to take a tragedy of epic proportions to cause us pause, I am proud of the reaction of my fellow Tennesseeans.  I am uplifted by the generosity and kindness that people seem to be showing one another and while I am happy to see the flood waters receding, this renewed compassion for our fellow citizen is one side effect of the Great Flood of 2010 that I hope lingers.

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced By Heart and Hand has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for both Invitations and Wedding Planning!


The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

By Heart and Hand is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”



We are happy to announce that By Heart and Hand is among the very best Wedding Planners and Invitation providers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.



For more information on the services offered by By Heart and Hand, please visit our webistte directly at www.byheartandhand.com or go to our WeddingWire Storefront (www.weddingwire.com/byheartandhand).



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WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com