New (Wedding) Uses for Old Things

We love Real Simple Magazine. Every month when it comes in the mail, it is like opening a gift. We can't flip to the New Uses for Old Things section fast enough. How come we never thought of using a shower cap for wrapping shoes when traveling or bobby pins for holding a hem in place when ironing? Ingenious! We couldn't have been more excited though to see the New (Wedding) Uses for Old Things on RealSimple.com and just had to share it with you.

Take a look at these sixteen very inventive ideas:




New (Wedding) Uses for Old Things: Clever ways to repurpose everyday items (and in this case, wedding related ones).

Jenna and Matt- October 10, 2009

One of our favorite things about this industry is being able to see the dreams of couples very much in love realized on their wedding day. We know that the magic of their relationship extends far beyond the day of their actual wedding, but it serves as such a symbolic start to their new life together.

Jenna and Matt chose venues, lighting, and color pallets that can only be described as storybook. Dressed in a strapless hand-beaded gown, Jenna chose to carry a bouquet of roses, lisianthus, hydrangeas, and freesia in stunning whites, blush pinks, and champagne hues. Her bridesmaids, wearing chocolate brown dresses, carried smaller versions of her bouquet with chocolate brown satin ballerina style lacing for the handle treatment.

The day was orchestrated seamlessly by the ever talented Allison Smith of Ala Gala.

The two were married at The Village Chapel in Hillboro Village in a romantic ceremony celebrating their love for one another. Following the nuptials, Jenna and Matt continued the celebration of love at a reception in Liberty Hall at The Factory at Franklin. It is a stunning venue for any event, but the lighting work of Blake Chaffin from Nashville Event Lighting definitely set the romantic tone.

The two met center stage under custom lighting for their first dance. The picture of this moment, captured by Meishack Moore Photographers, is truly breathtaking.

We wish Jenna and Matt nothing but a lifetime of happiness together. Thank you for allowing us to be a small part of your big day!

Winner of WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards™

We are so excited to announce that Belles Fleurs was selected to receive the 2010 Bride's Choice Awards™ for Flowers & Decor.

This prestigious award recognizes excellence in quality, service, and professionalism within the wedding industry. What makes this award unique is that the award recipients are determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Belles Fleurs is among the top five percent of all vendors in WeddingWire online community, which boasts over 100,000 wedding professionals across both the United States and Canada.

We would like to thank our amazing past newlyweds for nominating us to receive the 2010 Bride's Choice Awards™. Visit our WeddingWire storefront for more information.

Thanks again!

Sara and Ben- October 10, 2009

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to get married. The weather, especially in Tennessee, is mild and quite often perfect. The variety of color in nature is phenomenal and sets an extraordinary backdrop for photographs and memories. And the flowers, breathtaking.

The beauty of the fall truly set the stage for the union of an amazing couple, Sara and Ben. Married on a crisp fall day in October, you couldn't have asked for more.

Sara and Ben chose the historic Carnton Plantation as the site for both the ceremony and reception of their wedding. We really can not say enough good things about this venue. Beautiful in and of itself, we highlighted the season by placing fall mums and pumpkins at the entrance. Sara chose a beautiful combination of fall flowers for her bridesmaids to carry: vibrant sunflowers, deep purple mums, hypericum berries, antique white hydrangeas, and mango calla lilies.

The two were married in a picturesque ceremony, officiated by nondenominational minister Ralph Griggs, under the shade of the huge tree outside of the Carnton Plantation as beautiful guitar music was played by Rob Higginbotham.

Following the ceremony, the happy couple and their guests celebrated at a reception with food catered by Red Pony in downtown Franklin and a wedding cupcake tower by Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca. In addition to floral designs by Belles Fleurs, the ambiance was created by awesome lighting from Nashville Event Lighting.

It really was a joy to be able to work with Sara and Ben, a couple very much in love. We wish them nothing but the best and thank them for allowing us to be a part of their day!

Sarah and Ben- November 7, 2009

We put our whole heart into each wedding we do, but there are some weddings that go beyond. It is when we know the bride or groom that makes creating for the wedding that much more special. We give our heart and soul to see to it that everything is just perfect. This was definitely the case with Sarah and Ben's wedding back in November.


Ben holds a special place in our heart, as he was the web designer for the Belles Fleurs site and we couldn't be more grateful for the amazing work he did. Additionally, Bonnie Colleen, our Design Coordinator, is a family friend of Ben's and has known him for years. Of Ben she said, "We've watched Ben grow into a wonderful man. He is talented, charming, and witty and it was our honor when he introduced us to his college sweetheart, Sarah."

Seeing these two together, you just know they were made for one another. They compliment one another in the perfect way and truly radiate happiness. Yep, we think they are a pretty awesome couple.

So, on a beautiful November day Sarah and Ben exchanged vows at the Riverview Courtyard in Nashville. This venue is absolutely breathtaking. It is chic and has stunning views of the river and downtown.

Complimenting the surroundings, Sarah and Ben chose a sophisticated color palette of blush pink and graphite grey which was stunning with ivory calla lilies and dendrobium orchids that had a natural blush pink to the centers.

Beautiful on any given day, Sarah was absolutely stunning on her wedding day. Her hair and makeup (as well as the hair and make up of the brides maids) was done by the uber cool Pink Mullet Salon.

Following the ceremony, the happy couple and all of their guests celebrated at Cellar One. If you haven't yet seen this place, check it out. It is an amazingly unique space that is just perfect for a reception.
It really the perfect day for this awesome couple to entering into marriage. They will have memories for a lifetime of the day...especially with the help of the talented Gavin Saha Photography.

We are so overwhelmingly happy for Sarah and Ben and wish them nothing but the best of luck in their life together. Thank for letting us be a part of your day!

Top Picks: Evin Photography

We have the honor to work with some amazing vendors and have developed some great working relationships. We want the best for your wedding, so what better way to introduce you to our favorites than to blog about them? Next up: Evin Photography.


Your wedding day is one you will never forget. It is filled with a flurry of emotions, celebration, and love. Clearly, we believe that flowers are a key element in beauty of your big day, but we do understand that there is another element crucial to ensuring your memories to last a lifetime: photography.

Having an amazing photographer really does ensure that the memories you make on your wedding day are documented for a lifetime. We can't think of a more talented and enjoyable photographer to work with than Evin at Evin Photography.



A Nashville native, Evin knows the best places (and people) in town. She began shooting weddings in 2005 and has worked steadily ever since. One look at her photographs and you will know why. She has a keen ability to truly capture the moment.

Visit Evin at her Downtown Franklin studio, we are confident you will be happy that you did. You can also find Evin Photography online: www.evinphotography.com or on her blog: http://evinphotography.blogspot.com/.

Top Picks: Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca

We are back after a long hiatus. Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. Here at Belles Fleurs, we definitely did! We had the privilege to work on some really exciting weddings over the holidays and we'll be sharing those with you shortly. But, you will have to stay tuned...

For now, we are going to introducing a new series: Top Picks.

We have the honor to work with some amazing vendors and have developed some great working relationships. We want the best for your wedding, so what better way to introduce you to our favorites than to blog about them? First up: Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca.

Wow, where do we even start? Rebecca Schreher of Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca has to be hands down one of our favorite vendors to work with. She is an absolute breath of fresh air...and her cakes? They are to die for.

We do have to tell on ourselves a little though...when Rebecca first contacted us over a year ago about meeting and possibly collaborating, we kindly explained that we already had two preferred cake vendors and didn't really need another. Rebecca may tell the story differently even though we are positive we were nothing but sweet and thankful for her inquiry. :) A few weeks later, Rebecca visited a wedding dress boutique that Belles Fleurs worked with exclusively and she left samples of her cakes. We may have devoured the equivalent of an entire sheet cake in one sitting. Her cakes are amazing! Needless to say, we emailed her and have been recommending her ever since.

Rebecca has over 15 years of baking experience and grew-up working in her family baking business in upstate New York. So, you could say baking is in her blood. She specializes in cakes with butter cream icing and says that her most popular cakes are white, chocolate, and marble. But, let's be honest...everything she makes is great!

We love Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca and know you will too!

Oh, and if the fabulousness of her cakes weren't enough to convince you...this might (Wedding Cake Design by Rebecca will be at the Nashville Premiere Bridal Show on January 17th):