Our new CJ's Off the Square website!

We've been working hard these last couple months to bring a fresh new look to our CJ's Off the Square website for the 2009 season, and its finally ready! Check back often, as we'll continue to add new galleries and more content.

Only 48 hours left on this special offer!

As your wedding day draws near, don't get overwhelmed with your ever growing "to do" list. Eliminate the last minute stress of wedding plans with the expert assistance of the WilcoWed team with coordination packages starting at just $895.

Hiring an experienced wedding coordinator has never been
so easy or affordable!

You have put countless hours into creating the perfect look for your big day. Trust our team to bring it all together in perfect harmony for you so you can relax and enjoy your friends and family on this very special occasion.

Call before February 28 and we will sweeten the deal!

In addition to saving up to $200 on any planning package, you will also receive 20% off all accessory items in our boutique including programs, napkins, guest books, favors, gifts and more. This is an AMAZING way to save on those wedding day essentials every bride needs.

What are you waiting for? Call today! You will be so relieved to have our team of experts on board to take care of every detail for you. Call today to schedule your complimentary consultation with the WilcoWed team.

(615) 465-8099
www.williamsoncountyweddings.com

Alexis & Abdul - November 1

We always love when clients give us an opportunity to try new things, and Alexis & Abdul certainly did! They were married here at CJ's on absolutely gorgeous fall day in November, and their 75 guests were treated to an evening completely tailored to the couple's story and style.


Alexis was kind enough to share this feedback with us and we're delighted that everyone enjoyed their time here at CJ's so much!


"CJ's was the perfect place for our small, intimate wedding. Everything was so perfect! Amy was an amazing coordinator! She gave us some really unique ideas to incorporate and was so helpful every step of the way. They were so flexible with our needs (and the spontaneous needs of our family), they truly went the extra mile! Amy even spent extra time working with our first time officiant (the grooms brother) to make sure that he knew what he was doing. I would highly recommend CJ's and Amy's concierge service for anyone looking for an intimate setting for their wedding. - Alexis & Abdul"


The bridesmaids wore handmade kimono's in reference to the country in which Alexis and Abdul met, Japan. The bouquets and ceremony arrangements by Caprice at The Enchanted Florist also reflected this inspiration by using large glossy Tea Leaves, which I really loved! Such a dramatic look.

(giving our first time officiate a few pointers!)

Another special touch was the hand-written marriage certificate signed by all the attendees of the wedding in the Quaker tradition to show their support and consent. A beautiful keepsake for the new family!

They and their guests danced the night away to the Big Band swing provided by Blue Tone Music and I've rarely seen the dance floor so packed! It was so fun to watch!

Before cutting the cake, Alexis and Abdul changed into their second outfits for the evening, and Alexis looked so beautiful in her royal blue saree.

Of course we were so delighted to have Zach & Jody Gray of Gray Photograph with us again and want to thank them for sharing these amazing pictures with us!

(And for those of you who may recall our previous blogpost, this is indeed the family behind a great custom jewelry line called Adornments.)

Personalized Shirts by Customized Girl

We had lots of requests for more information on our "WilcoWed" shirts. Here's the scoop:

I made these on a great website called Customized Girl. I had so much fun designing personalized gifts for friends over the holidays that I thought it would make a fun shirt for our staff to wear at events. Ever since they made their "debut" at the Perfect Wedding Guide show, we have been getting lots of requests for the details. So follow this link and make your own!

Email us a picture of you in your custom creation and we will post it on our blog! A special thank you to Zach at Gray Photography for the snap of us girls at our open house on Sunday.

p.s. - make sure to use coupon code "4MyC" to save 15% on your order!

Open House tomorrow!!

Last chance to register for our Social Invitations Showcase tomorrow here at CJ's Off the Square!

Remember this a FREE event from 2-5pm, so come and go at your leisure. We'll have cupcakes from The Bake Shoppe, champagne, and lots of gorgeous displays to look at, so please come by, say hello, and enjoy yourselves!

http://www.williamsoncountyweddings.com/registration.html

Greg & Takako - October 25

I am not one to pick favorites, but I can't deny that working with Greg & Takako on their wedding this last October was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a wedding planner.

They met while Greg was in Japan on business and had a courtship that spanned many years and continents before Takako made the move here to the States a few months before the wedding. A special treat for their 50 guests was that each table was named after a city that had played a significant role in their story, such as San Fransisco and Tokyo! Seating assignments were hung in lavendar ring bags from our Dogwood tree to point them to their "city."

Caprice at The Enchanted Florist really outdid herself with these florals - the light lavendar with rich plums and reds made for a dramatic and lavish look. Takako hand made her menu cards and favor boxes to match perfectly, and they all tied wonderfully with the custom invitation from our Boutique.

Especially touching were the special gifts and toasts that Takako shared with her family that were able to travel all the way from Japan to be there for the wedding. There were lots of tears and lots of laughter! It was such a joy to be able to work with them and share in their excitement!

Thanks to Jeff Hitt at Nashville Photography Service for sharing their photos with us.

CJ's Off the Square is Ashley's Bride Guide Venue Spotlight!

We are delighted to see that the amazing Ashley has chosen CJ's Off the Square as her highlighted venue this week! Ashley has been such a great supporter of both CJ's and Williamson County Weddings and we always strive to take great care of the clients she sends our way.



Take a peek at our feature and spend some time exploring the great resource site that she's created for Nashville Brides!

A Sweeeeet Favor Idea

I love to shop locally and was thrilled to learn about Hillsboro Chocolate Company. Jessica and her team of confection-makers extraordinaire can create almost anything your heart desires in...wait for it...CHOCOLATE! And this is seriously good stuff. My favorite is their take on the chocolate-peanut butter combo. It is bite sized, heart shaped, and to die for!

A single chocolate in a decorative box is a lovely favor and the perfect finish to a table-top display.

Hillsboro Chocolate Company will be providing special goodies for every bride that attends the Invitation Showcase this Sunday at CJ's Off the Square. If you haven't registered, take a quick moment to sign up.

Or if you can't make it, give Jessica a call today to set up your own personal tasting. Here are the details:

Hillsboro Chocolate Company

1210 Old Hillsboro Road

Franklin, TN 37069

Phone: (615) 673-7893

Cell: (615) 496-9930

www.hillsborochocolate.com

Perfect Wedding Guide Show at the Frist Center

Amy and I had a great time at the Perfect Wedding Guide show yesterday at the Frist Center for the Arts. This was a smaller show so we weren't able to bring as many samples of our work out as we would have liked...but it was certainly much easier to set up and break down!



Many of our vendor friends were on hand including Southern Events (with an amazing new lilac linen on display that made me giddy!), Maples Wedding Cakes (thanks for the display cake for our booth), The Bake Shoppe, Enchanted Florist and many others.



Here is a quick snap shot of our little display as well as a couple of my favorite invitation styles that we brought along. These and many more will be on hand at our Invitation Showcase next Sunday, February 22 from 2-5 pm at CJ's Off the Square in Franklin. We hope you can join us! It is not too late to register:

http://www.williamsoncountyweddings.com/registration.html


Thank you to Maples Wedding Cakes for sharing the beautiful display cakes with us and to Southern Events for showing some of our invitation styles in their booth.

25 Free Invitations!

Fabulous Savings from Checkerboard of Boston

Now through April 5th, receive 25 FREE invitations or save the dates when you order from any Checkerboard wedding album or our Save the Date album.*

You will love the variety of papers, colors and embellishments available to create a truly one of a kind invitation with the personal assistance of our design staff.

This is an amazing offer! Call today to schedule an appointment to view our collection or preview online at www.checkernet.com.

(615) 465-8099

--CJ

Share a Comment, Win a Prize!

Ok readers, we know you're out there! We're delighted to see that our blog gets so much traffic, but we want to hear what you have to say! Your feedback helps us focus on the things YOU want and need to know about, so go for it!

So, through the end of February, the first bride or groom (sorry vendor friends, you're not eligible!) to leave a personal response to new blog posts will receive a copy of The Knot's Ultimate Wedding Planner - an incredibly helpful tool to keep you organized and inspired!

You know you want to... :)

Frist Bridal Show by Perfect Wedding Guide! Sunday, February 15

It's still that "Bridal Show" time of the year and we will be at it again this Sunday. Perfect Wedding Guide is hosting their winter show at The Frist again on 9th and Broadway this coming Sunday, February 15th from 2-5pm, and we'd love to see you all there! Admission is $10 and you'll get to personally meet and talk with some of the finest vendors in greater Nashville.

I believe we'll be in the Grand Lobby towards the southeast end - look for our purple "Williamson County Weddings" banner and you can't miss us! We're bringing a collection of our favorite lines (Checkerboard, Encore, Monique Lhullier) you can browse through, and we'll be there to answer any questions and even set up an appointment for you to choose your invitations privately in our Boutique. Also, the generous Jay Qualls of Maples Wedding Cakes will be displaying one of his stunning cakes in our booth as well, so make sure to come see what an great artist he is!

For those of you who can't make it on the 15th, join us here at CJ's Off the Square on the following Sunday, the 22nd, for our Invitations Showcase - we'll have a lot more for you to browse here in our boutique, plus cupcakes and champagne! The first 50 people who register will receive a gift, but hurry - those slots are almost full!

Phindy Studios

Well by now I'm sure you've deduced from our blog that both CJ and I are kind of photography groupies - neither of us are photographers per say but we do LOVE the work of all these amazing people we meet.

Our newest introduction is Phil and Mindy Thornton of Phindy Studios - they are super cool! Because their work spoke for itself, we were quickly off topic and talking about hip hop and game nights before long. Make sure you visit their website to learn more about them and what they do. Amazing photos, amazing people!

Looking for Fun Favor Ideas?

Search no further! WCW has teamed up with MyWeddingFavors.com to bring you a great collection of fun and affordable favors for your guests. Click the link below and let us know which ones are your favorites. To get you started, use this coupon code for FREE shipping!

FREESHIP175 - Free shipping on orders over $175. Ground shipping only.

The Infamous Sara Evans Invitation

We had so much fun working with Sara Evans last year to create a truly one of a kind wedding invitation. It has become one of our trademark designs and so many people love this look for their 2009 summer weddings.

This particular invitation features multiple layers of hand-made papers and ribbon for a luxurious look that is as warm and charming as it is gorgeous.

With wedding budgets being tightened, I know that you need to stretch every single dollar but I hate to see you compromise your style. So I put together some alternatives for clients who love the black and white flourish motif and pocket invitation style, but need to keep the price down. Take a look and let me know what you think!


Black Baroque - This single card can easily be customized with a yellow ribbon for a vibrant summer style.












Ornate - This can also be customized with a yellow ribbon or more decorative fonts.


Not into yellow and black? Pick a color...any color to really make it one of a kind.

One of the things I love the most about designing invitations is that there are so many cool things you can do with graphic design that really make your invitation unique and a true reflection of your personal style. It is not always about how MUCH you spend, but how you spend it as well as the value you receive.

Our design team can help you personally design the invitation of our dreams AND respect your budget. Regardless of how much you have to spend, we would love to meet with you, understand your goals and help you find the right paper style. Our one on one consultations take all the guess work out of ordering invitations as well provide you with the personal advice and assistance that can only come from working with a local invitations expert.

Give me a call. (615) 465-8099 / cj@williamsoncountyweddings.com

I would love to meet you and create something wonderful together!

-CJ