Ashley will be covering an incredible variety of topics, so whether you’re a seasoned blogger or you’re still not quite sure what all the fuss is about with social media, it will be well worth your money to attend the event and learn from the panel she’s put together.

I’ll be discussing best practices with Twitter, Facebook fan pages and Google+.

Here’s what attendees had to say about Ashley’s last Blog Camp:

Click here to learn more and/or register. Hope to see you there!

(Here I am at Wedding 101 for the Wish Upon A Wedding Nashville Launch Party with the fabulous woman behind Ashley’s Bride Guide.)

If you’re a local wedding vendor, a professional in the health care industry or just a guy or gal looking for a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, consider hanging with the board members and wish granters for Wish Upon A Wedding Nashville on October 23 in Smyrna for our first annual “Pins For Love” bowling tournament.

The cost to participate is $20, which includes two games and shoe rental fee. Contests throughout the event include noncash prizes for the winning team, most strikes, spares, highest individual score and highest series. Drawings for door prizes will occur throughout the event as well. (I’m giving away a few fabulous Rodan+Fields products.)

To read the full news release about the event, click here. Ready to register? Get registration info here. Hope to see you there!

I’m proud to share that our chapter was successfully launched in May and we officially have every board member position filled! (Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re not always on the lookout for help. If you’re interested in volunteering with our board, leave a comment on this post!)

One idea I’d come across was a wedding wish jar. I initially found the idea over at the Marsha Stewart blog, however, the jar we ended up using was an adorable little “wish pot” I found at Swoozie’s in Green Hills (which is now closed).

This adorable little wish pot now sits in our living room on a shelf. It’s full of paper hearts upon which friends and family wrote sweet words of wisdom and encouragement. I love lifting the lid now and then to read a few of them.

Another idea I discovered thanks to Natosha over at Big Spoon, Little Spoon is a wedding tree print. She found it on etsy and shared it with me. There are a variety of “wedding tree” posters there which you can customize to your heart’s extent. I just did a search for them and here’s what I found. Here is what ours looked like:

This was a super-cool way to personalize our guests’ signatures and create another memento to enjoy for years to come.

Are you doing a guestbook? Have another unique idea for capturing guests’ signatures in place of the guestbook? Please share!

In the words of Minnie Pearl…How-DEEEE! I’ve missed you, friends! As you’ve probably realized, this blog has been on a brief hiatus for the past several months.

Towards the end of June, I quit my job to pursue my passion. That’s right…Mrs. Dial is now a full-fledged business owner and entrepreneur! Due to business, Becoming Mrs. Dial had to take a back seat for a while. I’m very happy to say, however, that she’s back up and running! (If you’re a business owner too, please go check out my other blog – Revealing You. Over there I’ll be covering social media, online marketing business tips and insight from other business owners too!)

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will open up about some of the things I’ve learned in my transition from “maiden to married”, offer insight for how you can get beautiful skin for your wedding day (and beyond!) and, as always, provide insight and inspiration about how you, too, can create a dream wedding on a budget.

I do hope you’ll sit down, kick back and stay awhile. I’m really glad to be back and can’t wait to stir up some great conversation with you…

Warmly,
Mrs. Dial

Thanks to technology, however, I got a front row seat!

The British Monarchy has an official YouTube Channel fittingly called TheRoyalChannel and I was able to catch the entire ceremony  in one clip! I’ve uploaded here for your enjoyment:

Kate was absolutely stunning. Simple, elegant and breathtaking.

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the Royal Wedding than meeting up with my girlfriend Suzanne, who is a wedding planner (and actually woke up at 3am to catch the wedding in real-time!), and meeting up for a Royal Tea Party at Lulu’s in downtown Franklin. Here we are enjoying lemon tarts, petit fours and tea, of course:

Did you catch the wedding? Were you up early like Suzanne this morning? Or were you a straggler like me, coming in late to the party? What was your favorite part?

My favorite part was the vows. You could sense a bit of nervousness…(as I can only imagine…being on a world-wide stage!) However, I loved the way the seemed to gaze at each other. It’s the way I remember Philip and I looking at each other almost a year ago, when we were encircled by our closest family and friends. So hard to believe it’s almost been a year! Time sure flies!

In honor of the Royal Wedding, I’ve created a clip about how you can give your skin the Royal Treatment…but you’ll have to head over to my other blog, The Skin CEO, to see it.

Wishing you much love and joy on this beautiful Spring day!

Hello friends! Several months back I shared that I’m on the board of a wedding-related non-profit organization that is launching a chapter in Nashville. I’m thrilled to share that our launch party has been scheduled. You’ll find all the details in the news release below. Specifically, if you are a wedding/event services professional OR a medical/health care professional, we hope you’ll make time to learn how we can all work together!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Health issues shouldn’t get in the way of someone’s dream to marry his or her best friend. That’s why Wish Upon A Wedding is expanding to the Volunteer State and launching the state’s first chapter in Nashville. On May 18 at 6pm, all are welcome to attend the chapter’s launch party at Wedding 101 at The Factory in Franklin. Professionals within the local wedding and event industry and the medical and health care community are invited to learn how this organization will positively affect lives across the region.

This is a free event, however, the new chapter welcomes any donations. All contributions will go directly towards helping the chapter grant wishes to deserving couples. Reservations are required. RSVP by visiting www.wuwlaunchpartynashville.eventbrite.com. Light fare will be served.

“The outpouring of volunteerism we’re already seeing is very encouraging to our board,” says wedding planner and chapter president, Courtney Hammons. “With the amazing Nashville wedding professionals and the sizeable medical and health care population we have, I know this organization will be embraced and will touch many lives.”

The chapter is currently compiling a database of “wish granters” based on 20 different wedding vendor categories. When a wish is received, the chapter’s volunteer coordinators will call upon the wish granters to donate their professional goods and services, enabling Wish Upon A Wedding Nashville to grant the wedding wish, from simple to more elaborate, depending on the wish recipient’s health condition.

Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. Often, couples facing such situations do not have the energy, time, money, or resources needed to plan their wedding. Our organization takes care of all the details, offering couples a chance to relax and enjoy a very special day while surrounded by the love of their closest family and friends. To learn more, visit www.wishuponawedding.org.

Hello friends! If you follow this blog, you know Philip and I planned a beautiful wedding on a minimal budget. We found ways to repurpose meaningful items and included several DIY projects as well.

I’m ALL about finding ways to maximize your dollars and get more for less…which is why I’m encouraging you to get up early tomorrow morning and check out the Goodwill Wedding Gala at the Rivergate Goodwill Store in Madison, TN (2101 Gallatin Pike North).

From 6am to 9am, you’ll be able to peruse designer wedding gowns, bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses, veils, shoes and jewelry. Everything is marked at deeply discounted prices to benefit Goodwill’s mission, which is “We sell donated goods to provide employment and training opportunities for people who have disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.”

So not only will you find AMAZING deals for your big day, you’re also helping an incredible cause.

While your wedding day is a HUGELY important milestone, it’s also ONE day. If you have the funds to budget for a hugely elaborate, detailed wedding, then by all means…do your thing. Just don’t go into debt for it. There are countless ways to spend your dollars wisely. You just have to be willing to look for them.

You can read about last year’s Goodwill Wedding Gala at WKRN and also find more details at Ashley’s Bride Guide. Happy Friday, friends!

I’ve delayed posting it for two reasons…

1) I didn’t want to spoil the Valentine’s Day surprise for Philip.
2) I was worried about what you (my readers, family, friends, etc.) would think.

Since Valentine’s Day has come and gone, the cat is outta the bag…and Philip has successfully been surprised with my amazing  photos from Bombshell Creative here in Nashville.

As for overcoming the second reason, I finally decided that the people who matter don’t mind and the people who mind don’t matter. I work hard to maintain a professional, business-focused image. Those who know me personally know that. The purpose of my blog is to share my journey and my insight as a bride and wife. This experience with Bombshell Creative is something wives and brides in the Middle TN area (and beyond!) NEED to know about! So there. I’m over it.

Here are a few of my vintage glam boudoir photos from Bombshell Creative:

The few hours I spent with Ashley and the folks at Bombshell Creative were incredible. I arrived with many of the pretties I received at my bachelorette party last year, a bagful of high heels, my favorite pieces of vintage jewelry and my makeup bag. I kept my hair down and a bit tousled and Pam made my face camera ready with sultry eyes and rusty red lips.

They also had a nice spread of refreshments including soda, water, chocolate and peanut butter filled pretzels. YUM!

The photo shoot was SO much fun. Bridesmaid Rebecca (aka High Heels And Moccasins) was there for wardrobe styling…since that’s what she does nearly every day…and because I love and trust her. We just had a blast. I can’t imagine how fun it would be to book Bombshell Creative for a bachelorette party or just as a fun night out with best friends.

In just a few days, Ashley sent me a link to view my gallery. After working with her to choose my favorite photos, they created the most beautiful hardcover customized photobook for Philip. They even printed a love note I wrote for him and included it amongst the photos. Valentine’s Day couldn’t get here fast enough!

Ladies, whether you’re looking for an amazing evening of fun with your friends or want to give your husband or significant other a smokin’ hot custom photobook for a birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc…talk with Ashley at Bombshell Creative. What woman doesn’t love feeling like a bombshell? I sure did!

Stay tuned for a video clip from my photo session, PLUS a special giveaway! Woohoo!

Last Wednesday, Ashley King of AshleysBrideGuide.com was on Channel 4′s Better Nashville TV show to talk with host Kacy Hagerty about Nashville wedding trends for 2011. Guess who’s bouquet was featured?! Yes, folks…see that lovely, encased burst of colors sitting on the table between Kacy and Ashley? That’s my bouquet!

Who would’ve known it was going to become such a hot item?! I’ll admit, I’m not always the most up-to-date, stylish person in the room…but I’m excited to hear I was on top of this trend! Want to hear what Ashley and Kacy had to say about Nashville weddings for 2011? Watch this clip!

I’ve had the honor of having a voice on the past two Smart Bride Panels presented by AshleysBrideGuide. The first week we discussed wedding vision, values and priorities. That’s where it alllll has to start folks. This is the stuff you need to have lined out so you can budget appropriately. This week, our second session, we discussed budget.

Our budget was $5K…more on that later.

I caught a few testimonials from some of the Nashville couples who joined us tonight. This message is from Leah & Kevin. I really enjoyed chatting with them. You can tell they’re just happy and in love. And it’s SO cool that they’re starting off on the right foot by participating in a workshop like this and genuinely communicating with each other about their vision and priorities for the day they say “I do”.