Hi everyone! We know we talk to you about all sorts of different topics on this blog, but today we’re focusing on how we got to be your bridal consultants! Even though we are not currently working on the production end of weddings, Ashley2 and I
have both been on that side before… So when we give you these recommendations about timelines, budgets, and vendors, it’s not just because we’re trying to “sell” vendors to you. We’ve been the planner at a wedding where the florist didn’t show up, or the cake was more tilted than straight! We know what can potentially go wrong at weddings, and we want to do everything in our power to make sure those things don’t happen at yours! We love all of our lovely brides, and we want your day to truly be EVERYTHING you’ve hoped for! So here’s a little glimpse into our past as wedding planners…
(Heather and Ashley #2: SheHeWe Photography)
Meet Ashley Harrison (also known as, Ashley #2)
My introduction to the Nashville wedding industry was during my summer internship…at Wedding 101. I sat down for an interview with Amy in Spring of 2010, and that summer I worked alongside Amy, Ashley #1, and Kate. I loved my experience and the connections created through my time at Wedding 101, but I needed to dive deeper into the industry. July of 2010, I finished my internship and started immediately with Elliott Events, a full service planning, design, and decor company. The first wedding I ever worked just happened to be a 400 guests Catholic wedding in Brentwood. I worked around 20 hours in 2 days…and I fell in love with it. I slowly worked my way up to becoming an event manager. After a year of amazing experiences and producing gorgeous weddings, I refocused more towards the planning side of weddings. I went on to intern with Anita Hogin and Hugh Howser of H Three Events for six months before landing an assistant wedding director position at Historic Cedarwood in the Fall of 2012. Nothing beats the moment of getting to stand back, watch your bride walk down the aisle, and feel chill bumps as they say their vows. After 3 years of non-stop weddings and exhausting weekends, I was overjoyed to accept a full time position with Wedding 101 in January of 2013. As a bridal consultant, I am able to apply my experience in production and planning to assist brides with the planning of their own weddings, and I get to relax on the weekends! My goal is to provide brides with a one-on-one planning experience that’s stress free and fun. While I may not be coordinating anymore, I am happy to attend my bride’s wedding as a guest!
Meet Heather Burrow
I began my wedding-industry journey as an intern with A Magical Affair. I worked in the office two days a week and on-site for weddings on the weekends with Courtney Hammons and Jennifer Klein throughout the Summer of 2011. Most of the weddings we produced took place at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville and Kings’ Chapel in Arrington, TN. At the end of the Summer, I was hired on as a part time day-of coordinator. Throughout the following year, I would work the busy weekends when we had two or more weddings to coordinate. In June of 2012 I was hired on to be an official staff member of the A Magical Affair team! It was my dream job, and I happily took on the planning of all Kings’ Chapel weddings. That year, we planned over 30 weddings at Kings’ Chapel, and I fell in love with numerous brides. Even though I was always at the same venue, each bride and her wedding were completely different, and it never got boring. While I loved getting to be apart of my brides’ special days, the weekends were long and the work was strenuous. So, when I got the job as bridal consultant for Wedding 101 in May of 2013, I was thrilled! Now I can still be apart of the planning process for brides, without the stress of day-of production. We are so blessed, here at Wedding 101, to have so many incredible vendors at our fingertips. I can always be confident in my vendor recommendations, and I know that they will take good care of my brides and their weddings!