Wedding Blog From Rich Events

Are you ready for your 2012 wedding?

2011-12-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today is New Year's Eve 2011 and I am preparing for my last bridal meeting of the year and my last wedding ceremony of the year, both happening later this afternoon. 2011 has been a great year for Rich Events. One December 26, 2011 we entered a new phase of marketing with television commercials airing in the Nashville market. The ad is also available to view on my website at www.RichEvents.com or on www.LadakProductions.com which is the website of my primary photography and media partner.

In the early days of 2011 we gained great attention and success with our Valentine's Day wedding chapel event at Belmont Mansion. We are actively working on the 2012 version of this event but this time we will introduce a mass wedding at Eastland Baptist Church along side our Belmont Mansion ceremonies.

January is always the busiest season of the year for phone calls and emails from recently-engaged brides who are starting the process of planning their wedding. Wedding venues and vendors start booking up popular dates early so brides, you need to get ahead of the planning process. May and October are the most popular months of the year for weddings so if those are your preferred months, you need to reach out to vendors and venues as soon as possible!

Rev. Brandon Rich of Rich Events operates wedding venues in Nashville, TN at Belmont Mansion, Eastland Baptist Church and leads a team of wedding officiants serving weddings throughout the mid-South region. www.RichEvents.org

Supporting my "Friendors"

2011-07-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Kellie Bryson, President
Main Event Productions

I cannot claim ownership of the word "friendor" but I wish that I could. Kellie Bryson of Main Event Productinos was the first person I heard using that term. Her event business encompasses A Catered Affair, The Bake Shoppe and two Nashville area event venues; Events at 1418 and Legacy Farms. She is my primary preferred caterer and cake designer for Belmont Mansion and I am her preferred officiant provider for her two venues.

I am excited to attend the open house at Legacy Farms tonight. I officiated at this venue in its previous life when it bore a different name under different ownership. I would encourage you to visit www.LegacyFarmsTN.com and learn all about this great location.

To learn more about all of the officiating and coordinating services that I provide and the two venues that I manage please visit www.RichEvents.org.

Are you ready to book your 2011 wedding?

2010-12-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

Today is December 27, 2010 and it is 8:29 pm. I am sitting in my studio office at Belmont Mansion getting ready for the annual avalance of wedding calls that will hit soon. You see, nearly half of all proposals and engagements happen during the holiday season between Christmas and New Years Day. The next bump is Valentine's Day. Many of my remaining available dates for 2011 will dissapear in the next 6 to 7 weeks, starting on January 2--when the holidays are over. Just tonight I got the first email from a bride who had gotten engaged over Christmas. So, for any of you brides who find yourself reading this blog entry, I have some suggestions. First, think Rich Events for all your officiating, coordinating and wedding venue needs :) ...I know, shameless self promotion. But seriously, the most popular dates fill up quickly and those would be Saturdays in May, late September and October. There are weddings all 12 months of the year, but not in the volume as those times. So, if you are one of those May/September/October brides, don't waste precious time! Find your venues and put down deposits and sign contracts as fast as you can. If you are interested in a March, April or November wedding you'll find a lot more opportunities for open dates. Also, you may get the month you want if you are willing to take a Friday or a Sunday instead of the coveted Saturday.

Amber's Flaming Purse and Grand Entrance

2010-11-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

So I had something new happen last night. My bride's purse cought fire while sitting too close to a votive candle during the rehearsal dinner. My assistant director of weddings grabbed the purse and we RAN out front, flames and smoke billowing through the Grand Salon of Belmont Mansion. Her purse strap will never be the same!

And then there was the wedding. Her violinist broker her arm. Her cake designer broker her foot. The topper though, bless her heart, was her grand entrance into the ceremony. As she decsended the steps in to the Grand Salon of the mansion...she fell down the steps. She caught herself on the railing and she wasn't hurt...but still, she fell down the steps.

Four weddings but no funeral

2010-10-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

The beginning of Autumn is always a busy time for weddings and that has been the case in 2010. the last two weekends in September 2010 were particularly fun and noteworthy. September 18 was a date to remember. I participated in four weddings personally on one day. I started the day officiating a wedding on Center Hill Lake. As I arrived, not having met the couple in person, I was intrigued to see a guest arrive dressed from head to toe....wait for it...in a duck costume. White fur, yellow beak, tail and with a lovely human woman on his arm. The groom had bemoaned the fact that the bride would not allow him to see her dress before the wedding. He threatened to wear...are you there yet?.....a duck costume. So, when the pre-wedding photos were about to begin the bride was greeted by our duck. After a few minutes, the real groom appeared.

The next wedding was much more conventional and traditional and it went off at Belmont Mansion without a hitch. The third wedding was a lovely affair at an outdoor venue in Williamson County. The only thing out of the ordinary was the Secret-Service-looking security agent monitoring the festivities. The groom plays in the band of a famous country singer who needs a little protection out in public.

My last wedding of the night started late and ended on a somewhat Las Vegas note. The DJ/entertainer was...wait for it...an Elvis impersonator, white jump suit and all!

There is NEVER a dull moment when you work as a wedding minister/planner!

Christmas Weddings

2010-03-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's not even April yet, but it is time to start booking venues for Christmas weddings. Some brides may not consider the Christmas-New Year's holiday time of year as an ideal time for a wedding, but it is. Many indoor venues such as mine (Belmont Mansion and Cabinberry Farm) are beautifully decorated both inside and out, which helps cut down on the bride's decorating and floral budget. Another plus to a December wedding is the weather. That might seem like an odd statement, but as someone who has been to more weddings than I can count, I can tell you that cool-weather weddings are a blessing. Weddings require a lot of work and a lot of time spend lifting, lugging, hauling, walking and working. Even if your wedding is an indoor event, there is a lot that has to be done out that involves being in the punishing heat of Summer.

One great advantage of a wedding scheduled around a holiday is the fact that many of your guests may already be in town or otherwise off work. Certainly, you will want to poll your closest friends and family and make sure that your venue can accomodate a holiday wedding before you get too far into the planning process. You will also want to make sure that your consider conflicting holiday parties and other events during the busy holiday season. I have coordinated and officiated for many couples during the Christmas holiday season and it worked out beautifully each time.

Keep in mind that many wedding venues such as mine host more than just weddings. Christmas tends to attract a lot of non-wedding rental events at these venues, so the time to book a Christmas wedding is NOW!

Picking Your Wedding Venue

2010-03-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

I am a wedding coordinator, wedding minister and a venue manager. As someone who functions in different roles in weddings, I have a unique perspective. There are several things that brides (and grooms) need to consider when booking a wedding venues.

First, where do you want to get married? There are four good options to consider: bride's hometown, groom's hometown, a city between those two places, or finaly a resort/destination wedding.

Second, do you want a single venue wedding with ceremony and reception in one place or do you want a split venue wedding with ceremony in one venue and reception in another?

Third, how many guests do you want to be present?

Fourth, do you want an outdoor or indoor wedding?

Fifth, what venue style appeals to you, i.e. church, hotel, historic building, beach/waterside, privagte residence, resort?

Sixth, do you want to serve alcohol?

Seventh, when do you want your wedding to take place? Morning, afternoon or evening? Weekday or weekend? Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter? On or near a major holiday?

Eighth, how much are you willing to pay for your venue(s)?

Ninth, what ameneties or services would you like or do you need for your venue(s) to include for you, i.e. event planning, catering, bar tending, officiating, tables, chairs, linens, valet, salon, etc.?

Tenth, will this venue photograph well?

Eleventh, is this venue accessable to and comfortable for my guests? Is it easy to find? Is their available parking?

Finally, does my venue work for my wedding? Does is do what I need it to do and do I like it? Lots of people will give advice, solicited or not. Parents or others may pay for some or all of the venue cost, but at the end of the day the bride and groom should be happy with their wedding venue, because it is THEIR wedding!

Cabinberry Farm

2010-03-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have a multi-faceted event business. I have several ordained ministers who are affiliated with Rich Events who go out and officiate weddings for me. I go out an officiate and coordinate many weddings myself all over midde and west Tennessee and northern Alabama. I also have two wedding venues under contract management: Belmont Mansion and Cabinberry Farm. The mansion takes up a lot of my time due to is prominent place in the Nashville wedding community over the past 20 plus years. I want to spend some time talking about my other venue, Cabinberry Farm. This is such a special place to me. When I am at Cabinberry Farm, I feel like I've gone to a private retreat in Gatlinburg or that I am at my beloved Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Florida. Even though you are still in Davidson County, you feel as if you are out in the country, miles from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The decor is charming and warm. The grounds are inviting and peaceful. This is such a special place for couples to take their vows and share their most special day with their friends and family. We also host rehearsal dinners, parties, photo sessions and many other types of events. I invite you to check out the website. http://www.cabinberryfarm.com/.

The Busy Season -- How to be a good bridal client

2010-03-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

January, February and March have been a blur. I have actually lost count of the number of brides I have met with. For those of you new to weddings, either as a bride or a wedding professional, there are a huge number of brides who get engaged between Christmas and New Years. The next big push is after Valentine's Day. I always appreciate brides who do their homework. These are the brides who read the whole ad or the whole website before they call or come in for a visit. There are other brides who see an ad or stumble onto a website and pick up the phone, send an email or drop by without doing ANY homework at all. I can't tell you how many times I find myself giving out information that was right on the screen in front of them. For the brides who are reading this entry, please make sure to take the extra 1 or 2 minutes to read the information available before you call, email or go to see a wedding professional. If you are looking at any of my three websites, you will get the answers to most key questions before you talk to me.

Doing your homework involes a lot of important things when planning your wedding. How many guests do you want to attend your wedding? What will it cost to host a wedding as large as you want? Who is paying for what parts of the wedding? What time of year do you want for your wedding? Have you allowed enough time to plan your wedding? Are you planning a wedding too far in advance? (Chances are that if your boyfriend has not proposed, it's too soon.) I shouldn't know about your wedding before he does!

Wedding professionals tend to be very busy people. We work odd hours. We work long hours. We work during the day and during the evening. We dork during the week and during the weekend. Some of us even work when we're on vacation--BlackBerrys and iPhones let us/make us take our weddings with us everywhere we go. A dedicated wedding and event professional will welcome your calls and emails--that is if he or she wants to be sucessful. What we need from our clients is consistency. We need you to get a handle on what you want, when you want it and how you plan to pay for it. We can guide you, we can counsel you, we can help you...but in the end you still are the ultimate wedding planner. We cannot and should not plan your wedding. We should help you to plan your wedding.

So, if you want your wedding planner, officiant, photographer, caterer, cake designer, florist, musician, DJ, limo company, rental company, venue coordinator and all the others to help you have a great wedding...then help them do their jobs by being a good client. Be organized. Be focused. Be realistic. Be willing to work work with them when things don't go as planned. Realize that your wedding will not take place in a vacuum. Bad things happen to good people, and to good weddings. One of my cardinal rules of wedding managment is that something always goes wrong in every wedding. NO wedding escapes this rule. Sometimes the one thing, or the two things that go awry are so small and so insignificant that nobody even notices, sometimes not even the bride. Sometimes big things, obvious things go wrong. Good wedding professionals and good brides will do everything possible to avoid this in advance with good, detailed planning, but sometimes life gets in the way of our best laid plans. As brides and wedding professionals our goal should be excellence, not perfection.

Do you have the rings?

2010-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

There are several questions that a minister asks in a wedding. These questions asked are almost rhetorical. The answers are predetermined as are the questions themselves. "Who presents this woman in marriage?" "Do you take this woman?" "Do you take this man?" It is ceremony. It is tradition. We ask these questions, not because we don't know the answer, but becuase it is our western tradition to do so.

I married a couple this week in one of the two wedding venues that I manage. I went through my littany of rhetorical questions and got to this one. "Do you have the rings?" .....silence.....
....red faces....no rings. Someone said, "they're upstairs in my coat pocket." So, we sent the photographer's wife upstairs to retrieve the missing rings.

We got them married and on their way and with a fun story to tell.

Post #4: When Mary met Crappy

2009-09-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Weddings are such interesting slices of life. Nerves are on edge, emotions are hightened, and problems are magnified. Brandon's unyiedling law of weddings says that every wedding WILL have something go wrong, something go awry, in short....something WILL NOT go to plan. Sometimes the errant action is as simple as a drooping bouteneir. And then other times it is a bit more serious.

My wedding business is growing and I have a number of associate ministers who go out and officiate weddings for me. This weekend one of my new associates went out on his first Rich Events wedding. Why oh why did the following have to happen on his very first wedding with us?! Apparently the cake designer failed to produce a cake for this wedding. Upon discovering the oversight, he provided a cake and delivered it. For whatever reason, the cake collapesed and fell over. It all worked out OK in the end, but still that's not the sort of thing I like for my associates and clients to endure!

This is not unlike a situation over a year ago when I hired a new wedding event staffer who was interestd in the wedding business. I gave her the job so she could see if this was something she wanted to pursue. On her first (and last) day working for me she witnessed one of the other staffers have a melt down in front of wedding guests as he blasted me for whatever it was he didn't like that we were doing. The poor new-hire had to watch me pull this guy off the floor and send him home mid-event.

This week I hired a friend to help me with recruiting in another city where I lived several years ago. She was very excited about the business and enthusiastic about working for me. When I called her tonight to plan her first week at work, she abruptly announced that she had decided not to take the job after all due to the amount of time that the job would require, and the fact that she had extensive volunteer obligations in her church.

On the positive side, I have hired serveral new officiants this week whom I think will be great additions to the team. The Rich Events footprint is beginning to grow!

Elopements: Post #3

2009-08-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

We all know the verb "elope." Some of you may even know that term in its adjectival form, "elopement." Many people hear these terms and only associate them with running off to Las Vegas or going to a Justice of the Peace at the local courthouse. These are types of elopement weddings but certainly not the only types. The one category of person who is probably the #1 fan of eloping is the father of the bride, i.e. he who pays the bill for the more traditional wedding. The #2 fan of eloping is usually the groom who dreads, rightly, the rigors of a traditional wedding and all that it entails. Earlier this year one of my FOBs (father of the bride) told me that he had offered his daughter and future son-in-law a very nice sum of money as a wedding gift if they would opt for an elopement rather than the traditional wedding. They didn't go for it. Actually, I think they would have gone for it if the MOB (mother of the bride) had been on board.

If you look up elopement you will see definitions that center around running off in secret to get married in a quick and private manner. While these may fit the dictionary definition of the term, the new reality is that there are different levels and types of eloping. Yes, you can still run off in secret to the courthouse or hop on a plane to Las Vegas if you are an elopement purist. Hollywood has given the public a distorted and romanticized perspective on this practice. I submit for your perusal the Rich Events new lexicon for elopement weddings.

#1) Secret Elopement (local or out of town)

This is a private wedding ceremony with only bride, groom, officiant and a witness. This ceremony is not announced to family and friends until after it takes place. This is what most people think of when they hear "elope." The bride and groom decide to marry, they get the marriage licence, they secure an officiant and a witness and they get married without telling anyone what they are doing. Often times these ceremonies take place at a courthouse, a wedding chapel, or in a location convenient to the couple and the officiant. There are no vendors other than the officiant, i.e. no photographer, no florist, no musicians. There is no rented tuxedo or wedding dress. It is simply a legal ceremony and nothing more.

#2) Planned Local Elopement

This is a semi-private wedding ceremony that includes bride, groom, officiant and a very close circle of immediate family and or closest friends, usually numbering only 3 to 5 people. The bride and groom may each buy a new outfit to wear, but something they can easily wear again. They may or may not have boutonniere and bouquet. Usually they will just have one or two of the friends or family in attendance take some snap shots. There is usually no music or processional. Everyone simply gathers together and the officiant begins the ceremony when all are ready. These ceremonies are often in a home, a public park, in the chapel of a church or in a wedding chapel or other rented venue that specializes in elopement ceremonies. Local examples in Nashville include Belmont Mansion, The Ambrose House, Cabinberry Farm, The Baber House, The Wild Turkey Ranch and The Pick Inn, just to name a few.

#3) Planned Out-of-Town Elopement

This is a semi-private wedding ceremony that includes the bride, groom, officiant and a very close, small circle of family and friends who go out of town as a group to a favorite destination for a small, simple wedding. The destination is as much a part of the event as the ceremony. Popular examples among Nashvillians include beach weddings in Destin, Florida and mountain weddings in Gatlinburg. A slightly more elaborate and planned version is a cruise wedding. Some cruise lines offer small wedding venues and officiants for on-board ceremonies. The ship is the venue and the cruise is the honeymoon! This option is popular with couples who may be marrying for the second time and like the idea of sharing the entire experience with their children or other close friends/family.

Whether a couple chooses to run off to the justice of the peace, go to a local minister's office or take a small group with them to a favorite spot, eloping can be a great way to start off married life. These ceremonies require minimal expense, minimal planning and minimal stress. This is a great option for the cash-strapped couple who wants to marry but doesn't have the funds for a lavish event. It is an equally good option for the couple who has ample funds but would rather use those funds for something else, like a nice honeymoon, a down payment on a house, or debt retirement--particularly of student loans or credit card debt. Many couples don't realize how expensive and how involved a wedding is until they are neck deep in the planning process. Dresses, flowers, invitations, photographers, venues, caterers, limos, tuxes, cakes...it can run into the tens of thousands of dollars very quickly. For those who have the funds and the desire to have the big wedding, I am more than happy to plan, coordinate and officiate for you! For the others of you who have different needs, different budgets or different priorities, there are ways of having a memorable wedding without the need for a congressional bailout.

I have officiated and coordinated lots and lots of weddings from the simplest possible secret elopement to the most elaborate traditional wedding with reception. When it is all said and done, all of my weddings, big and small, end the same way...my signature on a marriage license, an envelope and one postage stamp all making their way to the county clerk.

August 22, 2009: Post #2

2009-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

This was one of those rare and unwanted weeks on my calendar with white space all weekend--no planned weddings. In this business there is always the chance of an elopement wedding at the last minute. I've had a few of those and I love them, but we'll talk about that later. I got a call on Thursday from a bride needing me to step in and officiate her wedding two days later. We thought this wedding would be at one of my favorite Gallatin venues, The Pick Inn, but it ended up at the bride's home. The groom, his friends and his groomsmen were all musicians. My arrival was met with screeching electric guitar chords. It sounded like I was arriving at an Aerosmith concert. I knew right off that this was going to be a laid back, casual wedding. The groom was wearing a very hip, ready-for-the-stage outfit--designer jeans, embroidered shirt, cool hair--the works. The bride wore a dress that I told her reminded me of that famous Marylin Monroe dress that she wore over the street grating, except this dress had a train. I wore my ministerial robe and stole.

Everyone went outside and took their place. Everyone except the small kids who continued their impromptu game of soccer. One of the older kids went zooming in front of me, the groom and the groomsmen right before the bride's maids came out. The bride processed out and all was well. The kids kept playing in the yard all around the ceremony. If only I could have held my BlackBerry and videotaped this next part. Right as I was taking the rings from the best man, a soccer ball sailed across the yard and bounced off my left shoulder while I was in mid sentence. Fortunately I have become very laid back about this sort of thing. I made a little joke of it and kept on going. If it didn't bother the bride it shouldn't bother me!

I have a word of advice for brides who are contemplating an outdoor wedding where multiple small kids will be present, especially if it is going to be in your own home or any home where the kids feel very comfortable. Make sure they know what a wedding is and that they need to take a break from playing and try to be still and quiet for a few minutes...OR be prepared for soccer ball to the head during your ceremony. Just a thought.

My first wedding blog

2009-08-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

December 29, 2001 was the date of my first wedding as an officiant. A closed friend had asked me to officiate his upcoming wedding in Amarillo, Texas. I had helped my mom with her part time wedding coordinating as a kid and I had played piano and organ for some weddings back in the 80s, but this wedding in Amarillo was my first one where I was the minister. I lived in Fort Worth at the time and had never been to the panhandle. If you've never been to the Texas panhandle, winter is not the time for your first visit. The farther north I got the flatter and more desolate the landscape became. By the time I got to the church I had lost the will to live. The wedding was nice and unevetful. Not bad for a first.

My second wedding was back in Fort Worth a few months later. It was a cowboy wedding. The bride wore a lace wedding dress with 3 inch staletto-heal boots. The groom wore black jeans and a white cowboy shirt and a stetson hat. I wore my ministerial robe. Interesting mix to be sure. They drove off in a early 70s model pickup with beer cans tied to the bumber. Very Texas for a second wedding.

There were a couple of years between my second and third weddings. My third wedding was actually an anniversary celebration with a vow renewal. A friend and collegue of mine was a pastor and had asked me to officiate for him, which I was all too happy to do. Nothing unusual at this event. Pretty run-of-the-mill.

My life in weddings got a jump start in 2007. I finished my last regular church staff position as an interim pastor and was looking for a new part time job. I ended up taking a position that my mom found, something she wasn't interested in but thought I might like. Starting in March of 2007 I was a wedding coordinator for Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN. Shortly after I started the lady who had been the senior coordinator stepped down and I became the lead coordinator. I found myself in a unique position being an ordained minister and working in a popular wedding venue as a wedding coordinator. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had found a new love, a new professional calling. I would be something new, something that nobody else had done. I would carve out a new hybrid niche as a wedding minister and wedding coordinator. By July 2007 I had my website and email domain up and running. My wedding career at Belmont was going along very nicely.

I was working a day-job for a large clothing manufacturing company while I did my weddings on the weekend. I even got two promotions at work which made it seem less and less likely that I would ever give up the security of my paycheck and benefits to pursue weddings as a full time career. I settled into a nice little routine. My weddings were my passion, my fun and they provided the bulk of the money for my vacation fund. It was a great system...while it lasted.

The recession hit my employer hard and I got laid of in January of 2009. I stood at a crossroads. I could throw myself out there into the worst job market in 25 years with everyone else who was job hunting, or I could follow my heart. With nothing to lose and everything to gain I decided to do whatever it took to make a full time career of my weddings. I had the blessing of a bit of a small golden parachute so I didn't have to panic about money, at least not for a while. I already had some of my own clients booked for 2009 even before the layoff, so I felt like a had a good start.

I spent a good week digging deep into Google doing market reasearch on wedding websites and venues in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Before long I was contacting every venue owner and manager I could find and making house calls. I had business cards printed up as well as car magnets. I went all around town introducing myself to every venue that I could, offering my services as both a wedding officiant and a wedding coordinator. One of my early events was not a wedding...quite the other end of the spectrum. I was called on to coordinate a memorial service.

The family memebers were all from out of state and were actualy out of the country at the time of the death. I made arrangments with a local venue and a caterer and I helped the family pull everything together. I had preached many funerals in my days as a pastor, so this was very familiar territory. This one was quite different though. Neither the deceadant nor the family were people of strong religious faith. I wanted to be as accomodating and as respectful as possible, so I mainly acted as a facilitator and host. Several of the deceadant's friends spoke, some sang and one even played a drum solo. The most intersting and unique part of the service was the yoga presentation by some of her friends. Not being familiar with much of Yoga tradition, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I could imagine was group of leotard-clad women striking a pose on a rubber mat. When it came time for their portion of the service, they never even left their seats. They chanted. I don't know what they chanted, but it was in unison and it went on for quite a while. The friends and family were gracious and I was glad to have been able to help them during a most difficult time.

I feel the need to add a privacy statement to this first installment that will apply to this and all future blogs from me. I will always respect the privacy of all of my clients, vendors, associates and event guests. I will never mention anyone by name without their prior consent...no matter how funny their story is. When permission is not possible or appropriate, names and locations will be veiled to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.