Local Nashville brides and grooms-to-be! Don’t miss this special event being held at Ruby on March 24th to help prep for your big day. The StudioWed Wedding Experience features seminars to help couples plan a successful and amazing wedding. Many of the StudioWed vendors will be on hand to chat and share advice as well as many featured table inspirations, delicious appetizers and sips.

Register today at http://studiowedweddingexperience.eventbrite.com/

For some Q&A on the event, be sure to visit this helpful blog post: http://studiowednashville.com/nashvilleblog/nashville-wedding-events/studiowed-nashville-presents-the-wedding-experience/

This Thursday evening, Modern Trousseau is hosting a Downtown Bridal Bash in conjunction with many StudioWed Nashville vendors and friends! I’ll be at Alt Summit this week and sadly won’t get to meet some wonderful new brides and faces, but there are still lots of fun and surprises in store for attendees. To RSVP, simply call 615.733.0155 or email nashville@moderntrousseau.com.

Photo by Elan Artists / Scott Clark / Chellise Michael

Back from an amazing whirlwind of a week at Engage!12 The Breakers. As I write this, my mind plays over a montage of memories and moments from days and nights that were sadly, all over in a flash. A full recap to come, but my initial reactions this morning as I woke up in my familiar bed and home were met with excitement and gratitude.

Excitement for all the big things ahead.

Never have I felt more exactly in the place of where I needed to be and when. Quite honestly I feel like I’m the verge of a next new adventure and I’m excited to get the groundwork laid for so many ideas that are buzzing in my head.

Gratitude for the friends and colleagues I spent the week with.

So many new and wonderful friends. Even more wonderful with friends that I had met at Engage conferences previously, and our friendships were only more solidified the third time around. Third times a charm, right?

Grateful for so many talented and creative people in my life. As I continue to grow my business and attend more of this conference, I only feel more faith that there are so many good, smart, artistic and extraordinary people in this world. People that are so willing to share their personal stories for a greater good…

And you’ll definitely find them there at this happy place called, Engage!

Engage!12 The Breakers is less than two weeks away and I’m so excited to meet old friends and new ones in West Palm Beach, Florida. Engage! is presented by Engaging Concepts and is a luxury wedding summit that “brings together the wedding industry’s key influencers and thought leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, network and be inspired to take their businesses to the next level of success.”

Besides the amazing content and speakers each day, there’s also a little (okay, really a lot) of fun involved. Each evening there is a spectacular event designed and produced by some of the best talent in the wedding and event world. Which gives an obvious reason to dress up!

Which brings me to…about a year ago, I made the discovery of one of the best inventions ever: Rent the Runway.

Rent the Runway allows you to have access to a dream closet and the ability to have a new designer dress for every occasion. You decide on your dress and it’s shipped straight to you a few days before your event, along with a backup size for free. Fabulous, right? Perfect for Engage!

We received a fabulous suggested packing guide in the mail (designed by the always fabulous gifts for the good life) and so the packing planning begins!

I’ll be wearing a cute Lily Pulitzer dress I purchased a few months back and was saving for the perfect occasion. I’ll be pairing it with some grey cowboy boots to wear to the “bowties and boots” Southern Chic Welcome Party. For the two other nights, I thought it would be fun to have some help deciding!

The second night is the Dine Around + Dessert Party and white or silver attire is suggested. I’ve narrowed down my selections to Option 1 and Option 2. Option 2 I may wear a black cardigan during dinner just to take the bling down a notch. :)

The last night is the grand Gala party. You can dress up as much as you like on this night. I wear shorter dresses since I always have an issue with long dresses being only 5’3″. Option 3 is the one I’m leaning toward because it is my signature color and I have some black heels that are very comfy to dance all night long in. I can wear some fun bling to dress it up a bit more, too.  Option 4 is gorgeous as well and still in for consideration.

So what do you think? Let me know which dress I should wear for each night in the comments below!

I’m happy to share that I was included among some of my wedding planner and designer peers in the latest issue of Wedding Planner Magazine November/December 2012.

I was selected to share my thoughts on “What Is Your Secret to the Work / Life Balance?”

“Having clear business hours and only sending correspondence to my clients during that time has been a lifesaver for me. If I’m sending emails or responding to questions after hours or weekends, then clients are going to believe I’m always available to them – day or night. Most emails really can wait until the next business day. Since I’ve set this rule up, I’m more relaxed, focused and enjoying uninterrupted time with my family.” - Amber Housley

Happy to be included in such a great publication for the wedding industry!