Vendor Spotlight: Vintage Florals

Melissa Broadwell with Vintage Florals is one of our favorite people in the industry. Her background is a lot like ours, Christian mother who still has a passion outside of the home. We are honored to share a little bit about her and her company. Enjoy!

How many years have you worked in the weddings/event industry?

“I always go by the age of my oldest daughter plus a year (or two?)..so about 9 years!  How’s that for math?  I was introduced to the flower world by working at Import Flowers, a flower wholesaler, here in Nashville.  I learned a lot, and eventually played around with flowers enough that I landed my first wedding job for a friend, who I told I would do her flowers at cost if I could just give it a shot!  It has just snowballed from there!”

What is your favorite kind of event? Favorite style?

“My favorite kind of event, honestly, is a baby or bridal shower.  I love a small event where I’m usually given a bit more freedom to do something fun and creative.  My favorite flower style would be a soft, earthy palette of garden flowers and greens in a lush, loose arrangement.  Favorite event style would be a rustic, elegant space with lots of light and flowers of course!

What is something unique you would like us to know about your company?

“I hope that what people find in my company is a genuine effort to connect and explore ways to make their event beautiful through the expression of flowers.  My desire is that when a client sees an arrangement made specifically for them, that it will mean something-whether it expresses love in a wedding, sadness and hope in loss, or a celebration of life and success.”

One thing you would like people to know about you?

“Ironically, the fact that my skin cannot touch certain flowers!  Itchy!  So, if you see me arranging with purple (latex-free) surgical gloves on, you’ll know why!  :)”

What is your favorite song?

“A song that always speaks to me is one by Brooke Frasier called ‘Shadowfeet’.”

What is your favorite food?

“Last week it was slaw-so weird.  I think I ate the entire head of cabbage over the week!  But mostly, I could eat pizza every day.  Lots of mushrooms, italian sausage and peppers!”

This blog post was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events. 

Vendor Spotlight: Creative Crumbs

Michelle and I have had the opportunity to work with Abby at Creative Crumbs a couple of times, and have nothing but amazing things to say about her and her work. Her cakes are detailed and delicious! I am actually craving some of her Strawberry cake as I type. We are looking forward to working with her in 2013, and wanted you to get to know her a bit more.

How many years have you worked in the Wedding/Event/Baking Industry? 

“A little over 7 years….I worked in catering for a couple of years before I stumbled into the wonderful world of wedding cake decorating and I’ve loved every minute of it!  Starting my own business has been an incredible journey.  Its exciting to see how much things have grown and I’m looking forward to creating wedding cakes for many more years to come!”

 

What is your favorite style of cake? 

“I prefer a simple romantic cake with clusters of handmade sugar flowers, but one of the cool things about doing weddings is getting to create cakes in a variety of styles, from vintage to contemporary, simple to elaborate.”

 

What is special about your company?

“All of my cakes and buttercreams are made completely from scratch.  I crafted all my recipes and you can tell the difference.  I am often asked why my cakes taste so good and I tell people its because of all the TLC (tender love and care) I add!”

 

Something you would like people to know about you or your company? 

“Each and every cake is custom designed.  Brides don’t have to pick from a design catalog or choose a template.  Meeting brides for a design consultation and cake tasting is one of my favorite parts of the job.  I love that moment when she looks at my cake sketch, smiles, and says ‘Its perfect! That’s just what I wanted!’”

 

What is your favorite song?

“I can’t pick just one.  I love to rock out while I’m in the kitchen, so you will always find me listening to music.  I usually start the day with some Keith Urban and end it with a little Ingrid Michaelson or Jason Mraz.”

 

What is your favorite food?

“There’s a pizza from a local restaurant that features house cured ham, grana padana cheese, and chili oil.  The secret though is to get them to add a fried egg on top.  Its not on the menu, but its amazing!”

A special thank you to Abby for taking the time to talk with us. If you are interested in having a taste testing with her we would love to put you in touch.

This blog post was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events.

 

Stepping Out With Beautiful Feet

Last August I spent two weeks with one of my best friends, Melissa Irwin, Founder and Executive Director of Beautiful Feet Global Outreach. I get chill bumps when I think about how God wove our lives together as we both share a passion for the orphans of the world. I love being on the board of BFGO and being a part of such an amazing orphan care ministry.

While in Zimbabwe I fell in love and it took my breath away! I was not prepared for who I was to encounter. The contagious joy amidst such heartache is overwhelming.

                            (Photos from Africa provided by Melissa Irwin, photographer)

These kids’ faces are magnetic! I think everyone would want to know, love, help, protect and pray for them. The Board members all agree. So, we thought we would share their stories, share their faces in the form of a party….A Fundraiser, “Steppin’ Out With Beautiful Feet”.

Sambuca in the Gulch generously donated their space AND food for the great cause!

Ian Riley donated his time and these amazing photos. Thanks, Ian!!

Musicians gathered to make the atmosphere rock. Marcia Ramirez gathered her musician friends Britt Savage, Kim Parent, Brice Long, Lee Miller and Jon Vezner. What a talented and generous crew!

Creative Crumbs donated our delicious cake and Bumble Bee Chocolates donated the Fudge. Thanks Abby and Natasha!!

I am so glad we stepped out in faith! The evening was fantastic and the finale was the best!

Melissa sang the new BFGO theme song “Legacy of Love” that she co wrote with another board member Marcia Ramirez.

Board Members:Marcia Ramirez, Sharon Jacob, Michelle Soll, Melissa Irwin, Elaine Smith, Julie Harrell

Thanks to all who came, all who donated, all who helped set up, all who support BFGO in prayers and financial support.

If you would like more information on Beautiful Feet Global Outreach you can go to their website at

www.BeautifulFeetgo.org

find out how you can sponsor a child or sponsor my trip to Zimbabwe in April!

Blessings

`Michelle of Burlap and Brooches Events

True Love

I know I said I would write a blog a week about 2013 trends, but with the recent tragedy I decided to change our blogs for the next couple posts. I do not wish for any more media focus on this subject as I believe it has already been over done by social media and newscasters. I write this blog post with a very heavy heart, and I believe that people should express  their emotions rather than bottle them up, but there is a time and a place for that. I say all this out of respect for the families, and not to dishearten the situation. Our prayers go out to the families.

I will be honest, at this present moment I do not want to write about wedding colors or the trendiest venues, because at the end of the day none of that really matters. It is fun, and that is why we do it and enjoy every minute of it, but sometimes we lose the true meaning of weddings. We miss the true meaning of life. I, above anyone else, am guilty of getting caught up in today’s tangibles and the hustle and bustle, and sometimes forget to stop and see what is really around me. What is really important.

Let me encourage you to not get so wrapped up in the details that you miss the true meaning of your wedding day. You are starting a bond with your other half, the person that was put on this earth to be with you. This person will be with you through good times and bad, sickness and health, for richer and for poorer. Think of all the joys you will share with this person over a lifetime! Also, think about all the struggles (you will have them, I promise.) They should be your rock. They should be built on the same values you are. They should be your true love. If they are, you will make it through anything. If you start to feel stressed by all the decisions that come with planning a wedding remember, “At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter.” Breathe, and enjoy this day that you have been blessed with.

We will circle back to our trends, but will post a couple ‘near and dear’ posts. Take this as a opportunity to get to know us a little better personally. We love what we do and love weddings, but we are human at heart.

This blog post was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events. 

Is this Chalk for School or my Wedding?

Let me just start by saying I am very biased when it comes to this wedding trend. It may not be the hottest wedding trend for 2013, but when I saw that it may be it definitely become a topic of blog discussion in my book! I would have never guessed back in 2nd grade when the teacher was writing on the chalkboard that 20 (or so) years later I would be in love with the same idea for weddings. But it’s such a unique, adorable, fun, and affordable idea! Here are just a couple ideas on how to incorporate chalk and chalkboards into your wedding day.

Stories, Menus, and Seating

The most popular ones that I have seen is using a chalkboard for seating charts and menus, but adding a little personalized touch of your love story is a way to familiarize your guest with you and your groom’s history. You can buy a quart of chalkboard paint at Lowes for around $15, paint a board, have some fun with chalk, and you are done! I speak from experience too, a little goes a long way.

Labels and Centerpieces 

A nice thoughtful touch at weddings are labels and directing guest. Whether it is what they are eating, where the gifts and cards go, or what table number they are standing infront of. They will appreciate it. And get creative with it, like the dessert bar pictured above. You are not restricted to tiny labels. Or just give me a call, and I would love to chat with you about  creative chalk ideas!

My Favorite

I saw this idea, and immediately fell in love! This would be a perfect idea for an outdoor wedding; just create your own aisle. Absolutely fabulous!

If you are worried that the chalkboard look isn’t elegant enough for your taste, but would still like to incorporate it, add some florals or lace and you should be good to go! Whether this is  your cup of tea or not, I am sure we will be seeing a lot of this in the next year. School is out and weddings are in!

Visit our 2013 Wedding Trend Pinterest board for more chalkboard wedding ideas. Also, what are your chalkboard wedding ideas? We’d love to hear them!

This blog post was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events. 

2013′s Hottest Colors

With 2013 right around the corner (can  you believe it!), I wanted to share some of 2013′s projected hottest trends over the next couple weeks. I did some research on the up and coming colors of 2013, and wanted to share some of our favorites with you. Enjoy!

Teal and Yellow 

Red and Orange 

Black and Green 

And lastly, I found the most popular color to be…..

Mint and Ivory

Are you planning a wedding with some of these colors? We would love to see your inspirations!

Check out our inspiration boards for these trendy colors in 2013 on Pinterest.

This blog post was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events. 

“Tis the Season to get Engaged”

That’s right folks, wedding season is coming to an end, and engagement season is about to be in full swing! Between Thanksgiving and Valentines  you can expect to see those social media updates to say, “I’m engaged!” It is such a happy time of year already, but add knowing someone getting engaged and times couldn’t be better. It really is a brilliant idea, proposing during the holidays when family and friends are around. We thought it would be fun to show a couple projected wedding statistics for 2013.

Average cost for an entire wedding: 

$30,000

Break down of some prices: 

• Engagement Ring: $4000
• Wedding dress: $1500
• Full Service Wedding Consultant: $4000
• Photographer: $2500
• Venue Rental Fee: $3000

Most expensive place to get married:

Manhattan

Lease expensive place to get married: 

Utah

Number of Guest: 

150

Top trends: 

• Patterns will be hot along with lace, lace, lace.
• Virtual Guest
• Extending Wedding Receptions
• DIY Attire
• Food Truck Frenzy

Most popular month to get married: 

I found this fabulous blog that detail why you should use certain months according to the Nashville weather, which we all know is wonderful…..

If you happen to be one of the lucky girls that gets popped the questions this holiday season make sure you let us know! We can’t wait to hear your engagement story!

This blog was written by Mandie Martin with Burlap and Brooches Events.