Get Local – How to Use Local Businesses to Personalize Your Wedding

How many times have you read a bridal blog/magazine and come across something you wanted to buy only to discover it was vintage or borrowed from a family friend or made by the bride’s dad? It can be hard to accept that sometimes there is no online database that can turn up that family heirloom necklace you were practically jumping into the computer screen to snatch or that your mom is not ever going to own a full set of perfectly mismatched vintage dishes for your reception.

That’s ok, personalizing your wedding is all about the things you choose to make it meaningful. So how do you find things for your wedding that will reflect your personality and personalize your wedding? Shop locally. I don’t mean the nearest Target, Hobby Lobby or Wal Mart, although I’m sure you could find cool things for your wedding at all of those places, I’m talking about small businesses that are unique to your community and are special to you. With this in mind, we decided to do a little local business research to uncover hidden gems that will help you create a wedding that’s unmistakably yours.

My first stop, was the antique district in Goodlettsville, a stretch on Main Street that could literally keep a serious antique lover (like myself) busy for an entire day.  Linda Marksberry, the co- owner of the Goodlettsville Antique Mall, graciously let me take a tour of her store, take pictures and ask questions.

Old books like these, would look great as part of a centerpiece. They could be stacked or placed side by side!

Linda and her friend Linda Mahaffey have owned the store for the past six years, although the building itself has been there for the last thirty. The mall has literally dozens and dozens of stalls full of amazing pieces, it’s the perfect place for a vintage loving bride to find reception decor, dishes, centerpiece ideas and old jewelery that can be reworked and attached to a dress, headpiece, necklace, etc!

I fell in love with these precious teal and white dishes…they would be perfect f0r a dessert table, mixed with other dishes in complementary colors! PS a whole section dedicated to antique jewelery? Yes, please!

The Goodlettsville Antique Mall is such a great place to stop and check out if you’re a bride looking to add a little vintage flair to your wedding. The store is open seven days a week from 10 – 5:30pm although, they kindly stay open until the last customer leaves!

A huge thanks to Linda Marksberry & Linda Mahaffey for taking the time to talk with me and letting me look around their store!!

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Genna

What’s Happening at Chef’s Market

As the last few days of July have started winding down, we’ve been gearing up for some big events around Chef’s! We’ve got a busy Thursday and Friday up ahead…along with some Market details you won’t want to miss!!

courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Thursday, July 29th – Jim and the catering department at Chef’s are hosting a ‘sweet sixteen’ luncheon for the ladies at Destination Nashville in honor of their 16 years in business. Everyone’s been hard at work on menus and decor and we can’t wait for it all to come together. We love working with everyone over at Destination Nashville and want to send out a big congratulations to Rhonda and the rest of her amazing team!

Friday/Saturday, July 30th & 31st -  We’re putting a twist into our Chef’s Inspired Tasting Menu that’s sure to take everyone back a few decades! Our Chefs have created a fantastic 1960′s inspired menu based around the hit TV show ‘Mad Men’ . We’ll have Steak Diane (prepared to order), Chicken Kiev, Seafood Oscar and Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse atop our fabulous cupcakes! PS there’s a prize for best dressed (in 6o’s style clothes of course)!

Friday, July 30th – We’re catering a wedding reception at aVenue on Friday as well as a rehearsal dinner at Belle Meade Plantation, both are sure to turn out great. Late July weddings are always so perfectly summery…love love love!

We hope your week’s going great!! Stop by the restaurant this weekend and say hello!

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Genna

The Other Side of the Veil: Behind the Scenes with Brocade Designs

Today’s ‘behind the scenes’ post is giving everyone a little sneak peek into the world of wedding flowers! We’ve got the inside information on the bouquets, the colors, the table arrangements and the Nashville designer who makes all that wedding flower loveliness happen! The incredibly creative Hillary Robson, owner of Brocade Designs, was kind enough to fill us in on everything from the latest bouquet and flower styles to some seriously great advice that every bride should hear before meeting with her florist. Hillary’s passion for what she does is detailed in all of the gorgeous photos below and we are beyond excited to share it all on Chef’s Dish!!

Courtesy of Krista Lee Photography/Brocade Designs

What first interested you about floral design?

I’ve always been a little bit in love with flowers—they have been a fixture in my life since I was a kid. My mom always made it a point to have fresh blossoms all around the house while I was growing up, and that impressed me. My grandmother is a big gardener, even still now that she’s in her 80s, and I planted my first garden growing cut flowers at age 10. I love how something as simple as a fresh cut bouquet can lighten up any room and make it feel alive.

What’s one thing brides often overlook when deciding on flowers for their wedding?

I think the major thing that they forget is that their flowers are more than just a placeholder on the center of a table. The bride’s bouquet is the ultimate wedding-day accessory: it should be a work of art that represents that bride’s vision for her wedding, coordinated perfectly to her gown, her style, her essence. For her reception flowers, they should represent the overall wedding—not as an afterthought, but as a congruent piece of the décor puzzle. I try to impart to brides that their flowers should ultimately whisper the very core of what their wedding is about to their guests they should act as a conduit of the style, purpose, and overall look of the wedding day.

Courtesy of Donald Yeager Photography/Brocade Designs

What’s your favorite flower?

Crazily enough, I don’t have a favorite. I don’t have a least favorite either. I fall in love with different flowers throughout the season—there’s something so stunning about a perfectly perfect, in season flower that is at its peak of health and vitality. My love changes with the season. Right now I’m in a romance with dahlias—they are gorgeous this time of year.

What flowers/bouquet styles are you seeing being used the most this year for Nashville brides? (this could be color/cool ideas, etc)

I am seeing a lot of organic, southern-California inspired styles, mixing a lot of texture and depth, with a penchant for flowers in complementary color schemes instead of a more monochromatic route. I’m also seeing a turn to a more romantic, soft look—luscious bouquets of very fluffy, ruffly flowers. Peonies have been super popular this year, as well as garden roses. While last year I had a lot of weddings with more stylized, bold flowers (like dahlia, orchids, etc) I’m seeing a lot more of the loose and flowy and naturally pretty flowers. I’m also loving the fact that more and more brides are willing to take artistic risks with their flowers: they aren’t as enamored with the bouquets you have seen a million times over—they are wanting something more artfully composed, more dramatic, and overwhelmingly unique.

Courtesy of Chris & Adrienne Scott/Brocade Designs

If you had the chance to either bungee jump or skydive which would you choose?

Haha, neither. I’m horribly afraid of heights, and the more that I try to get over my fear the worse it becomes. I guess if it were a total life or death decision, I’d pick bungee-ing, but honestly, I’d rather dive headfirst in a pool of snakes.

Courtesy of Donald Yeager Photography/Brocade Designs

W.O.W. Gorgeous right??? I would carry that bouquet of Peonies around with me every day if I could! An enormous thanks to Hillary for answering our questions and letting us go behind the scenes with Brocade Designs! Click here for more Brocade goodness!!

Genna

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Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton’s Engagement Party – June 23rd, 2010

All of us at Chef’s Market couldn’t be more excited for today’s blog post! Not only did we have the chance to cater Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton’s engagement party, (who by the way are basically the most fun and down-t0-earth couple EVER) but we also got to work with some seriously awesome vendors to pull the whole thing off!

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Everything from the venue to the flowers, decor, lighting and food was designed to make a night that the super sweet country couple would love. The gorgeous photos, courtesy of the talented Kristyn Hogan and Front Porch Farms, tell the story better than words ever could, enjoy!

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

The engagement party was held at Front Porch Farms, a breathtakingly beautiful venue owned by Kathy & Brian Best (they also built it!).

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Enchanted Florist made the party sweet and summery with all of their incredible flower arrangements, they made the tent along with Blake & the fantastic team at Nashville Event Lighting who provided beautiful willow lanterns and so much more!

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

The menu for the night was full of southern flavor and down home goodness, with everything from Fried Green Tomato Sliders (above) to Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese Cupcakettes, Jack Daniels Pork Loin, deviled eggs, Tennessee Cheese Straw Chicken Bites and more.

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Our homemade tortilla chips and Sante Fe Spinach Con Queso were a big hit!

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

We set up a beverage station in the front yard with lemonade, southern fruit tea and iced water, for guests to enjoy before heading into the tent for the party.

Courtesy of Kristyn Hogan Photography/Front Porch Farms

Old fashioned mason jars were used for beverages, love that idea!

Beverage station built & designed by Shannon!

Creative way to display the Mini Cupcakettes!

Love the horseshoes atop the dessert!

We’re so happy with the way everything came together!! It turned out fantastic and we wish Miranda and Blake all the best!

Genna

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What’s Happening at Chef’s Market

So far, we’ve had a fantastic week at Chef’s, our catering department has been busy preparing for three upcoming events on Thursday and our restaurant has been cooking like crazy! We’ve got all the details, including our delicious weekend menu, below!

Tuesday/Wednesday, July 20th & 21st – Our talented chef’s crafted three delicious summer soups and we want to be sure all our customers have the chance to taste summer’s freshest flavors so we handed out FREE samples yesterday and we’re doing it again TODAY! We’ve got Cantaloupe Mint, Cucumber Dill and Gazpacho Avocado…so good and so perfect for summer!

Thursday, July 22nd – We’ve got a SUPER special blog post for tomorrow that will include all the amazing behind the scenes pics of Miranda and Blake’s engagement party!! We can’t wait to share the menu and pictures with everyone but until then, here’s a little sneak peek!

Friday, July 23rd – We’ll be setting up our front dining room for an in house rehearsal dinner Friday night. We love hosting parties at the restaurant and are really looking forward to making it a great night for everyone involved!

Friday/Saturday, July 23rd & 24th – Our menu will be  full of flavor this weekend, we’ll be serving  Eggplant Parmesan with a tomato and herb coulis, Polenta and Goat cheese tartlets,  Risotto Forrestire (Risotto and wild mushrooms) and Herb Roasted Prime Rib.

What’s on your calendar this week???

Genna

Inspiration by Design

Courtesy of coco+kelley

I love when brides & grooms are asked what inspired them when it came to designing and planning their wedding. Whether it’s a  favorite book or simply a striking color combination, every couple seems to have a different answer, one that in the end told their love story perfectly to their family, friends and each other. Inspiration varies from one person to the next, but personally, I think following design and photography blogs is a super smart move for any bride to be. Not only do they give so much room for interpretation but they are instant sources for wedding creativity.

One of my favorite design blogs is coco+kelley. I cannot rave enough about the style and interesting designs that Cassandra Lavalle posts on her blog everyday. From the picture above, I was inspired to find bridesmaids dresses that used different patterns to create one cohesive truly gorgeous look, like the picture below from Green Wedding Shoes. I love this idea for weddings as well as for interiors!

Courtesy of greenweddingshoes.com

Another of my favorite blogs, is From Me To You, an amazing photography blog that is constantly bringing me a daily dose of WOW. Below, the photographer behind the blog photographed an array of perfume bottles. The gold hues mixed with the blue flower on the Marc Jacobs perfume bottle was such a pretty combination that I headed straight over to Project Wedding and found an inspiration board that instantly brought the colors to life!

Courtesy of From Me To You

Courtesy of projectwedding.com

Don’t be afraid to explore everything when looking for wedding inspiration. You never know when your heart might just grab onto something and not let it go

Genna

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Host Your Next Party at Chef’s Market!

At Chef’s Market, we believe great memories are made over good food.  It’s the  reason our parents had us sit around the table for dinner every night and it’s why a meal with your best friend can last hours longer than expected. When we started to really delve into doing ‘In House Parties’ at our restaurant we knew this basic idea would be the foundation from which we would help people celebrate the moments in their lives that really matter.  Our intimate dining room is perfect for rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, bridal/baby showers and much more. We offer an incredible selection of freshly prepared gourmet food complemented by our attention to detail and quality service. So what does a party at Chef’s Market include? We’ve got the basic break down below:

Rental Rates

$200 room fee / cleanup charge

(Please ask about reduced rates for Monday – Thursday)

Dining Options

Chef’s Inspired Table

Each Friday & Saturday night, we feature our Chef’s Inspired Table, which is an all-you-care-to-enjoy feast!

Private Buffet or Plated Dinner

If you would like a customized menu for your guests, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you! Please note that additional fees will apply, based on your specific needs.

Miscellaneous Information

We will include tablecloths (black or white) and votive candles for all seating tables.

We will set the tables with flatware, glasses and linen napkins (black or white) at no charge.

You may bring in your own decorations, or we are happy to provide centerpieces and other décor for a fee.

While we do not serve alcohol, you are welcome to bring your own wine. We will provide wine glasses at no charge.

We would love to help you host your upcoming party at Chef’s Market! F0r more information regarding ‘In House Parties’ or to reach our catering department and book your next event call  (615) 851 – 2433!

Genna

What’s Happening at Chef’s Market

Can you believe we’re already halfway through July?! We’re doing our best around Chef’s Market to sit back and soak up the summer because it will most certainly be gone before we know it! Here’s what we’ve got on the books for this week:

Saturday, July 17th – We’re catering two lovely weddings this weekend, one at Cheekwood and the other at aVenue, both awesome locations for wedding receptions!

Courtesy of nashville.travelape

- Shannon, our Catering Director, has been on vacation this week, getting some well deserved R&R! We can’t wait to hear about her trip to Virginia Beach when she gets back!

Friday/Saturday, July 16th-17th – Our weekend menu will feature dishes that were once classified as “Nouvelle Cuisine”. We’ll have Chicken Kiev (boneless, skinless white meat chicken stuffed w/ herb garlic butter, served w/ a Dijon mornay sauce), Jack Daniels BBQ Salmon w/ tobacco onion rings, Tilapia Milanese and Chef carved roasted prime rib…we hope to see you at the restaurant for dinner!

- We’ve just put up new artwork in the restaurant! Stop by to check out the  pictures hanging in the back dining room!

What’s your week been like so far?!

Genna

Pick a Day, Any Day

What is it about having a Saturday wedding that has brides tying up venue phone lines like it’s the American Idol finale??? Sure Saturdays are ideal for many brides and grooms, you don’t have to ask anyone to take a day off of work, you’ve got an entire day after the wedding for you and your guests to relax, etc etc, but what’s wrong with being a little nontraditional? Fridays, Sundays, even a Wednesday could be perfect for your big day. So before you start panicking because the church is booked on the one Saturday your venue is available, consider the benefits of a wedding where you say ‘I Do’ to a date and day that is uniquely you.

Vendor Availability:  A wedding that doesn’t fall on a Saturday has a much better chance of being planned, coordinated, styled, catered and photographed by the vendors you really want. While the venue of your dreams may have every Saturday from here until 2025 completely booked, you might find that they’ve got openings for a Friday evening reception. Hello??? Go for it! I’m not telling you to jump ship on planning a Saturday wedding if that’s what you’ve always wanted, but if you haven’t yet made up your mind, it’s not a bad idea to think outside the calendar so to speak.

courtesy of marthastewart.com

Sunday Brunch will always be in style: You know those insanely cool couples who choose to have a brunch reception after a morning wedding??? How much more amazing would it be if it were done on a Sunday? Who wouldn’t love to spend a weekend with friends and family and then top it all off with your wedding and an amazing brunch reception on Sunday? I love it! Sunday weddings rock,  especially if you’ve got out of town guests because it gives them Saturday to sight see without having to rush home.

Sharing = Saving: Now this doesn’t always work, but it  if it does, your bank account will stop stressing for a moment and give you a pat on the back. If you plan your wedding on a Friday and have to rent a tent, tables, chairs, etc and there’s a bride having her reception at the same venue on Saturday, needing the same thing, you might be able to split the costs with each other. This can be tricky but cost effective.

courtesy of Meg Smith Photography

Fly away with me: Destination weddings are proving to be increasingly popular as brides and grooms opt for more intimate ceremonies with the bonus of a built in honeymoon. What’s great about a destination wedding is that it provides possibilities you might not have if you’re getting married in your hometown/city etc. If there’s a date that’s especially meaningful to you but won’t be falling on a Saturday (your parent’s wedding anniversary for instance) a destination wedding would be ideal. I mean, what’s stopping you from getting married on a Thursday in the Virgin Islands? Nothing

Discounts are possible but not guaranteed: I struggled with whether or not I should even mention this but decided it’s good to lay it all out on the table. If you’re planning a weekday or a Friday/Sunday wedding there MIGHT be a few vendors who will provide a reduced rate. Venues are the most likely places where you’ll find discounts for a non-Saturday wedding, however it’s not a given so be prepared for a Friday/Sunday wedding to cost just as much as one on a Saturday.

courtesy of projectwedding.com

What it all means for you? It means, don’t paint yourself into a corner. If you’re open minded about your wedding date you just might find the wedding of your dreams will come together much easier than if you don’t let yourself move an inch in either direction. Remember, when it’s all said and done it won’t be about the day, it’ll be about each other!

Genna

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What’s Happening at Chef’s Market

Chef’s has marched into July at full speed and we couldn’t be enjoying the summer more! We’ve got plenty of weddings this weekend and a few surprises popping up around the restaurant as well!  Want the latest scoop on what’s happening at Chef’s Market? Check it all out below!

Tuesday, July 6th – Friday, July 9th – We’ve been packing the books with lunch deliveries lately which we love! Yesterday, our blog went in depth on what we offer with our corporate lunch services, so be sure to check that out here!

July 1st – Last week, the new issue of Enchanted Brides Magazine came out and guess what??? A couple of months ago, Chef’s Market was asked to write an article covering a few important catering tips and of course we said YES! The article is part of the latest issue so be sure to stop by  Chef’s and pick up a copy – the magazine should also be  available to view on their website within the coming weeks!

Friday, July 9th – We’re catering what are sure to be two fun-filled weddings on Friday, one at Vanderbilt and the other at the Parthenon! Not only are the venues amazing, so are the couples tying the knot! Friday weddings are such a great alternative to the typical Saturday affair as it gives you the entire weekend to relax and rehash the awesomeness of your big day!

Friday/Saturday, July 9th & 10th – Our weekend menu will feature some delicious dishes, so keep your eye on our Facebook page for more details!

Saturday, July 10th – Our two weddings for Saturday will both be held at private homes and we’re sure with the gorgeous weather we’ve been having, they will be stunning!

We hope your week has been going as great as ours!

Genna