wedding vendors
Couture Boutonnieres for Groomsmen
I am feeling these boutonniere designs from Peppermint Cloud made from fabric blooms. They are a fun and stylish way to spice up the groom’s and his guys’ tuxedos and definitely a detail that will catch the eyes of your most fashionable guests. Loving the details…very refreshing designs.
Photo Credit: Stephen Ludwig Wedding Photography
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Snapbug Photography :: Holiday Mini Photo Sessions
Jamie of Snapbug Photography based in Raleigh, NC is now offering holiday mini-photo sessions. Saturday, October 17, 2009 in Wilmington, NC from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wrightsville Beach; and then in Downtown Wilmington from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 in Raleigh-Durham, NC from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Duke Gardens.
Photo greeting cards are also available. Please visit Jamie’s blog for full details about turning your photos into holiday greeting cards and to learn to how to book your mini-photo session.
Vintage Jewelry – Bel Canto Designs
A couple of months back, we had the opportunity to interview one of our local wedding vendors Mari Palmer, the founder of Bel Canto Designs, a company that specializes in finding and restoring vintage jewelry. If you missed that interview, you can read about it here.
Vendor Chat with Mari Palmer of Bel Canto Designs
I was so excited to learn about today’s featured creative artist, Mari Palmer of Bel Canto Design, in part because she is a local wedding vendor based in Apex, NC which is located just outside of Raleigh-Durham and also because I am fond of these vintage jewelry. Bel Canto Designs is a unique company in that they “specialize in finding and restoring vintage jewelry and then giving it new life”. Last week, I had the opportunity to ask Mari a few interview questions about her company and products. They are as follows:
MP: It all started when my daughter was fundraising for a chorus trip. We worked together to make earrings for her to sell and it did quite well. After that, friends wanted me to do their daughters weddings and then every Christmas my friends’ husbands would come to find their wives presents. Then a little over a year ago, I signed myself and a friend up to do a wedding show. It was really to get her going in photography. It ended up being a launch for Bel Canto. The reason for vintage? As I was preparing for the wedding show, I came across a vintage haircomb and fell in love! It grew from there.
MP: Just finished a wedding where the bride described her venue, brought me her colours and I was able to design her bridesmaids necklaces. Sometimes a bride will have a photo for me to work from. Sometimes just a “feeling”. I can usually help her after I have seen the dress she has chosen…as well as the bridesmaids dresses. If the brides are local, I have them come over with their dresses. If it is online, they send lots of pics!
TD: How long does it take to restore these beautiful pieces of art and what exactly does it involve.
MP: My husband is the “restorer”. He is an engineer and therefore great withdetail work. He buffs them to remove old makeup then adds any missingrhinestones and/or touches up the silver/gold finish. It usually takes a fewdays but a group of pieces are done at once.
TD: What is your personal favorite piece of vintage jewelry you have restored thus far and what was your fascination with the piece?
MP: I don’t really have a favorite piece. I am afraid I am fickle and fall in love with new finds all the time! It is a joy finding a beautiful vintage piece with [a] nice flow of design and then envisioning it as another piece of jewelry.
MP: I couldn’t start any day without Jesus….and a cup of coffee with my husband!
Mari Palmer also tells me that she is “…a voice teacher with a full studio….mostly of teenage girls! Those young ladies have grown up and married. In some cases, I have done their jewelry. That is how I discovered I enjoyed working with brides to be. It was so much fun seeing the dress, hearing about the “vision” then designing the jewelry.”
To learn more about Bel Canto Designs as well as view more from her collection, please visit her by clicking here to visit her storefront’s website. Mari Palmer also has a blog, so please be sure to check it out regularly to see more featured products including custom designs.
A New Local Blog by Luster Studios
I just learn that my pal, Craig Carpenter of Luster Studios, has started a blog and I want you guys to go and check it. Craig is an awesome photographer based in the Raleigh area, but is available to shoot your wedding or special event anywhere.
He is great at what he does. In fact you can learn about his approach by clicking here and be sure to add him to your blogstalker or favorite’s list as I am certain there is more awe-inspiring eye candy to come. What are you waiting for? Go check it out by clicking here.
And Craig, welcome to blogosphere! I must warn you, blogging can be addictive at times.
I Have Three Words for You…
I have been blogstalking Keith’s blog for sometime now. Yesterday, while visiting his blog, I saw what I and another reader deem to be the best engagement photo session ever. You have to go and checkout his clients’ Jennifer and Mike’s engagement photo session. Trust me you will drool over them. Click here to check it out.
Vendor Chat with by Susan Morgan from Elegant Wedding Cheesecakes
Yesterday, we asked you the following: What’s Better than a Louis Vuitton Handbag? That answer is a Louis Vuitton Handbag that is made with CHEESECAKE AND CHOCOLATE (a taste of heaven). That’s right! The gorgeous handbag below is a replica of a Louis Vuitton handbag in edible form. A few weeks back I stumbled upon, Elegant Cheese Cakes. The company is based in Half Moon Bay, CA and is owned by the famous pastry chef and master chocolatière, Susan Morgan.
Disclaimer: All photo images are copyrighted images of Elegant Cheese Cakes. In order to use these photos, you must receive written consent. Please do not copy these images without first obtaining written permission from the provider. Copying and printing these images without written consent is a copyright violation.
When I saw these couture cake designs, especially the handbag and shoe designs, I was in complete awe. But when I learned that these designs were made of cheesecake I knew that I had to learn more about the genius behind these delectable treats. With that said, last week I contacted the lovely Susan Morgan and arranged to ask her a handful of questions.
They are as follows:
TD: What is the story behind ‘Elegant Cheese Cakes’?
SM: Twenty years ago I did my sister’s wedding cake. It looked very home-made like a Bundt cake, but it was a cheesecake. People went nuts and I thought I needed to take a stronger look at this idea of cheesecake for weddings.
TD: Certainly that has paid off big time. I’m glad you decided to pursue this.
SM: No one was offering cheesecake in wedding cake form at that time, so I saw an opportunity. [I] started baking at home, revising and perfecting recipes and then finally got it right so it could withstand hours on that cake table. Mastered the chocolate paper and voila it just keeps evolving!
Today we ship our creations all over the country. We are the pioneers of shipping these incredible works of art in the hundreds for such events as holiday buffets, birthday or the out of town thank you. You can imagine the response when they open the box to see an incredible work of edible art!
TD: In general, how many hours does it take to create these masterpieces?
SM: Most wedding celebration cakes after the baking is done…so just decorating time, will take a staff of three 8 to 15 hours to make it a show stopper. We, in my group of artisans, each have our forte, so we all work in concert for a flawless finish!
TD: Okay, I was taken over with your work, especially when I saw the ‘handbag’ cake designs. Where did the inspiration come from to create designer handbags or should I say put them in edible form?
SM: [We] never inspire what other cake designers do. That is lacking creativity. So trends in fashion, texture, colors and what she [the bride] is in search of…a one of a kind treasure. As you see once we debut our season, many will want to knock us off but in a rather cookie cutter amateur way.
TD: I understand that completely.
TD: What is the one thing that you cannot start your day without?
SM: Coffee and chocolate. I always have samples of either chocolate decadence or butter cake to nibble on. It’s important to sample at all temperatures, since when a product is cold the product may seem tight or stale. Once it warms up, like to the temperature at the wedding celebration, the flavors come full and ripe.
TD: What advice would you offer to bridal couples when choosing or deciding on their cake design?
SM: Visit with the designer personally to see their wares, ask friends who they liked. Taste and get a feel of how they handle the process from start to finish. If you are not into expensive glamorous wedding cakes, then don’t tease your self by visiting the top of the line. Align your budget to what is important. If cake is it, then go to the best and plan to pay for edible art. It is one of the most important visual attractions to the day (other than the couple) and then to have beautiful and delicious together is the next [best] thing to a great marriage. Our motto is ‘At Elegant Cheese Cakes, how something so beautiful can taste so delicious, just try it’
Upon your meeting taste, discuss designs, colors [and] textures, then decide if they are the one. Book as far out as you can. Plan on a deposit to confirm the date, sketches to follow, then final approval of sketches can even happen up till two weeks to the event. Your eyes will open when you visit a cake designer that exceeds the expectation of what wedding cakes were [and] you can have it any way you wish.
Another fascinating thing about Elegant Cheese Cakes is that they ship these masterpieces all over the continental United States. They not only specialize in wedding cake designs, but birthday cakes, corporate and custom cakes, and seasonal designs.
After seeing these masterpieces, I would not want to cut them. Okay, I could go on about Susan Morgan and her team of artisans, but I will stop here so that you can go check them out.
Disclaimer: All photo images are copyrighted images of Elegant Cheese Cakes. In order to use these photos, you must receive written consent. Please do not copy these images without first obtaining written permission from the provider. Copying and printing these images without written consent is a copyright violation.
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