We hope you've enjoyed our recap of Nashville Premier Bridal Show as much as we did visiting with the vendors and finding new ones to share with you all. Today's final installment of the week covers fantastic wedding cakes from our top Nashville bakers, caterers that get our appetites revved up and new wedding venues for Nashville brides!
CAKES
Signature Cakes by Vicki
The first booth we noticed when we walked into the hall was Signature Cakes by Vicki. Ashley and I get really excited when we see her cakes. They are, to say the least, works of art. Almost sculptural, how painstakingly detailed each cake is covered with sugar flowers that look almost real and ribbons that look like they're actually made of silk. They're exquisite in taste and look and are just irresistable.
Those aren't real flowers, but sugar flowers hand shaped and made by Vicki.
That green ribbon just softly cascading down the sides of the cake and the details - amazing!
The Bake Shoppe - TheBakeShoppe.com
Absolutely just swooning over The Bake Shoppe's cakes. And not just because of how good they taste but also at how stunning they are! Their cakes were very contemporary, set up in a dessert buffet style by color scheme. Yellows, purples and greys - three fabulous colors for Fall each a complement to the next. My favorite? The low, round cake with the grey applique. I get so giddy when I look at it!
Bright, festive bursts of yellow! Also that cake stand is so pretty!
I'm in love.
Each color had variations: cupcakes, smaller cakes and taller cakes in the same scheme.
Crumb de la Crumb
Still absolutely giddy over cakes, Crumb de la Crumb's booth was also surrounded by sample seekers and, just like us, awestruck passers-by. Their style is classic, very posh cakes with a few more contemporary ones in the mix.
Ashley's fell in love with the cake on the right. It was simple but had touches of bling.
I love the square cake - the dots look like pink champagne bubbles!
Cakes By Rebecca - CakesByRebecca.com
It's such a skill to decorate cakes. And to cover them with such ornate details is cake decorating at a whole other level! Cakes by Rebecca blew me away - from the sugar flowers to the patterns to the shape of her cakes! So pretty! And it's so simple but isn't that chocolate wafer cake so fun!
Interesting how the white cake to the farthest right has a slightly taller top tier - that difference in proportion makes it stand out!
WEDDING / EVENT CATERING
Bucca di Beppo - bucadibeppo.com
Um, have you had their tiramisu? SO good! If you want to feed your guests hearty, delicious Italian food either for your rehearsal dinner or wedding, do consider Bucca di Beppo in Cool Springs.
Down South Delights
We just heart Down South Delighs Catering - long-time friends of ABG, we had to stop and say hi and check out their stylish tablescapes. Catering companies have also taken on the role of decor and event design that incorporates food into the overall look more so than just shoving it onto chaffing dishes to look so out-of-place.
VENUES
We came across a few new venues that look really promising. It's nice to know that venue options are increasing beyond the usual places, as much as we love all those places! A change of scenery, a different back drop, that all gives brides a chance to really flex their creativity muscles and gives them a great chance to achieve their vision for their weddings.
Kings Chapel - KingsChapelLife.com
Historic King's Chapel, just 15 minutes from the Cool Springs area boasts beautiful, free open space. The chapel itself has a beautiful interior that's classic chapel that could lend itself to a really romantic ceremony. Gorgeous hardwood floors, wooden pews - it's just screaming to be decorated with flowers. They now also have a clubhouse that has a state-of-the-art kitchen for your caterer to work from, and the clubhouse itself is perfect for dinners and wedding receptions.
Picture source: KingsChapelLife.com
Photo source: Joy Marie Photography
Cajun Lake Lodge - CajunLakeLodge.com
Located in Burns, TN Cajun Lake Lodge is a "unique event venue and country getaway" near the Montgomery Bell State Park. So you know it's going to be really picturesque out there. You could have your wedding by the lake out in the open, or you could use their pavilion for an indoor set up. It looks like it could be a lovely place for a garden party wedding. (Pictures from CajunLakeLodge.com)
CJ's Off the Square and Southern Events
I have a feeling classic red is going to be a big color for weddings. CJ's Off the Square and Southern Events (SouthernEventsOnline.com) shared a booth and decorated a table in a stunning country-chic theme. Very summery, beautiful colors, with little birds and gerbera daisies for accents. It was visually wonderful and such a great sight with which to end our day at the bridal show.
Lillie Belles - LillieBelles.net
Lillie Belles in Franklin has created a one-stop-shop by teaming with Garden Delights for event coordination and florals, Sara Gibbs Studio for photography, cakes by Classic Cakes and catering by Constant Craving Caterers. This ensures a full-service venue for your event or wedding!
Cakes by Classic Cakes
What a day! We had a blast; the show just proved to us that we are surrounded by wedding professionals galore. Do you think there are any we might have overlooked that you thought is worth mentioning? If so, share your favorites in the comments section below.
It's easy to assume that catering companies focus solely on food and that's it. Fact is, there are catering companies who believe in providing more than just food but also great presentation and quality service. Chef's Market is one of those companies that not only serve tasty, delicious and even cutting edge food but the experience is enhanced by creative presentation and great event decor. Say goodbye to boring ol' chaffing dishes sitting in a row on a table and hello to interesting buffet tables and food that tastes as exquisite as it is presented.
Nashville Vendor Spotlight: Chef's Market, a Wedding Catering Company
Number of years in the business:
We’ve been in business for the past 13 years in August, time has definitely flown by!
How did you get started in weddings?
Jim Hagy, the owner of Chef’s Market has been involved in the restaurant industry his entire life, in fact he’s a third generation restaurateur, so when Chef’s Market opened in 1997, getting into catering and more specifically weddings just felt very natural for the business.
What do you like most about weddings?
We truly believe that food brings people together and having the opportunity to provide that service at such significant a celebration as a wedding is very gratifying for us as a business. We also love designing and creating unique and beautiful food displays and table décor, it’s one of the things we’re known for and it’s always fun incorporating a bride’s vision into our food presentation.
Photo source: Divine Images
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you?
We have an amazing team of people who make our events happen and we think the fact that everyone from our Catering Director to our Prep Chef is personally invested in each event has a lot to do with our success as a catering company. Our talented staff has the ability to see the event through from start to finish, including overall event design concept and style. We do not just focus on the food, we also “get” the big picture! Our emphasis on design and presentation really makes us stand out and our innovation and quality of food and service are only a few reasons why a bride should look into having us cater her wedding.
Picture source: Divine Images
Picture source: Divine Images
What is your specialty?
While we cater everything from plated meals to buffet style menus, lately many brides have been opting for heavy dinner stations. We’ve never boxed ourselves into any specific category as far as cuisine is concerned as we love to try new recipes and presentation styles, however in general we love to give ordinary food a gourmet twist, such as adding a flavorful Red Pepper Jelly to spice up ordinary Ham Biscuits.
Do you provide bar service?
Although Chef’s Market does not have a liquor license, we are happy to lend our expertise in planning for bar services, including suggestions of beer and wine brands, quantity, etc. Additionally, we offer the following bar services; bar-set-ups, mixers, juices, fruits, ice, bar tools, soda, bottled water and ABC Certified Bartenders.
Who are your 5 favorite Nashville wedding vendors – helpfulness, professionalism, style?
This is a tough one because Nashville has such an incredible wedding industry! We really feel than any vendor who’s apart of TWESA (Tennessee Wedding Event Specialists Association) is not only going to know what they’re doing but also be professional, creative and passionate about weddings, which are all necessary qualities for building a working relationship with each other in this industry.
Who do you recommend when you’re not available/not a fit?
There are many great caterers to choose from but we often recommend both the Clean Plate Club and A Catered Affair for any reception that we’re unable to cater ourselves.
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event/food trends?
Catering is a business that’s continually evolving, which is great, as it keeps us moving forward with menu and design ideas. We’re constantly reading restaurant and catering trade publications as well as local and national blogs in order to stay ahead of the game. We also make sure to attend at least one catering conference per year.
Let’s discuss current catering trends
Are there currently any popular menu items or dining styles that you’ve seen or even would like to see?
What’s most popular right now is for Brides and Grooms to choose foods they love, which really means that anything goes when it comes to catering. It’s nice to see that couples are not afraid to express themselves through their food choices. Instead of having the same menu at every wedding, we are seeing a wide variety of different items!
What is your favorite dish to serve at a wedding/event?
For a recent wedding of ours, the Bride and Groom asked for personalized sushi rolls, which was a lot of fun for us to put together! Our favorite dishes are always the ones where we get to truly ‘cater’ the food to the couple getting married.
Which food trend do you dislike?
While mashed potato and macaroni bars are always going to taste great and be popular for weddings, we have done so many that it’s not as fun for us as other menu items.
Which catering trend are you glad is gone?
Hmm, we’d have say satellite cakes from the 80’s…it happened once, we hope it never happens again!
Boy I'd love to see a picture of that cake! What are your favorite websites for inspiration and to stay on top of food/catering trends?
We love reading both local and national food blogs, there’s just so much diversity out there and it’s great to see what others are writing about. Some of our go to blogs are: Love & Olive Oil, Lannae’s Food & Travel, Confections of a Foodie Bride and The South in My Mouth.
What's your favorite TV show and why?
Top Chef is great not only because it’s interesting to see what industry’s up and coming chefs create, but the time crunch is often reminiscent of our catering kitchen on big event days!
Chef's Market complements it's great food with stellar food/table design! Photo Source: Joe Hendricks Photography
Grilled canteloupe fruit pearls. Photo source: Chef's Market
While I can't cook, I love Top Chef too!! What is your favorite thing about catering weddings?
We love meeting all of the different couples who hire us as their wedding caterer. No two weddings are alike and there’s always something new, it’s hard to get bored in this profession!
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
People often assume that the quality of catered food is not very good, when in fact; it all depends on who you choose to do the catering. The old “rubber chicken” analogy is thrown around a lot, but in fact catering food can be great! A good caterer knows what foods will and will not work, given the venue restrictions, time lines, etc, and they will guide you in choosing a menu that will be great for your event. Maybe you have dreamed of sweet potato fries for your day, but your venue doesn’t allow cooking on site. An experienced caterer will have the courage to tell you that your sweet potato fries may fall flat….(literally!)...but they will also be able to suggest good alternatives. Every catering company needs to have a fantastic Culinary and Sales team that understands the intricacies of logistics and planning in order to be successful, and we feel really lucky to have both of those at Chef’s Market!
Thank you Genna and Shannon for filling us in on Chef's Market. It's exciting that there's a caterer in town with whom brides can work with to really achieve their vision! Brides, let us know if you've worked with Chef's Market or if you're about to work with them on your wedding, we'd love to hear your feedback in our comments!
We are on a search for Nashville's favorite wedding cakes of 2009/2010. Now through August 5, please email your professionally captured wedding cakes for consideration. We will share the best cake designs with ABG readers in August.
Please include the cake artist/company and the photographer. You can submit multiple submissions but only 1 per email. You do not have to be an ABG bride or wedding professional to be submit your best cakes. Feel free to send bridal, grooms, sculptured cakes.
We can't wait to see your submissions!
Here are some of the favorites from our wedding cake gallery. We can't wait to see yours!
As a Nashville wedding resource, our goal is to help you find great services and products for your wedding that are available locally. We love Nashville and know that just about everything we need can be procured in our amazing city!
When we learned about Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co, we just knew their gourmet chocolate would be a great wedding favor option for brides. They make their own stone ground dark chocolate in a variety of flavors that not only are beneficial to you* but also taste really really good.
Customize your own chocolate wrapper with your initials and message to your guests.
We heart Olive + Sinclair
They were kind enough to let provide chocolate bar swag to our SATC party guests (which they loved!). And just the other day, Ashley sampled and swooned over Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Gelato at Brave Gelato. Can you say delish! If that weren't enough, when Gwyneth Paltrow was in Nashville filming a movie, she visited Olive & Sinclair and gushed on her site, GOOP.com that "the chocolate itself is some of the most flavorful we've ever experienced and the combinations were amazing"...It's good stuff!
The company
Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. was founded by Tennessean Scott Witherow who was the generous source of the chocolate bars donated to the party. Scott is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef whose resume boasts several of Nashville's most innovative restaurants with skills excelling in the pastry department.
Made right here in the heart of Nashville, Olive & Sinclair's chocolate comes in delicious flavors like Mexican Style Cinn-Chili, 67% or 75% dark chocolate, coffee (which has bits of coffee beans in it - so good), salt & pepper and my personal favorite, sea salt. In fact, I'm nibbling on some right now for inspiration**! They produce 330-600 pounds of chocolate a week in their McGavock Pike factory and store and you can get the chocolate there or at several local stores!
The bars each come wrapped in a chic, stylish wrapper and the entire package is a visual treat. The wrappers are designed by local printing company, Spirit of Nashville and are just stunning. Each time I buy a bar I feel this urge to frame the wrapper! It's that pretty!
Custom wedding chocolate bars for favors or gifts
What Ashley and I are most excited about is Olive & Sinclair's wedding chocolate! The rich, delicious dark chocolate flavor which is sure to please everyone who has a bite. But the special part about this is the wrapper which has a bride and groom on it, and a place where you can print your initials and a message for your guests. This is such a fantastic gift for out-of-town guests and/or wedding favors to really give your guests a personalized piece of Tennessee to take with them.
They need at least three weeks notice to get the bars ready so for those of you who haven't picked your favors or haven't thought of the perfect item for your gift bags, get in touch with Olive & Sinclair to discuss.
I'll leave you with video of Scott and his team at Olive & Sinclair hard at work, creating the bars from start to finish. Visit the Olive & Sinclair Blog to see what else they've been up to and find out what new flavors they're going to have for us later this year. I, personally, can't wait.
Video courtesy of Josh Anderson
* Did you know that dark chocolate can be good for you? According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, dark (not white or milk) chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants and has been shown, in some cases, to lower high blood pressure. And we all know about pressure when it comes to planning a wedding! Decision made - chocolate favors it is!
Things happen. We all are usually pretty prepared for the fact that not everything will go exactly according to plan. There's no sense in letting little hiccups ruin your wedding day but you also need a solid contingency plan in place! Today's favorite blog post is by Genna who blogs for Chef's Market. The post lays out the reality of situations that could occur on your wedding reception and the best plans you could make to avoid them. This is a must read which why we just had to share it!
Summer is the one season that will unapologetically book your calendar with weddings months in advance. Plans on the fourth of July? Canceled. Your sister’s getting married on the beach. A weekend trip to your favorite vacation spot? Sorry, you’ve got MOH duties. The wedding fever epidemic hits every year between June and September and it’s no surprise why. Summer is a gorgeous time of year to be married and it’s the perfect season to celebrate outside. So if the sunshine, fresh flowers and extra daylight have you dreaming of skipping through a field to say ‘I Do’ you’ll want to sit down and create a strategy that will keep you from falling head over heels in the mud when it starts to rain on the big day! Read on for 10 things to consider when planning for an outdoor wedding reception:
1. Pick a menu that can stand up to the heat - if you’re getting married in July and you’re going to be eating at five o’clock there’s a good chance it’s going to be hot and humid while you’re guests are standing in the buffet line, so you want to serve food that will stay fresh. Think non mayonnaise based salads and things like poached salmon that are typically served at room temperature. Rice salads, such as our Wild Rice Orzo, are a great option as well.
2. Hire a caterer who knows their way around an outdoor reception – Catering outside has a lot more logistical kinks to work out than a typical indoor reception. Make sure your caterer will not only be able to get the set up down perfectly, but will also have no problem serving foods the way they’re supposed to be served ( keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot).
3. Have a back up plan – Plan B is never ideal, but knowing you’ve got a safety net in case Plan A falls through is comforting and will keep you from stressing out if you have to switch gears on your wedding day and set the reception up inside the nearest building. Have a go to list of who will move what, how you’ll rearrange the tables, chairs, decor and food in case of emergency.
4. Rent a tent or have one on hold – if you’re banking on clear skies and have skipped #3 then you’re pretty much guaranteed to have nature tease you with rain, wind and whatever else she can come up with. OK, maybe that sounds harsh but haven’t you ever heard of Murphy’s Law??? The point here, is that it’s smart to at least have a tent on hold in case inclement weather does show up…and if it doesn’t? Well, spend the night dancing under the stars!
5. Provide lighting for the catering tent/food prep area – This sounds so simple, but it’s because it seems so obvious that many people forget until it’s too dark to see anything and you have servers dropping dishes. Make sure that any space where your caterer will be unloading/packing up the food is well lit.
6. Keep bottled water on hand – The last thing you want on your wedding day is for your grandmother to get heatstroke…bottled water is an easy way to make sure your guests stay cool and have as much fun at your reception as you had planning it. You can even make sure that necessary items like bottled water get their own personalized spin by creating monogrammed labels to fit around the bottles.
7. Beverage stations – Much like the bottled water, a beverage station will ensure that your guests have something cool to sip on while they eat dinner, mingle with friends and enjoy the reception. Beverage stations are perfect for an outdoor reception. At Chef’s Market, we love to use large apothecary jars filled with different colored lemonades and teas. You can place flower wreaths around the jars or add sliced fruit to give the drinks more color and flavor!
8. Air Conditioning/Fans are important – Whether you’re under a tent or under the sky, bring something to keep the air circulating as your reception gets underway. Rental companies often carry large industrial fans for just such occasions and if you’ve got a tent and your budget allows for it, you can actually have air conditioning set up for your celebration.
9. Bugs – It doesn’t matter where you are, if your reception will be outside you’ve got to consider the bug factor. Think about using citronella candles or providing bug spray for guests to use prior to hitting the dance floor. Another trick to keep pests away, is to wipe down tables and chairs with a wet cloth before setting them up for the reception (this will get rid of any food/drink residue that might be lingering on the surface).
10. Wind – With an outdoor reception, the first step is to accept that there will be some things you just cannot control, like the weather. You’ve got a tent on hold in case it rains right? Make sure you’ve got a plan for rain’s best friend named wind. Even with a tent, wind can sneak up under the sides and wreak havoc on table settings and food arrangements. The best way to deal with this possibility? Have decorative weights that can be placed on tables to hold everything in place. For a cute and simple DIY tutorial click here.
The bottom line when it comes to planning an outdoor wedding reception? Accept that it will be a little more challenging than a traditional ballroom or indoor venue and then go for it! If your heart’s set on having an outdoor celebration in the middle of August then there’s no question that that’s what you should have, just be a little strategic, prepare for the unexpected and enjoy your day!
Visit the Chef's Dish - the Chef's Market blog for more wonderful catering planning ideas and posts from the lovely Genna.
At Ashley’s Bride Guide, we’re always on the lookout for innovative and exciting wedding ideas.
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