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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Insider Inspiration - Art Nouveau Wedding

Hello everyone!

I've been a busy bee lately with the start of wedding season, however, I've really got to take the time to to talk about an emerging genre within vintage wedding design. It is called "Art Nouveau" and it hails from the very early 20th century. What makes this genre so stylish is the craftsmanship of the furniture, and the originality of the art.


For this type of wedding, bright colors mixed with pastels work perfectly! I like teals, yellows, peaches and mint green. Stained glass windows or Art Nouveau advertisements would be a source of inspiration.

I absolutely love the fonts of this era. They are bold and yet intricate, which would really make your invitations stand out. Incorporating a swirling frame or an Art Nouveau figure (such as a peacock)would be fabulous.

The fashion from this era is so stylish. I love the idea of large costume jewelry, unique head pieces and chic, lace wedding dresses that drape perfectly. Of course, the gentlemen would look
dashing in a gray pinstripe suit. I can imagine the getaway car after the ceremony being a Model -T. That would make for really cool pictures!

Finally, I have to say that the event design for this genre of wedding would be so fun! Can you imagine all the props you could use to set the tone of the event? Cool furniture, ornate broaches mixed in with lush flower centerpieces, gramophones, old cameras, stained glass windows as backdrops...ahhh it would be so lovely.

I truly hope that I've inspired!

PHOTO CREDITS: RUFFLED BLOG, ETSY, PEW PEW PEW BLOG, PINTEREST, NIAGARAATLARGE.COM, SAVE ON CRAFTS, EXAMTHEMES.BLOGSPOT.COM

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Vendor Spotlight - Three Sons Signature Cuisine

Hello everybody! Sorry if I've been slacking a bit on my blogging, I've been so incredibly busy with my weddings. After having such a great experience with this vendor, I had to get on here and spotlight them right away.

I had the pleasure of working with Three Sons Signature Cuisine on a wedding recently. Honestly, I cannot speak highly enough of this catering company!I'm sharing my experiences with all of you because I believe in word of mouth and I love to give credit where credit is due.

So let me give you the scoop on Three Sons Signature Cuisine. The business started in 2000 by the father of Aaron McCallum who is the COO/Director of Events. He had been an Executive Chef for over 30 years when he decided to create a legacy that reflected all of his children, and thus "Three Sons Kitchen" was born. However, by 2004 they changed their name to Three Sons Signature Cuisine to better reflect the high quality food they offer.

When I say "high quality" I mean that very sincerely because they are By - Design caterers. This means they specialize in creating all of their cuisine from scratch and work with their clients to assemble event menus to fit each individual's unique style and taste. Aaron McCallum has it right when he says, "Well prepared and designed meals can be a highlight for an event and set the stage for the festivities to come."


Three Sons Signature Cuisine is an extremely flexible caterer. They allow all of their clients to customize their menus. I asked Aaron how they make this work and his reply was, "We integrate our passion for food with experienced event planners and talented Chefs, who then get to know the client’s tastes and palates through meetings and tastings. Although this is a lot more work for us, the end result more than pays for itself in the satisfaction of our clients because they know they had a hand in the meal design which makes it a special event indeed. We also gain new clients and word of mouth referrals from the guests at each event."

Another by product of their flexibility is being able to work around any dietary restrictions because they make everything from scratch. Additionally, their Executive Chef, Ben McCallum can accommodate special requests, such as recreating that heirloom family recipes. Did I mention that they have their own Pastry Chef, Shontae Watson? She not only does divine wedding cakes but every type of dessert you could imagine!

In addition to the fantastic food, Three Sons "delivers on the dream" by applying phenomenal service to each of their events! I was in awe as I watched them deliver plated meals to the guests. It was just like synchronized swimming only with food. What was even more clever is this was done in such a way that the catering team was timing themselves to make sure that everything got out as quickly as possible. Their service is truly an art form!

I was really impressed with their organization doing an "off-site" job. They do this by fostering communication between themselves and their clients, the venues and other vendors. With 12 years of experience under their belt, it is no wonder that they are professional collaborators. They also have a team of event consultants that know exactly the right questions to ask. Speaking of off-site jobs, according to Aaron, "Three Sons Signature Cuisine is also a preferred caterer at over 20 other venues in the Twin Cities. We love to cater in client’s homes, and out-of-the-ordinary places such as backyards and open fields."

Three Sons uses their experienced Events Team to assist all clients in the planning, ordering and implementation of an exceptional event. They can provide bar service, staff service teams, and also have rental items available. If they don't have a specific item you are looking for, they are more than happy to help you order it from another vendor. Furthermore, their hands on approach to setting the room is very impressive. The service staff will help wherever they are needed. They did a lovely job of helping with both set up and tear down while I was working with them.


Another thing I really love about them is they're well versed in wedding receptions because this is 60% of their business. However, they also do catering for a variety of events. Birthdays, proms, graduations, rehearsal dinners...any and all types of special events that require magnificent food.

Of course, they also have their own venues that they are the exclusive caterers for. Saint Anthony Main Event Centre and Blaisdell Manor. You might recognize them as a couple of the top wedding venues in Minneapolis!

It is clear to me that Three Sons Signature Cuisine has gotten to where they are today because of their talented Executive Chef and their uncompromising commitment to customized and well executed events. It is no wonder that they've been nominated for a number of awards within the wedding industry and have won quite a few awards as well. They've been named "The Knot's Best of Wedding" catering vendor in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012! If that is not swagger, I don't know what is!

Ok,ok. I will stop gushing now and instead leave you with some great advice from Aaron. Here are his suggestions, "Read all your documents and be familiar with what you are signing and agreeing to. Ask lots of questions and never use the word assume to describe any aspect of your event details. Be sure your expectations are very clear and that your vendors understand and can clearly articulate them as well.Take good notes and stay organized. Don’t try to plan your wedding in a week, take your time and pay attention to the details."

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Happy planning,