Southern Vintage Table Event – Anna & Anthony’s Wedding, The Sequel

Kait Miller Photography

They’re in – Kait Miller‘s beautiful photographs of a most happy event – the marriage of Anna and Anthony. In an earlier blog post we shared our images of the tables and decor along with one lone but wonderful photo of this radiant couple.  Today’s post captures more of the joyfulness of this day, along with a few more lovely photos of our tables, courtesy of Kait!

Kait Miller PhotographyKait Miller Photography Kait Miller Photography

There were two touching details you’ll love hearing about as much as we did –  the stories about Anna’s dress and the tiered wedding cake.  Take note of Anna’s mother’s elegant wedding dress in the below photo. After being refashioned and refitted, this dress was transformed into Anna’s one-of-a-kind heirloom wedding dress. How delightfully fabulous and sweet!

Now, here’s the backstory of their delicious wedding cake as told by Anna’s mother, Sheila.

“I baked the cake with my sister-in-law, Suzi. I had baked my own wedding cake with the help with my mother-in-law 37 years ago. Suzi had baked her own cake for her wedding 34 years ago. My mother-in-law was Susie’s mother but by that time Suzi didn’t need any help from her mother. Over the past 30 years Suzi has baked about 13 wedding cakes. I really couldn’t of done it without her. It was an almond flavored golden cake with lemon curd filling and Cointreau flavored buttercream.”

Kait Miller Photography

Magical memories, embellished with enduring family traditions, were created on this loved-filled wedding day. Anna and Anthony, wishing you two a lifetime of joy, happiness, and fun!

Kait Miller Photography


We are so pleased to have played a role in this most important family celebration and, as you can see below, Sheila was appreciative to have us there, too. Thank you, Sheila, for these kind words!

The vintage china and your decorating absolutely made the wedding so special. Having the wedding away from the family home created some challenges. We wanted our guests to feel the personal touches that we would have shared with them if we had been at home. You made it possible. I think the wedding was one of the happiest days of my life if not THE happiest. I know it was the happiest day of Anna’s life… Thank you so very much for your aesthetic touches and thoughtfulness.

Here are the fantastic vendors who helped make this a beautiful, happy day!

Venue – Merry Hill Farm
Photographer – Kait Miller Photography
Wedding Coordinator – Events by Memory Lane
Florist – Fernrock Farm
Tableware and Decor – Southern Vintage Table
Caterer – Thrills from the Grill
Hair and Makeup – Adonia by Jen and Samantha Anderson
Band – The Troupers
Transportation – Greenway Transit

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Meet Clarice Cliff from Staffordshire

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

It’s always a sweet pleasure to find something with a rich backstory and, indeed, one unfolded when I found this vintage tiered stand at a local thrift store. The striking red and white scenic pattern caught my eye as I glanced down the filled shelves. My heart skipped a beat as I picked it up.  No cracks or chips – what a nice surprise!  I looked for the mark underneath and read a name I’ve never heard before – Clarice.

With the slight crazing visible from the bottom and the unique mark, I knew I found something with an interesting tale – and, as it turns out, it’s the history of an incredibly creative English designer, Clarice Cliff, who made her mark in the pottery world during the Art Deco era of the 1920s-1930s. As I admired the beautiful scene on this pattern, I expected to discover more delicate creations of Clarice’s but her more popular pieces are much more interesting!

According to Wikipedia, Clarice was born in 1899 in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, the heart of England’s pottery industry. She started working as a potter at age 13 and by age 25, Clarice was creating a new line of pottery known as Bizarre Ware with bright, striking colors and unique lines.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

During the late 1920s and through the thirties, Clarice enjoyed much success and produced many different bright, colorful, and angular patterns, now highly collectible Art Deco pieces, including Honolulu and Melon. Production took a turn with onset of WWII, and English potteries were allowed to produce only white tableware. Following the war, the market returned to the traditional English patterns, which is when Tonquin was manufactured for the overseas market, including the United States.

After the war, although Cliff was occasionally nostalgic for the ‘Bizarre’ years, as witnessed in personal letters to friends, she seemed to be realistic and accepted the commercial taste was for conservative ware. Clarice seemed to enjoy playing a lesser role at the factory, knowing that she could not recapture those crazy days of the thirties.[20] Much of the post-war production went to Australia, New Zealand or North America, where the taste was for formal ware in traditional English designs such as Tonquin[21] rather than the striking patterns and shapes that had established Cliff’s reputation; thus she was never to return to creative work.  – Wikipedia

From bizarre to bucolic, Clarice Cliff demonstrated an incredible range of talent during her lifetime, and although she was marginally recognized for her creative genius at the time, today she stands as a major artist of her time. To learn more about her life and work, check out the following sites.  And, if you see a “bizarre” piece of pottery on the shelf, look underneath for her name – if it’s there, that would truly be a find!

Learn more about the amazing Clarice Cliff!
Wikipedia – Clarice Cliff
Inside Out – Clarice Cliff
Clarice Cliff
Clarice Cliff Facebook

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – It’s Time for a Brief Blogging Break!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCHappy 4th of July!

It’s time for Southern Vintage Table to take a blogging vacay!  We are celebrating Independence Day with a hiatus from our weekly post to concentrate on a few projects, both business and personal. We will be back Sunday, August 2nd.  In the meantime, expect a few more Facebook posts during the weeks featuring some of our new old treasures!  Have a terrific July!

(Pssst – Did you notice those patriotic red, white, & blue vintage goblets? Pretty awesome, huh?)

Southern Vintage Table Vintage Goblets

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Event – Anna & Anthony’s Merry Hill Wedding

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCJune has been wonderfully busy for Southern Vintage Table with three weddings, two of which were at one of our favorite venues, Merry Hill Farm, and with our favorite flower farm, Fernrock Farm. Both of these weddings were beautiful, sweet, and fabulously vintage!  Today’s post will feature our table and decor photos from Anna & Anthony’s wedding with more forthcoming when the professional shots are available.

When Anna contacted us to help her with her wedding plans, we were delighted!  Not only did she want to use our lovely vintage china patterns and stainless flatware, she also wanted to design her table centerpieces using some of our favorite finds – vintage tins, topless teapots, teacups filled with succulents, miniature framed artwork, and milk glass vases.  We had so much fun putting together our schema for the tables and were excited to see how our vision would come to life.  Except for the pesky high winds that day, we would not be disappointed!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCSouthern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

In addition to the tables, Anna saw our vintage pink dresser and knew it had to be part of her design plan.  It is adorable and we’ve been waiting for someone to appreciate its charm, but the main feature of the greeting station was Anna’s inspiration – vintage-inspired handkerchiefs for their guests. With her brother’s talents, our trifold divider was transformed!  Check out the blackboard sign’s greeting – you’ll love it!Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Thank you, Anna & Anthony, for letting us be a part of this wonderful, love-filled day. It was such a pleasure setting your tables and meeting your delightful family and friends. To whomever took this incredible photo – thank you! It captures the absolute joy of this beautiful day!

A followup post will be coming soon with photos from Kaitlin Miller along with the vendor listing – be sure to check back in!

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Event – Brooke & Tyler’s Wedding Photos Are In!

Photo by Crutchfield Photography

Remember our previous post about our trip to Tarboro to the historic Saint Anne’s Chapel for Brooke and Tyler’s wedding?  Well, here are the photos of their nuptials on this beautiful May day.  As you can see, our vintage china and tableware fit in beautifully with their outdoor vintage wedding.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Many, many thanks to photographer Laurie Crutchfield for sharing these and to Brooke and Tyler for inviting Southern Vintage Table!  Wishing you endless love, happiness, and joy!  Be sure to check out Crutchfield Photography’s Facebook for more from this happy occasion!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Photo by Crutchfield Photography

Folks who helped with this sweet vintage celebration included:
Tar River Rentals – Tent
The Decorating Divas (Debra Guthrie and Cynthia Flint) – Flowers and Decor
Catering by Family and Friends
West Furniture – Vintage Furniture
Southern Vintage Table – Vintage China, Glassware, Silverware
Crutchfield Photography

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Merry Hill’s Pastoral Beauty

Tucked down a dirt road in western Orange County is the farmland of Merry Hill, a beautiful, pastoral venue. This rural property, passed down many generations of the Nelson family since 1754, hails as the “oldest continuously owned family farm in Orange County.”  Merry Hill is also designated as a one of 1600 North Carolina Century Farms, which means it has been “continuously maintained” as farmland by a single family for at least one hundred years.  With 52,000 total farms in North Carolina, this is indeed an accomplishment to note!

The current Nelson owner, Lynne, has recently opened up her family property for others to enjoy as a wedding and event venue. Her lovely homeplace, luscious grounds, and open fields are the perfect location for families to gather to celebrate special occasions. Complete with horses, minature mules, farm dogs, and peacocks, Merry Hill is delightful for everyone!

This weekend and next, two brides have invited Southern Vintage Table along with Fernrock Farm to be a part of their festivities and we are both very pleased and excited! More photos of these two weddings will be forthcoming!

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Glamourous Vintage Vignettes

Early this year Jamila contacted Southern Vintage Table about helping with her August wedding at the Virginia Dare Ballroom in Raleigh. She and her fiancé currently live in California but their wedding will be here in North Carolina with family and friends.

The historic Virginia Dare Ballroom is in the former Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel, built in the early 1920s, the same time period portrayed in The Great Gatsby. With that beautiful backdrop, Jamila and Victor want a vintage look for their wedding with elements of silver, gold, and pearls, reminiscent of this glamorous time .

So, using my Mother’s Day pink roses, I created a few centerpiece mockups and sent these photos for Jamila and Victor to consider. They said “Yes!” We’ll be tweaking these formulas a bit closer to the time, and, of course, I’ll be scouting the thrift stores with their glamorous vintage vision in mind!

Looking for a unique look for your centerpieces? Take a look at our centerpiece decor collections and packages!

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Adventure – On the Road for a Vintage Wedding in Tarboro

One thing I love about my business is seeing the many different venues in our area. This weekend was especially a treat as we traveled to the small city of Tarboro in eastern North Carolina. According to the town’s website, Tarboro was originally inhabited by the Tuscarora tribe.  By 1733 Europeans discovered this beautiful area by a river, known as the Taw, the Native American word for “river of health.” Over the years, the area was called Tawboro, Tarrburg, and Tarborough, until today’s name of Tarboro finally settled in.

Our destination was a beautiful, historic church called Saint Anne’s Chapel on the outskirts of town. It was designed by a German Baltimore architect and built in 1922 by two sisters with help from their cousins. Services were held here until the 1950s but after the sisters’ death, it started to fall into disrepair. Rescued by Kevin and Trish Wilson in 1999 and carefully restored to its former beauty, Saint Anne’s Chapel is now a lovely place for weddings and community events. Be sure to check out their website to learn more about this gorgeous piece of history!

We left our 225 place settings with Brooke’s family and crew and can’t wait to see scenes from their wedding and reception!  Many thanks go out to her family and friends for helping Priscilla and me unload, and for sharing a bit of their stories as well.

PS – One unexpected philosophical nugget that came up during our conversation on the road to Tarboro is this thought from a Barbara Kingsolver book  – The most important thing about a person is the thing you don’t know.  Hmmm…food for thought, indeed.

_____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Decor Rental NC

Vintage Adventure – All In A Day’s Work

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC


It was all in a day’s work – scouring the local thrift stores for unusual vintage items. And, true to thrift shopping lore, I didn’t see what I was looking for but I did find some terrific treasures I couldn’t pass up!

As I browse around a thrift store, I’m thinking about our clients and their upcoming celebrations. One of our brides, Anna, is getting married next month and together we designed her table centerpieces which include lots of lovely items such as vintage tins, frames, brass candle holders, and teapot vases. She also loved the vintage petite artwork as much as I do. A few of these items are pretty rare to come across, but the vintage gods must have been directing me this week because many were there, on the shelves, as if they were waiting for me to pick them up!

I am so looking forward to seeing many of these new items gathered together on Anna’s tables along with the other charming trinkets in our vintage decor inventory at Southern Vintage Table!

  • Vintage Brass Candle Holder
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC
  • Vintage Decor Rental
  • Vintage Decor Rental
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC
  • Vintage Decor Rental NC

 _____________________________________________________________

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC