Mismatched Vintage China Weddings NC Archives - Page 30 of 32

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Event – A Romantically Vintage Wedding

Rebekah and I started working together last fall on the table details for her wedding reception. For their September wedding, she and Joey had chosen Mt. Lebanon Chapel in Airlie Gardens for the ceremony and Saint Thomas Preservation Hall in downtown Wilmington for their reception. Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, a restored former Catholic church built in 1846, is a wonderful setting for a vintage wedding reception. They had fallen in love with its beauty and to complement its rich history, Rebecaa wanted vintage table settings. As you might guess, Southern Vintage Table was thrilled to help!

Her wedding reception vision was vintage romance with elegant vintage china and goblets. In addition to the vintage inspired guest tables, Rebekah and Joey’s dessert table idea was both unique and personal – they wanted to offer their favorite tea flavors with the wedding cake at a tea and dessert bar. When she shared this idea with me, I remember thinking what a wonderful idea!

With our vintage dessert plates tucked in the drawers of the vintage cabinet provided by Simply Put Vintage Rental, and our teacups displayed on the vintage sewing machine, also from Simply Put Vintage Rental, the dessert and tea bar was charming and beautiful! One of my favorite features on the tea bar was the samovar, a Russian hot water kettle. Finding this treasure was very memorable and you can read more about it on this post, “Vintage Adventure – A Thrift Shop Miracle.”

We set the tables with our elegant vintage china collection. My staff (aka friends, Mary, Louise and Jami) layered the dinner, salad and appetizer plates to create a beautiful, mixed and matched setting for each guest. Along with our vintage silver flatware, napkins, clear goblets and gorgeous flower arrangements by Kickstand Events, the reception tables were splendidly romantic!

As a special request from Rebekah last fall, Southern Vintage Table gathered a collection of small vintage goblets for their wedding toasts, and although we don’t have photos of these from that evening, we do have a previous post that features them, “Vintage Feature – Small Vintage Goblets are Perfect for the Wedding Toast!” We think you will want them at your wedding, too!

Congratulations and best wishes to you, Rebekah and Joey! Thank you for letting us be a part of this romantic, lovely and magical experience. Also, thanks to Anna Kirby Photography for many of these extraordinary photos and, again, to friends Mary, Louise and Jami for all of their help!

Folks who helped with the beautiful, romantic wedding reception include:

Photography: Anna Kirby Photography
Reception Venue: St. Thomas Preservation Hall
Event Coordinator: Jill White
Floral Design: Kickstand Events
Vintage China and Tableware: Southern Vintage Table
Vintage Furniture: Simple Put Vintage Rental
Reception Entertainment: Stray Local
Caricaturist: Bill Smith
Catering: Pine Valley Market
Baker: One Belle Baker
Lighting: High Performance Lighting

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Vintage Feature – My 5-Step Plan to Sort, Organize & Let Go

Southern Vintage Table has now been in business for about a year and a half but I have been collecting vintage things for almost two. As I reflect on these past two years, I can hardly believe how much I have learned! When I started this company I knew almost nothing about vintage anything. Really. I don’t think I even knew the name of one china pattern and I can’t remember ever ironing a napkin or polishing anything silver. As I gleefully embraced my new-found enterprise, I collected in a frenzy. I probably went hunting at least 5 days a week and, as you can imagine, have amassed quite a collection for our rental business.

Now, however, as hard as I know it will be, it’s time to sort, organize and let go of a few things. As I begin this arduous task, I have come up with a plan – as my friend, Mary would say – and here it is in 5 steps!

Step 1: Pull out my least favorite china patterns.
The operative phrase here is “least favorite” because frankly, I haven’t seen a pattern I haven’t liked. But there are a few in our collection that kinda disappear on the table. Admittedly, these were some of the first pieces I picked up and if I were to find them today, I don’t think they would become part of our inventory.

Step 2: Reduce the numbers of the same pattern.
When I first started my collection, I couldn’t help myself – if I came upon 20 plates in one pattern, I’d buy every one. Today I am a bit more savvy and, if it’s a new pattern, I’ll buy no more than 5. With our philosophy, “a little of a lot”, I want to have lots of many different patterns rather than multiples of the same. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; I have a few patterns that are just extraordinarily beautiful and I cherish each and every plate in that same pattern.

Step 3: Coordinate a visit to a reseller.
Fortunately, I live close to a huge china reseller and can easily sell my extras to them. The trick is to find out what they are buying and that’s pretty easy. I called and asked for a quote in the patterns I wanted to sell. They sent me one via email and now I know their offer and what to pack up. I made an appointment and I’m headed there next week.

Step 4: Sell via a yard sale or Craigslist.
I’m still working on the details of this but I’m considering joining a parking lot sale a local antique business is sponsoring. For $25, you get 4 spaces to sell your wares. Sounds pretty easy. But then again, I may just skip this step and go straight to Step 5.

Step 5: Donate to a local thrift store.
The only hard part to this step is deciding which one. We have many in our area that support a host of different causes and that’s a good problem to have! I think most of my things are headed to a no-kill animal shelter re-sale store, one of my favorite places to find things for Southern Vintage Table.

With my plan in place, I am now at step 3. By next weekend, hopefully I will have reduced our inventory to our best offerings, ready for your next event! Of course, letting go also means more room for the new, like this vintage cake plate I picked up this week. Don’t you love the manufacturer’s mark on the back?

~ On a side note, the graphics for this post were created using one of my favorite iPad apps, Camera360 (thank you, Caitlin, for sharing!) and BorderFX, a free plug-in for Apple’s Aperture. I had fun creating them!

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A Vintage Adventure – A Thrift Shop Miracle

I remember the day I saw it at a local thrift store. It was last summer at the height of my collecting spree for my new business, Southern Vintage Table. As I was browsing the items on the shelf, I spied this unusual coffee urn, or at least that’s what I thought it was. The shape, handles and spigot were all so magnificent. As I opened the top and looked inside, I couldn’t figure out how the coffee was added and the bowl on the top really stumped me. Surely, I thought, there must be missing pieces. Relunctantly, I decided not to purchase a broken coffee pot and left the store.

About an hour later, as I am standing in another thrift store, I felt a sharp twinge of regret. I knew I would never see anything like that coffee pot again. A seasoned thrift store shopper knows that if something interests you, you better pick it up right then or it will be gone. I decided to go back to get it before it was too late. As I excitedly opened the door to the store, my heart sank. I saw a woman pick up my coffee pot.

As I am kicking myself, I noticed she didn’t immediately go up to the sales counter. Something told me to wait around – to see if she actually will buy it. So, there I was – thrift store stalking. While keeping a good distance away, I tracked her, waiting to see if she was going to put it back on the shelf or go through the door with it. I realized she was trying to decide what to do.

Finally, she went up to the cash register. I moved closer, picked up something off the shelf nearby and tried to look uninterested. She put the urn on the counter and asked the cashier, “How much?” And then it happened – a thrift shop miracle. “That’s too much,” she complained. She then put it back on the counter and walked out. I almost couldn’t believe it! As soon as the door closed behind her, I picked it up. I remember telling the young cashier, “It’s not too much for me,” and the strange coffee pot was mine.

It wasn’t too hard to uncover that this coffee urn is actually a samovar, a Russian hot water kettle, and it’s used to heat water for tea. The top bowl holds a smaller pot of tea concentrate that is heated through the vents in the lid of the larger vessel. With “1990” engraved on the bottom, it’s not really old but the look is definitely vintage. Here’s one site I found that gives a nice synopsis of the history of the samovar.

This samovar traveled to Wilmington this past weekend for Joey and Rebekah’s tea bar at their wedding reception. Doesn’t it look terrific with the vintage cupboard and teacups? This gorgeous vintage-inpsired wedding will be featured in an upcoming blog. PS – I have to thank friends, Louise, Mary and Jami, for helping set up the reception tables and again to Mary and Louise for washing and packing until the wee hours of the morning. I am truly blessed with the miracle of friendship!

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Southern Vintage Table Event – New Pinterest Boards Feature SVT Events

In a recent post, A Celebration of Numbers, one number we were very excited about was our 18 events at the end of our first year. Since that post, Southern Vintage Table has provided vintage items for 13 more happy occasions – a birthday party, a baby shower, nine weddings, one dinner party and one family reunion. We are so happy to share our vintage dinner plates, luncheon plates, silverware, reception table decor, vases, teacups, tiered stands, serving dishes, vintage glasses, milk glass pieces, lace overlays, tablecloths, napkins, suitcases, trunk, wooden ironing board, blackboard frames and so much more!

Now you can see photos from many of our events on our new Pinterest boards. With images from actual celebrations, we hope you will be inspired to see how we can help with your next family occasion. As always, we are very appreciative when you entrust us to be a part of your special affair!

SVT Weddings
SVT Birthday Parties
SVT Baby & Wedding Showers
SVT Family Dinners

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A Marriage Blessing, Baptism & Tea Party!

Last Saturday was a beautiful, reverent and memorable day for Summer’s family. After converting to Greek Orthodoxy this past spring, Summer and Andrew had their marriage blessed or “crowned” and their twin boys were baptized. You’ll love how Summer explains this family occasion. “We’ve been married 15 years, but we are revving up to get heavenly hitched in an Orthodox wedding sometime this summer. Why? Beauty, sacrament, and so we can baptize our babies.” And, because drinking tea is a big part of their family’s life, serving tea in beautiful vintage teacups had to be part of this celebration and that’s where Southern Vintage Table entered the picture!

Following the ceremony, friends and family were also treated to a lovely spread of healthy, delicious food prepared by caterers Molly and Raven. Plated on vintage tiered stands and serving dishes, the food included bacon and pickle deviled eggs, arugula and cucumber tea sandwiches, stuffed dates with chevre, pistachios, and honey, a variety of cheeses and fruits, chocolate almond cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, gluten-free brownie balls, and honey-fig cupcakes. Southern Vintage Table also provided a charming mix of vintage luncheon plates, silverware and tea napkins for the guests.

Summer also revealed there was another reason tea was important for this celebration – her new novel! “I am a writer, and my second novel, Tea & Crumples, comes out in October 2015. As you can tell from the title, tea is a big part of the plot. Tea is also a huge part of our family’s life together. That’s why we wanted to have a beautiful tea party to celebrate our twins’ baptism and our wedding. Your napkins, silverware, plates, and cups made it so special. It was perfect, exactly as I dreamed. Thank you!”

Wishing you many blessed years to come Summer, Andrew and family. Southern Vintage Table absolutely loved being a part of this memorable family event! Check out Summer’s blog, Writing Like a Mother, for more information about her upcoming book. It’s pretty darn awesome!

For Molly and Raven, this was their first professional event as caterers. Congrats! Molly specializes in vegetarian, vegan, and allergen-sensitive cooking. She would eventually like to do local and sustainable farm-to-fork cooking and likes catering for people who share her ideals about the relationship between food, community, and environment. “I have to say, you’re a really great person for caterers to work with- washing the dishes was actually really fun when we got to look at and exclaim over each beautiful teacup!” I know exactly what you mean, Molly. Thank you! And, one last shoutout – Linda, you rock!

molly raven

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Vintage Feature – A Celebration of Numbers

Like one of my favorite characters on Sesame Street, Count von Count, I love numbers and it seems like we are always counting at Southern Vintage Table – like, how many vintage blue & white china patterns we have, the number of salad forks in our collection or the length of a creamy lace overlay.

Sometimes, however, our counting means even more – they mark an achievement – and we have a few of them we’d like to share. Let’s start the countdown with 10 numbers we are celebrating…

~ 6,065 Views on Our Wordpress Blog ~

This past week we marked our one year anniversary on WordPress and, as of today, our view count is 6,065. We think this is definitely something worth celebrating! To everyone who reads our weekly blog, we extend our sincerest thanks!

~ 1,242 Pieces of Vintage Silver-Plated Flatware ~

Okay, I didn’t really count each piece but we do have place settings for 200+ guests and many serving pieces as well. This cache of flatware didn’t come so easy – we’ve scoured thrift stores, estate sales, auctions, consignment shops, craigslist, ebay and more to find these glorious vintage patterns. Now, that’s certainly an accomplishment to note!

~ 882 Pinterest Pins ~

After one year we currently have 882 pins on Pinterest. These pins showcase our inventory at Southern Vintage Table. If you want to know what we have to offer, this is a great place to start.

~ 280 Facebook Likes ~

Thank you all for your “likes,” comments and post shares on our Facebook page! We love to share with you our new additions as well as our latest events. And, we love to hear from you!

~ 200 Guests ~

One question often asked is how many guests we can accommodate. With our inventory of china, flatware, linens and glassware, we can now service 200 guests. Now, that’s a festive feat!

~ 71 Blog Posts ~

We love writing and sharing our thoughts about anything vintage and so far we have 71 blog posts to attest to just that. Check in with us each Sunday to find out more about our latest vintage find, see photos from our most recent event or hear about our vintage adventures. We appreciate each and every visit!

Vintage Milk Glass Vase with Dried Flowers

~ 65 Vintage Whitehall Glasses ~

We now have 65 of this fabulous vintage glassware pattern in a rainbow of colors. Our goal is to have 100 in our inventory. Of course, we also have lots of other terrific vintage glassware patterns in these colors as well, definitely enough for your 200 guests.

~ 21 Pinterest Boards ~

Check out our fabulous vintage inventory, organized on our 21 boards. From elegant vintage china to vintage decor, we have so many wonderful items to help make your gathering unique and fun!

~ 18 Events ~

From birthday tea parties to holiday dinners to wedding receptions, Southern Vintage Table took part in 18 events this past year and loved every one of them! Thank you for inviting us to share some vintage with your special occasion.

~ 1 Year Anniversary! ~

Drum roll, please… And, now for smallest number but perhaps the biggest cause for celebration! Southern Vintage Table has been open now for one year! It’s been quite an adventure – collecting, researching, cleaning, repairing, photographing, identifying, writing, posting, washing, archiving, sorting – and we have loved every bit of it. Gosh, how to you thank everyone for their support and kindness? Simply and sincerely – Thank You.

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A “Spirited” Southern Tradition Delivers a Perfect Day!

With Ralph’s bottle of bourbon buried at the wedding site, the perfect day was delivered! According to Southern Living, legend has it that all you have to do to insure fair weather for your outdoor wedding is bury a bottle of bourbon, full and upside down, on a beautiful, sunny day weeks before the wedding date. After Mary, the quintessential Southern lady, read that bit of Southern tradition, it just had to be done for her and Ralph’s beloved daughter, Melanie. Well, it magically worked because Melanie’s and James’ wedding day was magnificent – perfect temperatures and a gorgeous Carolina blue sky.

After the wedding ceremony, Ralph digs it up!

Southern Vintage Table was thrilled to be a part of this celebration! Our first assignment was to set up a lemonade greeting station for guests as they arrived to this joyous occasion. With a charming assortment of vintage punch cups and two vintage punch bowls, Mary’s Yaya friends – Cis, Louise, Jami, Pat and I – served lemonade and welcomed guests. Rock Quarry’s vintage 1950 truck was parked next to us, joyfully bedecked with wedding photos of the bride’s and groom’s families. Southern Vintage Table‘s vintage suitcases and trunk helped complete this endearing tribute.

The second station was the coffee bar. Pairing the vintage teacups, Cis, Jami and I arranged them on the table. We also displayed several on the rustic shelf above. What a beautiful table with the teacups all lined up! At the end of the evening it was fun to see which teacup guests selected for their coffee as they enjoyed the delicious wedding cake baked by Sweet Memories Bakery.

Perfect day, perfect wedding, perfect love and all oh-so Southern! More photos coming later from photographer, Martha Manning.

Congratulations, Melanie and James! We all wish you a life full of love, happiness and joy!

We also want to send best wishes to Jill and David who were married on this gorgeous day in Graham. Thank you so much for inviting Southern Vintage Table to be a part of both of your wedding days.

Participating Vendors
Rock Quarry Farm
American Party Rental
Durham Catering Company
Sweet Memories Bakery
Southern Vintage Table
Martha Manning

PS – Thank you, George, for sharing these fabulous photos of this beautiful, happy couple!

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Vintage Feature – Happy Yellow Vintage China

If there is one color that embodies happiness it has to be yellow! It’s the color of daffodils, sunflowers and sunshine. Now that spring is officially here, it’s the perfect time to showcase our inventory of yellow at Southern Vintage Table!

Let’s start with vintage china patterns that feature yellow flowers. We’ve got Golden Button by Taylor Smith & Taylor, Starlight by Salem China, Summertime by Staffordshire and Forsythia by Knowles. Aren’t they all lovely?

I adore yellow roses and this vintage pattern is beautiful! I can’t find the pattern name but the mark on the back says American Ironstone.

Yellow also shows up in many bold, geometric vintage patterns. This collection comes from Royal China and Taylor Smith & Taylor.

Watch your guests smile when they see your table set with vintage yellow china patterns. Southern Vintage Table also has an amazing collection of vintage amber goblets and tumblers that are the beautiful compliment!

Vintage Feature: “Forget-Me-Not” Vintage Pattern is True to its Name

According to German legend, a delicate little blossom was almost forgotten when God was naming all the flowers. “Forget me not, O Lord,” cried the little flower. God decreed, “That shall be your name.” How charming!

Wikipedia describes another tale that explains the pretty shade of blue. As the Creator was assigning colors to the flowers, he heard a soft whisper, “Forget me not.” The only color left was a little bit of blue which was given to the small flower. As the story goes, the flower was delighted and so are we as we admire this lovely midcentury pattern created in its honor by Myott & Sons of England.

I first saw this pattern at Elma’s Copper Awning in Mebane. In a previous post, I mentioned that she and Scott bought this set of china for me at an auction as part of our bartering arrangement. I immediately fell in love with the creamy color, the swirl around the rim and the color of the delicate flowers. With these features, it’s perfect for mixing and matching with some of the other vintage patterns at Southern Vintage Table.

Let’s start with the dinner plate. Here are several different looks this charming pattern can create with other lovely vintage patterns!

Whether on the outside as the dinner plate, or inside as the salad, the “Forget-me-not” pattern is sweet!

Southern Vintage Table is also fortunate to have serving pieces in this lovely pattern. With such a beautiful color and pattern, Forget-Me-Not on your table will help make your gala affair unforgettable!

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A Vintage Adventure – Bartering for Vintage!

The first time I stepped into her shop, I didn’t meet Elma but I did meet her daughter who was minding the store for her. It was on a Saturday afternoon and my friends and I were on one of our many adventures together. Our agenda this time was to start at Dick & Jane’s Martini & Tapas Bar for lunch and well, a martini, and then browse the eclectic shops on Clay Street in Mebane. When we walked into Elma’s shop, The Copper Awning, I realized that I couldn’t slow my friends down to give me time to look through her interesting collection, so I made a mental note to return the next week to see what vintage things I could get for Southern Vintage Table.

Elma was there on my next visit and I explained to her that I was looking for miscellaneous vintage china and tableware. She told me she had some terrific finds in her back room but she needed to get it organized before I could take a look. One peek at that back room and I knew she was right – I would come back later.

The following week I returned and when Elma saw me, she smiled. “Well, I haven’t had a chance to do much back there but I’ll make a path for you.” More than a few things were moved out of the way and then she left me to look. I started making a pile of a few things – a wooden box, milk glass goblets, vintage books – and as I am surveying the room filled with stacks, boxes and bags of “stuff” as Elma calls it, my plan came to me. I walked back into the front. “Elma, I said, “you need help getting that room organized and I would like to offer my services.” I suggested a bartering deal – my organizing skills for vintage things. She loved the idea and so did I!

I’ve been there several times, sorting, organizing, opening boxes and cleaning in that back room and basement. We have carried things from the back room to the basement and from the basement up to the showroom. We have moved cabinets, shelving and bins. I’ve been there one week to return the next to find a room in the shop totally restaged. This past week she had a gorgeous wedding dress displayed on a table complete with matching shoes and bouquet!

So what treasures have been added to our vintage inventory? First, we have more beautiful goblets – milk glass, crystal, pink and blue – and a few dainty teacups. We also now have a nice collection of vintage tins to add to a tablescape – love these!

My favorite addition, however, is a gorgeous set of vintage china called Forget Me Not by Myott china. This set is perfect – cream colored with a swirl rim and sweet blue flowers. I love the pattern but mostly I love how they came to Elma’s shop. Scott and Elma bought them at an auction for me. Such an act of kindness! Look for an upcoming “mixing & matching” blog with this beautiful pattern.

This chance meeting has flourished into both a business arrangement and a friendship. I’ve met her husband, daughter, granddaughter, son and daughter-in-law when they have stopped in at the shop as well as her friends and helpers, Scott and Patsy. I have learned that her story is even more interesting than the collection of “stuff” she has in her shop – she’s a retired civilian Marine, she volunteers at her granddaughter’s school, she sings in her church choir and she was in the Pentagon on 9/11.

Check out The Copper Awning on Clay Street in Mebane. Not only will you find something you will love, you’ll meet the delightful, generous Elma. Be sure to say hi for me!

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~ 6,065 Views on Our Wordpress Blog ~

~ 1,242 Pieces of Vintage Silver-Plated Flatware ~

~ 882 Pinterest Pins ~

~ 280 Facebook Likes ~

~ 200 Guests ~

~ 71 Blog Posts ~

~ 65 Vintage Whitehall Glasses ~

~ 21 Pinterest Boards ~

~ 18 Events ~

~ 1 Year Anniversary! ~