We’ve added a little something something to our already full vintage inventory, but we think you’ll agree that these are all great additions. When a vintage colored goblet comes up for sale, we can’t resist! The vintage pink ones above were found on marketplace and the vintage teal and light green were online purchases. Remarkably, the vintage yellow ones were found at a local thrift store – what a thrill to find them! All are on the shelves at Southern Vintage Table’s studio for folks to see and select for their guests.
The next set of vintage pretties are ready for a tea party! These small dishes can be filled with lemons, bonbons, tea sachets, or any petite sweet. We have a great collection of these vintage mini dishes that look terrific on your guest tables.
This sweet vintage teapot is now one of our favorites! Looking forward to packing her for our tea parties coming up.
Is it a pitcher or a vase? Obviously, this vintage floral pitcher is both! Spring bouquets will look fabulous in this vessel. (No dissing our fake arrangement, please. 🙂 )
Now, we have the perfect vintage prop that pays homage to jazz or actually any kind of music – a vintage saxophone. You might remember the trumpet and other vintage decor that were used at a speakeasy corporate party. You’ll enjoy looking back at this event, Speakeasy Party Photos are in. Wish we had that saxophone then!
Photo by Martha Manning
Lastly, we have new business cards!
Now, back to the Super Bowl commercials… Have a fun week!
Emilie and Stefan’s June wedding was enchanting, joyous, and truly romantic! If you ever wondered why June weddings are special, here’s one ancient explanation. June is named for Juno, who was the Roman goddess of marriage. Some believed that if you were married during this month, you will be forever happy.
“Oh, they say when you marry in June, you’re a bride all your life, and the bridegroom who marries in June gets a sweet-heart for a wife.” – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
A beautifully restored chapel, All Saints Chapel in Raleigh, was the venue these two chose for their ceremony and reception. Since they wanted both to be in the main chapel area, a “flip” was made between the two. Below you’ll see the dreamy photos by Anna Fletcher Photography of the ceremony design which was expertly “flipped” to the reception.
Our vintage floral dinner plates and clear goblets donned the reception tables. To complete the tablescape, clear glass candleholders were tucked in among the gorgeous florals created by Folie a Deux.
When we met Emilie and Stefan, it was apparent that they were destined to be together. Regardless of what month or day they were married, they radiate a lasting love for one another! Best wishes, you two!
Our clients have honored us this past year with these three prestigious awards – The Knot Best of Weddings 2024, Wedding Wire Couples’ Choice Awards 2024, and The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and appreciation for our clients and their fabulous reviews. Here are some reviews from last year that made our day and year!
Lisa 5.0 Wonderful, calming, and helpful! Serendipitous! What a wonderful surprise to find Southern Vintage Table. Shelly was perfect to work with. She had so much to choose from and we really valued her suggestions. The reception at home was truly beautiful because of Shelly’s decor. I would highly recommend SVT.
Alea 5.0 Beautiful China! Shelly has a huge selection of beautiful China and more!!
Gabrielle 5.0 Stop deliberating and book Southern Vintage Table now! We loved our experience working with Southern Vintage Table for our place-settings and glassware for our wedding. Shelly’s collection of vintage dishes, napkins, glassware and more is unmatched and stunning. My husband and I are global event producers and we give top marks and our highest professional recommendation to Southern Vintage Table. Stop deliberating and book Southern Vintage Table now! Sent on 08/17/2023
Meg 5.0 Amazing & Unique Wedding Vendor!! Southern Vintage was absolutely amazing, I can’t say enough good things about them! Every item we rented from them was perfect and all our guests could not stop talking about how unique and gorgeous how it all looked together. We rented plates, cups and cake stands and each item added such a perfect level of details (and at such a reasonable cost!) I loved everything so much that I would love to find another reason to rent stuff from them again 🙂
Rachel 5.0 Beautiful Vintage Dishes Shelly was such a huge help in helping us decide what would look good for our tables at our wedding. She was very accommodating and flexible with our needs. Her dishes were beautiful and really elevated the look at our wedding! I would highly recommend Souther Vintage Table!
Nicole 5.0. Amazing Dinnerware Southern Vintage Table owner Shelly is a breath of fresh air in the wedding industry. She is responsive; communicates well and is detailed orientated. Shelly never rushed any of our meetings or phone conversations and nevertheless very patient with my questions. Her items are BEAUTIFUL and fair in pricing. If you want unique dinnerware for your wedding, look no further – her collection is huge and will make such a statement.
Claire 5.0 Perfect Addition to Our Wedding. Shelly’s blue and white china and accessories were the perfect accent to our wedding. Shelly was very helpful throughout the entire process, from the initial meeting to coordinating the delivery of the items. I have already connected one friend with Shelly and cannot speak highly enough of the Southern Vintage Table.
Wendi 5.0 We had a very good experience with Vintage Table, We would do business with them all over again!!! Vintage Table is very professional, and very friendly to work with. I was very impressed with how they pack their dishes, glass plates and goblets. We chose to pick up and drop off from the store, and everything was packed securely in crates with wheels, so convenient. We were given detailed instructions on how to care for the items we rented. Everything we rented was absolutely beautiful! Thank you Vintage Table for being a part of our daughters special day and for making it possible for her to have the wedding of her dreams! Your tableware is stunning to say the least and your services are over the top! I plan to recommend Vintage Table to everyone I know doing an event! Wendi Travis
We have the best clients and we love doing what we do!
Are you planning your wedding and want to host a celebration that creates a story of you two and shows off your personal style? Perhaps you want your wedding day to be as unique as you are and give your guests an unforgettable experience. If so, consider a themed wedding!
Whether it’s as simple as using a specific color scheme or as elaborate as a Bridgerton-ese Tea Party, themed weddings provide a backdrop for unique decor, befitting styles of dress, games, and even food choices. Ian and Cathy chose their theme based on their favorite holiday, Halloween! What a bold choice, and by the looks of these photos, guests and the couple had a terrific time!
Ian and Cathy provided most of the decor but they needed just a few things to round out this spectacularly spooky evening. We were so pleased to have vintage red and purple goblets, brass candelabras, and gold flatware to add the finishing touches to this hauntingly, happy wedding day!
What else do you do at a halloween wedding party? Of course, solve a murder mystery! Looking at the expressions of the guests, you can tell this was a huge hit! Here’s what Cathy shared with us.
“We were playing a murder mystery game & our character names were “Finn Burgundy” & “Omar Black”… our guests had an absolute blast, which is what we were really after – we wanted our guests to have a different & fun experience & they sure did �� The mystery party was hosted by the Murder Mystery Production Co. & they were wonderful.” Cathy
Murder at the Old Buggy Inn
Mystery Solved!
Photos courtesy of 23 Photography
Hands down, this is the most creepy, ghoulish, wicked, and wonderful wedding ever!! Bravo, Cathy and Ian, for creating this memorable event, not only for you and your guests, but for all our readers as well. If this foretells anything, it’s that you two are perfect for one another!
We’ve just marked 10 years as a company! Such a milestone of great pleasure meeting so many different folks at one of their happiest moments. We are grateful and humbled by you!
Though we have a FAQ page to answer many questions you may have, we are extending this information to include more things you’d like to know.
First, when the event is over, we’ll be sending you a request for a review from Wedding Wire and the Knot. These two prestigious companies house all of our reviews for prospective clients to read. At the end of the year, they award companies that have a certain number of high ranking reviews. When we make this request, we are thrilled to hear how the event went and what aspects you enjoyed regarding our rentals. We consider it an honor when you do this for us.
Second, we also ask for photographs to share on our blog post and social media. We love sharing this happy moment with our followers and they often refer to your photos when they are making decisions about their own event. Most photographers allow us permission to browse the online gallery. We select photos that showcase our wares and also like to have a few of clients. When this request comes, please consider and if there are any photos you’d like us to not share, let us know. We will ask for names of the collaborating vendors including the photographer, so all of us can enjoy a shout-out.
Third, a word about the cleanup. If rinsing is available, we’d love to receive them in this condition. If not, then we want all the plates to be wiped down with little or no food debris. Please consult with your caterer regarding which they can do. One other little request that goes along with this – all the dishes are wrapped in plastic after the sanitation rinse. It is important to leave the bags on the plates so food debris doesn’t get tracked into the vehicle or studio. We tie the bags, you untie, leaving the bag on the sides. Once the rack is full of wiped down plates, pull up the bag and retie.
Fourth, please do not use our napkins to clean up spills, especially red wine. Many stains remain that we cannot remove and then the napkin is relegated to a dish cloth. Sad…
Fifth, to fill an order we first select and then pack items in specialized crates to avoid breakage. Crate by crate, they are placed in the sanitizing, energy/water efficient dishwasher. After drying, they are wrapped in food-grade plastic bags. Items are then either loaded up and delivered, or the client picks up and returns. If picked up, we’ll have everything on a cart, you’ll drive around the back of our building, and park near the back door covered by an awning. We will roll the carts to the door. Clients have commented that this is made easy for them. After noon is our best times for both deliveries and pickups; however, we can work out times if needed.
Sixth, if you choose to pick up and return (which we appreciate so much!), we can extend our rental window as needed, up to 5 days rather than 3. A typical order will be more than what a small car or SUV can hold so a van or large SUV will be needed. If you are unable to secure the larger vehicle and you still want to pickup/return, look into renting one.
Lastly, and our most important, number 7th thing-to-know is that we want you to be happy with every choice. We don’t charge by the crate but by the piece. We welcome all studio visits and love helping you with your vision!
Note to Mobile Users – To move forward, slide to the left.
We are always amazed at the creativity of our clients! After working on this slide show for several days, we are excited to share with you some of the designs from 2023. We hope you enjoy their artistic tablescapes!
PS – Thank you, clients and photographers, for allowing us to share your work!
To 2023, you have been filled with excitement, joy, and new beginnings. Thank you for bestowing us with many, many wonderful client memories and a successful year. To our clients, we sincerely thank you for choosing our company for your happy occasions and we wish you the very best in this new year.
“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” Taylor Swift
The Poetry Fox is typing a custom poem on his vintage typewriter for this lucky person!
Yes, a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to enjoy a lovely dinner, eat chocolate, or be presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, right? But, how about a personal poem written just for you by the Poetry Fox? That was just one of the activities Alex from Longfellow had planned for their clients and she needed our help staging the table for him. What a super fun assignment!
Alex came looking for romantic, vintage pieces to display on the long table where The Poetry Fox would compose his poetry. As I was working on another project, Alex browsed the decor room and made her list – suitcases, bottles, a radio, a clock, books and a typewriter. Tucked in a drawer, we showed her some of our vintage valentine’s post cards and the roses stand which she loved! With two vintage red tins, she was set.
Thanks, Alex, for choosing our vintage decor for this super cool offering for your clients. We truly enjoyed meeting you and loved this creative gift for your clients! (Thanks for sending us photos, too!)
Seven years to the date, June 13, 2014, Southern Vintage Table celebrated our 1st anniversary! We were quite pleased with our progress during that year and paused to mark our achievements.
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…
So, 7 years later, we are pausing one again to see how much some our numbers have changed and what new numbers we’d like to note. From 32,957 to 1, here are the ten numbers we are celebrating today and our favorite number is last!
One – 32,957 Users from 1-1-2020 to 6-13-2021
To us, this number is amazing! In 2013 we had 6,605 views (a little different than users but this is the data we have) on our WordPress blog. Today we have a full scale website that folks from all over the world visit.
2013 Southern Vintage Table
2021 Southern Vintage Table
Two – 2,772 Pieces of Vintage Flatware
As before, we didn’t really count each piece but we do have a lot! In 2014 we only collected vintage silver-plated flatware and had enough for 200+ guests. By 2021, we had amassed enough vintage silver-plated and stainless steel pieces to accommodate at least 200+ guests in each variety. Recently, we have added vintage gold-plated to our flatware offerings and now can serve 75 guests. Along with place settings, we have lots of vintage serving pieces – cake servers, tongs, large spoons & forks, pickle forks, and sugar spoons.
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!
The major force on the social media scene in 2014 was Pinterest. Folks still use Pinterest for ideas, but Instagram has since become the social media queen. In 2014 we had 882 pins on Pinterest; today we have pinned 1,996 images with 32 public boards. A typical monthly viewership is 29,000 but we have hit 78,000.
Our Instagram account has 667 posts and 1,766 followers. These numbers make us dance!
Facebook
Instagram
Four – 839 Facebook Likes and 911 Followers
From 280 to 839 Facebook likes, we are grateful for each of you! We love to share with you our new additions as well as our latest events. And, we love to hear from you!
Five – 402 Published Blog Posts
From 71 in 2014 to 403 Sunday posts in 2021, we have expanded our blog post menu to include Southern Vintage Table Events, Vintage Features, Styled Shoots, Vintage Tips, and News.
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!
Our count of vintage Whitehall goblets has grown in two ways – the total count and the number of colors – from 65 to 200 and 6 colors to 9! Many folks grew up with this popular glassware pattern and they evoke many wonderful family memories.
Seven – 7 Shades of Blue Goblets
Wow – 7 shades of blue in our vintage goblet collection! Don’t forget we also have green, yellow, amber, red, purple, pink, peach, white, and clear. How many you ask? Well, we’ll need to get back to you on that!
It’s been quite an adventure – collecting, researching, cleaning, repairing, photographing, identifying, writing, posting, washing, archiving, sorting – and we continue to love every part of it. Gosh, how to you thank everyone for their support and kindness? Simply and sincerely – Thank You.
Our vintage plate collection in 2014 totaled about 250 in assorted styles and patterns. Today we have 9 vintage collections or themes of patterns, all of which can be mixed and matched with each other or kept in the same theme. Some vintage collections have about 300, like our blue & white, and others have 30 or so, as in our mostly brown. How many total dinner plates do we have? We’ll get back to you on that, too!
Retro
White Stoneware
Elegant Florals
Large Florals
Red & White
Wildflower Stoneware
White/Cream & Gold
Bue & White
Mostly Browns
Ten – Our First Grandbaby Arrives!
Our most wondrous number is one – our first grand baby is born – Isla Elaine Dawson. What a wonderful number this one is!
“The love you feel in life is a reflection of the love you feel in yourself. “
Deepak Chopra
Today we wish all a Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether it be celebrated with your sweetheart, friends, family, or just yourself, this day is all about love – that inexplicable gift we both receive and give to others. But, perhaps the truest meaning is that love begins with knowing, celebrating, and loving yourself.
We love and thank our clients who participated in our Share the Love offer. We enjoyed planning, collaborating, advertising, and executing the details for you. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the experience, too!
Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for making ours unique and special! Shelly, you could not have chosen better for us. I am in love with these plates!
AA
These clients have been instrumental in the planning of a new endeavor – offering intimate vintage “To Go” packages. The first to be launched will be a Tea Party To Go package. We are working on the details so you easily can host a magical and traditional tea party!
