— Postcard marked December 21, 1909 at 10AM.
Message – “Dear Bro, will be home Thurs eve, Goes to Middletown 5:34 – Guess it’s up to you to meet me. Love to grandpa, ma. and self. Sister”
Sending Wishes for Peace and Harmony
Tag: Vintage Weddings Hillsborough NC
News – Vintage Holiday Decorating
Getting ready for the holidays? We have just begun at home and have pulled out some of most treasured decorations collected years ago. On the dining table are some of our nesting “dolls”. They are so fun to open to find the smaller ones inside. The greenery came from the back yard.
Below is the mantle-scape which features a collection of vintage cats, crates, trays, books, and thrift-store petite trees. The tall wooden kitty in the middle is very special – it was an 18th birthday gift from my boyfriend who is now my husband. (He hit the mark on this one and we are definitely vintage!)
We also played around with a couple of holiday tablescapes at the studio. The green and deep red layering of plates are a nod to the holiday colors but with a bit of vintage swag. Our favorite decor items are the little trees that are nestled in the vintage milk glass vases but we think the grass chargers are not needed after all. Too bad we didn’t get that photo!
That’s it for today’s post! We need to dig out a few more holiday decorations, go online to do a little shopping, attend a dinner party with friends, and meet with two potential clients this week. Just the right amount of busy for us!
Southern Vintage Table Events – An Idyllic Wedding at Cates Farm
The day was perfect – a gorgeous day at a working farm in rural Orange County, a host of family and friends, an amazing red barn, and two exceptional women in love. Jess and Dean, with the guidance of their planner, Beauty and the Budget, had every detail carefully planned.
We provided our lovely vintage pink and clear goblets, vintage china featuring gold rims, blue and white plates, silver-plate flatware, and bread baskets. The dessert table also featured brightly colored glass vintage cake plates and dessert plates.
Congratulations, Dean and Jess! We wish you the best of everything and loved being part of your celebration!
Photographer: @lauramemoryphotography
Venue: @catesfarmatcanecreek
Planner: @beautybudgetevents
Florist: @tg_floral
Hair & Makeup: @ashleylozahairandmakeup
Dean’s Custom Suit: @sftbespoke
Tabletop Rentals: @southernvintagetable2
Caterer: @rocky_top_caters
Dessert: @tepuydonuts + @idlehour_coffee
Rentals: @capitalevents_nc
DJ: @djkstones
Photobooth: @zimzoomphotobooth
Scenes from SVT – Vintage All Lit Up!
“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.”
Aaron Rose
Vintage colored glassware lit up with twinkle lights creates a rainbow of beauty. Not quite sure if they would make any difference with the shelves filled with plates and teacups, Taylor strung the lights across the back walls. Well, you can see for yourself how magical and enchanting everything appears.
This week we were working on an upcoming wedding, and after stacking the tall vintage coupes in wired racks and putting them out of the way in the back of the studio, we were struck by their beauty against the twinkle lights tucked in the shelving.
On the shelf or in front, these lights emanate the irresistible, extraordinary beauty of everything vintage.
Scenes from SVT – Client Meetings, A Vintage Blue and White Wedding, Vintage Teacups, and a Family Visit
These past two weeks were extraordinary. We’ve had several client visits for a variety of celebrations, a Carriage House wedding for which we set the tables with the best crew, found an incredible stash of vintage teacups at a thrift store, and the absolutely best part was a family visit over the weekend.
Let’s start with the wedding. The weather was pretty this past week but the weekend promised rain to the dismay of many couples getting married, including our clients. It was touch and go, for sure, and decisions had to be made about moving the outdoor-planned ceremony. We learned that the rain cleared enough for the outdoor ceremony to go as planned. Soon after, folks found shelter under the covered barn roof as the rain returned.
Our crew, venue owner, and her helpers got it all ready and we loved the almost final result. What’s missing on the tables are the vintage teapot-filled floral arrangement but we hope to see those in the professional photos.
Our client visits were super fun. A tea party for mothers, a graduation dinner, and two weddings are the celebrations in which our vintage pieces will be featured. We look forward to each of these.
After picking up from a wedding last weekend, we stopped by a thrift store and found 5 beautiful teacups. That green Asian pattern is stunningly unusual!
And, now for the best part! Our family came for a visit and we had a wonderful, busy time. Here’s Grandy with our granddaughter picking strawberries – they were yummy!
News – Taylor Made Help
We met Taylor when she was returning goblets from a photoshoot at Sugarneck, a rustic woodland venue in Sanford. We instantly clicked over our love for anything vintage. There was just something about her smile and happy personality that we broached the possibility of her working part-time at SVT. She said YES!
Since then she has helped fill orders, placed items back on the shelves, rehung our hanging plants, and loaded our van with delivery orders. Dang, we will miss her when she heads to college this fall! But, until then, we look forward to the mornings she comes to the studio with her positive energy and helpfulness. Taylor, we appreciate you!
News – 4 Weddings, 4 Venues
Early April is such a lovely month to get married – the dogwoods and azaleas are blooming, the air is fresh, the trees have that lime green color, and everyone is thrilled that the hot humid summer is still months away. 🙂
We helped with four weddings this beautiful spring weekend – our couple clients were married at venues that are all about the beautiful outdoors – Windy Hill, The Barn of Valhalla, Cornealius Property, and Campbell Lodge. Our experiences with the first three locations have always been delightful, and this weekend was our first wedding at Campbell Lodge. When couples tell us they are getting married at any of these venues, we know they will truly enjoy their wedding day.
Windy Hill Farm – Cedar Grove
Windy Hill Farm is a working farm in northern Orange County and has been farmed since the 1800s. This authentic rustic venue is a wonderful place to get married and the owners are sincere about their mission to use “sustainable farming practices … and preserve the history of this beautiful piece of earth.”
Photo by Autumn Harrison
The Barn of Valhalla – Chapel Hill
This beautiful upscale rustic venue, located on the rural west side of Chapel Hill, is an amazing place for events. The property has a barn, lodge, gazebo, walkways connecting all the sites, a pond, and lush grounds. We always love visiting this well-maintained venue.
Photo by Emily Michelle Photography
The Cornealius Properties – Goldsboro
Although we haven’t actually been to this upscale and inclusive venue, we’ve had many couples get married here. With the distance a bit further, they all have elected to pickup and return our rentals. Every couple we have served loves this place. Many features are included -Birdsong Chapel, Carriage Hall, HoneyMoon House, Camp Cabin, The Boat House, and a pond and dock.
Photo by Destiny Lee Photography
Campbell Lodge – Durant Nature Preserve, Raleigh
This was our first wedding at the Campbell Lodge, a lovely venue nestled in a natural preserve owned by the city of Raleigh. The spacious lodge features two stone fireplaces on each end and a deck that overlooks one of the lakes at the preserve. We are very pleased to have visited this special venue and look forward to returning.
Preparing for these happy events kept us quite busy but we did get a chance to update last week’s post with more glassware numbers. Check it out!
Now, time to wash a few dishes and get ready for a wedding at another impressive venue, the Carriage House of Chapel Hill.
News – The Count is in and it’s over 3000!
Yep, that’s right! Our shelves hold over 3000 pieces of vintage glassware!
The great inventory count has begun and, with Annie’s help, we’ve got the colors and numbers of glassware currently in our inventory. We overlooked the gray and orange goblets along with the clear coupes so expect an update this week. (The vintage tumblers are not featured here but their count can be found on our Vintage Drinkware page.)
Roll over the image to get the total number in each color category.
FYI – This gallery was made through Modula, a plugin we learned about today. One other thing we figured out was how to add text to photos in iPhoto – how did we miss this?
It’s going to be beautiful here in NC this week!
Scenes from SVT – Whoo Hoo! Celebrating Our First Anniversary at Boone Square
One year ago, April 2022, we began our transition into Suite 14 at Boone Square. With a lot of help and support, this move was an incredible accomplishment for our vintage rental business.
It sure wasn’t easy. We worked long hours unpacking and shelving for days and months, had a trumpet fall on my head, tripped over a rug and hit my head, made so many trips to get free crates from a grocery store and boxes from the ABC store, and then pleaded for folks to take the crates, and recycled all the liquor boxes. A few more things happened in there, too, but it all seems like it was so long ago!
To our dismay, we didn’t figure out how to create a super amazing slide show with some awesome befores and afters. Dang. We will persist and it will happen. Maybe next week or maybe next year, but we’ll figure it out. In the meantime, here are just a few side by sides from April 2022 to April 2023.
We love how our studio works for us and our clients! It’s an awesome space and we look forward to meeting even more clients who appreciate vintage as much as we do!
Vintage Feature – Retro Royal China
These two vintage patterns, Old Curiosity Shop and Currier and Ives, may be the most recognizable patterns in America. They were produced by Royal China, based out of Sebring, Ohio. Once a powerhouse in the china business, this American company produced over 1700 patterns from 1934-1980s.
From our own collection, we have these two patterns, but we also have patterns that feature florals, gold rims, and ornate designs. On the other end of the spectrum, we have bold, funky patterns that the company produced in the 1950s-1980s. Like many successful companies, Royal China adapted their look based on the times.
While researching this company, we also uncovered that in 1934 Beatrice Miller applied for the bank loan to start this company with her two male partners. She was turned away because sponsoring a woman-owned business was preposterous. Soon after, one of her partners visited the same bank and their loan was approved.
Beatrice was a pioneer in the pottery business and for all women entrepreneurs. Under her leadership and her two male partners, Royal China thrived for the next 50 years. One other side note, their mission was to make affordable china for the general public that were sold in grocery markets, five-and-dime stores, and other small businesses. They were also promotional giveaways for many companies.
Fast forward from the depression era to the 1950s. Royal China launched a new look for their customers. As a sign of the times, the patterns became more whimsical, bold, and colorful. With names like Blue Heaven, Tell Me Yes, Flower Dance, and Leaf Spirit, these patterns spoke to the hip public who wanted more than pretty flowers with gold inlays. Don’t you love the ad with the title, “Meet the Swingers from Royal?”
Although we have patterns from many companies that followed this trend, Royal China leads the pack for us. We are presenting these by their color family – yellows, browns, oranges, blues, blue-greens, and greens. All of these, as you will note, kept to a simple color palette with their bold pattern. Now, let us introduce you to some of our favorite retro patterns!
Hello Yellows!
Casablanca, Jubilee, Damsel, RYL398, Queen’s Rose, Vendome
Buenos Dias BROWNS!
Monterey, Overture, Casa Del Sol, Barcelona, RYL4, Nutmeg, Can Can
Oh la la – ORANGE is next!
Mozambique and Sahara
Bonjour Blues!
Patio, Aurora,Baghdad, Blue Heaven
G’day Greens and Blues!
RYL360, Camelot, RYL86, RYL3, Flower Dance, RYL16
Greetings to the Greens!
RYL 137, RYL325, RYL403
Imagine setting your tables with these super cool, groovy patterns. Along with more retro patterns from other potters in our collection, they will be a natural conversation starter for any event!
