Summer Time Blue at The Vault

Brittany and Jeff
Selected Photos by Root Photography *

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Even though Brittany had grown up in the Tampa area, her career took her to Tallahassee . . . not exactly that far away, but none-the-less challenging in planning a summer wedding in her hometown.

Her mom,  Carol, who still resided here,  provided tremendous support being ever conscientious of Brittany's vision for the wedding. Brittany made several important visits back here to tackle design options months prior to her June reception at The Vault. 

It was obvious from the start that Brittany wanted a look and feel to her wedding reception that all her own. And she felt our team could made that happen. Her royal blue and gold color scheme provided lots of options for table and room décor for the reception.

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The ceremony was held at Brittany's home parish church, St. Tim's Catholic in Lutz.

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Although it was a 25 minute drive from the church, The Vault provided the vintage charm she was seeking for the reception. Much of Brittany's décor ideas revolved around the 1920s. In fact, the adjoining space next door (the Lockbox) was the perfect place to start out the celebration with the social hour.

 

Although she was a busy attorney, Brittany found the time to incorporate many DIY elements in to her reception. From custom signage to hand-made tabletop décor, she represents a growing number of brides who simply want to interject their own style into their special day.

Our staff hand-passed a selection hot and cold hors d'oeuvres favored by the bride and groom. From Cajun Chicken Brochettes to Brushetta, Pretzels and Nacho Cheese Dip, and Black Bean Salsa Tartlets, there was a variety of options for everyone to enjoy.

                                

As the guests entered the lobby of The Vault, they were greeted by a well-organized  place card table

Brittany and Jeff had a great view of the main reception area from their second level hospitality room.

For her three different centerpieces, Brittany worked with our Event Designer, Rita, and our florist, Carmen.  These ranged from the beautiful hurricane globes with gold pillar candles (acquired by Brittany), to the use of several of our in-house glass cylinders and bottles.

In creating her sample guest table look(s), Rita took detailed notes and pictures so that everything could be arranged according to Brittany's wishes.

Carmen incorporated stems of white orchids and small glass cubes of white hydrangea into the settings. The tables simply glowed with golden color from the candle elements.

Each guest was treated to traditional wedding cookies at their place settings.

Uplighting in blue and gold was provided by The Vault.

Brittany even furnished a basket of flip-flops for the dancing later.

Brittany and Jeff decided on a large traditional wedding party head table flocked with fresh floral accents and many of our in-house assorted gold votives.

A towering assortment of miniature cupcakes from Alessi's Bakery awaited the guests after dinner.

Many great memories of Brittany and Jeff's special wedding day!

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Summer Client Open House

Four times a year, we host a special food tasting event for our booked clients. Since we had many new brides and grooms with a wide variety of cuisine interests, we decided to focus on a free spirited approach. We had such a great response for attendance, we had to schedule two sessions which was held at our Citrus Park Studio. 

Our goal was to feature summer seasonal regional foods as well as surprising options in presentation.

Here are some highlights of this colorful, fun afternoon!

 

One of our clients sparked our interest in featuring a guest table in bright pink, green and yellow. While this is not their exact table décor, we embellished a bit to include a mix of solids, polka dots, and damask with hints of silver.

We had the back up napkins for the second session lined up on the wrought iron backdrop next to it.

Our second guest table captured a bright green and orange motif with our popular glass cylinders in the center. We showcased an idea for custom napkin rings as well. 

The second session had a slightly different set of napkins with a butterfly attached.

Our third main guest table was a shabby chic design with clover green and gold damask.

All of our in-house centerpieces were on display.

One of our routine challenges is how to do food presentations in outdoor settings. Since we have several clients considering a Charcuterie display for their social hours, we experimented with a vertical design utilizing our dark wood cabinet. 

With several clients focusing on non-pork options, we incorporated only beef in our main offerings. This included beef pastrami, genoa beef salami, beef pepperoni, and summer sausage. Acruments ranged from gluten free flatbread crackers, bread sticks and baguettes, smoked salmon pate, stone ground mustard, gerkin pickles, apricot jam, chopped hazelnuts, pears, and fresh grapes.  

We felt that the distinct separation between items gave us the option to include a variety of meat types without them touching each other. 

 

We featured a number of hand-passed appetizers including the Aricini Rice Balls with Marinara below.

Providing interesting butler trays is always a challenge. Below, we included our popular demi glace meatballs with pretzel handles. The meatballs contained only beef and turkey. Also, Duxell Stuffed Mushroom Caps (all vegetarian) were also on the same tray without any items touching each other.

 

It is always fun to present standard food items in a unique way. We did this with our Caesar Salad Skewers. Also below are our Firey Watermelon Half Hearts.

 

A big hit was our Grecian Grilled Flatbread with a tangy cream cheese and parmesean topping.

Some of our station-buffet selections were showcased in our new rustic wood chafing dish crates.

Our chicken entrée was Spanish Style with red sauce. Featured pasta was tangy Southwest with mushrooms and diced tomatoes.

 

Another colorful station showcased our Powder Coated Chafing Dish (in the process of getting more manufactured) with Garlicky Smashed Potatoes and BBQ Baked Beans (no meat). 

Our feature station was a Fajita Bar with seasoned vegetables and deep fried catfish.

 

Our last station included Mediterranean Marinated Vegetables and Carved Bourbon Glazed Ham.

We loved interacting with our clients and their guests.

It is always great to have staff members that love what they do as much as we do!