elegant-eclectic

Let's Talk Trends!

Thu, 08 May 2025 20:20:41 GMT

Incorporating YOU into your design!

Let’s Talk Trends

Incorporating YOU into your design!

Okay, so let’s talk trends! And it’s probably not what you're expecting me to say!

We all know that trends come and trends go! Some are fabulous and should stick around forever, while others should disappear as fast as they can, hopefully to never be seen again for at least 14 lifetimes, right?!

Something that is true in both interior design, which I have a history in, and weddings, is that trends are temporary, popular elements, often pushed by social media and magazines, and typically come and go quickly. Many trends are fresh, innovative, and super fun to incorporate. Current Styles on the other hand is more of an overall aesthetic that is widely accepted and utilized. Nothing wrong with either one, and it can be great design to embrace elements of both for certain!

BUT, and this is the big but! Regardless of what is trending and regardless of what is “current,” your design should also reflect YOU!! I see this fear, per se, to veer a bit from what everyone else is doing quite frequently. Too frequently. This doesn’t mean that we totally disregard the current styles or ignore the latest trends, because they are great in their own way and invaluable as a foundation - or even on their own if that is what YOU TRULY LOVE! Because ultimately, it’s YOUR day and should be a reflection of what IS important to you and your dream ! And it shouldn’t mean we disregard what our mom thinks, our best friend thinks, or even what our wedding planner thinks either, but what I see quite often is individuals afraid to personalize or choose the colors & designs they love and veer a tad off the road of what everyone else thinks they should do.

I’ve said this for a long time in interior design and the same holds true for weddings - you can be completely current and stylish while at the same time totally reflecting your personal taste and individuality. Just because everyone else is painting their walls the latest shade of gray but gray is not your thing, don’t be afraid to use a color that you love more! You’re the one that has to look at them every day! Same is true in weddings. You’re the one who will look at those pictures for decades to come! It’s YOUR day. So make it your day! Have no regrets!

So! How do we do this? Well, let’s say you love Llamas! (Yes, it’s a thing! Not my thing, but it’s a thing!). And your fiance loves Llamas. So you want to incorporate them into your wedding. Go for it! I’d just say it might not be the greatest idea to include cute little Llama figurines into all your floral arrangements and Llama print napkins at every setting (but I guess you could!) And I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the Llama petting zoo spitting grossness all over your guests' beautiful attire (though llamas have been known to show up at weddings!) But you could definitely custom design a cake topper and invitations that include Llamas, as well as incorporate the natural colors of the animals into your decor. Integrate them in a tasteful way into your overall vibe. Personalize it!

The point is, don’t be afraid to be you and to include elements that are special to you . Remember the old adage “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?” Well, the borrowed, the old….they could be something of special importance to you …..even like borrowing Llamas! (or renting vintage dishes - hint hint!)

I did a wedding a couple of years back in downtown Nashville. The sweetest musician couple ever! Music was a HUGE part of their lives and music as we know holds a gazillion memories, right?! So they put the names of artists' that held special memories to them as a couple on vinyl records and incorporated that into their floral centerpieces. These even doubled as table numbers! (“You’re sitting at Dierks Bentley’s table today!”) It was genius, personalized and a great conversation starter. They also used a song from their first concert they attended together - Hall and Oates - for a very fun recessional!

So while you don’t have to buck all the trends and styles whatsoever, know that you don’t have to compromise your dreams and personalization either! Embrace them both and have fun with it! Let that be my little tidbit of encouragement to you today!

I think YOU need a Tea Party!!

Fri, 02 May 2025 23:18:37 GMT

Think of all the Reasons to Have a Tea Party!

I think YOU need to have a Tea Party!!

So honestly, what comes to mind when you think of a tea party? For many that thought immediately goes to a Mother’s Day Tea, an English Garden or perhaps something very formal…. and it can be that, and it can also be SO MUCH MORE!! There are a plethora of reasons to have a tea party and The Elegant Eclectic is right here with all the rentals and supplies to help you every step of the way!

Here’s a few creative reasons for YOUR next tea party!

BRIDAL PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT!

You are newly engaged and have chosen all your sisters and besties to stand up beside you for your biggest day ever! What a fun, creative way to celebrate asking them to be in your bridal party than by surprising them with a tea party and then announcing “Hey! Will you be my bridesmaid?!” You don’t have to gather anything together (unless you have a few special pieces you’d like to include!) You can rent it all and I’ll set it up and break it all down! Think scrumptious food, celebratory mimosas, and classical versions of Bruno Mars’ “Marry Me” playing in the background!

BRIDAL SHOWER!!

The bride’s extra special so why not make the bridal shower extra special too!! Imagine her mom, her new mom-to-be, grandma and all the aunts, cousins, and besties gathering together, dressed up fancy, sipping on tea, toasting champagne in little vintage champagne coupes all while honoring the beautiful bride-to-be! Use all the props The Elegant Eclectic supplies and take memorable pictures with fun parasols, scarves, beads and fancy hats & gloves.

TEA WITH THE BRIDE-TO-BE!

You're the maid of honor and you need to come up with something creative! How ‘bout an afternoon of girl time & wedding planning while enjoying a fun signature drink and specialty teas! We can hand-select china and linens to match the wedding colors or go with the beautiful classic wedding palette of whites, creams & golds!

GALENTINE’S TEA PARTY!

Share a little love with the besties and enjoy an afternoon of fancy girl time! Who needs a guy right?! Dress in your best, enjoy tea time with beautiful china, pink & red goblets, heart-shaped candy bowls full of delicious chocolate (we all know calories don’t count on holidays!) , and platters full of chocolate covered strawberries & cute little heart-shaped sandwiches! Don’t forget the roses!

MOTHER’S DAY (or anytime you want to honor the special moms in your life!)

Whether it’s Mother’s Day, Grandma’s birthday or simply an opportunity to thank the mom in your life for all she’s done, hosting a tea party in her honor will definitely be appreciated and special. Serve all her favorite teas and treats, use her favorite colors and flowers, and include unique family treasures and photographs to make her feel extra loved!

TOO-SOON-TO-THINK BABY??!!

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes “someone” with the baby carriage,” right!? Baby Shower Tea Parties are the CUTEST! Think of all the themes: “Tea for a new Cutie!,” “Tea for Momma-to-be!” or how ‘bout “A Baby is Brewing!” We have lots of pink glasses! We have lots of blue glasses! We even have those cute vintage ceramic pots in baby styles! We can custom pull tea ware to fit boy or girl parties!!

BRIDGERTON THEMED TEA PARTY!

Love Bridgerton? (Or even Anne of Green Gables!) Everything from your invitations to the dress code to the food, games and music can all reflect your theme! Oh just think of the GOSSIP Lady Whistledown could write about! The girl talk, in the garden, dressed in beautiful dresses, eating delectables while sipping English tea! Throw in plenty of Bridgerton inspired music and the perfect day is at your fingertips!

MINISTRY INSPIRED TEAS!

Whether your goal is to inspire volunteers, celebrate the conclusion of a Bible Study, honor a specific segment of your population in your church or ministry, or perhaps raise funds and awareness, a ministry-based tea party is a lovely option. Teas such as these are often complemented with instrumentalists, special singers, guest speakers, prayer and reflection.

CHRISTMAS TEA!

For many years when my daughters were growing up our church held a Mother-Daughter Christmas Tea! The girls looked forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful Christmas dresses and having a special night out with mom & their friends. Think elegant linens, festive centerpieces, a holiday program, special music and sharing wonderful conversation around candlelit tables with delicious teas, ciders and treats! Perhaps there’s a take-home ornament at each setting to commemorate the evening! (And the organizers will love not having to scramble to find enough dishes or sort out whose is whose later if you rent from me!)

SWEET 16! (or 21, 40, 60…. 80!)

Celebrate the birthday girl - whatever her age - with a splendid afternoon tea! A balloon arch, cute bunting and lots of flowers in her favorite colors would be perfect additions! As would ice cream, served in our cute little vintage sherbet glasses of course! Include some of our old fashioned yard games, tea party games or perhaps even a fun craft and everyone will have a delightful day they’ll long remember!

Whatever your special celebration might be, The Elegant Eclectic is here to help! We will come to you, wherever you are, set it all up and break it all down! Less work for you means more time for you to enjoy yourself! Remember we offer lots of props, fun tea party games, yard games if you’d like them, even a tea party etiquette lesson! We'll customize your event to your needs!

Reach out! Let’s talk!

Top Reasons to Rent vs. DIY

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 06:04:55 GMT

Top Reasons to Rent vs. D.I.Y!

Top Reasons to RENT your dishes rather than DIY-ing them

(or even using Plastic!)

Over the years I have occasionally been asked the very legitimate question "Why shouldn't I just buy everything myself instead of spending money on renting" Honestly, I get it! And that's what I did for my daughters wedding years ago and what ultimately catapulted me into this business to start with. I talk about that a little in my "About" section of my website. I'll say this, it was definitely a bit of an undertaking that I'm not sure I would ever do again!! And while it's certainly an option for some people, and can even be fun in the process, there's truly a lot more to it than might meets the eye.

All that being said, I thought it would be helpful to compile a list of my top reasons to RENT your dishes (and even decor) rather than DOING IT ALL YOURSELVES! (Or even using plastic!)

1.Buying them is honestly much more expensive!

Sure, you might get lucky and score some items at a yard sale or have 8 or 10 settings gifted from your aunt but most of the time that’s not the case! Goodwill wants as much, or more often, more per item than you can rent them for! Nor do they typically have the quality or quantity you’re looking for!

2. Time!

Unless your event is small, say less than 50, it’ll take a pretty long time to find what you’re looking for and you’ll spend a ton of time and gas running around finding them. Plus if you rent, you won’t have to stress when you are short items a week before the wedding (speaking from experience!)!

3. Impulse Buying!

If you rent them you won’t spend extra money finding things you WEREN’T looking for ~ and probably didn’t really need ~ every time you enter a store!

4. Difficulty Finding Items

Some specialty items, especially many vintage or retro pieces, are honestly difficult to find. Quality items cost way more than the rental cost, at least 3-4 times more and then some. When you rent from me, I’ve already sourced all the items and have been buying them for years.

5 . Marketplace Headaches

You won’t have to drive all over the county, or the next one over, buying off Marketplace! Nor will you have to coordinate schedules with the sellers! Or worse, find something you want only to have someone else buy it first!

6.Reselling Headaches

If you rent you won’t have to try to resell anything later ... and put up with Marketplace buyers ghosting you or trying to coordinate pickup times. I’ve known a couple who DIY’d their wedding dishes and several years later were frustrated that they STILL hadn’t sold everything they bought, all the while taking up space in storage!

7. Washing

You won’t have to go home and remove annoying stickers and WASH them! Every. Single. Piece!!! This holds true for both new and used items. Every piece I buy is ALWAYS thoroughly washed before it ever can be used! I've already done all the work!

8. Storage

You won’t have to store them. And storage space gets eaten up quickly! Plus you’ll need packing materials to wrap them in = more $$. You’ll need crates and/or totes = more $$. Trust me! Boxes are NOT ideal. Dishes get HEAVY and boxes often break ~ especially when transporting dishes when they’re wet or soiled after your event.

9. Work and more time!

If you RENT you’ll never have to WASH any of them! Not before, and definitely not after when they’re covered in grimy food and drinks! Nor will your friends & family! They get to just come to your wedding and dance the night away! Weddings are busy enough without having to pack up dishes, take them home, wash them and repack them. Consider renting dishes as a gift to your mom, your sisters, aunts, best friends! Don’t make them do all that work!

10. Less Stress

With so much on everyone’s plate (pun intended!) on the day of the wedding already, having a rental company come in with all the dishes, set your tables, then later bus and break them down and load them out is a HUGE time-saving, stress-reducing service! (Set-up and bussing are optional services I offer, but services that the majority of my clients utilize!) You won’t have to think about how to transport anything to or from your venue either.

11. Plastic, hmmm...

So why not plastic, you know, just buying disposable? You can, and there’s nothing wrong with that, sometimes it’s even a very legitimate choice. But keep in mind that disposable dishes first off, aren't nearly as pretty! But typically they also don't hold the weight of food properly, certainly not as well as real dishes, and those that do can cost plenty. And the flatware? Let's be honest, who hasn’t experienced the inconvenience of a broken plastic fork in the middle of your meal! Probably not what you want for your guests!

12. Environmentally Friendly

And for the environmentally conscious, renting, as opposed to using disposable, means less plastic in the landfill and is truly the epitome of reuse/recycle!

13. First Impressions!

And lastly, envision your guests first impression when they walk into your reception and consider that a gift to them! A beautifully set table with real dishes, maybe even beautiful vintage dishes, perhaps topped off with a thoughtful thank you gift at each setting, simply elevates their wedding experience! ! have heard guests' positive reactions countless times! A beautiful setting truly creates an even more enjoyable time and lasting memories!

Reach Out! Let’s Talk!