Mildale Farm : Kansas City Reception Site

Located just off I-35 outside of Gardner, Kansas, Mildale Farm is a pristine example of country living.  It is perfect for hosting an all-inclusive rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and reception close to Kansas City.  The property consists of a large 'stable' that was custom built for the wedding of the original owners' daughter, complete with a beautiful brick floor, iron lantern fixtures and a stunning lofted exposed beam ceiling.

This is the view of the barn from the brick drive.  All of the brick on the farm was taken from the old stock yards in downtown Kansas City. 

Look at the amazing brick floor and beams!

On the property sits two guest homes - The Estate, sleeps 14, and The Cottage, sleeps 6 - that are available for use.  Rental packages for the entire estate are Thursday - Monday... such a lovely treat for your family to be able to stay on the property for a mini vacation!

The brick patio of The Estate home is often used as the rehearsal dinner venue.

This is the view on the way up to the homes and to the barn.

The guest cottage is completely charming - don't you think?!

The event planner, Keri, said that nothing is off limits - you can even fish in the ponds or use the fire pit!
The property is 22 acres - all lined with white fences : )

Eddie Ross : Coming to Kansas City

Eddie Ross (designer, trend-setter, home stylist...  all around enviable) is coming to Kansas City to lead a workshop at Creative Candles.  He will demonstrate how to effectively use candles and flowers to set the perfect table.  Read more about Eddie Ross below.  Click Here for more information about the workshop. 

From the About section of EddieRoss.com...

"A native of Greenwich, CT and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Eddie began his career working in television, as a food editor on Martha Stewart Living and later as Associate Design Director for all in-house production at Food Network.

After a two-year stint running his own catering company, where he continued to refine his skills in decorating and entertaining, Eddie made the move to publishing. As Associate Decorating Editor at House Beautiful, he produced the popular “Weekend Shopper,” a monthly article in which he’d travel to flea markets around the country, finding new ways to use old things.

As the Senior Style Editor of Martha Stewart Living, Eddie continued to demonstrate a vast and impressive range of talents. From decorating and entertaining to food styling and flowers, Eddie produced consistently elegant stories that related to a variety of people’s tastes and budgets.

In 2008, after an appearance on Bravo's reality competition show Top Design, Eddie, along with his partner Jaithan Kochar, a graduate of Stanford University and the Rhode Island School of Design, founded Eddie Ross, Inc. Together, they offer styling services, guided flea market shopping trips, and vintage tabletop and gifttware, all for less than $100. 

They also produce a daily blog at eddieross.com with inspirational tips and information on how to cook, craft, decorate, and entertain both beautifully and affordably.

Lexington Photo Shoot

As you may or may not know, I grew up in the country... more specifically, Lexington, Mo. Today, while browsing photographers' blogs, I came across of one my high school friend's engagement photos that happen to be shot in one of my Dad's farms. Look at these fantastic images by Hawes Photography & Design.

Natasha's Mulberry & Mott : New website

Natasha's Mulberry & Mott has launched their new website,  http://www.natashasmulberryandmott.com

Here is an excerpt from their "About Us" section...

ABOUT US

The mother/daughter team of Vicki and Natasha Goellner, opened their first patisserie in Kansas City, Missouri in 2005 and moved across the state line to charming Mission Farms, Leawood, Kansas in November 2008. Executive Chef Natasha Goellner received her Grand Diploma in Pastry Arts, from the French Culinary Institute (2004), in SoHo, New York City, and she currently serves as an ambassador for the FCI. With her background in fine art, and her training in New York, every cake and pastry is a masterpiece of culinary art. Her travels to Europe and appreciation of beautiful gardens, fashion, and European pastry shops inspires her to create one-of-a-kind delicacies. Natasha has been written about in numerous magazines including KC Magazines "One of the thirteen people to watch in Kansas City." She has also been on TV and radio, and was one of the artists featured in KCPT's 5-part television series, Uniquely Kansas City.

OUR STAFF

Alongside Natasha and Vicki in the pastry kitchen is Clare Lapping, another FCI (2008) alum, whose french oh ho's, marzipan figures, and Alice's "eat me" cookies have become customer favorites. Heather Rayburn is our front of the house manager as well as baking alongside theFCI alums, and you can see her artistry in all the handcrafted tags and labels she makes for Mulberry & Mott. Sadly, Caylin, our youngest chef, is leaving for college in the fall after 3 years of working at Natasha's. Margaret and our baristas hold down the front of the patisserie so the chefs can make magic in the kitchen. Our carefully selected staff prepare desserts, and pastries daily, and the menu is seasonal so it changes all the time and at the whim of the chefs.

Country Charm and Uptown Style : Design Board

This is a color palette I've been working on for my next wedding.  Both the ceremony and the reception is being held at The Willhoughby Design Barn.  As you can see from the photos, there is a 100-year-old house that sits on the property as well as a brand new barn.  The mix of styles is perfect for this couple - a country boy and a city girl.  So, in our design, we'll mix clean modern styles with relaxed charm of the country.   For example : Guests will be greeted with a program featuring modern, clean flowers and a glass of country time lemonade.  Isn't that fun?!

More to come on this fantastic upcoming Kansas City Real wedding!

DIY : How to Make a Bouquet

The following is a tutorial courtesy of Wedding Bee Pro!

"How to Make a Bouqet" by Kate Parker of Kate Parker Weddings

"1. Processing flowers: Flowers are ordered from numerous countries around the world and are delivered to the studio in large boxes. They are packed either in 10 stem bunches or if they’re roses, they will be packed 25 to a sleeve. Each flower will have to be stripped of its leaves and thorns, cut and placed immediately in water to hydrate, and then they will be ready to use. Depending on the type and number of flowers you’re working with, processing can take anywhere from an hour to one or two days.
2. Selecting the flowers: For a bridal bouquet, you can only use the very best blossoms. I usually like to over order my flowers by about 5% to guarantee we’ll have a great selection to go through when it’s time to pick the bride’s flowers.

3. Creating the shape: Some bouquets are easier than others. If hydrangea is involved, it creates a base for the other flowers to be placed within. If you’re using smaller blossoms- roses, tulips, lilacs, etc, they have to be individually placed to form a small cluster. Once you’ve gotten a base to work off of, you pick alternating types of flowers and place them around the bouquet in the open spaces, trying to keep the bouquet as evenly round as you can. Sometimes it’s easier to wrap the bouquet in floral tape in multiple stages for better handling.

4. Completing the shape: Once you’ve used all the flowers you need, check the bouquet in a mirror to make sure it’s completely round, or the shape you’re trying to achieve. Sometimes I’ll catch Kate Sauer, our floral designer, asking someone in the office to hold the bouquet to get an even better sense of its shape and size. If there’s a gap somewhere, now is the time to fill it in with an additional flower.

5. Wrapping the bouquet: We like to use rubber bands first to get a nice tight grip on the stems. Next, we’ll wrap in green floral tape to create the smooth surface the ribbon will cover. Finally, we will wrap the bouquet with ribbon, starting at the top of the stems and working our way to the bottom. We will always glue the end of the ribbon over
and then attach it to the rest of the ribbon with pins. If there’s a special ribbon embellishment- a ballet wrap or a simple overlay- we will attach that now as well.

6. Spray-down, storage, and presentation: I might be a little over the top when it comes to spraying flowers with water, but it is a policy in my studio to constantly keep our flowers hydrated both from their stems being in fresh water and by spraying the flower blossoms themselves. We keep all of our personal flowers in the cooler in vases of water and present our brides with their bouquets still in water until the last minute to keep them as fresh as possible. We always bring a towel to dry the stems off before everyone walks down the aisle.

KDog Photographers & Olive Events

Two Bliss List members, Kdog & Olive Events teamed up at a recent wedding... featured on The Kdog Blog! 

Olive Events does a fantastic job of creating artful, yet very tasty (very!) food.  They are amazing at creating the ultra trendy 'mini desserts' that are all the rage... check out more examples of their bite size treats on the Olive Events & Catering Blog. 

Kansas City Wedding : Crossroads/Downtown Rooftop Ceremony

While browsing Jason Domingues' website, http://www.dominguesphotography.com/, I came across this fantastic image of a downtown rooftop wedding... what a great idea!

Check out Jason's website and blog - he has a very artistic style that produces beautiful images.  

The Berg Event Space : Real Wedding

Adrienne Maples has posted a new Real wedding reception that was held at The Berg Event Space... I love the bright red lanterns!

To view all of the photos, visit Adrienne Maples' Blog. 

Kansas City Wedding : Matt & Emily

I've posted my most recent KC Real Wedding... Emily & Matt.  This was such a fabulous wedding - enjoy the photos!

To see all of the photos, visit the KC Real Wedding Gallery above. 

Coordinating : me, Jenny Steffens, creator of the Bliss List

Floral Design : STUDIO Dan Meiners

Cake : Natasha's Mulberry & Mott

Limo : Pech Limo

Ceremony : Our Lady of Sorrows

Reception : The Intercontinental Rooftop Ballroom

Lilah Paper... the cutest i've ever seen : )

Isn't this the most charming stationery suite you've ever seen?  I'd love to attend this wedding... I imagine it intimate, personal and sweet - everything a wedding should be!  

Thanks to Lilah Paper - Bliss List Member - for sharing!  

Adrienne Maples : New Wedding Photos : Hotel President

Adrienne Maples has posted a new wedding this week!  The ceremony & reception was at The President Hotel in downtown Kansas City.  Click here to see all of the photos!

Design Board : Pewter, Oyster, Ivory & Cantaloupe

As I continue to post about my most recent wedding, I'd like to take you back where we started... the design board.  Whether your "design board" is a binder of magazine tear sheets, or a jpeg, it is always good to put your signature ideas in one place.  Look at them often, and share the elements with all of your vendors.  For example, your cake bakery should know what your flowers are, what your dress looks like and see invitation samples.  Seeing all of your wedding elements help them be creative and think of ideas to suit your wedding!

The above board was for the "French Heirloom Chic" wedding at The Intercontinental.  I'll be posting the photographer's photos later this week - you can see how our design board came to life!