My daughter-in-law is a woman after my own heart. Her style truly is my cup of tea.
Our son, Sam, and Meg recently were married in a charming little venue that reflected their personalities and styles perfectly. A little bit shabby chic, a tad rustic, a dab French vintage. All of which I, too, love.
Always itching for a reason to treasure hunt, I was tickled to death when Meg asked me to help find vintage tea cups and saucers and teapots they could incorporate into their reception table centerpieces. She knows I love to sew, so she also offered me the job of making table runners for the event--an opportunity I jumped on.
Over the course of nearly a year, I collected about 30 teapots. Or, I should say teapots and coffee pots. I added several china coffee pots to the collection to put some height in the mix. Many of the pots were in mint condition, but others were missing lids or had minor chips or blemishes. Not to worry, though. Meg's vision was to fill many of them with fresh flowers and succulents, which would mask most flaws.
At around 50 sets, I lost count of the cup and saucer duos I picked up at local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales. With a self-imposed price limit, the entire collection of cups, saucers and pots cost under $250. The same collection likely would have cost much more where they live.
We originally planned to make the table runners out of painter's drop cloths. In fact, I bought the drop cloths before my sister suggested we use linen fabric like the type she sells in her eclectic Scottsdale store. She was able to get the amount of fabric we needed from one of her sources.
The linen is vintage and comes from France and Belgium. As you can see in the photo, it is used and each roll had its varying degree of stains. The flaws only added to the charm of the settings. The rolls were the perfect width for the wedding tables and were already finished on the sides. All I had to do was cut the lengths to fit and hem the ends. Much easier that cutting and finishing all the edges of the drop cloth.
Brilliant idea, Sis, and much more charming than the original idea.
I have long been our family's unofficial photographer. If you take a lot of photos for your family events, you know how much of the experience you miss when you're stuck behind the camera. For the wedding weekend, I gave myself permission to put my camera down so I wouldn't miss a moment of this special time. That meant I personally didn't capture any photos of the finished wedding reception tables (or the dress rehearsal dinner decor I created--which I'll blog about another day).
Fortunately, the wedding photographer captured some shots of the decor. Thanks to
Al Gawlik Photography, we do have some photos of how the pretty tables turned out. All of the wedding day photos in this post are shown courtesy of Al and Amy Gawlik.
The venue was small, seating only 100, but oh, so charming. Original rough wood floors and an original brick wall, set the tone for the wedding decor. The space was decorated with antique pieces that doubled as serving surfaces and backdrops for the ceremony and reception.
Vintage books added to the nostalgic feel of the table decor and reflected the style of the old, restored venue. The French linen runners tied the centerpieces together.
My son and his friend brewed the beer for the reception, shown in the brown bottle in the middle of the centerpiece.
The photographers took more pictures of the tables. I'll share some of them when I get them later this month.
Collecting tea cups and teapots was so much fun. Until I did this, I never dreamed the variety I'd find. We're driving to Texas to visit the newlyweds in a few weeks. Because they don't have space to keep this eclectic collection, I get to bring them home with me. I look forward to incorporating some of them into my own decor!
Make it a great day!
