Behind the Scenes: Custom Invites

We do lots of paper product work for our clients, but these invitations for Megan and Tyler were a little more crafty than graphic design-y. We loved coming up with a plan, choosing paper samples, and presenting her with her final product! Enjoy a behind the scenes look at her invites being put together! 

Vendor Spotlight: Style by the Slice

We LOVE Style by the Slice for so many reasons! Tanya, owner and creator of this "Couture Cakery" is an absolute gem. Not only does she welcome you into her shop with a vibrant and hospitable presence, but she usually feeds you cake! And not just any cake, life-changing cake! She was gracious enough to host us for some tasting and some questions about her business. AND she is doing a giveaway with us for a $50 gift certificate to her bakery! See how to enter at the end of the post! 

How long have you been in business? 

Making cakes for 38 years and owning my own business for 22.

What is your favorite part of an average day?

People picking up their cakes! Especially when kids come into the shop and see their cake. Their joy brings me joy. 

What are your most popular cake flavors right now?

Chocolate truffle peanut butter, banana foster and vanilla with fresh strawberry filling. 

What kind of cake design gets you fired up?

Something strange or funky! I love something with a gothic feel or doing a black cake! It's different and I like doing different. 

What are the biggest cake trends you are noticing right now?

The whole "shabby chic" trend. Lots of ruffles and lace details. 

Enjoy these fun behind the scenes photos from our trip to the bakery located at 325 South Patton Avenue Springfield, MO 65806

Here's what we tasted! (from the bottom left going clockwise) - Lemon, vanilla with berry filling, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, white cake with fresh strawberry filling, white chocolate vanilla bean, chocolate truffle peanut butter, turtle, and in the center, banana foster. YUM!

 Employees, Jane and Rochelle, digging in! 

 If you are lost for ideas, Tanya has so many books and photos to look through to get the creative juices flowing. She is great about making suggestions and guiding you to design a perfect cake for what fits your theme and budget. 

Thanks for letting us stop by Tanya!  

Here are a few of our favorite cakes from Style by the Slice recently!

You might recognize this one from the styled shoot we did that was featured on Wedding Chicks. 

And this was Kristi and Jason's cake from their wedding that we planned this fall!

Another amazing thing about Style by the Slice, is Tanya can literally create anything out of cake! Not only are her wedding cakes beautiful, but she does other custom cakes as well. Check these out! 

Ok so to enter the giveaway to win a $50 gift certificate to Style by the Slice Bakery all you have to do is "Like" Style by the Slice and Abby Mitchell Events Facebook pages and then let us know you did on our pages or on here! Winner announced in 1 week! 

Website: www.stylebytheslice.com

Phone: (417) 396-1634

Email: stylebytheslice@yahoo.com

Behind the Scenes: Reception Layouts

Hi friends! Y'all love learning more about layouts! This post has been the most popular one we've had by far in the last 8 years. 

Our business has rebranded from Abby Mitchell Events to Hired Hostess Event Co. and we actually offer a stand alone package to create an event layout for any venue in any location. Feel free to peruse   our current website here or just send me an email at abby@hiredhostess.com for more info.

Original post continued:
Oh man are layouts important! From someone who LOVES a good game-plan, I can barely function without having a layout of an event space. It is what I start each event with.

Here is a behind the scenes look at how we create a layout to coordinate with a wedding design and how we use them to communicate with venues, vendors, and our lovely brides! We start with a layout for each event for many reasons. The main reasons are to see what is possible in the space and what the best locations are for items to create a good flow. It is all about maximizing space. 

We often run into difficult space issues; having a layout is crucial to use to overcome the dilemma. For example, columns are tricky! These couple of layouts helped us know how to strategically place tables to fit the most guests in the space. The final results are possible because of the ability to create a game-plan with a layout!

We also use layouts to help with our design plan. Once we know what will fit in the space, we can assign table numbers and make sure our different centerpiece designs are accurately dispersed. These next two are color coded to help determine centerpiece locations and quantities.

This reception had some complicated centerpieces, so we labeled each table for the florist to know what was what. You can see the differences in the photos below. 

 The final two depict the different linen colors to be used for the rental vendors. For example, lilac on rectangle tables and violet on rounds. And then below, black on all service tables and grey on guest tables.

If you need help with a layout for your event, or have any other planning questions, please feel free to give us a shout! info@abbymitchellevents.com

Happy planning! - Abby