We were so sad to hear the news last week that our friends at Claxton Farm had lost their event facility due to a devastating fire. We have had such fun working with them over the years and couldn't believe our ears when the news was announced. Asheville is blessed to have many wonderful venues but more than that, each venue owner has a beautiful heart with a willingness to help others when the chips are down for another owner.
This last Saturday we helped M7 at Claxton Farm provide their final bride of the season with the beautiful wedding she had hoped for, here on The Farm. The bride was a dream !!! she was calm and unflustered and went about doing what she needed to do to make her wedding come off as if she had planned it this way all along. It takes some doing to change your venue, for one thing you need to provide not only new directions for all your guests but for your vendors as well. Everyone worked as a team and in their words here is what they had to say:
"The wedding on Saturday was absolutely perfect. The ceremony site was gorgeous as Ashley walked down the aisle - the sun just peaking through the leaves-very magical. The clients were amazed at how smoothly the day ran . Their guests said over and over that no one would ever know that any plan had changed! You have such a wonderful team and I know you're proud of each other!
I cannot thank each of you enough for working with us so quickly and efficiently to make the event happen as planned - we simply could not have kept the client as satisfied without your kindness and hard work!!" Maria Atkins M7 Event Solutions and Catering.
It takes a team to make things work . WE ALL did what we do best .... making sure our brides are happy ...and if the shoe had been on the other foot I know for sure that M7 at Claxton Farm would have done the same for us here at The Farm in Candler. Thank you to everyone who played a part in this adventure and for working so hard to make it happen.
215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler NC 28715
Monday, November 09, 2009
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Bride's Book Award given to The Farm
The Farm was awarded the Reader's choice Award for 2009!!! This award is a credential given once a year and we are proud to accept it. We are service orientated and strive to make our brides special day just that, a seamless, stressfree day so they can enjoy their family and friends without worrying about forgotten rings, garters, cakecutting utensils, the bride and groom's tablecloth that was damaged by a guest spilling wine all over it.....yes all that in one wedding and our staff was there to handle it all without the bride and groom having a inkling ( except for the grooms ring. The bride used our staffmembers ring !!) Now that is SERVICE!!!! That is only one day here at The Farm but we have variations on the theme all year long.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Farm's Moose is Loose
After 5 years of gracing the fireplace of The Farm, Bullwinkle is gone. Some of us miss him, others are glad he isn't showing up in their pictures. We have listened to our brides and some grooms for that matter and have made the change in an effort to have a more photo friendly venue. We are also making an effort to upscale our look inside by thinning out the antiques around the room so they don't take over the pictures. Bullwinkle will have a new home in Virginia at our Eagle Crest Lodge and home in Abingdon.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Asheville Cabins at The Farm
Three months ago we started building our cabins....they get their last inspection next week... so we should be ready to rent by July 10. We have 2 fireplaces one inside and one outside ( both are wood burning), a morning kitchen, and jacuzzi tub. check out our blog for more pictures at ashevillecabins-bev.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Addressing invitations
Addressing invitations is not one of those short quickly done jobs when you are preparing for a wedding. Not only do you have the outside envelope to address, but you also have an inner envelope to consider. Handwritten addresses are a must, printed labels are not appropriate. Depending on the formality of your wedding and your handwriting skills you may choose to have a professional calligrapher or it is becoming acceptable to address directly on your envelopes by computer in calligraphy style .
Here is the fast track invitation etiquette:
l. Don't wait until the last minute to get started on your list of addresses. It can take time to compile addresses, spellings and titles; to say nothing of getting your families lists!!!
2. The professional title is written out as in "Doctor" not "Dr". If the husband is a doctor your invitation will read "Doctor and Mrs John Jones", if the wife is a doctor but her husband is not the invitation will read "Doctor Heather Lloyd and Mr. Jeremy Lloyd" . If both are doctors you would write " The Doctors Gottfried". If they have different professional titles the wife should be listed first. If the wife of a couple has kept her maiden name her name should appear first and be joined with her husband's using "and".
3. All words in an address on the envelope should be spelled out. House numbers smaller than twenty should be spelled out. Two exceptions to the formal writing out of titles are ... "Mr., Mrs., or Miss." and... because the Post Office prefers the use of two-letter state abbreviations and no comma between the city and state, it is fine to use that form of abbreviation if you wish.
4. The return address should be on the back flap of the envelope and should have all words spelled out.
5.The whole idea of the outer and inner envelope is to make sure that if the outer envelope gets torn the invitation will still be pristine inside the inner envelope. Having said that, it is not necessary to have an inner envelope.
6. Use of the inner envelope beyond the preservation of the invitation is to write the names of intimate relatives and lifelong friends in informal and familial terms such as "Grandmother" or "Auntie Violet and Uncle Elmer." Over thirteen years of age children should receive separate invitations. young sisters and brothers may be sent a joint invitation addressed to "The Misses Jones" or "The Messrs. Jones" on the outer envelope , with" Johnny, Joey and Jimmy" written on the inner envelope. If the children are not on the outer nor on the ( if used) inner envelope they are not invited....If they are invited their names should appear on one or the other envelopes. A quick rule of thumb...when writing on the inner envelope dispense with the first name and write"Doctor Jordan" or for a lawyer"Ms. Mann " instead of the formal "Ms. Joan Mann, Esquire", one more "The Honorable Sam Lantz"on the outer envelope would be "Judge Lantz" on the inner envelope.
No matter what, get organized a month before the send- out date . The invitations should be sent out at least six to eight weeks before the wedding in order to get your guests response 2 - 3 weeks before the wedding. Your event space, ceremony space and caterer will love you for being organized and giving them time to prepare for your fabulous day.
I referenced:
EmilyPost's Wedding Etiquette
Lesley Porcelli, Addressing and Mailing Invitations
Here is the fast track invitation etiquette:
l. Don't wait until the last minute to get started on your list of addresses. It can take time to compile addresses, spellings and titles; to say nothing of getting your families lists!!!
2. The professional title is written out as in "Doctor" not "Dr". If the husband is a doctor your invitation will read "Doctor and Mrs John Jones", if the wife is a doctor but her husband is not the invitation will read "Doctor Heather Lloyd and Mr. Jeremy Lloyd" . If both are doctors you would write " The Doctors Gottfried". If they have different professional titles the wife should be listed first. If the wife of a couple has kept her maiden name her name should appear first and be joined with her husband's using "and".
3. All words in an address on the envelope should be spelled out. House numbers smaller than twenty should be spelled out. Two exceptions to the formal writing out of titles are ... "Mr., Mrs., or Miss." and... because the Post Office prefers the use of two-letter state abbreviations and no comma between the city and state, it is fine to use that form of abbreviation if you wish.
4. The return address should be on the back flap of the envelope and should have all words spelled out.
5.The whole idea of the outer and inner envelope is to make sure that if the outer envelope gets torn the invitation will still be pristine inside the inner envelope. Having said that, it is not necessary to have an inner envelope.
6. Use of the inner envelope beyond the preservation of the invitation is to write the names of intimate relatives and lifelong friends in informal and familial terms such as "Grandmother" or "Auntie Violet and Uncle Elmer." Over thirteen years of age children should receive separate invitations. young sisters and brothers may be sent a joint invitation addressed to "The Misses Jones" or "The Messrs. Jones" on the outer envelope , with" Johnny, Joey and Jimmy" written on the inner envelope. If the children are not on the outer nor on the ( if used) inner envelope they are not invited....If they are invited their names should appear on one or the other envelopes. A quick rule of thumb...when writing on the inner envelope dispense with the first name and write"Doctor Jordan" or for a lawyer"Ms. Mann " instead of the formal "Ms. Joan Mann, Esquire", one more "The Honorable Sam Lantz"on the outer envelope would be "Judge Lantz" on the inner envelope.
No matter what, get organized a month before the send- out date . The invitations should be sent out at least six to eight weeks before the wedding in order to get your guests response 2 - 3 weeks before the wedding. Your event space, ceremony space and caterer will love you for being organized and giving them time to prepare for your fabulous day.
I referenced:
EmilyPost's Wedding Etiquette
Lesley Porcelli, Addressing and Mailing Invitations
Friday, April 03, 2009
wedding cake cutting
I promised I would write an article on how to cut a wedding cake. It really is quite an art but one you can have one of your friends read up on so they can do it for your wedding. It really is fun and in some instances cheaper to have a friend do this for you than to pay someone on the catering staff to do it.
When to cut the cake:
at a sitdown dinner ---cutting is done before dessert is served.
at a luncheon, tea or cocktail --- close to the end of the reception
It is a good idea to notify the caterer and photographer in advance as to the approximate time you plan to cut your cake so they will be ready to do their jobs ie. removing the cake after the official cutting by the Bride and Groom if the cake is to be served from the kitchen and for pictures by the photographer.
cutting the cake :
The Bride puts her hand on the cake knife handle first, the groom puts his hand over top of hers. It is easiest if they cut the bottom layer making two cuts and removing a small slice and moving it to a small plate with two forks.
First bites:
The Groom feeds the bride first and she feeds him second. The tradition is to symbolize their commitment to share with and support each other , and it is NOT appropriate to smash cake in each others faces.
Slices for parents:
It is a nice gesture if the bride and groom cut cake slices for their parents. The bride serving his parents and the groom serving hers. After which the cake may be whisked away to be cut and served to the guests or the official cutter may start serving guests.
Top Layer:
If you want to save the top layer of the cake let the server know so it will be removed and not served to guests.
Cake cutting 101 :
About 2 inches in from the outside, cut all the way around the bottom layer ( the cut runs parallel to the outside of the layer, circle like) Individual slices are cut from this section, and each is lifted onto a cake plate to be served. Sometimes if the bottom layer is very wide you will do this process two times around so the bottom layer is the same size as the second layer. Before moving up to the second layer you may need to remove the cake topper for the bride and groom to save for a latter time. Move to the second layer and continue by again cutting two inches in ( parallel to the outside of this layer ) cutting the individual slices as before until that layer has all been served and cardboard/plastic removed . Move to the next layer down ( which is the center of the bottom layer that you started with) and continue as above until all the cake has been served. Just a note on hygiene, it is a good idea for the cutters to use plastic gloves as sometimes it is necessary to touch the cake slices as they are being moved to the plate. Another good idea is to have a wet, clean towel to periodically clean the cake knife to assure smooth cake pieces .
Of course you have other options to this whole cake cutting process:
You can display a frosted cardboard or foam-core "faux" cake and have sheet cake served from the kitchen ( a much cheaper option ), choose cupcakes, ice cream, dessert table including a spread of pastries, cookies, fruits, cheeses, mini desserts, family ethnic specialty or your favorite dessert.
When to cut the cake:
at a sitdown dinner ---cutting is done before dessert is served.
at a luncheon, tea or cocktail --- close to the end of the reception
It is a good idea to notify the caterer and photographer in advance as to the approximate time you plan to cut your cake so they will be ready to do their jobs ie. removing the cake after the official cutting by the Bride and Groom if the cake is to be served from the kitchen and for pictures by the photographer.
cutting the cake :
The Bride puts her hand on the cake knife handle first, the groom puts his hand over top of hers. It is easiest if they cut the bottom layer making two cuts and removing a small slice and moving it to a small plate with two forks.
First bites:
The Groom feeds the bride first and she feeds him second. The tradition is to symbolize their commitment to share with and support each other , and it is NOT appropriate to smash cake in each others faces.
Slices for parents:
It is a nice gesture if the bride and groom cut cake slices for their parents. The bride serving his parents and the groom serving hers. After which the cake may be whisked away to be cut and served to the guests or the official cutter may start serving guests.
Top Layer:
If you want to save the top layer of the cake let the server know so it will be removed and not served to guests.
Cake cutting 101 :
About 2 inches in from the outside, cut all the way around the bottom layer ( the cut runs parallel to the outside of the layer, circle like) Individual slices are cut from this section, and each is lifted onto a cake plate to be served. Sometimes if the bottom layer is very wide you will do this process two times around so the bottom layer is the same size as the second layer. Before moving up to the second layer you may need to remove the cake topper for the bride and groom to save for a latter time. Move to the second layer and continue by again cutting two inches in ( parallel to the outside of this layer ) cutting the individual slices as before until that layer has all been served and cardboard/plastic removed . Move to the next layer down ( which is the center of the bottom layer that you started with) and continue as above until all the cake has been served. Just a note on hygiene, it is a good idea for the cutters to use plastic gloves as sometimes it is necessary to touch the cake slices as they are being moved to the plate. Another good idea is to have a wet, clean towel to periodically clean the cake knife to assure smooth cake pieces .
Of course you have other options to this whole cake cutting process:
You can display a frosted cardboard or foam-core "faux" cake and have sheet cake served from the kitchen ( a much cheaper option ), choose cupcakes, ice cream, dessert table including a spread of pastries, cookies, fruits, cheeses, mini desserts, family ethnic specialty or your favorite dessert.
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