In the South, there are no better beverages of choice than good ole sweet tea or lemonade! It is on every menu at every restaurant, so why not provide an upscale version to your guests on your special day? Here we have provided so visual stimulation from some of our own beverage bars and some wonderful photos from others that could be used for inspiration in designing your own sweet tea or lemonade bar. Enjoy!

These are some lemonade Stations from our very own, A Catered Affair at Cj’s off the Square in Franklin, TN. We added garnishes such as mint, and fruit to make these drinks more festive!

And now for some great inspiration photos from our lovely pinterest boards!

We love this rustic hutch as a beverage station. Usually when we are trying to achieve a look like this, we turn to our friends at Southern Events in Franklin to find the most awesome pieces of vintage furniture.

If you are looking for a venue to provide such character to your event, we suggest our very own Legacy Farms in Lebanon, Cj’s Off the Square in Franklin, and The Loveless Barn to name a few!

I hope this post provided some great inspiration for your Southern Event! For more information on Legacy Farms, Cj’s Off the Square, or The Loveless Barn click the links above. Contact Main Event Productions today by phone (615)321-9324 or email Kellie@maineventpro.com to find out how we can help you design your perfect Nashville wedding or special event from cakes to catering to venues!

The International Catering Association has just nominated our own A Catered Affair for Best Hors d’oeuvre – 2012! Our Chef and Sous- Chef were nominated for their French Quarter Shrimp and Grits Appetizer. Take a minute to drool over the description and vibrant pictures of this delicious appetizer.

The most amazing thing about this appetizer is the amount of flavor in one portable bite. All of the favors of this southern favorite; creamy, spicy, and savory in one tiny morsel leaving your mouth wanting more!

This wonderful creation came about when our Sous-Chef wanted to make the traditional shrimp and grits dish more accessible and convenient for guests to eat with no more spilled grits or sauce on suits and dresses.

After playing around with several different ideas, he came up with the winning combination, a “bowl” of grits made by pressing grits into a mini muffin pan, letting them set and firm, then scooping out a small reservoir for the shrimp and creole sauce with a small melon baller. The now grits cups were then baked to a golden crisp and were ready for our Executive Chef’s own creole sauce made with fresh tomatoes and a deep brown roux topped with a beautiful pink Shrimp!

To learn more about our Chef’s creations or to  book A Catered Affair for your event, contact us at 615-321-2394 or email us at Kellie@maineventpro.com

Whether the occasion is a post wedding thank you to family and out of town guests, a bridal shower, or even a corporate event: clients can’y go wrong with brunch by A Catered Affair in such a serene setting as Legacy Farms.

Brunch is such a special treat combining the best of both worlds of sweet and savory, along with breakfast and lunch. Just to give you a little “taste” of what is to come from this delicious meal, we’ve decided to give you a sneak peek at some of the options off of our newly revised brunch menu.

Clients can choose from our two menu options available:

Option 1:

3 Cheese scrambled eggs, fritatta or vegetable strata, roasted red potatoes, bacon and sausage links, fresh fruit, breakfast breads, danishes, and muffins, roasted vegetables sauteed with bacon, roast beef with mushroom gravy, southern biscuits and gravy, and more….followed by cobbler for dessert!

Option 2:

Omelette station, hashbrown casserole, bacon, sausage links, chicken tenders, sliced glazed ham, melon ball salad, breakfast breads, danishes, and muffins, 3 cheese scrambled eggs, roasted corn and grilled squash succotash, and more complete with an iced tea bar.

With such a scrumptiously diverse menu from A Catered Affair and a setting as inviting as Legacy Farms, it is the perfect way to celebrate any event!

To book your brunch at Legacy Farms or for more information on Legacy Farms or A Catered Affair please contact us by phone  615-321-2394 or by email at Kellie@maineventpro.com

Believe it or not, we have already seen quite a few Brides planning their fall 2012 Wedding. With respect to that, we thought it was appropriate to share one of our favorite fall weddings at Legacy Farms, Karen McNamara and Brad Frye with photography  by Scoobie’s Photographic Images.

 The covered pavillion in the courtyard is such a great spot for an outdoor ceremony. There are so many ways to customize this space as well! We have seen it transformed with such things as hanging lanterns from the rafters or stained glass window panels hung on the sides of the pavillion to combine the feel of a traditional church wedding with the great outdoors.

Karen and Brad’s Reception took place in the event center at Legacy Farms complete with dinner from A Catered Affair, dancing to tunes from JD’s Music, and cake from The Bake Shoppe.

The “See Rock City”  sign on the property is one of our many favorite photo spots on the property. It provides such a unique backdrop for bridal party shots!

We’d like to offer a big Congrats  and Thank You to newlyweds Karen and Brad for allowing us to be a part of their special day and share it with others! Hope their special day could be an inspiration to all those planning a fall 2012 wedding!

To see more photos from Karen and Brad’s wedding, check out their feature in this year’s The Pink Bride Nashville magazine. For info on Legacy farms please contact us via phone at 615-321-2394 or email at Kellie@maineventpro.com

Without a doubt, the most popular time of the year to get married and have special events is summer and fall. People tend to want to stay inside during the winter and early spring months to keep warm and cozy. Where’s the fun in that? Just because the temperature outside is dipping, doesn’t mean the parties need to stop!

There are so many unique and fun things to do for cold weather soirees that cannot be done in the popular months.  How about rewarding your guests for venturing out of their nests into the cold with a hot beverage bar?

A decadent hot chocolate station complete with quaint little jars of toppings could include mini marshmallows, cinnamon, creme de menthe, whipped cream, and silky chocolate shavings! Check out these awesome inspiration photos… We can’t wait to try these out!

An apple cider bar can be really fun and feastive as well! Bright red and yellow gala apples adorning the table along with cinnamon swizzle sticks, and red hots to garnish the bottom for an extra kick of cinnamon flavor. Even adding a little splash of bourbon would make a lovely signature drink during cocktail hour!

 This would also work well for eggnog during the Holidays. Check out the frothy mugs of yumminess from A Catered Affair that was served at a Holiday party this past year!

Whether your drink of choice is coffee, tea, cider, hot chocolate, or eggnog, a hot beverage bar from A Catered Affair is sure to warm the hearts and hands of your guests this season!

For more information or to book A Catered Affair for your event, please contact us by phone at 615-321-2394 or by email at Kellie@maineventpro.com

In terms of wedding meals there are really only three options; buffet, sit down meal, or passed hors d’oeuvres. Those are all great options but how about adding some customization to your meal by bringing our chef onsite?

There are so many ways to incorporate a chef’s “action station”  including the traditional carving station for roasted meat, a stir-fry station, a pasta station, or the most dramatic…. a bananas fosters station! Aside from the flashy flames and delicious smells that come from these stations, there is just something so inticing about watching your food transform from fresh, raw ingredients into an custon, elegant meal.

There is no need to start the new year stressed about planning your event!

Over 15 years of experience in the wedding industry gives our staff a wealth of knowledge to help make your event perfect!

From comprehensive Nashville Venue contacts to wedding cake details to creating the perfect menu for your event, Main Event Productions is one of the only companies in Nashville that can call itself the one stop shop for your Special Day.
Our downtown venue, Events @1418, is located in the heart of Nashville on Church Street. Check out the view from the rooftop terrace!

Our Legacy Farms venue, located just outside Nashville, is the perfect place for a gorgeous country wedding

While we offer these two fabulous venues of our very own in the Nashville area, our sales team can provide catering and cakes to almost any venue!

Our Catering division, A Catered Affair, is the exclusive caterer for Many venues in the area including Riverwood Mansion, CJ’s off the Square, and The Women’s Club of Nashville and our gorgeous cakes have been to almost every venue in Nashville.

Contact us today to see how our team can alleviate some stress and plan a wonderful event to fit all of your needs! Call us at 615-321-2493 or email at Kellie@maineventpro.com for more information.

This interview was recently published in our December newsletter. The response was so great that we decided to share it with the readers of our blog. We would like to thank Allan Williams Photography for the photos.

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We recently asked Mrs. Jeri Wexelbaum to speak with us about the planning of her daughter’s wedding. Sarah was married at Riverwood Mansion on October 29, 2011 with 125 family and friends in attendances. A brunch for 75 guests was held the next day at Events @ 1418. It is great when we get this type of insight from the bride’s mother and we were excited to hear what she had to say.

Thank you for speaking with us and congratulations. Getting right into the details — how long did you have to plan the wedding?

A total of 13 months.

We hear all kinds of horror stories about the quest for the wedding dress. How long did it take Sarah to find the perfect dress?

She was employed part-time by J. Crew and found her dress immediately from their wedding collection. Additionally, the six bridesmaids chose from the J. Crew Collection and were allowed to select different dress styles using the same material and color.

Tell us what you thought were the most important aspects in selecting a wedding venue.

The number one priority was a beautiful outdoor setting with a backup plan in case of rain. It was also important that the venue have a wedding package available because we did not have the time or opportunity to shop for vendors. Finally, the wedding venue needed be easily accessible to out-of-town guests and reflect Nashville’s rich history and culture.

You hosted a brunch on the day following the wedding. Was there a particular reason?

Almost all of the guests were from out-of-town and went to considerable expense to attend the wedding. We wanted to provide them with a whole weekend of food and entertainment which, in addition to the wedding and reception, included a dinner on Friday night and brunch on Sunday at Events @ 1418.

Aside from the wedding dress, brides are usually picky about the wedding cake. You took a different approach. Tell us about it.

Sarah wanted pumpkin pie instead of a wedding cake in keeping with the pumpkin theme of the wedding. She did, however, have a “bride’s desert” of three flavors of cupcakes. Selecting the cupcake flavors was a really fun tasting process provided by A Catered Affair and The Bake Shoppe. It was fabulous! We also had a “groom’s desert” which was three flavors of doughnut holes served in buckets.

How was the experience of selecting food for the wedding reception and brunch?

The bride and groom attended a tasting event and were able to experience the food included in our wedding package and choose their favorites. The brunch selection was suggested by A Catered Affair after listening carefully to our desire to have a Jewish deli theme. Amy Witcher was extremely helpful and her guidance was invaluable. She exuded confidence in arranging an event that was, for us, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Overall, how do you think things went?

It is six weeks later and we are still walking around with big silly grins on our faces and basking in the memory of a wonderful weekend shared with friends and relatives as we celebrated the marriage of our daughter. The setting was beautiful, the food was delicious and the personal service provided by A Catered Affair and Riverwood Mansion was amazing. They are experienced, professional and equipped to handle any circumstance. It really was a very enjoyable journey from beginning to end.

Venue: Riverwood Mansion and Events @ 1418

Caterer: A Catered Affair

Bride and Groom’s Deserts: The Bake Shoppe

Florist: Enchanted Florist

Photographer: Alan Williams Photography

Entertainment: DJ Chris Faulk

Invitations: Designed and produced by the bride

Decorating for the season is something that many of us look forward to…especially during this time of year!  Working in the baking and catering industry, we are a bit biased to the opinion that food is beautiful, so why not incorporate it into your decor? Especially since there are so many great ideas to incorporate seasonality into your centerpieces, food displays, and decorations.

There are certain fruits and veggies that are so vibrant in shape or color which are perfect for decor: flowering purple cabbages and artichokes are a few of them. Florists have been using these in bouquets and centerpieces for years! They are readily available in fall and winter and would make a great centerpiece for your table. Place in vases of water or cut holes in the middle and insert votive candles similar to our inspiration photos!

Glass containers filled with water and bright fruits or veggies can be great too!

Peas, citrus, and apples are just a few seasonal ideas that are great for summer. Citrus can be so versatile as a highlight to a beverage table like this one at CJ’s Off the Square and catered by our very own A Catered Affair or sliced and put into glass vases with floral arrangements. And just take a look at this inspiration photo of the peas! Such a unique item would add just the right amount of color to your centerpieces.

However, cranberries would make a perfect winter centerpiece! To recreate our inspiration photo, simply place cranberries, water, and floating candles in glass containers to add a little ambiance or place a candle inside a glass cylinder and fill the space between the candle and cylinder with the colorful orbs!

This party, hosted at 1418 Events and catered by A Catered Affair was all about the freshness of summer! From the food to the decor, this event evoked that fresh, crisp feeling of summer by using bright granny smith apples as the pillars in between glass platters to create a tiered dessert stand and add a whimsical flair to the centerpieces!

When it comes to seasonal edible decor, there are two things to keep in mind.

1. Sustainability- Food items used as decor should be able to sit at room temperature without spoiling or turning brown

2. Color – Decor should be complimentary to the event space. Use foods with eye catching colors or shades that coordinate with your event.

The rest is up to you and the possibilities are endless!

Contact us today to create the perfect edible decor for your special event by phone: 615-321-2394 or by emailing Kellie Bryson at kellie@maineventpro.com

Many of our clients are juggling work, family, social lives, and sometimes school while planning their event. At Main Event Productions, we understand that multitasking is the key to success during this special time.

One easy way to do that is to have your dessert bar pull double duty as party favors!

These pie pops were baked by The Bake Shoppe for the fall open house at CJ’s off the square in Franklin. Imagine these little gems emblazoned with your monogram, wrapped in cellophane and a matching ribbon. Watch as your guests’ eyes light up like little children when they unwrap the mini morsels.

The great thing  about cookie favors is how easily adaptable they can be! Personalize the shape, color, flavor, and decoration to fit the motif of the evening and these will surely be the star attraction of the dessert bar.

The options are endless and we are always up for new ideas! From monogrammed chocolates to bride and groom dipped strawberries, The Bake Shoppe can take care of your edible favor needs! Contact us today at 615-321-2394 or email Kellie Bryson at Kellie@maineventpro.com