French Antique Furniture

Hi y’all and welcome back to the blog! Today we are discussing one of our favorite elements to include in your event… furniture! Over the past few years, including furniture in your event design has grown in popularity and we understand why. It is a beautiful way to break up traditional seating arrangements and by adding some comfort and style to your event, while also making it feel intimate no matter the size. Here at SOHO, our greatest desire is to deliver SOuthern HOspitality to everyone we work with. And what's more SOuthern HOspitality than inviting guests to get comfortable on lounge furniture?

We carry multiple different styles of furniture that our clients can use for their events. From antique to modern you have an option for every style of event. Let's start off this series with the French antique furniture!

The French antique furniture is a true classic design that never goes out of style. Its neutral linen covered cushions make it one of the most versatile furniture collections in our inventory. No matter the color scheme of your event, this collection will complement it beautifully. Its beautiful aged wood detail adds a wonderful texture and warmth to your overall aesthetic.

In addition to the style of this furniture collection, it is also comfortable. Your guests will enjoy gathering together on this collection, no matter if it's just for a quick rest from dancing or to network with colleagues. This collection includes; sofas, loveseats, arm chairs, coffee tables and side tables. You can create a traditional seating arrangement with a sofa, two chairs and a coffee table, or create a larger gathering area with two sofas and four chairs.

This collection is a beautiful complement to events of all types and locations. Inside a ballroom or conference space or outdoors or under a tent, the French antique furniture collection adds a finishing touch to an event’s design. It is also a great use of space to provide additional seating without it being as formal as a dining table.

Now that we have discussed the many benefits of using the French antique furniture collection, we would like to know, how would you set up and style this collection for your event?

Till next time,

Cheers!

Beautiful Bars

Hey y'all, welcome back! Today we are discussing the different types of bars that we offer here at SOHO. We currently have 5 different types of bars in our inventory. These include; white wood, oakwood, acrylic, interchangeable, and curved white wood. When selecting a bar for your event you need to consider both logistics and style, as they will affect the options you have available. Let's dive into the logistical side of the conversation first as it has the most impact on your options. 

Logistics

When considering the logistics of your bars, there are a few factors that you must consider: venue size, layout, guest count, and type of bar service. The venue size and layout will dictate how large of a bar you can have at our event. Most of our bars are 6’ long, allowing plenty of room for your bartender to set up the bar supplies. This generally allows for two bartenders. Your guest count will help decide the number of bars you may need at your event. This helps to prevent your guests from having to wait extended amounts of time to get their drinks. If your event has 100-150 people, one bar should be plenty to serve your guests efficiently. If your event has a larger guest count, say 300 or more, we would suggest having two or more bars. This allows your guests to be served more efficiently, ensuring they have a great experience. 

The type of bar service your event is having will also have an impact on the logistics of the bar. Are you serving beer and wine only, or will you be providing a full bar for your guests? Generally the more options you are serving, the more space your bartenders will need. If you're choosing beer and wine only, one bar should most likely suffice. On the other hand, a full bar and a large guest count may require an additional bar. Be sure to discuss what your bartenders requirements are to ensure they are set up for success.  

Style

Now that we've covered the logistic side, let's get to the style of the bar. As previously mentioned, SOHO offers 5 different types of bars for you to choose from.

White Wood

Let's start with the most timeless style bar: the white wood bar. This style of bar is a classic for a reason. It is extremely versatile and will coordinate well in a multitude of venues and themes. You can dress it up with florals or greenery from your florists or leave it classic and understated. It coordinates beautiful with a multitude of rentals as well.   

Oakwood

The next style of bar is the sister bar of the white wood, which is the oakwood bar. It is very similar in style and detailing to our white wood bar, it's a beautiful oakwood stain with recessed trim details. This style of bar warms up a room and adds beautiful texture to the style of an event. This bar is particularly popular for events that are designed with rustic, garden, and natural styles. This bar coordinates with the poles of our sailcloth tent beautifully. 

Curved White Wood

The third style of a bar we have in our inventory is the curved white wood bar. The curved detail adds a modern and glamorous touch to the look and feel of the bar itself. The curved bars can be arranged in different groupings to create a half moon or a full circle bar. Because of the white coloring of this bar, it also coordinates well with many venues and event styles, making it a great option for any event. While it looks wonderful anywhere, this bar shines in open concept venues or at outdoor events. 

Interchangeable

The next style of a bar we offer at SOHO is a fun one, the interchangeable bar. Why is it so fun you ask? Well, because you can customize and change the insert panels of this bar. While the main portion of this bar is white, the panel inserts are removable. This allows us to customize them giving it a fresh new look at any event. The options for customization are endless, but we often coordinate with the linens or color scheme selected. If you are wanting to add even more wow factor, select our boxwood option for even more pop. The flexibility and customization of this bar make it an extremely popular option for our wedding clients.

Acrylic

The final style of a bar we have in our inventory is another great option for those looking for personalization, it's the acrylic bar. This bar is modern and clean in its design, and versatile in its options for customization. Your options for branding are vast with the acrylic bar, including; duograms, company logos, taglines or sayings, event titles, or special imagery. You can also choose which parts of the bar are customized. For example you can do just the front, the front and the top, or the front, top and two sides. Because of its versatility, this bar is a great option for modern weddings or corporate events that want personalization. This bar looks good anywhere, but it's a showstopper in modern venues!

As you can see, we have bar options for any event! Now that you know the options, we want to know, what's your favorite bar?

Till next time,

Cheers!

Fun with Flooring

Hey y’all and welcome back to the blog! This week we are discussing flooring your event and the perks of choosing to add this element. Let's dive in!

Here at SOHO, we provide our clients with multiple options of flooring to meet their needs. Every event is different, meaning different flooring options will work for different clients and events. Some events may prefer carpet, while others may prefer a hard wood appearance, such as Oakwood flooring. Since there are many options carpet, wood, turf, etc. let's start by going over some of our most popular options.

Custom Carpet

Custom carpets have been a popular option for many of our events from weddings to parties and more. Our partners have a wide range of options that allow you to pick the option that is best for your event. Options vary in thickness and pile as well as colors. That's right, you can do custom dyed carpet to coordinate with your event design! 

Gray Wash Top Coat Flooring

Our gray wash top coat flooring option allows for you to bring in the look of wood floors without the need for wood. We apply this top treatment on top of a duratrac subfloor. This option is great for events looking to provide a finishing detail that gives guests both comfort and style. The gray wash is a modern option that makes a statement while still allowing the other details of the event to pop as well. It coordinates beautifully with our ghost chairs and acrylic tables & acrylic bars!

Oakwood Hardwood Flooring

Our Oakwood hardwood flooring gives the same look and feel as true hardwood flooring. The colors in the Oakwood flooring coordinate beautifully with our Sailcloth tent, Oakwood cross back chairs, Oakwood bars and many other rentals. Another great feature of this flooring is that the edge curves to mimic the curve of the Sailcloth tent.

Turf

Our final type of flooring that is offered is turf. This option is great for events wanting to mimic an outdoor, natural feel to an environment, without the natural elements. We have multiple options for turf in different thicknesses and colors. We have seen this become a popular option throughout 2020 and 2021 with the increase in need to provide open air/outdoor seating for restaurants.  

Now that we have discussed some of the flooring options, let's discuss some of the perks of adding flooring to your event. 

Guest Experience

As event professionals, we strive to elevate guest experiences. Adding flooring to your event elevates your event and provides a finished feel. This is especially true with an outdoor event. Guests will appreciate and enjoy having a sturdy surface to walk on, providing more comfort for them, especially guests in heels.  

Aesthetics 

Adding flooring to your events adds to the overall aesthetics and design of the event. Given the multitude of options, you can choose a flooring option that fits with your design and completes your vision. Whether it's pantone matched blush carpet, Oakwood flooring, or turf, flooring elevates the overall look of the event and can bring your event design full circle. It also creates a great base for your other rentals to stand out on. 

Functionality 

Adding flooring to an outdoor tented event is a great way to create additional functionality to the location. Adding a sturdy level ground for your rentals to be installed on is beneficial. This allows for the rentals to be placed in your ideal location without having to be concerned about natural elements, such as inclines or divots, causing you to adjust the layout of the event.

Flooring is a wonderful addition to both indoor and outdoor events and we have many options to meet your events needs! Now that we have reviewed our flooring options and the perks of flooring, we would love to know, what flooring option would you choose?

Till next time,

Cheers!

Wedding Wednesday: White-Spunner & Trotter Wedding

Hi y’all and welcome back to the blog! 

What better way to kick off a new year than by looking back on some of our great events during 2021! This week we are looking back on the White-Spunner & Trotter wedding in Fairhope, Alabama in March of 2021. 

This wedding was a great example of wonderful vendors working together to create a client's dream day! Lead event designer, Wildflowers Fairhope curated the perfect event design, bringing the initial vision to life alongside many leaders in the industry. Planning and coordination of the wedding process start to finish by Jenna Laine Weddings. Our other vendor partners included; Willow Bridge, Alisha Crossley Photography, Party Tables, Clifton Morrissette Catering, Couture Cakes Daphne, Gotta Go Site Service Rentals and many more! This wedding was held on private property in Fairhope, AL. 

We began the installation the week of February 22, 2021 with the install of the main tent and the subfloor under the tent. It was a beautiful 15M x 51M (50’ x 170’) White Top Losberger Engineered Structure tent. This install also featured a custom porch extending over water with acrylic railings, talk about a statement! 

Once the install of the tent and subfloor was completed, Party Tables began their install of the tent liner, pole drapes, valance, and drum shades. These were designed to coordinate with the blue and white color palette of the wedding. Once Party Tables completed their install, the team at Willow Bridge worked their lighting magic. Lighting is a key element of every nighttime event, and it can truly give your space an ambiance.  

Once the larger installs were completed within the tent, we began installing the top treatment of the floor. The entrance of the tent was 40’ of custom printed flooring in a South Hamptons inspired stripe print. The flooring then transitioned to a quality event carpet creating a warm and inviting atmosphere under the tent extending onto the porch extension.

Additional details of this wedding included a mix of round and rectangular seating with white Chiavari chairs, specialty linens and beautiful white wood bars. A custom wrapped dance floor helped to pull in the custom printed floor with the dance floor on the opposite end of the tent. It featured the couple's custom monogram. The Decal Doodle team had a fun time with the installation of  the 24’ x 28’ dance floor and border! Once all of the reception rentals were installed and ready it was time to set up for the ceremony. 

The ceremony was located on property approximately 50’ from the reception site overlooking the pond with a cross in the background. This made for a beautiful focal point during the ceremony. Our custom stage and aisle was adorned with a stunning arbor full of orchids and aisle florals by the Wildflowers Fairhope team. Acrylic ghost chairs were the perfect touch to disappear in the beautiful backdrop.

What a wedding! This is one our team continues to reflect on and are honored to have been a part of such a special day for our client. We are proud of our team and vendors that worked so hard on this event from beginning to end!

We look forward to all of the wonderful events we get to be a part of in 2022! 

Cheers! 

Planner: Jenna Laine with Jenna Laine Weddings

Florals: Wildflowers Fairhope

Venue: Private Property in Fairhope, Alabama

Dance Floor Wrap: Decal Doodle

Lighting: Party Tables

Photographer: Alisha Crossley Photography

Catering: Clifton Morrissette