wedding at the vanlandingham estate…

the gorgeous house nestled off the plaza was built in 1913 by Ralph and Susie Harwood-VanLandingham. they moved from Georgia to Charlotte with their twin son & daughter at the height of the textile boom. already wealthy and working in cotton brokerage they found themselves prospering even more… like a good, creative wife, Susie was the one who designed and drew up the plans for the house basing them on her wish to host and entertain. the VanLandingham’s acquired the house and the five acres for $6000.

the area, we now call “Plaza-Midwood” was originally called Chatham Estates, an exclusive community of 5-acre lots. the median of what is now “The Plaza” was the old trolley line.  when the depression hit, most landowners divided and sold their land, but the VanLandingham Estate remained intact. the house is a California bungalow, a new style during the 1900′s, complete with sleeping porches. a lot of the original furnishings still remain, and the place is gorgeous!

the bride sarah, wanted a simple but elegant cake… we decided on a three tier round cake to serve 100 excited guests… {chocolate chip cake with cream cheese filling} thin black grosgrain ribbon trimmed the edges and it sat lovely atop a pedestal silver cake stand. i added some of the most beautiful wholesale flowers and greenery i’ve ever seen on the top and edges… during the process, i had no idea that this cake would turn out to be one of my all-time favorites, but it did. there was something about the perfect clean lines and bunched flowers that took my breath away. the stone backdrop and rainy light shining through the antique windows just added to the ambiance. it was gorgeous to say the least…

enjoy some photos from the day… and props to my lovely intern olivia! not only did she assist me but she carried the cake from the car all the way inside, to the cake table, IN THE RAIN perfectly. i couldn’t have done it without her.