Meet Your Local Caterers

MITCHELL•CASTEEL A FINE CATERED AFFAIR

1 3

This brand has been synonymous with utmost class and excellence in weddings and social occasions for more than 40 years. This Raleigh catering company always cooks onsite, which allows them to travel statewide for events. And now, for the first time in 20 years, a woman is leading their team. Born and raised in North Carolina, Chef Chelsie Mueller is carrying on the Mitchell•Casteel legacy of serving fantastic food. “We don’t want to be the biggest, we just want to be the best!”

CEO David Casteel says.

What are your suggestions for serving styles when it comes to receptions? For smaller receptions, we love when our clients choose to do a passed three- to fourcourse dinner that can be served on small plates. It is an entertaining service style to present to your guests in an intimate setting!

How can you upscale traditional Southern faves? People like to put a regional Chef Chelsie Mueller. flair on their menus. For example, take Eastern pulled pork and present it on a roasted corn cake, top with a touch of coleslaw and finish with a field pea and tomato salad, and a Western-style North Carolina barbecue sauce.

What’s your signature dish? Joyce Farms goat-cheese-and-herb-stuffed chicken breast with wild forest mushroom vinaigrette.

Plated 1 Jumbo shrimp, bloody mary cocktail and chermoula sauces 2 Pecan-crusted rack of lamb, with roasted and mashed Johnston County sweet potatoes and butter bean ragout 3 Maple-glazed North Atlantic wild salmon roulade, coarse ground mustard mashed potatoes, Chinese long beans and ginger hollandaise

Photographer Heba Salama Photography

EMPIRE EATS CATERING

1 3

The company – which also owns several local restaurants – operates on the belief that great food and great hospitality are all it takes to make someone feel at home. We love that the group intentionally focuses on taste, rather than trends. It also offers variety, since favorite menu items from so many of its local restaurants are offered. Empire Eats Catering provides quality service, whether you’re trying to please guests who are vegetarian, have a Southern palate or appreciate comforting Italian nosh.

What sets your team apart within the local catering industry? Our catering team is part of our restaurant family –

Gravy, The Pit, Sitti and The Raleigh Times Bar – and we want everyone to feel the same level of hospitality and comfort at their events as they do at one of our restaurants. Hospitality is the cornerstone of all that we do.

4

How can you upscale traditional, casual Southern faves such as barbecue? You can enhance the decor and the fine china that it is served on, but in the end, if you want barbecue, you want the whole hog cooked low and slow over charcoal and wood like they have done here in North Carolina since the 1700s. No need to put lipstick on our pigs!

Plated 1 Risotto balls from Gravy. 2 The Pit’s signature buffet: barbecue chicken, chopped barbecue, collard greens, coleslaw, mashed sweet potatoes and mac and cheese 3 The Pit’s pimento cheese biscuits 4 Shrimp and grits from The Raleigh Times Bar

Photographer Heba Salama Photography

POSHNOSH CATERING

If you want to hear friends and family rave about how good your wedding food was long after the big day, hire PoshNosh Catering. Founded by Chef and Restaurateur Coleen Speaks, PoshNosh is one of North Carolina’s finest catering and gourmet takeout spots. Their delicious cuisine showcases seasonal ingredients and each dish PoshNosh presents is as appetizing as it is attractive. Coleen’s 20-plus years of catering experience has also led to Hummingbird, a café and cocktail bar located next to her industrial-chic wedding and event venue Whitaker & Atlantic at Dock 1053 in Raleigh (see page 75). Enjoy a family-style dinner, a seated, formal dinner, or keep it simple with heavy or light hors d’oeuvres (food stations or served on trays) from this flavorful, full-service catering company.

Photo by Elizabeth Galecke Photography

YOUR IMAGINATION. OUR CATERING.

WHERE FOOD CELEBRATES LIFE

POSHNOSHRALEIGH.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

COST

Wedding ceremony musicians typically start around $300 for a soloist, and the price increases for duos and trios. Upper-tier DJs start around $2,000 and can go up to $6,000 with add-ons. Middle-tier DJs start around $1,000 and lower-tier DJs charge about $200 to $400 per hour. On average, live bands cost $3,000 to $7,000. Photo booths start around $500 and can go up to $1,000.

A Stylus S.E. DJ spins at a North Carolina Museum of Art wedding. Photo by Brian Mullins Photography

CONSIDER

Local DJs are professionals with modern setups – think custom leather white booths, slick backdrops and even video screens and light shows that can transform your reception into a dance club. Talk to your DJ about including one of these preferred setups in your package. Alternatively, if you want your live band to have a snazzy stage, you’ll need to work with your rental company to get the gear. Also consider other nontraditional forms of entertainment: live painting (see page 248), cigar rolling, live poetry, bourbon tasting, s’mores station, tarot cards, yard games and more.

BUDGET

For both practical and aesthetic reasons, you want the size of your musical entertainment to complement the size of your reception. For example, if you are having an intimate backyard wedding, you may want to swap the 10-piece live band for a three-person bluegrass band. Or if you’re hosting a reception for more than 150 people, you might hire an experienced DJ who will keep the party going all night long. Check to make sure your reception venue has the infrastructure for the music or entertainment you desire. 

Reception

Trevor Thomas Wilson and Chandler Couillard – in her Vow’d Weddings dress – look like they are ready to embark on a tropical honeymoon at Raleigh Union Station thanks to ZimZoom Photo Booth and planner C&D Collective. Photo by Fancy This Photography

Strike a Pose

By Marie Muir

Your wedding guests will probably snap selfies and take pictures on their phones throughout the big day. But how many of those guests will actually print the pictures they take? Zero is the most likely answer. That’s just one of the many reasons why we recommend having a photo booth at your event.

WHY IT’S WORTH IT Entertainment for guests of all ages. Photo booths are a great way to get guests out of their chairs at an event.

Quality technology and professional studio lighting/ camera equipment. Your guests will cherish the beautiful aesthetic of these printed photos.

Personalization depending on the theme of your event. ZimZoom Photo Booth offers 90-plus backdrops to choose from and has a graphic designer on staff who can customize your template.

Wedding favors in the form of high-quality printed pictures. The booth can print up to 800 photo strips per roll, and then a friendly ZimZoom attendant will refill it so that the fun can start all over again! Your guests will leave the event with pictures to remember the day.

HOW IT WORKS Select a photo booth package: • Pro Booth Package – DSLR camera and studio lighting, attendant, custom photo template design, unlimited and instant prints, 4-by-6 prints or 2-by-6 strips, animated GIFs, text and email instantly, quick setup and breakdown, curated and personalized props, designer backdrop, real-time online gallery and postevent online gallery. • Lite Booth Package - Modern kiosk with ring lighting, custom photo template design and start screen, unlimited digital photos, GIFs and boomerangs, instant text and email, photo filters, real-time online gallery, livestream slideshow and quick set up and breakdown.

An open-air ZimZoom photo booth requires an 8-by8-foot floor space for the kiosk and backdrop that’s out of the way of major walkways. Power supply access needs to be within 25 feet of the booth.

Guests step up to the touch screen and press “start.” At the end of the countdown, a flash goes off, and the photo is taken. Depending on the layout, the ZimZoom booth can snap one to four photos per session.

Add-ons include a green-screen experience, roaming photography, 5-by-7 or 6-by-8 prints, metallic prints, coffee table book, retro photo keychains, custom-printed props, custom-printed backdrops, custom-engraved scrapbook and custom photo experience.

Entertainment

Sweet Love Blossoms / Taylored Script Co. / Whitaker & Atlantic / Stylus S.E.’s Spencer McAvoy Photo by Fancy This Photography

Research tells us that the average couple in North Carolina spends just under $32,000 on their wedding and somewhere between $1,200 and $2,000 on their DJ. That means local couples spend 3%-5% of their budget on a vendor that heavily impacts the reception and controls the flow of 80% of their wedding. That’s a big deal, right? When you think about it this way, it’s hard to comprehend how anyone would skimp here or consider an “iPhone wedding DJ.” The entertainment category is much more than just dancing. It can include dramatic lighting, enhanced narration, special performances, games or unique custom entertainment elements. Professional DJs can help with all of these factors. If the party portion of your event is something you value, then consider what value you give to your DJ or emcee and prioritize them early on in the planning process. Our advice: Don’t wait to choose your entertainment vendor(s) last, when your options and budget are both significantly limited. The impact

Don’t Stop the Music entertainment will have on your wedding day is immense. We understand that it may be hard to fully appreciate its scope By Jason Huggins, managing member of Stylus S.E. until the day of, but we guarantee, once the big day arrives and the vibe is set, the reception is flowing smoothly and the DJ is effectively reading the crowd to keep folks on the dance floor, you will be happy that Why do most event planners and venue directors rate the DJ or emcee as one of the highest wedding vendor priorities for couples, even though most couples don’t initially prioritize music or entertainment? Let’s look at the math: this aspect of your wedding day leaves you with zero regrets. “I really believe that your DJ carries the energy of the reception party,” says Heart of NC Weddings Editorial Shoot Director Becca Taylor. “It’s so important to hire a professional DJ – a professional will work with you prior to the event to establish a timeline for your reception. Professional DJ services also have the capability • Wedding DJs are responsible for 75% to 80% of the average to provide options for your ceremony, including microphones, reception. music and livestreaming. Most importantly, your DJ really • 92% of couples say that their wedding’s success or failure provides the environment for a celebration!” depended on the DJ. “Your DJ is the most important vendor you bring in for your • Within one week of their wedding, 99% of couples wished wedding,” says Rachel Kendrick, owner and lead designer at The they invested more money in entertainment.* Refinery Consulting & Design.

So, to put it plainly, nearly 99% of couples wished that 80% of their wedding was different after the fact. How can we put this in perspective? * Statistics found in this article come from St. Louis Bride magazine, Brides magazine, USA Today, National Bridal Service, The Knot and Simmons University.

Reception

Let the Good Times Roll

You’ve secured a date, locked down your dream venue and planned your menu. Now it’s time to think about one of the most popular elements of your wedding: the bar.

You can either hire a professional to handle all of the details when creating your wedding bar packager or go the DIY route. Brewmasters Mobile offers the best of both worlds: It works with couples to customize a selection of drinks and services while taking the stress off their hands by coordinating and supplying all of the necessary elements of the bar.

Brewmasters is a locally owned and operated restaurant specializing in craft beer and made-to-order sandwiches that opened its doors to the Wilson, North Carolina, community in 2013. Today, the company offers mobile bar services for weddings and events with Brewmasters Mobile. This extension of the business supplies alcohol, unique bar setups (including the iconic Heidi the Hopbox, a blue horse trailer that was converted into a bar), cups, napkins, ice and more to create the ideal bar for your perfect day. Brewmasters Mobile can even help with the selection of bartenders – one of the only vendors that your guests will interact with throughout the evening. Hiring a professional, fun and experienced bar team is extremely important, explains Brewmasters Mobile’s bar manager, Molly

Youssef. Molly recommends starting the process of selecting the drinks for your reception by considering: your favorite options; what appeals to a wide selection of guests; and last, but not least, a drink that has a meaningful connection to your love story. Was your first date at a local brewery? Did you drink a specific wine on the night that you got engaged? While you

ABOVE Brewmasters Mobile’s strawberry jalapeño margarita. LEFT Anna Haddock sips an elderflower gin fizz made by Brewmasters Mobile. Her hair and makeup were done by Pinup Studio, and her dress is from White of Raleigh. Photography by Fancy This Photography

want your guests to enjoy themselves, your wedding should also be all about celebrating you! That being said, if you love a specific beverage, but know it isn’t widely popular, Brewmasters Mobile can provide a small stash of that option just for you and your spouse.

Another way to infuse your personality into your wedding bar is to offer signature cocktails. Molly encourages selecting “cocktails that pair well together, aren’t too similar in flavor, fit with the season of the wedding and that the couple loves.” You can offer a signature mocktail if you’d like a non-alcoholic option. A sparkling lemonade or simply making the signature drinks without liquor are sure to please your guests.

CAKES & DESSERTS

CREATE

a vision board of inspiration imagery

ATTEND

a tasting with your partner – make it a date night!

SCHEDULE

a consultation with your top bakery choice

BOOK

your wedding cake / desserts six months to one year in advance

BUDGET

$6 to $12 per slice for cake; cost varies for dessert bar items

CONSIDER

guests with special allergies as well as gluten-free or vegan options

ENTERTAIN

guests with beautiful dessert displays or interactive stations 

Model Anna Haddock, in a White of Raleigh dress with hair and makeup by Pinup Studio, poses next to a cake and display by Sugar Euphoria at The Maxwell. Photo by Fancy This Photography

Cakes & Desserts EDIBLE ART BAKERY & DESSERT CAFÉ

This family-owned cafe and bakery has created exquisite wedding cakes and desserts for its customers since 1982. Schedule an in-person, phone or Zoom consultation to discuss your inspirations or sketch a vision with the sister duo Mindy Davisson and Pastry Chef Erin Seabolt (whose sweet twins are pictured above). Sample a slice of Edible Art’s famous almond pound cake with amaretto filling at your first tasting and schedule a second tasting if you need a “flavor reminder” before the big day. Other popular flavors include lemon with raspberry mousse, a chocolate chip cake with cookie dough mousse, a Champagne cake and a pumpkin- or cinnamon-swirl cake with vanilla buttercream. Choose from miniature dessert options such as individual piekins, macarons, cookies and parfaits to build a dessert buffet.

HEART OF NC WEDDINGS VENDORS

Cake Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Café

Linen CE Rental

Photographer Fancy This Photography

What tips do you have for couples on how to “wow” guests with their cake/dessert display? Have stands that are various heights so that each dessert sits at different eye levels. This will make your guests’ eyes wander across the whole table. This gives the display depth and can be done with multiple cakes or miniature dessert items.

What’s your favorite part of a wedding? The actual wedding day when we get to work with all the vendors to make the couple’s day extra special. We love when photographers share photos so we can see how all the details and services were put together in the end. Especially when we are fortunate enough to see the ceremonial cutting of the cake between the newlyweds.