How to Easily Elevate Your Next Party with Napkins

From a relaxed rehearsal dinner to a special bridal shower to a themed party, Dot and Army offers an easy, simple custom napkin program that will make your special event sparkle!  Recently, their napkin rental program added the perfect elevated touch to our rehearsal dinner with a variety of coordinated custom fabric napkins at each table.

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Ready for Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First a little background on this family business located in beautiful Brunswick, GA, Dot and Army‘s owner, Jennifer Zamudio’s charming store front offers a full variety of kitchen and table linens plus other local treats, while the workroom (and piles of gorgeous fabrics) are housed in the rear of the downtown building.  At steve mckenzie’s we’re in love with their seersucker cocktail napkins, Unpaper Towels, denim cocktail napkins.

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Colorful Seersucker Cocktail Napkins, eco-friendly Unpaper Towels and Denim Cocktail Napkins with contrasting edging

Back to the rental program…All rentals are customized.  They rent everything from their seersucker to cotton prints to linens with metallic edging.  The rented set can be entirely the same, from one fabric, or mix and match.  We sent them a Pinterest mood board for our event including some inspirational floral images.

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Napkin choices from Dot and Army

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Floral inspiration

Here’s how easy it is to choose your custom napkins:  pricing discussion is via email, and Dot and Army emails images of samples.  Want to see a fabric in person? Easy, they’ll mail it.  We chose the edging colors, sent the deposit and voila, 60 custom napkins arrived at our doorstep.

And you know what else? Return the napkins to them without washing.  Again, easy and no laundry for you!

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Ready for the Rehearsal Dinner! Designed by Steve McKenzie
fabric, napkin, floral, steve mckenzie's
Party ready!

Take this tip and add it to your Party File, and as always, steve mckenzie’s is ready to help you make your next event extra-special and easy, be that custom fabric, floral design or table settings.  Stop in or to start the conversation!

 

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Top Tips for a Relaxed Rehearsal Dinner

As our family had the privilege of recently hosting our own rehearsal dinner,  I want to share some thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind.  Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is held the night before the wedding and hosted by the groom’s family.  It’s the vehicle to gather the close family, attendants, officiant and bridal couple together, break bread, and fellowship together, and kick off the Big Event with food and merriment.

Take a look at these top tips for a successful, relaxed rehearsal dinner ~

1. Choose a style that is distinctly different from the wedding.

Not wanting to compete with the black tie optional wedding, we went the other way – a pizza truck!  Here we used black and white gingham tablecloths from steve mckenzie’s, pulled up a wood-fired pizza oven food truck, and served ice tea, beer and wine.  Father of the groom, Atlanta interior designer Steve McKenzie created the lush winter floral arrangements.  Festive color-coordinated napkins from Dot and Army completed the table.  More about their easy napkin rental program soon…

The wedding is the main event, so offering a different experience to the wedding party gives them a more complete weekend.

 

textiles, gingham, dot and army napkins, floral
Black and white gingham fabric anchors the tables in the window-filled venue. Floral by Steve McKenzie

2. Consistent Details

Any well done event, especially a wedding, follows a curated path of carefully chosen details.  From the save the date to the invitation to the floral, consistent colors, fonts and written tone set the stage for your special day.  The groom’s love of outdoors and hunting were celebrated with custom stadium cups, monogrammed napkins and photo booth props.

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Custom monogram by Sequins and Lipstick
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Photo props by Captivating Creations
Carter McKenzie, Jill McKenzie, The Homestead_GA
Groom + Jill aka Mom

3. Choose the Rehearsal Dinner Menu Secondly to Wedding Menu

The wedding menu plays a starring role in the event, and the budget.  Tastings are held, serving pieces are surveyed, table-cloth colors are coordinated, all these details culminating in this once in a lifetime event.  The rehearsal dinner should coordinate with this evening, not compete with it.  Southern Crust Catering food truck provided this complement to the sit-down dinner on Saturday night.

rehearsal dinner, Plaza Towers, Atlanta GA
Bride + Groom
Atlanta GA, Serenbe , green Chevy truck
Southern Crust Catering
Southern Crust Catering, rehearsal dinner
Hot pizza on a cold night!
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Floral by Steve McKenzie
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A moonlit magical rehearsal dinner!
 Cheers to your next celebration!  Hopefully these tips lay the groundwork for many special evenings for you and yours. All photos by Christina Wedge Photography

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Annie Mae’s Pantry: A Little Cafe with a Lot of Soul

Atlanta’s food scene has a new player, Annie Mae’s Pantry just off Northside Drive and Interstate 75 in Atlanta, and put it at the top of your list.  Guided by her own culinary philosophy, Andra Hall (she also owns CamiCakes, a well-known bakery with 5 Atlanta and 2 Jacksonville, FL locations) presents a menu based on “The Four S”es: “Simple. Soulful. Savory. Sweet.”  Here she pays homage to her late paternal grandmother, Annie Mae Norton and is reflective of Hall’s rural upbringing in Monticello, FL, a lazy town situated 30 miles northeast of Tallahassee.

Founder Andra Hall
Andra Hall

Think regional food, like fresh seafood, garden vegetables and “sweets”, as Andra’s family called dessert.

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At our table, it’s a toss up between the Yard Bird (chicken), Fishing Pole Finds (top contender here is Annie Mae’s signature Fried Fish and Grits), Brown Bag Sandwiches and Sweets.  These cakes and pies are definitely worth the splurge!

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Whether you carry out or enjoy the comfy bistro setting, linger longer as you enjoy these homemade meals with your friends and family.

Annie Mae’s Pantry is located at 1700 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA, just north of our showroom.  See you soon!