Our setup for the Collective in downtown St. Louis

 

 

Hi guys, it's Lindsay here. We just finished setting up our space in the cool new Collective downtown and I wanted to share the pictures and info. It's a store full of local boutiques that was dreamed up by Nicole Benoist.  It's really a fun concept.  Here is a list of the boutiques that are in the Collective:
Adam Foster
Alternative Apparel
Beltshazzar
Byrd Style Lounge
Genovese Jewelers
Ivy Hill
Juxtapose
Kate Pollman
Oh Lolli Lolli
Q Boutique
Retta le Ritz
Roots
STL Style
twigs & MOSS
Wai Ming
White Rabbit
Women’s Closet Exchange
Phoenix Rising
City Sprouts

Located in the Mercantile Exchange district on Washington Avenue in St. Louis, it's a great spot to attract visitors, tourists, and local sports fans and residents.  I (Lindsay) recently moved downtown so I can walk to the space and make sure it looks good.  I'll be changing the displays frequently to keep it fresh.  Here's the awning:

Below is a picture of the space before anyone had moved in.

 

We checked in on Friday and this is what our space looked like.  It's just a blank wall with 2 partitions on either side.  We love a blank canvas!  What a fun challenge!

 

 

I have kind of taken over as the project manager for the space since I live a few blocks away and I have friends that live downtown.  I'm hoping that I can bring in goodies that some of the residents in the lofts will love.  We bought a little differently than we do for our main location because I think the customers will be a little different.  I think it will be tourists and young residents.  There is a lot more color in this display than our customers are used to from us!

 

 We've got candles, jewelry, these metal clocks, and lamps in the space.  Susan from Knollwood Lane made onesies that say "made in St. Louis" and totes with the Arch on them.

The french cow head is my favorite part.

These necklaces have vintage maps of St. Louis on them.  We sell them in our Brentwood store too and they have been a huge hit.  I displayed them in an old suitcase.

Here is my mom and I in our space.

After setting up, we walked next door to Pi and had lunch.  It was so fun and we cannot wait for you guys to see everything.  You can see pictures of other booths on their facebook page.  It opens in a few days so get ready!  Let us know what you think when you visit!

Victorian Botanical Styled Wedding Shoot

 

We were so lucky to have been asked by local photographer Heather Roth to help her set up a styled wedding photo shoot.  She is so talented as you will soon see from the pictures!  We also got to work with several other local women who I will be mentioning here. The theme was a Victorian botanical feeling made to seem modern.  I hope you are inspired and get some ideas about how The White Rabbit can help you make your own wedding unique!

 

This is where we shot the photos.  It is basically an old farm that can now be rented for events.  It's called Longview Farm House.  I would highly recommend this space because it is beautiful and everyone that works there is so helpful and pleasant.  They were great to work with and I'm certain that they would make your event special!

Below is an old wire tray from our store which Heather used to display the invitations by One Canoe Two.  She told them we wanted a fern theme with a modern twist. They made everything totally custom for us.  I think they did a great job!  Love the colors!

 

 Heather brought her mom's old boots for the bride to wear.  The chair is from The White Rabbit and it actually has a home at Fleur De Lis Bridal in Clayton, the boutique that provided the gorgeous dress you are about to die over!

 

 See what I mean??!!  The dress!  Oh my heart almost stopped when I saw it.  It's from Fleur De Lis Bridal Boutique and designed by Elizabeth Filmore.  You have to visit them if you haven't already.  Connie and Kristin have gorgeous dresses you don't see in St. Louis and they will make you feel like you are their priority.
 
The wallpaper behind her was our new temporary wallpaper.  We just hung strips from the ceiling to give it some texture.

 

 This is Rachael, a real life Barbie doll.  And yes, her husband is adorable too.  They were so sweet to put up with us for like 10 hours!

 We brought some of our fern garland from our garden area of the store.  Heather thought of wrapping it around her.  How cute!

 

 This old baby bed doubles as a settee.  When we picked out the gold and cream wallpaper for the wall, it just seemed like an obvious choice to put this settee in front of it.  Doesn't she just look glamorous on it?

 

 

 We often have chippy, old doors in the store that look so cool just leaning up against a wall.  It adds character behind a sofa or in a corner.  I love this one we put behind the bride!

 

 Heather saw these trellises in our store and thought of using them for the place cards.  She printed the banner that says, Plant Your Feet and Find Your Seat.  I love the way it turned out!

 

 The table, chandelier, curtains, and trellis were our contribution.  Boy did we spend some time trying to get it to look perfect!  That darn twiggy stuff inside of there just wouldn't spread out evenly!  It's so hard to work with! 

We have this chandelier in the store right now.  It's really pretty for a wedding isn't it?  I love the long dangling crystals.

 

Katie from Simply and Forever, an event planning company, set the table.  She made a lot of decisions when everyone else was running around without any focus.  I guess that's why she's a good wedding planner!  She was able to pull everything together and make it look perfect.

 

All of the gorgeous flowers were done by Melinda at Les Bouquets.  She brought a lot of great options for centerpieces and a lovely bouquet for the bride.

 We sell these chalkboard bottles in the store.  It was used here as our table number.

 

 

 The cake we used was made by Rachel's Cakery.  Heather had a vision of a cake without frosting on the outside surrounded by ferns.  I have noticed a trend on Pinterest of cakes without frosting.  Very cute.  The white table is from our store.

 

 The mantel display items are from The White Rabbit too.  These little glass jars are awesome because you can change them up for all the seasons and use them for special occasions.
We raised them up using old books which is basically our favorite old trick.

 Love this little cake stand and dome.

 

 Gosh they are so cute.  I can't think of a better looking couple!  Rachael and Kevin told us they met in church.  Aww...

 

 

 We brought a really tall step ladder because Heather thought it would look really cool for the bride to stand on it with her dress hanging down.

 Here's Ken..I mean Kevin lol.

We all put a lot of love and care into this photo shoot and I really hope it shows.  You can see how our vintage pieces could make a wedding unique!  We have had a lot of brides buy the pieces they want to use and then incorporate them into their homes after the wedding.  It actually makes sense to make an investment in things you can use again.  We always have gorgeous tables, linens, curtain panels, domes, cake stands, pots, urns, etc that could work in a wedding.  Let us know what you think! 

Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way!  It was truly a group effort!

Girl's Night with Fleur De Lis Bridal and Grbic Catering

Girl's Night Out is always a lot of fun but this last one was especially exciting.  Our friends, Connie and Kristin at Fleur De Lis Bridal, joined us to show off a new line of dresses for special ocassions, while raising money for Mercy Cancer Center. 

Here we are with Connie and Kristin. Two mother-daughter teams!  

The dresses are just fabulous!  Here are a couple of them.  They're so well made and flattering!

Sarah and I couldn't help but play with them.

Fleur De Lis had three models wearing the dresses throughout the night.  It was so nice to see what they look like on someone instead of just on hangers.  Recognize one of these models?  The dark haired beauty on the right is Emily, our lovely employee!

The second special part of the evening was that a high school friend of mine whose family owns a restaurant/catering company offered to help raise money for the charity by catering the event.  Erna Grbic and her sister Senada brought the fabulous food and wine from Grbic Restaurant and Dining Hall. 

Here they are with their amazing pastries, Grbic salad, cheeses and wine.  Yum!  It was all so good!!

Erna and Senada also packed up some of their wonderful apple strudel for everyone to bring home.

Here's Sarah and me in front of the arbor we set up.

Emily, me, and Sarah

Emily and Sarah strike a pose

Everyone was hanging out, chatting, and enjoying the food. 

Emily and Angie were both in white.  Angels??  Hmm...not sure.

This was our best Girl's Night yet.  We raised money for Mercy St. Louis Cancer and Breast Institute while having lots of fun and meeting new friends.  The food was amazing and the dresses adorable too.  Thank you to everyone who made it such a success!  We have the best customers and friends any store owners could ever ask for!! 

And if you missed it, don't fret!  We will have another Girl's Night Out soon!