Food carts and trucks are all the rage for weddings and parties, so we were pretty thrilled when we stumbled upon this upcoming event. You can check out all Richmond has to offer in the way of Food carts and trucks this Sunday, May 20, at the first annual Food Cart Derby.

The Food Cart Derby will be held at the 17^th Street Farmers Market in Downtown Richmond and will include all the local food and beer favorites. With the event starting up at 11am and ending at 6pm, you can come enjoy brunch, lunch and dinner! Over 20 local food carts and breweries will be in attendance. A wide variety of food including BBQ, tacos, hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers and vegetarian cuisine will be sure to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. Bands and DJs will be entertaining foodies throughout the day with the lineup including Hear No Evil, Beast Wellington and DJ Reinhold.

We are sure that this will join the ranks of favorite food festivals in Richmond and hope you enjoy the food you love as well as try something new this weekend at the Food Cart Derby. To see the full list of food carts and breweries that will be there, click here.

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Photo Credit: http://birdinthebeehive.blogspot.com/2012/04/food-cart-derby.html

We may be a bit biased, but we think our weddings at the Mansion are rather gorgeous. So you can imagine our delight when our colleagues in the wedding industry fall in love with our weddings as much as we do!  Erica and Dave were first featured in our Best of 2011 series and now enjoyed a recent feature on Head over Heels:

Special thanks to Head over Heels for the opportunity!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

After years in the wedding business, we’ve picked up quite a few tips and tricks along the way and we just love sharing our insight with our brides and grooms. Recently, we had the opportunity for not one, but two, fabulous features on RichmondWeddings.com and we’re excited to share them with you today!

Up first- one of our favorite topics! We know that the time immediately following an engagement can be a bit overwhelming. After all, it’s not every day that you plan such a momentous occasion! So we shared a bit of advice about how to get started with your wedding plans:

You may have caught our more creative submission, our poem Who Art Thou Oh Bride-

Special thanks to our friends Amye and Scott at Richmond Weddings for the opportunity!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

The food festivals of Richmond are making their grand return and the Lebanese Food Festival at St. Anthony Maronite Church in Glen Allen is the perfect start to the season.

The Lebanese Food Festival will be held the weekend of May 18, Friday through Sunday, from 10am until 8pm. The menu for the three day festival includes all of your Lebanese favorites with over 20 dishes in which to choose, along with complete dinners and boxed lunches. The favorites include stuffed grape leaves, falafel and hummus. The boxed lunches are available every day prior to 3pm except for Sunday and include three small entrees as well as a delicious dessert. Not up to facing the crowds? Well you’re in luck as full dinners can be ordered by fax throughout the event.

Enjoy traditional music and dancing while you treat yourself to some delicious Lebanese favorites. Whether you are already a fan or you feel like trying something new, this is the perfect festival for you to indulge!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Photo Credit: http://www2.richmond.com/

If there is one thing we tell our brides time and time again, it’s this- hire a great Caterer. Nothing makes a good party like a fabulous menu and a great Catering team to execute it.

If you’ve been at the Mansion on a weekend, you’ll more than likely bump into our friends at White House Catering.  Today, their owner David Napier took a moment out of his busy wedding season to share a bit about what they love most about being in the wedding industry, and some key tips

How did you get your start in the wedding industry?

I started as a lead bartender 6 years ago. I landed in the office when I was diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had previously worked professionally in the music industry coordinating & booking bands. Brides are much easier than rock stars!

What question do you find brides asking you the most about wedding catering?
These days, cost is the main concern.

What’s the best thing about working in the wedding industry?
The honor of assisting with life long memories. I thoroughly enjoy the excitement of weddings!

Any tips you’d like to share with our 2012 brides?
Do not make this stressful. You are throwing a party. If it is not fun then it is not worth doing.

We couldn’t agree more- wedding planning may be stressful from time to time, but we have no doubt that you can turn it into a fun and memorable experience when you hire great professionals like White House Catering.

Thanks for stopping by!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

We can’t believe that April has come and gone already. The plus side? The wonderful wedding photographers who have been contacting us to share some of the highlights from the starts of wedding season 2012. Marisse and Jeff’s April wedding was just lovely from start to finish and we were just thrilled when Daniel Min Photography offered to share some favorites. Enjoy!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Today we’re back to chat with another one of our favorite wedding pros. Whitney Fero, owner of Champagne Taste Catering, is a regular at the Mansion as you can often find her putting the finishing touches on a memorable menu with one of our couples.

Today, we sat down with Whitney to talk a bit about how she got her start in the industry as well as some wonderful tips for our brides and grooms to be!

How did you get your start in the wedding industry?

I became a caterer because I loved to throw parties and I wanted to make a change in my career.  This was a decade ago.  I have an MBA and wasn’t thrilled with working in corporate America.  It occurred to me one day that I have “Champagne Taste on a beer budget” and that I throw fantastic parties and the idea began.  It took a few years for my business to take off, but we doubled revenue every year for a lot of years – and now here we are.

My first wedding was my Brother’s back in 2002.  Boy – do I wish I could do that all over again!  I knew NOTHING back then.  Every time I mention it, he is so gracious.  Maybe I will throw him a 10th Anniversary party this year to show him what we can really do!  Someone (not one of my staff!) was super helpful at that wedding and decided to bleach the reception chairs right before the reception, but they didn’t rinse off all of the bleach…. sooooo…. three guests had ruined clothes…  My skin still crawls when I think of it….  Reminds me of the bride who wanted a signature drink with blue dye.  This was before I knew my job well enough to realize wedding professionals need to help brides get out of their own way sometimes.  Well, we had 150 people with blue teeth at that wedding.  That will NEVER happen again!

The best thing I ever did for my company was to limit the number of brides we book.  I do almost all of the cooking myself, take every phone call, every email and every meeting.  Once we began limiting the number of brides per week, we were really able to give the kind of service that should be expected from clients leading up to and on their wedding day.  I become very close with most of our brides – this is a momentous occasion in their lives!  By limiting the number of brides, I can spend more time thinking about them and helping them with the process.  It makes this job more fun and more authentic.

What’s the best thing about working in the wedding industry?

Relationships.  Of my closest thirty friends, 25 of them are in the wedding industry or work with me in my company.  Also, I have become very close with several dozen of our brides.  Three of those closest thirty friends were once our brides!

This is a very social industry, which makes all of the long hours and hard work worth the effort.  Most of my staff have been with me for many years, so coming to work is so much fun.  We have become close with the staff at most of venues, so every weekend we get to work hard with people we enjoy.  Florists, DJs, photographers, wedding planners, bakers – some of my favorite people are vendors for our events.  Those relationships are a bonus for brides.  When all of the vendors enjoy working together there is something special that happens at a wedding.  It’s hard to describe, but we all buy-in to the event as a group and want to go above and beyond to make sure everything exceeds expectations as a group.  We work behind the scenes in the weeks before the wedding to double and triple check details.  It’s like the biggest extended family you’ve ever encountered and we are all working toward making sure we are individually and as a group giving our all for our brides.

Any tips you’d like to share with our 2012 brides?

A few-

1.  ONLY HIRE VENDORS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY TRUST.  If you cannot say that you absolutely trust them, schedule meetings until you do and then hire them.  If you cannot say you trust them then keep on looking!!!  I want all of our brides to look at me and think, “I know she will make sure my day is perfect.  I can let go of it all and let her work and speak for me.”  It is the greatest compliment EVER when a bride says, “I trust you.  Do what you think is best.”  I think you should only hire a caterer (or other wedding vendors) if you feel that way.

2.  LISTEN TO THE PROFESSIONALS.  Once you hire your professionals, let them do their jobs.  If you have faith enough in them to hire them, then check it off your list and let those details go.  It will help with the stress in the months leading up to the Big Day.  Also – they have worked hundreds of weddings and likely know more about the process than brides do.  Your input as a bride is SUPER important, but once you’ve made decisions and signed contracts with people you trust, stop fretting and move on to the next thing on the list.

3.  SET REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS.  It is your wedding day.  The MOST important element is getting married.  Everything else is just the window dressing.  I rarely see a wedding day when one thing does not go wrong.  Anything can be fixed and if you have hired people you trust it will be fixed – and probably without you knowing there was a problem in the first place!!  On your wedding day, focus on your husband and the people that love you.  Let the people you’ve hired – who you trust – take care of everything else.

4.  ONCE A WEEK in the months before the wedding, designate one day when you absolutely DO NOT talk about the wedding.  I’m not kidding.  Sometimes I see couples whose whole lives become the wedding.  At least 7 out of 10 of my brides say to me at some point, “I just can’t wait for this whole thing to be over.”  I hate when I hear that.  I understand it – but I hate it.

5.  DAY 17 THROUGH DAY 3 before the wedding, spend two hours a day with your fiancé and DO NOT talk about the wedding.  Rather, take time to just breathe and be with the person you’ve chosen to love forever.  An old friend gave me that advice about twenty years ago and it still ranks high on my “Best-Advice-Ever-Given-List.”

6.  ADD YOUR OWN PERSONAL STYLE to the wedding.  It is YOUR wedding.  If you love spaghetti-Os and meatballs, serve them in a shot glass with a mini-spoon as an appetizer!  If you secretly dream of being a lounge singer, sing to your husband on a piano during the reception!  This is YOUR day.  It is a reflection of your love and relationship with your partner.  DO NOT worry about pleasing everyone.  Present your best self and your husband’s best self and celebrate the love to which you are committing.

7.  YOU ONLY GET MARRIED ONCE  have fun during the process!

Wonderful tips- we couldn’t agree more. Thanks Whitney for stopping by!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Looking for a little adventure this May? Well, Dominon RiverRock is the perfect outdoor festival for you to enjoy the spring weather and indulge your inner daredevil.

Dominion RiverRock will kick off the festivities Friday, May 18, and will continue to rock Belle Isle until Sunday, May 20. The fun starts out with the Miller Lite Filthy 5k Mud Run, with tough terrain including a rock hop, a little dip in the James River and a mud pit finish. Other events include an Adventure Race, bike free styling, paddle boarding, mountain bike racing, boulder climbing and slack lining. A wide variety of bands will play throughout the weekend with the headliners including Galactic, The Travelin’ McCoury’s and JJ Grey and MOFRO.

The Interactive Village gives the opportunity for everyone to join in on the fun. You can try out kayaking, paddle boarding, white water rafting, slack lining and rock climbing. This is fun for the whole family with interactive activities.

Admission to the event along with the concerts is free. Please note that there is a fee to participate in the Interactive Village.   Step outside your comfort zone and enjoy the James at Dominion RiverRock.

For More Information: http://www.dominionriverrock.com/

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Photo Credit: http://www.dominionriverrock.com/

There’s just something about a winter wedding that we’ve always adored- from the rich hues and lush fabrics to the good tidings that just come with this celebratory season. The options to personalize your Big Day are endless- menus filled with warm comfort food and flickering lights to complement the season’s sparkle.

And it’s with that, that we’re thrilled to now offer wedding reception packages from November through March!  For more information, please visit our packages online or give us a call today to schedule a tour of the property. Remember, our full wedding planning services are included for all Mansion Brides!

We look forward to planning your winter celebration with you!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

Let’s face it- flowers can make or break the decor on one’s wedding day, which is why we just LOVE having professionals such as Flowers by Mona Ray on hand to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

We’ve worked with Mona and her team for many years and were just thrilled that she could take time out of her busy wedding season schedule to chat with us a bit-

How did you get your start in the wedding industry?

I have worked with flowers since I was a child. I have worked in and out of the floral industry for many years. I have a degree in Flower Shop and Greenhouse management and taught Floral Design for many years in public schools along with my Horticulture/Agriculture Classes. When I decided to Home school my son 14 years ago I decided to start a home based wedding flower business and we have grown from there.  We now serve over 200 bridal couples a year and the whole family is involved in the day to day operation.

What question do you find brides asking you the most about wedding flowers?

Cost. Cost is the biggest thing that worries each bride. We work very hard to insure that all brides get the most for their floral budget. Many have misconceptions about what flowers are available when.. So many love the spring flowers and many of them are available year round but the most popular ones are not..

What’s the best thing about working in the wedding industry?

It’s always a happy time. We love seeing the look on our brides faces or hearing from them after the wedding about how much they loved their flowers. Or that we took their vision for flowers and did exactly what they wanted.. It is very humbling to be chosen to participate in the happy occasion of a couple embarking on their new life together..

Any tips you’d like to share with our 2012 brides?

Look at lots of pictures of flowers to get ideas.. Many brides make a file of them.. but it’s better to make a word document and write what you like and dislike about each design.. That way you will remember what you were thinking.. when you share with others..  Email or bring in your ideas so that we will be able to see their vision through their eyes..  Just because it’s in a magazine or online doesn’t mean its available in Richmond, Virginia year round.. Many flowers are seasonal .. we will try to get your flowers in but do have back up choices.. And most importantly.. Have fun with your flowers..

We couldn’t agree more- we just love when our brides have FUN with their wedding flowers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Mona, feel free to visit her web site today!

Thanks Mona for stopping by!

See You Soon,
~Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.