Tennessee Gardens and Michelle's Bakery

This morning I had a meeting at Tennessee Gardens at 10. I showed up at about 10:05, mostly because I missed the place the first time, and after I found it, I drove in circles trying to find the office, which didn't really matter, because the lady I was meeting was late anyway.

Tennessee Gardens (named for the street that it is on) is a garden type of venue tucked behind a florist and a bakery (the Garden is owned by the same woman who runs the bakery). It's pretty much a green lawn, some white fencing, trees with lights, and a covered "dance floor"/patio. But it can fit $250, and I did like the lady even though she was running late.

So I'm snooping around trying to figure out where I'm supposed to meet this lady, when this guy with some crazy tats on his legs and wearing Metal Mulisha shoes asks me if I need some help. So I tell him I'm supposed to meet someone to tour the Gardens and he calls the lady on the phone, but gets no answer. He tells me that I can wait in the bakery and the lady is pretty good about calling back right away. Once I'm in the bakery, he tells me that his grandmother is coming down and she'd be able to show me around if not give me all the pricing.

When his grandmother comes down - Cecilia, this cute old lady with some European accent - she moves me to the shaded area of the bakery, piles binders of beautiful cakes in front of me, and feeds me cake while I'm waiting for "her daughter" Michelle, the owner of the bakery and Tennessee Gardens. She tells me about how she sent her daughter for school in France 27 years ago, and how she's been in the cake business for 25 years. All the recipes are Michelle's...and they are delicious! I tried the Toffee cake, the strawberry Victorian cake, the raspberry Victorian cake, and the orange poppy seed. Yum! Cecilia proceeds to tell me how to get the most bang for my buck (small cake in back, sheet cake cut up and ready to go in back if we're getting our cake from elsewhere or paying for a Michelle's cake for a different venue - they deliver everywhere - why just last weekend she was driving to Santa Ana with a 7 layer cake; but if we're going through the Gardens, our cake will be free and to put it all up front in one gorgeous, giant cake). We discuss flowers on cake (best to let the cake shine through and not to have too many flowers on it, and that the florist will do the flowers on the cake so they match with whatever flowers we have), special designs (I can bring in any picture and any design and they can recreate), and the cake business (they did 700 cakes last year alone).

Michelle eventually shows up, and she brings me for a short tour around the Garden. There's a covered patio which serves as a dance floor. The green lawn can accommodate 250 guests. There's a place where they set up the sweetheart/head table (which by the way, we still haven't decided what we want...though I am leaning towards head table; and I'm not sure if Mei will sit up with us or with her family...I guess again depending on what she wants). There's a smaller "dance floor" usually used for smaller parties and which, says Michelle, would serve as a nice place for our first dance etc as it is set apart from everything else. There's a gazebo that is set up as a bar. There's a pond/waterfall, white fencing, twinkle lights on all fencing and trees, rose bushes galore (though whether they are in bloom is another story). There is also a reception hall which stays open and will be set up with tables - we probably can do our cocktail hour in there or have our buffet tables in there. The reception hall is a nice place for elderly people to go when it is too hot/cold and they want to get out of the elements and can watch the goings on from the doorway.

Included in the wedding package are the tables (60in rounds), chairs (white wood/cushion), linens (a million choices) and overlays, napkins, flatware, stemware, silverware, cake, DJ w/AV equipment and screen, use of mirrors, votives, gold rimmed hurricane lanters, umbrellas/heat lamps for outside. There is no cake fee, but there is a champagne toast fee if we choose to do so. There is also champagne for the head table.

We can bring in our own caterer, but the bar must be done through the venue. Without the alcohol, and without a caterer of our own, the total is $6868 and change...which is DEFINITELY within my budget!!

I'm bringing Eddie to see the place on Monday evening, that way we can see what it looks like with the lights all twinkling and pretty.

Cross your fingers! This may be affordable AND the garden setting AND we won't have to go to the Mitten Building.