Show Some Vendor Love | Rustic Acres Farm Wedding Venue Grand Opening | JPC Event Group

Good Friday morning to you all! I have a fun post to put up for you today. If you haven't had a chance to get to know JPC Event Group then grab a cup of joe, have a seat and get ready for some beauteousness. ;-)

We are in the middle of a film project with JPC and had the pleasure of filming their grand opening at Rustic Acres Farm, located in Volant, PA. This stunning barn and grounds is now a wedding venue! So the crew at JPC did it up right for a party that just made mouths water. The food, the decor, the details....I want to create a reason to have a grand party just so I can be here. It really was simply fabulous.

While filming I also took a few stills and I wanted to share them with you today, along with a bit of an interview with Jody Wimer, owner, CEO and El Presidente of all things JPC. Not sure if you know this but Jody and her team is more of a conglomerate of several specialties, all amazing. JPC Event Group's specialty is catering and rental services. They also own and operate Garnish Event Design, which is an event planning, decor and florals business, and then there is their organic, local and sustainable eatery, Element Cafe. This team is busy for sure. It was truly wonderful to see 3 of Jody's businesses come together to display such incredible decor, absolutely stunning florals, furniture and linens that were downright adorable (not to mention the dressers, use of ladders and the chandeliers!!), food and drinks that delighted each and every sense you have and all wrapped in a beautiful barn to feast your eyes upon. It. Was. Lovely.

Enjoy!

1. What inspired you to get into the wedding business? I always joke when I am speaking or presenting at conferences that the wedding business chose us, rather than us choosing it 16 years ago… hahah! :)  But I credit a lovely, loyal family that always frequented our restaurant and told us we HAD to cater their daughter’s wedding in 1998 with inspiring us to take the plunge into the wedding industry.  And what a way to "get your feet wet?”  Catering a 700 guest wedding for your first attempt!  That was a polar plunge! :)

But truly— it was love at first sight, and we have never looked back!

2. What inspired you to grow your business in so many directions over the years? My time on the board of directors of the International Caterers Association was one of the most profoundly inspirational times in my career— and I can truly say seeing successful, thriving companies all over the country, and the world, doing truly innovative and trend setting work was a motivator like no other for Richard and I.

Each of the various divisions of our company has evolved in a natural progression when we saw a need, or could fill a niche.  The catering company came first as a natural extension of our restaurant/bakery at the time, and after that the sustainable, organic café concept {Element Café} was born for casual appeal {and STARBUCKS of course!}.  As our clients fell in love with our unique food displays and decor, they asked us more and more to create complete cohesive looks for their events— and thus the design/floral division was born {GARNISH Event Design.}  Now we have begun creating a family of venues for our clients— from the gorgeous ballroom space we lovingly renovated in 2012 to the vintage farm we manage and are preparing to open April 27, 2014.

3. What is most fulfilling about your work? We LOVE more than anything seeing the smile on our clients face at the end of their event!  It sounds cheesy, but exceeding expectations gets us jazzed to come to work each day!

4. What sets you apart from others in the same industry? I believe our dedication to our craft, and our true commitment to artisan sustainability set us apart.

In 1998 when we began our company, the roots were based upon cuisine created from the freshest ingredients, sourced as locally as possible, always hand-crafted.  16 years later, we have worked diligently to grow in that founding paradigm adding farms, artisan purveyors of cheeses and honeys, and local food sources to our network of suppliers each and every year, and growing much of our own herbs and produce, as well as our own eggs!  I always say— WE DID IT BEFORE IT WAS TRENDY! And we are proud to see Pittsburgh growing in this area of event/culinary sustainability.

Additionally, our company constantly takes advantage of industry education to ensure we are offering our clients the best experience that we can.  Through this education, and the mentoring we have graciously received from many highly-sucessful industry giants on the East and West coasts, we have learned so much about trends, green event practices, fine service guidelines, and we have amassed skills and equipment to ensure our company can be a comprehensive event partner for our clients- from food to florals, equipment to planning.

5. What kind of couple wants to work with you? Couples who love us are foodies that love knowing where their food is sourced. They are eco-conscious, and many have traveled or lived away from Pittsburgh for a time and want to have their wedding back in the ‘Burgh with a cosmopolitan or urban approach.  They adore the thought of unique or non-traditional venues, or the beauty of the outdoors.  And many are also seeking for assistance in creating a cohesive feel that truly does uniquely represent them.

6. What advice would you give a wedding couple about planning their wedding? Don’t loose sight of the marriage in preparing for the wedding!  Weddings can truly take on a life of their own…but remember to revel in the love that brought you together.

7. Any favorite moments you'd like to share? We recently did a super fun and urban-chic wedding at the New Hazlett theater.  Word began to circulate around the staff that a very famous boy band member would be attending as he was the groom’s cousin.  This was met by some speculation and disbelief and quickly forgotten during the hustle and bustle of preparation— until dinner service when he came into the food staging area and complimented everything! and a JPC management team member melted on the floor! :)

We have truly been blessed over the years to have SOOO many favorite moments and fantastic clients that entrusted their special days to our care.  That sounds cliché, but its like a panoramic movie plays through my mind of amazing couples with equally amazing stories, and we are honored to celebrate with each of them.

And there you have it folks! So if you're in the market for a beautiful wedding or event venue, or some delicious food or rental services, or a stop at a lovely eatery then make sure to drop a line, stop by or send up some smoke signals to Jody and her team. You won't regret it! ;-)