Kaite Townsend Photography

Just Catering by Orr

TK Wedding & Event Decor

Atherial Beauty

LF Hair Design

Party Pro Rents

This styled shoot is near and dear to our hearts for many reasons. While it features our beautiful Pearl, it also was inspired and created by one of our favorite caterers and dear friends, Josie Walden, of Just Catering by Orr. Josie's heart is pure gold; she has a way with food and a love for people that you just can't top. So when she approached us with this idea, we were all in.

Josie had a very distinct vision for this styled shoot. More specifically, she wanted it to accurately represent the experience of a real wedding or event. "I wanted it to be real as it could for a styled shoot," she said. "Since so many brides use those as a source for their ideas, and they [sometimes] don’t understand that it was styled versus real."

Additionally, Josie wanted to make sure and include a very important but sometimes missing piece when it comes to styled shoots: the food. "I have always seen styled shoots where of course it’s all about the flowers, linens, etc., but I have never seen it with food," she says. "And I wanted to do something different, and I wanted to use our people who you see at events; plus I wanted to make sure there was a lot of color in it."

With florals from TK Wedding + Event Decor, rentals from Party Pro Rents, makeup by Atherial Beauty, hair by LF Hair Design and photos by the talented Katie Townsend, we feel Josie achieved everything she set out to accomplish with this shoot, and we are so excited to finally share it with you.

The Menu:

Passed hors d'oeuvres: Watermelon Canapes & Bacon-wrapped tenderloin bites with a red wine glaze

Dinner: Wedge salad; Bourbon Salmon with grilled assorted veggies (or asparagus), with roasted sliced Yukon gold potatoes

Meet Josie:

"Taking over ownership of an established business that already had a great name, was a little stressful, because I felt -- and so did my team -- so many people were watching us to fail, or were used to certain things being done a certain way," she says.

"I never did nor do I want to be Orr; those are too big of shoes [to fill]. I wanted to be us. A minority-run company, owned by a woman with an ethnic background, and run by a diversified team from all walks of life. I wanted to enable each and every one of my team members to have a voice, [to know] that my way is not always the right way, but with all of our minds working together we will find a way."

"What sets us apart?" Josie asks. "I do not know what other caterers do. But I do know what we do. I know we normally build a relationship with 90 percent of our clients. The biggest thing I believe [that] sets us apart from any other company, is the staff. We are a family; we do not use a staffing company. I know each and everyone of them and if they are new, then Arturo or Elias, or another staff [member] knows them."

"It’s the high bar that I set for each one of us. They don’t complain, they just do what is needed, and what I ask [of] them. They really go above and beyond for our clients. Plus, we do a lot of things that we don’t charge for, and maybe that is a bad thing, but who cares? If we can make it easier for them, why not? We also do a lot of the planning for the wedding, set up, table layout, timeline, linen selection etc."

A few steps that Just Catering by Orr is taking during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Temperatures are taken at the beginning of each shift

Every staff member wears a mask

Masks, face shields and gloves are worn throughout the entirety of each event

"During phase 2, we did plated or family style [serving]; we wouldn’t do a buffet," Josie says. "We are more cautious I think than ever before, but also we don’t let that get in the way of servicing our clients. It’s about being more creative."