A Tuscan Flea Market Affair
July 15th, 2008 @ 12:28 pm by Mrs. Espresso
Off to the side and where our buffet will be, I’d like a setup similar to this. We’re having a local Italian bistro cater our wedding and I would love to have the buffet area set up like a Tuscan farmer’s/flea market. Not that I’ve ever been to Tuscany, but in my mind, this is how their markets are set up. 
Have any of you ever set up a stand like these? I honestly have no idea where even to start, and I definitely want to get some pointers before scaring Mr. Espresso away from helping me.
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15 Responses to “A Tuscan Flea Market Affair”
That sounds awsome. Because its rustic, you really don’t have to worry too much about it. Just make sure you create some contrast with varing height containers/displays and there is someone incharge of stocking the items. The little tags you can make yourself with chaulk board spray paint and go to your local farmer’s market for inspiration. Good luck!
You can get galvanized tubs and “crate looking” storage inexpensively at IKEA.
For cheap baskets go to http://www.luckyclovertrading.com/ (they have another company you can use if you can’t make their minium order size.). Ikea should have some vases for cheap, as does walmart for ball jars/mason jars. For decoration see if you can get some pretty baskets full of fruit or veggies and buy those from wholesaler. Definitely agree that you can have your florist arrange the flowers more like a market stall…. should be cheaper as well! Good Luck!
oh and bed, bath and beyond has those octagon carafes now for $19.99 (with the stand)
I just saw a tutorial over at Martha Stewart where they stencil monograms onto tea towels…. it was simple enough and would be a great way to get the effect in the third picture.
I love the idea of a market spread. You may want to see what your florist and caterer may have in terms of display containers and baskets- then suplement with items you own… to keep it all in budget and easier to transport.
I also love the idea of mixing both cut and potted flowers for this one to give it a really rich and rustic flair.
Can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
I don’t have any ideas, but just wanted to say great idea. It looks beautiful.
@Erin: My aunt warned me of the same thing (the hauling) And I’ll be going to the LA flower market beforehand and getting all the flowers so it should be much cheaper
@Luxe: Good idea about the chalk board spray paint!
@Nette: and @LaborDayBride: Great idea about Ikea- I’ll be checking them out for sure
@danielle: I love the mix of cut and potted flowers as well!
Thank- you all so much! These ideas are great so far! Now- this may be totally obvious to all of you- but do any of you know how to attempt making the actual canopy with the poles?
Hi Miss Espresso,
I am toward the tail end of planning my wedding, with a French Bistro theme, for Labor Day. I love the look, and I have a couple of the same pictures in my mind! We’re using wine bottle table numbers, kraft paper runners, and lighting the tent with cafe string lights. I found that florals were much more reasonable in this form than they were from a florist. And, you can have plastic sleeves available, so your guests can take them home just like they would at a market!
i love this idea…i am also doing an Italian wedding (my family is from the Veneto region…close to Tuscany!), so i’m using your idea!! but i would scour thrift stores, too. i just went to a bunch in the LA area, and there were tons of baskets and other “rustic” containers. as far as the canopy, we are using large pots (planters) with sand to place large bamboo poles for lights, so i think a similar set up would work for the canopy. you can probably find muslin or hemp or some other reasonable & rustic looking fabric to attach to the poles, either with twine (more rustic) or a staple gun!! good luck!
Also, you might want to check out Martha Stewart’s Tuscan wedding buffet:
I’ve seen the whole article in either one of the mags or her Weddings book - with more and better pictures.
We’re doing something similar! I’ve always adored farmers’ markets, Mr.GV proposed at one, and we live somewhere with a really fantastic one, so it seemed appropriate.
I bought some great old chalkboards on eBay, as well as some small ones at AC Moore (like Michaels but cheaper). For the canopy, I’d go with a chuppah kind of set up… it actually looks kind of like that! 
Good luck and thanks for the inspiration - can’t wait to see what you come up with!
@bsquared: I love the plastic sleeves idea! Will the flowers be your favors then?
@christina: wow thanks so much for all that info. I was thinking muslin and twine too… should be interesting when I get my hands on this project 
@Weddingmuse: thank- you!!
@GorgesViola: I love that he proposed at a farmers market. Good idea about getting the chalk boards on e-bay. I’ve been thinking of incorporating them into my wedding as well. I love the chalk board searting chart featured in Fete. Have you seen it? If not- I definitely think it’s something you may be interested in
“Not that I’ve ever been to Tuscany, but in my mind, this is how their markets are set up.”
Er, in a word… how can I put this delicately?… “no”.
But if you’re going for an amusement park version of faux Tuscany, that’s about right.
Well, I HAVE been to Tuscany (we spent time there on our honeymoon in some really lovely little towns that were totally off the beaten path) and there were markets all over the place with their goods on display. I, oddly enough, was rather obsessed with taking pictures of them, so send me an email and I will send you my pics for more inspiration.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big Bear
Age and Occupation: 23, Community Services Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance Technician
Engagement Date: December 21, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 25, 2008
Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear Lake
About Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
I’d start by thinking about what you already own that would work. You and your parents might have applicable items around the house, such as wash buckets, laundry baskets, magazine holders, etc.
I’d also ask your florist to set up the flowers in bunches so they look like they are for sale. (If there is a nearby flower market or flower farm, this would be more economical to do yourself.) The galvanized buckets look great - and are probably fairly inexpensive at a hardware store.
Aren’t you doing a sort of destination wedding? Remember that you’ll need to haul this stuff to the site… unless the B&B has some items?