​     Having met their senior year in college at Mississippi State University, Catherine and Stephen both knew that they wanted to share their day with family and friends in a place that had given them both so much. Their story begins as two students working on the same small design team and class project. “A few weeks before we graduated, Stephen and I had our first date, and as our teammates and friends had already begun to suspect- we realized we were falling in love!” says Catherine. After finding out that the Chapel of Memories was available for their December wedding date, “those good vibes were amplified in a fun way when the Golden Egg made a surprise appearance at our reception. It was fun seeing that our guests enjoyed having it as a fun prop for many pictures!” recalls Catherine.

Inspiring Details: The bride always knew that she wanted to incorporate her mother’s wedding gown into her wedding in some way. A wonderful artist turned her mother’s wedding dress into a more modern cocktail dress for her to wear to the rehearsal dinner and she saved a piece of lace and pearls to wrap around her bridal bouquet. Additionally, the bride wore her grandmother’s fur stole while outside.

CEREMONY: Chapel of Memories | EVENT VENUE: Old Waverly | PHOTOGRAPHY: Chase at Followell Fotography | EVENT PLANNER: Kendall Poole Event Planning | CATERING & BAR: Old Waverly | FLORALS: Fresh Cut Catering & Floral | LIGHTING Davaine Lighting | BRIDE'S CAKE: Turquoise Chandelier | VIDEOGRAPHER: Film Poets | DRESS: Willow Bride | TUXES: Reed's Department Store Tupelo | BRIDESMAID'S DRESSES: Bella Bridesmaids Ridgeland | HAIR: Syd Curry & Anna Catherine Hester| MAKEUP: Natalie Graham Moore | INVITATIONS: Reed's Department Store Tupelo | PROGRAMS: Emily Ferguson with KPEP

     Abstract artist, Kimbra Bass, loves learning new things when it comes to growing in her craft. She is self-taught and recalls her creativeness beginning at an early age. “I was always going to the extreme in school when it came to anything requiring me to color or create.” says Kimbra. She credits her mother who is always very artistic. Kimbra lives in Brandon with her husband and two children, who are also talented like their mom.
    The calming process of creating art is Kimbra’s favorite part of her business. “Making people smile when they walk into their home or place of work and loving what they see. I want to do that every day.” smiles Kimbra. It was this love that sparked Kimbra to start her own business. “It really took me preparing to buy a home back in 2016 and really wanting original artwork and unfortunately purchasing it just wasn’t going to be an option at that time so generally, it persuaded me to paint my own original artwork at home. Little did I know that my colleagues, friends and family were going to buy from me and encourage me to continue creating.” laughs Kimbra. 
    A cool part of Kimbra’s abstract creations is that they all are influenced at the point of creation, whether it’s her mood/emotions or the music that she’s listening to. “The freedom it entails with no rules or boundaries make the possibilities endless.” says Kimbra. Aside from abstraction, Kimbra also creates heartbeat paintings, designs glassware and more. You can find her work sold in stores throughout the metro area and you can reach out to her via email at [email protected].

     THIS WEEKEND! The Mississippi Children's Museum is turning 10 and the MCM Partners are throwing a birthday bash to celebrate! Ignite the Night: 10 Years of Fun will take place this Saturday, February 8th, from 7pm-11pm. Wear your best FUN party attire and dance the night away with friends. There will be amazing drinks, food and an insane amount of birthday cake (obviously!). There will also be fun games and a silent auction to bid on incredible prizes!
     "Did you know that Ignite the Night supports the museum and its efforts to reach children across the state so they can discover and achieve their potential? Proceeds from the event provide critical funding for museum operations including meeting ongoing exhibit and program needs." MCM Facebook page.
Grab your tickets here, support a great cause and have FUN this Saturday night!

     Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint is once again growing with a third Mississippi-based location planned for the Colony Crossing retail development in the City of Madison. Founded by partners Dan Blumenthal and Jeff Good in 2007 with the flagship restaurant located in the Fondren District of Jackson, Sal & Mookie’s has garnered multiple, local and statewide awards for its product offerings and service style.
     “We love what we do and are thrilled that so many Mississippians enjoy the creative take on classic New York Pizza that we offer,” states Chef Dan Blumenthal, the concept’s menu and theme creator. “Jeff and I are excited to be working with our second licensee – Patrick Munn and Hali Sappington – and we look forward to bringing our unique offerings and well-known passion for excellent service and experience to Madison County!”

     Sal & Mookie’s – Madison will be located in the Colony Crossing development at the corner of Highway 463 and Bozeman Road in the space that formerly housed one of Madison’s most popular concepts – Georgia Blue. (In September of 2019, the owners of Georgia Blue moved to the opposite side of Highway 463 to expand to a building three times the size of their original space.) Renovation construction activities for Sal & Mookie’s Madison are slated to start this month and a target opening date of early May 2020 has been set.
     “This space is perfect,” shares Jeff Good, Sal & Mookie’s co-owner. “It’s as large as our Jackson location and will easily support the ice cream shop, bar, and two private dining rooms along with a great number of comfortable seating options in the main dining room. We have learned so much about what people love about our concept, and this new Madison location will allow us to do some really neat things. We cannot wait to start serving pizza and ice cream to folks who live and work in Madison!”

     Sal & Mookie’s Madison LLC will be majority owned and operated by Patrick Munn and Hali Sappington,two veteran employees of BRAVO! and Sal & Mookie’s; a couple who are ready to step out on their own with a proven concept and a great location.
​     “Everyone loves Sal & Mookie’s and we have been so lucky that Dan and Jeff believe in us and have helped us make this dream of restaurant ownership a reality!” exclaims Patrick Munn, the Managing Member of Sal & Mookie’s Madison, LLC the formal licensee for the new location. “Dan and Jeff have been nothing but gracious in their support and vision. As the restaurant owners of this licensed location, Hali and I are going to strive to build a team of service-minded team members focused on bringing a phenomenal experience to our guests. Dan and Jeff have long been considered among the best in the area of service and consistency, and we look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with them!”

     Sal & Mookie’s Madison will start with a motivated base of customers, in that Patrick and Hali sold shares of ownership utilizing a model similar to the one that funded BRAVO! Italian Restaurant when it was launched a quarter of a century ago.
     “Dan and Jeff helped us create a funding vision which matched equity from investors to traditional bank debt in an effort to provide a balanced approach to successfully capitalizing our vision,” explains Hali Sappington, co-Managing Partner. “We are thrilled to share that we have well over two dozen families invested in our business, each with a desire to see us succeed!”
​     Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint is a Mississippi-based Limited Liability Company with the company-owned location at 565 Taylor Street in the Fondren Neighborhood of Jackson, MS. The company granted its first license agreement to Sal & Mookie’s – Biloxi located in the heart of downtown Biloxi at 110 Lameuse Street. Sal & Mookie's Biloxi is independently owned and operated by RKBM Restaurant Group LLC.

     Hey y'all!! The day is here... Inspiration Mississippi's 2020 magazine has arrived! We put our heart and soul into this publication to bring to you the best inspiration in weddings, events and life. We hope that you love it as much as we do. 

    Our mission is always to create inspirational content and photos by celebrating Mississippi's most elite vendors. Here at Inspiration Mississippi, we are blessed to have the hospitality state and a household of faith at the root of our inspiration. We want to thank Masa Kathryn Photography for our winter cover feature of Demi and Reid Humphrey's stunning wedding. We are so thankful to all of our talented advertisers!