Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

New Cuisine Trend

Many brides are eliminating the formal sit down dinner and overflowing buffets and opting for an all-passed appetizers wedding with chic smaller buffets.

Find the Perfect Pair – fun food & drink pairings during the entire wedding:

* Black Bean Soup with Mini Chilled Casahas Shots
* Mini Tuna Tacos with Mini Chilled Lime Margaritas
* Fish & Chips served with Mini Pints of Beer
* Mini Gourmet Pizzas served with Mini Pints of Beer
* Caviar & Chilled Vodka
* Instead of huge cheese displays pair cheese, meats and breads with a variety of wine tastings

Choose Mini Buffets – more do-it-yourself stations with toppings:

* Cous Cous Station with Toppings
* Curry Bar
* Deconstructed Mac & Cheese with Truffle Oil, Jalapenos, Chipotle Crème
* Tuna Bar with Tartar & Seared Tuna with Toppings like Wasabi Caviar, Citrus Caviar, Avocado, etc.

Pass the Dessert – serve your guests mini desserts while they are on the dance floor:

* Espresso Brownies with Mini Vanilla Milkshakes
* Fresh Fruit Sorbet on Mini Cones
* Fresh berry tartlets with limoncello sips

Late Night Munchies – serve mini-burgers and mini-grilled cheese for late night dancing treats or surprise guests with an all-passed midnight breakfast:

* Mini Burgers & Fries
* Mini Grilled Cheese
* Mini Blueberry Pancakes
* Mini Scrambled Eggs in Phyllo Nests
* Mini Bagels

Source: GetMarried.com

Photos courtesy of Blue Plate Catering – Chicago and Culinary Art Catering – Dallas

Wedding & Shower Recipes

We couldn’t pass up sharing one of our FAVORITE web sites for getting recipes – MyRecipes.com. This is a great site for the new and experienced cook. The recipes are simple and consistently good.

Just got this in my email today about Wedding & Shower Recipes and thought to let you know. I can’t tell you how many young people I have personally helped learn how to cook. Personally, there’s nothing like a home cooked meal, no matter how simple … your fiancee/husband and eventually children will appreciate that you can cook. Or if you man is the cook in the house, share this with him.

Ice, Ice Baby

Short on time and ideas today, so just dropping a quick line about including an ice bar in your plans for the reception to entertain your guests.

We’re not a huge fan of ice “sculptures,” but those ice bars where your guests can get their drinks directly from the ice sculpture are really getting my attention.

Besides adding some elegance to your celebration, they are really fun. We’re sure your guests will find the ice bars quite cool, as well as, a unique touch.

Wedding Bar Advice

When budgeting your bar and stocking your beverages, averaging the number of drinks per guest can be a bit of a gamble.  Your reception venue will offer advice, we’re sure, yet it doesn’t hurt to know a few things ahead of time as well.
 
Wine
There are 4.5 glasses to a bottle. For your reception figure 2 people will drink one bottle. These days you can buy equal amounts of red as you do of white. If you have leftovers some stores or vendors will allow you to return unopened bottles. Or if your venue is supplying they should be able to place it back into stock.

Beer
Select one regular and one light. Purchase one bottle of regular and one bottle of light beer per guest. Choose your favorite beers or choose beers that are universally popular.

Liquor
Plan on getting fifteen drinks from each 750ml bottle. These portions are generous but the last thing you want to have to do is run out in the middle of your event! For your basic full bar, you want Vodka, gin, rum (light and/or dark), tequila, triple sec and whiskey. 

Soft Drinks
We typically go with the usual cast of characters that everyone knows: Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite (add a few Dr Pepper products if you’re in the South). For a two-liter bottle, figure ten to twelve people per bottle. This assumes that your cups are not 20 ounces and that you’re serving other beverages besides just these.
 
Bottled Water
It’s good to have some on hand in case your guests need to hydrate after hitting the dance floor and keep extra on hand for the end of the evening when guests have had a bit of alcohol beforehand. With the plethora of water brands on the market look over your budget and figure out the brand that works best with your budget. Tip: Serve discount store brands in pitchers or from the back of the house but do not stock visibly on the bar.

Mixers
99% of the time everyone will ask for at least one of the following: Tonic, Soda, Cranberry, Orange, and Grapefruit Juice (with a full bar). Orange juice is a big mixer, but it isn’t cheap. Some lower end brands don’t taste great, so, don’t include it with the bar unless the budget requires it.

Garnish
Limes, lemons, olives, onions (with a full bar). But also take into consideration what you’re serving. If you’re pouring cosmopolitans, why not float a few frozen cranberries? Or top off your cocktails by rimming the glasses with sugar.

Ice
Figure 2 pounds per person for serving and chilling. Get it delivered an hour or so before the party begins (at least). Select either cubes or crushed and store extras in either a cool place or freezer. If the party is outside, plan on keeping in large coolers.

There is no exact science to stocking your bar. You’ve got to take into consideration how warm or cold it is outside (if you’re having an afternoon party in the summer, up your ice quantity.) Don’t forget to factor in your menu (if you’ll be eating steak, ease up on your white wine quantity). And be sure to figure in your friends’ and family’s preferences. If you know you’ve got a heavy drinking crowd who loves martinis, stock up on some extra vodka, olives and lime juice. Experience counts, so ask the experts and consult with your caterers to make the most educated calculations that you can. 

Looking for great advice? Contact one of our StrictlyWeddings.com event planners or catering partners.

Married? Party Time!

Holly shares more than 120 crowd-pleasing 30-minute easy-to-prepare recipes in her gorgeously illustrated cookbook. This cookbook serves as a complete guide to cooking for company and planning a party while eating delicious and healthy food! Holly’s simple menus with user-friendly ingredients and decorative touches insure that time will not be spent in the kitchen, getting you back to the party fast!

Chapters are divided into 13 different party themes, and each section includes stress-free “Menu Planning Sections” with a variety of recipes,” “Terrific Tips,” “Exciting Extras” for extra flair, and “Short Cuts” for the quick approach. From a sumptuous but streamlined spring brunch buffet with Shrimp and Cheese Grits Casserole and Baked Praline Orange French Toast, to a barbecue bash with Pulled Pork, Roasted Potato Salad, and the most popular Burger Cake, these recipes make special occasion cooking seem simple and health-wise, as well as delicious.
Other chapters include festive gatherings like Souper Bowl Party, Mardi Gras Madness, Orient Express, Tropical Paradise Party, and Terrific Tailgating.

Each recipe also includes the nutritional analyses, diabetic exchanges, and a guide to vegetarian and freezer-friendly dishes.

More than just a cookbook, Holly’s easy-to-follow menus, entertaining hints and simple decorating ideas make Holly Clegg’s Trim & Terrific Home Entertaining the Easy Way a must-have book for hosting effortless parties!

Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Home Entertaining the Easy Way

I have specifically designed this book of party menus to make entertaining easy and enjoyable. -Holly Clegg

One Of A Kind Label

A Wedding is an amazing time for a couple and their loved ones. When planning such a special day, it’s important to incorporate as much of your personality as possible into every aspect of your wedding. Personalized bottles of wine and champagne are the ideal solution for couples hoping to create a unique and unforgettable wedding.

Order yours today at East Six!

Summertime Drinks

Strawberry Watermelon Mojito

It was mint to be: a sunny drink filled with a summer favorite-and no seeds.

- 1½ oz. Smirnoff Strawberry Vodka
- ½ oz. fresh lime juice
- ½ oz. mint-infused simple syrup
- 1 cup fresh seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
- Club soda

To make mint syrup, bring 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add 8 to 10 mint leaves. Let cool for 30 minutes. Strain. Combine vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, ½ cup of watermelon and about 10 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass with ice and remaining watermelon. Top with club soda. Garnish with additional mint leaf.
Cocktail created by the Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach, Florida.

Jocasta margarita glass, $81; William Yeoward Crystal, 800-818-8484, williamyeowardcrystal.com.

Sterling Rope stirrer, $100 for set of four; Lunt Silversmiths, 800-242-2774, luntsilver.com.

Monogrammed stirrer flag; Ellen Weldon Design, NYC, 212-925-4483.
Source: brides.com